Porchlight in Concert FOLLIES

STEPHEN SOUNDHEIM (COMPOSER /LYRICIST)

Stephen Sondheim was born in New York City on March 22, 1930. His parents, Herbert and Janet Sondheim, were prominent in the Manhattan fashion industry as dressmakers and enjoyed a well-to-do lifestyle there. Despite his entrepreneurial activities, Sondheim’s father still had time to engage in his favorite pastime: playing the piano. His father’s passion for the piano cultivated a musical interest in his son, and Stephen was already hooked by age four.

Upon his parents’ divorce in 1941, Sondheim accompanied his mother to Pennsylvania, where she had purchased a farm in Bucks County she named Fox Hill Farm. Mrs. Sondheim leased its land to local alfalfa farmers and started her own fashion business there, catering mostly to a high-end clientele. Coincidentally, the Sondheim family’s friends, designer Dorothy and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II, owned a farm only four miles away, also in Bucks County. Friends of the Sondheims in New York, the Hammersteins would prove pivotal to young Stephen.

In Pennsylvania, Sondheim attended the George School, a coed college-preparatory school favored, among others, by many of Manhattan’s prominent Jewish families because of its distinction and equality in education, its Quaker affiliations notwithstanding. And its location in Newtown, Bucks County, made it a convenient choice. There, Sondheim was a gifted student, and he excelled in the theatre program.

One of Hammerstein’s sons, Jimmy, and Sondheim became good friends. They often went to the cinema together in nearby Doylestown—a very small village at that time—for either the seven or nine o’clock showing. Sondheim spent much time in the Hammerstein household, where he was often invited for dinner. He also enjoyed playing tennis and golf on their estate with Hammerstein himself and his other son, Jamie. In those days, Hammerstein acted as a surrogate father to Sondheim, a role that would later expand to professional mentor.

Musically, Sondheim first showcased his talent when he—along with other classmates and with the assistance of George School faculty—wrote and produced an original musical about life at the George School. Titled By George (1946), it is a production with three acts, twenty songs, several dances, and a cast of 50. The musical’s premiere in May of 1946 at the George School was well received by all except Hammerstein, under whose tutelage Sondheim studied and to whose expectations Sondheim ultimately persevered. Despite his distaste for the performance, Hammerstein did concede that real talent generated this “worst thing.”

At 16, Sondheim moved in with his father, who at that time was living on Fifth Avenue across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his new wife and children. Mrs. Sondheim also remarried, whereupon she moved to Beverly Hills, a place where Sondheim himself would later move. But before that, in the autumn of 1946, Sondheim enrolled at Williams College, a prominent liberal arts school in Massachusetts. His advisors at the George School had recommended nearby Swarthmore, where many of the school’s alumni had historically matriculated. Sondheim, however, was attracted to Williams’ theatre program, and his original intention was to take music as only an elective. English was initially the primary focus of his studies.

Sondheim found great success at Williams, where he continued to pursue lyric writing and music. In the class elections of 1949-1950, in fact, classmates voted Sondheim the most versatile, most brilliant, most original, most likely to succeed, and the one who had done the most for Williams. But in addition to writing for and acting in theatre performances, Sondheim also served as an editor of the college’s magazine, The Purple Cow, and collaborated on a radio show for the college radio station. He eventually did take a music major but still spent much of his time appearing in campus plays, including Antigone, Trade Name, The Skin of Our Teeth, Winterset, Oedipus Rex, Julius Caesar, and The Gentle People.

Upon graduation in 1950, Sondheim had hoped to enter the Air Force. Childhood hay fever and asthma, however, barred his acceptance. Instead, he applied for and was granted the Hubbard Hutchinson Prize, a two-year fellowship to study music. It allowed him time to pursue his emerging passion: Broadway. He seized the opportunity to move back to New York, where he began studying with avant-garde American composer Milton Babbitt, a figure whose expertise and critical influence would inspire Sondheim throughout his career.

Sondheim’s first professional job in show business was as a Hollywood scriptwriter—a position Oscar Hammerstein had helped him to secure after the completion of the fellowship. Sondheim worked for a television comedy series called Topper, which aired from 1953 to 1955. Soon enough, though, Sondheim acted on his desire to return east.

Before too long, Sondheim’s decision to return paid off. His break came when Leonard Bernstein hired him to write lyrics for West Side Story (1957), a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. When West Side Story opened at the Winter Garden in New York in 1957, it earned Sondheim early success and praise as a lyricist—at the age of 27!Sondheim’s next big accomplishment came in 1959 with Gypsy. This production—a musical about a stripper—confirmed Sondheim’s artistic status on Broadway and secured him financially, much to his father’s admiration.

In the years that followed, Sondheim wrote lyrics and music for numerous shows performed on the Great White Way, including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), Do I Hear Waltz? (1965), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Pacific Overtures (1976), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981) (an adaptation of a play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman),Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), Assassins (1990), andPassion (1994).

A number of Sondheim’s musicals have been adapted for the silver screen. And among the television and movie scores he has written,are five songs on the soundtrack to Dick Tracy (1990). Other credits include Evening Primrose (1966), Reds (1981), and Getting Away with Murder (1996).

More recently, Sondheim has been a co-playwright for Getting Away with Murder (1990), his first nonmusical stage production. One of his advisees, Jonathan Larson, has since garnered fame with his completion of the Broadway musical sensation Rent (1996). Awards Sondheim has received run the gamut from the Oscar to the Tony. Sondheim’s lyrics to “Sooner or Later” from the Dick Tracey soundtrack, which features Madonna, earned him an Academy Award. Also, he has received Tony awards for Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd. Not to be forgotten is the Grammy he earned for “Send in the Clowns,” from A Little Night Music.

Critics generally agree that what’s remarkable about Sondheim’s work is his reinterpretation of the American musical. Until Sondheim’s emergence, American musicals were traditional in form, sentimental in style, and often light-hearted if not comedic in nature. But Sondheim’s musicals challenge these characteristics by introducing dramatic themes and, in some cases, tragic storylines. That his works include murderous barbers, presidential assassins, and seductive fairy-tale figures attests to his unorthodox contributions to the musical as a genre. In 1990, Sondheim began a visiting professorship of contemporary theatre at Oxford University. His latest works include Assassins (1990), Passion (1994), and Saturday Night (1997) (originally written in 1954). He is now active with the annual Young Playwrights Festival, the goal of which is to provide aspiring writers with professional guidance.

Sondheim remained active into his later years, mentoring young artists and engaging with contemporary theater projects. Though the long-anticipated Buñuel never reached the stage in his lifetime, Sondheim’s influence remained ubiquitous in American musical theater. His legacy includes not only a body of groundbreaking work but also a generation of artists who credit him as mentor and inspiration. As Bruce Weber noted in The New York Times, Sondheim was “a titan of the American musical” whose work revolutionized the form by infusing it with psychological complexity and lyrical sophistication,.

Stephen Sondheim died on November 26, 2021, at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, at the age of 91.
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JAMES GOLDMAN (LIBRETTIST)

James Goldman (1927-1998) was an American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter, honored with an Academy Award for the screen adaptation of his own play The Lion in Winter. He is also the author of the screenplays for Robin and Marion, Nicholas and Alexandra, and White Nights; and the book for Stephen Sondheim’s stage musical Follies. Mr. Goldman was born in Chicago and was a graduate of the University of Chicago before beginning postgraduate work at Columbia University in music criticism until he was drafted into the army during World War II. In 1961 his whimsical play They Might Be Giants, about a man who believes he is Sherlock Holmes and is attended by a psychiatrist named Dr. Watson, was produced by Joan Littlewood in London and 10 years later was turned into a film starring George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward and directed by Anthony Harvey, who also directed the 1968 film version of A Lion in Winter. Mr. Goldman’s first play on Broadway was a comedy about life in the army, Blood, Sweat, and Stanley Poole (1961), written with his brother William. Other work for the stage includes A Family Affair, a collaboration with John Kander, starring Shelley Berman; Evening Primrose (1966), his second collaboration with Mr. Sondheim; Oliver Twist (1982), Anna Karenina (1985), Anatasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986), and Tolstoy (1996). Mr. Goldman’s novels include The Man from Greek and Roman (1974), Myself as Witness (1980), and Fulton County (1989).
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MICHAEL WEBER (DIRECTOR)

Previously at Porchlight: Sunday in the Park with George, Anything Goes, Cabaret and others 

Michael Weber is a nationally recognized, award-winning director, producer, actor and educator. Previous Porchlight shows include Titanique, Anything Goes, Cabaret, Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy and Merrily We Roll Along. He recently directed the Off-Broadway and European premieres of both Shake it Away: The Ann Miller Story and Call Me Elizabeth, written by and starring Kayla Boye. Under his artistic leadership, Porchlight Music Theatre was awarded Chicago’s Jeff Award for “Best Production” six times. He previously served as artistic director for the inaugural season of Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place (now Broadway in Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse) and at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana. The recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards, he has been nominated for nine awards and he wrote and directed 14 Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremonies (2006-2018). Weber’s regional acting credits include The Merry Widow (starring Renée Fleming) at Lyric Opera, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy (both starring Patti LuPone) at Ravinia Festival, The Winter’s Tale and Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and more. He is author of the play WAR of the WELLeS (about Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast) and he is a longtime pledge host for PBS station WTTW channel 11.

LINDA MADONIA (MUSIC DIRECTOR)

Previously at Porchlight: Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Billy Elliot and others

Linda Madonia is thrilled to be back at Porchlight where she recently music directed the ICONS Gala Celebrating Leslie Uggams and previously worked on Broadway in your Backyard, Anything Goes, Cabaret and A Chorus Line. Other recent projects include Legally Blonde: The Musical, Shrek the Musical, Mamma Mia! and Camelot at Music Theater Works and Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages and Sister Act at Mercury Theater Chicago. Linda also serves as the contractor for the Chicago Federation of Musicians for Porchlight Music Theatre, Music Theater Works and Teatro Zinzanni. She is the vocal coach for the master’s degree program in music theatre pedagogy at Carthage College and owns American Eagle Productions, which has been at the forefront of theatre education in the Chicago area for the past 35 years.

BRENDA DIDIER (MUSICAL STAGING)

Previously at Porchlight: Sophisticated Ladies, Putting it Together, Dreamgirls and others

Brenda Didier is thrilled to return to Porchlight! Ms. Didier is a freelance director and choreographer based in Chicago. CHICAGO: Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman, Marriott, Paramount,Porchlight Music Theatre,  Royal George Theatre, Theatre at the Center, Theatre Wit, Mercury Theater, Second City, Theo Ubique, Kokandy, Victory Gardens, City Lit and many others. Tour: The Kenny Rogers Christmas Tour and Cirque Shanghai at Navy Pier’s Skyline Stage, with engagements at the Tropicana Resort in Atlantic City, Harrah’s in Las Vegas and The New Victory Theatre in New York’s Broadway District. Ms. Didier made her TV choreography debut with T-Mobile’s national commercial “Home for the Holidays”. She is a multiple Jeff Award recipient in both Direction and Choreography (Equity and Non-Equity wing), proud recipient of the Guy Adkins Award and Artistic Director/Founder of the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, now in its 28th Season. “Thank you to Michael, Linda and everyone at Porchlight!”

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MATTHEW CHASE (SOUND DESIGNER)

Previously at Porchlight: The Irish… and How They Got That Way, Titanique, Fun Home and others

REGIONAL/SOUND DESIGN: Assassins (Capital City Theatre); Strangers On A Train (Meadow Brook Theatre). CHICAGO/SOUND DESIGN: Diana, Tell Me On A Sunday, The Secret Garden, Never Better, The Sondheim Tribute Revue, Assassins, Baked: A New Musical! (Theo); Rock of Ages (Metropolis Performing Arts Centre); Fun Home, Sunday in the Park with George, Anything Goes, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, Cabaret, Rent, Spring Awakening (Porchlight Music Theatre); Legally Blonde: The Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Shrek the Musical, The Producers, Pippin (Music Theater Works); Who’s Holiday (Theater Wit); The House Without a Christmas Tree (Griffin Theatre Company); Elephant And Piggie’s We Are in a Play (Marriott Theatre). CHICAGO/PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT: The House Without a Christmas Tree, Marys Seacole, Heisenberg (Griffin Theatre Company); The Secret Garden, Never Better, A Little Night Music, The Sondheim Tribute Revue, Assassins, Baked!: A New Musical, Passing Strange, The Threepenny Opera (Theo); Inanimate, Who’s Holiday!, Household Spirits, The Whistleblower, Hurricane Diane, Mr. Burns a post electric play (Theater Wit); Spring Awakening (Porchlight Music Theatre). www.matthewrchasedesign.com

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LIVIU PASARE (PROJECTIONS DESIGNER)

Previously at Porchlight: Porchlight in Concert Sunday in the Park with George

Liviu Pasare is a Chicago-based video designer working with new media in immersive experiences. His work includes video installations, interactive design, and transformative environments in public spaces and the stage. With a foundation in art and technology and inspired by collaborative storytelling, Liviu works with a wide range of artists and organizations to bring multi-faceted visions to life. Recent collaborations include projects with The Seldoms, Lucky Plush, Luftwerk, Cabinet of Curiosity, Collaboraction, Bob Faust, Nick Cave, Teatro Vista, Daniel Arsham, Federico Solmi, the Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project, In the Realm of Senses. For more info, visit liviu.stoptime.live.

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ERIC WATKINS (LIGHTING DESIGNER)

Porchlight debut

Eric Watkins is a lighting designer based in Chicago who, in the last decade, has lit shows for many of the most prominent theatres in town including: Chicago Shakespeare, Timeline, Steep, Remy Bumppo, Interrobang, Rivendell, About Face, Northlight, Definition, Red Tape, The Gift, Raven, City Lit, and Lifeline among many others. Regionally he has worked at Trinity Rep, Indiana Rep, Theatreworks Hartford, Theatreworks (Colorado Springs), Amphibian (Fort Worth) just to name a few. In the Opera world his work is regularly seen across the United States with very occasional stops in Europe. Notable designs have appeared at Minnesota Opera, Opera San Jose, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Arizona Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and the Lithuanian National Opera. Eric received his MFA from Boston University and is a proud member of USA 829, the theatrical design union.

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BILL WALTERS (STAGE MANAGER)*

Previously at Porchlight: Sunday in the Park with George and numerous Porchlight Revisists

Bill Walters was stage manager for Porchlight in Concert Sunday in the Park with George and Porchlight Revisits: Passing Strange, Minnie’s Boys, Do Re Mi, On a Clear Day… and Chess. A Chicago native, Bill began his career as a singer and dancer appearing in over 20 productions at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Summit, IL (1981-1987.) He was seen as “Seymour” in Little Shop of Horrors which opened the Royal George Theatre in 1987. Bill then returned to Candlelight as the stage manager, working on 30 productions before it closed its doors in 1997. Since then, he has stage managed productions at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Ravinia, the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan and Theatre at the Center in Munster, IN. Bill was the director for Chicago Folks Operetta’s Arizona Lady in 2010 and The Circus Princess in 2012. Bill recently retired from Lyric Opera of Chicago where he was a stage manager and the supernumerary captain for 20 years. Thanks to Michael for this opportunity.

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DREW DONNELLY (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER)*

Previously at Porchlight: The Irish… and How They Got That Way, Titanique, Fun Home and others

Drew Donnelly has previously had the pleasure of working on Porchlight’s The Irish… and How They Got That Way, Titanique (with Broadway In Chicago), Fun Home, Cabaret, Anything Goes and Sunday in the Park with George. Originally from the panhandle of Texas, Drew got his Chicago start with Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company where work included The Glass Menagerie and Superior Donuts. Recent work includes The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale, Islander, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and The Lehman Trilogy (TimeLine Theatre Company).

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ALI WESTENDORF (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER)

Previously at Porchlight: The Irish… and How They Got That Way, Titanique, Fun Home and others

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CAMERON TURNER (ASSISTANT MUSICAL STAGING)

Previously at Porchlight: Porchlight Revisits Woman of the Year and Cabaret

Cam is thrilled to be back with Porchlight where he previously worked on Cabaret and Woman of the Year. Throughout the years, Cam has worked at the Mercury Theater, American Theater Company, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre (Jeff nomination – Diana, the Musical – Best Choreography), Kokandy, Bailiwick Chicago, and Pride Film & Plays (Jeff nomination – Boy From Oz – Best Choreography). Many thanks to Brenda, Michael, Linda, and the entire cast and crew for making his first Sondheim show an unforgettable one.

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FRANK ROSE (PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR)

Porchlight debut

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ANASTASIA ARNOLD (Young Sally) 

Previously at Porchlight: Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Ours Song, Porchlight Revisits Do Re Mi and New Faces Sing Broadway 1959 

Anastasia Arnold is thrilled to be back doing what she loves! Some of her Chicago credits include: The Wizard of Oz at Paramount Theatre; They’re Playing Our Song, Do Re Mi and New Faces Sing Broadway at Porchlight Music Theatre; Beehive, Anything Goes at Metropolis Performing Arts Center; Gypsy at Music Theatre Works; and Bare at Refuge Theatre. She is a teaching artist with BAM theatre and does princess and flapper events all around town! Anastasia received her BFA in Musical Theatre at Millikin University. Lots of love goes out to Tyler and the rest of her incredible support system!

JOHN CARDONE (Max Deems) 

Porchlight Debut

John Cardone is excited to work with Porchlight Music Theater for the first time. Since moving to Chicago from Los Angeles in 1992, he’s performed in over 30 productions. Most notably he was nominated for a Jeff Award for outstanding supporting actor-musical in 2005-2006 for A Kiss from Alexander.

JOHN CONCEPCION (Roscoe) 

Porchlight Debut 

For more than three decades, John Concepcion has been a full-time member of the chorus at Lyric Opera of Chicago and for just as many summers, with the Grant Park Festival Chorus. Notable local appearances include Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Illiana Oratorio Society, Haydn’s A Mass in Time of War with Naperville Festival Orchestra & Chorus, Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with Grant Park Symphony, An Afternoon of Opera and Musical Theatre with Skokie Valley Symphony, the world premiere of Gustavo Leone’s opera, The Leader, with Latino Music Festival in Chicago and solo appearances with West Suburban Symphony (Verdi’s Requiem, A Night of Lerner & Loewe and A Night of Rodgers & Hammerstein). He has also appeared with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Hawaii Symphony, Tulsa Opera, Cleveland Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Portland Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera and the Pine Mountain Music Festival. John was the recipient of the 2022 Cultural Ambassador Award from the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University, where he directs and curates Opera Up Close, a popular series of operatic performances, now in its 16th season.

MICHELLE DUFFY (Phyllis Rogers Stone)* 

Porchlight Debut

Michelle Duffy is delighted beyond words to have returned to her beloved Chicago (after a 30+ year hiatus!) and deeply thrilled to be a part of this concert singing one of her all-time favorite Sondheim scores. Other recent Chicagoland appearances: “Mother Superior” in Sister Act at Drury Lane Oakbrook and “Bonnie” and others in Come From Away at Paramount. Broadway: OBC of Leap of Faith (OBCast album); OQ-Broadway: Originated “Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mom” in Heathers the Musical (Original Cast Album). Other recent regional: “Irene Adler” and others in Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B at Arizona Theatre Company and “Mrs. Dashwood/Anne” in Sense and Sensibility at Northern Stage. She has appeared in principal roles in theatres across the country and around the world such as The Guthrie, ACT, The Old Globe, The Goodman, Milwaukee Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Pittsburgh Public and The Barbican in London to name a few, and as a guest star in many television shows; most recently “Dark Matter,” “Law and Order,” “Chicago PD” and “Succession.” Many thanks to this amazing Chicago theater community and gratitude to DDO Artists and JMason Entertainment for being her amazing team!! W: TheMichelleDuffy.com 

TEAGAN EARLY (Young Phyllis) 

Porchlight Debut 

Teagan Early is a Chicago-based storyteller and singer-songwriter. Best known as the voice of “Athena” in the hit #2 Billboards Charting Album of “EPIC the Musical,” as well as for playing “Lady MacDuff” in the highly anticipated West End adaptation of Macbeth, Lady M. Other favorite theatrical credits include being part of Chicago Shakespeare’s Parks touring company, a slate of shows at Second City, Always, Patsy Cline… at Drury Lane, playing “Ilse” in the ASL-Integrated production of Spring Awakening at Skylight Music Theatre, “Judas” in Jesus Christ Superstar (Stadium Concert Tour) and “Connie” in Come Blow Your Horn (alongside Sally Struthers and Hal Linden). She has been seen onscreen in “Chicago Fire,” as well as in a variety of independent films. She also releases her own music under the pen name TE/MO. W: TeaganEarley.com 

FELICIA P. FIELDS (Hattie Walker)* 

Previously at Porchlight: ICONS Gala: Celebrating Leslie Uggams, Blues in the Night 

Felicia P. Fields is always honored to be included in this Porchlight special event. Felicia has worked in theater for 40 years at home in the Chicagoland area, as well as traveled and toured throughout the United States and Europe. Seasoned in theater, she has also directed and co-directed several projects with Ron OJ Parsons and most recently with Definition Theaters Amplified series. Tony-nominated for her creation of the role of “Sofia” in The Color Purple on Broadway, she also began the first national tour. She has many awards to her credit as well as on-camera and voice-over credits. She has her own Blues show, Pearl Rollin With The Blues. She works with theatres in her community and has tutored and mentored many young people and several celebrities. Governor Quinn declared July 24, Felicia P Fields Day.

JAMES HARMS (Theodore Whitman)*

Porchlight Debut 

James Harms’ Chicago credits include roles at The Goodman, Court Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, Candlelight, Marriott, Drury Lane Oakbrook, In the Round, Broadway Playhouse, Mercury, Martinique and Theater at the Center. He has toured the United States, Canada, Scandinavia and northern Europe with Evita; the United States, Japan and Egypt with The Fantasticks and the United States and Canada with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has won Jeff Awards for Leading Actor Musical (La Cage aux Folles and Me and My Girl), Supporting Actor Musical (Hello, Dolly! and The Fantasticks) and Co-Choreography awards (A Chorus Line and My One and Only). In New York City, he was in the Carnegie Hall Concert with Chita Rivera and The Iceman Cometh with Nathan Lane at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. 

BECK HOKANSON (Kevin/Understudy Young Ben, Young Buddy)

Porchlight Debut

Originally from Los Angeles, Beck is a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University (BFA MT ’24) and the Second City Conservatory. THEATRE: Diana (Theo Ubique), Dames at Sea (Citadel Theatre), A New Brain (PrideArts), White Christmas (Towle Theatre), Cinderella (Metropolis PAC), Carousel (Music Theater Works), American Psycho (Kokandy), My Fair Lady (Finch Theatrics), Mamma Mia! (BrightSide Theatre); Bright Star (Metamora Opera House). Represented by Rock Talent Agency. W: BeckHokanson.com IG: @beckhokanson

CECILIA IOLE (Young Heidi) 

Previously at Porchlight: Porchlight in Concert Sunday in the Park with George, Chicago Sings 25 Years of Porchlight 

Cecilia is thrilled to be back with Porchlight audiences after last being seen in Sunday in the Park with George. Other Chicago credits include Sweeney Todd (Paramount Theatre), Into the Woods (Writers Theatre), Guys & Dolls (Music Theater Works), Master Class (TimeLine Theatre Company) and Bachelor: The Unauthorized Parody Musical (The Apollo Theatre). Regional credits: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre and Clarence Brown Theatre. Represented by Gray Talent Group. For Trey. W: CecilIaiole.com 

ANGELA INGERSOLL (Sally Durant Plummer)*

Previously at Porchlight: End of the Rainbow, various Chicago Sings 

Angela Ingersoll is an Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning actress, singer, producer, director and writer. She received an Emmy Award nomination for the PBS broadcast of her national concert tour “Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland.” She also won acclaim starring as Judy Garland in several productions of End of the Rainbow, receiving Chicago’s Jeff Award, a BroadwayWorld Award and Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year in Theatre. Also: How to Succeed in Business … (Hedy—Jeff nomination), The Mistress Cycle (Anais Nin—Jeff nomination), The Secret Garden (Martha—Jeff nomination), South Pacific (Nellie), Carousel (Julie), Jekyll and Hyde (Lucy—Ostrander Award), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Belle—Ostrander Award), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza—Ostrander nomination), Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit—Ostrander nomination), Macbeth (Lady Macbeth—Ostrander Award), Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), Richard III (Lady Anne), The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy) and The Second City (in Chicago and Hollywood). Other television: “Chicago PD.” Other concerts include her one-woman show “The 12 Dames of Christmas” and appearances alongside her husband, entertainer and producer Michael Ingersoll. Angela is the artistic director of Artists Lounge Live, a Chicago-based production company presenting concerts nationwide. She writes and directs many of their offerings. W: ArtistsLoungeLive.com, W: AngelaIngersoll.com

WILL KOSKI (Young Buddy) 

Porchlight Debut 

Chicago credits include: Finding Nemo and The Magic School Bus (Marriott), Into the Woods (Paramount), The Secret Garden (Jeff Nom.) and Assassins (Theo), Spelling Bee and Carousel (Music Theater Works). TV/FILM: “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO). Graduate of Millikin University. Represented by Stewart Talent. IG: will_koski

JOHN MARSHALL JR. (Young Ben) 

Previously at Porchlight: Spring Awakening, Sophisticated Ladies, Side Show, A Chorus Line and others  

John Marshall Jr. is so tickled to be back at PMT for his sixth show with the company. You last saw him as “Hanschen” in Spring Awakening and in the Jeff Award winning ensemble of Sophisticated Ladies. John has also performed at Drury Lane Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Theatre at the Centre, Fireside Theatre and was nominated for a Jeff Award for his supporting role in Yank: A WWII Love Story at Pride Films and Plays. Thanks to PMT for keeping me in the fam, to Patrick and always to you, Mom. IG: @john_marshall_jr

SUSIE McMONAGLE (Carlotta Campion)*

Previously at Porchlight: Pal Joey, Chicago Sings 

Broadway credits include “Fantine” in Les Miserables at the Imperial Theatre.  First national Broadway tours include “Mrs. Wilkinson” in Billy Elliot the Musical at the Nederlander Theatre; “Donna” in Mamma Mia on its second national tour, “Rhetta” in Pump Boys and Dinettes, The Secret Garden.  Susie was last seen as “Diane” in Come From Away at Paramount Theatre.  Chicago credits include: (DLO) “Margaret Thatcher” in The Audience , “Clairee” in Steel Magnolias, “Donna” in Mamma Mia, “Mrs. Wilkinson” in Billy Elliot the Musical and “Diana” in Next to Normal for which she won a Jeff Award.  Ms. McMonagle’s Chicago theatre credits include: “Gretta” in James Joyce’s The Dead and Man of La Mancha at Court Theatre; “Candida” in Rock ’n’ Roll at the Goodman; Black Pearl Sings, At Wits End and Sideshow at Northlight.  Favorite Chicago credits include: Indian Ink, Dirty Blonde, Spitfire Grill, Annie Get Your Gun, Cats, Evita, Miss Saigon and Chess. Susie is the recipient of After Dark Awards, Critic’s Circle Awards, Joseph Jefferson Awards as well as 12 Jeff nominations.  She received her B.F.A. from Stephens College.

LAUREN MILLER (Heidi Schiller) 

Porchlight Debut

Lauren Miller is delighted to be working with Porchlight! Credits range from the one-woman show Squeamish (A Bump in the Night) to Measure for Measure (Barnardine at The Shakespeare Project), to musicals such as Sister Act (Mother Superior at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre), Nunsense (Mother Superior at SSP), Cabaret (Fr. Schneider at Big Noise), Nevermore (Poe’s mother at Jedlicka) and Drood (Puffer at SSP); theater roles include the Jeff-Nominated Boeing Boeing (Bertha at SSP), Light up the Sky (Stella at Citadel) and Steel Magnolias (Ouiser at Okoboji). Lauren is represented by Big Mouth Talent.  W: MeetLaurenMiller.com

ANTHONY RAPP (Benjamin Stone)* 

Porchlight debut 

Anthony Rapp is thrilled to return to live and work in the city of his birth. Chicago is also where he earned his Equity card 45 years ago, when he was nine years old. He has since appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in National Tours, at Regional Theatres and in films and on television. But his proudest work these days is as the father, with his husband Ken, of their two sons, Rai (aged 3) and Keony (aged 2).

MARY ROBIN ROTH (Emily Whitman)*

Previously at Porchlight: Cabaret

Mary Robin Roth is thrilled to be returning to Porchlight Music Theatre where she was honored with a Jeff Award for her performance as “Fraulein Schneider” in Cabaret. Other Chicago roles include “Frau Blucher” (Jeff nominated) in Young Frankenstein (Mercury Theater Chicago); “Mama Rose/Gypsy” and “Dolly Levi” (Music Theater Works) and the role of “Mame” (Drury Lane Oakbrook). Other Chicago credits include productions at Marriott Theatre, Paramount Theater, Lyric Opera and Chicago Theatre. Broadway credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Senator Joe. Thanks, Jim, for gracing the stage with me.

GENEVIEVE THIERS (Christine Donovan) 

Previously at Porchlight: Chicago Sings, Porchlight Revisits Little Me, Porchlight Revisits Chess

Genevieve Thiers has performed primary roles at Chicago Lyric Opera (“Praskovia,” The Merry Widow); Goodman (“Dinah,” Trouble in Tahiti); Porchlight Music Theatre (“Older Belle,” Little Me) and understudied for Lookingglass, Court Theater, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and more. She is a full crossover artist in opera, musical theater and acting. She had an MM in performance from NWU and has won multiple awards for her work. On TV, you can see her in “RUN,” the series on Amazon Prime (as the tech trainer), as a featured extra in multiple films including “The Layover” and “VC the Series” as well as various commercials. See more at W: GenevieveThiers.com.

SYBYL WALKER (Solange LaFitte)* 

Porchlight Debut 

Sybyl Walker is excited to be making her Porchlight Music Theatre debut. Sybyl, a multi-award winning actor who appeared on Broadway in The Tempest with Patrick Stewart, Off-Broadway (Shakespeare in the Park, The Public Theatre, etc.), in numerous theatrical productions in Los Angeles and in regional theatres around the country, was most recently seen at the Black Ensemble Theatre portraying “Dionne Warwick.” Her work in Off -Broadway and regional productions of From The Mississippi Delta earned her a Drama Desk nomination, a Helen Hayes Award, Connecticut’s Critics Circle Award, a Joseph Jefferson Award and the play was named top 10 plays in Time Magazine. Awards: Sybyl’s critically acclaimed solo show, Beneath Rippling Water received NAACP Award Nominations for best actress and best playwright and an Ovation Nomination for best solo performance; she also received Ovation and NAACP award nominations for best featured actress in a musical in Dinah Was, a Joseph Jefferson Award for best actress in The Colored Museum and a Barrymore Award nomination for best actress in a musical in Another Midsummer Night. Sybyl has appeared in numerous television and film projects and she is the voice of “Storm” in the “X-Men Next Generation” video game. Additionally, Sybyl is a poet, spoken word artist, vegan chef, an intuitive wellness/voice embodiment life coach, jewelry designer, Reiki master/energy medicine healing practitioner and certified clinical hypnotherapist.

STEPHEN WALLEM (Buddy Plummer)*

Porchlight Debut

Stephen Wallem is overjoyed to return to the Chicago stage after beginning his professional career here from 1986 to 2008. Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, he is a SAG Award-nominated actor best known as “Thor Lundgren” on the Emmy-winning Showtime series “Nurse Jackie.” He also recurred as “Winston” on “The Resident” (Fox) and currently, “Rudy Syndergaard” on “Law and Order: SVU” (NBC). Other TV credits include “Difficult People” (Hulu), “Divorce” (HBO) and “Horace and Pete.” Wallem made his feature film debut in the hit romantic comedy “Marry Me” starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. His relationship with Stephen Sondheim musicals began with the second national tour of Into the Woods (“Rapunzel’s Prince”), Sunday in the Park with George (New American Theater) and continued at the Ravinia Festival Sondheim Series, appearing with Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald in A Little Night Music, Passion and Sunday in the Park with George. His most recent stage credit was as “The Beadle” in Sweeney Todd at The Muny, where he was previously seen as “Shrek”(Shrek the Musical), “Horton the Elephant” (Seussical) and “Cowardly Lion” (The Wizard of Oz). Other favorite Midwest credits include “Max Bialystock” in The Producers (Farmers Alley), “Buddy” in Elf (Wagon Wheel), and “Judas/Padre” in Court Theatre’s Man of La Mancha (After Dark Award, Jeff Award). He is also a two-time winner of the After Dark Award for Outstanding Cabaret Artist and a Chicago Cabaret Professionals’ National Honoree for 2014. He teamed up with Edie Falco for the original cabaret The Other Steve and Edie in NYC and spent 12 years and 2500 performances playing both “Jinx” and “Sparky” in multiple companies of Forever Plaid, including the first national tour and the long-running production at the dearly departed Royal George Cabaret Theatre.

HONEY WEST (Stella Deems)

Previously at Porchlight: Gypsy, New Faces Sing Broadway 1984 (host)

Honey West has a degree in musical theatre from Indiana University.  She starred in Dirty Dreams of a Clean Cut Kid, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom,  Diva Diaries, Jerry’s Girls, Clue, La Cage aux Folles, Holiday Inn and Pussy on the House where she received a best actress award from BroadwayWorld.com and Tony and Tony’s Wedding. She received a Jeff nomination for best supporting actress in Priscilla Queen of the Desert and won a best actress award from BroadwayWorld.com. She was a 2012 inductee into the “Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame”. She also was “Duke Senior” in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Currently she is working on a new cabaret act and an autobiographical one woman show. Recently seen in Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of Gypsy as “Electra” and “Mrs. Cratchitt.” She also landed a co-starring role on FOX, “Proven Innocent, “which aired earlier this year. Soon to be reprising her role as “Bernadette” in Priscilla Queen of The Desert with The Mercury Theater Chicago. F: HoneyWest Y: /HoneyWestChicago 

DENNIS ZACEK (Dimitri Weismann)*

Porchlight debut

Dennis Zacek is Artistic Director Emeritus at Victory Gardens Theater and Full Professor Emeritus in Theatre at Loyola University. Victory Gardens received The Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2001. He accepted the award with his wife, Marcelle McVay, Managing Director, and Sandy Shinner, Associate Artistic Director. As an actor, he was seen as William Herdegen in Will the Circle Be Unbroken at Steppenwolf Theatre, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Studs Terkel.  He received a Best Supporting Actor Award from the Academy of Theatre Artists and Friends for his role as Clarence Darrow in John Logan’s Never the Sinner at Victory Gardens. He is proud to say that he played the title role in Rick Cleveland’s Dogman’s Last Stand, the inaugural production of American Blues Theater Company. He has also appeared at Northwestern University under the direction of Frank Galati and in numerous productions at Victory Gardens Theater.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

LINDA MADONIA (Conductor/Pianist)

CARA STRAUSS (Reed 1)

EVA BUTCHER (Reed 2)

HARDIN BUTCHER (Trumpet1)

GREG STRAUSS (Trumpet 2)

STEPHANIE LEBENS (Trombone)

KARA BERSHAD (Harp)

ALISON TATUM (Violin)

LEWIS RAWLINSON (Cello)

ERIC VON HOLST (Bass)

JUSTIN KONO (Drums/Keyboard)

TINA LAUGHLIN (Percussion)

*denotes a member of Actor’s Equity
All musicians are members of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208

COMING SOON!