Artists and other key people

For our Fall, 2016 workshop production of

Pullman, WA

by Young Jean Lee

tiashearer680x850Tia Shearer portrayed Helper #1.

Tia Shearer has been seen with the likes of Center Stage (all-girl As You Like It) and the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences (Helen Hayes-nominated Mockingbird, two national tours of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, and the upcoming world premiere, From the Mouths of Monsters) as well as Imagination Stage, the Hub Theatre, Taffety Punk’s Riot Grrrls, Tennessee Rep, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre; and surreptitiously selling you things on HGTV. She also makes nonverbal theatre for ages 0-6 with Arts on the Horizon, and has been called “Buster Keaton for Babies.” She is on faculty at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Next up: Tiny Tim et al in Twist Your Dickens with Second City, performing at the Kennedy Center.

jenna-rossman680x1021

Jenna Rossman portrayed Helper #2.

Regional:  Center Stage: As You Like It, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (National Playwrights Conference):  Girls In Cars Underwater, Shakespeare Theatre:  As You Like It (understudy), Rep Stage:  The WhaleOther theatre:  Edinburgh Festival Fringe:  A Fool’s Paradise:  30 Shakespeare Scenes in 60 Minutes; Baltimore Shakespeare Factory:  Much Ado About NothingThe TempestA Midsummer Night’s Dream; Maryland Ensemble Theatre:  One Man, Two Guvnors; Maryland Historical Society:  The Mesmeric Revelations! of Edgar Allan Poe; Single Carrot Theatre:  Worst Case Scenario; Acme Corporation:  The World is RoundOffice Ladies; Iron Crow Theatre:  The Homo Poe Show.  Readings:  Shakespeare in the Pub (DC): Richard II; American Shakespeare Center:  The Famous Victories of Henry V. T.V.House of CardsInvestigation DiscoveryEducation:  Towson University; iO Improv Theater (Chicago), The Second City (Chicago).   Awards:  Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition Winner, Region Two, and National Finalist.

drew_kopas_874x680Drew Kopas portrayed Helper #3.

Drew has been an actor in the DC area for eight years. He has performed with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Olney Theatre Center, Keegan Theatre, 1st Stage, Rep Stage, Everyman Theatre, Clown Cabaret, We Happy Few, Constellation Theatre and Faction of Fools. He toured America with the National Players, and Ireland with Keegan Theatre. Regionally, he has performed with Great Lakes Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Virginia Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA in acting from Western Illinois University. Drew returns to Everyman Theatre in January to play Pip in Great Expectationswww.drewkopas.com

mc-headshotMichael Chamberlin, Director is excited to be working with an amazing cast and designers on his first Young Jean Lee play.  He has directed productions in New York City, Durham, N.C., and the Washington, D.C. region, including Middletown (NextStop Theatre Company); Harvey (Helen Hayes Awards Recommended); Old Wicked Songs (4 Helen Hayes Award nominations including Outstanding Production, Helen Production); Italian American Reconciliation (Helen Hayes Awards Recommended); Almost, Maine (1st Stage); Optimism! or Voltaire’s Candide (2 Helen Hayes nominations, Spooky Action Theater);  Happy-ish (Fordham University at Lincoln Center); Fully Committed (Millbrook Playhouse); Washing Machine (Drama Desk and Hewes American Theater Wing nominations for Outstanding Lighting Design, N.Y. Innovative Theater Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance, The Chocolate Factory and Manbites Dog Theater); Porcelain (Helen Hayes Nomination, Outstanding Director; Tsunami Theatre Company); Bat Boy: The Musical (3 Helen Hayes nominations); A Clockwork Orange, Love’s Fire, Kit Marlowe (Studio Theatre 2ndStage); Class Action (Imagination Stage); The Glory of Living (Didactic Theatre Company).  As Assistant Director, he has worked on  The Grand Manner (Lincoln Center Theater); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Carnival!, Mister Roberts (The Kennedy Center); Of  Mice and Men (Westport Country Playhouse); Indian Blood (Primary Stages); Fences (Round House Theatre); The Matchmaker (Ford’s Theatre); Privates on Parade (Studio Theatre).  He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and Directors Lab West, and received training at Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.  Visit  michaelchamberlin.net.

Clare Shaffer (Stage Manager) is a professional director and stage manager based in D.C., who works across genres and specializes in new play and musical development. She is the Associate Producer and Casting Director for Nu Sass Productions and Pallas Theatre Collective, Chief Brand Officer for Flying V, and has had the pleasure of working with companies including Olney, Theater J, Mosaic, Unexpected Stage, and Monumental. Favorite credits include Avenue Q, The Rocky Horror Show, Venus in Fur, and Man of La Mancha.
aj-headshotApril Joy Vester, Set Designer  I am a freelance scenic designer in the Washington D.C. metro area. I received an MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Maryland in May of 2016. While at the University of Maryland, I’ve had the opportunity to design the set for a production of William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, directed by Matt Wilson; Crime and Punishment: Operas in One Act, with the Maryland Opera Studio, directed by Nicholas Olcott and Kasi Campbell; and The Me Nobody Knows, directed by Scot Reese and Alvin Mayes. Also while at Maryland, I’ve had the opportunity to assist scenic designers Daniel Conway and Misha Kachman at several theaters in the D.C. area and across the country. ​

Rob Siler, Lighting Designer Based in and originally from Washington, D.C., his work encompasses musicals, plays, opera, children’s theatre, and dance. Across the country, his designs have been seen at the Monumental Theatre Company, Abrons Arts Center (N.Y.C.), University of Maryland, Weathervane Repertory Theatre, Adventure Theatre MTC, Ocean State Theatre Company, Riverside Theatre, American Ensemble Theatre, and Riverside Children’s Theatre, among others. He received his BFA from Shenandoah University and is currently working on his MFA at the University of Maryland. Thanks to Michael and Bill for this opportunity. Thanks and love to his family, friends, and especially his wife, Colleen.  www.silerlights.com
reid-may-headshotReid May is a freelance Sound Designer, composer, and engineer based out of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Credits include Catch Me If You Can, Snow White, and Middletown at NextStop Theatre; In A Word (Assistant) at The Hub Theatre; Shrek! The Musical at Barrington Stage Company; Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers, The Crucible, An Experiment With An Air Pump, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Assistant), and The Last Midnight at George Mason University. For samples of Reid’s past work, visit www.reidmay.com.
billBill Goodman, Producer is publicity-shy.