Unnecessary Farce

bios
	PAUL SLADE SMITH (playwright) was named one of "50 To Watch" ("writers of exceptional merit and promise") by The Dramatist magazine in 2007. Paul turned to writing after fifteen years as an actor in Chicago, where his credits include the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Marriott, Drury Lane, Apple Tree and Royal George Theatres. As a performer, he has been honored with a Chicago After Dark Award, and two Joseph Jefferson Award nominations. Unnecessary Farce, his second play, is making its way around the country, from Pennsylvania to Texas, with seven productions or planned productions since its 2006 premiere at Michigan’s BoarsHead Theatre. Paul’s first play, Hymn & Carol, premiered at Chicago’s Shattered Globe Theatre, and will be seen this season at the BoarsHead. His original song from that show, “Mary’s Lullaby”, was included on the CD Broadway’s Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure 2007. Paul left Chicago to join the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, which he left to join the national tour of Wicked, which he has yet to leave. He dedicates Unnecessary Farce to Erin, who’s in this play, in every sense, and to his Mom and Dad, with gratitude and love. Paul is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America and Actor’s Equity Association.

Cast and Creative Team at PENINSULA PLAYERS - view Bios and Photos

Cast and Creative Team at BOARSHEAD THEATER - World Premiere Production (2006)
	KRISTINE THATCHER (Director/Artistic Director, BoarsHead Theater) has recently returned to her hometown and the BoarsHead where she cut her teeth as an actress. She has been a proud member of the 2001 Tony Award winning Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble since 1996. Her published works include Niedecker, Emma's Child, Among Friends and Voice of Good Hope. Emma's Child is the winner of the 1995 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a 1997 Illinois Arts Council Fellowship, the 1997 RESOLVE Award for Excellence in the Arts, the 1997 Cunningham Prize for Playwriting from DePaul University, and the 1997 After Dark Award for Outstanding New Work. Under Glass, a companion piece to Emma's Child was nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and premiered at Luna Stage in New Jersey last year. Among Friends was commissioned by and premiered at Victory Gardens and is the winner of the 1997 Scott McPherson Memorial Award. She is currently at work on A Fair to Middling Woman, a play based on the life of Suzanne Deschevaux–Dumnesnil, the wife of Samuel Beckett, for Victory Gardens. Ms. Thatcher is also an actress and director. She has performed the roles of Terri in Jeff Sweet's Immoral Imperatives for Victory Gardens, and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth for First Folio Shakespeare Festival. Her other Chicago credits include Hannah Jarvis in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia for the Goodman Theatre, Barbara Hoyle in Jon Robin Baitz's Three Hotels for Apple Tree Theatre, Sarah Bernhardt in John Murrell's Memoir for Writers' Theatre, Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Regan in King Lear, and Kate in Taming of the Shrew for Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She has recently directed Evan Smith's The Uneasy Chair for Peninsula Players, Theresa Rebeck's Bad Dates for BoarsHead Theater, and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew for A Crew of Patches.
	DOUG MACKECHNIE (Officer Eric Sheridan) hails from Chicago, where he was last seen in several roles in the Midwest premiere of Polish Joke with Noble Fool Theatricals. Without paying much attention to it, he seems to have established a subspecialty in British comedy and farce, with favorite credits including She Stoops to Conquer, Taking Steps, and Uncle Fred in the Springtime (City Lit Theater); and How the Other Half Loves and Noises Off (Broutil & Frothingham Productions). Doug looks forward to playing an American for a change. Other favorite credits — more serious ones — include That Championship Season (Red Hen Productions); Translations (Seanachaí Theatre Company); An American Daughter (Organic Theatre); and Principia Scriptoriae (Circle Theatre). Along the way, he has shared two After Dark awards for Best Ensemble and was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Citation for Actor in a Principal Role. Doug holds an M.F.A. from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.; Thanks to Kristine, and much love to Cameron.
	ERIN NOEL GRENNAN (Officer Billie Dwyer) returns to the BoarsHead Theater, where she previously appeared as Susie Monahan in Wit and Rachel Brown in Inherit the Wind. A Chicago native, Erin is now a new New Yorker. Her more than fifty Chicago credits include: The Taming of the Shrew (Kate) at First Folio Shakespeare Festival; The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Foreigner and A Flea in Her Ear at Drury Lane; Timon of Athens at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; King o’ the Moon at Mercury Theatre; Agnes of God at the Albright; The Petrified Forest at Theatre at the Center; and sixteen productions with Circle Theatre, including Murder in Green Meadows, Inspecting Carol and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (After Dark Award). Other regional credits include Peninsula Players, Geva Theatre, and — if Ireland is regional — the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Erin also directs for the CAST theatre program in Illinois. She is grateful for the chance to originate this role and whole–heartedly thanks Kristine and Paul for making it possible. Proud Equity member.
	KATE BERRY (Karen Brown) hails from Chicago where she has performed at such theatres as Remy Bumppo, Rivendell, Redmoon, Oak Park Festival and Circle Theatre. Regionally, she has performed with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Creede Repertory Theatre in Colorado, the Boarshead Theater in Michigan and most recently, Riverside Theatre in Iowa City. She has appeared in numerous commercials and industrials including Comcast, Weight Watchers and the Chicago favorite, Empire Carpet. She also appeared in the short film Sock it to Me that has been shown in many festivals across the country including the 2003 Women in the Director's Chair Fest and the 2002 Chicago International Film Festival. She has also appeared several times on the show, What's Wrong With . . . on the CurrentTV network.
	JIM WISNIEWSKI (Agent Frank) Regional: Geva Theatre Center (Dial M For Murder), BoarsHead Theater (Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Proof, Three Days of Rain, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Inherit The Wind), Cape Fear Regional Theatre (Mornings at Seven), The American Stage Company (A Midsummer's Night Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Boy Meets Girl, Charlotte's Web), Tampa Players (A Long Day's Journey Into Night, Biloxy Blues, Beast), Circle Theatre (Line). In New York Jim just completed working on the world premiere of Jason Grote's Box Americana: A WalMart Retail Fantasia with The Working Theatre, he has also worked with The Adobe Theatre, Soho Rep, American Globe, Théâtre Trouvé, Kaleidoscope and was part of the Cult Hit Burning Habits at Dillons. Film and Television: The Sopranos, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2x), The Late Show with David Letterman, All My Children, Mattie Fresno and The Holoflux Universe.
	DAVID GIROLMO (Todd) Broadway: Candide (Heresy Agent), directed by Hal Prince. Chicago: Kiss Me Kate (Fred Graham, Jeff Nomination), Annie (Oliver Warbucks), Gypsy (Herbie), 42nd St. (Julian Marsh), Much Ado About Nothing (Antonio), Julius Caesar (Caesar), Lend Me A Tenor (Tito), Most Happy Fella (Tony Esposito), Phantom Of The Opera (Gerard Carierre, Jeff Award), The House Of Martin Guerre (Sanxi Guerre/Francois Ferierre), The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Quasimodo), A Funny Thing...Forum (Miles Gloriosus), directed by Frank Galati. Mr. Girolmo has performed on tour in 46 of the contiguous United States and Canada. (He's still waiting for that elusive Montana/New Mexico tour.) He can be heard on the Original Cast Album of Candide. He has appeared in a recurring role on the CBS daytime drama Guiding Light, NBC's E.R., some commercials and a few feature films, and a bunch of other shows. Proud member of Actors Equity Association since the Reagan Administration, and a member of the Central Regional Board of A.E.A.
	CARMEN DECKER (Mary Meekly) has worked extensively with the BoarsHead Theater in Lansing, Michigan. She has appeared Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre and at a number of regional theatres, including the Geva in Rochester, New York; the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach, Florida; the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; and at Victory Gardens in Chicago, where she received the Joseph Jefferson award for her performance in the title role of Clara’s Play. She was this year’s recipient of the Wilde Award for best lead actress in a drama, Moonglow. She recently appeared opposite James Whitmore in About Time at the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
	LEN KLUGE (Mayor Meekly) Len is honored to be a part of this world premiere production with Kristine and Paul. Len's past credits include roles in Television: Another World, McCloud; as well as roles in radio, film and on the Off-Broadway stage. In the Mid-Michigan community, he is most noted for his successful decade long Artistic Directorship of the Spotlight Theatre in Grand Ledge, MI. Past roles on the BoarsHead stage include Wit, Our Town and Philadelphia, Here I Come! Len currently works as an entertainment writer for The Lansing City Pulse.
	SHELLEY BARISH (Scenic Design) recently completed her MFA in Production Design with a specialization in scenic design from Michigan State University, where she has TA classes such as Intro to Production Design, and an Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities class on the Creative Process. She is currently the Scenic Charge Artist at Geva Theatre in Rochester, N.Y. Shelley has designed for The Ohio Light Opera, Michigan State Theatre Department, The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Lansing Civic Players and Michigan State Opera Department. Her designs include Born Yesterday, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, HMS Pinafore, The New Moon, You Can't Take it With You, A Woman Called Truth, Babe, Snow White, and Little Princess, Abducting Diana, and Tales of Hoffman. Shelley holds a BA in Theatre and Art History from Fairfield University in CT. She has painted and propped for a variety of theatres, including The Berkshire Theatre Festival, Mercury Theatre Company, BoarsHead Theater, Riverwalk Community Theatre, The Eastman School of Music, Westport Country Playhouse and The Utah Shakespearean Festival. Shelley hopes to continue designing and teaching, as she believes theatre to be fundamental to the world of academia.
	JEFFREY SHEPHERD (Lighting and Sound Design) is originally from Spokane Washington, where he freelanced, designing such shows as Spokane interPLAYERS Ensembleís productions of Fully Committed and Anton in Show Business. He recently earned an MFA in lighting design from Carnegie Mellon University. CMU lighting credits include Lysistrata, The Man Who, A Bitter Taste, Heirloom, Meet Me in Iraq, The Leap, and several dance pieces. Sound credits include Nathan the Wise (simulcast to a live audience in Qatar), Hello Again, and Compleat Female Stage Beauty. Jeff now works in New York with Focus lighting, designing for architecture. Unnecessary Farce marks his debut with the BoarsHead Theater.
	HOLLY SPEERS (Costume Design) A freelance designer, Holly has worked for Lansing's Boarshead Theater since 1997. The Complete Works of Wm. Shakespeare, Sylvia, The Tell Tale Heart, Wit, Proof, Art, Our Town, Over the Tavern, Humble Boy, Bad Dates, Stones in His Pockets, and The All Night Strut are but a few fond memories. Holly received a Thespie award from The Lansing State Journal (June 2005) for BHT's tie–dyed production of The Comedy of Errors. Holly designed Once Upon a Mattress and Treasure Island for the Riverwalk Theater and OHS's Brigadoon, Grease, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Beauty and the Beast, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Into the Woods. She also worked as Key wardrobe for the independent film China. Holly is a graduate of Siena Heights University and studied historic costume and textiles at MSU. Holly would like to thank her husband, Chris for all his love, help and support over the years.
	JONATHAN COURTEMANCHE (Production Stage Manager)Now in his fifth season at BoarsHead, Jonathan has recently assumed the role of Associate Director. Selected Stage Management credits include: Fully Committed, Proof, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, Over the Tavern, The Story (co-production with Plowshares Theatre), Comedy of Errors, Stones in His Pockets, No Way to Treat a Lady (co-production with MeadowBrook Theatre), Bad Dates, The All Night Strut! (BoarsHead); King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice (Michigan Shakespeare); Wit, Side Man, Noises Off, House of Bernarda Alba (Madison Repertory); Camelot, Utopia Limited, The Mikado (Ohio Light Opera). Directing credits include If the Shoe Fits, The Book of Liz, Talking WithÖ, Lonely Planet, Brilliant Traces, Some Explicit Polaroids and readings of Doubt and Splitting Infinity. Jonathan holds a B.A. in Theatre and Drama from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a proud member of Actorsí Equity.