Directed by Patrick Ciamacco
Music Direction by Matt Dolan
Choreography by Katie Zarecki
Stage Managed by Whitney Miller
Puppet Design by Patrick Ciamacco, Noah Hrbek, Dave Haaz-Baroque
Costume Design by Jenniver Sparano
Lighting Design by Jeff Lockshine
Sound Design by Richard Ingraham
Projection Design by Patrick Ciamacco and Noah Hrbek
Sound Operation by Anthony Newman
CAST/STAFF
Becca Frick (Bad Idea Bear/Ensemble) is excited to be on Avenue Q with all of you! Favorite past credits include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Honey) at Beck Center, and Our Town (Emily), Side Show (Daisy Hilton), and Hair (Jeanie), all at Blank Canvas Theatre. During the day, Becca is a proud member of the education department at Cleveland Play House. Thanks for supporting live theater!
Brett DiCello (Trekkie Monster) is excited to be back on the Blank Canvas Theatre stage after having performed in We Will Rock You! Previous credits include The Addams Family (Gomez Addams), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Doug Panch), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bottom). Brett was a member of improvement!, Case Western’s premiere improv comedy troupe. He spent a semester studying abroad at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Brett holds a B.A. in Theater and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.
Scott Esposito (Rod) is thrilled to return to Blank Canvas Theatre. He was previously seen at BCT in Hair (Claude) and 12 Angry Men (Juror #8). Scott was most recently seen as Prior Walter in both parts of Ensemble Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Angels in America. Additional credits include The Normal Heart (Felix Turner) with Ensemble Theatre; Parade (Leo Frank) at French Creek Theatre; The Bridges of Madison County (Bud Johnson) and Assassins (John Wilkes Booth) at Lakeland Civic Theatre; Mothers and Sons (Will Ogden), Lend Me a Tenor (Max), Jeffrey (Jeffrey), Lord of the Flies (Jack), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander) at Beck Center for the Arts; Godspell (John the Baptist/Judas) at Cain Park; Arcadia (Valentine) with Mamai Theatre Company; The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? (Billy) with Dobama Theatre; and The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio), Romeo and Juliet (Mercutio), and Twelfth Night (Sebastian) with the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. Scott can next be seen in The End of the Tour (David) with Seat of the Pants Productions. Scott would like to thank Patrick for this opportunity and his husband Vince for his constant love and support.
Trey Gilpin (Nicky) is thrilled to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre for one of his very favorite musicals! You may have seen him here in Urinetown: the Musical (Hot Blades Harry), Silence! The Musical (Dr. Chilton), Reefer Madness (Ralph), Hair (Woof), or 12 Angry Men (Juror #4). Trey’s a Kentucky native who moved here after working with the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. As an adopted Clevelander, Trey has appeared at Beck Center for the Arts, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cain Park, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Ensemble Theatre, Mercury Theatre Company, and more. Favorite shows include The Toxic Avenger (White Dude), Assassins (Zangara), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Freddy), Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play (Matt), and The Last Five Years (Jamie). Many thanks to this awesome cast, Patrick, Matt, and Katie, and the rest of this spectacular team!
Katie Gucik (Lucy T. Slut) is thrilled to be back in Cleveland for the holiday season after seven years in California, and to be making her Blank Canvas Theatre debut with Avenue Q. Recent credits include Mamma Mia (Ensemble/ Donna US), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Gargolye/Gypsy), Freaky Friday (Ensemble/ Katherine US) and Lend Me A Tenor: the Musical (Young Maria) at Pacific Conservatory Theatre; Cabaret (Texas/Chanteuse), The Music Man (Zaneeta), The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess), and Some Enchanted Evening (Nellie) at SLO Repertory Theatre; Show Boat (Julie) with Opera San Luis Obispo; and When the Rain Stops Falling (Young Elizabeth) with SLO Rep- Ubu’s Other Shoe playreading series. Katie recently graduated from the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts’ Acting Conservatory in Santa Maria, CA. Thank you to Patrick and the BCT team for this amazing opportunity, to her friends and family for their love and support, and to you… for finding life outside your apartment and supporting live theater!
Kate Leigh Michalski (Mrs. Thistletwat/Ensemble) is thrilled to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre! Past credits include We Will Rock You (Oz), Jekyll and Hyde: 2018 Benefit Concert (Lucy Harris), Reefer Madness (Mae), and The Texas Chainsaw Musical! (Lucretia) at BCT; Parade (Lucille Frank) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Olive Ostrovsky) at French Creek Theatre; The Toxic Avenger (Mayor/Ma), at Cain Park; Annie Get Your Gun (Annie Oakley) at Silhouette Productions; and The Spitfire Grill (Shelby Thorpe), at Beck Center. She has a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Point Park University and is a proud EMC. Love you, Mom! Love you, Dad.
Shane Patrick O'Neill (Princeton) is thrilled to return to Blank Canvas Theatre after last being seen in High Fidelity (Rob) and Godspell! Shane is a proud graduate of the musical theatre programs of New York University (M.M.) and Ashland University (B.A.). Locally, he has been seen at Beck Center in Spitfire Grill (Joe), The Little Mermaid (Eric), and Forever Plaid (Frankie), at Lakeland Civic Theatre in The Bridges of Madison County (Robert) and The Light in the Piazza (Fabrizio), and as a frequent soloist with The Musical Theater Project. Regional credits include Legally Blonde (Emmett) and the orchestral premiere of Songs for a New World (Man 2) at White Plains Performing Arts Center, as well as The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chip) and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Man 2) at The Palace Theatre. His film work includes My Friend Dahmer. Shane sends love and thanks to his wife Alicia and their two children, Riley and Emmett! www.shanepatrickoneill.com
Luke Scattergood (Brian) is thrilled to be making a change of address and moving to Avenue Q with such an awesome cast and crew! He is no stranger to Blank Canvas Theatre, where his costume designs have appeared in over 25 shows. Onstage roles at BCT include Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Jonas Fogg), Bathroom Humor (Arthur), Of Mice and Men (Carlson), and others. He is also a proud member of The Laughter League, BCT's resident sketch comedy group! Thanks to Patrick and the entire staff for this opportunity. Also, thanks to my red-hot, smokin' wife, Laura, and three kiddos, Lucy, Levi, and Lincoln, for all their love and support! Enjoy the show!!
Leah Smith (Kate Monster) is overjoyed to make Avenue Q her Blank Canvas Theatre debut! Recent credits include East of Eden (Abra Bacon) at Ensemble Theatre, Gypsy (Tessie Tura) and City of Angels (Ensemble) at Beck Center, and Michael Stanley Superstar (Leah) with Last Call Cleveland. Currently she is an Actor-Teacher for Great Lakes Theater. Thanks to the cast and crew for their hard work, and to the family and Dougy B for your love, making it thoroughly not suck to be me. Huzzah!
Neda Spears (Gary Coleman) doesn't think it sucks to be returning to Blank Canvas Theatre after her rockin' turn as the Killer Queen in We Will Rock You! She has been seen in over 30 productions, both here and in Chicago, including Dobama Theatre's Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars, Theater in the Circle's All Night Strut!, and Song for Coretta and Huck and Holden, both with Ensemble Theater. Other productions include Buddy (Apollo Performer- 2nd National tour/Drury Lane Oakbrook), The Who's Tommy , and the revue of Could It Be Magic?, written and directed by Barry Manilow. Favorite roles include Sr. Hubert (Nunsense; Nunsensations!), Alice (Big River), Susannah (Tintypes), Mama Euralie (Once on this Island), and Helena Landless (Drood ). Neda also originated the role of Momma in the American Girls' Revue, at Chicago's American Girl Place as well as Jessie in Pearl Cleague’s comedy, The Nacirema Society…, which debuted at the Alabama Shakespeare Theater and the Alliance Theater. Much thanks to Richard. And to Patrick (again).
Anna Sylvester (Christmas Eve) is so excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre in Avenue Q! She was last seen at BCT in the ensemble of Urinetown: The Musical. Anna is currently a senior in the B.F.A. in Acting program at Baldwin Wallace University. Her other recent credits include Rock 'N' Roll (Eleanor), Uncle Vanya (Sonya), and The Pillowman (Ariel). Anna wants to thank Patrick for giving her this opportunity, and her Mom, Dad, Amy, Charlie, and hoUse for loving her so unconditionally. Enjoy the show!!!
David Turner (Bad Idea Bear/Ensemble) can’t believe he gets to play with puppets with some incredible people. Favorite theatrical credits include Cannibal! the Musical (Israel Swan), Cabaret (Bobby), A Chorus Line (Mike), Rock of Ages (Franz Kleinman), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), The Producers (Leo Bloom), Bonnie & Clyde (Buck Barrow), A Funny Thing Happened... Forum (Hero), Hair (Tribe/Margaret Mead), and The Secret Garden (Dickon). Many thanks to Patrick for this exciting opportunity. Special thanks to my family and friends for their support and especially to Jason for all his love!
Dave Haaz-Baroque (Puppet Design) is a puppetmaker from the San Francisco Bay area, and is the creative director of puppetry troupe Shadow Circus Creature Theatre. His creations make regular appearances in live theatrical productions around the Bay Area, including at the world famous Edwardian Ball, Misfit Cabaret, the New Conservatory Theatre Center, and Oasis Theatre's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Live. His short puppet film Dude, Where's My Shard? was awarded an honorable mention award from the Jim Henson Company. Avenue Q marks his first foray into puppetmaking for a Cleveland audience.
Jeff Lockshine (Lighting Designer) Jeff is pleased to return to BCT after having lit Hedwig and the Angry Inch and We Will Rock You earlier this season. Jeff earned his M.F.A. in Production Design and Technology and has lit more than 100 productions including shows at local theaters such as Beck Center, Cleveland Public Theater, Clague Playhouse, JCC-Halle Theater and Dobama. During the day (and sometimes nights and weekends), he works as an Account Executive producing trade shows and events.
Whitney Miller (Stage Manager) is so H-A-P-P-Y to be here at Blank Canvas Theatre, where “people, birds, and monsters live in perfect harmony.” This is Whitney's 2+4 = 6th show here and she can't wait to add many more. This is the second time she's worked on Avenue Q (probably due to how cheap the rent is). Some of her other favorite shows include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Stage Manager), Songs for a New World (Stage Manager), and The Last Five Years (Lighting Designer). Whitney attended Case Western Reserve University for Chemical Engineering, but spent most of her time with the CWRU Footlighters. She is currently a Project Manager for Quest Diagnostics. Toodle-oo!
Jenniver Sparano (Costume Designer) has designed costumes throughout Blank Canvas Theatre’s history, for productions ranging from The Texas Chainsaw Musical! and Silence! The Musical to Next Fall and 12 Angry Men. Elsewhere, her work has been seen at Beck Center, Clague Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Quicken Loans Arena, and the Pickwick & Frolic cabaret stage. For the last sixteen years, she has co-produced an annual musical benefit for AIDS/HIV agencies in Cuyahoga and Summit counties, raising over $130,000. Her education includes years of watching Sesame Street (beginning with its debut season) as well as a B.A. from Mt. Holyoke College and a year studying in Paris. She is proud employee of KeyB