Directed by Jeff Glover
Stage Managed by Abbey Marshall
Costume Design by Jenniver Sparano
Set and Light Design by Patrick Ciamacco
CAST/STAFF
Michael Dempsey (Jim) is an actor, director, film and TV writer, and playwright. His writing credits include CBS sitcoms and his plays have been produced Off-Broadway, in Los Angeles, and regionally. As an actor, he’s been seen locally in Tuck Everlasting (The Man In The Yellow Suit), Mamma Mia! (Harry), Young Frankenstein (Igor), A Funny Thing… (Hysterium), Macbeth (Macbeth) and Baby (Alan). His directing credits across Northeast Ohio include King Lear, Into The Woods, Camelot, The Rocky Horror Show, I Am My Own Wife, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Last Five Years and Of Mice and Men. Michael also produces and directs TEDx talks. He studied theatre and music at Ohio State University, Cornell University, Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain. A member of the Writer’s Guild of America, the Dramatists Guild, and The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, he’s a past recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship for playwriting. His novel Necropolis is available from Night Shade Books on Amazon.
Rachel Drotar (Chrissy) is overjoyed to perform alongside such a talented group of artists in her first production at Blank Canvas Theatre. Her recent credits include The Music Man (Alma Hix) and Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Ensemble) at Near West Theatre, Children of Eden (Ham) at Cassidy Theatre, and in the Borderlight Fringe Festival as a member of SongCraft, an award-winning, personalized songwriting experience. Rachel is a spoken word artist focusing on themes of grief, love, and community. All gratitude to her family and community for their support.
Jon Fancher (Dr. Q) sends love to wife, Mary, for her constant encouragement and support. What a treat to be working with Jeff and Patrick again! Jon is excited to return to Blank Canvas Theatre after his debut here in last season’s The Last Starfighter (Centauri). His stage credits include include Joseph… Dreamcoat (Jacob/Potiphar) and Urinetown: The Musical (McQueen) at Beck Center; Miracle on 34th Street The Musical (Mr. Sawyer) at TrueNorth Cultural Arts; Me and My Girl (Sir John) and Mame (Mother Burnside/Mr. Babcock) at Mercury Theatre; An Empty Plate in the Café du Grande Boeuf (Claude) and Failure: A Love Story (Suit/Dog) at Clague Playhouse; and The Music Man (Harold Hill, Charlie Cowell, Constable) in various productions over the last 50 years. Jon is Pastor Emeritus of Rocky River Presbyterian Church.
Darletha Jones (Nurse Corey) is a neophyte to acting and very excited to have a role in the production. She looks forward to being in the company of experts.
Anne McEvoy (Ell) had the privilege of sharing the stage with playwright/director Jeffrey here at Blank Canvas Theatre in Next Fall and elsewhere in August: Osage County, and is excited to be part of his new work, comma. She's also appeared here in Cabaret (Fraulein Schneider) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Nurse Ratched). Other recent credits include Life Sucks (Babs) and Dance Nation (Maeve), both at Dobama Theatre, Inherit the Wind (Mrs. Brady) at Cleveland Play House, The Comedy of Errors (Emilia) at Great Lakes Theatre, King Lear (Gloucester) at Beck Center, Testament of Mary (Mary) at Mamai Theatre, 'Night, Mother (Thelma) at none too fragile, and Apples in Winter (Miriam) with Seat of the Pants Productions. Anne's grateful to Cleveland audiences who support Cleveland playwrights, new work, and live theatre!
Venchise Phillips (Nurse) is elated to be back on stage at Blank Canvas Theatre! Her recent credits include Mrs. Squires (The Music Man) at Near West Theatre, Megan Jones (Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic) at Broadview Heights Spotlights Theater, and Fabrique/Theo (Yippie Ki-Yay Merry Christmas: a Die Hard Musical Parody) and Liane (Cannibal! The Musical) here at BCT. Venchise is also involved offstage locally as a stage manager and prop designer. Thanks to Patrick and Jeff for every theater moment. Special thanks to Aaron, forever and always. Enjoy the show!
Perry Reed (Kendall) is a multi-talented creative force hailing from Cleveland, Ohio. He is thrilled to be a part of this production. Perry studied acting at The Karamu House; his recent credits include If These Walls Could Talk (Father), 100 Meters (Antwan) and Dolly Guts (Priest).
Daniel Telford (Jeff) is a proud graduate of the B.F.A. classical acting program at Baldwin Wallace University. His previous credits include Noises Off (Tim), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Policeman, Voice Three, Man with Socks), Broadway Bound (Stanley), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Nick), King Lear (Edmund), and Elf (Ensemble) at Beck Center; Richard III (Richard III) at Idaho Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespearience, Macbeth (Young Siward/ Ensemble) at Great Lakes Theater, and By the Bog of Cats (Carthage) at Ensemble Theatre.
Jeffrey Glover (Director) is pleased to bring his play to the world and grateful for the fact that he is able. All thanks go to Patrick Ciamacco and Blank Canvas Theatre for championing new works, for supporting their realization and, most of all, for continuing to be dangerous. All my love to Nicki.
Abbey Marshall (Stage Manager) is a 25-year-old writer, actor, and journalist in Cleveland, Ohio. A Cincinnati native and Ohio University graduate, she is now the local government/politics reporter and producer at Cleveland’s NPR affiliate station, WKSU/Ideastream Public Media. This is her first production with Blank Canvas Theatre. Recent performing credits include Avenue Q (Kate Monster), Evil Dead -The Musical (Linda), Reefer Madness, and Hair at the Akron Civic Theater. Most recently, she worked as the assistant director and producer's representative of The Blake & Ollie Show, a new experimental play by a local playwright as part of Akron Civic's Arts Inclusion Incubator and Cleveland's BorderLight Fringe Festival. She is excited to help bring another new work to the stage and is endlessly grateful to the cast and crew of comma.
Jenniver Sparano (Costume Designer) has designed costumes for numerous shows on the Blank Canvas Theatre stage, including the premiere of playwright Jeffrey Glover’s Fissures of Men. Elsewhere, her work has been seen at Beck Center, Clague Playhouse, Dobama Theatre, and Cleveland Public Theatre, where she designed the first production of Orphan Kiss (Left) as part of the Big [Box] series. In addition to designing, she is proud to co-produce an annual musical benefit for the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, returning this year at Near West Theatre! A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mt. Holyoke College, she also studied in Paris and is employed by KeyBank.