Playbill - Running To Places

Our Dear Audience,
Welcome to the first show of our 2016 season! We’re thrilled that you’re here with us.
Whether or not you know Crazy for You already, you surely will recognize a lot of the music.
In addition to favorite standards like “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” listen
for hints of “Rhapsody in Blue” and other classic Gershwin melodies peppered into the
score. The music alone makes this show worth sharing.
Interestingly, however, while the music is timeless, the show itself didn’t exist until the
early ‘90’s, when an original story was built around these wonderful songs. I say “original,”
but as you’ll soon see, the story is timeless, too. Not only the “boy-meets-girl” stuff, but also
the “let’s put on a show to save the theatre!” part. This is a show that celebrates a
community that comes together to become greater than the sum of its parts – where each
individual has something to contribute and is forever changed along the way.
I bet you see where I’m going with this.
This show is a lovely metaphor for what we seek to do in Running to Places. Every day, we
have the privilege of watching these beautiful young souls discovering, transforming, and
blossoming. They make friends with people they never would have met, challenge
themselves beyond what they thought was possible, and give so much more than they get.
We hope you enjoy basking in their reflected glory as much as we do.
We’re also proud that we have eliminated the financial barriers to entry into our company –
participation is now and forever FREE for any interested young person. When people ask
how we can do that, they often assume we must have received some windfall to fill our
coffers, but I can assure you that’s not so. We simply made universal access a priority, and
budgeted everything else accordingly.
A cornerstone of our ability to do this is the very community we live to serve. We depend on
support from folks just like you. Donations not only allow us to keep the lights on (and rent
this beautiful theatre, build sets, pay artists, etc.), but also they serve as an essential vote in
favor of our philosophy of youth development. We love saying YES! to everyone who wants
to come play with us, and your donation is another voice added to that chorus of YES!
On behalf of the entire Running to Places family – thank you, and enjoy the show!
Joey Steinhagen
Artistic Director
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CRAZY FOR YOU
MUSIC AND LYRICS BY GEORGE GERSHWIN AND IRA GERSHWIN, BOOK BY KEN LUDWIG
CO CONCEPTION BY KEN LUDWIG AND MIKE OCKRENT
INSPIRED BY MATERIAL BY GUY BOLTON AND JOHN MCGOWAN
ORIGINALLY PRODUCED ON BROADWAY BY ROGER HORCHOW AND ELIZABETH WILLIAMS
ORIGINAL BROADWAY CHOREOGRAPHY BY SUSAN STROMAN
THE CAST
Bobby Child ........................................................................................................ Christian Henry
Polly Baker ...............................................................................................................Lisa Podulka
Bela Zangler ....................................................................................................... Bailey Olmstead
Irene Roth ............................................................................................................ Beatrice Steuer
Lank Hawkins......................................................................................................... Elijah Speight
Everett Baker .......................................................................................................... Ryan Mitchell
Patricia Fodor ............................................................................................. Tamar Shapiro-Tamir
Eugene Fodor ............................................................................................................. Jack Honig
Mrs. Lottie Child .......................................................................................................Niaa Dowell
Follies:
Tess ...................................................................................................................... Caitlin Mallory
Patsy .................................................................................................................... Erin Hilgartner
Mitzi ........................................................................................................... Bella Nelkin-Paperno
Susie .................................................................................................................... Abby Swartout
Evelyn ........................................................................................... Ana Louisa Brady-McCullough
Harriet .......................................................................................................... Crystal Casselberry
Margy.................................................................................................................. Elsbeth O'Toole
Vera ........................................................................................................................ Emmy Batille
Louise ............................................................................................................ Noa Shapiro-Tamir
Elaine ........................................................................................................................ Ruth Silcoff
Sheila ................................................................................................................... Sophie Tantillo
Cowboys:
Harry ....................................................................................................................... Max Avramis
Mingo ...................................................................................................................... Jeffrey Allen
Junior ..................................................................................................................... Jasper Fearon
Billy .......................................................................................................................... Kai Feldman
Wyatt ...................................................................................................................... Tahjay Louis
Moose ............................................................................................................... Howard Kraskow
Pete.......................................................................................................... Antonio Daniel Cuevas
Custus ......................................................................................................................... Nick Mras
Rex ................................................................................................................... Annika Berggren
Beau ..........................................................................................................................Beckie Ryan
Tex ......................................................................................................................... Julia Machlin
Hal ..................................................................................................................... Lanaia Hubbard
Jimmy ...................................................................................................... Rachel-Elizabeth Frank
THE TEAM
Director.............................................................................................................. Joey Steinhagen
Music Director....................................................................................................... Jeremy Pletter
Choreographer........................................................................................................ Tucker Davis
Assistant Choreographer ........................................................................................ Fatima Sowe
Scenic Designer ....................................................................................................Deborah Drew
Set Construction Engineer ............................................................................................. Jim Drew
Costume Designer ...................................................................................................... Liz Woods
Lighting Designer ............................................................................................... Michael Garrett
Sound Designer/Production Manager................................................................... Dan Paolangeli
Props Master ............................................................................................................. Janet Olsen
Stage Manager ............................................................................................................ Cyia Drew
Assistant Stage Managers .................................. Emma Roy, Maddi Carroll, Maddie Vandenberg
Hair/Makeup .......................................................................................................... Loie Faulkner
Run Crew ............................................................................................. Emily Warner, Jack Honig
Spot Ops ......................................................................................... Noel Bentley, Wallace Alpern
Light Board Op ........................................................................................................ Erik McSwain
Sound Assistant .......................................................................................................... Alex Ratel
Master Carpenters ...................................................................................Bill Podulka, Jeff Honig
Set Construction .......................Alana Craib, Bill Drew, Caeln Honig, Cyia Drew, Dan Paolangeli,
David Faulkner, David Drew, David Kraskow, Deborah Drew, Howard Kraskow, Ian Shapiro,
Jack Honig, Jeremy Pletter, Jim Drew, Joey Steinhagen, Josh Dobush, Julia Machlin, Kate Drew,
Kevin Drew, Liz Hess, Mary Young, Matt Dobush, Noa Shapiro-Tamir, Wallace Alpern
ORCHESTRA
Conductor ............................................................................................................. Jeremy Pletter
Piano ...................................................................................................................... Emmett Scott
Bass ........................................................................................................................Rafael Enciso
Drum Set.................................................................................................................... Tom Smith
Trumpet .............................................................................................................. Jason Ferguson
Trombone ......................................................................................................... Kiersten Roetzer
French Horn 1 ................................................................................................. Emma Staudacher
French Horn 2 ......................................................................................................... Amy Shmoys
Cello ...................................................................................................................... Cody Zusman
Reed 1 .................................................................................................................... Jessica Smith
Reed 2 ....................................................................................................................... Olivia Ford
Reed 3 ..............................................................................................................Amanda Nauseef
Reed 4 ..................................................................................................................... Alec Staples
RUNNING TO PLACES BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Deborah Drew, Dick Furnas, Heidi Goldstein, Jim Drew, Kati Torello, Kendall Carpenter, Lilly
Westbrook, Linda Harris. Ex Officio: Jack Goldstein, Jerry Dietz
RUNNING TO PLACES STAFF
Joey Steinhagen ...............................................................Artistic Director and Resident Director
Jeremy Pletter......................................................................................... Resident Music Director
Bill Hawley ........................................................................................................Finance Manager
Finance Assistant ............................................................................................... Nancy Schrempf
R2P Office Intern ...................................................................................................... Kai Feldman
SPECIAL THANKS
Kitchen Theatre Company, Rachel Lampert, Laura Nelkin, Paul Alexander, David Brown,
Craftstitute, Cayuga Lumber, Sal’s Pizzeria, Chili’s, Antiques Mall, Ithaca Ballet, Courtney
McGuire, the families & friends of our company members for their support.
SYNOPSIS OF SCENES AND SONGS
ACT ONE
Overture.................................................................................................................. Orchestra
Scene 1: Backstage at the Zangler Theatre, NYC
K-ra-zy for You ...............................................................................................................Bobby
Scene 2: On the street, outside the Zangler Theatre, NYC
I Can't Be Bothered Now ............................................................................. Bobby, Follies Girls
Scene 3: Main Street, Deadrock, Nevada
Bidin' My Time ......................................................................................................Cowboy Trio
Things Are Looking Up ...................................................................................................Bobby
Scene 4: Inside Lank’s Saloon and Boarding House
Could You Use Me ........................................................................................... Bobby and Polly
Shall We Dance? .............................................................................................................Bobby
Scene 5: Onstage of the Gaity Theater
Scene 6: Main Street, Deadrock, Nevada
Entrance to Nevada .......................................................................... Follies Girls and Cowboys
Someone to Watch Over Me .............................................................................................. Polly
Scene 7: Onstage of the Gaity Theater
Slap That Bass............................................................ Bobby, Pete, Patsy, Tess, and Ensemble
Embraceable You............................................................................................ Polly and Bobby
Scene 8: The dressing rooms of the Gaity Theater
Tonight's the Night ................................................................................................... Ensemble
Scene 9: Main Street, Deadrock, Nevada
I Got Rhythm ............................................................................................. Polly and Ensemble
~ There will be a fifteen-minute intermission. ~
ACT TWO
Entr'acte.................................................................................................................. Orchestra
Scene 1: Inside Lank’s Saloon and Boarding House
The Real American Folk Song is a Rag ........................................... Cowboy Trio and Ensemble
What Causes That? ..................................................................................... Bobby and Zangler
Scene 2: Inside Lank’s Saloon and Boarding House, the next morning
Naughty Baby......................................................................................... Irene, Lank, Cowboys
Scene 3: Onstage of the Gaity Theater
Stiff Upper Lip ................................................... Eugene, Patricia, Bobby, Polly, and Ensemble
They Can't Take That Away from Me..............................................................................Bobby
But Not for Me .................................................................................................................. Polly
Scene 4: On the street, outside the Zangler Theatre, NYC
Nice Work If You Can Get It .................................................................. Follies Girls and Bobby
Scene 5: Main Street, Deadrock, Nevada
Bidin' My Time ......................................................................................................Cowboy Trio
Things Are Looking Up ................................................................................................. Everett
Finale ....................................................................................................................... Ensemble
BIOS
ABBY SWARTOUT (Susie), a senior at Horseheads High School, is ecstatic to be in her fourth show
with R2P. After dancing in Fame last season, she took a break from onstage and played in the pit
orchestra, another aspect of theatre that she was thrilled to explore. Abby is so happy to be
portraying one of her dream roles in this show as a tap dancing, jazz handing, big smiling,
1920s show girl! She would like to thank Joey, Jeremy, Fatima, Tucker, and the entire crew for
being such wonderful people. She extends another thanks to her parents for being her taxi cab
to each rehearsal. And last, but not least, a huge thanks goes out to all the follies girls for never
judging and for giving her 10 new sisters. “I could have never done this without you guys.”
ALEC STAPLES (Reed 4) is a local music teacher, composer, arranger, and performer. He
graduated from Ithaca College in 2014 with a degree in music education, and is currently an
elementary school band director in the Owego schools. He has also played in pits for Cortland
Repertory Theatre, and plays the saxophone in many local bands in Ithaca, specializing in
rock, funk, jazz, and other types of music. Alec has joined the pit for many Running to Places
productions, but this is his first time returning since A Christmas Carol in 2013.
AMANDA NAUSEEF (Reeds) is a 2014 Ithaca College graduate (B.M. Music Education/Bassoon
Performance). This is her second show with R2P, having played in the pit for Into the Woods in
2013. Currently, Amanda teaches pre-K through 8th grade music at Cincinnatus Central
School in Cortland County. Additionally, she teaches music privately, plays contrabassoon with
the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, and freelances around CNY.
ANA LUISA BRADY-MCCULLOUGH (Evelyn) is thrilled to be a part of Crazy For You. Ana Luisa is a
sophmore at Ithaca High School, and when not on stage, she enjoys playing violin, doing karate,
and participating in her school’s Model UN program. Some of Ana’s favorite roles in the past
have been Titania in A Midsummer Nights Dream (Dewitt Middle School), and Alice in Alice in
Wonderland. Ana wants to thank all the other Follies for staying positive and being great friends,
as well as her parents for putting up with the noisy tap practicing. Enjoy the show!
ANNIKA BERGGREN (Rex) is a sophomore at New Roots Charter School and thrilled to be in yet
another R2P show! You may have seen her in Once Upon A Mattress as a “Lady of the Court”,
or in R2P's Best of Broadway. In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, karate, skiing and
other stuff. She would like to thank everyone involved in this wonderful production and her
family and friends...Enjoy the show!
BAILEY OLMSTEAD (Bela Zangler) is honored to start his senior year with Crazy For You. You might
remember Bailey for playing other angry European men in such shows as Daisy Pulls it Off as Mr.
Skoblowski and Newfield's production of Mary Poppins as Mr. Banks. Bailey while not rehearsing
for shows can be found writing and applying to college for writing and acting in TV and film. If
you have connections please find Bailey after the show. Bailey would like to thank his friends and
family for coming to his shows every three weeks or so. Bailey would also like to thank you the
reader for getting this far. It's a journey we took together – enjoy the show! <3
BEATRICE STEUER (Irene Roth) is in tenth grade at Ithaca High School. She is thrilled to be
making her R2P debut. In 2013, she starred as “Cinderella” in Rogers & Hammerstein's
Cinderella at Boynton Middle School. She also appeared in Ithaca High School's musical
production of Catch Me if You Can in 2014. Beatrice will appear as Audrey 2 in Little Shop of
Horrors this spring at the Waldorf School of Garden City on Long Island. When not acting and
singing, she enjoys riding horses and spending time with friends. She would like to thank her
family for their support. Enjoy the show! “
BELLA NELKIN-PAPERNO (Mitzi) is a sophomore at T-Burg HS. This is her fifth show with R2P. In
the past, she was in Daisy Pulls It Off (Monica Smithers), Fame (Ensemble), Best Of Broadway,
and Once Upon a Mattress (Kitchen Wench/Emily/Ensemble.) She has also been in countless
other productions in and out of school including, Rimers of Eldrich (Patsy) and Peter Pan
(Nana). Bella would love to thank her amazing parents and friends for putting up with her
annoying random outbursts of song and dance. She would also like to thank Tucker for
making her legs scream at her in pain every Monday morning. “We hope you enjoy watching
the show as much as we did rehearsing for it.”
CAITLIN MALLORY (Tess) is excited to begin her fifth year with R2P. Previous productions include
Little Women (“Marmee”), FAME (“Ms. Myers”), A Christmas Carol (“Ghost of Christmas
Future/Ghost of Christmas Present”), and many more. Caitlin is a junior at LACS where she has
both directed and performed in several productions including Romeo and Juliet (“Juliet,
Director”), The Wizard of Oz (“Dorothy Gale”), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (“Helena”), and Much
Ado About Nothing (“Hero”). She has also performed with Performing Arts For Social Change in
Ruminations (“Mama, Robin”) and with the Kitchen Theatre in Physics Fair (“Belinda”). “Thank you
to Joey, Tucker, Jeremy, Fatima, and Cyia for everything!” Enjoy the show!
CHRISTIAN HENRY (Bobby Child) is thrilled to be a part of the cast of Crazy For You! His past
roles have been Laurie in Little Women The Musical, Tyrone Jackson in Fame, Sasha in Fiddler
On The Roof, Wickersham #1 in Seussical and Ghost of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol, all
Running To Places productions, Frank Jr. in Catch Me If You Can, an Ithaca High School
production, and Fred in Physics Fair!, a Kitchen Theatre Company production. He would like to
thank his friends and family for supporting him with his busy schedule. Enjoy the show!
CODY ZUSMAN (Cello) has never been in a performance ever in his life, and is excited to enter
the world of pit orchestras. In his free time he likes to play cello. Cello is kind of all he does.
CRYSTAL CASSELBERRY (Harriet) is absolutely thrilled to be in her 8th R2P show! Crystal is a
Junior at Ithaca High School. Some past roles include “Princess #12” in Once Upon a Mattress
and “Fred's Child” in A Christmas Carol. She has also involved herself with school choir and
Drama Club. Some of her roles there include “Bambi” in Dog Park, “Evelyn” in American
Tropical and “Moneypenny” in License to Take Annual Leave. She has also taken classes in New
York City, her favorite including a one on one experience with Little Red Riding hood (Lila
Crawford) from Into The Woods. Crystal would like to give a special thanks to the cast and
crew for everyone's hard work and determination. She would also like to thank her Mother for
all the rides to and from rehearsal and the great support from her Uncle Bob, she hopes he is
able to make it to the show and loves it. Enjoy the show!
CYIA EUNICE DREW (Stage Manager) is excited to be stage managing her first R2P show! She would
like to thank the legend Sue Drew for transporting her everywhere; her parents Dan DeLuca and
Stephanie Styles, Emma Roy for her generally wonderful existence, and Rachel, Jack, Nick, and
Maddi for all the memories- everything from late night dinners at Chili's, screaming along to 13™
in the car, to group cuddling sessions and marathoning Scream Queens. Special thanks to
everyone who worked so hard to make this show come together! Most importantly, thanks to
Lin-Manuel Miranda for acknowledging her existence at 11:56 am on Tuesday, December 1st.
DEBORAH DREW (Set Designer) has been designing sets for student productions since 1999. She
joined the R2P family in 2013 and currently sits on the R2P Board of Directors. Deb received a
Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams College (University) in Bristol, RI. She
works with her husband James, in their home business, “The Architects Drew” based in
Dryden, NY. The Architects Drew design custom homes, as well as small commercial projects.
Deb has enjoyed working with the R2P production team as well as the serving on the Board.
Deb has enjoyed getting to know the students of R2P through the last two seasons. Some of
her favorite set designs include, Seussical, Fiddler on the Roof, Little Women and 13 with R2P
and Oliver!, Pirates of Penzance, Blythe Spirit, The Music Man, On the Town, Romeo & Juliet,
Guys and Dolls, and Grease with Dryden Drama Club. Deb and Jim are happy to have a new
construction studio in Danby to accommodate the mission of collaboration with students,
parents and design team to produce professional youth theater in Tompkins County.
ELIJAH SPEIGHT (Lank Hawkins) is thrilled to be making his Running to Places debut. Elijah has
also portrayed “The Mysterious Man” and the “Narrator” in Dryden Central School's Into the
Woods. Elijah is in his sophomore year at Dryden, and has just been cast as “Joey” in this year's
musical Zombie Prom (No, it is not about zombies). Elijah would like to thank the whole cast
and crew of Crazy for You for making this the most fantastic first R2P experience he could
hope for, as well as his parents for, um, everything. Enjoy the show!
ELSBETH O'TOOLE (Margy) Is so exited to be performing in her second Running to Places show,
Crazy For You. You might have seen her as Kim Macafee, in the Hangre's production of Bye
Bye Birdie, or in the Running to Places’ production of The Wizard of Oz as a munchkin, or as a
Magic Carpet in Aladdin at Dewitt. She wants to thank Joey and Jeremy for making this
production so fun and for working so hard on it. She also wants to thank her wonderful
parents for driving her every week. Enjoy the show!!!!!!!
EMMA ROY (ASM) is excited to be assistant stage managing her first Running to Places show.
She couldn't have chosen a better show to start with than Crazy for You. She would like to
thank her stage manager and dad Cyia Eunice. She would also like to thank Jack Honig and her
McSpoon mom for birthing her. Emma would also like to thank Bailey Olmstead (Zangler) for
ghost writing this bio for her. Emma is a 10th grader at Trumansburg High School she one day
hopes to be a successful writer, but one who makes money. Emma enjoys Peter Pan, both the
book and the peanut butter brand. Emma is also a singer/guitarist who enjoys a variety of
genres of music. Finally Emma would like to thank you the audience for coming to see this
wonderful performance of George Gershwin's Crazy for You!
EMMY BATILLE (Vera) is delighted to be a part of Crazy for You, her second performance with
Running to Places. Emmy made her acting debut in Montreal, Canada playing “Kim” in The
Kuper Academy Drama Club original play, The Test. In 2012, Emmy played “Mae Tuck” in
Kuper’s stage adaptation of Tuck Everlasting. She also performed with Kuper Academy’s Glee
Club, the 2013 Third Place winners of the JKF Foundation’s Glee High School Showdown.
Emmy has studied musical theatre at Broadway Academy, Westmount in Montreal, and
currently studies voice with Lynn Craver. She recently appeared in Fame with R2P, and Catch
Me If You Can with IHS. She hopes you enjoy the show!
ERIN HILGARTNER (Patsy) is a junior at IHS and is excited to be part of this production. Favorite
past roles include Daisy in Daisy Pulls It Off, The Cat in the Hat in Seussical, Annie in Annie (all
with R2P), as well as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (with Theatre Incognita). She is currently
directing The Glass Menagerie with Take Ten Theatre Company, which you can see in the LACS
Black Box Theater on January 29-31.
HOWARD KRASKOW (Moose) is happy to be onstage with Running to Places once again. His
previous show with the company was the production of Fame last year. Howard loves
spending time with friends on and off stage. Although he plays bass in this production, he
usually enjoys playing cello in multiple string orchestras. He thanks he family for supporting
his musical experience and hopes that you enjoy watching the show!
JACK HONIG (Eugene Fodor) is completely excited to get crazy in Crazy For You! Favorite past
Running to Places roles include, Simon in 13 and Miss Gibson in Daisy Pulls It Off. Jack would
like to thank Joey, Jeremy, Fatima and Tucker for being so phenomenal to work with. He would
also like to thank Cyia and Maddi for being so hardworking and putting a smile on his face
during every rehearsal, as well as his determined and extremely talented cast mates. Finally,
Jack thanks his family for continuing to support his dreams. Enjoy the show! (and the accent)
JAMES DREW, AIA (Set Construction Engineer) has enjoyed being with the R2P family the last 2
seasons. Jim also contributes as a Board of Directors member. Jim is the Work Environment
Health and Safety Coordinator for TST BOCES. Jim is a Registered Architect and runs his homebased business, “The Architects Drew” with his wife Deborah in Dryden, NY. Jim helps keep the
sets easy to construct, which keeps the actors and crew safe and also translates to easy and
painless strikes as we “run to places”. He was instrumental in obtaining a construction studio for
R2P to help us continue our mission of great accessible youth theater in Tompkins County!
JASPER FEARON (Junior) is an eighth grader at Boynton Middle School. He is excited to be
involved in another running to places show. He played Evan Goldman in 13 the musical with
R2P as well as Simba/Mufasa in “the Lion King Jr.” with the Boynton Middle School drama club.
When Jasper is not acting, he enjoys singing in his band “The Monkeysquids”. He is very proud
to be part of this cast. Enjoy the show!
JEFFREY ALLEN (Mingo) is excited to be making his Running to Places debut. He is a senior at
Newfield High School and has been involved in the Newfield Drama Club for seven years. Some
of his favorite characters he's played are “Jafar” in Aladdin, “Ali Hakim” in Oklahoma, “Shrek” in
Shrek the Musical, and “Bert” in Mary Poppins. He is looking forward to his role as “Ryan” in
High School Musical. He sings with his High School choir and was thrilled to perform with them
at Carnegie Hall last year. He is also in an a cappella group Treble Alliance at school. He would
like to thank his family for all their support. Enjoy the show!
JEREMY PLETTER (Music Director) is the resident music director at R2P. Previous shows as Music
Director with this company include Seussical, A Christmas Carol, and Into the Woods. In
addition, Jeremy was seen on stage with R2P in Urinetown, Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of
Horrors, and more. He also was in the Ithaca College Main Stage production of The Magic
Flute. “Thank you all for coming and enjoy the show.”
JOEY STEINHAGEN (Artistic Director/Resident Director) grew up doing community theatre in a
company that was surely the spiritual ancestor of Running to Places. He founded R2P in 2007 as
a way to bring together the many passionate and talented young people of this area so they
could create theatre, develop life skills, and make some of the best friendships of their lives –
much as he did when he was young. He has been teaching, acting in, and directing theatre for
young people throughout Tompkins County since 1993, and received his BFA in Acting from
Ithaca College in 1996. Over the years, he has directed musicals and plays at Ithaca and Dryden
High Schools; Dryden, Boynton, and DeWitt Middle Schools; the Northern Lights Learning Center;
and the Hangar Theatre’s Kiddstuff series. Joey has taught acting at Ithaca College, Cornell,
SUNY Cortland, Hangar Theatre’s Next Generation program, and the Ithaca Youth Bureau. As an
actor, he has appeared in many productions with the Kitchen Theatre Company, where he next
will be playing “Mrs. Bumbrake” in Peter and the Starcatcher opening January 31. He is grateful
to his beautiful fiancé Uniit for all of her love, patience, and support. He wants to give a special
shout-out to Kii. He is proudest of his favorite production: his son Aram.
JULIA MACHLIN (Tex) is thrilled to be cross-dressing in yet another R2P show! She has been in
many R2P shows before, including ensemble in Daisy Pulls It Off, and ASM for 13! When not
rehearsing for a show, she enjoys sleeping, spending time with her family and friends, and
listening to Hamilton way too much. Julia would like to thank her parents for carting her
everywhere, her friends for dealing with her crazy schedule, Cyia, Maddi, Maddie, and Emma
for being a great stage management team, and the entire cast, pit, and crew. “Enjoy the show!”
KAI FELDMAN (Billy) is excited to be in his sixth show with R2P. You may have seen him in R2P's
production of 13 as Richie… The kid that sings the high note. In his spare time Kai enjoys sleeping,
singing, and listening to music. Kai would like to thank his voice teacher Jeremy Pletter for support
and for teaching him how to use his voice. Kai would also like to thank his friends Marnie, Alana,
Lanaia, and Ryan for being the best people in the world. Kai would lastly like to thank his family for
driving him everywhere and being supportive of his crazy interests. Kai hopes you enjoy the show!
LANAIA HUBBARD (Hal) is extremely hype to be making her R2P debut! A sophomore at Lansing
High, Lanaia is very into theatre, and has been involved in many shows with local theatre
programs. You may have seen her in Lansing Middle School's production of Alice @ Wonderland
as the “Queen of Hearts”, or in Syracuse Children's Theatre's production of Pirates of Penzance as
“Edith”. In her spare time, Lanaia enjoys playing the piano, singing, painting, reading Harry Potter
and watching the “Big Bang Theory”. Lanaia would like to thank the accepting people of the cast,
her parents for their support, Joey, and Jeremy. But she would like to give a very special thanks
to her cousin, Caitlin Mallory, for being such a wonderful friend and role model and for making
her feel so welcome and at home. Lanaia hopes you are as crazy for the show as she is!
LISA PODULKA (Polly), a senior at IHS, is thrilled to be in her 19th R2P show! Favorite roles with
R2P include the “Jester” in Once Upon a Mattress and “Ms. Bell” in Fame. At Cortland Repertory
Theater, she played “Pippa” in Spider’s Web and was a child ensemble member in
Joseph...Dreamcoat. At Cider Mill Playhouse, she was “Lucille” in Thoroughly Modern Millie. At
IHS, she was “Pilar” in Legally Blonde and “Carol” in Catch Me If You Can, and will be “Miss
Andrew” in Mary Poppins this spring. Off-stage, she enjoys singing in Vitamin L, taking dance,
and playing with her new kitten, Gershwin. Thank you to Jeremy, Joey, Fatima, Tucker, Cyia,
and everyone else who helped with this production, and to my voice teacher, Erica Steinhagen,
without whom I would not be ready for this role! Thank you, also, to Mom and Dad for driving
to rehearsals. Enjoy the show!
LIZ WOODS (Costume Designer) has enjoyed costumes and visual confectionery for as long as
she can remember. She is the owner of Fine Character, a shop where she creates historical
and imaginative costumes and bespoke clothing. Liz also teaches group and private lessons in
sewing and fashion design. She has a background in mechanical engineering and fine art,
which led to work at Walt Disney Imagineering creating special effects and robotics. Liz has
created stage costumes for Pa'Lante Salsa Dance Troupe, Ithaca High School, Boynton Middle
School, Ithaca Shakespeare Company and the Cornell Savoyards. She is delighted to be
working with Running to Places for the first time.”
LOIE FAULKNER (Makeup and Hair Design) is a senior at IHS. She has designed for R2P, Boynton
Middle School, and Ithaca High School, including shows like Little Women (s/o to Jo’s waist length
extensions), Fiddler on the Roof (ghosts?), Catch Me If You Can, and, most recently, The Lion King,
Jr. Loie also enjoys acting on the stage, so look for her in the next R2P show, Company!
NIAA DOWELL (Lottie Child) is a junior at Lansing High School and is thrilled to be participating
in her first R2P show. She has performed in various high school Musical productions including
Anything Goes, and Footloose and is excited to participate in her school's production of The
Addams Family. During her free, time Niaa enjoys spending quality time with her cat. She
would like to thank her family for their constant support, and hopes you enjoy the show! “
NICK MRAS (Custus) is in 9th grade at Newfield High School and is excited to be in his 4th
Running to Places production! Favorite roles include playing “Tin Man” in the Hangar Theatre's
production of The Wiz, “Papa Ge” in Newfield’s production of Once on This Island, “Conrad
Birdie” in the Hangar Theatre’s production of Bye Bye Birdie and the “Rabbi” in R2P’s
production of 13. When he's not on stage entertaining, Nick enjoys drumming, chorus,
soccer, hanging out with friends and making people laugh! Nick would like to send a special
thank you to his family and friends for their support. Hope you enjoy the show!
NOA SHAPIRO-TAMIR (Louise) is so excited to be living an ultimate dream by singing, tapdancing, appearing in people’s lives, putting on a spectacle! Her fourth year as a company
member, Crazy for You is her 6th show onstage with R2P. You may have seen her as
“Glinda/Auntie Em” in The Wizard of Oz, “Shprintze” in Fiddler on the Roof and more with R2P,
or recently as “Sir Toby” in Twelfth Night with LACS Shakespeare. Noa is a freshman at LACS.
“Thank you to Joey, Jeremy, Tucker, Fatima, Liz, the Drews, my parents, Tamar, and the
incredible Follies crew that have been my sisters, friends, and encouragement in this
whirlwind. Dancing with you ladies is 1000 times better than dancing alone! Sure is Nice Work
if You Can Get it, so enjoy! Love you ALL!”
RACHEL FRANK (Jimmy) is excited to be a part of her 8th R2P show. Previously, you may have
seen Rachel in The Wizard of Oz as the “Wicked Witch of the West”, or working backstage as
Assistant Stage Manager/Costume Coordinator for 13 and as spot operator for Little Women.
Rachel would like to thank her parents for being the reason she was exists and Jack Honig,
Cyia Eunice Drew, Maddi Carrol, and Nick Mras being the reason she continues to. In her free
time, Rachel likes to write novels. Her first book, A Woman Scorned, is available now.
RAFAEL ENCISO ODDY (Double Bass) is very pleased to be playing in another R2P pit orchestra.
He has played in the pit orchestra to R2P's The Wizard Of Oz, and high school pits, including
IHS's Catch Me If You Can. Enjoy the music!
REBECCA “BECKIE” RYAN (Beau) is thrilled to be “Biding her Time” as a cowboy in her 2nd R2P
show! You may have seen her in last season’s Fame! Beckie, a junior at Notre Dame High School
(NDHS) is very involved in the drama club and choir. Recently she was part of the ensemble in
R&H’s Cinderella (NDHS). Fave past credits include “Storyteller”, Once on this Island (NDHS),
“Acting Student”, Fame (R2P) and “Mrs. Peterson”, Bye Birdie Jr. (Kiddstuff at the Hangar). Outside
of theater, Beckie enjoys watching Glee on Netflix, exploring Ben & Jerry’s flavors, singing, and
hanging out with friends. “Thanks to Tucker, Joey, Fatima, Jeremy, Emmett, and the cast for their
love, talent, hard work, and time! “Who could ask for anything more?”
RUTH SILCOFF (Elaine) is a junior at Ithaca High School. She is ecstatic to be in her second
production with R2P. She has previously been seen in Fame as a dancer in the ensemble. In
addition to R2P, Ruth participates in a variety of other activities. She spends the majority of
her time dancing at Armstrong School of Dance, and debating through programs at IHS and
Cornell. She is also a member of her school’s student council, and key club, and takes aerial
circus arts class at Circus Culture. She would like to thank all of her friends and family
members for coming and supporting her and she hopes you enjoy the show!
RYAN MITCHELL (Everett Baker) is a junior at Trumansburg high school and is thrilled to be a
part of such an amazing show. This is his second R2P production after learning so much from
his first show of Fame. He has been in a number of school productions including Midsummer
Night’s Dream, Grease, The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes, Beauty and the Beast and Just
Another High School Play. He has also been in the musical Oliver, as part of Encore Player’s.
He likes to do a number of other activities such as playing the trumpet, studying karate and
being involved in cross country, and track. He would like to thank Joey, Jeremy, Tucker,
Fatima, everyone who helped with set building, and his family and friends for their support.
He would especially like to thank the cast and crew for all of their amazing work and
dedication to this show. Enjoy Crazy For You!
SOPHIE TANTILLO (Sheila): This is Sophie's sixth season with Running to Places and in those
years she has enjoyed her time being involved with stage management, costuming, and
performance in the company. Sophie is a junior at Trumansburg High School where she assists
in the lighting and costuming of drama club shows. She works behind the scenes as well as
onstage for many shows, you may have seen her previously in Into the Woods as Cinderella's
Mother, Dot the Goose in Honk!, or as Alice in last year’s Daisy Pulls It Off. Sophie has been a
part of the stage management team in R2P’s Annie, Into the Woods, Once Upon a Mattress,
R2P’s Best of Broadway, Fame and others. Being onstage for this show has been a longawaited experience and Sophie has enjoyed working with the talented cast. She would like to
thank all her friends in the show and in the company, and her parents and her sister for
everything. Thanks to the entire production team of this show. Enjoy the show!
TAHJAY LOUIS (Wyatt) is excited to participate in her second show with Running to Places.
Tahjay enjoys theatre immensely, participating in groups as well as in school productions. She
is also a social activist and hopes to inspire other trans youth to “hop on stage”. She'd like to
thank her friends and family for their undying love and support. Enjoy the show!
TAMAR SHAPIRO-TAMIR (Patricia Fodor) is through the roof to finally be a character with more
than one scene! That being said, she is grateful to Joey and Jeremy for giving her so many
ensemble roles, because having recently appeared as Rona Lisa Perretti in Lehman Alternative
Community School's production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, she learned the
hard way that when you're a lead you have no freedom to make up your own back story.
Having finished rambling, Tamar also wants to say that she would like to thank her family for
putting up with her for seventeen years, that this is her sixth fantastic show with R2P, and that
she hopes you enjoy it!
TUCKER DAVIS (Choreographer) was born in Idaho and grew up between Idaho, California and
Alaska. He began dancing professionally as a teenager in Sacramento and soon thereafter went
abroad dancing in cruise ship shows in the Caribbean. He has danced around the world and
studied all styles of dance in cities including NYC, Madrid, London and Berlin. Tucker appeared in
the National Broadway Touring companies of CATS and Susan Stroman's THE MUSIC MAN as well
as performing with regional theater companies including the Dallas Theater Center, Fulton
Opera House, Theater Under the Stars, Sacramento Music Circus, Marriot Lincolnshire, Sierra
Repertory Theatre and Carousel Dinner Theater. An accomplished ballet dancer, Tucker
appeared as a principal with Lydia Johnson Dance and the Gehring Dance Theater, as a soloist
with De Funes Dance and Collective Body Dance Lab, and in the corps with Chase Brock Dance
Experience, Eglevsky Ballet and Ruth Rosenberg Dance Ensemble. For his performance as a
soloist with Joyce Dance Theatre SoHo, the New York Times said “Reason steps aside in the face
of airborne, easy dancing like that of Tucker Davis.” and for his work with Lydia Johnson
Oberon's Grove noted him as ““passionate, powerful, agile and fearless”. As a choreographer and
dance instructor, Tucker has enjoyed accolades for his work at competitions across the country
and choreographed new works for NYC's Periapsis Music and Dance and The Gehring Dance
Theater, Socrates Art Festival, Dixon Place Dance Week, PeriDance and MadCo Montana. Tucker's
musical theatre choreography work includes the musicals CRAZY FOR YOU for Running To Places
and YO VIKINGS! and THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES at the Hangar Theatre. He directed and
choreographed the opera BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE for Opera Ithaca and also choreographed DON
GIOVANNI. He choreographed the world premiere of COUNT ME IN by Rachel Lampert at the
Kitchen Theatre and also choreographed new works for DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY for the Kitchen
Theatre as well as creating AT SUCH A DIZZY HEIGHT for dancers, chorus and musicians at Ithaca
College. Tucker teaches jazz and ballet at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He has also taught
with Ithaca Ballet, Montana Dance Center, School of Classical Ballet, Divine Rhythms in Long
Island, Armstrong School of Dance and in Canada with Outside Looking In.
2016 SEASON SUPPORTERS
Thank you to those who have supported us so far this season!
Won’t you please join them?
Friends ($1-$99)
Sharon Dittman
Erin and Ray Durkin
Sherri and Mike Ellis
Alice Churchill & John Vandenberg
Runners ($100­$249)
Cindy Gordon
Noemi Kraut
Michael & Teri Niziol
Diane & James Orcutt
Mihal Ronen
Alan Rose
Nancy & George Schuler
Racers ($250­$499)
J. Ellen Gainor & David Faulkner
Mark & Ingrid Zabel
Champions ($500-$999)
Anonymous
Michael Charnoky
Elissa Cogan & Barry Chester
Laura Nelkin
Ian Shapiro & Dalya Tamir
Marathoners ($1,000-$4,999)
Comey-Fitzgeral Family Foundation
Community Arts Partnership
Richard Furnas
Hess Legacy Fund
Brendan Wyly & Kristen Grace
Rawlings Contruction #
Savage Club of Ithaca *
Squeaky Clean Car Wash *
Tompkins Trust Company #
Ultra­Marathoners ($5,000 and Up)
Anonymous #
Community Foundation of Tompkins
County
CSP Management ^ +
Inn on Columbia +
Park Foundation
Purity Ice Cream +
^ Season Sponsor
+ Exclusive Show Sponsor
* Show Sponsor
# Scholarship Sponsor
This list is current through January 5, 2016. If we have made an error, please email
finance@runningtoplaces.org and accept our sincere apologies.
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