Nunsense Cast and Crew Bios
Since
1969, when she and husband Vince joined St. Dunstan’s, Fran Hayes (Sister
Mary Regina) has appeared in Steel Magnolias (Weezer), Company (Joanne),
Social Security (Sophie), and 70 Girls 70 (Ida). Always
very active, she has been a Board member twice, chaired PR&C, Tickets and
MAC as well as served on the Costumes, Mailing and Entertainment committees.
Outside of St. D’s, she has participated in Janus Productions, Project Hope,
and an occasional TV commercial. Currently she works part time in the Program
Department at Birmingham’s Community House. On the homefront, she loves being
mother of 3 and grandmother “Mamie” to 9.
When
Clare Mead Rosen (Sister Mary Hubert) joined the Little Sisters of
Hoboken, it was “de ja vu all over again.” At 18, she declined a college
theater scholarship on the East coast in favor of a more dramatic possibility on
the Texas coast: becoming a Dominican nun. For six years, “Sister Francis
Clare” taught American history and drama in Texas high schools, creating a
teaching film for Title III and producing award-winning productions of The
Bald Soprano, A Zoo Story and Animal Farm. At Notre Dame, where she earned an M.A. in American history,
she played in an all-clerical version of Waiting for Godot. Clare joined
St. Dunstan’s last season and promptly became Assistant Director of Damn
Yankees. She is delighted to be back on the stage after spending some three
decades in the audience. Clare grew up on the boards. Her father was a
professional actor/director in New York, LA and Houston. She made her own stage
debut at age six in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and played Dagmar in I
Remember Mama when she was eight. At 15, she played the title role (Frankie)
in The Member of the Wedding. After leaping over the wall in 1967, Clare
landed in New York City, where she became a journalist at Time-Life and
married Herb Rosen, an ad man. Now freelancers, they often collaborate on
writing projects. Their proudest
collaboration produced Mollie, 26, and Michael, 25.
At
St. Dunstan’s, Nicole Stacey (Sister Mary Amnesia) has performed in The
Heidi Chronicles (Jill, Molly, Denise), Heart and Music (musical
revue), Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife), and Merrily We Roll
Along (Beth Shepard). Chairwoman of props, she also is involved with Special
Events and a member of the Children’s Theatre production team. Since 1994 when
they became members, Nicole and husband Lee have been a very active part of the
group. Away from the theatre, Nicole is a school social worker, who enjoys
scrapbooking, travelling, reading, boating with Lee, and playing with their two
children, Camden, 4, and Salem 1 ½.
A
St. Dunstan member since 1996, Janie Castagna (Sister Mary Robert Anne)
has appeared in several shows. Among them are Damn Yankees (Gloria
Thorpe), Sylvia (Sylvia), Prelude to a Kiss (Rita), Grease (Frenchie),
and Philadelphia (Liz). Offstage, she is still a part of the lighting
committee at St. D’s. Away from
St. Dunstan’s, she has appeared in Assassins, Merrily We Roll Along, Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers, The Rink and Ruthless. When she is not
involved with theatre, Janie works in marketing for Advanced Lighting and Sound.
She also was just engaged to her favorite “red-haired” man, Bob.
Whoo-hoo! Congratulations!!
Victoria
Costantini (Sister Mary Leo) has
demonstrated her dancing ability onstage at St. Dunstan’s in Carousel,
Camelot, and as assistant choreographer for 70 Girls 70, Camelot and Damn
Yankees. Backstage, she lends her services to the costumes committee. Before
joining St. Dunstan’s in 1995, she was a professional dancer in Chicago at the
Drury Lane Theatre. At this time, she enjoys her work as a physical therapist
assistant, golfing, ballet class, working out and just “hanging out” with
her eleven month old son Danté.
Long-time
member, Jim Brooks (Director) has more than 25 onstage credits, including
Plaza Suite, Arsenic and Old Lace, Carousel, Mame, and See How They
Run. Behind the scenes, he has spent 19 years on lights and sound, served on
the Board of Directors for two terms, been president twice, directed
children’s theatre and is presently on Play Read & Casting. Away from St.
Dunstan’s, this retired sales engineer was in a Detroit based movie—Collision
Course with Jay Leno and Pat Morita. Though he says speedwalking, golf and
travelling are his hobbies, he can hardly deny theatre as a big part of his life
since five of his family (wife Margie, daughter Kathy, son-in-law Obie and sons,
Mike and Pat are St. Dunstan members. A man of many talents, he also sang in the
U.S. Marine Corps chorus.
Since joining in 1992, Kathy
Brooks (Assistant Director) has been Assistant Director for Into the Woods,
Cole and Laura and has appeared onstage in Carousel
(Heavenly Friend), Funny Girl, Kiss Me, Kate, and as Horatio in
our “Closed Show” production of Hamlet. Kathy has applied her
energetic talents as Costume Designer for Laura, The Nerd and Steel
Magnolias, and has helped costume One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,
Merrily We Roll Along, City of Angels, and Kiss Me, Kate. As
Chairwoman of our Fundraising committee, Kathy is a tireless worker. Outside St. D’s, she works as an accountant and is married
to member Obie Burch, Set/Lighting Designer for tonight’s production.
Margie
Brooks (Musical Director) brings an
equal amount of talent to St. Dunstan’s table as her husband and daughter.
Onstage credits for Margie include Kismet, Arsenic and Old Lace,
Carousel, The Music Man and the roles of Fairy Godmother and
Itsy-Bitsy Baby Bear in children’s theatre. The current president of St.
Dunstan’s, Margie also has assisted with make-up, lights and tickets—not to
mention the many shows on which she has been Musical Director. Like husband Jim,
she is very proud of their family members who, you will notice, make up the
major portion of the production staff of this show. Away from St. Dunstan’s,
Margie has been seen in TV commercials, done voiceovers and industrial films as
well as been in Collision Course. When she isn’t at the theatre, she
puts on her other hats as church organist, choir director and “Gigi” to four
grandkids. While she enjoys reading, needlepoint, and crossword puzzles, she
says her special talent is naps!
A
five-year member of St. D’s, Roberta M. Campion (Choreographer) brings
a wealth of experience to our group. For St. D’s, she has choreographed Damn
Yankees, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Camelot, 70,
Girls, 70, and Into the Woods. She is a free lance private acting and
dance coach, and she has performed, taught, directed, and choreographed
professionally for 28 years. Roberta Mary Anne comes to this show with a
plethora of Roman Catholic knowledge. She
attended St. Gerard’s in Detroit for grade school, Mercy High School, and both
her B.A. and M.A. are from the University of Detroit!
She owes much of her performing abilities to the nuns at St. Gerard’s
and Mercy High School where she was given ample opportunities to perform, direct
and choreograph! Ave Maria!
Truly
one of our most dedicated members, we once again find Obie Burch (Set
Designer/Lighting Designer) handling more than his share of the workload. As
with this show, he also pulled double duty as Set/Lighting Designer for Damn
Yankees and was Director and Lighting Designer of Foxfire.
Among his other artistic achievements are the sets for Deathtrap,
Carousel, and Merrily We Roll Along. He has also added to his credits
the title of Assistant Director on Sisters Rosensweig. Outside of St.
D’s, his creativity in set design was seen in the off-Broadway hit Get to
the Part About Me, Perfectly Normal Boy, and A Chorus Line. We are
very proud to have him and his wife, Kathy Brooks, as members of the Guild.
Although
only his second experience in designing sound at St. D’s, Tom Canale (Sound
Designer) has designed lighting and sound for various fundraisers including the
gallery set-up for Eyes on Design at LDM Technologies. He also has done
D.J. work for his fraternity, Theta Chi. Tom is a contract employee for PlanTech
on site at GM working as a Project Administrator for the Vehicle Timing Group.
He joined St. Duntan’s in October of 1999, and he is a member of the
Project Management Institute. His
hobbies include music and computers – website design and hardware maintenance.
A
devoted member for over 36 years, Betsie Robinson (Co-Costume Designer)
has lent her costume design skills to many productions, including last
season’s Damn Yankees, Foxfire, The Foreigner, Kismet, A
Little Night Music, Kiss or Make Up, Kiss Me, Kate and City of
Angels. Onstage, she has
appeared at St. D’s in Dearly Departed, 70, Girls, 70, Anxieties
‘66, Damn Yankees, Pajama Game and Kismet. Betsie’s
passions include creating 1/12-scale miniatures and spending time with her
children and grandchildren. Her daughter, Elizabeth, is also a St. Dunstan’s
member.
Janice
Teegarden (Co-Costumer Designer)
joined St. Dunstan’s only last year and promptly made her presence known on
the costume committee during the production of Damn Yankees. This busy
lady likes sewing, gardening and, now that she has married fellow St. D member,
Jim, golf. Married just one year,
Jim and Janice are renovating a cottage in Northern Michigan.
As
season chairperson of our Makeup committee, Nancy Teegarden Wegienek
(Makeup Designer) has designed hair and makeup for Damn Yankees, Camelot, Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof and Merrily We Roll Along. Onstage, she has
appeared in Carousel, Cinderella, Pippin, The Music Man, Mame and Bells
Are Ringing. A photography
enthusiast, Nancy describes herself as the full-time mom of two “very
dramatic” boys. Nancy’s brother, Jim Teegarden and his wife Janice, are also
members of St. D’s.
Laura
S. Raisch (Producer) developed her
love of theatre from her parents, Bob and Susan Raisch, long-time members of St.
Dunstan’s. Since joining St. Dunstan’s in 1983, she has appeared in The
Foreigner (Catherine Simms), The Philadelphia Story (Tracy Lord), Dracula
(Mina), our Children’s Theatre production of Cinderella (Cinderella), You
Can’t Take It With You (Alice), and last season’s Damn Yankees
(Lola). Backstage, she is often seen as a producer, a costumer, a choreographer,
and a provider of floral arrangements. Outside of St. D’s, she has appeared in
The Pajama Game (Gladys), 1940’s Radio Hour (Connie), and The
Boyfriend (Lolita). Away from the theatre, Laura is the new Vice President
of The Supersine Co.
A
member of St. Dunstan’s since October of 1999, Sandra Prokopp
(Co-Producer) made her St. Dunstan onstage debut in Damn Yankees. She
also worked on props for our production of Foxfire. An attorney in the
firm of Beresh, Prokopp and Sekerak, she is a very energetic woman who is also a
member of the Sanctus Choir of Royal Oak United Methodist Church. She enjoys
travelling, golfing, skiing, and looking after her husband Ed and cat spud. She
is proud to be a member of St. Dunstan’s.
Last
season saw Jill D. Ross (Properties) onstage in The Heidi Chronicles
(Becky/Clara/Lisa). Now, a St.
Dunstan veteran, Jill looks forward to her assignments on the Props committees.
Outside of St. D’s, she is a part-time registered nurse who plays
guitar and sings back-up vocal in a local band with her husband Phil, who, we
understand, has just decided to become a St. Dunstan member. Jill enjoys
reading, movies, music, collecting fifties memorabilia and being a mom of two
beautiful, energetic boys.
A
member since only last Spring, Lidija Fremeau (Co-Stage Manager) wasted
no time in jumping into her committee work. In addition to this production, she
worked as a stagehand for Damn Yankees. Although she enjoys working
backstage, she is really looking forward to her first opportunity to act and
sing on stage. Lidija has been in several productions in high school with the
Marion-Rice Players, at St. Mary’s and at the University of Notre Dame. She is
very excited about being a new member, and we are very excited to have her here!
John
Green (Co-Stage Manager) returns once
again to the very important role of Stage Manager. His acting credits include The
Foreigner (Reverend David Marshall Lee), Pippin (Chorus), Glass
Menagerie (Gentleman Caller), and Curious Savage (Jeffrey). John has
also been active as a member of the Board of Directors, Play Reading &
Casting, Stage Hands, and Stage Managers. Wife Debi, who directs Seaholm High
School musicals, is also a dedicated St. Dunstan’s member. Their son Ben has
also appeared in two St. D productions.
