CAST & CREATIVE: INHERIT THE WIND

cast and creative:
Inherit the wind

Harlan Baker (Matthew Harrison Brady) I made my first appearance with the Theater Project in the summer of 1980. I was cast as the father in Checkov’s one act farce, “The Marriage Proposal.” I had to put gray make up in my hair for the part.  39 years and 15 plays later I no longer need gray make up for my hair for the part.

Joe Bearor (E. K. Hornbeck) is very happy to be back on stage at the Theater Project.  Though, he has not worked with the company since 2011’s production of Pride and Prejudice, in which he portrayed “Mr. Collins,” he more recently appeared as “Cliff” in Al Miller’s independent production of Luna Gale.  In between these two credits, he ventured out west to Los Angeles where he starred in the digital miniseries Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Double Agent, as well as the John Lennon biopic, Rubber Soul, which premiered at 2014’s SXSW Film Festival.  Since returning to Maine, he has had the good fortune of working with the Dramatic Repertory Company’s production of Venus in Fur, Outside Mullingar with American Irish Repertory Ensemble, and, most recently, Sean Mewshaw’s independent production of True West at SPACE Gallery in Portland.  Enjoy the show, dear reader!

David Bliss (Bertram Cates)  is a Portland-based actor and artist. Previous theatrical projects have included: A Prince in Sky-Blue Uniform as Norman Prince, written by Jean-Claude Redonnet and performed at Portfringe, Radium Girls as Lee, and Shakespeare's As You Like It as Jaques, both performed at the Theater Project. He hopes you very much enjoy this show!

Jake Cote (Tom Davenport ) Jake is thrilled to be making his Theater project debut, and is more thankful to be creating art with a bunch of wonderful friends, some new, some old. You may have seen him in “The Explorer’s Club,” “Reasons to be Pretty,” or heard one of his many sound designs around town. Jake is also a Mad Horse Company member and a founding member of the MTWTFSS Theater Company. Jake is fond of good whiskey, comic books, and breakfast foods.  

Kim Gordon (Mrs. Brady) moved to Portland 3 years ago and has been delighted to work with The Theater Project (Nina), Good Theater (Mrs. Mannerly & Love, Loss and What I Wore), Snowlion Rep (A Cherry Orchard in Maine), Portland Stage (Little Festival of the Unexpected) and PortFringe (Antigone at Warsaw). She's delighted to return to TTP to work with Chris and wonderful cast. Next up: Snowlion's original musical, Mesmerized in May, in which Kim shows some very bad parenting skills.

David Heath (Mayor) is thrilled to be making his Theater Project debut in INHERIT THE WIND.  He was recently featured as a guest artist in DEER by Aaron Mark at Mad Horse Theatre Company.  Other favorite roles of the past have included John Adams in 1776 (Biddeford City Theater), Pontius Pilate in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Portland Players), Friar Laurence in ROMEO & JULIET (Portland Players), King Arthur in MONTY PYTHON’s SPAMALOT (Lyric Music Theater), and Owen Musser in THE FOREIGNER (Lyric).  David is grateful to Chris and the Theater Project team for this opportunity!

Elizabeth Chasse-King (Mrs. Goodfellow, Reuters Women) is so excited to be performing for the third time at The Theater Project. She would like to come clean with the world, or whoever reads this bio, and state that she has a Feline Addiction. It’s a very real and serious disease in which she can’t say no to bringing more cats into her life. She currently has seven, but is married, so she doesn’t technically qualify as a “Crazy Cat Lady”. Please support theater as that helps curb her Feline Addiction. Thank you and enjoy the show. 

Cory  King (Mr. Meeker/Hot Dog Man) This makes two in a row for Cory at the The Theater Project.  If you caught Peter & the Starcatcher you saw him make out with his wife, as Alf and Mrs. Bumbrake (Cory was Alf).  Cory is a bit overwhelmed to be a part of a cast with this caliber of talent, and is happy to be playing the role of Mr. Meeker- though to be honest to be a part of this cast he would have been just as happy playing Townsperson #11.  There is so much between the lines in this show- about they way we interact, the way we connect, what brings us together, what separates us, what is right, what is just, what is truth... I think you may find a bit of yourself in some of these relationships.  Maybe not the person you are today- maybe the person you were at one point in your life.  I hope you see that none of us can be summed up with a predetermined label, and that goes for those we disagree with too- we are all just conflicted people trying to find that which matters most.   

Brynn Lewallen (Mrs Krebs, Harriet Esterbrook) is happy to be appearing in her second show with The Theater Project. A Portland-based actor, Brynn works with STAGES Youth Theater as a teaching artist. Favorite roles include Miss Adelaide (Guys and Dolls), Cathy Hiatt (The Last Five Years), and Jo March (Little Women). National tour: Go, Dog. Go! (Green Dog), Childsplay Theatre Company. Regional: The Most Happy Fella (Cleo), Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn (Rona Lisa Perretti), Quisisana. Brynn is a proud graduate of Denison University (BA) and Arizona State (MM). Love to Robert.

JodyMcColman (Rev. Jeremiah Brown) This is Jody McColman's first appearance at The Theater Project, and he couldn't be happier to be here working with all of these amazing artists! You may have seen Jody on stage in such things as "The Explorers' Club" (Humphries), "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" (Butch Honeywell), and "Vigils" (Wooer) at Mad Horse, or "The Other Place" (The Man) at Good Theater, or maybe "Terminal Bar" (Fred/Father Fusilli) and "The Grand O'Neal" (Michael O'Neal) at Deertrees Theater.  Jody also writes short plays, and you may have caught some of his work at PortFringe 2018 where he presented four of his plays in a show called "Sisters, Strangers, Lovers & Friends." Shout-out to the Ferns, and love, as always, to Mary, his audience of one. www.jodymccolman.com

Jaden Nicita (Howard) Jaden is in 7th grade at BJHS. He has lived in Brunswick his entire life. He has always been interested in theater. Acting experience includes; I Can Not Tell A Lie at George Washington Elementary, Alice @ Wonderland, Humor Games, The Hobbit at The Theater Project and Homeroom, Alice in Wonderland at BJHS. He is interested in comic books, movies and film.

James Patefield (Sillers/Dramaturge) is a Portland-based actor, director, and fight choreographer. He is a company member of Bare Portland, Director of Audience Services/Community Engagement at PortFringe, one half of Wolpertinger Battalion, and an education artist at Portland Stage. Recent credits include Mad Horse's The Explorer's Club (Walling), Bare Portland's original devised production of The Yellow Wallpaper, Portland Stage's Arsenic and Old Lace (Teddy), and Wolpertinger Battalion's Pity Party. His fight choreography has also been seen in 60Grit's Bug and Bare Portland's Macbeth, of which he was also co-director. Love to Mackenzie, Milton, and Agnes.

Christopher Price (Director/Scenic Designer) works in theater, radio and television as a director, an actor, a voice artist and a scenic designer. Maine credits include work with The University of Southern Maine, The Public Theater, Portland Stage Company, The Portland Symphony, The Portland Ballet, Mad Horse Theatre where he is a company member and here at The Theater Project where he most recently directed Detroit, Cocktails and Travails, The Liar, Eurydice and Circle, Mirror, Transformation. He holds a Master’s Degree from The Harvard University Graduate School of Design. 

Payne Ratner (Harry Drummond) is happy to be back acting at the Theater Project. This was his first and longtime theater home when he moved to Maine. After taking time off from the stage to raise his boys he has recently returned to perform with Mad Horse Theatre, and was seen in the Theater Project's Uncle Vanya. He is grateful to Al Miller, Chris Price, Wendy Poole and the crew for this terrific opportunity. 

 Richard Sewell (Judge, Elijah) co-founded The Theater At Monmouth  (union classical rep) with Robert Joyce in 1970 and directed, acted - and lugged change-over scenery -  there for well over twenty years.  He and his wife Kim Gordon (whom he met as an actress at Monmouth) now live in Portland  and are beginning to share in the very rich, varied  theater happening here on the coast.      

Rose Tuttle (Melinda) is currently a 7th. grader at Mt. Ararat Middle School. She has been involved with the Theater Project since she was in Kindergarten and absolutely loves it!  This April, Rose will be performing in her school’s rendition of the musical Aladdin Jr., cast as the Genie. She loves to sing and create music, plays the flute in band, and participates in chorus. She was chosen to be in District III Honors Band. She also loves to make art, run cross country, and is actively involved in Student Council and her school’s Civil Rights team.

Ellen Elizabeth White [Rachel Brown]  Elle wishes to express her gratitude to the individuals who invested so much of themselves in telling this story. She is excited for the opportunity to return to the stage after an extended absence in which she traveled the country in a van with five friends and one dog, solving mysteries and unmasking ghosts. To Chris and Wendy: thank you for reminding me of the majesty of local theatre; it’s an honor. 

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acknowledgments

Craig Robinson, High Output, Tessa Price, Bryanna Alley, Wicked Joe, Leko Gagnon, The 8th graders and teachers at BJHS, Lexine Mainwaring, James Patefield, Cory King, Brynn Lewallen, David Bliss, Anne Sturm, Al Miller