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YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU

by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman

(Comedy)
April 23, 24, 30, May 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 2010

Martin Vanderhoff: McKeever

McKeever is a native East Fallser and was last seen on the Old Academy stage in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum, and in this season's holiday show. He has also appeared here in A Member of the Wedding, Our Town, and Smash!. He has performed with many area community theaters, including North Light Players, Drama Group, Action Arts, and Green Light Productions. Most recently, he was seen in Twelfth Night (Action Arts), Richard III (Delaware Shakespeare Festival) and The Tempest (Hedgerow Theater). It's the heart that matters!

Penelope Sycamore: Terri Bateman.

Terri has been involved in theater since high school. North Light Players roles include: Maude Dunlop in The Music Man, Penny Sycamore in You Can't Take It With You, Abby Brewster in Arsenic And Old Lace, Ethel Rodgers in Ten Little Indians, Delilah in Father of the Bride, and Edith Northrup in Lemonade. Old Academy roles include: Sister Non-Public (remember the puppet?) in Nunsense, which she also stage managed & choreographed, Sandra in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Karen in Hogwash!, Victoria/Evelyn in Exit Date, Mrs. Trotsky in All in the Timing, which she also produced, Fannie Green in the world premiere production of Seniors of the Sahara, Carmella Delgado in Minor Demons, Miss Fern in Bad Seed, the Peasant Woman in Incorruptible and Flora in The Rose Tattoo, which she also produced. Produced & choreographed the last eight Holiday Revue Shows. She has also been in several Fringe Festival original shows since 2006. Terri serves as the Membership Chair for Old Academy. She would like to send love to her children, Paul and Theresa, and to this wonderful cast.

Paul Sycamore: Jim Golden

Jim studied acting at the Walnut Street Theatre School and debuted as the small-time gangster Uncle Louie in Neil Simon's Lost In Yonkers. He has played a hapless burglar in Heavy Hearts Heist, a murdering suburban father in Our Janie, and misguided Jake in Whispers, Whimpers and Whatnot, which ran during the 2002 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. He played David Larrabee in Sabrina Fair at Marple Newtown Players, where he also played Bullard in Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar and Grill. He first appeared at Old Academy Players in 2007, where he explored the mysteries of communication and existence in David Ives's Sure Thing and The Philadelphia. He was Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, presented by the Anne Frank Theater Project. If you watched closely you saw him in The Rose Tattoo and you couldn't miss him in Almost, Maine.

Essie Carmichael: Brittany Holdahl

Brittany is currently a junior at Temple University; her concentration is Acting. This is her first time performing both on the OAP's stage and in Hart's and Kaufman's wonderful play. No stranger to the theatre scene, some of Brittany's most recent productions include Superheroes Who Are Super!: Mad Love at Plays and Players, Inspecting Carol at Bensalem Playmasters, Who Will Carry the Word at The Adrienne, Travel Plays at the Kelly Writers' House, and the independent film Puncture, whose director was recognized by Film.org. Brittany was nominated as a scene alternate to compete in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in both January 2009 and 2010. She will be testing for her certification in unarmed and single-sword stage combat this May by the Society of American Fight Directors. Brittany studied ballet with the Rock School of the PA Ballet, the Metropolitan Ballet Company in Abington, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society in Narberth. Brittany extends her thanks to her supportive family and friends; to you, our audience; and the wonderful cast and crew for making this fantastic production of YCTIWY possible.

Ed Carmichael: Ivo Becica

Ivo is excited to be back on the Old Academy stage playing another eccentric musician, this time a xylophonist. Most recently, he appeared as a one-eyed minstrel in last season's Incorruptible, and as a lovestruck youth in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He got his start in musical theatre, playing the French horn and trombone in orchestras throughout high school and college. He lives in Bensalem with his wife Katie, who is also an OA regular, and his cat Natalie. When not on stage, he can be seen playing an attorney in various courts throughout New Jersey.

Alice Sycamore: Victoria Rose Bonito

Victoria Rose is thrilled to be a part of her first Old Academy production. She is a recent graduate of the theatre, English, and secondary education majors at DeSales University, where she most recently played Penny Sycamore in their production of You Can't Take It With You. It is always exciting to play younger roles as you grow older! She had a wonderful acting career at DeSales, playing everyone from Emily Webb in Our Town and Sunny Freitag in The Last Night of Ballyhoo to Mollie Ralston in The Mousetrap and Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman. She has also professionally acted most recently with the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and the Theatre of the Seventh Sister in Lancaster, PA. She looks forward to settling down as a Philadelphia actor and thanks everyone at the Old Academy for starting this dream off on a lovely foot! She would also like to thank God, her family and friends, and of course, her wonderful fiancee, Aaron.

Tony Kirby: Christopher Schenk

Christopher is excited to hop back on the stage after playing Jimmy in November's Almost, Maine. Last summer, he oversaw the First Annual One Act Festival. (Second Annual coming in August!) Previously, he has appeared on the OA stage in Incorruptible, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Murdering Marlowe, An Ideal Husband, and To Kill a Mockingbird. He served as Assistant Director for Move Over, Mrs. Markham and produced a few other shows. In addition, Christopher serves as Publicity Director and Prompter Editor for the OA. He lives in Mt. Airy with his fish and teaches high school math at the Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School. He is excited to have recently completed his Masters of Education from Chestnut Hill College.

Boris Kolenkhov: J.P. Parrella

JP is one of Old Academy's hardest working members. His directorial efforts have included the hilarious Bermuda Avenue Triangle, The Rose Tattoo, Over the River and Through the Woods, The Glass Menagerie and A Funny Thing Happened. As an actor, he has made us laugh with performances in Smash, Black Comedy, Barefoot in the Park, Charlie's Aunt, The Boys Next Door and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. He turned in a rare dramatic performance in To Kill a Mockingbird. He has played Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof many times. For the last eight seasons J. P. has masterminded our popular holiday revues and is delighted to do it again this year with Music Director, Don Kawash.

Gay Wellington: Charlotte Higgins

Since relocating to East Falls several years ago, Charlotte has appeared in several Old Academy productions. Most recently, she appeared as Mrs. Daigle in Bad Seed, Beverly in The Payback as part of last year's original One Act Comedy Bonanza, and Bessie in The Rose Tattoo. Like her current character Gay Wellington, Charlotte has been involved in theatre "all my life". In a previous lifetime, Charlotte worked in repertory theatre, off-off Broadway, summer stock, independent film, and regional television commercials. She studied acting and directing in college before moving to New York to study at HB Studio. Special thanks to Edie and Douglas for their continued love and support.

Mr. Kirby: Mike Mogar.

Mike is a veteran character actor, and a familiar face to most Old Academy audiences. Last seen at OA as Mr. Ruskin Sr. in our last play The Countess, and last season as Walter Pangbourne in Move Over, Mrs. Markham. He also appeared in last summer's one act play festival. Plus many others over the years. Also this season was seen as Candy in Of Mice And Men with Marple Newtown Players. Many Thanks to Nancy, cast & crew for making this a fun production.

Mrs. Kirby: Patricia Pelletreau

Patricia is pleased to be back on stage at Old Academy in this memorable play. Moss Hart, co-author of the play, is one of her heroes and she grew up loving the theater and reading and re-reading his autobiography, Act One. Patricia has performed on area stages at Stagecrafters, Allen Lane Theater, The Drama Group and, of course, Old Academy, where she has truly found a group of like-minded and talented people.

Mr. DePinna: Alan Packer

Alan was last seen on our stage as Eugene the genie in Seniors Of The Sahara. He also appeared as Bradford Mansfield in the world premiere production of Hogwash at our theatre & Nunzio in Over The River And Through The Woods. Alan is no stranger to community theater. He has appeared in a great number of roles over the years. Favorite's include, Eugene the genie, Johnny Paolucci in Bermuda Avenue Triangle, and Victor Velasco in Barefoot in the Park. He has also appeared as Mr. Hasler in The Pajama Game, Mayor Shinn in Music Man, Baron Von Frankenstein in the world premiere of Frankenstein, Murray the policeman in The Odd Couple. He has also directed and has several film & TV appearances to his credit, as well as numerous commercials and infomercials in the Delaware Valley. Alan would like to thank his significant other Joanne, with puting up with his most unusual life style.

Rheba: Robyn Baylor-Champlin

After earning a B.A. in Journalism from Temple University, she wrote for five years at The Philadelphia Tribune. A community theater semi-regular, she was first seen on the OA stage several years ago in a production of Thornton Wilder's The Long Christmas Dinner as a delivery nurse, but alas, her character was mute. Three years ago, Robyn gave a hilarious performance as Kafka, the female monkey, in David Ives' one act comedy, Words, Words, Words. At Stagecrafters, she played the title role in Sylvia. Robyn was recently seen as the sexy secretary Margo in Two Bagels Short of a Dozen by local playwright Joe Bakovsky. She is thrilled to once again tread the boards at OA with such a great cast and crew. Much love to my mom, Velma and my sister, Adrienne.

Donald: Christopher Gladstone Booth

Christopher is making his third appearance at The Old Academy. His first was as T.T. Williams in The Member of the Wedding, and he also appeared in To Kill A Mockingbird. Chris has made appearences in television shows Hack, Law and Order (SVU and CI) and a number of films. He can be seen in the Lee Daniel's film Shadowboxer and a commerial for Dorney Park/Wildwater Kingdom.

Henderson: Michael Gavanus

Michael last appeared on the Old Academy Stage in last spring's comedy You Can't Take It With You. Other OA appearances include Almost Maine, Bad Seed, Here On The Flight Path, the great role of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Mousetrap, The Boys Next Door, Exit Date, Night Watch and For Goodness Sake. He also appeared at Hatboro Village Players as the villain in Tantalus and in several other productions. Mike is fortunate to be working again with his wife Nancy in a play that was inspired by their wedding. Viva Las Vegas, Nancy!

Olga: Helga Krauss.

Helga, a Distinguished Member, has been a producer, director and actor in many OA productions over the years. She has directed Two Dozen Red Roses, Don't Dress for Dinner, Return Engagements, The Constant Wife, Relative Values, Murdering Marlowe, and our last show, The Countess. As a producer, she has worked on many shows, including To Kill a Mockingbird, The Member of the Wedding, Smash, An Ideal Husband, and this season's The Miracle Worker. Currently, she serves as the co-chair of our House and Maintenance Committee, and is also a member of the production committee. A fine actress as well, she has given memorable performances in many shows including For Goodness Sake, The Price, Barefoot in the Park, Marvin's Room, and Play On. She was last seen on stage in the One Act Festival this past August.

1st G-Man: George E. Beetham, Jr.

George is happy to play the role of The Man in this production of You Can't Take It with You and is looking forward to working with Nancy Frick and the cast. He has previously appeared on The Old Academy stage in Seniors of the Sahara, An Ideal Husband, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. While serving in the Army in the Philippines in 1963-64 he appeared in Our Town and a short piece from Please Don't Eat the Daisies. In his other life he is editor of The Review and subscribes whole-heartedly to Grandpa Vanderhoff's theory that life should be fun.

2nd G-Man: Mark Reichert

Mark was exposed to the Creative and Performing Arts at a very early age. His parents are avid theater goers, and he started going to plays as a boy and writing and directing his own home movies. It's taken awhile to actually get him on stage, but Mark is now glad to be personally involved in theater. You may remember him in his first role last season as one of the G-men in You Can't Take It With You. Mark is an active member of Old Academy, volunteering wherever needed. He’s glad to be on board and we're glad to have him.

3rd G-Man: Paul Gordon

Paul is pleased to be making his acting/stage debut here at the Old Academy Players. His interest in acting began following a course he took in Acting Technique last winter. When not on stage, Paul can be found kayaking, cooking, and learning about wine. He is always looking for new and exciting opportunities to expand his life experiences. Paul is excited to be a part of this production, and is grateful to the Old Academy for providing him with this opportunity.

Director: Nancy Frick

Nancy knew that after she and husband Mike Gavanus got married in Las Vegas, she would one day write a play about it. No, they weren't married by Elvis, but hopefully this play captures the wonderful spirit of that day. Nancy's last directing endeavor was last season's You Can't Take It With You. She has written a number of plays that have premiered at the Old Academy and gone on to have success at other local theaters. Her play, Exit Date, will be produced in May at Bridge Players Theater Co in Burlington, NJ.

Assistant Director: Christopher Wunder

Chris last appeared onstage as Father Welsh, the Irish priest, in Lonesome West and in dual roles in Almost, Maine. He has directed Here on the Flight Path and Bad Seed and assistant-directed You Can't Take It With You earlier this season. He has also produced many shows. Credits elsewhere include Hotel D'Amore, Ten Little Indians, The Mousetrap, Carnival, Move Over Mrs. Markham, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Chris is OA's treasurer.

Producer: Carol Veach

A Life Member, Carol remembers the first show she co-produced, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday. Others include: Lost in Yonkers, Burkie and Driving Miss Daisy. Carol has appeared onstage in a number of shows, including The Audition, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Delval Divas, and When the Cat's Away. She has served on O.A.'s Membership and Social Committees. Carol was Assistant Director for Bill Peterson in The Man Who Came to Dinner, and for the late, Carlyle Dryden in O.A.'s production of The Loud Red Patrick. Carol is very happy and grateful to be a part of this production under the directorship of Nancy Frick.

Producer: Cary Gottlieb

Cary has been seen in our productions of Beau Jest and Murdering Marlowe, and was last seen in the inaugural one-act festival in August 2009. Credits at other theaters include It's a Wonderful Life, Children's Theater at Plays & Players, and Habeus Corpus. Cary also enjoys pursuing work in film including Murder Below the Line. He made his producing debut at Old Academy with The Lonesome West and co-produced You Can't Take It With You. During the day he works as a hospital social worker.

Producer: Chuck Mueller

Chuck is an East Falls resident, and is making his debut as a producer here at Old Academy. Audiences will surely remember his fine performances on stage, most recently in last summer's One Act Festival. Previous appearances were in Three Days of Rain, Return Engagements, Bad Seed, the world premiere of Exit Date, and as a monkey in Words, Words, Words. One of the nicest guys you could ever meet, among his many talents is in the sport of fencing. He used that expertise to coach the casts of two of our past productions in the proper use of the foils - Moon Over Buffalo and The Compleat Works of Wm Shakespear, Abridged.