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THE COUNTESS

by Gregory Murphy

(Drama)
March 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 2010

Effie Ruskin: Alice McBee

Alice appeared last season in the title roles in The Countess and The Miracle Worker. Other OA roles include Anita Marendino in Wrong Turn at Lungfish, Angie in the world premiere of The Audition, Mabel Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, Miranda Frayle in Relative Values, Mayella Violet Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird, a ballet-dancing nun in Nunsense and a young bride in The Member of the Wedding. She has been acting since she was nine, and finds theatre endlessly rewarding.

Everett Millais: Kevin Costello

Kevin is making his fourth appearance at Old Academy. Last season he played James Keller in The Miracle Worker and the artist John Millais in The Countess. His debut was as the thuggish boyfriend in Wrong Turn at Lungfish. He also appeared in Almost, Maine at the Players Club of Swarthmore. When not on stage, Kevin can be seen in various short and feature length films, commercials, and online comedy sketches, always looking for new and exciting opportunities to expand his experiences.

John Ruskin: Elliott Rotman

Elliott is most excited and appreciative for this opportunity of his first dramatic role with Old Academy, having debuted in this year's musical Holiday Show. His love of performing and singing has had him treading the boards for the past four seasons with the venerable Savoy Company presenting Gilbert and Sullivan operettas as well as singing with Concert Opera Philadelphia and Concert Operetta Theater. The Countess has helped him with a longstanding dream of finally developing a serviceable, proper British accent. Practical applications abound. Special thanks and love to Elissa and all the family for their support.

Lady Eastlake: Bonnie Kapenstein

Bonnie has been in three other Nancy Frick plays, was in our One Act Festival this past summer and, in 10 years, has been on our stage in two musicals & ten plays, including The Bad Seed, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Constant Wife, An Act of the Imagination and The Quick Fix. Favorite roles include Lola in Theatre District (Allens Lane Theatre), Lee in Marvin's Room (Bridge Players), Sheila, in Jake's Women (Stagecrafters), Charlotte in Moon Over the Buffalo & Sarah in Beau Jest (Colonial Playhouse), Maddie, in Desperate Affection, and Waverly, in Recent Tragic Events (Langhorne Players), and Sheila in The Quick Fix (Barnstormers).

Mr. Ruskin: Mike Mogar

Mrs. Ruskin / Producer: Ginny Kaufmann

Crawley: Max Pettit

Crawley: Ben Folk Sullivan

Director: Helga Krauss

Producer: Carla Childs

Carla, a Distinguished Member, has been an active member of Old Academy since 1993, when she brought several children to audition for a play and got herself a part as well. Directing highlights at OA include Our Town, The Winslow Boy, Driving Miss Daisy, Smash, Charley's Aunt, To Kill a Mockingbird, Enchanted April and The Miracle Worker. She has also acted in several shows, including Separate Tables and HOGWASH! She directs the Anne Frank Theater Project under the auspices of the Holocaust Awareness Museum, teaches at Germantown Friends School and Chestnut Hill Academy, and works on many student productions.

Producer: 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.

Producer: Dale Mezzacappa

Dale has co-produced a number of shows, including Smash, Enchanted April, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Countess, Murdering Marlowe and her enduring favorite, Driving Miss Daisy. Among her many onstage appearances are Nunsense, Ravenscroft, Charley's Aunt, The Bad Seed, The Constant Wife, The Rose Tattoo, and in last month's one-act festival as an aging British war bride in a play by Lisa Lutwyche.