Ride the Cyclone

JACOB RICHMOND

Book, Music & Lyrics

Jacob Richmond (Book, Music & Lyrics) has written several plays, including: The Qualities of Zero (Dora Award nomination, Montreal MECCA Award winner for Best Text); Small Returns (Theatre Passe Muraille); Legoland (SummerWorks Award for Best Text, Frigid Festival New York Favorite Production, Vancouver Fringe Favorite Award); From Canada to Canada (CBC Radio One Award, Best Comedy); and The Punch and Judy Show (Caravan Farm Theatre). Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he majored in history and performance at Concordia University (Montreal) and is co-founder of Atomic Vaudeville, a popular cabaret theater series in Victoria, BC.

BROOKE MAXWELL

Book, Music & Lyrics

Brooke Maxwell (Book, Music & Lyrics) is a freelance musician, composer, and educator based in Victoria, BC, Canada. In addition to Ride the Cyclone, he has underscored and sound designed several local and national works: Gruff (Puente Theatre), And Slowly Beauty (Belfry Theatre, National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre), A Tender Thing (Belfry Theatre), The Glass Menagerie, Long Day's Journey into Night (Bluebridge Theatre), Joan (Theatre SKAM), Busted Up (Open Pit Theatre). brookemaxwell.com

SARAH RASMUSSEN

Director

Sarah Rasmussen (Director) is the Artistic Director at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, where she is thrilled to carry on its long tradition of championing new voices onstage. Prior to McCarter, Rasmussen was Artistic Director of the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis, where in recognition of her directing work she was named Star Tribune’s Artist of the Year. Rasmussen also served as Resident Director for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Lab new work development program and Head of MFA Directing at the University of Texas at Austin. She is an alum of the Women’s Project, Soho Rep, and Lincoln Center Directing Labs. She has directed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Guthrie, Dallas Theater Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, and La Jolla Playhouse. She has developed new work with Playwrights’ Center, the O’Neill, the Lark, and many others. She was an inaugural recipient of the BOLD Leadership Circle grant and is also the recipient of a Princess Grace Award, an Ivey Award for Overall Excellence, and Drama League and Fulbright fellowships. MFA, UC San Diego.

JIM LICHTSCHEIDL

Original Choreography

Jim Lichtscheidl (Original Choreography) is an actor, director, choreographer, and creator based in Minneapolis, MN. Jim's choreography/movement credits include Thief River and The 39 Steps (Guthrie Theater), Ride the Cyclone, Fly By Night,and Little Women (Jungle Theater), Ragtime, Little Shop of Horrors, My Fair Lady,and The Music Man (Ten Thousand Things Theater), and Johnny Baseball and The Snow Queen (Park Square Theatre). Jim was awarded a McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship at the Playwrights' Center in 2019. Acting credits include Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Theater Company), which earned him the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2018. He has also appeared on the stages of St. Ann's Warehouse, Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

TIGER BROWN

Additional Choreography / Associate Director

Tiger Brown (Additional Choreography / Associate Director): Off-Broadway: The Lesson (NY Theatre Barn). Regional: Ride the Cyclone (McCarter), Mystic Pizza, Rock of Ages, Elf (Engeman), Matilda (1^st Regional at Tuacahn Amphitheatre), Holiday World (Lab, RWS). Film/TV: The Jimmy Awards (2022, 2019 Iowa PBS), Stars in the House with Seth Rudetsky. Proud graduate of NYU Tisch, SDC Professional Development Program 2018-19, dance faculty at AMDA. Sarah, Mark, and the brilliant team at Arena Stage - your trust and collaboration means the world. IG/TikTok: @stigerb, www.tiger-brown.com

MARK CHRISTINE

Music Supervisor / Electronic Music Programming

Mark Christine (Music Supervisor / Electronic Music Programming) is a NY-based musician, actor, and nationally recognized college audition coach. As pianist/keyboardist, arranger, and musical director: Broadway & 1st National Tour of Waitress, McCarter, Guthrie, The Jungle, Signature, La Jolla, and others. He is also a songwriter and produces music out of his NY studio. As an actor: Waitress (Broadway & 1st National), Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center, Guthrie, A.C.T., La Jolla, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the acclaimed US National Tour of Peter Brook's The Suit. He is president of www.CollegeAuditionCoach.com where he helps young artists successfully apply/audition for college performing arts programs. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre (w/ a focus on Music Direction) from Michigan and an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego / La Jolla Playhouse.

NICK WILDERS

Music Director / Electronic Music Programming

Nick Wilders (Music Director / Electronic Music Programming) is making his Arena Stage debut with Ride the Cyclone. His Broadway credits as a pianist are Company and Wicked, and additional New York credits include Emojiland, Titanique, Notes From Now (all Off-Broadway), and SuperYou (Carnegie Hall). Recent regional credits include Guys and Dolls (ACT of Connecticut), the co-regional premiere of The Cher Show (Gateway Playhouse), Who Could Ask for Anything More? (Barrington Stage Company), and Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre Center). His orchestrations, arrangements, and electronic music design have been heard around the world, from performances at Lincoln Center to the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. He is a frequent collaborator with DC’s own American Pops Orchestra. Next up: world premiere of Wings at Drake University. www.nickwilders.com

SCOTT DAVIS

Set Designer

Scott Davis (Set Designer) Production Designer: Disney On Ice: Frozen & Encanto, Disney On Ice: Road Trip Adventures, Off-Broadway credits include Ride the Cyclone at MCC, Othello: The Remix at The Westside Theatre. Chicago credits include productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Victory Gardens, Drury Lane, Northlight Theatre, American Theater Company, Marriott Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company, Windy City Playhouse, Steep Theatre, and Northwestern University. International credits include productions with Shakespeare’s Globe, Unicorn Theatre (London), The Market Theatre (South Africa), The Neuss (Germany), Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre (Poland), The Cultch (Vancouver), DUCTAC Theater (Dubai), Brice Mason Centre (New Zealand), and Edinburgh Festival (Scotland). Regional credits include productions with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Signature Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival. TV credits include Art Director for Gilded Age Season 2 on HBO Max, Concept Artist for Gossip Girl on HBO Max and The Watcher on Netflix, and Art Consultant on American Horror Story: NYC. www.scottadamdavis.com

TREVOR BOWEN

Costume Designer

Trevor Bowen (Costume Designer) This is Trevor’s first production at Arena Stage. Credits include: The Day You Begin, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). New York credits include Molière Turns 400 (FIAF); All is Calm (Sheen Center). Trevor’s regional design credits include Guthrie Theater, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Asolo Rep, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, MN Opera, 5th Ave, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Steppenwolf Theatre, Contemporary American Theatre Festival. www.trevorbowendesign.com

JIYOUN CHANG

Lighting Designer

Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Designer) Broadway credits: KPOP, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf (Tony nomination), Slave Play (Tony, Drama Desk, Henry Hewes nominations); Other credits: Merry Wives (Delacorte Theater), The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Company), Letters of Suresh (Second Stage), Bina's Six Apples (Suzi Bass Award), Marys Seacole (Henry Hewes nomination). More credits at The Public, Roundabout, NYTW, BAM, MCC, Signature, Guggenheim, Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes (TBA nomination), Long Wharf Theatre, Guthrie, The Old Globe, OSF. Recipient of Obie Award, Suzi Bass Award, and Falstaff Award.

ANDRÉ PLUESS

Sound Designer

André Pluess (Sound Designer)'s Arena Stage credits include Right to Be Forgotten, Indecent, Smart People, Metamorphoses, Equivocation, The Arabian Nights, Legacy of Light, 33 Variations, Passion Play. Broadway credits include The Minutes (Cort/Studio 54), 33 Variations (Eugene O'Neill Theatre), I Am My Own Wife (Lyceum Theatre), Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square). Off-Broadway credits include The Clean House (Lincoln Center), Milk Like Sugar and BFE (Playwrights Horizons). Regional credits include multiple productions with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Center Theatre Group, Yale Repertory, McCarter Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, Williamstown Theatre Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Huntington Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. He's received multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, an Ovation Award, Drama Critics Circle Award, Barrymore Award, Helen Hayes Award, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel nominations for composition and design. André is an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company.

KATHERINE FREER

Projection Designer

Katherine Freer (Projection Designer) is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, organizer, and educator whose artistic practice lives at the intersection of story, technology, and civic engagement. Frequent collaborators include Ping Chong, Ty Defoe, Kamilah Forbes, Steve H. Broadnax III, Lux Haac, Porsche McGovern, Liza Jessie Peterson, Talvin Wilks, and Tamilla Woodard. She is a proud member of Wingspace Theatrical Design and United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829. Core collaborator in All My Relations Collective. Interim Head of Integrated Media Program, University of Texas at Austin. www.katherinefreer.com

J. JARED JANAS

Hair, Wig & Makeup Designer

J. Jared Janas (Hair, Wig, and Makeup Designer)'s Broadway credits include Ohio State Murders, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, Topdog/Underdog, How I Learned to Drive, American Buffalo, Jagged Little Pill, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Gettin' the Band Back Together, Bandstand, Indecent, Sunset Boulevard, The Visit, The Real Thing, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, Motown, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and All About Me. Recent Off-Broadway include Prayer for the French Republic (MTC), Kimberly Akimbo (Atlantic Theater), Seven Deadly Sins (Tectonic), Sing Street (NY Theatre Workshop), and Yours Unfaithfully (Mint Theater, Drama Desk nomination). Recent regional theater include Good Night, Oscar (Goodman), The Bluest Eye (Huntington), and Clue (Paper Mill). Recent TV includes And Just Like That, The Gilded Age, and Gotham.

STEWART/WHITLEY

Casting

Stewart/Whitley (Casting) Duncan Stewart CSA and Benton Whitley CSA. Broadway/NY: Paradise Square, Hadestown (Artios Award), Chicago the Musical, Rock of Ages, Lightning Thief, Great Comet of 1812, Elf, On the Town, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV/Film: Netflix, 20th Century Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney Channel. West End/U.K.: Hadestown, Thriller Live, Menier Chocolate Factory. Tours: Hadestown, Hairspray, Waitress, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Into the Woods, We Will Rock You. Regional: A.R.T., Berkeley Rep, Alley, Bay Street, For The Record, TUTS, Hollywood Bowl, McCarter, Signature, RCCL. Follow: @stewartwhitley and stewartwhitley.com

RACHAEL DANIELLE ALBERT

Stage Manager

Rachael Danielle Albert (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back at Arena Stage. Favorite credits include: American Prophet, Change Agent, Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Junk, Native Gardens, among others. Selected regional credits include: Just For Us, Hi, Are You Single, Fairview, Describe the Night, and Botticelli in the Fire (Woolly Mammoth); The Wolves (Studio Theatre); Seize the King, Up Here, and Ether Dome (La Jolla Playhouse); The Odd Couple, Sylvia, and Souvenir (New London Barn Playhouse); and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Stage 773). During quarantine, Rachael entered the brave new world of digital theatre, as the livestream stage manager for Amir Nizar Zuabi's new play This Is Who I Am, produced by Woolly Mammoth and PlayCo, in partnership with The Guthrie, A.R.T., and OSF. Showcaller: ArchiteX. Founding member: Oakland Theater Project. MFA: University of California, San Diego. BFA: University of Michigan. Proud AEA member.

ALISON COTE

Assistant Stage Manager

Alison Cote (Assistant Stage Manager) returns to Arena Stage having previously stage managed Arena and McCarter Theatre Center’s co-production of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. She has been a freelance stage manager with McCarter for 24 seasons. Working on over 20 world premieres, highlights include Danai Gurira’s The Convert, Sorrows and Rejoicings written and directed by Athol Fugard, Stephen Wadsworth’s adaptations of The Figaro Plays, and Tarell Alvin McCraney’s trilogy of The Brother/Sister Plays. Other regional credits include The Old Globe, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Long Wharf, Paper Mill Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Pittsburgh Public, and 23 productions at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. New York credits include Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, and The Public Theater. Abroad, Alison was stage manager for An Iliad at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania. She is a founding partner of Princeton-VIRTUAL as a virtual stage manager and is an adjunct instructor at Rider University.

MCCARTER THEATRE CENTER

An independent, not-for-profit, Tony Award-winning performing arts center located between New York City and Philadelphia—and on the campus of Princeton University—McCarter is a multi-disciplinary creative and intellectual hub offering theater, music, dance, spoken word, family, and educational programs for all ages. As a destination for arts and ideas, we hope to inspire conversations, connections, and collaborations in our communities. McCarter is celebrated for commissioning and developing new work. World premiere plays include Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Tony Award, Best Play), Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays, Emily Mann's Having Our Say, and more. Renowned artists who have appeared on stage include: Alvin Ailey, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra McDonald, Béla Fleck, David Sedaris, The Moth, Terence Blanchard, Rhiannon Giddens, Roseanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Jorge Drexler, the rock band Lake Street Dive, and others. McCarter and Princeton University share a long history of unique partnerships and creative collaborations. McCarter's mission is to create stories and experiences that enliven minds, expand imaginations, and engage communities via performing arts; our work is led by values of justice and joy, beauty, and belonging. We connect with the audiences year-round through behind-the-scenes opportunities, digital programming, on-site classes, and in-school residencies. www.mccarter.org