The Will Rogers Follies – A Life In Revue

JESSICA AZENBERG (New Ziegfeld Girl/Dance Capt.) is excited to make her return to Pioneer Theatre Company performing in one of her favorite musicals, and to be working with DJ Salisbury once again! She was last seen in Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of A Christmas Carol. Other favorite theatre credits include Spamalot (Geva Theatre Center and Arkansas Repertory Theatre), Hello! My Baby (Goodspeed Musicals) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Ogunquit Playhouse). Love and thanks to my family! www.jessicaazenberg.com

TOM BERKLUND (Wrangler) Broadway: A Chorus Line, The Addams Family. National Tours: The Normal Heart. Regional: Bent; The Mark Taper Forum, Leap of Faith; The Ahmanson Theatre, Nixon In China; Walt Disney Concert Hall, Happy Birthday!; The Actors Company Theatre, West Side Story; Portland Center Stage, High Button Shoes; Goodspeed Opera House, Meet Me in St. Louis; Paper Mill Playhouse, Cabaret; Houston Theatre Under The Stars. Film/TV: Upcoming Kings, Feud, Looking, Royal Pains, Partners, Ted 2, Chronic, Disney’s Enchanted, The Aspect Ratio, Breaking Fast, Rosie Live, The 81st Annual Academy Awards and The David Letterman Show. Training: B.F.A. University of Michigan.

LISA BRESCIA (Betty) On Broadway, Brescia has starred as Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!, Elphaba in Wicked, Cleo in Twyla Tharp’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, Amneris in Aida and Marion Halcolmbe in The Woman in White. Additional NYC credits: All’s Well That Ends Well (Helena, Public Theater’s Shakespeare Lab), Ordinary Days (Claire). Regional: Tatiana Racon in the World Premiere of Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors (McCarter/ Cleveland Play House), The Winter’s Tale (Hermione), Hamlet (Gertrude), August: Osage County (Ivy), Sister Play (Anna), Victor/Victoria (Victoria), Cabaret (Sally), Kennedy Center’s Broadway: Three Generations – Side Show (Violet), Wicked (Elphaba), Mary Poppins (Mrs. Banks), Into the Woods (Witch), Evita (Eva), The Last 5 Years (Cathy), A Little Night Music (Petra) and Brigadoon (Meg). www.lisabrescia.com  

JONATHAN CABLE (Wrangler) is honored to join such a talented company for his debut at Pioneer Theatre Company. Favorite regional credits include Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Totem Pole Playhouse), Harper in Lewis Black’s play One Slight Hitch (Totem Pole Playhouse), Ambrose Kemper in Hello, Dolly! (Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre), Jacob in Shenandoah (Totem Pole Playhouse), L.M. in Pump Boys and Dinettes (Triad Stage), Big Deal in West Side Story (Maine State Music Theatre) and Fender in Hairspray (Ogunquit Playhouse). TV: Brent Baird in NBC’s “Deception” and Jacob the Massage Man in ABC’s “Manhattan Love Story.” Endless love and thanks to Scott, NYHRC, and his friends and family for their enduring support.

SALLY GLAZE (New Ziegfeld Girl) is thrilled to be sharing the stage with this remarkable cast of The Will Rogers Follies! She has a B.P.A. from Oklahoma City University. Some of her favorite credits include the National Broadway Tour of Dirty Dancing (Ensemble/Penny & Vivian US), Oklahoma at The Muny (Aggie/Ensemble), Monty Python’s Spamalot at The Muny (Laker Girl/Ensemble), The Will Rogers Follies at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Ziegfeld Showgirl/Ensemble) and Singin’ in the Rain at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina (Ensemble). She hopes you enjoy the show!

LEAH HASSETT (New Ziegfeld Girl) graduated from the Musical Theatre Program at the U two years ago and moved to NYC. She has since returned to PTC for The Rocky Horror Show, performed in Spamalot (Geva Theatre Center) and Cinderella (Sacramento Theatre Company), and played Margot in Legally Blonde (Norwegian Cruise Lines). This is her sixth time performing at PTC! She is eternally grateful to Karen, her parents, her pug Demetrius and to you all for being here!

NORMAN LARGE (Clem Rogers) has enjoyed an extremely varied career, from principal artist with the New York City Opera to ten Ovation Award nominations. From symphony engagements under Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa to playing more different guest-starring roles on Star Trek than anyone in all of the series combined. From voicing characters in numerous Disney animated features to being recorded live at Carnegie Hall. From numerous original Broadway casts, including Les Misérables (Bishop, Javert, Thenardier) to scenes with Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. From dancing as a star of Cats to playing opposite Leslie Nielson in Repossessed to standing by for Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera. From recurring as a judge on “NYPD Blue” to touring Europe as Tony in West Side Story.

ALICIA LUNDGREN (New Ziegfeld Girl) is originally from Oakland, Calif. and began dancing at the Ann Davlin School of Dance. She also trained under the direction of Reginald Ray-Savage. After graduating from the Ailey School/Fordham University B.F.A. program, she toured internationally with Ailey II. Lundgren was a member of Dallas Black Dance Theatre and then went on to perform with Philadanco. She is in her third season as a Radio City Rockette and made her Broadway debut in Shuffle Along. Most recently, she performed in Crazy For You at Lincoln Center under the direction of Susan Stroman

DAVID M. LUTKEN (Will Rogers) Broadway: Inherit the Wind; Ring of Fire; The Civil War; The Will Rogers Follies. NY City Opera: Paul Bunyan. Off-Broadway: Southern Comfort; Stars in Your Eyes; Winter Man; The Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show. Regional: Man of La Mancha; Big River; Elmer Gantry; Finian’s Rainbow; Fire on the Mountain; Buddy; Pump Boys and Dinettes; Dark of the Moon; On Golden Pond; A Month in the Country and many others. With his original show, Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie, he and his company have toured Europe, Great Britain, the US, the Middle East and China; he received the Helen Hayes and the Joseph Jefferson Award for his portrayal of Woody.

DONNY OSMOND (Voice of Florenz Ziegfeld) is a Utah-born entertainer whose career began in the 1960s when he was five years old. Osmond is known for The Osmonds, solo hits like “Go Away Little Girl” and “Puppy Love,” the “Donny & Marie” show, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Disney’s Mulan and much more. Osmond is currently performing with his sister, Marie, in the Las Vegas rendition of “Donny & Marie.”

LINDSEY D. SMITH (New Ziegfeld Girl) A native of Murray and a graduate of the University of Utah with a B.F.A. in Modern Dance, Smith is thrilled to be back in Utah and returning to the PTC stage. She spent five seasons as a Rockette, touring the country and dancing at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. Favorite credits include: Beauty and the Beast and Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (Walt Disney World); 42nd Street (PTC); Thoroughly Modern Millie, Crazy For You and Singin’ in the Rain (HCT). As a choreographer, she staged her first TV special this past March on PBS. Smith currently lives in Orlando where she performs, is a teaching artist for the Disney Performing Arts Dance Program, and is a choreographer for Walt Disney World and special events.

CASSIDY STONER (New Ziegfeld Girl) is thrilled to be making her Pioneer Theatre Company debut with The Will Rogers Follies! She was most recently seen as Anita in West Side Story at Casa Mañana Theatre and Connecticut Repertory Theatre. Pace University B.F.A. Musical Theatre ‘16. Proud AEA. Endless gratitude to the creative and production teams at PTC, Bob Cline Casting, CGF Talent and Schacter Entertainment. Instagram: @cassidystoner

CODY WALKER (Wrangler) is delighted to be returning to PTC! He is the new director of the Musical Theatre Program at WSU, where he most recently directed and choreographed A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. M.F.A. in musical theatre from SDSU, B.F.A. in music/dance/theatre from BYU. Favorite roles: Billy in 42nd Street – National Tour; Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain – Merry-Go-Round Playhouse; Munkustrap in Cats – SDMT; Joseph in Joseph… Dreamcoat – Tuacahn Center for the Arts; Fred Astaire in Backwards in High Heels (West Coast Premiere) – FCLO; Danny in Grease; Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, Bobby in Crazy for You; Orin/Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors; Frankie in Forever Plaid. Favorite venues: Broadway’s New York City Center theater; the La Jolla Playhouse. Love to Val, Ava, Jesse and Eli! AEA. www.codyCwalker.com

CHRYSSIE WHITEHEAD (Ziegfeld’s Favorite) comes straight from New York in the Broadway production of Chicago as Kitty and Velma Kelly (understudy). Other New York theatre includes the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line and Lincoln Center’s Company, co-starring with Neil Patrick Harris. She can be seen in the documentary Every Little Step. Television: “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Castle,” “The Mentalist,” “Private Practice,” “Warehouse 13,” “Grimm,” and ABC Family’s TV Movie, Revenge of the Bridesmaids with Raven Simone. Regional Theatre: Cassie in A Chorus Line, Lola in Damn Yankees, Bombalurina in Cats. Tours: Fosse, The Producers, Paul McCartney’s Driving Rain tour and numerous commercials. Whitehead is a passionate master class teacher with www.DASIntensive.com. More at www.chryssiewhitehead.com.

BEN ABBOTT (Stage Manager) Pioneer Theater Company: King Charles III, Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof; Utah Shakespeare Festival: Julius Caesar; Hale Centre Theatre: Peter and the Starcatcher, Beau Jest, The Nerd, Is He Dead?; Other theaters: Indiana Festival Theatre, PCPA Theaterfest, Cardinal Stage Company, The Great American Melodrama.

JIM BENNETT (Wiley Post) This marks Bennett’s fourth production with PTC, having appeared in A Few Good Men, One Man, Two Guvnors and a staged reading of Wendy MacLeod’s Slow Food. He is the former artistic director of the Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Southern Utah and currently works as an arts columnist for the Deseret News.

SARAH BURROUGHS (New Ziegfeld Girl) from Virginia, Burroughs was recently Michelle in Sister Act at Hale Center Theatre and danced in the Christmas with Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert. This is her PTC debut, but she has performed in Aida at BYU, Peter Pan and 42^nd Street at Tuacahn Center for the Arts and Mary Poppins at HCT. Burroughs also operates her own leather bag brand employing refugees to sew in Salt Lake City.

ASHLEY GARDNER CARLSON (New Ziegfeld Girl) Regional credits: PTC, Lawrence Welk Resort, Disneyland California, Moonlight Amphitheater, Starlight Musical Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Utah credits: Hale Centre Theatre West Valley and Orem, SCERA Shell, Lyric Repertory Company, Utah Rep and the Grand Theatre. Carlson also has been seen aboard Holland America cruise line with Stiletto Entertainment.

SYDNEY DUNCAN (New Ziegfeld Girl) is a Dallas, Texas native where she trained at Texas Ballet Theatre School and BTWHSPVA for saxophone, voice and dance. She then attended University of Utah’s Ballet Program and performed with Utah Ballet, and she received degrees in ballet and physics. Duncan has attended summer intensives at ABT, Ballet West, LINES Ballet, Ailey and Hubbard Street. She is happy to be back in Utah performing again.

ARI GLAUSER (New Ziegfeld Girl) is so grateful and thrilled to be making her PTC debut! Recent credits include Cats (Bombalurina) and Bring It On (Skylar). Glauser graduated this spring from the Musical Theatre Program at the University of Utah. Coming from the small island of Maui, she thanks her friends and family for their support.

TALESE HUNT (New Ziegfeld Girl) is a Utah native and University of Utah graduate. She has enjoyed traveling the United States as a Radio City Rockette and cruising the world for Jean Ann Ryan Productions. She was last seen at PTC in A Chorus Line and has also performed at Tuacahn Center for the Arts, Hale Centre Theatre WVC and the Egyptian Theatre in Park City. Hunt also enjoys teaching pilates and training prospective teachers here in Utah and around the world. TGF!

REBA JOHNSON (New Ziegfeld Girl) is thrilled to be making her Pioneer Theatre Company debut in this production of The Will Rogers Follies. Some of her credits include Hale Centre Theatre: Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl), Big Fish (Mermaid), Catch Me if You Can (Cindy); BYU: The Phantom of the Opera (Meg Giry). She’d like to thank her friends and family for their never-ending support.

[bio img=/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/RoseLuke.jpg]LUKE ROSE (Wrangler) is thrilled to be making his Equity theatre debut at PTC! His credits include: Mary Poppins, Smokey Joe’s Cafe and A Christmas Story at The Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre; Yesterday Was Beautiful (Roald Dahl, lead), 2015 NYC Fringe Festival; The Wizard of Oz (Tinman) and Gypsy (Newsboy) at Huron Playhouse. College credits include: Urinetown (Bobby Strong) and Peter Pan (Captain Hook).

AJ SILVER (Trick Roper/Whip Specialist), aka Angelo Iodice, is excited to be back onstage with The Will Rogers Follies. Like Will, he’s traveled around the world entertaining audiences with his roping skills. He began his performing career as a professional rodeo trick rider and now performs his Western Variety Act in prestigious venues around the world. “Give a man enough rope” www.trickropingact.com

MADGE SLACK (New Ziegfeld Girl) is thrilled to be making her musical debut at Pioneer Theater Company. She is a sophomore in the Musical Theater Program at the U and enrolled in the Honors College with a secondary degree in international studies. Past credits include chorus in La Bohème and dancer in Die Fledermaus. She would like to thank her mother for being wonderfully supportive and an inspiration.

NATHAN ELIASON (James Rogers) is a sixth-grader at Legacy Preparatory Academy. Recent roles include Chip (Beauty and the Beast), Young Tarzan (Tarzan), Jojo (Seussical the Musical) and Mowgli (The Jungle Book). When not on stage, he enjoys drawing, playing video games and traveling with his family. He is delighted to be making his debut at Pioneer Theatre Company in The Will Rogers Follies.

AVA HOEKSTRA (Mary Rogers) a 6th grader from Park City, is honored to be in her 4th production with PTC; most recently in Oliver! (Ensemble), and in 2015, Fiddler on the Roof (Shprintze) and It Happened One Christmas (Ensemble). She has performed in youth shows at Egyptian Theatre in Park City and Centerpointe Legacy Theatre in Centerville. Her greatest joy is singing and acting! Thanks PTC!

MILA BELLE HOWELLS (Freddy Rogers) is ecstatic for her PTC return in The Will Rogers Follies. Prior performance highlights include Jane Banks in Mary Poppins at The Utah Shakespeare Festival, It Happened One Christmas at Pioneer Theatre Company, Young Fiona in Shrek the Musical at CHCT; Hedgehog/Bee in Winnie the Pooh at Utah Children’s Theatre and Great American Tall Tales at University of Utah Youth Theatre.

KIMBALL STINGER (Will Roger Jr.) is excited to do his first musical at PTC. He has participated in many commercials and movies. His favorite projects have been the films Cokeville Miracle and Stella, which have not yet been released. He was voted the IFFF best child actor at the International Family Film Festival in 2015. He enjoys many activities, including soccer, basketball, piano, scouting and hanging out with friends. He is excited about this new opportunity!