Paige Gunther Austin (Abigail Adams) has played many roles for BAct, including Mother in Cheaper by the Dozen, Lady Macduff in Macbeth, Nurse Kelly in Harvey, and Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore. She also sings with the "Austin Roots" folk/blues trio, and is a vocalist with a swing band.
Gary W. Bennett (Caesar Rodney) is a teacher at Cheltenham High School. He has written a play, Kassandra, and his daughter has also written and directed a play in her freshman year at Cornell.
Peter Hall Boericke (Dr. Lyman Hall) may or may not be related to the Founding Father he plays in 1776, but at any rate he is definitely a Founding Father of BAct. His memorable roles on the Bryn Athyn stage include Teddy in Arsenic and Old Lace, and Mr. Bumble in Oliver! He has directed H.M.S. Pinafore and Oklahoma!
Mark Bostock (music director) has served in this capacity for many dozens of productions in Bryn Athyn over the years. His stints with BAct have included Oklahoma! and Fiddler on the Roof.
Deno Brannon (Robert Livingston) makes his stage debut in this role, unless you count lip-syncing with his daughter in the Eighth Grade Cabaret.
Alexandra Calvanese (Martha Jefferson) played Dorothy in the Bucks County Theater production of The Wizard of Oz, and Jen in the Actors Center production of Homeroom. She is a singer, a dancer, and a published poet.
Bob Cole (Rev. Jonathan Witherspoon) is himself a minister, having been a pastor to New Church congregations in Denver, Chicago, New Jersey, and Baltimore. His appearances on the Bryn Athyn stage go back as far as 1947, in the Bryn Athyn Rep’s production of The Travelers. He has also played in Seven Keys to Baldpate, Our Town, Teahouse of the August Moon, and more recently in BAct’s production of Macbeth. He is in his fifth term as President of the Bryn Athyn School Board.
Kent Cooper (accompanist) is a man of many talents, both in and out of BAct. He played Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, Arthur Keller in The Miracle Worker, and the Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie. An architect by trade, he has designed sets for half a dozen shows. "The best thing about being ‘in the pit’ instead of on the stage: no make-up to take off!"
R. Scott Cooper (Lewis Morris) has been involved in many BAct productions, both on-stage, in shows such as Night of January 16th, After Magritte, Our Town, Fiddler on the Roof, The Saloonkeeper’s Daughter, and Waiting in the Wings, and off-stage, as stage manager, stage crew, and lighting technician. He recently retired as Bryn Athyn’s Fire Chief after serving many years in that capacity.
David G. Doering (producer, Dr. Josiah Bartlett) has had roles in Macbeth and Fiddler on the Roof and has worked on the construction of half a dozen BAct sets in the last three or four years.
Rob Furry (Roger Sherman) hails from Delaware, where he has appeared in Twelve Angry Men, Sure Thing, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, among other productions. Next month he will appear as Death in the ANC Secondary Schools’ production of Death Takes a Holiday. "Stop looking at my bio and watch the play!"
Brian Greer (First Courier) is a student at the Bryn Athyn College, pursuing a degree in computer engineering. He was in last month’s college production of Into the Woods, as well as last year’s Man of La Mancha. He has also appeared in There Was an Old Woman, Winnie the Pooh, Annie, The Music Man, and M*A*S*H, but not in that order.
Arthur Greisiger (Col. Thomas McKean) is Artistic Director of Image of the Mind Studios, which recently expanded to include a rental stage, scene shop, and production offices in Southampton. His recent roles with BAct include Constable Warren in Our Town and Old Joe in A Christmas Carol. "Working on this production has given me a sense of spending time engaged in an enriching activity. It has been refreshing to think of expanding my horizons while doing something I love."
Brian P. Gunther (Judge James Wilson) is a hospice nurse, with an interest in gardening and carpentry. He played Jud Fry in BAct’s Oklahoma!, and also appeared in H.M.S. Pinafore. He is very excited to be a part of 1776. "This show is so moving it sometimes chokes me up. The courage and talents of these men in history are amazing."
K. Harantschuk (choreographer) has been involved with theater for 25 years as a dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. Personal highlights include working as choreographer for the Willow Manor Players production of Guys and Dolls, where she met her future husband Zen, as choreographer in the BAct production of Fiddler on the Roof, and as a dancer in her first show, Anything Goes, in 1973. Observation: "Argue for your limitations and they will walk home with you." Comment: "I’d like to say thanks to everyone involved in the production of 1776. It is an honor to be one among many to bring this production to the BAct stage.
Zenon Harantschuk (director, Samuel Chase) has "25 years of being on stage at most of your local dinner theaters, plus producing and directing for 10 years through professional equity to community theater performances."
Richard Mansbach (Charles Thomson) has been actively involved in improvisational theater and Playback Theater. His most famous theatrical experience was in sixth grade where his one line ("He fell into a garbage truck") brought down the house. He has also performed a song he wrote about rutabagas, beets, and turnips, and his inability to differentiate between them.
Will Merrell (Stephen Hopkins) has played the Stage Manager in Our Town, the Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol (looming 8 feet high on stilts he designed and built), and Seton in Macbeth. He has also designed and worked on the lighting for many shows, including 1776.
Jason Patrick O’Hearn (Joseph Hewes) is a teacher of U. S. history at William Tennent High School. His interests include traveling, skiing, playing guitar, and reading.
Shawn Rose (George Read) has appeared in several BAct roles, including Bernardo in West Side Story, Trofimov in Cherry Orchard, and Acaste in The Misanthrope. He was also the accompanist the Bryn Athyn College’s recent production of Into the Woods. He is interested in botany, bicycling, magic, masonry, and music. "Like General Washington, I want to retire to a wigwam, and plan to."
Dale Sander (John Hancock) has appeared in the Wyncote Players’ production of Father of the Bride, and the Hatboro Village Players productions of George Washington Slept Here and Run For Your Wife. A mathematics teacher at Cheltenham High School, he collects (and reads) biographies of American presidents and those who have run for the office. "I am thrilled to be performing with my son, Michael, for the first time."
Michael Sander (Benjamin Franklin) was originally cast as Samuel Chase, and only took over the role of Benjamin Franklin at the last minute. He is a veteran of a number of Upper Moreland High School productions, including Brigadoon, Inherit the Wind, and Snoopy! (his Mom’s favorite). He is married with two daughters, and teaches social studies at William Tennent High School. "I like to play chess and I also enjoy good debate. Like Hopkins says in the show: I’ve never seen, heard, or smelled an issue that was so dangerous it couldn’t be talked about.. Hell yes, I’m for debating anything!"
Kurt Shaffer (John Adams) is an attorney whose recent acting credits include Cinderella, Guys and Dolls, Bye Bye Birdie, Rumors, and Drood! This is his first appearance with BAct. "I want to thank my ‘dearest friend’, Alex, for all her love and support during this production. Can’t wait to lose my independence!"
Gordon T. Smith (Andrew McNair) played Bob Cratchet in BAct’s production of A Christmas Carol last November. He also appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in high school and Ruddigore in college. He programs and installs energy management systems for Vortechs Automation, and is working on converting an ‘81 Chevette to electric power.
Joshua B. Stein (Thomas Jefferson, Second Courier) has appeared in Chess, The Endless Adventures of M. C. Kat, Hair, and Richard III. He has designed lighting for Stories from Generation X (Y & Z), Masterpieces, and Washington University Dance Theatre, and contributed to the lighting design for this production of 1776. He works in the promotions department of New Jersey 101.5-FM Radio. "Thanks to Mom and Andy for coming, and Dad for always being there."
Ed Teti (John Dickinson) is a resident of Burlington Township, New Jersey. 1776 marks Ed’s return to the stage after a six year absence. He last appeared in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins in Chester, New Jersey. A New Jersey native, he has acted at various venues including McCarter Theatre in Princeton and Plays in the Park in Edison. Ed is currently preparing for his cabaret debut at Odettes in New Hope in the fall of ‘98. In his "spare time" Ed sells cruises at Cruise Holidays of Mercer County, New Jersey.
Nicholas Tyler (Richard Henry Lee) has appeared in dozens of show for BAct and other groups. For him, the highlights of his theatrical experience are his roles as Thomas More in BAct’s A Man for All Seasons, Elwood Dowd in BAct’s Harvey, and Richard Henry Lee in the current production of 1776. Philosophy of life: "Wow, life is great."