Assassins
DAVID MACK (The Proprietor), Cornell University ‘05, is a Theatre Arts major and an applicant for the Actor’s Studio Drama School’s Master of Fine Arts program. Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts credits include: Cleomenes in A Winter’s Tale, Antipholis in Comedy of Errors, The Voice in Betty’s Summer Vacaction, Ron/Tyrell in Good ‘N Plenty, Mephistopheles in Doctor Faustus, The Guard and the Messenger in Antigone, Professor Weiss in Baby!, the Man Going Back and the Man in the Barn in The Grapes of Wrath, and George Murchison in A Raisin in the Sun. Credits at Green’s Farms Academy in Westport, CT include: John in Peter Pan, Roger in Grease, Bernard Nightingale in Arcadia, Clifford Bradshaw in Cabaret, Creon in Antigone, and Franklin Shepard in Merrily We Roll Along.
DAN DAUPLAISE (Leon Czolgosz) was born in Stamford, Connecticut on the 29th of April, 1985. He is a graduate of Trinity Catholic High School ‘03. This will be his first time working in Cornell theater. High school theatrical credits include portrayal of Max Detweiller in The Sound of Music, and Luther Bills in Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Daniel is currently a Chemistry major at Cornell University and plans to pursue law or education as a career. In addition to his theatrical work, Daniel serves as an Ithaca Volunteer Firefighter, in residence at the East Hill Station 9 in Collegetown. Daniel would like to credit his family for encouraging him to pursue the theater, and his mother and father for teaching him how to act in so many different ways...
JOSH BURLINGHAM (John Hinckley) graduated from the Pingree School in his home state of MA, and is now a freshman at Cornell University. He has performed in over thirty productions, and most recently directed and acted in an award-winning production of Starmites at the Mary Weld Center for the Performing Arts in Hamilton, MA. Favorite roles include: Pharaoh in Joseph..., Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, Father in the world-premiere of Ragtime: School Edition and Jesus in the North Shore Music Theatre’s production of Godspell Jr., which was showcased at the MTI Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta. He is very excited to be a part of the Melodramatics in their production of Assassins, and would like to thank his friends and family for all their love and support.
SETH KOHLER (Charles J. Guiteau) is a freshman at Cornell University, majoring in Animal Science. He hails from Baltimore, Ohio where he lives and works on a dairy farm. He is undecided as to what he wants to do when he graduates from school; some possibilities include business, politics, or returning to his home dairy farm. He is active in the Cornell Tradition, and the Cornell University Dairy Club. He has participated in various musicals including Showboat, Music Man, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, and Assassins. In addition he serves on the board of directors for his home Community Theatre.
JUSTIN NISLY (Guiseppe Zangara, Musical Director) was raised on a dairy farm in central Kansas. He attended Hutchinson Community College for two years, where he edited the literary paper, performed with vocal ensembles, and occasionally did solos with the Jazz Big Band. Last summer, he gave a sophomore recital on piano, which featured some of his own compositions. He is most proud of several roles he played in the HCC Theater production of “The Laramie Project,” for which he received a nomination to compete for a scholarship at the American College Theater Festival. He is currently an English and Music double major at Cornell University. He would like to thank everyone who has influenced his life in a positive or negative way.
LAUREN ROMEO (Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme) is a junior History major at Ithaca College from Fishkill, NY. She wishes to thank her roommates, friends, and family.
JENNIFER GIROUX (Sara Jane Moore) is excited to be making her first appearance with the Melodramatics! She’s been acting since she was knee-high to a grasshopper! Her height hasn’t changed much over the years, nor her deep passion for acting and singing. Jennifer has been seen in over 30 productions. Some of her favorites include: Adelelaide, in Guys and Dolls, and Crystal, in Little Shop Of Horrors. Last year Jennifer adventured out on screen in several films. When she’s not on stage, she is an Independent Sign Language Interpreter and teaches Sign Language. Most importantly, she has 2 amazing children! “Thanks to my beautiful family and friends for all your love and support!”
TOM REINSTEIN (Samuel Byck) currently attends the School of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the class of 2008. He recently graduated from Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, PA, where he acted in several plays, including Inherit the Wind and An Ideal Husband. He plans to study history while at Cornell.
ANSEL BRASSEUR (John Wilkes Booth)
JUSTIN LEADER (The Balladeer, Executive Producer, Director), who produced last semester’s smash success Random Acts of Music 6 as President of the AG Theater Troupe, builds on that success as Executive Producer of the Melodramatics. Justin has been trained in performance and direction at NYU’s Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting and the Russian Art Theater at Columbia University. He has appeared in over forty separate productions, performed at the Lincoln Center, starred off-off-Broadway, and can be seen in Kevin Klein’s recent film The Emperor’s Club. Justin Leader believes it is very important to work with and give back to the Ithaca Community.
ASHLEY ADAMS (Ensemble) is a graduate of Sussex Central High School in Georgetown, DE, she is a freshman at Cornell University. Over the past four years, Ashley was involved in both her school and community drama programs. Her credits include: Mama in Chicago, Eponine in Les Miserables: School Edition, Jan in Grease, and Maria in Twelfth Night. She has also written and performed in award winning competition pieces at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. She is excited to be joining the Melodramatics in their premiere performance and hopes to stay involved with theater on campus over her next four years.
COURTNEY PATSON (Ensemble) is a freshman at Cornell University majoring in Animal Science. She has been involved in theater productions since her junior high school days. She has been cast in many musicals, such as Crazy for You and Little Shop Of Horrors (Audrey), and many straight plays, A Shayna Maidel (Lusia) and Someone Save My Baby Rooth (Penny Candy). She plans on attending graduate school and getting her PHD in zoology or marine biology.
SAREN SEELEY (Ensemble, Emma Goldman) is in the 12th grade at the Alternative Community School and plans to attend college to major in musical theatre next year. Previously she has worked with the Cornell Savoyards, the Orange Tree Theatre Company, the Kitchen Theatre and the Hangar Theatre, as well as various school productions.
JARED HAKIMI (Ensemble, President Gerald R. Ford, David Herold)
JOSEPH HAYWARD (Ensemble, Billy) is a fifth-grader at Fall Creek Elementary School. He wants to be an actor when he grows up, having been inspired in part by Adam Sandler. He has performed in numerous school plays, in roles such as: “Jetsam” in Under the Sea, in the third grade, and “Bear” who eats everyone in Sody Saleratus, in the second grade. He participated in the Hangar Theater’s Next Generation summer workshops in 2004 and really enjoyed learning stage combat techniques. Joey is a big fan of Japanese anime, especially in the Rurouni Kenshin series and films directed bby Hayao Miyazaki. He plays the didjeridoo.
BILL ZINSSER (Ensemble, Graphic Designer) attends the college of Engineering as an Information Sciences, Systems and Technology major in his junior year. Although actively involved in theatre and music in high school, this is his first college performance. He has also recently renewed his interest in music as the lead singer/sax player for the Portside Pirates, Cornell’s rockinest ska band. After college he will receive a commission as an Officer in the US Navy, most likely as an aviator. After that, he will pursue his life-long dream of working in the game industry as an artist, producer, or programmer. He aspires to get promoted into game design and hopes to one day own his own company.
CARLOS DOMINGUEZ (Executive Pit Conductor) is an undergraduate student at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Cornell, and is currently studying Plant Science. As a musician, Carlos has played flute for 11 years, but has also picked up clarinet and saxophone. He has been in Pit Orchestras for many different productions including Fiddler on the Roof, Crazy For You, Carousel, and Guys and Dolls, in which he was an assistant conductor. Last semester he was the Pit Coordinator for the Anything Goes Theater Group. This year, he comes to the group as a Pit Director for the Melodramatics Theater group. Aside from the Melodramatics, Carlos is also involved in the Big Red Marching Band and the Big Red Pep Band. As one of the Founders, Carlos has worked very closely with Justin Leader to make this show a very successful one. He wishes everyone in the Cast, Pit and Crew the best of luck and knows that this show is going to be amazing!!
BECKY WADDLE (Artistic Director) is a native Georgian who moved to Western New York six years ago. Besides being Artistic Director for the Melodramatics, she’s very active in Sigma Alpha and Cornell’s brand new Women’s Club Hockey team. Her previous experiences in the arts involved painting sets for Grease during her senior year and creating an ad for her local radio station at the age of eleven. Her more numerous experiences in sports include following her two older brothers to place at the 1994 AAU National Junior Olympics in Track and Field under her father’s coaching and competing at a national tournament for high school ice hockey players. She was co-captain of her hockey team during her junior year and lead them to a third place finish in the league. The following year she played an integral role in her team’s first place finish during league playoffs, despite suffering a serious injury during a preliminary game.
STEPHANIE WYNNE (Assistant Director) is currently a Junior in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Cornell. She is an Animal Science major with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. Her previous acting experience mostly includes community and school theatre from middle school. This is her first time behind-the-scenes. It has been a great experience to try something new. Born in Ohio, Stephanie has lived in various places throughout the Midwest. Her parents, younger sister, and two dogs now live in London, England. She has spent some of the past two years traveling across the other half of the globe. Recent expeditions include Egypt, Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, as well as several other countries in northern Europe. While travel has never been a personal interest, it has definitely been an interesting experience.
DANNY BEER (Technical Director) is a junior in the school of Engineering majoring in Electrical Engineering. Hailiing from East Brunswick, New Jersey, he has run Tech in numerous productions during summers in Jewish summer camps.
JACOB LEHMAN (Fight Director) hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan where he is a six-year Senior Scholar with the theatrical combat and stunt troupe The Ring of Steel, and in 2003 he founded The Ring of Steel: Ithaca. He has performed in over a dozen shows, from his debut as the Pirate King in Young People’s Theater’s Pirates of Penzance to professional stunt performance for Otello with the Michigan Opera Theater. This is his 10th show as a fight director, having worked most recently on Cornell University’s Hamlet, Black Umbrella Productions’ Macbeth, and the film Kit’s Run. Jacob is a junior and an English major at Cornell.
ANDREA OLMOS (Director of Marketing) is from San Francisco, California. She is a junior premed Chemistry major in Arts and Sciences. Andrea is a member of Cornell Tradition Student Advisory Council. She enjoys rock climbing, camping, and photography. She’s like to congratulate everybody in the Melodramatics on a show well done.
RIVKAH DARABANER (Business Manager) is a sophomore premed student in the college of Human Ecology, majoring in Human Biology, Health and Society. She served as the secretary and treasurer for the Senior Chorus at her HS, which involved organizing a 2-week tour of Spain for 5 musical performance groups. However, she is thrilled to be breaking into the wonderful world of musical theater, by working with the Melodramatics on their premier production.
ESTHER POLEVOY (Director of Archives) is a junior double majoring in Astronomy and Math in Arts and Sciences. She hails from Ashland, MA, and as a result she is a passionate Red Sox fan. She’d like to congratulate the cast, pit, and crew for all of their hard work in putting together an excellent show.
ROBERT BERG (Lead Creative Consultant) has performed in numerous theatrical productions in middle school, high school, and community-theater, including Alice in Wonderland, Fiddler on the Roof, Barnum, Grease, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Romeo and Juliet, Bye, Bye, Birdie, and The King and I. He was also involved in the school chorus and the Hazamir Chorus with the YM/YWHA of Rockland County. He is currently a senior Liberal Arts major at SUNY Purchase, and is interested in literature, writing, journalism, and film studies. He wants to thank Justin for being a great friend and for always inspiring and pushing him, and his mom for being such a constant source of love and guidance.
NIKKI DAVIES (Production Assistant) was born and raised in Rockland County, New York. She attended high school at The Frisch School in Paramus, New Jersey. During her senior year, she worked as a technician constructing the set for the school production of Pat Cook’s The Money In Uncle George’s Suitcase. Marissa is now a freshman at Cornell University in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. As an animal science major, Marissa plans on attending veterinary school and eventually opening her own practice. She is very glad to be working with the Melodramatics and looks forward to future productions. Finally, Marissa would like to thank her family and friends, without whom none of this would be possible.
JENNIFER FROHLICH (Piccolo, Flute) is playing in a Broadway pit orchestra for the first time here. She has been playing flute for 11 years, and is currently principal flute for the Cornell Wind Ensemble. She has played in the orchestra for The Nutcracker with the San Diego Ballet. She is a Biology Major in the school of Arts and Sciences, and would like to thank her parents and twin sister for their continuous support in all her musical endeavors.
JAQUI WERTHEIM (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxaphone) is a freshman at Cornell University majoring in physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her hometown is Beachwood, Ohio. She plays clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, and tenor saxophone for the show but has also been playing piano for 12 years. She also plays in the Cornell Big Red Marching Band. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, shopping, and spending time with her friends and family. She hopes to go to medical school and become a radiologist. This is her first pit orchestra experience, and she has greatly enjoyed it. She would like to congratulate the cast, crew, directors, and pit for doing a wonderful job and thank her friends and family for their love and support.
JORDAN EPSTEIN (Trumpet) is currently a freshman Applied Economics and Management major at Cornell from Long Island. He has been playing the trumpet since the fourth grade and has performed in the All-County Symphonic Band four times, and in the Valley Stream District Music Festival for the past four years as well. He was a member of his high school’s marching band, wind ensemble, and pit orchestra, playing for shows such as Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, and Hello, Dolly!. Currently, he is a proud member of the almighty Big Red Trumpet section in the Big Red Marching Band. In addition to his musical interests, Jordan was a six-time Varsity, three-time All-Conference high school tennis player and he is an avid skier. Jordan is thrilled to be working with such a great pit and cast and wishes everyone involved good luck.
JIN HAO (Guitar) is a ghetto-Asian guitar virtuoso/fledgling chemistry pre-med at Cornell University. He was born in The People’s Republic of China in 1985, and moved to the US in 1994. Jin spent his first years in Ithaca, NY, and picked up guitar in 6th grade at Ithaca Guitar Works in the Commons. Every weekend he would carry his case down to the Commons to take lessons. In the summer of 1998, Jin moved to Ridgefield, CT after his father landed a job at a German pharmaceutical company. Jin continued taking guitar lessons, and performed in the jazz band and marching band in school. Due to the allure of an Ivy League education, and a talk about what he wanted to do with his future with the parents, academics became Jin’s priority during High School, and guitar became an informal, part-time hobby. He went to Cornell, and brought his guitar, expecting to simply let it gather to dust under the bed. One night, he got an e-mail from Carlos about Assassins auditions, and it changed his life.
CRYSTAL CUN (Rehearsal Accompanist, Keyboard) is a sophomore from Wilbraham, MA, and after a year-long stint as a hotelie, has decided to become an econ major in Arts and Sciences. She is a life-long musician and an avid musical theater fan. Previous shows includeCrazy For You and The Sound of Music as a violinist, and a semester with “Anything Goes” theater troupe as an accompanist. With the Melodramatics, she keeps busy filling in various parts as a keyboardist and as the vocal accompanist. The Big Red Marching Band is another primary commitment, and every weekend you can catch her marching bells on Cornell campus.
DANIEL JONES (Keyboard) has played piano for 8 years, and is playing in his second pit orchestra, having played in Crazy for You in high school. A sophomore transfer, he appeared last year last year with the Tufts Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the Grieg piano concerto. He has also served as the substitute organist for St. Edward’s Parish in Medfield, MA, his hometown. He is currently studying mechanical engineering.
CATHERINE MENG (Keyboard) is a freshmen at Cornell University, and is very excited to be a part of the Pit Orchestra for Assassins. She has been playing piano since she was in third grade, and also plays the violin. This is only the third musical that she has performed in, but she has previously played in the orchestras for her high school productions of Les Miserables and Cinderella. Catherine is an architecture major, and tries to not spend the entire night working away in studio whenever possible. She is looking forward to many future productions of the Melodramatics!