Cast & Crew Biographies
LEND ME A TENOR
CAST BIOS
BILL BOOK (Saunders) Lend Me a Tenor marks Bill’s 28th production at Civic. (He is reprising his role from Civic’s 2003 Lend Me a Tenor production.) He has been most recently seen on Civic’s stage as the murderous director Ken De La Maize in last year’s The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, as the libidinous and lascivious Dr. Finache in A Flea in Her Ear, as the egomaniacal Broadway director/producer Oscar Jaffe in Twentieth Century, in a tuxedo and a dress as down on his luck Shakespearean actor Leo Clark and his alter ego Maxine in Leading Ladies, as the increasingly inebriated big band singer Johnny Cantone in 1940s Radio Hour, as the devilish Mr. Applegate in Damn Yankees, and as the accident prone Garry Lejune in Noises Off. Past favorite roles at Civic include, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Detective Stone in City of Angels, Georges in La Cage Aux Folles, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Smudge in Forever Plaid, and all three of Charity’s love interests in Sweet Charity. Other past favorite roles include Arthur in Camelot, Christopher ‘Kit’ Gill in No Way to Treat a Lady, The Recitor in Pacific Overtures, The Aviator in The Little Prince, Robert in Company, Jacques in The Happy Time, and Guido Contini in Nine, for which he won a PAT Award for Best Actor. Bill has worked extensively at Beef and Boards, The Phoenix Theatre, American Cabaret Theatre, Theatre on the Square and virtually every other theatre in Indianapolis. He is also a multiple Civvie and Encore Award winner. Other past credits include, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Carol, Carousel, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Fir Tree, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, The Music Man, Cole, Applause, The Mikado, Once Upon a Mattress and The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.
CODY CARWILE (Max) is very proud and excited to have the opportunity to perform for Civic Theatre a second time. Cody is a recent graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia where he received his B.A. in Theatre Arts: Performance. In his time at Liberty University he performed in 14 main stage shows ranging from File in The Rainmaker to Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as appearing as Grady Wilson in Billy: The Early Years. He feels very honored and blessed to be able to work with such a wonderful and talented cast, crew, and director.
LISA ERMEL (Diana) is currently an Indianapolis-based actor originally from Toronto, Ontario. Selected stage credits include Indiana Repertory Theatre (Becky’s New Car, Dracula, Julius Caesar u/s, Bonderman Symposium’s Sunlight in December, Somebody’s Children), The Phoenix Theatre (With a Bang – Midwest Premiere), Cardinal Stage Company (The Grapes of Wrath), Shawnee Theatre (A Streetcar Named Desire, Lend Me a Tenor, The Wedding Singer, Steel Magnolias, Godspell), Acting Up Productions (Night of the Living Dead), Betty Rage Productions (Five Women Wearing the Same Dress), and Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project (Waiting With M. Godot – Indianapolis Fringe Festival). Lisa holds her BA from Anderson University in Theatre Arts and Psychology. She would like to thank Bob for her Civic debut, and her friends and family for their love, support, and laughter.
GRACIA A. GILLUND (Maggie) is excited to be making her debut at Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre! She is a graduate of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with a major in Voice. She has portrayed Maria in West Side Story, Laura in The Glass Menagerie, Dorothy in The Wiz, Annie in The Miracle Worker, and Alexi Darling in RENT. Gracia’s opera experience began with appearances in the Indiana University productions of Cendrillon and La Traviata. She has also appeared in Madama Butterfly with the Indianapolis Opera, and will be in their upcoming production of Faust. She would like to thank her family, friends, and Joe for all their love and support.
JAMON RANDOLPH (Bellhop) discovered his love for acting as a teen acting in church plays and skits. After graduating high school he went to IUPUI and received his bachelor’s degree in Biology, while still taking acting classes at his leisure. Instead of going on to medical school after graduation, Jamon decided to try his hand at acting. He was recently seen on stage in Six Degrees of Separation and is now making his Civic Theatre debut. He appreciates this opportunity and looks forward to many future stage appearances.
KIMBERLY RUSE (Maria) is a Ball State Theatre grad and a drama teacher at Muncie Southside High School. Kimberly has performed several roles at Civic including Brooke in Noises Off and Catherine in The Foreigner. You may have also seen her in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged at Theatre on the Square, or Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage at Buck Creek. Kimberly keeps busy chasing her three-year-old son, Harry, around the house. She would like to thank her husband Ryan, her mom and dad, and Marion, Charlene, and Bre for helping with “Harry-duty” during this rehearsal process!
PARRISH WILLIAMS (Tito) has been active in community and professional theatre in the city of Indianapolis for over 20 years. He has worked with virtually every theatre company in the area including: Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, Buck Creek Players, The Phoenix Theatre and The Edyvean Repertory Theatre to name just a few. Indianapolis audiences may remember Parrish from his roles in Godspell, Sunday in the Park With George, Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Sound of Music all at the Edyvean, as well as his roles in Sweet Charity, Anything Goes, 1776, The 1940s Radio Hour, Damn Yankees, and Bus Stop with Civic. In addition to acting, Parrish is an accomplished writer and director. He was co-writer of the performance piece Little Hands which was performed as part of the inaugural Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival in 2005, and has written the experimental play The Adventures of Diva and the Girl which is scheduled to be produced as part of the 2012 fringe festival. He directed Buck Creek players Encore award winning productions of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive and Jane Martin’s Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage. By day Parrish is a proud English teacher at Warren Central High School and has been married to his high school sweetheart, Debbie, for nearly 19 years.
ROBINA ZINK (Julia) is very happy to be appearing once again at Civic Theatre and especially with such a wonderful cast and Director Bob Sorbera. She last appeared at Civic as Ethel in On Golden Pond. In addition to Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, she has performed at many area theatres including Beef & Boards, Edyvean Reperatory Theatre at CTS, Theatre on the Square, Buck Creek, Playmakers, Mud Creek, University of Indianapolis, Warren Performing Arts, etc. Favorite roles include: Angel/Narrator in It’s a Wonderful Life at Beef & Boards; Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter, Mrs. St. Maugham in The Chalk Garden, Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, Dottie/Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off, Clairee in Steel Magnolias and Diana in London Suite at Buck Creek; Duchess of Dene in Me and My Girl, Mrs. Pearce in My Fair Lady and Julia in Lend Me a Tenor at Civic; Dolly Levi in The Matchmaker, Empress in Anastasia, at Mud Creek; Duchess of York in Richard II; Eleanor of Aquitaine at University of Indianapolis, Rose Kirk in Nuts, Mrs. Baker in Butterflies are Free, Dr. Patrelli in Tribute at Playmakers; Sarah in Breaking the Code, Eleanor of Aquitaine in Lion in Winter, Julia in Dancers, and Ethel in On Golden Pond at TOTS. Josephine in The Madwomen of Chaillot, Elizabeth Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days and Aunt Jenny in I Remember Mama at Edyvean Rep at CTS. Robina came to the USA in 1973 and has enjoyed pursuing her love of theatre here in America. She is a recipient of several Encore Awards, is an accomplished Costumer and has volunteered her skills in that area many times at various theatres. She gives heartfelt thanks to her loving family and friends for their support in her endeavors.
ARTISTIC STAFF BIOS
ROBERT J. SORBERA (Director) With a B.A. from State University of New York at Plattsburgh and an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Minnesota, Sorbera served as the Artistic Director of the Pit and Balcony Theatre in Saginaw, Michigan before coming to Civic as the Executive/Artistic Director in 1995. Over the course of his career he has directed more than a hundred productions. His teaching credits include instructing in the Department of Communication and Theatre at the Saginaw (MI) Valley State University, and he has served as Technical Director for both Palo Alto (CA) Children’s Theatre and the Valley Shakespeare Festival in Saratoga, California. Additionally, Sorbera presently serves as President of The League of Indianapolis Theatres.
RYAN KOHARCHIK (Set & Lighting Designer) is the resident scene and lighting designer for Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre and, from 1996 to present, has served as the resident lighting designer for the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. He is a founding member of the ShadowApe Theatre Company and continues to freelance around the country. Some of his most notable productions for Civic Theatre include: Evita, Aida, Into the Woods, The Will Rogers Follies, Oklahoma!, and City of Angels. Other credits include: Driving Miss Daisy, The Turn of the Screw, Cyrano, Painting Churches and many other productions for the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Angels in America Parts 1 & 2 and Company for the Phoenix Theatre, The Taste of Sunrise and Kindertransport for the Contemporary American Theatre Company in Columbus, Ohio, The Year of Magical Thinking for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in St. Louis MO, and Associate Designer for Mary Zimmerman’s Arabian Night’s for the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Ryan also spent four years teaching as an Assistant Professor of Visual and Performing Arts at Purdue University. Ryan holds an M.F.A. in Lighting Design from Boston University, and a B.S. in Theatre Design and Technology from Ball State University.
JEAN ENGSTROM (Costume Designer) began her career in costume design creating costumes in Michigan for opera and community theatre. After completing her Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre at Ohio State University she moved to New York City where she freelanced as a costume designer and fashion stylist for six years. Some well-known people she worked with during those years are Patrick Demarchelier, Wes Anderson, Betsey Johnson, Emmy and Bill Irwin. Her published work has appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, People Magazine, and USA Today. She has designed costumes for several independent films and was a designer at the Kaufman Center, the Lucy Moses School of Performing Arts, as well as an artist in residence at the Manhattan School for Children. Jean is delighted to be here working in the collaborative and creative world of community theatre!
MICHAEL J. LASLEY (Sound Designer) has been with Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre since 1990. In addition to serving as House Sound Designer and Associate Director, he has served as Producing Director since 2002. As an Associate Director, Michael has previously directed Little Women – The Musical, 1940s Radio Hour, Damn Yankees, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2000, 2001, 2002, 2007 & 2010), The Sunshine Boys, 1776, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Swing!, all for Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre. Michael made his directing debut with Civic’s thriller Wait Until Dark in February of 2000. He directed his first musical, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change at Theatre on the Square in June of 2000. He has designed sound, lights or scenery for most theatres in Indianapolis and has received awards for his sound designs from The Indianapolis Star and the League of Indianapolis Theatres. Michael has occasionally been seen on stage in such roles as Larry in Company and Arthur in Love! Valour! Compassion! both at the Phoenix Theatre and Zach in A Chorus Line at Civic. He lives in a century-old house in downtown Indianapolis with his lovely wife, actress Marni Lemons.
MAGGIE E. WARD (Stage Manager) is proud to be entering her fourth season at Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre. Maggie’s previous stage managed shows with Civic include The Belle of Amherst (2010), Elephant Man (2009), Enchanted April (2009), and Golda’s Balcony (2008). She received her Bachelors in Theatre and Telecommunications from Ball State University and went on to pursue her Masters in Library Science at IUPUI. When not at Civic, Maggie can be found around the lobby of the Indiana Repertory Theatre as a house manager or working at the Ruth Lilly Law Library with a giant cart of books in tow. Maggie would like to thank the cast for all the laughs and Bob for giving her more than one actor to track. And thanks to her family and friends for all the love and support!