We save all our theatre programs, which gives us a record of who was involved in all the productions we’ve seen over the years. Here are some of our favorite actor bios from their early years.
(alphabetical by artist)
Philip Dawkins in Stephen Sondheim’s Saturday Night at Pegasus Players in 1999, directed by Gary Griffin (for more details about the show, see our list of favorite productions of Sondheim musicals)
PHILIP DAWKINS (Bobby/Major Domo/Elevator Boy) is excited to be working for the first time in Chicago. Philip comes to Chicago from Arizona, where he appeared in productions such as Lost in Yonkers (Jay), Diviners (Buddy), To Kill a Mockingbird (Dill), Marvin’s Room (Charlie), and Ghetto. Philip is a freshman theatre major/math minor at Loyola University. Philip sends his love to his parents, and wants to thank Gary for this awesome experience.
Stacey Flaster
in West Side Story at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, in 1993
STACEY FLASTER (Anita) — Stacey is pleased to make her second appearance at the Station Theatre. Her favorite roles include Darlene Love in Leader of the Pack, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Louise in Carousel, and Nanette in No, No Nanette. She was last seen as Dream Laurey in IOT’s Oklahoma!
Joe Foust
in Greater Tuna at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, in 1993
JOE FOUST (Arles) — Joe’s productions at the Station Theatre include directing Wait Until Dark, The Birthday Party, and Reverse Psychology, and appearing in Biloxi Blues, Waiting for Godot, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He has directed several shows at the Armory Free Theatre including Like Family, Big Mother, Mountain Language, Act Without Words II, and Constantinople Smith. This marks Joe’s final performance at the Station before heading to Chicago to act in Kabuki Medea at the Wisdom Bridge Theatre.
The other role in Greater Tuna was played by Nick Offerman (his bio is included below). In the program, director Rick Orr’s note simply said, “Hide and watch.”
A few weeks earlier at the Station Theatre, Joe had directed a production of Wait Until Dark, in which Nick played Sergeant Carlino and Brad Woodard played Policeman 1.
Ryan Martin in Come Back, Little Sheba at Shattered Globe in 2006, directed by David Cromer
RYAN MARTIN (Bruce/Messenger) is proud to be working for the first time with Shattered Globe. He last appeared in Sin as Jason Ludlow with Letting Go Theatre and trained last summer at the School at Steppenwolf. Chicago credits include The Proposal (Act One), Suburban Motel (Famous Door), Equus (The Hypocrites), Wireless (Strawdog), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Great Beast), and Stardust (Appetite Theatre). Sincerest thanks to Shattered Globe and Cromer for this opportunity.
James Vincent Meredith
in Six Degrees of Separation at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, in 1994
JAMES MEREDITH (Paul) — James is a native of Evanston, Illinois, and currently a student at Parkland College. In his last role at the Armory Free Theatre, he played a naked white woman at a costume party. His greatest unfulfilled ambition is to find his gloves.
James also played Banquo in Macbeth at the Station Theatre several months after Six Degrees of Separation; Banquo’s son was played by Chicago actor and U of Illinois alum Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, making his theatrical debut at age six.
Interesting note: We’ve seen Six Degrees of Separation twice in Urbana, both times starring a future Steppenwolf ensemble member: James Vincent Meredith in 1994 at the Station Theatre, and Jon Michael Hill in 2005 in a University of Illinois student production.
Nick Offerman in Greater Tuna at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, in 1993 (with Joe Foust)
Nick Offerman (Thurston) — Nick most recently appeared onstage at the Station Theatre as Sergeant Carlino in Wait Until Dark, and also has appeared at the Station in Biloxi Blues. You may have seen Nick’s work at the Armory Free Theatre in Coriolanus, and with the Illinois Repertory Theatre in A Christmas Carol and Twelfth Night. You also may have seen his butt in Chris Johnson’s original work, Like Family. Nick is overjubilant to be relocating to Chicago in August.
Shawn Pfautsch in his About the Author blurb (at Amazon.com) for his play Season on the Line, published in 2015 (admittedly not from his early years, like others in this favorites list, but nevertheless quite entertaining)
When he was in Fourth Grade, Shawn Pfautsch decided he would impress the students in his new school by writing a hilarious parody of popular science fiction films beginning with Star __ . Several years later, with a degree in Theatre Studies, Playwriting Emphasis, in hand, he moved to the shores of Lake Michigan and helped to found The House Theatre of Chicago, where three of his full-length plays have premiered. Along with his short plays and one-acts, his work has been seen on stages from his base in Chicago to Texas, Florida, Iowa and beyond. What’s beyond Iowa? No one really knows…
As an actor and musician, he has been clapped at with The House Theatre of Chicago, The Hypocrites, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Dallas Theater Center, Chicago Shakespeare, Lakeside Shakespeare and Michigan Shakespeare. As he was finishing Season on the Line, he was playing Hamlet for Michigan Shakespeare. If any one else out there is playing Hamlet while adapting Moby Dick, please email the author for moral support.
Stef Tovar in Assassins at Apple Tree Theatre in 1996
STEF TOVAR (Leon Czolgosz) is pleased to mark his Apple Tree Theatre debut with Assassins. Stef most recently appeared with Squeaky Fromme as newly-weds in Barefoot in the Park with Catherine Productions. Other Chicago credits include: Fairy Tales at the Theatre Building; the College Boy in the Chicago premiere of Hello Again; David/P.R./Fred/Victor in I Came to New York to Write at the Organic Theater; Lucas in Laughter on the Twenty-third Floor for Fox Theatricals at Briar Street Theatre; Depki in Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, and the Ninth Annual Young Playwrights Festival, as well as Csolgosz in the Chicago premiere of Assassins in 1993 for Pegasus Players. Stef is heavily involved with American Blues Theatre as a softball coach, as fight director for Flight of the Phoenix, and as Sonny in Don’t Disappoint Captain January, which opens this November. He filmed a commercial for MTV and is currently shooting the independent feature Drop Off.
Brad Woodard
in The Lion in Winter at the Station Theatre in Urbana, Illinois, in 1992
BRADLEY C. WOODARD (Geoffrey) — This is Brad’s second appearance at the Station Theatre. He was first seen over the summer in You Can’t Take It with You. He is currently a struggling student at the U of I where he is studying Russian and East European Studies and Economics. He hopes one day to be the manager of Pizza Hut in Moscow.
