Murder on the Orient Express
SPONSORED BY THE WILLIAM AND JOAN TOPP FAMILY TRUST
CAST
Paul Andrews (Monsieur Constantine Bouc) Paul has been in four shows on the SCT main stage in the past few years, starting with Something Rotten!, then roles in Skin of Our Teeth, Oliver!, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He also directed one of the inaugural ten minute plays in the Black Box. After a turn on the crew of The Play That Goes Wrong, he’s back again on our stage!
Brent Dirksen (Colonel Jmaes Arbuthnot) Brent is having a blast practicing his Scottish accent in “Murder on the Orient Express”. He was German in his last performance as Ernst in “Cabaret”. His favorite role include Jerry in “The Full Monty” and Brick in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”.
Sherry Dumos (Princess Natalya Dragomiroff) Sherry has been performing in local theaters since 1981: in the Motherlode with Columbia Actors’ Repertory, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Mountain Youth and Community Theatre, Murphys Creek Theatre, and Stage 3 Theatre; in the Central Valley with Playhouse Merced, Community Theatre of Linden, Showbiz Theatre, and Stockton Civic Theatre. Some of her favorite roles include: Wicked Witch of the West, various roles in the musical Quilters, Sister Aloysius in Doubt, and the two roles for which she was nominated for SARTA Elly Awards, as Ethel in On Golden Pond and as Abby in Ripcord, both at SCT. She is grateful to be back on SCT’s main stage working with this amazing cast and crew,. And, as always, she is grateful to her family and friends who support her passion for live theater.
Levi Fuentes (Hector McQueen) Levi is thrilled to return to the Stockton Civic Theatre stage after an 11-year hiatus! Their last appearance was as the Ship’s Purser in Anything Goes (2013), following ensemble roles in The Ritz (2013) and White Christmas (2012). Levi’s most recent Stockton performance was in That Showbiz’s 2018 production of The Rocky Horror Show.
Additional credits include Mary Sunshine in Cosumnes River College’s Chicago, Bud Frump in Runaway Stage’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and a featured singer in Green Valley’s Shockheaded Peter. Levi also regularly participates in Green Valley’s Vertefee Cabarets.
Offstage, Levi works as a mental health case manager and enjoys birdwatching, photographing birds, road-tripping, and playing video games.
James Kusy ( Detective Hercule Poirot) James has been acting for almost 40 years and has been fortunate to play characters from Puck to Seymour Krelborn. He is honored to add Hercule Poirot to that list. He was last seen on the SCT stage in Beautiful as Don Kirshner. His last production was at Prospect Theater in Modesto, where he directed the play The Shark Is Broken. James looks forward to working with everyone at SCT as an actor and director on future projects.
Liam Lai (Michel) Murder on the Orient Express is Liam’s second show here at SCT, having previously performed in Beautiful: the Carol King Musical. By day, he is an Accountant working for the County of San Joaquin. He is currently binging Star Trek: Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds. As a huge tabletop and card gamer geek, he infuses his theatricality in all his passions and hobbies- currently running a Pathfinder 2.0 game. He credits and thanks his SCT castmates past and present for welcoming him into this family.
Gianna Landin (Mary Debenham) Gianna Landin is a local teacher and performer. She’s been seen on the Sct stage in many shows including RENT, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Play that Goes Wrong. She has so enjoyed this experience and hopes you enjoy the show!
Dani Loera (Countess Andrenyi) Dani is excited to be returning to SCT’s main stage for this thrilling murder mystery. She was last seen in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as Lil Eva/Shirelle. Her last play at SCT was Gruesome Playground Injuries where she played Kayleen in the Pam Kitto Black Box Theater. Dani has been waiting for the chance to be in an Agatha Christie mystery and is over the moon to be sharing this show with you. She would like to thank her friends, family, cast, crew, and production team for supporting her through this show. She hopes you sit back, relax, and are ready for murder!
Nathan Origer (Waiter) Nathan has been in theatre for 11 years now. You may have previously seen him in Little Shop of Horrors and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Showbiz Theatre, Or here at SCT recently in Blind Date as Felix, or previously in The Doyle and Debbie Show, Beauty and the Beast, 9 to 5, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Gypsy, The Skin of Our Teeth, A Christmas Story, Something Rotten, Matilda, A Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof, or The Addams Family. Nathan Got his start in theatre with the SCT Jr. program performing in The Wizard of Oz Jr. and was in the program for about 7 years. He also likes to do crew for shows here at SCT in multiple technical areas. He is currently attending Delta College as an Electron Microscopy Major.
Brooklyn Richards (Little Girl) Brooklyn has a strong background in musical theater, demonstrated by her involvement in a number productions, including Oliver, Seussical, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as multiple jr. shows at Stockton Civic Theatre. She is actively pursuing her passion and is excited to be a small part of this production.
Jessica Spencer (Greta Ohlsson) Jessica Spencer is thrilled to bring the compassionate yet mysterious Greta Ohlsson to life in this thrilling adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic tale. She would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support. Enjoy the show!
Jaye Lee Vocque (Samuel Rachett) Jaye is usually found backstage. Sometimes he acts. This is one of those times.
Judy Williamson (Helen Hubbard) Judy is happy to be onstage this season in a Classic Mystery with a few modern comic additions that hopefully will please longtime Agatha Christie followers, as well as those new to this genre. It’s been fun working with old friends and many new ones. Come along with us on our journey, and see if you come up with the solution to this puzzle before Monsieur Poirot does…or does he?
PRODUCTION STAFF & CREW
Jon Patrick Selover (Director) Jon has thirty five years of experience as a Theatre Artist, 19 years as the Artistic Director of The Western Stage in Salinas. With his wife Carol and dog Finn, Jon moved to Lodi at the end of 2020. He directed Gruesome Playground Injuries at SCT last year and he is grateful to the STC community for welcoming him.
Jeanine Michael Kiley (Stage Manager) Jeanine has been doing shows on stage and back stage at SCT since the mid 1970s. Stage managing has always been a favorite position to hold. Working with this director and this cast and crew has been a joy.
Dennis Beasley (Co-set design, co-props) Dennis is a theatre artist, educator, and administrator and has been the Artistic Director here at SCT since 2016. He has worked in various capacities at theatres across the country including South Coast Repertory, The Utah Shakespearean Festival, Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, Davis Shakespeare Ensemble, Odyssey Theatre Company, and The Western Stage. He has also been an Adjunct Theatre Instructor at Gavilan College, Hartnell College, and Delta College. He has directed many productions at SCT in his tenure including The Addams Family, Rock of Ages, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Little Dog Laughed, Rent, 9 to 5, The Doyle and Debbie Show, and The Play that Goes Wrong.
Val Cichocki (Co-set design, co-props) Val has worked at SCT as the Shop Manager for many years, as well as helping with set design and scenic design. Previous set design credit: The Doyle and Debbie Show.
Jessica Delcid (Costume Design) Jessica Delcid has previously graced the stage at SCT in Skin of Our Teeth, Stage Kiss, and A Night of One Acts. This marks her debut as Costume Designer, an experience she has greatly relished.
Gus Frontella (Lighting Design) Gus has been involved in nearly every show over the last couple of years. His previous lighting design credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Doyle and Debbie Show, and The Play that Goes Wrong.
Bill Yee (Sound Designer) Bill is an Oncology Pharmacist for Kaiser Permanente. This show marks Bill’s debut as a sound designer. More known as an actor, he has performed throughout San Joaquin County and was last seen on the SCT stage in “Seussical.” Recent SCT credits include “Lionel Bart’s Oliver!” “Something Rotten!”, “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” “Company,” “You Can’t Take It With You,” and “Calendar Girls.” Other credits include “Baby” and “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Showbiz Theatre Company. He is a three-time Willie Award recipient: Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (“Monty Python’s Spamalot”), Best Supporting Actor in a Play (“Are You Being Served”), and Best Actor in a Play (“Caught in the Net”). Bill also served as Director for “The DMV One” earlier this year for SCT’s “Evening of One Act Plays.”
Tim Graffham (Set Engineer) Tim Graffham has been designing and building sets and props for over twenty years in Tracy and Stockton. From the magic of Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory to the bleak realities of Dickensian London, Tim has designed and built many challenging sets; this is without doubt the most complicated of them all. It has been an absolute joy and honor to take on the design of this wonderful show and Tim truly hopes you enjoy it…and that everything hold together until the end.
Martin Lehman (Projections) Other projection design credits include: Stockton Civic Theatre – Seussical, and The Lifespan of a Fact.
Set design credits include: Stockton Civic Theatre – Rent, Oliver, Game Show. Community Theatre of Linden – The World Goes ‘Round, Gypsy. Showbiz Theatre: The Rocky Horror Show (2015)
Directing credits include: Stockton Civic Theatre – Oliver, Game Show. Community Theatre of Linden – The World Goes ‘Round, Gypsy. Showbiz Theatre: The Rocky Horror Show. (2015).
Acting roles at SCT: Nick Bottom in Something Rotten, Gordon in Dead Man’s Cellphone, Kolenkhov in You Can’t Take it With You, Gomez in The Addams Family, Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde, Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Brian in Avenue Q, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, and Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd.
Favorite roles at other theatres: Missouri Street Theatre – Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, William Barfée in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Davis Shakespeare Festival – Owen O’Malley in On The 20th Century, Paulet in Mary Stewart, Solinus in Comedy of Errors. Pacific Opera Theatre – Baron Gondremark in La Vie Parisienne, Colonel Frank in Die Fledermaus. Davis Musical Theatre Company – Georges in La Cage aux Folles, Max Bialystock in The Producers, Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate. Rocklin Community Theatre – Sister Mary Hubert in Nunsense: A-Men, Doctor Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein.
Martin has a BA in Theatre Arts and a Masters Degree in Communication from University of the Pacific. He lives in Carmichael with his wife and 4 adorable furry babies.
James Haffner (Dialect Coach) James Haffner is a Professor of Opera at University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music. He is a graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing and an Artist’s Diploma in Opera Stage Directing. He is also a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov acting technique and an Artistic Associate with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium.
His production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola took first place in the 2001 National Opera Association Production Competition and was a finalist both at the regional and national levels in the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. La Cenerentola holds the distinction of being the first opera to be invited to perform in the KC-ACTF national festival. Haffner’s work has been further recognized by the KC-ACTF with encore productions of his reworking of Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill and the west coast premiere of Glen Roven’s musical Heart’s Desire. Recognition from the National Opera Association includes Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Additional significant credits include the German premiere of Kushner’s A Bright Room Called Day; Das Mahagonny Songspiel, which was presented as part of the premiere Brecht Fest at the Berliner Ensemble; and Dido and Aeneas with the first annual Museumsinsel Fest, Berlin.
Professor Haffner has served as the Producing Artistic Director of the Stockton Opera Association since 2007 and has worked with both the Bay View and Bear Valley Music Festivals. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab-West and has served as an adjudicator for the Irene Dalis Vocal Competition (Opera San Jose). A Fulbright Scholar, he has taught at the Technische Universität, Berlin, as well as the University of Kentucky-Lexington, Miami University (OH), Webster University and the California State University, Fullerton.
James Haffner is a Professor of Opera at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music. A certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov technique, he is an Associate Teacher/Director with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium. James is a frequent guest artist, having taught master classes at Emory University, Stanford University, Oberlin Conservatory, Bay View Theatre Institute, National Opera Association, the Directors’ Lab—West and the American Choral Directors Association Western Division Conference. A Fulbright scholar (Komische Oper, Berlin), James’ work has been recognized by the National Opera Association and the American College Theatre Festival. He has served as Producing Stage Director for the Stockton Opera Association and has worked with the Bay View and Bear Valley Music Festivals.