The Whale
By Samuel Hunter
Directed by Rob Winn Anderson
Our 12th show in partnership with The Garden Theatre. (Winner of 2013 Lucille Lortel Award, Best Play and 2013 Drama Desk Special Award for Significant Contribution to Theatre)
On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a six hundred pound recluse hides away in his apartment eating himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man’s last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.
When: March 18th-April 3rd 2016
Where: The Garden Theatre (160 W. Plant Street, Winter Garden Fl.)
Times: Thurs.-Sat. 8pm, Sun. 2pm Industry Nite: Mon. March 28th 8pm
Ticket Prices: $21 to $28
Cast
Charlie – Michael Wanzie
Ellie – Rachel Comeau
Liz – Jamie Middleton
Elder Thomas – Anthony Pyatt Jr.
Mary – Beth Marshall
Production Team
Beth Marshall – Producing Artistic Director
Rob Winn Anderson – Director
Anastasia Kurtiak – Stage Manager
David Merchant – Assistant Stage Manager
Tom Mangeri – Set Design
Amy Hadley – Light Design
J.G. Lantiqua – Sound Design
Marcy Singhaus – Costume Design
Mike McCree – Master Carpenter
Darth Knapik – Construction Crew
Winona Wiley – Backstage Crew/Intern
Daniel Meyer – Intern
REVIEWS FOR THE WHALE
“The Whale” is the kind of show that you’ll be thinking about long after you see it.”
-Matt Palm Orlando Sentinel
” Drama – THIS is how its done.”
– Carl F Gauze INK 19
“THE WHALE uncomfortably brings to the surface the devastating impacts of grief, regret, and anger that we would all too often prefer remain hidden.”
– BWW Orlando
“The show combines humor with absolutely heart wrenching sadness. It celebrates what it truly means to be alive, and the strong bond of family even when it is dysfunctional. Although dark and bitter, the show also exudes hope, despite all odds.”- Thomas Thorspecken Analog Artist Digital World
Charlie – Michael Wanzie
Michael Wanzie returns to the Garden Theatre after making his debut here last season as Father Flynn in Beth Marshall Presents’ production of DOUBT. Wanzie has been involved in over 150 Central Florida productions. As a playwright he has 24 manuscripts to his credit which have all been fully produced – 18 of them directed by creative collaborator Kenny Howard. Wanzie has written and produced “There’s No Place Like Home”, “David’s Time”, “Carolina Moon”, “Ladies of Eola Heights”, “Wanzie’s Orange Blossom Trail Living Nativity Christmas Spectacular”, and with long-time Composer collaborator Rich Charron, “Forbidden Kingdom”, “Monorail Inferno”, “In Close Quarters”, and “Lizzie Borden: The Musical” to name a few. A long-time Orlando Fringe veteran Wanzie wrote and produced the highest selling show in Fringe History – “Wanzie’s THE LION QUEEN And The Naked Go-Go Cub” and most recently appeared on stage at Orlando Fringe 2015 as Mother Superior in his self-penned “Dragness of God: And The Naked Holy Ghost”. Watch for Wanzie’s 2016 Fringe offering “In Close Quarters”.
Ellie – Rachel Comeau
Rachel Comeau is currently a student at Rollins College earning her B.A. in Theatre Arts with a concentration in acting and performance. She anxiously awaits her graduation this spring. Past performances include, The Young Woman in Machinal at Rollins College, Steph in Reasons to be Pretty with Live Theatrics and Rose of Sharon in Grapes of Wrath at Theatre Downtown. She can also be seen in leading roles for local films Testament and The Rules. Rachel is honored to a part of The Whale, her first production with Beth Marshall Presents.
Liz – Jamie Middleton
Jamie Middleton graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida and has performed throughout central Florida for the past 25 years. Her previous productions with Beth Marshall Presents include Our Town, A Christmas Carol, The Diviners, and Children of a Lesser God, as well as a two time veteran actress with Play-In-A-Day. Jamie has been employed with Universal Orlando in Entertainment since 1995 and formerly modeled for Walt Disney Feature Animation. She also enjoys doing voice-over work. Jamie is thrilled to return to the Garden Theatre with this wonderful director, cast, and crew and sends her love and gratitude to Stephen, Christian, and Ariel, without whom none of this would be possible or worthwhile.
Elder Thomas – Anthony Pyatt Jr.
Anthony booked this role from 1,000+ miles away during the last months of his three-year stay in NYC. During which, he studied for a year at Circle In The Square, auditioned for James Lapine and William Finn, starred in his first Off-Off Broadway production, co-starred in his first independent feature WHEN I’M WITH YOU (which has been accepted into multiple film festivals internationally), and soaked in all that he could. Now Anthony is ready to come home; to start taking bold strides in the southeast, and unleash every ounce of himself into every juicy story he can help tell. Previous Orlando roles include A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Alex), the East-coast premiere of MYSTERIOUS SKIN (Brian Lackey), HAMLET (Hamlet), SPRING AWAKENING THE MUSICAL (Melchior Gabor), and other fun projects like his recent third participation with BMP Play-In-A-Day (Actor).
Mary/Producer – Beth Marshall
Beth Marshall is thrilled to be producing her 12th show in partnership with The Garden Theatre and presenting another Central Florida Premeire with Samuel Hunter’s THE WHALE. Past Garden Theatre shows include: L’Ange Avec Les Fleurs (2008), Our Town (2009), Crimes of The Heart (2009), Driving Miss Daisy (2010), A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas (2010), The Diviners (2011), Bilox Blues (2013), Children of A Lesser God (2013), Alice Lost In Wonderland (2013), 33 Variations (2014) Doubt (2015). Of all her shows at The Garden, she has only directed two: Doubt and Children of A Lesser God. And the last time she acted in one of her own shows was as Chick back in Crimes of The Heart, so she is overjoyed to return to gracing the stage with her fellow amazingly talented cast members under the keen direction of her dear friend and collaborator, Rob Anderson. Outside of her work at The Garden Theatre, Beth in grateful for her producing partnerships and artistic collaborations with: Penguin Point Productions, Lake Howell Theatre Company, Wanzie Presents, Florida Theatrical Association, The Abbey, The Venue, Orlando Shakes, The Footlight Theatre, Empty Spaces, Valencia College, Orlando Fringe and Fringe Festivals and venues across the US and Canada and with a strong focus on original new works, theatre for social justice and works that inspire young emerging artists. Special to her producing work is her time as Producing Artistic Director of Orlando Fringe (2004-2011) and her current work as producer of Orlando’s Annual Play-In-A-Day. As an actor Beth’s favorite roles include: Pearl Locksdale in Wanzie’s Ladies of Eola Heights, Wanda in The Baby Dance, Jane in The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Beatrice in The Effect of Gamma Rays Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds and Molly in the feature film Sunlight Jr. (alongside Matt Dillon, Norman Reedus and Namomi Watts). Beth is grateful to been selected as the 1st woman in Florida to attend the Internationally Renown Djerassi Artist Retreat in Woodside Ca. where she has been granted the “gift of time” to create art for 6 weeks (April-May 2016).
Don’t miss Beth this summer as she returns for the 3rd time as Pearl Locksdale in Wanzie’s Ladies of Eola Heights (part 3- full title TBA @The Abbey in July) and in Sordid Lives @ The Footlight Theatre at The Parliament House in August.
Much gratitude, Spirit, Love & Light to: The Entire BMP team, The Entire Garden Theatre team, her family: Chris, Darth and Stasia, all the kiddos and adults she coaches in theatre, Alauna, Rob & James and YOU the audience for supporting the arts! Visit
BethMarshallPresents.com!
Rob Winn Anderson (Director) is happy to continue his creative relationship with Beth Marshall Presents. As a playwright, Rob has been a Winner and Finalist for some of theater’s most prestigious awards and development programs. The 2013-2014 theatrical season saw five productions of four of his full-length plays (quite a feat for a relatively unknown artist). His play, A Tennessee Walk, was produced at the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre as well as Jacksonville State University. A Fine Line had its world premiere at the Clockwise Theatre in Waukegan, IL. A Little Princess – Sara’s Heart was produced as Boone High School’s fall play. And, Alice Lost in Wonderland (now Shattered Alice) premiered as part of the Beth Marshall Presents season to impressive audience response. Rob’s selected directorial works include: Alice Lost in Wonderland, & Biloxi Blues (Beth Marshall Presents); Legally Blonde;The Wizard of Oz; Hairspray; Steppin’ Out with Irving Berlin; Crazy for Gershwin; Dracula; She Loves Me; Shipwrecked; Superior Donuts (Southeastern Regional premiere); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Southeastern Regional premiere); The Matchmaker;The Rainmaker; An Inspector Calls; The Paper Bag Princess; A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas: James and the Giant Peach;The Queen’s Physician;Almost, Maine;After Juliet;Maryland; Shatter the Sky;Noodling Inspiration;The Sandman Says Goodnight;A Thurber Carnival;Anne of the Thousand Days and The Miracle Worker. Love to Tara, Tay and CK!
Anastasia Kurtiak (Stage Manager) is currently at Valencia College finishing her degree in Technical Theatre. She has been working in the central Florida community for three years now with various production companies, such as Beth Marshall Presents, The Florida Theatrical Association, and Gen Y Productions. She recently finished Miracle on 34th Street at The Garden Theater last Christmas and she is excited to be back. Anastasia thanks all of her family, friends, and fellow artists who have helped her get to where she is today.
David Merchant (Assistant Stage Manager) is proud to join Beth Marshall Presents for the 2014-2015 season. David is a proud graduate of Boone High School where he was very active in his theatre department as stage manager and production captain. Shows he has worked on include Boone High Schools Chicago, Legally Blonde the Musical, Anatomy of Gray, as well as a stage manager for BMP Play-in-a-Day 2013. David would like to thank Beth, Tiffany, and his friends and family for getting him where he is today.
Tom Mangieri (Set Designer) has a twenty-four year history in Central Florida, working with all the major theatre companies as well as numerous television sets for UCF-TV. Born and educated in New York, Tom holds a BA in English/Drama and Fine Art, and often paints and dresses his own sets. Originally skilled in Graphics and Acting, he was often approached to work on sets and costumes in New York/New Jersey once the company found out he could draw and paint. Tom now designs regularly with The Orlando REP and Lake Highland Prep, and has diverse credits with the Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Downtown, Empty Spaces, Madcow, IceHouse Theatre, and The Baystreet Players. With Beth Marshall Presents past projects were Our Town, Crimes Of The Heart, A Christmas Carol, Children Of A Lessor God, Biloxi Blues, Alice Lost In Wonderland, 33 Variations, and Doubt. Tom looks forward to another successful season with Beth and her production team.
Amy Hadley (Lighting Designer) has lived in Orlando since 1995 and is a graduate of The University of Central Florida. She is a Lighting Designer who works with many of the local theatres throughout Central Florida. She is very proud to have been a part of Beth Marshall Presents since the beginning. You may have seen her work in shows such as My Illustrious Wasteland, Our Town, Driving Miss Daisy, Crimes of the Heart, and A Christmas Carol. When she is not working as a Lighting Designer, she serves as the Technical Director for the Orlando Fringe Festival.
JG Lantigua (Sound Designer) After working a few years in the I.T. industry, JG realized he had to get back to his true passion, which has always been audio recording and mixing. He graduated with his B.A. in Theatre Arts from Rollins College and truly loves both lighting and sound. He has transitioned to his full-time role with the Garden as the resident Technical Director and has been working hard to continue bringing large scale, quality productions to our humble stage.
Marcy Singhaus (Costume Designer) is very happy to be working with Beth Marshall Presents and The Michael Wanzie. She has designed and costumed shows in central Florida for the past 20 years. She has worked with Orlando Rep Theatre, many Fringe shows, the Orlando opera, theme parks and cruise lines and almost every play Michael Wanzie wrote, produced and stared.
*Special thank you to D-Squared Productions for construction of the suit
Mike McRee (Master Carpenter) has a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and Entertainment Arts Design from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked with several different theatres in Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as here locally with The Orlando Rep, Mad Cow, GOAT, and Theatre Downtown.
He is excited to be taking part in his first production with Beth Marshall and building a set from his favorite local designer, Tommy Mangieri!
Darth Knapik (Set Crew) Darth has worked in a variety of capacities for BMP through the years from Master Carpenter, set crew, backstage crew, lights crew, props designer, visual and leather works artist. Previous BMP shows include: Biloxi Blues, Children of A Lesser God, Alice Lost In Wonderland, Doubt, Beatnik, The Trayvon Martin Project and Technical Director of Play-In-A-Day. Outside of BMP, Darth has been a venue technician for Orlando Fringe, on set crew for numerous Valencia College productions, served as the Production Manager for Starving Artist Studios, worked as a production assistant for the feature film Sunlight Jr. and was on construction crew for Garden Theatre’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Darth is graduate of Valencia College with a degree in Technical Theatre and currently works as a craftsmen with EM Studios.
Winona Wiley (Backstage Crew/Intern) is excited to be joining Beth Marshall Presents as a intern this season. She is a current junior with FLVS, with previous years of High and Middle school at Cornerstone Charter Academy where she was an active member of the theatre department and troupe as a actor, director, and technician. Winona also has had prior experience interning for Micheal Marinaccio during the 2015th International Fringe Festival. She would like to thank the BMP team for giving her this opportunity, and Mrs. Mcgregor and Mr. Hunt for training her in many aspects of theatre! Come see Winona in some upcoming BMP shows; Play in a Day, Beatnik Cubed, and the Wishing Well Girl!
Daniel Meyer (Intern) is incredibly excited to be joining Beth Marshall Presents for the 2015-2016 season. He is a graduate of Lake Howell High School, and currently attending Seminole State College where he has been awarded a scholarship to study Technical Theatre. Daniel has been awarded a Superior Rating and Honorable Mention for his work in Sound Design at the District Level, as well as another Superior Rating at the State Level. Some of the most recent productions he has worked on include A Streetcar Named Desire, Nunsense, Playboy of the Western World, & Bare: A Pop Opera as a technician, and Rabbit Hole, The Boys Next Door, & Hamlet as well as BMP’s Play-in-a-Day 2014 as an actor. Daniel also recently directed two one act plays Alias:Cinderella & Dying Light as a part of Badger Performing Arts’ debut. He would like to thank Beth and BMP for giving him this incredible opportunity, James Brendlinger for helping him get started in theatre, and his family and friends for all of their continued love and support.
REVIEWS FOR THE WHALE
“The Whale” is the kind of show that you’ll be thinking about long after you see it.”
-Matt Palm Orlando Sentinel
” Drama – THIS is how its done.”
– Carl F Gauze INK 19
“THE WHALE uncomfortably brings to the surface the devastating impacts of grief, regret, and anger that we would all too often prefer remain hidden.”
– BWW Orlando
“The show combines humor with absolutely heart wrenching sadness. It celebrates what it truly means to be alive, and the strong bond of family even when it is dysfunctional. Although dark and bitter, the show also exudes hope, despite all odds.”- Thomas Thorspecken Analog Artist Digital World
Beth Marshall Presents 