DAN LEONARD* (Larry)
Dan Leonard is delighted to be returning to the Hippodrome after more than a decade away from where he began his career.  Dan spent some formative time here in the 80s in shows such as True West, Whose Life Is It, Anyway and a number of productions of A Christmas Carol, as well as spending many years touring the county and country for the Theatre in Education program.  He went on to become Playwright in Residence and actor for the Learning Stage in South Florida for seven years, while continuing his acting career at Florida Stage, Caldwell Theatre, FL Repertory Theatre, Riverside Theatre, Actors’ Rep and Theatre West.  In New York, he has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Cider Mill Playhouse, and as Eli Wallach’s partner in a Lincoln Center production of A Soldier’s Tale - in which he danced with Ann Reinking, an effort which continues to make him laugh at the irony.

SARA MORSEY* (Anna)
Sara Morsey has been seen on the mainstage this season as Karen in Dinner With Friends and as Annie Wilkes in Misery.  In an eight year association with the Hippodrome State Theatre credits include Maria Callas in Master Class, Bella in Lost In Yonkers, Sylvia in Broken Glass, Alcandre in The Illusion, Sara in The Sisters Rosensweig, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie, Frank in Private Eyes, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, as well as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the one woman show An Enchanted Land (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1999, Pick of the Fringe) and numerous others.  Other notable regional theatre credits include five seasons with American Stage (including Melitta in the United State premiere of Nicholas Wright’s Mrs. Klein), six seasons with the New Harmony Theatre (Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Dr. Livingstone in Agnes of God, and Eva in the stage adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata – also an American premiere), and Guest Artist appearances at Playhouse on the Square in Master Class, Wit, and Three Tall Women (Memphis Theatre Award for Excellence as a Leading Actress in a Drama).  Sara holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from The University of Louisville and has trained with Kristen Linklater and Tina Packer of Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts and Adale O’Brien at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

MARGUERITE STIMPSON* (Alice)
Marguerite Stimpson is a recent graduate of the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training.  While at A.R.T., she appeared as a member of the Greek Chorus in Antigone and as Mary Tyrone (understudy) in Idiots Karamazov.  ART/MXAT Institute roles include Edward/Victoria in Cloud Nine, Claire in The Maids, Ophelia in Hamlet Machine, and Dora in The Swan. Additionally, she appeared as Giacinta in Goldoni’s Holiday Trilogy and Tanya in Tolstoy’s Fruits of Enlightenment in ART/MXAT’s international tour, which included performances in Russia, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.  Other tours include originating the role of Elizabeth in Artspower’s Salem Justice.  She has also appeared on NBC’s ED.

ADAM COHEN* (Stage Manager)
Adam is in his fourth season at the Hippodrome, having stage- managed over 20 productions during that time period. In a career that has taken him across the high seas, into huge arenas, in front of the camera, up in the control booth, and onto the stage, the experiences he has accumulated only serve to make him more aware of the value of the “jewel” the citizens of Gainesville have in their midst.  The caliber of the artists that the Hippodrome attracts is surpassed nowhere, and he thanks the management for the chance to be counted in that group.  His greatest thanks must go, however, to his family, who have supported his choices from the beginning and continue to be a source of joy and inspiration.

LAUREN CALDWELL (Director) 
Lauren is the Artistic Director at the Hippodrome State Theatre in Gainesville, Florida. She has directed over 40 shows on the Hippodrome mainstage, most recently Misery, last season’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Anton in Show Business, Macbeth and The Blue Room. Previously she directed Master Class, Hedda Gabler and Frankenstein. Other directing credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire, The Rocky Horror Show, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Glass Menagerie, Dracula, Beehive (twice), How I learned to Drive, Lost in Yonkers, Like Totally Weird, All in the Timing, and The Lion in Winter. She has appeared as an actress on the Hippodrome stage since 1988 in such roles as Sylvia in Sylvia, Madame de Volanges in Les Liasons Dangereuses, Marge in Absent Friends, Faye in The Sugar Bean Sisters, Truvy in Steel Magnolias, Louise in Always Patsy Cline (twice), and recently, for the third time, multiple wacky characters in A Tuna Christmas. Lauren has written plays for the Building Audiences of Tomorrow program which include To Be or Not To Be …That is Two Questions, Just So Stories (adaptation), Radio Active and most recently, The Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful Wizard of Art. She conceptualized a comprehensive cirriculum guide for Hippodrome productions, Perspectives, which is distributed to Alachua County High Schools, Santa Fe Community College and the University of Florida. A native of Texas, Lauren holds a BFA in directing from Baylor University and a MFA in acting from the University of Florida. She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association, the Drama League, and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.  Lauren also  owns and operates Legal Acts, a Prosecution/Public Defenders’ Program.

MIHAI CIUPE (Scenic Designer)
Misery will mark Mihai’s fifth design for the Hippodrome.  He has enjoyed working with the team of artists and technicians here who have helped him in creating successful designs for Macbeth, The Blue Room, Master Class, and Hedda Gabler.  Originally from Romania, Mihai worked as a designer with some of the greatest Romanian directors: Gabor Tompa, Alexandru Dabija, Iulian Visa, Mihai Maniutiu, Victor Ion Frunza.  In 1991, he received a scholarship to attend the London International Festival of Theater.  In 1995, he was accepted into the membership of the Association of Romanian Fine Artists in Scene Design.  Mihai recently received a double Master of Fine Arts degree in Costume and Set Design from Carnegie Mellon University.  At Carnegie Mellon, he was awarded the George Kimberly Scene Design Award and the Oren Parker Award in Design and Production.  Before coming to the United States, he was the resident designer at The National Theatre of Cluj-Napoca, Romania.  Early in his European career, he traveled extensively in Europe on tour with shows he designed.  These tours exposed him to the various schools of theater from England, Scotland, Hungary, France, and Yugoslavia.  He joined the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Florida in the Fall of 1999 as a Professor in Set Design.

MARILYN WALL-ASSE (Costume Designer) 
Marilyn is a Hippodrome co-founder, Artistic Associate and the Costume Designer-in-Residence. She has designed and built costumes for more than 150 Hippodrome productions.  She is a four time recipient of the Outstanding Young Women in America Award and received the Margaret Sanger Certificate of Appreciation in 1987. She has twice  received a Governor’s Award as one of Florida’s Outstanding Artists and was the only theatrical artist to be granted that award this year.  Her Hippodrome acting credits include The Madwoman of Chaillot, Cabrona, Bedroom Farce, Robber Bridegroom,  Crimes of the Heart and Season’s Greetings.  Directing credits include Macbeth, Same Time Next Year and Tangled Tales which she also co-authored.  In the film world, Marilyn has designed costumes and makeup for A Flash of Green, Shimmer, Ruby in Paradise, Gathering Evidence, Miami Hustle and Ulee's Gold with Peter Fonda and Patricia Richardson.  She has served as makeup artist to the famous faces of Phil Donahue, Al Gore and Bill Clinton at their local appearances.  Marilyn recently won two Emmy Awards  for her costume designs for the children’s television show, Salsa.  Marilyn is returning to the Hippodrome after a four month sabatical where she designed for Victor Nunez's new exciting film, Coastlines, to be released at Cannes Film Festival in February 2002.

Robert P. Robins (Lighting Designer) 
Bob has been Lighting Designer-in-Residence at the Hippodrome for the past 15  years.   During this time, he has designed the lighting for more than 175 productions.  He has also stage managed numerous productions including Hippodrome Mainstage, state and Theatre for Young Audiences tours.  In addition to designing and stage managing, Bob also engineers the soundtracks and sound reinforcement for all Hippodrome productions. He is an Actors’ Equity Association stage manager and a member of IATSE Local 115.   Bob has designed more than 300 productions regionally in the United States, including theater, dance, and industrials.   For the past  eight years, he has taught at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.  He spends what time he has away from the theater with his very supportive wife, Jodi, and their two children, Kayla and Evan.

J. JEFFERY GUICE (Technical Director/Production Coordinator)
Jeff has recently returned to the world of live theatre from an extensive tour of duty in the themeing industry. He has produced ultra realistic animal habitats for zoos and aquariums such as The Brookfield  Zoo in Chicago and detailed exhibits for museums, the latest being The 82nd Airborne Museum in Fayettville, N.C. From 1985 to 1999 Jeff has Art directed, sculpted and painted on many themepark attractions such as Disney MGM, EPCOT, E.T.’s Adventure and Jurassic Park rides at Universal Studios, Hollywood and in Florida plus projects in Italy, Las Vegas and the Bahamas. Having started in theatre with a B.F.A. in Theatrical Design and Technology from Auburn University and experience from Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Daytona Musical Theatre and Orlando Civic Theatre, Jeff is excited to once again participate in live productions with his debut as a scenic designer for the Hippodrome.  Past theatrical designs include The Shadow Box and Extremities for the Central Florida Civic Theatre, Solomon and Baulcus, a traveling children's tour for the Daytona Summer Musical Theatre and traveling tours for the Central Florida Children's Theatre.

Lorelei Esser (Properties Design) 
Lorelei has been designing properties for the Hippodrome since the 1994 production of Earthly Possessions.  She has long been recognized in our community for her accomplishments and contributions as an independent artist.  Her medium, the collection and assemblage of “the stuff of life” can now be experienced in the sets of the Hippodrome’s productions.  Lorelei’s understanding of time periods, cultures, the writer’s intentions, the director’s vision along with her tenacity for detail bring artistry to the craft of properties design.  She recently worked production on Victor Nunez' forthcoming film, Coastlines.
 

TAMERIN DYGERT (Dramaturg) 
Tammy holds a B.A. in Theatre and English Education from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.  As Dramaturg and Literary Manager, Ms. Dygert compiles research materials for the artistic team, contributes to production concepts, serves as features writer/editor of the curriculum guide, Perspectives, and writes articles for Ovation newsletters.  She also assists in Mainstage season selection, negotiates Mainstage production rights and directs the New Play Reading Series which she founded in 1998.  A native of Maryland, Ms. Dygert has worked at Baltimore’s Center Stage, toured with Shakespeare on Wheels, served as a freelance dramaturg with Baltimore’s Performance Workshop, Inc. and taught English and Drama at Bais Yaakov School for Girls.  She has taught Hippodrome theatre arts classes and directed Florida Teen Playwright Festival productions and appeared on the Mainstage in The Sisters Rosensweig, A Christmas Carol and Just So Stories.  Ms. Dygert is a member of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), a professional association serving literary managers, dramaturgs and theatre professionals throughout North and South America

GRAHAM JOHNSON (Sound Designer)
This is Graham’s third mainstage sound design here at the Hippodrome State Theatre, having recently designed sound for The Blue Room and Macbeth.  He has worked here for the past 2 years in several different capacities including Summer Spectacular acting coach and he directed Dandelion, a Hippodrome Teen Playwright Festival production.  Other sound design credits include Dandelion and Radio Active.  Graham is enrolled in the University of Florida’s Department of Theatre and Dance where he had the opportunity to design sound for Angels in America.  Graham would like to thank the Hippodrome and Lauren Caldwell for this opportunity.