NIALL MCGINTY* (Hal)
Niall, from Austin, Texas, is pleased to be returning to the Hippodrome stage.  He has been seen previously at the Hippodrome as Ross in Macbeth and as Young Scrooge in A Christmas. Carol.   Most recently he appeared as Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank.  Niall holds a B.F.A. in theatre from Southwestern University and would like to thank his parents for their continued support.

MARGUERITE STIMPSON* (Claire)
Marguerite has previously appeared this season at Hippodrome as Alice in Closer and Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank.  She is also 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.  Marguerite would like to thank Gerardo for all his love and support.

EB THOMAS* (Robert)
Eb Thomas began his acting career as Little Bat in the New York City Opera production of Susannah.  He then worked with Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival alongside George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, Ed Sherin, Jerry Stiller, and Anne Meara in Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Richard III.  He has since performed more than 100 roles including Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night (Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival), Robert in Betrayal (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Frank in Educating Rita (Seattle’s A Contemporary Theatre), and Marius in The Road to Mecca (Alley Theatre, Houston).

ADAM COHEN* (Stage Manager)
Adam has been the resident stage manager at the Hippodrome since 1997, during which time he has worked on over 30 mainstage productions.

MARY HAUSCH (Director)
A Hippodrome founder, Mary has directed 85 and acted in 50 productions at the theatre.  She recently wrote and directed An Enchanted Land, a one-woman show about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, which won Best of the Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland in 1999.  Her adaptation of Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carol has warmed the hearts of thousands of audience members for the past 5 years. Directorial accomplishments include Dinner with Friends, Hysteria, ‘Art,’ God’s Man in Texas, Resident Alien, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, A Tuna Christmas, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Private Eyes, Three Tall Women, The Mineola Twins, Always ... Patsy Cline, Indiscretions, A Christmas Carol, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Lonely Planet, Broken Glass, Earthly Possessions, Marvin’s Room, Prelude to a Kiss, M. Butterfly, Lettice and Lovage, Other People’s Money, Steel Magnolias, Driving Miss Daisy, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Little Shop of Horrors, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf and True West.  She also directed a PBS teleplay based on David Mamet’s The Duck Variations.  She is a co-founder of H.I.T.T. (Hippodrome Improvisational Teen Theatre) for which she and her colleagues won the Margaret Sanger Award and has been recognized by Florida International Volunteer Association (FAVA/CA) for her work with the HITT program in the Caribbean.   Mary has served with the National Endowment for the Arts as a panelist/reviewer, with the Florida Professional Theatre Association as treasurer and with the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs as a panelist/reviewer.  She was the recipient of the Gainesville Sun’s Star Business Award in 1991, the Sun’s Arts Person of the Year Award in 1993 by The Gainesville Sun and the National Park Service Award for her work with the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historical Site on An Enchanted Land in 1998.  She was selected as one of 50 men and women of “notable achievement” who made contributions in North Central Florida in the past 100 years by the Gainesville Sun in 2000 and as The Woman of the Arts by the Gateway Council in 2001.

J. JEFFERY GUICE (Scenic Designer/
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 Fayetteville, 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.  Recent theatrical designs include Hedwig & the Angry Inch from last season and the current production of Proof. Past theatrical designs includes The Shadow Box and Extremities for the Central Florida Civic Theatre,and children’s tour shows for the Central Florida Children’s Theatre and Daytona Summer Musical Theatre. 

MARILYN A. WALL (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 250 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 in 1998.  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 conceptualized and designed.  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 and costume designer for Phil Donahue, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Ashley Judd, Angelia Jolie, Ed Harris, Todd Field, and Travis Tritt.  Marilyn recently won two Emmy Awards for her costume designs for the children’s television show, Salsa.  She recently designed for Victor Nunez’s new exciting film, Coastlines, starring Tim Olaphant and Josh Byolin.

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.

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) 
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

ROCKY DRAUD (Sound Designer)
Rocky has designed sound for the Hippodrome for the past 23 years. Since the theatre’s production of Sleuth, he has created innovative sound designs for over 60 productions.  His recent credits include Dinner with Friends,‘Art’,God’s Man in Texas, The Mineola Twins, M Butterfly, Private Eyes, Lonely Planet, and Three Tall Women. Rocky has also been seen on stage in the Hippodrome productions of Always…Patsy Cline as the bass player in the Bodacious Bobcats and the band of Beehive.