PLAYBILL

Spencer was the first American to join an international cast of clowns - off-Broadway, on world tour, and twice on Broadway - with Slava’s Snowshow. He played piano accordion onstage at the Guthrie in Paula Vogel's Indecent, and before the pandemic, you could find him most Sundays at Keegan’s Irish pub, playing mandolin and button accordion.

Open Eye: Cowboat (DWT, 2021). In Yiddish: A Klezmer’s Tale, An American Family, Songs of Paradise (Off-Bway); Death of a Salesman (Toronto); Mendy (Feature). TV: Law & Order, Criminal Intent, Jonny Zero, Deadline. As playwright/composer: REALITY!, Hurry Up Please, It’s Time, Bringing Up Mamet. As filmmaker: Signals Crossed, The Things You Don’t Say, Another Time Maybe. A San Francisco native, UCLA graduate, and 20-year resident of NYC, he now resides with his family in the Twin Cities, in a house with a view of a small lake. With special thanks to Joel and Joe.

Luke Aaron Davidson is a Twin Cities stage and film actor making his debut with Open Eye Theatre. Previously, he’s worked with the Old Log Theatre, Artistry, Actor’s Theatre of MN, and the Cider Mill Playhouse. Coming up next, Luke will be appearing in Sidekick Theatre’s children’s musical Robin Hood. Thanks to my family for always supporting me! www.lukeaarondavidson.com

Josef Evans (playwright/composer/lyricist) has created several works for the Open Eye stage, including To The Moon, Strumply Peter, Constance in the Darkness, and last summer's Log Jam. He was a founding artist and resident playwright with the Zamya Theater Project, an ongoing collaboration between housed and homeless community creators. His works have been produced by a variety of theaters both nationally and locally, from Bedlam Theater to the Guthrie. Josef is a graduate of the University of Washington playwriting program, holds a BA in English and Theater from the University of Notre Dame, and is a member of the Dramatists’ Guild of America.s here

Georgia is originally from New Haven, Connecticut, but has spent the last four years in Minnesota, earning her BFA in Acting at the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program (what a mouthful!). Some of her favorite roles from her time at the University include Mary Jane from Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, Jessica/Prince of Aragon in The Merchant of Venice, Charlotte in Wasted and Arsinoe in School for Lies (performed in the Guthrie's Dowling Studio). Georgia loves long roadtrips, being by the ocean, cooking for friends and long fantasy novels.

Rick Miller is an actor and puppeteer in the Twin Cities, Rick's past credits include work with Open Eye Figure Theatre (Prelude to Faust, Constance in the Dark, Toy Theatre After Dark; The Red Shoes; The Sorcerer's Apprentice; Driveway Tour), Children's Theatre Company (The Lorax), In The Heart Of The Beast (Action Sequence), The Moving Company (War Within/All's Fair, Little Dickens), Theatre Novi Most (The Seagull). Rick graduated from the University of Minnesota Theatre BA program in 2015.

Lux is over the moon to be returning to the gorgeous rooftop of the Bakken Museum to play with Open Eye Theatre again! You might recognize them as the rat pasty slinging, Ma Duffy, from last year's Log Jam! When not singing and dancing with their pals, Lux can be found exploring the wilderness with their total hunk of a husband, Jack, and trying in vain to stick with any hobby for more than a month.

Tamir Nolley attended McNally Smith college and the University of Arizona. Tamir holds a degree in Music Performance. He is a frequent performer on both saxophone and bass in multiple genres including Classical, Jazz, and R&B. He has taught for over twenty years, working with a diverse range of students across the country. In addition to teaching private lessons on both instruments at Hopewell Music Cooperative North, Tamir is the director of the school’s Jazz Ensemble.

Originally a Sconnie, Vidya Neni has resided in the Twin Cities since 1997. Her full-time gig is in information technology management, but on nights and weekends, she dives into local art communities. That journey began in 2016 as a volunteer for BareBones Puppets’ Halloween Extravaganza. After several years volunteering in various capacities, in 2020, she was hired as BareBones’ Executive Administrator (which includes doing web design/development). In 2017, she joined the bluegrass world via Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association. Most notably, she managed the 2018, 2019, and 2021 Americana-Roots Music Contests at the Minnesota State Fair. Recently, she has had the pleasure of gigging with Chicks on Sticks, as a stilt performer. She first learned to stilt for the 2016 BareBones’ Halloween show, and loves seeing the expressions of wonder as an audience reacts to spectacle.

Abilene Olson is so excited to bring this show to life! She is a graduate of Stephens College and holds a B.F.A. in acting. She’s been acting in and around the Twin Cities for almost 5 years, and some of her most favorite performances include Gone Missing with Theatre Elision and Smokey Joe's Cafe at Lyric Arts. She sincerely hope you enjoy taking a walk on the wild side with this stellar cast, and enjoy the show!

Tom is delighted to be back at Open Eye and the beautiful Bakken rooftop! Tom Reed is an actor-writer-improvisor-etc. with credits including LOG JAM! at Open Eye; Christmas of Swing (Bud Abbott) at History Theatre; several shows at Mixed Blood Theatre including Avenue Q (Princeton), Next to Normal (Henry), Gloria, Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies and the world premiere of INTERSTATE; nearly twenty sketch comedy productions with very punny names at Brave New Workshop Comedy Theater and many improv shows including Lounge-asaurus Rex and Creature Feature at HUGE Improv Theater. Tom also created popular Minnesota Fringe Festival parodies of everything from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones. Film and TV: The Public Domain, and Netflix’s Lady Dynamite (Donald). UPCOMING: “Erotica for Houseplants” (working title) a solo comedy in the 2022 Fringe Festival. More at tombreed.com

France A. Roberts is a Twin Cities actor and educator. He is excited to return to Open Eye this summer, after last summer's inaugural show Log Jam, where he played Hot Biscuit Slim. France has worked at numerous theatres across the metro area including Artistry, Hennepin Theatre Trust, Lyric Arts, Minnetonka Theatre, Cross Players, Eden Prairie Players, and Chameleon Theatre. France was a Top 9 Finalist for the 2021 MN Teacher of the Year, and is proud to be a public school teacher.

Joel Sass serves as Open Eye Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, after having first joined the company as Associate Producer in 2017. He has been based in the Twin Cities since 1991, working as a producer, stage director, designer and adapter, specializing in the creation of new multi-disciplinary work for the stage and devising imaginative reinterpretations of classic texts. Learn more about Joel.

Maren has been performing, directing and theater making in the Twin Cities since 1993. This is her 31st production with Josef Evans, 4 of which have been with Open Eye Theater including as Paul Bunyan last summer’s Bakken spectacular Logjam. In addition to playing a variety of absurd male characters written by Evans, Maren directs the zAmya Theater Project which uses the power of theater to create housing justice. She lives in S. Mpls with her partner Kip Dooley (not the actor by the same name:) to whom she will be hitched later this summer

Ellie Fregni mostly plays viola, but when the moon is full, she plays violin and other instruments too. Due to an inability to focus on one style, she’s played in groups ranging from orchestras to jam bands, fiddle groups to string quartets, and plays frequently with theater and puppet troupes. She also teaches strings and piano, directs orchestra and manages programming at Hopewell Music, a non-profit music school she helped found. At home Ellie diligently serves her cat overlords and jams at home with her husband Tamir who plays bass and saxophones. When not making music she shoots firework displays for Hollywood Pyrotechnics.

Meg is a junior at Macalester College studying Spanish and Theater and this is her first time working with Open Eye Theater. She has some experience in acting, set and costume design, and tech assistance from both Macalester and a community theater in her hometown, Flock Theatre. She is very excited to be a part of the process and to do more work with the theater going into the future.

Patrick is an actor and playwright originally from Waunakee, WI, and they are so happy to serve as a Production Intern for "Hairball!” He is currently a junior pursuing a Theatre and English major at Macalester College in St Paul. At Macalester, Patrick has acted in “Twelfth Night” and the student-created work “Como La Tierra.” This past spring, he assistant directed the department’s production of “Thunderbodies.” In high school, Patrick directed and performed in his original murder mystery comedy “Nothing More Deceptive.” Outside of theatre, Patrick enjoys playing music, watching reality competition TV, and cuddling their pets.

Anne Sawyer navigates the glorious, raggedy edges of life through art and the written word. She has been a puppeteer and stilt-walker for the past twenty-odd years. Anne has romped with Heart of the Beast, Barebones, Artstart, Open Eye, and the stilt group Hijinks (formerly Chicks on Sticks). In addition, she has collaborated with many talented people on her own shows with Magic Lantern Puppet Theater. During the shut-down, Anne flirted with the podcast form (A Woman with a Very Large Knife), where she blended her love of cooking with her passion for words. Her other written works include puppet scripts and three picture books: Nalah and the Pink Tiger, Nalah Goes to Mad Mouse City, and Mars on Life. Aside from the fabulous assignment she’s had for Hairball, she is excited to be the production coordinator for Teatro del Pueblo’s current show, Real Women Have Curves. More at annesawyerart@gmail.com.

Tara Fahey is a Mpls based artist and teacher. For over fifteen years, she has stilted with Chicks on Sticks, performing locally and nationally. In working with Barebones since 2010, Tara has directed, performed, and created puppet spectacle, specializing in large scale lanterns of paper, wire and fabric. In 2016, for Northern Spark, they collaborated on the Illuminated Reef, bringing the plight of threatened coral reefs to life in a public participatory installation. This work can now be seen at Can Can Wonderland in St.Paul. Through Puppet Lab, in 2019, with support from the Jerome Foundation, Tara created "Devotion: the Early Years of Rachel Carson" bringing into focus the gifted writer and scientists' passions.