April 2009 Cast & Crew

Sarah Aili (Lila) is thrilled to be working on the new work Shadows of Pompeii. Ms. Aili was recently seen in Fountain of Youth at the Hoover Theatre in San Jose, CA and has appeared on stages around the Bay Area including Foothill Summer Theatre in The Pajama Game, Broadway By the Bay in Little Shop of Horrors and has worked with TheatreWorks in Saint X, Grey Gardens, and Merrily we Roll Along and with The Berkeley Repertoire Theatre in The Arabian Nights, Argonautika, and To the Lighthouse. She earned her B.F.A. with San Francisco State University and has trained with the San Francisco Academy for the Performing Arts, American Conservatory Theatre, Mills College, American Musical Theatre Art Intisute and CalArts. www.sarahaili.com

*Russ Lorenson (Tiberius) passion for the stage started as a youngster, with a performing career that began at age seven in his home town of Philadelphia. As an actor, Russ has appeared with San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon (Finian’s Rainbow, Minnie’s Boys, Red Hot & Blue!, The Golden Apple) and The Willows Theatre Company (1776, The Secret Garden, Nunsense Jamboree, Nuncrackers). In San Diego, he has appeared with Starlight Musical Theatre (The Wizard of Oz, Phantom), Lyric Opera San Diego (Rose Marie, The Desert Song), Diversionary Theatre (Ten Percent Revue, C’est La Guerre), and toured with the National Theatre for Children. As a choral conductor and vocal coach, Russ was the Associate Conductor of the award-winning California Youth Chorale for 5 years. As a vocalist, Russ has established a reputation as one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading interpreters of jazz standards, with a sound and approach that place him at the intersection of Broadway, jazz, and pop – the very essence of the Great American Songbook. Nominated for a 2007 MAC Award by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, he has toured the US, UK and Europe, appearing in concert with such luminaries as Broadway stars Teri Ralston, Karen Mason & Dale Kristien; "Queen of Cabaret" Andrea Marcovicci, jazz diva Wesla Whitfield, and as the opening act for the legendary Eartha Kitt. Since 2006, he has toured the US with his show, Benedetto/Blessed: A Tribute to the Life and Music of Tony Bennett. His debut CD, A Little Travelin’ Music, was released in May 2006 on the LML Music label and features songs from his nightclub show of the same name, including duets with special guests Shawn Ryan and Klea Blackhurst. His second CD, What I Want For Christmas, was also released on LML Music in 2006, and has received extensive radio airplay in major markets across the US. Both CDs were included in the initial Nominating Ballot for the 2006 Grammy Awards and are available for purchase in the lobby. His third CD, Standard Time, will be released in September. www.russlorenson.com

*Carrie Madsen's (Livia) recent credits include the AMTSJ collaboration of Cabaret with Seattle's 5th Ave. and St. Paul's Ordway, and buzz-producing Bay Area Musical, Becoming Britney at the New York Fringe Festival. Carrie continues performing in California with film projects as well as her voice over and print work. Carrie enjoys participating in new works projects around the Bay Area. She will again be gracing the stage this year singing in the 2009 Diva's Concert in June. Carrie is a proud Theatre Bay Area Titan Award Winner, Member of Actor's Equity and studies at the Shari Carlson's Studio

*Carmichael Blankenship's (Victor) theatrical work includes major roles in musicals such as CATS (Plato/Macavity), West Side Story (Tony), and Oklahoma! (Curly) for which he won a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Award. He has toured as a dancer and as a musician with several companies including San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Na Hula O Moku'aina, Moving Arts Dance, Huckabay McAllister Dance, and Peninsula Ballet Theatre. He performed as a member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus in the world premiere opera, Appomattox, and he also performed as a member of the San Francisco Opera Ballet Corps as a featured dancer in Samson and Delilah and The Rake?s Progress.

Andrew Willis-Woodward (Julius) is delighted to return to the Eureka Theatre, having most recently appeared in 42nd Street Moon's production of Ben Franklin in Paris (Temple Franklin, SFBATCC Nomination). Other Bay Area credits include: Forever Plaid (Frankie) at the Willows Theatre Company, Altar Boyz (Abraham) at San Jose Stage, Kiss Me, Kate (Bill/Luctentio) at Cabrillo Stage, and Convenience (Vince) at NCTC. He has studied at a variety of conservatory programs, including the ACT Summer Training Congress, the Theater Arts Institute at AMTSJ, and the CAP21 Professional Summer Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.

Samantha Bartholomew (Julia) is a graduate from Santa Clara University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts. She has performed with 42nd Street Moon as Dresden Glockenspiel in The Student Gypsy and Rachel in Plain & Fancy. Recent productions include: Rapunzel, or Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow & Holiday Musical Revue (Lucy Barker) and Wise Women [West Coast Premiere] (Rose) with City Lights Theater Company; The Threepenny Opera (Lucy Brown) and Kiss Me Kate (Lois Lane/Bianca) with The Western Stage; and The Threepenny Opera (Molly, Lucy Brown Cover) with the Santa Cruz Chamber Orchestra. She participated in a new musical demo, Garage Sale Mania, and has done new musical readings for Ball and Chain and The Burden of Eden.

Sean Patrick Murtagh (Cicero) was last seen in Babes in Hollywood at Hillbarn Theatre. He is excited to continue with the show, having participated in the reading. Sean has worked with 42nd St. Moon Coco, Mack & Mabel;, TheatreWorks Emma; Willows Sacagawea; BBBay Joseph…, Fiddler; Ray of Light Secret Garden; PSP Jekyll & Hyde. Sean has a B.A. in Drama from UC Irvine, where he appeared in Hair, Victor Victoria, Skin of Our Teeth, and others. Sean thanks his family and friends for their support.

Stephen Vaught (Marcus) is pleased to return to the Eureka Theatre, having appeared on this stage in Pardon My English, Gay Divorce, and Coco. Other theatrical credits include Broadway with a Twist, Eastern Standard, A New War, and A Funny Thing Happened…Forum. Steve has also been seen on-screen in Arrested Development, The Practice, Gilmore Girls, The Closer, The OC, and West Wing, and in the films National Treasure, Starsky & Hutch, Lemony Snickets, and Backwater. Stephen is a Bay Area native and spends his non-theatrical energy in the financial services field.

Steve Budd (Rufus) moved from Boston to the Bay Area four years ago, and has been busy doing theater, improv (Lila Theater), solo performance (Tell It On Tuesday, SF Solo Fest, SF Theater Fest), standup (Spud’s, HaHa Café & Comedy Club, Smiles), film, and commercial work (Target, Sun Microsystems, Adobe, etc.). Recent roles include Dasher in The 8: Reindeer Monologues (Exit), Tim Timko in Reckless (SF Playhouse), Victor in Dream of a Common Language (Virago), the Dad in Based on a Totally True Story (New Conservatory), Joey Bishop in The Tribute (Post Street) and numerous roles in Impact Briefs 8: Sinfully Delicious (Impact). Steve has acted in many independent films and Web series (Exit Stage Left, Time Addict, Indivisible, Slightly Super, Once Beautiful Past, Violent Jake, the upcoming Reality TV Movie, etc.). In his spare time, he plays an English teacher at Los Medanos College and an acting teacher for kids. His one-man show, But Seriously, Folks: The Great Jewish Comics of the Past 75 Years, has been enjoyed by audiences from Boston to Berkeley and is available for booking. Steve will be busy this spring and summer in Marin Shakespeare’s Twelth Night.

* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

Production Team

Dianna Shuster, Director, is the current Executive Director of Pocket Opera in San Francisco, the former Artistic Director of American Musical Theatre of San Jose and Music Theatre of Oregon, has served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, as Vice-President of the Actor’s Equity Bay Area Advisory Committee, and as an NEA on-site evaluator. She has directed opera, musical theatre, and straight plays in theatres from 100 to 3,000 seats including ACT’s MFA program, American Musical Theatre, Berkeley Stage Company, Broadway Palm Theatre - Meza, Center Rep, Music Theatre of Oregon, 42nd Street Moon, Opera San Jose, Theatre Under the Stars- Huston, San Jose Stage Company, and the Willows Theatre Company. She enjoys the variety of working in such disparate styles and venues. A few of her favorite directing credits include, A , A Little Night Music, Assassins, Baby, Cabaret, Camelot, Carpetbagger’s Children, Chess, Chicago, Children of Eden, City of Angels, Elixir of Love, Evita, Follies, Flora the Red Menace, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, The Magic Flute, Man of LaMancha, Martha, My Fair Lady, Pacific Overtures, Pippin, Phantom, Rags, Steel Magnolias, Sweeny Todd, Tale of an Allergist’s Wife, Tommy, West Side Story and the American premier of The Three Musketeers. Her productions have received over 190 nominations and 95 awards for San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle, Los Angles Ovation, Robby, Drammy, and DramaLogue Awards.

Mark Hanson, Music Director, is making his 42nd Street Moon/Eureka Theatre debut with Shadows of Pompeii. Mark has worked throughout the Bay Area for the last 18 years, winning two Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards and four Shellie Awards for Outstanding Musical Direction. Recently, Mark served as musical director for The Producers (DLOC), Falsettos (Theatre Rhino) and A Christmas Carol (Center Repertory). Favorite past productions include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (CCMT), Miss Saigon (BBBay) and Blood Brothers (PAP). Mark toured with the 1987 revival of Cabaret starring Joel Grey and Werner Klemperer and was an associate musical director with the San Francisco company of The Phantom of the Opera. He currently teaches on the musical faculties of Lick-Wilmerding High School and College of San Mateo.

Rover Spotts, Lighting Designer, has been working actively in the San Francisco Bay Area theater community. During the last handful of years, he has worked on Bound + Gagged for Rumpus in the San Francisco Fringe Festival, Stage Frights with Hardcore Thrush Productions, Broadway With a Twist: A Tale of Love and Lust and Broadway with a Twist II: The Concert and 42nd Street Moon's Ben Franklin in Paris He is currently the Technical Director for EastEnder's Repertory Company and has worked with them on their productions of Frozen, 100 Years of Queer Theatre and their upcoming festival of original works Pride Open. His most recent design was the lighting for Fountain of Youth in San Jose.

Maya Linke, Production Designer/Costumer Designer, is excited to be part of the creation of the new musical, Shadows of Pompeii. She recently graduated from San Francisco State University, earning a MFA in Theatre Arts and Production with a primary emphasis in scenic design. Recent design work includes West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet and Floyd Collins at San Francisco State University. She is currently working on Guys and Dolls for Musical Theatre Works and Baptized to the Bone for New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco.

Krista Nelson, Costume Designer, designing since 2000, Krista is the mother to two wonderful boys, Michael and Kristopher. Shows include: Into The Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Twelfth Night, A Room with a View, Christmas Pageant, The Women, Snow White, Thumbelina. Krista was nominated for a Shellie Award for Costume Design in THT's Mystery of Edwin Drood. In addition to being a full-time mother, Krista is committed to enriching children's life through art of every form and voluteers her time to this cause in various community projects.

Jennifer Bobbitt, Stage Manager

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers