The Chance Theater

John Kander (Music) and Fred Ebb (Lyrics)

Lyricist Fred Ebb was born in 1933 and graduated from New York University and Columbia University. His first Broadway experience was as a songwriter for the 1960 revue From A to Z. Composer John Kander, born in 1927, graduated from Oberlin College and got his first taste of Broadway as a rehearsal pianist and writer of dance arrangements on Gypsy (1959). After a few individual flops, Kander and Ebb teamed up for what would prove to be a lifelong collaboration on the 1965 musical Flora the Red Menace. The next year would make them one of the most important creative forces in Broadway history with the creation of Cabaret. The 1966 production ran for 1,165 performances (a 1998 revival would stretch 2,378 performances) and won the duo Tonys for Best Musical, Best Score (Kander), and Best Lyrics (Ebb). The 1972 film version of Cabaret won eight Academy Awards, including one for actress Liza Minnelli, whom Kander and Ebb met on Flora the Red Menace. Kander and Ebb’s next major work, Chicago, opened to lukewarm critics and audiences in 1975. It managed to run for 936 performances and won no Tony Awards, but would find later success as a 1996 revival (over 3,500 performances and counting) and adapted into the 2002 Academy Award winner for Best Picture. Kander and Ebb wrote a new song for the Chicago film, “I Move On” and were nominated for an Academy Award. The duo worked steadily throughout the 1980s and 1990s, winning score and lyrics Tonys for Woman of the Year (1981) and Kiss of the Spider Woman – The Musical (1993). Both received nominations for their work on The Happy Time (1968), Zorba (1969), The Act (1978), The Rink (1984), and Steel Pier (1997). Beyond theatre, Kander and Ebb wrote the memorable “Theme From New York, New York” for the Martin Scorsese film of the same name and were honored by the Kennedy Center for their contributions to American culture in 1998. Ebb died in 2004. [top]

Joe Masteroff (Book)

Masteroff (born in 1919) went to New York with theatrical aspirations after serving in the U.S. Air Force in World War II and attending Temple University in Philadelphia. He contributed to a couple of well-received straight plays, acting in The Prescott Proposals (1953) and writing The Warm Peninsula (1959). Masteroff adapted the book for the hit 1963 musical She Loves Me, which ran for 302 performances and an additional 354 in a 1993 revival. He received Tony nominations for Best Musical and Best Author. After the initial hit run of She Loves Me, songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb sought out Masteroff to adapt John Van Druten’s short story collection I Am a Camera into a musical. The result: Cabaret. Masteroff won part of the musical’s Tony for Best Musical in 1967. Masteroff worked with Kander and Ebb again, adapting Peter Coke’s play Breath of Spring into the 1971 flop 70, Girls, 70. Masteroff has worked primarily off-Broadway in the last decades. He authored the libretto for an operatic version of Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms (1978), the book and lyrics for Six Wives (2002) and the book for Paramour (1998), a musical adaptation of Jean Anouilh’s play The Waltz of the Toreadors. [top]

Oanh Nguyen (Director)

In 1999, Oanh co-founded The Chance Theater, where he is currently Artistic Director. His most cherished projects as a director are Undeclared..., Is Pepperoni a Vegetable? and other mysteries of love, The Stroop Report, But I Don’t Feel Grown up, Three Days of Rain, Bash, Lee Miller: The Angel and The Fiend at the Getty Museum, The Fantasticks, Lord of the Screen..., Goodnight Children Everywhere, Tape, Closer Than Ever and Porcelain. Among a number of national commercials, Oanh’s television and film credits include "American Dreams", “Saved by the Bell”, “Hang Time”, “Kenan and Kel”, “Party of Five”, “The Beast”, “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”, "The Closer", "Clockstoppers”, Jean Jacques Annaud’s “Two Brothers”, and will be appearing in the feature film "All In". He would like to thank his cast and crew for their tremendous talent and hard work. [top]

Kelly Todd (Choreographer)

Kelly recently returned from New York City where she choreographed and performed at Off-Broadway houses and local theaters. Kelly is the resident choreographer for the Children’s Civic Light Opera where she has choreographed nearly 20 musicals. She recently choreographed Closer Than Ever at The Chance and is working on a new musical, Keep Movin’ On which features the music of Sam Cooke. She would like to thank the cast and staff for their sweat and dedication and John for his love, support and patience. [top]

Dean Anderson (Musical Director)

Dean is a Chance Theater Staff Member and excited to be involved with his eighth production here. After working as a violinist, conductor, and music director in Columbia, Missouri, Dean moved to California. He has studied music and plays with the Santa Monica Symphony. Most recently, he adapted the music for FIG: R.O. (retro opera), as well as performed in FIG: R.O. (retro opera), Company and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. He would like to send his gratitude to Oanh for the opportunity and his family for all their support. [top]

John Robinson (Set Designer)

This is John's first production with the Chance. He is an architect who has done set design in LA and New York. He thanks Oanh for the opportunity and Kelly for her support and inspiration. [top]

Tonya Moake (Lighting Designer)

Originally from Colorado Springs, CO, Tonya is presently pursuing an M.F.A. degree in Lighting Design at the University of California-Irvine. She has designed professionally for the Colorado Springs Youth Repertory Theatre and Theatre West in Scottsbluff, NE. Additionally, she has assisted at South Coast Repertory and with The Walden Family Theatre in Denver. Tonya also has experience with the Utah Shakespearean Festival and Little Theatre of the Rockies. Favorite designs include Annie Get Your Gun, Street Scene: An American Opera, and The Secret Garden. Tonya is so pleased to be working with The Chance Theater!! [top]

Ron Wyand (Sound Designer)

Ron's sound designs can be heard throughout Southern California. Some of his favorite designs include: The Chance Theater’s production of Lee Miller, The Angel and The Fiend for the J. Paul Getty Museum; Newport Theater Arts Center's production of The Subject was Roses; the Ovation winning production of The Women at the Hudson Avenue Theater; Quilters and Cabaret for the Huntington Beach Playhouse. Ron has received numerous design awards including a Backstage West Garland Award for The Interact Theater's production of The Cherry Orchard. He is the resident Sound Designer at the Long Beach Playhouse, a member of the Production Staff at A Noise Within and an Audio Engineer at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center's James Armstrong Theater. [top]

Clarissa Barton (Costume Designer)

Since late 2003, Clarissa has appeared in a variety of Chance productions including Lord of the Screen (Gwendi), A Grand Night for Singing, and FIG: R.O. (Susanna). She has also designed costumes for Oedipus at Colonus and Closer than Ever. Clarissa thanks Oanh for including her in his vision; Kelly for the butt-kicking workouts; Erika for being Superwoman; Mom, Dad, Jas, & the Cuisons for the support; and of course, Bryan – my best friend & constant inspiration. [top]

Erika C. Miller (Costume Designer)

First, Erika would like to thank this wonderful cast for all of their help and support, and second, she would also like to thank her fellow partner in crime… Clarissa Barton. Aside from being one of the founders and a staff member at The Chance, she is also the resident costume designer. Some of her costuming highlights over the years have been HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, Goodnight Children Everywhere, The Cherry Orchard, Yeomen of the Guard, Lee Miller the Angel and the Fiend, and As You Like It, to name a few. It has been a pleasure to bring late 1920’s Berlin to The Chance stage and she hopes you enjoy the show. [top]

Glenda Morgan Brown (Dialect Coach)

Glenda began her dialect coaching career by assisting actors in shows she was directing, and then shows directed by her husband, David Colwell, and it grew from there. Some of the shows she has coached are Hay Fever, Don't Dress for Dinner, A Man for All Seasons, Dangerous Obsession, Shadowlands (all Standard British); The Sum of Us (Australian); Taking Sides (German); and, Dracula, requiring no less than seven different accents! Previously for Chance, she coached the cast of Molly Sweeney in an Irish dialect and the cast of Lee Miller: The Angel and the Fiend in both British and New York dialects and most recently the cast of One Flea Spare. Glenda is also a professional actress, seen most recently on "According to Jim", "Strong Medicine", and a recurring role on "The Young and the Restless". [top]

Martin Noyes (Fight Choreographer)

Some other shows Martin has Fight Directed: Grapes of Wrath, Tom Jones, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Measure for Measure, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Romeo and Juliet, Beaty and The Beast, Zastrossi, The Elephant Man, and Richard III. Martin received his B.F.A. from Southern Oregon University, and his M.F.A. form the University of Alabama and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival both in Theatre with emphasis on Acting. [top]

Masako Tobaru (Stage Manager)

Masako recently graduated from Concordia University with a B.A. in Theater and Communications. In her four years at Concordia she worked on 23 productions as a stage manager, lighting designer, and director. She has been a Company Member at The Chance for almost a year. Some of her work at The Chance has included designing lighting for A Grand Night for Singing, It’s a Wonderful Life, Closer than Ever, The Rover and designing and stage managing Reindeer Monologues. She would like to thank The Chance Staff and Company for their neverending encouragement and support. [top]

Brian Boone (Dramaturge)

Brian is a professional writer and aspiring dramaturge. He has contributed research and assistance to productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the University of Oregon, and Lord Leebrick Theatre Company (Eugene, Ore.). This is his second production at The Chance, having offered dramaturgy to The Diary of Anne Frank. He was written for several regional and national publications; written and produced plays, musicals, and films and lives in Ashland, Ore., where he works as a trivia and pop culture writer. [top]

Clarissa Barton (Fraulein Kost)

Since late 2003, Clarissa has appeared in a variety of Chance productions including Lord of the Screen (Gwendi), A Grand Night for Singing, and FIG: R.O. (Susanna). She has also designed costumes for Oedipus at Colonus and Closer than Ever. Clarissa thanks Oanh for including her in his vision; Kelly for the butt-kicking workouts; Erika for being Superwoman; Mom, Dad, Jas, & the Cuisons for the support; and of course, Bryan – my best friend & constant inspiration. [top]

Michael Irish (Ernst)

Zing! This is Michael’s ninth production with The Chance Theater. Previously he was seen in Oedipus At Colonus, Hang Up, Company, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Cup of Ha-Ha 2, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Fig: R.O. He has also embraced silliness in Poona The F***Dog with Rude Guerilla Theater in Santa Ana. He has a BA in theater from U.C. Santa Cruz (2003), where he appeared in many shows, including Ah, Wilderness!, Translations, Art, and plays with Shakespeare Santa Cruz: Coriolanus, Cinderella, and Gretel & Hansel. [top]

Glenn Koppel (Herr Schultz)

Cabaret is Glenn’s second gig with The Chance Theater where he cavorted as Ko Ko, the Lord High Executioner, in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado in 2003. Although he played the role of Herr Schultz many years ago in the Long Beach Community Theatre’s production of Cabaret, Glenn reports that he is today an older (if not wiser) Herr Schultz. Having performed in numerous local community theater productions over the years, his day job is professing law at Western State Law School in Fullerton. [top]

Casey Long (Clifford Bradshaw)

Casey is a proud member of The Chance Theater Company and is very excited to be performing for the ninth time under the direction of Oanh Nguyen. Previous Chance credits include FIG: R.O. (Figaro), Porcelain (Voice #4), The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (Dasher), and the Orange County Premiere of Tape (Vince). He would like to thank his fellow cast members for their hard work, especially his Sally - "Erika, you're the greatest!" Casey would also like to thank Alex, without whom his life would be incomplete. [top]

Erika C. Miller (Sally Bowles)

Erika is thrilled to be a part of this production. She’d like to thank her fellow cast members for their support, her family for their love, and her husband for everything. Erika was most recently seen in The Chance’s critically acclaimed production of Closer than Ever earlier this year. Previous favorites have been The Fantasticks, Goodnight Children Everywhere, Lee Miller the Angel and the Fiend, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s A Grand Night for Singing, As You Like It, Nine, Bash, and Steel Magnolias. She’s honored to be a part of this production and hopes you enjoy the show. [top]

Marina Coffee (Fraulein Schneider)

Marina started performing as a child, first dancing then singing all the way through school years and beyond. She later studied acting at South Coast Repertory, including completion of SCR’s prestigious Professional Conservatory. At SCR she has appeared in A Christmas Carol, various staged readings, and as a showcase guest artist. Marina’s musical productions include Cabaret, Tom Sawyer, A Wonderful Life, The Music Man, South Pacific, The Bronze Ring, Blossoms of Big Bear and Something Sweet, in which she costarred with Tom Hatten. Marina’s heartfelt thanks, as always, go to Stephen Coffee, Robin Field and Karen Hensel for support, inspiration and a kick in the pants. In that order. [top]

Beach Vickers (Emcee)

Beach was named for his grandfather Henry Beach and born in a West Virginia named after his great grandfather. Beach lived briefly in L.A. as a baby when his dad was an F.B.I. agent there, later taught in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan and South Korea, more recently has acted in ten states, and played two different British doctors for The Chance in last year’s Goodnight Children Everywhere and this year’s Porcelain. [top]

Michelle Anderson (Kit Kat Girl)

Michelle is so excited to be back! This is her second time performing at The Chance and she couldn’t be happier. Michelle has worked incredibly hard perfecting her role in Cabaret and would like to thank the cast for all of their support. A very special thanks goes to Oanh for giving her this opportunity and to Kelly and Dean for all of their hard work. This is certainly one show Michelle will never forget. [top]

Ricky Culbertson (Kit Kat Boy)

Ricky is thrilled to join The Chance Company. He has been seen on The Chance stage in Closer Than Ever and Porcelain. He is also currently in Big Love. He has performed in numerous national tours, Off-Off Broadway, and regional productions, including; Sweeny Todd, A Sondheim Celebration, Black Sox, Black Comedy, Guys & Dolls, Forum, Noises Off, Forever Plaid, World Goes Round, JC Superstar. “Thanks to the whole company, I am humbled in your presence.” [top]

Maria Hontalas (Kit Kat Girl)

Maria, a triple threat, is currently working on her BA in dance. She started studying voice, piano, acting and dance when she was eight years old. After developing her skills in high school, she relocated to Southern California pursuing television and musical theatre. Most recently, Maria has performed in Les Miserables and South Pacific. Along with dance concerts and competitions, she has also modeled for such brands as “American Eagle” and “Always.” [top]

Verona Jianni (Kit Kat Girl)

Verona is making her Chance Theater debut with this production. She would like to thank her fellow cast members for their hard work and dedication. She hopes you enjoy the show. [top]

Bree Long (Kit Kat Girl)

Bree is thrilled for the opportunity to work among such a talented cast of players brimming over with panache and poise in her first production at The Chance Theater. Past notable theater credits include Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, and others. Bree would like to give thanks to her family, friends, cast and crew for their inspiration, unwavering support and encouragement. [top]

Sarah Moreau (Kit Kat Girl)

As a proud Company Member of The Chance Theater, Sarah is thrilled to be a part of this production. Sarah has a BFA from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and is on The Chance Staff as Youth Education Director. Kids, don't try this at home, come to The Chance Theater Youth Workshop this summer! Sarah would like to thank Oanh, Kelly, and everyone at The Chance for their patience and dedication and inspiring brilliance. [top]

Bryan Barton (Ernst Understudy)

Bryan is pleased to be returning to The Chance stage for the second time this year. Previously he appeared in FIG: R.O. (retro opera), Sganarelle or the Imaginary Cuckold and Creep for First Chance Fest 2004, and in Zazzle, Unemployment, and Bridge and Tunnel in 2003. He has also been involved as Stage Manager and Sound Designer for several critically acclaimed Chance Theater productions. He was recently married in February and is excited to be performing for the second time with his wonderful new wife Clarissa. [top]

Myrna Niles (Schneider Understudy)

Myrna was invited to join The Chance Theater Company last fall, and she is very happy about that! Recently her husband Tom was invited to become a Company Member too, and it is such a delight for her to have him involved with The Chance also! She honors the work that The Chance has done, and continues to do. She is always amazed at the enthusiasm and talent of the founders and company of The Chance. She has now performed at The Chance in five plays. She has performed in various theaters in Southern California and has appeared in many co-star roles on television. But theater is where her heart is. And as always, she would like to thank her husband Tom for his wonderful support on her acting career. [top]

Dean Anderson (Max/Kit Kat Boy)

Dean is a Chance Theater Staff Member and excited to be involved with his eighth production here. After working as a violinist, conductor, and music director in Columbia, Missouri, Dean moved to California. He has studied music and plays with the Santa Monica Symphony. Most recently, he adapted the music for FIG: R.O. (retro opera), as well as performed in FIG: R.O. (retro opera), Company and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues. He would like to send his gratitude to Oanh for the opportunity and his family for all their support. [top]

Jonathan Kolbush (Kit Kat Boy)

This is Jonathon’s debut at The Chance Theater and is thrilled to be working with such an amazing group. He is currently enrolled at Fullerton College majoring in Musical Theatre and always looks forward to performances in musicals. His past roles include Prince Dauntless in Once Upon a Mattress, Willard in Footloose, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls. [top]

Michael Shunnarah (Kit Kat Boy)

Michael has been singing, dancing and acting for several years. He started his training in New York where he appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Helo, Dolly and Joseph... . Moving to Los Angeles to further his career, Michael has done plays and independent films, most recently appearing in the feature "Big Fish." He is currently enrolled at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, studying with the renowned Al Mancini under Milton Katselas. Michael is glad to be part of Cabaret. [top]