Catch Me If You Can

Linda has directed and choreographed throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Directing credits include Bat Boy and Smokey Joe’s Café for TheatreWorks, both of which received San Francisco Bay Area Awards for excellence in direction. Other directing credits include Cabaret, Crazy for You, Side Show, Oklahoma!, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy!, 42nd Street, and new works Gibson Fleck and A Good Boy. Choreographic credits include Company with Carol Burnett, High Button Shoes and Strike Up The Band at Goodspeed Opera House, Singin’ in the Rain and Annie at Paper Mill Playhouse, plus a national tour and several regional productions of Singin’ in the Rain (beginning here at  MTWichita). NYC credits include Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York Music Theatre Festival, and Platforms (Best Choreography). Linda credits much of her artistic development to her work at MTW, which  includes Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, West Side Story, The Producers, Funny Girl, Hello, Dolly!, Damn Yankees, South Pacific,  Oliver!, The Music Man, Seussical, On the Town (in which she also played “Miss Turnstiles” Ivy Smith), and the world premiere of the revised Good News!. Other theatres include TUTS in Houston, Seattle’s 5th Avenue, Sacramento Music Circus, St. Louis MUNY, Pittsburgh CLO, St. Louis Rep., La Mirada, and Cincinnati Playhouse. Linda performed in the Broadway and national companies of Cabaret, and staged the European tour. Her work has also been seen in touring editions of Blues Clues Live!, Dora the Explorer, and KidzBop Live!. She lives in Michigan with her sons Tyler and Garret, where she is a professor of musical theatre at the University of Michigan. Thank you and great love and appreciation to Wayne, who fueled every step of her career!

Thomas is thrilled to continue his 15th season with his wonderful artistic family at MTWichita, having led 52 productions with this remarkable company. Thomas has done more than 200 musical theatre, opera, orchestral and oratorio productions, including conducting Webber’s Phantom of the Opera in Switzerland. Highlights include Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Bizet’s Carmen Jones, Master Class and Mondo Mangia with the late Jillene Ringle. As the Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, he is receiving acclaim for adventurous, innovative debuts and premiere programs, including Carmina Burana Africana, Messiah in Space, and a concert of standard choral masterpieces with a fusion rock band and string orchestra accompaniment, plus a presentation of Charlie Chaplin shorts with an all Bach soundtrack. On stage he has enjoyed the roles of Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Amonasro in Aida, and Fats Waller in Ain’t Misbehavin’, both in the U.S. and in Malaysia. Thomas is the Director of Choral Activities and on faculty of both the Drama and the Music schools at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He is the proud recipient of the Mary Jane Teall Award, and is the Musical Director of the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra, there having commissioned an original orchestration of Maury Yeston’s December Songs with Broadway leading lady, Sara Jean Ford. Thomas most recently conducted an exciting contemporary production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Neighborhood Opera Company in Pittsburgh where he is the Producing Artistic Director.

Robert is thrilled to re-join the creative team of MTWichita, having designed Xanadu, 9 to 5, West Side Story, and the U.S. premiere of Betty Blue Eyes. Off Broadway – 45th Street Theatre: Around the World in 80 Days; Theatre Row: The Sphinx Winx; New World Stages: White’s Lies and ImaginOcean (Drama Desk Nom.); National Tours – All Shook Up; Regional Designs – Theatre Under the Stars, Memphis Ballet, Walnut Street Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Fulton Opera House, Phoenix Theatre, and others. He has Art Directed and Designed for TV, Print Ads, Corporate, and Commercials for such clients as the Food Network, General Motors, Jockey, and Canon, to name a few. Robert would like to thank Wayne and the entire talented Wichita team. Robert is a proud member of United Scenic Artists (USA 829). www.KovachDesigns.com

Dixon is thrilled to be back at Music Theatre Wichita after costuming the recent West Side Story, and designing costumes for last summer’s U.S. Premiere of Betty Blue Eyes! He is an Associate Professor of Costume Design at State University of New York at Fredonia and a freelance designer. His designs are seen in a broad range of styles from Theatre, Dance, Opera, Film and his favorite: new and experimental theatrical works, including musicals! Dixon is the resident costume designer at the Kavinoky Theatre in Buffalo, NY. Some of his designs have been seen at The Irish Classical Theatre, ART Park, Summer Repertory Theatre, Buffalo United Artists, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, The Hartt School of Music, Triad Stage, and American Dance Festival. He has also worked in the Costume Departments at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Playmakers Repertory Company, Roanoke Festival Park, HBO Productions and CBS Productions.

David is thrilled to return for his 27th season of “Camp MTW.” In addition to many productions at MTWichita, David has designed lighting for North Shore Music Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, Omaha Symphony, The United States Air Force, Stage One, Ordway Music Theatre, Papermill Playhouse, The University of Michigan, Penn State University, Portland Center Stage, North Carolina Theatre, Musical Theatre West, Arkansas Rep, Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera, George Street Playhouse, The 5th Avenue Theatre and Off-Broadway. David’s favorite designs at MTWichita include Big River, Cats, Ragtime, Once on this Island, Children of Eden and Jesus Christ Superstar. David also teaches lighting and scenic design at Wichita State University. He makes his home in Wichita with his wife Robin and his kids, Ryan and Jocelyn.

David continues his ninth season as MTWichita’s sound designer, having also served as the sound assistant previously for a season. During MTWichita’s off season, David is the audio producer for WSU’s College of Fine Arts where he oversees audio recording and live sound for fine arts and other performances. He also serves as sound designer for WSU’s Opera and Musical Theatre programs and is the sound advisor to student musical theatre & opera sound designers and engineers. Some of his favorite sound designs have been Children of Eden, Into the Woods, Les Misérables and Wizard of Oz. David has twice been sound designer for invited productions to the Region V Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. David has also done sound design for Wichita Center for the Arts and Cabaret Oldtown. Special thanks to Dave, Jeff and the rest of the crew of Clearwing Productions in Phoenix and Josh with Event Systems for their continued support of MTWichita.

Alena is happily returning for her fifth year at MTWichita.  She lives in Wichita and spends most of the year working at Shine Salon. For her work with MTW, Alena is the recipient of the Mary Jane Teall Merit Award for the hair and makeup department. She has spent fifteen years doing hair, and has spent four years as an Aveda color educator. She has worked on Pirates of Penzance and Guys and Dolls for WSU, and worked for the last two years on shows for Wichita Grand Opera, including Otello, Marriage of Figaro, Don Pasquale and William Tell. Alena is so grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many talented people at MTWichita.

Maria is an Arizona native who has recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in theatre production, technology, and design, with emphasis in Scenic Design. She has currently worked as an assistant scenic designer for the Arizona Repertory Theatre’s production of The Man Who Came to Dinner and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Maria was also the assistant scenic charge artist for ART’s Oklahoma and prop master for their production of Cymbeline. This is Maria’s second season with Music Theatre Wichita and would like to thank Jeff Taylor and Wayne Bryan for the opportunity.

Debbie has designed costumes for many shows here, including White Christmas, Thoroughly Modern Millie, High School Musical, State Fair, Funny Girl, The Most Happy Fella, On the Town and West Side Story, plus special costumes for Aida (the fashion show, in partnership with Matt Mitchell), My Fair Lady, Annie Get Your Gun, Man of La Mancha, Crazy for You, The Sound of Music, My One and Only, and various Festival of Broadway shows. A graduate of Friends University, Debbie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance and Ballet. “I am so proud of the work that Music Theatre Wichita does, it is always a pleasure to work each season. While California remains my home, for over 20 years Wichita has been my summer home.  I look forward to meeting new people and learning new skills each time. Enjoy the shows!”

Joseph is excited to be spending his summer at MTWichita. Originally from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Joseph graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a B.A. in Theatre with triple focus in Design, Performance and Directing. He has also worked with Maine State Music Theatre, IATSE local 114 (Portland, Maine) Riverside Theatre and Theatre West Virginia. Much love to Kristin, Andrew and his ever loving mother, RIP.

Jeff is extremely honored to be back with this excellent cast and crew for his 13th summer at MTWichita. Throughout the years since 2000, he’s had the chance to apprentice, build, design, and even act for MTWichita, and has now become the year round Production Manager, working closely with the awesome MTW staff. A loyal Kansan, Jeff graduated from East High and earned his BA in Musical Theatre from Friends University in 2006. In 2011, he earned an MFA in Design and Technology from UMKC. Many thanks to the MTWichita Crew, Wayne and Nancy, and his fiancée Sarah.

Mitchell is very excited to be spending his first summer with Music Theatre Wichita. He is a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma (OU), graduating with a BFA in Drama with an emphasis in Scenic Technology. While an undergraduate, Mitch was recognized by both the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) for his work as a technical director. Additionally, he was fortunate to lead OU’s USITT chapter as President for two consecutive years (2013-2014). Mitch’s previous credits include two summers at The Santa Fe Opera Company as stage crew apprentice and supervisor (2012 & 2013); technical director of OU’s The Drowsy Chaperone; and assistant stage manager for OU’s Carousel (2013).

AJ is glad to be back for another season at MTWichita. Since last summer, AJ has worked for Goodspeed Musicals, The Nebraska Theatre Caravan, The Public Theater and the Actor’s Studio Drama School. AJ would like to thank everyone at Music Theatre for the opportunities and support they have given him throughout the past 9 years. A special thanks goes out to AJ’s parents and his sister Laura.

Brian just completed his first year in the MFA Scenic Technology program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Originally from Dubuque, IA, Brian has worked professionally at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. He is a 2013 graduate of the University of Evansville in Indiana with a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology and a minor in Mathematics.

Madelynn is a recent graduate of Wichita State University where she received a BFA in theatre design and technology. Her previous credits include Lighting Designer for 1940’s Radio Christmas Hour (Prairie Pines Dinner Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Wichita State University), and Production Stage Manager for Laughing Feet Performers. Madelynn is thrilled to be a part of her 8th season at MTWichita. She is so thankful for their summer apprentice program. If it was not for that program, she would not be where she is today. She would like to thank all of the wonderful mentors in her life as well as her family who have always supported her.

Steve is proud to return for his 21st summer as the Apprentice Program Director. A Wichita resident for twenty two years, Steve worked for Friends University, the Wichita Center for the Arts, and Shakespeare in the Park. Steve moved to the Kansas City area eight years ago for a teaching position. As an educator, Steve continues to be very excited about working with the apprentices in this unique training program (and MTW is deeply grateful for Steve’s creative dedication to our young people!).

WOW! 39 seasons! Being one of the oldest members of the production staff, this year will mark summer productions numbering 192 to 196. In the off season, I still keep my hand in stage managing for Ballet Wichita Orchestra (18 years) and Opera Kansas (23 years) while keeping our ever growing rental business running. I seem to get around a lot but only inside Century II. My life remains happily engaged in larger and more complex tasks working for my favorite employer.  My thanks to WB…..   I offer my deepest love and respect to all who work in this fabulous building and for our organization. No one can do it alone. Happy 65th Anniversary to Joe and Dorothy!

Emily is back for her 15th summer with MTWichita. Previous productions here include Les Misérables (twice!), Mary Poppins, The King and I, Legally Blonde, Singin’ in the Rain, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, Sunset Boulevard, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Gypsy, Crazy for You, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Producers, Big River, …Forum, Seven Brides…, Sweet Charity, Phantom!, Seussical, A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Chicago, Good News!, and ShowBoat. Throughout the year, she is the Production Stage Manager at Merrimack Repertory Theatre outside of Boston and also teaches stage management at Tufts University. She has stage managed for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, North Shore Music Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Capital Repertory Theater, Musical Theatre Guild, Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Broadway Texas, Theatre Emory, and The Shadowland Theatre. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Tiffany is originally from Oklahoma. Tiffany spends the other 9 months of the year in the Twin Cities where she works as the production stage manager for Theater Latte Da. While in the twin cities, she has also worked with companies including the Pillsbury House Theatre, The Children’s Theatre Company, Park Square Theatre, The Playwrights’ Center, The Director’s, and the Guthrie. Prior to her move to the Twin Cities she worked on more than a dozen productions as part of the stage management team at the Phoenix Theatre, where she became a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association.

Jesse is amazed to find himself in his 11th consecutive season with MTWichita! He conducted the Festival of Broadway orchestra for five years, and enjoyed music directing High School Musical 2 in 2009. Last year he made his debut with the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony as piano soloist, performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue with Maestro Douglas. Throughout the year, Jesse can be found at the new Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre, conducting and musical directing. “My deepest gratitude to Wayne and Thomas for these special months of rich musical fulfillment at MTWichita, and to my incredible family for their laughter and love.”

Linda continues her relationship with MTWichita, having performed in My Fair Lady, Oliver!, Cabaret, and The Sound of Music, and having conducted the Teen Choir and assisted with MTWichita’s apprentice program. Currently serving as the Director of the School of Performing Arts at Wichita State University, Linda has also served as Associate Director of the Opera and Music Theatre program there, and taught voice for more than 30 years. She has directed for Opera Kansas, WSU Opera Theatre, WSU Theatre, Wichita Community Theatre, Wichita Children’s Theatre, and the Center for the Arts. In 2005, her production of Pippin was chosen to be an alternate for the American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Joshua has choreographed for Wichita State University, Friends University, and at various high schools, studios, organizations, and theatres in and around the Wichita area, with his choreography earning him four Jester Awards. His choreographic and directing talents have been used at MTWichita as the staging director for the Teen Choir (2006-present); director/ choreographer of Festival of Broadway (2008-2010, 2014) and Curtain Up! (2013-present); and choreographer/ adjudicator for the dance portion of MTWichita’s national audition tour (2013-present). Joshua received his undergraduate degree in dance performance from Oklahoma City University and his Master of Liberal Arts (with a Theatre Concentration) from Baker University. He has traveled the country evaluating national dance competitions including Starbound and The Elite Dance Cup. Performing credits include shows at Carnegie Hall, on the Holland America Line, and with the following groups: MTWichita, Stiletto Entertainment, Tuacahn, Silver Tree Productions, Oklahoma City University, Windwood Theatricals, and The American Spirit Dance Company.

I’m thrilled for my sixth season at MTW. I would like to thank Wayne and all the super talented people at MTW for including me in the magic! During the year I work at a Goddard school, and lead Deaf Ministry at Central Community Church for the past 7 years; where I interpret services, concerts, conferences, classes, and support groups. I’m involved with Wichita Deaf Ministry Outreach and Deaf Teen Quest. I’ve been signing for 10 years and am focused on musical performance interpreting, having trained in Nashville, TN under Gate Communications. My goal is to create a performance that’s as impacting for the Deaf as it is for the hearing. Thanks to my girls Kara and Stephanie, and my husband for their support. Most importantly God, for the blessings He’s given me and the opportunity to work in such an amazing place. 2 Cor. 4:16-18

Nancy joined MTWichita in 1988 as a bookkeeper and soon took on other responsibilities. She first took over the position of Company Manager and more recently added Producing Associate to her job description.  As Company Manager Nancy’s duties include coordinating auditions, handling thousands of submissions each season. Other duties include handling the travel and housing accommodation arrangements for guest artists, and maintaining active communications with all department and department heads throughout the season. As Producing Associate Nancy attends auditions and participates in casting decisions, works with agents and participates in contract negotiations. Her long tenure at MTWichita and close personal connections to people throughout Wichita allow her to be an outstanding resource for MTWichita and for artists working in Wichita during the summer season. She can quickly connect a need to a resource, whether that is a qualified rehearsal pianist, an appropriate caterer for a donor appreciation event or a convenient hotel room for a guest artist.

History