Thanksgiving Play

SAVANA ANDERSHOCK (Logan) is a first-year student pursuing a theatre arts major at Parkside with a concentration in lighting. This is her first acting production since her middle school years, and she cannot wait to show you all what she can do! Her last few shows include Clue and Nunsense. She is happy that you all came and hopes that you enjoy the show!

BEN BREWER (Jaxton) is an acting concentration and Junior transfer student from State Fair Community College (Sedalia, MO) where he obtained his AFA in Theatre. This is Ben’s UW-Parkside debut. A few of Ben’s previous credits at SFCC include: The Diviners (C.C. Showers), Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play (Gibson/Homer Simpson), First Date (Aaron), replacement for KCACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival) Region V selected show, Be More Chill (Jeremy’s Dad/Mr. Reyes), and played Josh in Springfield Little Theatre’s production of Bang Bang You’re Dead. He has also spent summers acting in Kansas City as a part of various productions such as: Monty Python’s Spamalot (King Arthur) and Grease (Kenickie). Ben would like to thank the Parkside Theatre Arts Company, his family, and you!

SAMANTHA FEILER (Alicia) is in her fifth year as a theatre major at UW-Parkside and will be graduating this spring with three concentrations in performance, musical theatre, and stage management. Past credits at UW-Parkside include Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Cinderella), Silent Sky (Margaret), Urinetown (Little Sally), Little Women (Beth), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Panacea), and Romeo and Juliet (Gregory). Other acting credits include Twelfth Night (Maria), Macbeth (Witch), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peter Quince) in Summer Shakespeare, a collaboration between UW-Parkside Theatre and the College of Lake County. Samantha has stage management credits with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and Renaissance Theatreworks, and just finished working as a PA for the tour of Hamilton on their Milwaukee stop.

COLTON SMITH (Caden) was born in Lawrence, Kansas and has been acting since he was sixteen. Colton has directed three black box shows, as well as assistant directed Little Shop of Horrors as an intern over the summer in his hometown. Colton also has the honors of earning the Playwright’s Award at Kansas State Thespian Festival in 2019 for his one act work, The Hero I Am. Colton would like to thank his mother for trusting him to make it this far, and his fellow cast mates for being such amazing people to work with.

BIANCA GONZALEZ (Understudy Swing) is in her junior year at UW-Parkside working towards a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts with a concentration in performance. Her previous experience includes The Penelopiad (Properties Master), Proof (Catherine), Stupid F**king Bird (Properties master), Pretty (Madeline), Romeo and Juliet (Properties Master), and Hope and Gravity (Narrator).

TOMER PROCTOR-ZENKER (Understudy Swing) is a senior theatre arts major with a concentration in acting. His previous acting credits at UW-Parkside include Lord Pinkleton in R&H’s Cinderella, Michael Black, and Bernards 1 and 2 in A Number, and Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

BRIAN J. GILL (Director) is a member of the Theatre Arts Faculty serving as an Assistant Professor of Performance. He has been a professional stage actor for over 20 years, appearing at such theaters as Milwaukee Chamber, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Renaissance Theaterworks, First Stage Children’s Theatre, goats & monkeys (co-founder and company member) and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Chicago credits include Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Provision Theater, Apple Tree Theatre and Famous Door; Regionally Brian has performed at Theatre at the Center, the Illinois and Texas Shakespeare Festivals, Allenberry Playhouse, and the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC. He is also the narrator of over six-dozen audio books. Professor Gill trained at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London as a member of the First International Artistic Fellowship, training and performing with Mike Alfreds and Mark Rylance. Other international credits include The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He received his M.F.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. UW-Parkside Theatre directing credits include Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Midnight and Moll Flanders, Don Juan, A Streetcar Named Desire, Hedda Gabler, and Book of Days. He a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and an Advanced Actor-Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors.

REDWING THOMAS (Cultural Advisor) Redwing is an award-winning Dakota Language Instructor at Nebraska Indian Community College and Dakota Language/Culture Teacher at Santee Community Schools. A published author, Adventures of Keya chronicles the adventures of Keya (Turtle) as he uses the Dakota language to count the stars, make new friends and learn the importance of bravery. Redwing is also a singer at the Mato Pejuta drum group. He sits on the Santee Sioux Nation Tribal council as a District Representative, and he is an active member of his community.

ABBY KUBIK (Stage Manager) will be graduating in December having earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Stage Management. She transferred to UW-Parkside in 2019 after earning an associate degree in Liberal Arts from Milwaukee Area Technical College. UW-Parkside credits include Stupid F**king Bird (Stage Manager), Cinderella (Assistant Stage Manager), Romeo and Juliet (Assistant Stage Manager), Silent Sky (Assistant Stage Manager), and the FreshINK staged reading of 3Sisters (Stage Manager). She is thrilled to have a live audience again for her final show at UW-Parkside and hopes you all enjoy the performance.

MISTI BRADFORD (Faculty Costume Design Advisor) Misti is a professional costume designer and educator. Some of her design credits include Boswell, MHK Productions- Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2019; Happy Days, Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven (world premiere) Renaissance TheatreWorks (Milwaukee, WI), The Nerd, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Pride and Prejudice, Illinois Shakespeare Festival; Murder for Two, Merrimack Repertory Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Much Ado About Nothing and The Comedy of Errors, Door Shakespeare; two seasons of A Christmas Carol, Children’s Theatre of Madison; Goosebumps the Musical (world premiere) First Stage Children’s Theatre; Bus Stop, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Flying Dutchman, Les Misérables, Man of Lamancha, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. She served for five seasons as Resident Costume Designer and three seasons as Costume Crafts Supervisor and Wig Stylist with PCPA Theaterfest and has also worked several seasons as a Costume Crafts Artisan for the American Player’s Theatre. Misti is an Associate Professor of Costume Design, and currently serves as the University of Wisconsin Parkside’s Theatre Arts Department Chair, the Chair of the Committee on Teaching and Learning. She was selected as the campus representative for the prestigious Wisconsin Teaching Scholar program for 2020-2021 and has been nominated three times for the UW-Parkside Stella GrayTeaching Award. Misti served as the KCACTF Region 3 DTM Co-Chair, the USITT- Commissioner of Events and Experience, Costume Commissio, and is a proud member of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829.

PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS is dedicated to cultivating the most important American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, as well as developing and producing their bold new plays and musicals. Tim Sanford became Artistic Director in 1996 and Leslie Marcus has been Managing Director since 1993. Under their decades of leadership, Playwrights builds upon its diverse and renowned body of work, counting 400 writers among its artistic roster. In addition to its onstage work each season, Playwrights’ singular commitment to nurturing American theater artists guides all of the institution’s multifaceted initiatives: our acclaimed New Works Lab, a robust commissioning program, an innovative curriculum at its Theater School, and more. Robert Moss founded Playwrights in 1971 and cemented the mission that continues to guide the institution today. André Bishop served as Artistic Director from 1981-1992. Don Scardino succeeded him and served until 1996. Over its 47-year history, Playwrights has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including six Pulitzer Prizes, 13 Tony Awards, and 39 Obie Awards.