The 9/11 Report:
A Bipartisan Musical Fantasia
An Equity Approved Showcase
The 9/11 Report: a Bipartisan Musical Fantasia is sponsored, in part, by the Highland Park Cultural Arts Commission
 
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music & lyrics by Michael Mahler spoken word by Oron Stenesh conceived, directed & choreographed by Jessica Redish On September 4, 2001, Richard Clarke met with Condoleeza Rice to discuss the unimaginable. Seven days later it came true. Three years later, a bipartisan commission assembled their findings in an attempt to understand our nation's greatest tragedy. It created The 9/11 Report. Join us on a musical fantasia that combines elements of song, dance, and theatre to explore the whos, whats, wheres, whens, whys and hows of that infamous day and the failures of preparation, cooperation, and imagination in the preceding years that allowed it to happen. By learning the lessons of our past, we hope to build a safer tomorrow in which the unimaginable never happens again.
The Karger Center Theatre |
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ELANA ERNSTa Chicago native, Elana has never been able to stay away too long. Now, the opportunity to create and explore alongside this amazing group of artistic minds, is yet another reason Elana is proud to call Chicago “home.” La Red Music Theatre Credits include: The 9/11 report: A Bipartisian Musical Fantasia, 48 Hour Musicals: Famous Last Words (Champagne) and What U Will (Heaven). Broadway Tour: Mamma Mia! Regional credits include: The Hundred Dresses (Cecile) with Chicago Childrens’ Theatre, Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) at the Human Race Theatre, High School Musical (Sharpay) at the Marriott Lincolnshire, How Can You Run With a Shell on your Back? (Riley) at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Gypsy (Agnes) at the Ravinia Festival, The Tempest (Miranda) with First Folio Shakespeare, Bye, Bye Birdie (Ursula) at the Marriott Lincolnshire. A professional voiceover artist, Elana can be heard on your television and radio. Proud member of AEA, SAG and AFTRA. Proud grad of CCM, and proud to be a member of this unique collective. Love to Mom, Dad, Leah, and best friend David. And huge thanks to “La Red” herself, for creating a haven for hearts, voices, and dancing feet. www.elanaernst.com. |
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LIZ KIMBALL is honored to join this extraordinary group of artists, having been a believer in Jessica Redish and her work for the past seven years. Recent credits include Hairspray (Penny, Walnut Street Theatre, and, Amber, Weston Playhouse), Kiss Me Kate (Paper Mill Playhouse), Dream a Little Dream (Florida Stage), and World Goes ‘Round (ABT, Zoni Nomination, Best Actress). Additional credits include the McCarter Theatre, York Theatre, La MaMa ETC, and NYMF, among others. Liz graduated Summa cum Laude with a BS in English and Theatre from Northwestern University, class of ’06, and is a member of AEA. Namaste. |
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LAURA SCHEINBAUM is thrilled to be working with this incredible group of friends and collaborators. Her performing credits include Court Theatre’s brand new translation of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, High School Musical and State Fair at The Marriott, The Boys From Syracuse at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Louise in the Court Theatre and Long Wharf Theatre co-production of Carousel, Ravinia Festival’s The Most Happy Fella, I Sailed With Magellan at Victory Gardens, Mary Zimmerman’s Pericles at The Goodman, Eloise and Ray at Roadworks, Frank Galati’s Ragtime at The Oriental, and The Diary of Anne Frank and Kindertransport at Apple Tree Theatre. Her choreography credits include I Do! I Do! at American Theater Company, It’s A Wonderful Life at Porchlight, and Princess Ida with The Savoyaires. She is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. www.thisislaura.com |
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GENEVIEVE VENJOHNSON (CONDOLEEZZA RICE) a native New Yorker, Genevieve has called the Chicago Theatre community “home” for over 15 years. She was last seen as “Mistress Norcomb” in the world premiere of Harriet Jacobs at Steppenwolf Theatre. Other Chicago performances include: Next Theatre: Miss Witherspoon, Goodman Theatre: The House of Martin Guerre, A Christmas Carol. Court Theatre: Carmen, Desire Under the Elms, and The Iphigenia Cycle, which remounted Off- Broadway at the American Place Theatre. Chicago Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet. Lifeline Theatre: The Left Hand of Darkness, Island of the Blue Dolphins. Ravinia Festival: Anyone Can Whistle. Bailiwick Theatre: The Hiroshima Project. Regionally, she’s performed with PCPA Theaterfest in Quilters, Renaissance TheatreWorks in Anton in Show Business, andNew American Theatre in The Heidi Chronicles. Genevieve spent two years performing on European stages in Jesus Christ Superstar, and a year touring stateside as a featured vocalist with the Lionel Hampton Jazz Orchestra. She holds a BFA from SUNY Fredonia, and an MFA from FSU/ Asolo Conservatory. A proud member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors’ Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, she’s delighted to be summering in lovely Highland Park. |
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MICHAEL WEBER (RICHARD CLARKE) was most recently seen in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as “Vice Principal Panch” at Marriott Theatre, Around the World in Eighty Days at The Cleveland Playhouse and, prior to that, he directed and appeared in It Had To Be You opposite Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka. He will next be seen in the Chicago Premiere of High Fidelity with Route 66. Additional credits include: Angel Street (First Folio Shakespeare), Gypsy starring Patti LuPone (Ravinia), Henry V & The Winter's Tale (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), My Fair Lady (Stages St. Louis), The Gifts of the Magi (Indiana Repertory), Stalag 17 (American Theatre Company), Singin’ in the Rain (Drury Lane Theatre), and Don Juan In Hell (Royal George Theatre) as well as television work in “Prison Break” on FOX. Michael has served as Artistic Director of both Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place and Theatre at the Center and, as a director, is most recently represented with Fifth of July, Cirque du Symphony and Mid-Life-the Crisis Musical. He is author of the new play WAR of the WELLeS and he is a proud member of SAG, SDC and Actors’ Equity Central Regional Board. |
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CHRIS YONAN is proud to be an original member of The Collective at La Red, where he was last seen in The 9/11 Report. NYC Credits: Maccabeat, Fairy Tale (NYMF); The 5 Borough Plays (Milk Can); Henri Gabler (Exigent); concert appearances at The Knitting Factory, Hudson Theater, Minskoff Theater. Chicago credits: Homebody/Kabul, Cherry Orchard (Steppenwolf); Sunday in the Park... (Ravinia); Fiddler on the Roof (Drury Lane), Camelot (Light Opera Works), The Ballad of Baby Doe (Chicago Opera Theater), the world premiere of Stephen Flaherty and Frank Galati's Loving Repeating (NU), among others. Chris was also David Bell's assistant director for The Three Musketeers at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Chris' one-man show, The Idiot's Guide to Dating, has been performed in Chicago at the Gorilla Tango Theatre, and is currently in an open run at the Duplex in NYC. All my love to Jess and The Collective, my friends and family, and God. |
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ZACH ZUBE (ENSEMBLE) is very excited to be working The Music Theatre Collective. In Chicago, Zach has performed at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire in High School Musical, the world-premiere musical The Bowery Boys, and Seussical. He has also worked at Theatre at the Center in a handful of shows including La Cage Aux Folles (Chantal); Hello Dolly! (Barnaby) and Cats (Munkustrap) and has performed with Light Opera Works and Bailiwick Repertory. The process of creating new work is the ultimate passion behind Zach’s artistic drive. Some of his most inspiring moments have come from dance workshops with contemporary artists David Dorfman, Molly Shanahan, and Li Chiao-Ping. Zach’s dance background led him to work professionally with Chicago’s Hedwig Dances and Madison, WI based Li Chiao-Ping Dance. Aside from theatre, he shares his love for life as a yoga instructor (www.zachdoesyoga.com). Zach holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity. Much gratitude and love to his wonderfully supportive and loving family and friends (especially Jean and Jess) without which he would be lost. |
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MICHAEL MAHLER (COMPOSER, LYRICIST, BALLADEER ) is the composer/lyricist of The 9/11 Report: A Bipartisan Musical Fantasia commissioned by La Red, as well as Knute Rockne – All American with David H. Bell (Theatre at the Center) and How Can You Run with a Shell on your Back? with Alan Schmuckler (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) which was featured in the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s 2009 Festival of New Musicals. His songs have been sung in reviews across the US, the UK and Australia. He and Schmuckler, with Jarrod Zimmerman and Blake Silver, are currently working on an original musical series, Boyfred. Michael is a Jeff Citation and After Dark award-winning actor and a Jeff-nominated music director. He is a proud member of ASCAP, AEA, Barrel of Monkeys and Provision Theater. www.michaelmahler.com |
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ORON STENESH (SPOKEN WORD POETRY) created The O Train and Olection at the Duplex, and toured Olection to Chicago’s Davenport’s Piano Bar. He has also appeared in Not Ur Everyday Act at the Metropolitan Room and Brite Nite at Brite Bar and Therapy with the Northwestern University Entertainment Alliance. Theatre credits include an International Tour of Fame as Schlomo, Babes in Toyland with the Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center, Far Away at New York Theatre Workshop, A Christmas Carol at the McCarter Theatre, A Stoop on Orchard Street Off-Broadway at the Mazer Theatre, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel with Theatreworks/USA. He has appeared on ABC’s “One Life to Live” and on Nippon TV’s “Tokyo Wonder Tours.” His stand-up comedy has been seen at New York Comedy Club, Hiroko’s Place, and the Denizen Lounge, and he has appeared with hip-hop’s Miss Angelina and the Jersey Boyz. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Theatre and Musical Theatre programs, attendee at the 2007 Cabaret Conference at Yale University, and proud member of MAC, AEA and AFTRA. |
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JESSICA REDISH (CONCEIVER/DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER) is a New York-based director/choreographer and a Chicago native. New York credits include: Movement Director for the Lortel Award-winning Adding Machine, A Musical, Director of green eyes at the New York International Fringe Festival, Director/Choreographer for Maccabeat, and choreographer for The Family Fiorelli and Oedipus for Kids! at the New York Music Theatre Festival, Moving Forward, Looking Back by Michael Mahler (co-Conceiver) at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Regional: And the World Goes ’Round (ariZoni Nomination for Choreography) and Oklahoma! with Festival 56. Chicago credits: And The World Goes ’Round and What u Will both with La Red Productions, and Falsettos at Northwestern University, her alma mater, where she recently served on the Music Theatre Faculty. Jessica has assisted Michael Greif, Christopher Gattelli and at Paper Mill Playhouse. She is a member of SSDC and AEA. |
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BRIAN SIDNEY BEMBRIGDE (SCENIC DESIGNER) Off Broadway: Jean Cocteau Repertory, Kids With Guns, Theatre at St. Clements. Chicago: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare, Second City, Lookingglass Theatre Company (associate artist), Court Theatre, The Chicago Theater, Writers' Theatre, Ravinia Music Festival, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista (associate artist), Drury Lane Theaters, Northlight Theater, UMA Productions (associate artist), among others. Regional: Guthrie Theater, The Children's Theatre Company, Virginia Opera, Opera Omaha, Milwaukee Repertory, Madison Repertory, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Two River Theatre Company, California Shakespeare, Circle X Theatre Company, among others. Brian and his work have been featured in American Theatre, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Social, Entertainment Design Magazine, Live Design among others. He is a multiple recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award, LA Drama Critic Circle Award, Garland Award and an LA Weekly Award. Film Production Design: Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, Holding Out, Stray Dogs, Late for Church and designed sets for MUPPETS FROM SPACE. briansidneybembridge.com |
| KEITH PARHAM (LIGHTING DESIGN) New York credits: Adding Machine, A Musical (Minetta Lane, OBIE Award) Crime and Punishment (with Writers' Theatre), The Sunset Limited (with Steppenwolf Theatre), Red Light Winter (Barrow Street Theatre), and Rules for Good Manners in the Modern World (TUTA Theatre). He is also company member of TUTA Theatre, where recent credits include: It's Only the End of the World, Tracks, Huddersfield, Still Life in Color, and Birds. He has also designed numerous shows with The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Next Theatre Company (Associate Artist), Timeline Theatre (Associate Artist), Writers' Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, European Repertory Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and Theatre Wit. | |
JASON T. VANDERWOUDE (STAGE MANAGER) is thrilled to be working with La Red Music Theatre. Chicago credits include Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CPS Shakespeare! Macbeth, and Seussical! The Musical (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); La Posada Mágica (Teatro Vista); Gutenberg! The Musical (The Royal George); A Kiss From Alexander (Bailiwick Repertory). Regional credits include: The Road Home: Re-Membering America (The Huntington Theatre Company); A Christmas Celtic Sojourn (WGBH Boston); and First Blush, King of the Jews, and The Red Lion (Boston Playwrights’ Theatre). Jason is a graduate of Boston University’s School of Theatre. |
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RACHEL FROST (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) is a sophomore at Syracuse University studying Stage Management. Starting at a young age, Rachel has always loved the arts. She attended Harand Theater Camp for nine summers. A graduate of Highland Park High School, she was heavily involved in the Fine Arts Department working on a variety of shows over her four years. She concentrated in tech but also experimented with acting as well as directing. Rachel is very excited to join the La Red team! |
YAEL KIKEN (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR) is ever so excited to explore new work this summer! A Chicago native, she is currently studying Directing in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University of Michigan. There, she has directed The Baltimore Waltz, Brooklyn Boy and Earwig, and worked on Quick Comedians and Changeable Taffetta (which premired at the Kennedy Center for their Millennium Stages series), Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Our Lady of 121st Street, Two by Fassbinder, and Singin’ in the Rain. She helped organize Playfest, a staged-reading series of new works, is on the board of Basement Arts (the Theatre Department's student-run production company), and is a member of the Prison Creative Arts Project and the New England Literature Program. Yael loves participating in theatrical and writing shenanigans in theatres, classrooms, woods, barns and prisons, and is truly jazzed about engaging with this company of artists. |
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AARON HEETER (TECHNICAL DIRECTOR) |
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PAUL J. HOLZMAN, Architect, Esquire (SET CONSTRUCTION) Coupling a license to practice architecture with a license to practice law, Mr. Holzman brings to any team a highly diverse practical experience. As an architect, he has specialized in the design of earth friendly projects. He also has expertise in international law, focusing on the real estate laws of Mexico. As a management level executive in the corporate world of architecture, Mr. Holzman gained organizational and management skills on a number of large scale projects in Chicago. Most visible was the McCormick Place South Hall Expansion and the Argonne National Laboratories Particle Accelerator Project. As the former owner of Holzman Design, LLC (HDL), Mr. Holzman has designed restaurants, retail projects, single-family homes, and condominiums. HDL had been involved in designing yoga studios, spa facilities, health food stores, off-the-grid homes, sustainable vacation resorts and residential developments. Recently, Mr. Holzman formed EcoSquared to provide the real estate community access to his sustainable design expertise. EcoSquared educates practitioners to the economics of pursuing ecologically sound real estate practices and he applies sensible and cost effective means for attaining a higher level of sustainability to each project. These services include green architects and engineers, and green construction services. Mr. Holzman received his B.A. from Illinois Institute of Technology and his J.D. from IIT Kent College of Law. He attended the MBA program at IIT Stuart School of Business, and recently became a Certified Green Architect. |
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JOEY DEBETTENCOURT (SCENIC PAINTER) is a recent graduate of Northwestern University, where he worked both on and off stage. He designed sets for numerous productions including The Wizard of Oz and A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court. He has also assisted on several professional projects around Chicago including Phantom at Theater at the Center with designer Andre Lasalle. He works as a freelance scenic painter and technical director as well as acting, and will be seen later this summer in Brought to Life produced and created by ensemble113 of which he is a founding member. |
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