The TCR @ Brucemore Summer Series is sponsored by Transamerica and the Cedar Grove Signature Fund.
Creative Team
- Director — Angie Toomsen
- Music Director — Janelle Lauer
- Choreographer — Megan Robinson
- Scenic/Lighting Design — S. Benjamin Farrar
- Costume Design — Melonie Stoll
- Sound Design — Darin Ulmer
- Intimacy Director — Carrie Pozdol
CAST
- Desiree Armfeldt — Jordan Arnold
- Fredrik Egerman — Joe Wetrich
- Anne Egerman — Catherine Blades
- Count Carl-Magnus Malcom — Aaron Murphy
- Countess Charlotte Malcolm — Paige Kennedy
- Henrik Egerman — Brandon Burkhardt
- Petra — Kami Zbanek-Hill
- Madame Armfeldt— Cherryl Moon Thomason
- Frid — Jake Stigers
- Fredrika Armfeldt — Rhylee Larson
- Mrs. Nordstrom — Allison Holmes-Bendixen
- Mrs. Segstrom — Rebecca Fields-Moffitt
- Mrs. Anderssen — Karissa Burkhardt
- Mr. Lindquist — Joshua Andrew Morey
- Mr. Erlandson — Greg Smith
Orchestra
- Piano/Conductor — Janelle Lauer
- Keyboard — Forrest Green
- Violin — Tejas Gururaja
- Viola — Ava Macek
- Cello — Christina Craig-Gentz
- Cello — Lee Prostine (sub – 8/13)
- Bass — Ken DeKeyser
- Reed Specialist — Ryan Smith
- Reed Specialist — Lisa Weissenberg (sub – 8/24, 8/25, 8/26)
Production Team
- Stage Manager — Lisa Kelly
- Assistant Stage Manager — Jeni Tucker
- Production Technical Director — Ben Lauer
- Properties — Jeni Tucker
- A2 — Jenny Titus
- Costume Design Director — Jess Helberg
- Costume Director — Joni Sackett
- Carpenters — Jason “Blue” Herbert, Chris Rich, Bryan Kisling
- Master Electrician — Britin Robinson
- Electrics Assistants — Tyler Salow, Chloe Cummings
- Scenic Artists/Master Painters — S. Benjamin Farrar, Lucie Greene
- Backstage Crew — Bryan Kisling, Connor French, Sam Claussen, Noel Steffen (sub)
- Spotlight Operators — Brian Burkhardt, Theo Brock, Jen Waskow (sub), John Rocarek (sub)
- Costume & Wig Crew — Debra Winter, Grace Black, Deanna Holtzman, Kailyn Storer, Zhen Rammelsberg, Zoe Murphy
- Costume Construction — Debra Winter
- Marketing Design — Christina Kroemer, Studio Reserved
- Promotional Photos — Studio Reserved, Seth Walters, S. Benjamin Farrar
- Production Management — Angie Toomsen, Lisa Kelly, Courtny Rocarek, Kelly Shriver
Meet the Cast
Jordan Arnold (Desiree) Jordan is so excited to be returning the Brucemore stage for another stunning summer. Over the last few years Jordan has had the privilege of performing in many theatrical productions in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area including Men on Boats, Lungs, The Taming, Dance Nation, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and Clybourne Park. When not enjoying the precarious pitch of the outdoor stage, she works as a Workplace Strategist at Allsteel Furniture in Muscatine. Special thanks to my husband and pups for quite literally being the best. Kisses!
Joe Wetrich (Fredrik) Is excited to be a part of TCR’s outdoor at Brucemore series. His last appearance at TCR was Sound Of Music as Captain Georg Von Trapp. Other recent appearances include, Revival Theatre Company’s production of Titanic as Fredrick Barrett, and City Circle Theatre production of The Secret Garden as Archibald Craven. He would like to thank all of you, for supporting live theatre. Enjoy the show!
Catherine Blades (Anne) Catherine was recently seen as Sally Bowles in TCR’s Cabaret. Catherine played Kate McGowen in Titanic and Laurey in Oklahoma with Cedar Rapid’s Revival Theatre Company. Select credits: Minnie Fay- Hello, Dolly! (Goodspeed Opera House), Teen Ensemble/Kim Understudy- Bye Bye Birdie (Broadway Revival) and Amaryllis – The Music Man (National Tour). Catherine can be seen as Young Trish in the Marvel series Jessica Jones (Netflix). Catherine won Best Actress at the 2017 New York Winter Film Festival for the independent feature film Cheerleader streaming on Amazon.
Aaron Murphy (Carl Magnus) Thrilled to be part of the magic of Sondheim at the Brucemore estate, Aaron was last seen on this stage in Hay Fever. His most recent TCR credits include Emcee in Cabaret, The D’Ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, and Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, in addition to appearances with Mirrorbox Theatre and SPT Theatre. Aaron lives in Cedar Rapids with his husband and is the owner and principal designer at Aaron Murphy Interiors.
Paige Kennedy (Charlotte) is thrilled to be a part of her second show with Theatre Cedar Rapids, and first show at Brucemore! She received a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education from Taylor University and is currently pursuing an MA in Vocal Performance at the University of Iowa. Recent credits: HONK! (Penny/Snowy) and Titanic (Caroline Neville) with Revival Theatre Company; The Secret Garden (Lily) with City Circle Theatre; Sound of Music (Sister Sophia/Frau Zeller) with TCR; and La Traviata at the University of Iowa. Thank you to this fabulous cast and crew who has made this production possible! Many thanks to friends and family for their love and support!
Brandon Burkhardt (Henrik) Brandon Burkhardt (Henrik) was excited to learn to play cello over the past few months for one of his dream roles! He previously performed with TCR as Lon/Meet Me In St. Louis, Rolf/Sound of Music, Prince Topher/Cinderella, Billy Cane/Bright Star at Brucemore, Race/Newsies, and in Mamma Mia and The Spongebob Musical. Other roles include Charles Clarke/Stevedore in Titanic and Greylag/Father Swan in HONK! with Revival Theatre and a soloist in An Evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein with Brucemorchestra; Nick Bottom/Something Rotten, Captain Corcoran/HMS Pinafore, and Soldier/Sunday In The Park With George (UI Theatre); Lancelot/Camelot, Beast/Beauty and the Beast, Terry/Side Show (City Circle); Tony/West Side Story, Jean Valjean/Les Miserables, Scarecrow/Wizard of Oz (Theatre West), and Charles/Persuasion (Chamber Opera Tours). He is a senior at the University of Iowa. Huge thanks to Angie, Janelle, Lisa, and the entire cast and crew! Miss you, Jody <3
Kami Zbanek Hill (Petra) Kami is grateful and excited to be returning to the TCR stage. She has previously appeared as Alysha in American Idiot, Madeline in The Wild Party, and Little Red in Into the Woods. She works as an Event Coordinator at the Cedar Rapids Public Library and serves on the Board of Mount Vernon Lisbon Community Theater. Special thanks to JZH and Mama. Thank you for supporting live theater and local artists!
Cherryl Moon Thomason (Madame) After 20 years of performing in The Classics at Brucemore, Cherryl is delighted to return to the Peggy Boyle Whitworth stage at Brucemore in a TCR musical. She most recently appeared at TCR, in Ripcord (pre-pandemic) and earlier this year directed a couple of Readers Theatre productions for Seniors at Mirrorbox Theatre. Thanks Angie, Lisa and Janelle for this opportunity. Theatre CAN be a lifetime avocation.
Jake Stigers (Frid) Though he’s a lifelong Sondheim disciple, A Little Night Music is actually the first full Sondheim show Jake has had the honor to perform in. This production is also his first at Brucemore, but it’s his millionth (give or take) time getting to perform with many of the ridiculously talented people in this cast. Jake last indulged in post-Gilded Age wealth and excess when he (spoiler alert!) died in Revival Theatre Company’s production of Titanic. And he lingered at the bottom of the ocean long enough to tap his tentacles off as Squidward in TCR’s recent The SpongeBob Musical. Back on land, he’s had enormous amounts of fun in A Chorus Line (Bobby), Forever Plaid (Smudge), The Full Monty (Harold), Mamma Mia! (Harry), Billy Elliot (Mr. Braithwaite), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (King Triton), Fuddy Meers (Limping Man) and One Man, Two Guvnors (Stanley Stubbers). To prove his Sondheim-disciple bona fides, Jake has a Merrily We Roll Along quote tattooed on on his left arm, and the name of his blog is an obscure, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quote from the show you’re enjoying tonight: TheOneWhoMumbles.blogspot.com
Rhylee Larson (Fredrika) Rhylee is so exited to be apart of this amazing cast and has had so much fun this summer. Over the summer Rhylee played Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde Jr., and Pearl Krabbs in The Spongebob Musical at TCR, and cannot wait to finish out the summer as Fredrika Armfeldt! She would like to thank her vocal teacher Cameron Sullenberger for teaching her everything she knows. Enjoy the show! 🙂
Joshua Andrew Morey (Mr. Lindquist) Josh is excited to be on stage with TCR for the first time. Before TCR, he has been involved in shows with the Mount Pleasant Community theater, Washington Community Theater, and Theater Museum of Repertoire Americana. Outside of theater, he is involved in Chorale Midwest, Twenty-First Century Vocals, and the Kirkwood Community Band.
Greg Smith (Mr. Erlandson) Greg is blessed to be a part of this fantastic cast, crew, musicians, and production team. He was most recently seen on the TCR main stage in various roles – including The Spongebob Musical, Cabaret, and Meet Me in St. Louis. He thanks his wife, Marcia, his four children, his parents and in-laws for their continual support. Enjoy the show!
Karissa Burkhardt (Mrs. Anderssen) Karissa Burkhardt is thrilled to perform with TCR at Brucemore! Previous performances include Frenchie in Cabaret, Esther in Meet Me In St. Louis and Mamma Mia, Cinderella, and The Spongebob Musical with TCR; Bewick/Winter Soloist in HONK! with Revival Theatre; Legally Blonde, Camelot, Beauty and the Beast, and Newsies with City Circle; Il Matrimonio Segreto (Elisetta) and HMS Pinafore (Josephine u/s) with UI Opera Theatre; Sound of Music (Maria), Sweeney Todd (Johanna), and She Kills Monsters (Agnes) with Theatre West; and Amahl and the Night Visitors (Amahl) and Persuasion (Cassandra) with Chamber Opera Chicago. Karissa also choreographs in the area including TCR’s recent Legally Blonde Jr. She is majoring in vocal performance, theatre, and dance at the University of Iowa. Love and thanks to Angie, Janelle, Lisa, Jeni, and the entire cast and crew!
Rebecca Fields-Moffitt (Mrs. Segstrom) Rebecca Fields-Moffitt is excited to be making her TCR debut in this beautiful production. Favorite performances include: The Secret Garden (Rose), Evita (Eva #8), Beauty and the Beast (Wardrobe), and Little Women (Marmee) all with City Circle, and multiple cabaret productions with Crooked Path Theatre Company. Rebecca lives in Iowa City with her husband, Ryan, their children, Eleanor and Arthur and is a General Music Teacher in the Iowa City Community School District.
Allison Holmes-Bendixen (Mrs. Nordstrom) Allison Holmes-Bendixen is grateful for the opportunity to make her TCR debut with this incredible team of directors, designers, and performers. An active performer and educator, Allison loves making theatre with local artists. She holds a PhD in Vocal Pedagogy and is a member of the music faculty at Kirkwood Community College. Favorite performance credits include: Mabel (Pirates of Penzance, Opera Quad Cities), Musetta (La Boheme, UIowa), and Cunegonde (Candide, Illinois Opera Theatre). Thank you to Angie, Janelle, and Megan for their work on this beautiful show, and special thanks to my family for their love and support!