I've written to many of you the past week about the most extraordinary regional theater I've seen in a long time: "Children of Eden." Yes, Zoe is in it. She has loved every aspect of preparing for this show, and performing the show itself.

But just having a child in a show is not enough for me to "hock" friends to attend. I've never done that before. Never kept after any of my friends to attend a dance recital, competition, or show Zoe's been in. It's just not my style.

I'm going to hock you about coming to see "Children of Eden," however. For the simple reason:

It's just that special.

Bob and I have never seen regional (local?) theater as wonderful as this show. The production is so far above anything of it's ilk, there is really no comparison. The lead, "G-d" is an equity actor. If you don't know, an equity actor is an actor that is good enough, and has made enough appearances in quality shows, that he/she is accepted into the equity union. It's a big deal.

The other leads are the cream of the crop in local talent.

The rest of the 40-50 strong cast, are children, tweens, and teens at the top of their game.

It's an extraordinary group of talent. The casting for this show is mind-blowing.

Then, there are the production values themselves. We have never seen state-of-the art lighting of this kind in a regional production. The choreography is fresh and unexpected. Wonderful music. Costuming. A real tour de force.

The director, Fred Sternfeld, is "pretty well known" (LOL) in the area for his wonderful productions. This one happens to be with Fairmont Performing Arts Center. "EAT- It's Not About Food" was unbelievable this spring. The assistant director, Sean Szaller, directed "13," in it's Ohio debut last winter. It was a smash hit. And is coming back in the fall. Our choreographer, Bebe Weinberg Katz, choreographer for "13," and countless other shows, shows us something beyond what you are used to seeing in regional theater.

I could go on and on. But I think these two points say it all:

We had tears in our eyes the night of the first performance. Chills despite the ridiculously high temps, and suffocating humidity. I was speechless, and as you all know, that is a rare state for me.

The show is that special, that I am reminding you again to come see it this weekend. The theater is not huge, and I encourage you to call Fairmont, 440-338-3172 for tickets in advance.

Thursday, show at 7:30. Same Friday. Saturday matinee at 2, evening 7:30. Sunday matinee at 2.

The show is about family, second chances, and parents letting go. All of you are people I know care deeply about these things, and appreciate great theater. That is why I am writing you.

Of course, there's Zoe. She is thrilled to be in this production, proud beyond words. She is seeing life after "just dance." Learning. Growing.

We couldn't be more proud to have her involved in such a wonderful experience. Hopefully, the first of many more to come.

Sincerely hope to see you this weekend.

I'm happy to help you with tickets, or anything else. Just call.

You will be amazed by what you see.

Much love,

Beth

Tia Karaplis (Snake, Storyteller - COE, Cat in HJ) is 12 years old and attends Amherst Junior High. This is her 3rd year attending FPAC. Her previous credits at FPAC are Thirteen the Musical, Rapunzel in Into the Woods and Dan in Joseph...Dreamcoat. Other credits include a workhouse girl in Oliver at Cain Park, Ida in Honk!, and Baby Louise in Gypsy! She is soo excited to work with such a wonderful cast!! Break a Leg everyone!!! :)

Bebe Weinberg Katz (Choreographer - COE), B.A., M. Ed. Bebe’s credits extend into deep into the arts. Most recently Bebe choreographed the Ohio premier of Thirteen (FPAC) and Baby (TrueNorth). Bebe is currently a staff member of Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory (FPAC) as the supervisor for the Production Workshop and also the new Dance specialty. She has danced, choreographed, staged, designed, directed, taught, written and illustrated. As an educator, Bebe has taught dance, movement education and /or fitness and wellness to children, teens and adults in the public schools, Baldwin-Wallace College, Cleveland State University, the Jewish Community Center, in her own studio, in private dance studios and Camp Wise. Her dance credits extend from Purcell’s Opera The Fairy Queen and The Cathy Powel Dance Company in Pittsburgh to the Dancing Mimes at DanceCleveland, as well as her own company, Center Motion at the JCC. While holding the position of resident choreographer at Euclid High School Bebe worked with the show choir “Varsity Choral” and choreographed the school’s productions of The Music Man, Hello Dolly, Anything Goes, Pajama Game, Pippin, Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz and Grease. She currently works in both Shaker Heights schools and Cleveland Heights / University Heights school. Bebe is the choreographer for Shaker’s “Chanticleers,” and Cleveland Height’s nationally ranked show choir “Singers.” At CHHS she choreographed and designed the costumes for Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story and The King and I and, as well as doing costume design for the latter two. Bebe has production credentials spanning the 35 years she has lived in Cleveland. She was dance and drama specialist at Camp Wise, and performed the choreographer duties for Mame at Chagrin Valley Little Theater, Anything Goes at Euclid Community Theater, Joseph, Holy Moses, Rock Pinocchio, The Grand Tour and Fiddler on the Roof at the Cleveland JCC. She also directed The Apple Tree for the JCC and was costume assistant for The Wall and The Merry Widow. She also has written and illustrated a number of books. The M.I.M.E Set, an activity book the integrates movement and academics, and three middle grade chapter books titled Princess Claudia and the Freckles, A Best Friend for Claudia and Sibling Wars.

Erika Klemperer (Mary – PNP) is beginning her second summer at FPAC. Last year, she was Reggie, Gomez and Peacock in The Laramie Project and the Stepmother and Steward in Into the Woods. She just graduated from Berea High School and is thrilled to be attending Webster University, in St. Louis, as a BFA acting major next fall. Director Mitchell Fields is amazing, and she had an incredible experience last summer. She cannot wait to see how this year will turn out! Break a leg everyone!

Matthew Kohn (Storyteller - COE) is thrilled to performing in Children of Eden. His previous credits include a River City Kid in The Music Man and a Newsboy in Guys and Dolls at Chagrin Falls High School and the Chief Oompa Loompa in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at the Chagrin Valley Little Theater. He will be an 8th grader at Chagrin Falls Middle School and enjoys his theatre experiences very much. He thinks of theatre not only as a way to get better at acting and singing and dancing, but also as a great social activity.

Julia Lang (Storyteller - COE) is a 13 year old student at Shaker Heights Middle School. She has played the title role in Alice in Wonderland and the Candyman in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in Shaker Heights school productions. Julia also performed as a dancer in Amahl and the Night Visitor at Church of the Saviour. Julia started dancing at age 5 at Studio J Academy of Dance. This is her first year at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory and she is thrilled to be a part of the production of Children of Eden.

Billy Lawrence (Abel, Ham, Snake, Storyteller - COE) is extremely excited to be a part of this wonderful cast. Some of his credits include: Cats at Mt Pleasant High School and The Wizard of Oz at the Broadway Theater in Mt Pleasant MI, Into the Woods at FPAC, Peter Pan at the Beck Center, A Christmas Story at The Cleveland Play House and other productions at University School. Billy has been a student of FPAC for 5 years and would like to thank Fred Sternfeld and the staff of FPAC for their amazing guidance and support. Also, he would like to thank his Mom and Dad for making the 5 hour drive every weekend to rehearse.

Alivia Lee (Storyteller - COE) is very excited to be cast in Children of Eden, after playing Florinda last year in Into the Woods at FPAC. Some recent appearances include Martha Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at Geauga Lyric Theater Guild, Heidi in A Huck Finn Fantasy by Time Warner Cable, host on Time Warner’s Smarts program, and as a finalist in Playhouse Square’s Rising Star Talent Competition. She also has been training in many styles of dance for 11 years and voice for 5 years. She would like to thank all the directors for the experience and, of course, her family. Break a leg!

Shea Lee (Snake, Storyteller, U/S Aphra - COE) is a freshman in the International Baccalaureate and VPA Theater programs at Firestone High School. She was in numerous productions at Weathervane Playhouse and Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, most notably playing The Little Girl in Ragtime at Weathervane and Chip the Teacup in Beauty and the Beast at Miller South. She co-hosted smARTS: the Smart Show about the Arts for Time Warner Cable. She played Judah in Joseph...Dreamcoat at FPAC in 2008 and was an officer for Miller South's Junior Thespian Troupe. Shea thanks this cast and crew for a wonderful experience that is helping her grow as a performer!

Matthew McAllister (Storyteller - COE, Father Swan - HJ) has been in two musicals and Children of Eden is his third. Matthew got into theatre when he saw the play Sweeney Todd. Matthew's first roles were as a jungle/who/fish in Suessical and as a singer and puppeteer in Once on This Island which was at Heights Youth Theatre. Matthew loves to sing and act and is very excited to be a part of FPAC.

Danica Murthy (Fluff - HJ) is thrilled to be in the FPAC production of Honk Jr. Some of her favorite roles include: Baroness Elberfeld and Young Postulent in The Sound Of Music, Ensemble in Guys and Dolls, and Ensemble in Oklahoma! at Playmakers Youth Theatre, and Ensemble in Into the Woods at FPAC. Danica is a 5th grader at Hathaway Brown School. Danica would like to thank Fred, Sean, Sarah, and her family, especially her Mother and Father. Thank you for giving her this opportunity.

Tessa Murthy (Storyteller - COE) is thrilled to be part of the cast of Children of Eden. Recent credits include Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!, Rusty Charlie in Guys and Dolls, and Frau Schmidt in The Sound of Music at the Playmakers Youth Theatre. At FPAC, she has appeared as Lucinda in Into the Woods, and as Lucy Thompson, Cal Rerucha, and a Newsperson in The Laramie Project. She was also a Pink Lady (u/s Rizzo) in Grease at the University School Theatre Department. Tessa is an eighth grader at Hathaway Brown. Thanks to FPAC for this amazing opportunity.

Ashleigh Nagy (Storyteller - COE, Bullfrog in HJ), age 11, has appeared in several theatres throughout the Cleveland area, performing her most recent role as Amanda/Ballet Dancer in Eat (It’s Not About Food) at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory. This is her second summer training at FPAC. Favorite roles include Gloria in Wait Until Dark at Aurora Community Theatre, Little Red in Into the Woods at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory and Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre. She also just completed a run as children chorus member in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Mercury Summer Stock. Ashleigh recently completed a film "A Flight To India" directed by award-winning independent filmmaker Peter Fields.

Ben Needham (Scenic & Lighting Designer / Technical Director) is excited to be working on these productions with FPAC. For FPAC, he has designed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Romeo and Juliet, The Odd Couple, Rent: School Edition, Into the Woods,The Laramie Project, Eat (It's Not About Food), and Thirteen. He is the founder of Digital Squirrel Studio (www.digitalsquirrel.net) and animation, design & architectural illustration studio. Ben has designed over 140 productions for a number of theaters including Geauga Lake, Virginia Musical Theatre, Signstage on Tour, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Porthouse Theatre, LaGrange Opera, Augusta Players, Knoxville Opera, Lyric Opera of Cleveland, Beck Center for the Arts, the Fine Arts Association and Circle Theatre Orlando. Ben would like to thank Christie, Helen & Aaron for all their support.

Ethan Newburger (The Turkey - HJ) will be going into the 8th grade at Solon Middle School next year. He is very excited to be in his second FPAC production, having previously appeared in the Ensemble in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Ethan also appeared as Pinocchio in Pinocchio at Beachwood Theatre Camp, Yertle the Turtle and General Genghis Kahn Shmitz in Suessical the Musical at Stagecrafters, Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Beachwood Theatre Camp, and as the Bullfrog and Beaky in another production of Honk! at Mayfield United Methodist Church.

Mark Oet (Young Abel - COE, Ugly in HJ) will be in 8th grade in the fall in Solon Middle School. Mark's favorite roles include Jack in Into the Woods , Issachar in Joseph...Dreamcoat and understudy for Eddie, Richie and Simon in Thirteen at FPAC; Jojo in Seussical at Beachwood Community Theater, Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, and Jeremy in Griller at The Bang and the Clatter Theatre. Mark will be attending the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory for the third time this summer. Mark would like to thank his family and friends for their support. Mark can't wait until showtime!

Jessica Pollak (Penny - HJ) is very excited to be performing in her second FPAC show. She is 13 years old and is going into 8th grade at Solon Middle School. Since she was 7 years old, she has been acting and singing. Some of her favorite roles were Lucy in Have a Good Summer Charlie Brown, Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, and James in James and the Giant Peach, all at Beachwood Theatre Camp. Last summer, she performed as Florinda in Into the Woods with FPAC. Jessica would like to thank her parents for supporting her and all of her previous directors for their endless help! Break a leg to the cast!

David Robeano (Father - COE) is glad to be back in Cleveland under the direction of Fred Sternfeld. Previously for Fred, David was seen as Hank in Beck Center’s Saturday Night, Sancho in his acclaimed production of Man of La Mancha at the JCC Halle Theatre and as Nick in the recent Baby at TrueNorth. He has been seen Off Broadway in the Moran/LaChiusa opera Desert of Roses, Home and the River, and If the Shoe Fits, starring Michelle Pawk and musically staged by Marge Champion. Other favorite Cleveland credits include the title role in the Ohio Premiere of Floyd Collins, Gordo in A New Brain, and Paul Bland in Eating Raoul for The Beck Center, Henrik in A Little Night Music, and Sipos in She Loves Me for Lakeland, The Red Shoes at the Cleveland Playhouse, and the inaugural AIDS Taskforce benefit production of Falsettos as Marvin. Thanks as always to Sean and The Moms.

Joelle Rosenthal (Child Storyteller - COE) is delighted to be in Children of Eden where she has met many new friends! She has been in several other plays including The Princess Snow White at Beachwood Community Theater, Fiddler on the Roof at Beachwood High School, and the summer 2009 Production Workshop performance at FPAC. Her favorite activity (beside doing drama) is ice skating. Some of her other hobbies are socializing service dogs in training, dancing, and drawing. She is having a blast at Children of Eden!!!

Julia Rossman (Storyteller - COE) is so excited to be a part of the Children of Eden cast! This will be Julia’s first production at FPAC. Some of her favorite roles include: Dancer in Once on this Island at Heights Youth Theatre, Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland at Shaker Heights, James in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at Shaker Heights, and Pickpocket in Oliver at Heights Youth Theatre. She has studied dance at Studio J and Cleveland City Dance. She has worked with Angie Perrine studying voice. She is thrilled to work with this amazing cast!

Leah Saltzer (Barnacles - HJ) is excited to be part of Honk Jr! She recently was an understudy in FPAC’s Ohio premiere of Thirteen. Favorite roles include: Narrator in Joseph...Dreamcoat and Grasshopper in James and the Giant Peach at Beachwood Community Theater, and Sour Kangaroo in Seussical the Musical at Stagecrafters Youth Theater. She has also appeared in numerous other productions, including Peter Pan, Annie, Sleeping Beauty, and more! Leah also enjoys playing the tuba and cheerleading. Many thanks to her parents, her sister, and all of the cast and crew for helping her become part of the FPAC family!

Sara Saltzer (Snowy - HJ) is 13 years old and entering 8th grade at Solon Middle School. She is beyond excited to be performing in her first FPAC production. Favorite past roles include the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz and a Bird Girl in Seussical at Stagecrafters Youth Theater, and July the Orphan in Annie at Beachwood Community Theater. She has also appeared in other productions including Joseph…Dreamcoat, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, James and the Giant Peach, and many more. Sara would like to thank her parents, her sister, and her friends and family for always supporting her. Break a leg, everyone!

Danielle Scharf (Storyteller - COE, Ensemble - HJ) is excited about being in Children of Eden and Honk Jr! Danielle was recently seen as Lily St. Regis in Annie at Hathaway Brown. She was also seen as a pink lady in Grease at U.S. Last summer, she was Florinda in Into the Woods at FPAC. Danielle has been in numerous plays through Stagecrafters classes and productions, Playmakers Camps, Beachwood Camps, and many more. Danielle also sings in shows at the Boneyard through her voice coach. She would like to thank her family for everything they have done to support her.

Hannah Selhorst (Child Storyteller, Animal - COE) is thrilled to be in her first production at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory. Other credits include mini-scrooge in Uh-Oh Here Comes Christmas at TrueNorth Cultural Arts Center. Hannah also does commercial and film work. Hannah is a sixth grader at Hathaway Brown School. She loves to sing, act, play the piano, and is a nationally ranked snowboard racer!

Jade Shimooka (Dot - HJ) is in eighth grade and has been singing and acting since three years old. After winning a contest with Radio Disney at 7 and performing around Cleveland, Jade began acting in local theater. Jade’s favorite shows at Beachwood were the lead - house maid in The Princess Snow White, and a Wife in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Jade’s favorite performance at Heights Youth Theater was as a member of The Lollipop Guild in The Wizard of Oz. Jade is very excited and thankful to be in involved with FPAC this year, and honored to be working with such amazing people in Honk Jr!

Zoe Simon (Storyteller - COE, Ensemble - HJ) is excited to be making her first appearance in an FPAC production. For the past seven years, Zoe has been on the Competition Dance Team at Jordan Center for the Arts, competing both regionally and nationally in all dance forms. Zoe has appeared in The Pajama Game for Stagecrafters and The Wizard of Oz and The Princess Snow White for the Beachwood Community Theater. She also acted in Pinocchio while attending the French Woods Festival for the Performing Arts in upstate New York. Zoe is an honors student entering 7th grade at Beachwood Middle School in the fall.

Daniel Sovich (Snake, Storyteller, Understudy for Young Cain and Young Abel - COE) is extremely excited to be a part of Children of Eden. Daniel has been doing shows since he was eight years old. Last year he attended the Broadway Artists Alliance camp in NYC for a week. Then once he returned home he played Scut Farkas in The Cleveland Play House’s annual production of A Christmas Story and Eddie in the Ohio premiere of Jason Robert Brown’s Thirteen at FPAC. Once it ended he was given a role as Ryan in an AFTRA film called Homeward Bound. After the filming ended he realized that he not only had a passion for theatre, but a passion for film as well. Daniel is currently playing Ian Foster in Peter Fields’ film, A Silent Truth, which will finish shooting this summer. Daniel would like to thank Fred, Sean, David, and Bebe for putting together the most epic production of Children of Eden. Enjoy the show!

Fred Sternfeld (Director – COE, Producer – HJ, PnP, Artistic Director - FPAC) is pleased to be working with the outstanding young people of Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory’s Summer Programs! In 2003, Fred and Tom Fulton created FPAC to provide the region a high caliber conservatory approach to performing arts training for young people. At FPAC Fred has overseen the summer training / camps in each of its first seven seasons, and directed Eat (It’s Not About Food), Into the Woods , Joseph … Dreamcoat and The Odd Couple as well as producing The Laramie Project, Romeo and Juliet, Rent: School Edition, and Thirteen. Fred is widely represented on Northeast Ohio stages through diverse projects, garnering numerous honors and awards. He has directed over 80 productions over the course of his career, including Yellowman at Karamu, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Of Mice and Men at Beck Center, Fiddler on the Roof at Cain Park, A Shayna Maidel and Ragtime, the musical at the Cleveland JCC and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife at Dobama. For more information about Fred you can visit his website at www.fredsternfeld.com.

Miles Sternfeld (Drake - HJ) is has trained for seven years at FPAC and is ecstatic to be playing Drake in Honk, Jr. Recently at FPAC, Miles starred as Evan in the Ohio Premiere of Thirteen. Recent roles include Jojo in Seussical at Mercury Summer Stock and Willoughby Fine Arts; Young Patrick/Peter in Mame, Charles in The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall at Mercury Summer Stock; Chip in Beauty and the Beast at The Beck Center; Fagin's Gang/Oliver U/S in Oliver! at Cain Park; Wick #1 in Seussical at HYT; Jack in Into the Woods, Aaron Kreifels in The Laramie Project, Gad/Joseph U/S in Joseph...Dreamcoat, Water/Squeegee Man in Rent: School Edition at FPAC. Miles looks forward to reprising his role of Evan in Thirteen at FPAC this upcoming fall.

Sean Szaller (Production Stage Manager - COE, Associate Director, Associate Choreographer, Associate Music Director - COE) is thrilled to return to FPAC's Summer Training! Sean has directed FPAC's productions of Thirteen and Rent: School Edition. He was a founding member of the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory summer program and served on faculty there from 2004-2007 and now again in 2010. As an actor, Sean has been seen on stage at every major Cleveland venue including Great Lakes Theater Festival, The Cleveland Play House, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Cain Park. He is also a busy freelance director/choreographer and stage manager whose work has been seen in Ohio, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Idaho. Sean is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Matthew Taylor (Storyteller - COE, Bewick - HJ) is a second grade student at Strausser Elementary in Jackson Township. He enthusiastically approaches everything that allows him to ‘create’, including cooking/baking, drawing, dancing and enjoys making people laugh through his performances! Matthew attended the Academy of Cinema and Television’s Satellite program in Cleveland. Since then, Matthew was accepted as a featured extra in Facing the Truth, a short film by Peter Fields, played Randy in A Christmas Story at the Cleveland Play House, and Billy in Honey, Baby, and Sweetie Pie, a short film by JW Myers of RMK Films. Children of Eden and Honk Jr. are his first productions at FPAC.

Evan Teicher (Child Storyteller, Animal - COE) is an 11 year-old who loves to swim, act, dance, and sing. She absolutely loves FPAC and always trys to find spare time for her singing. She goes to Laurel School. Previous credits include: The Crying Princess, Tales from the Brothers Grimm, The Lead Cat, Ghosts, Goblins & Gobbledygook at Chagrin Valley Little Theater; The Press, What's Cookin' at the Rocky Hora Diner? at Playmakers Youth Theater and many, many more. Evan would like to thank every single person in her family for all the support she's gotten!

Hannah Watson (Storyteller - COE, Henrietta - HJ) is thrilled to be returning to the FPAC stage! She was last seen in Joseph...Dreamcoat and Romeo and Juliet. Hannah is 16 years old and goes to Amherst High School. She loves Tia Karaplis. The end.

Emma Weihe (Storyteller - COE) is honored to be in such a wonderful production! This is her first year in FPAC. Her previous credits include: Cat in Honk! Jr. and Ensemble in Godspell Jr, both at Bath Church United Church of Christ. She was also ensemble in Cotton Patch Gospel and Jesus Christ Superstar at Montrose Zion United Methodist Church. She’d like to thank her friend Shea for getting her interested in FPAC!

Thomas Weil (Storyteller - COE) is a 10 year old soon to be a 5th grade student. He recently appeared as Jacob in The Last of The Sorcerers and as an understudy and Flick in A Christmas Story at the Cleveland Play House. Thomas appeared in the 2009 Beachwood Children’s Theater production of Pinocchio. Thomas enjoys football, baseball and reading.

Sam Welch (Young Cain, Storyteller, U/S Seth/Shem - COE) is a second year student of the FPAC professional training program. He has previously appeared at FPAC as Richie in the sold-out run of Thirteen and as Benjamin in Joseph...Dreamcoat. Sam has appeared regionally at the Fine Arts Association as Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka Jr., Ensemble in Beauty & the Beast, and Cadet of Who in Seussical. Additional performances include: a Fagin's Boy in Oliver! at Cain Park, Slightly Soiled in Peter Pan at Beachwood, Fluff in Honk! at CVLT, and the Cowardly Lion in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at Fairmount. Sam has appeared in three productions at Chagrin Falls High School: Oklahoma, Guys & Dolls, & The Music Man. Further credits: Ohio Children’s Honor Choir – 2008 & 2009. Sam plays the oboe, guitar, and sings in the Chagrin Falls Middle School Select Choir where he is in eighth grade.

Kyle Whitlatch (Greylag - HJ) is entering the 8th grade at Shaker Heights Middle
School. He is very excited to be performing for the first time at FPAC. Kyle started
acting when he was 11 as Tweedle Dum in Alice in Wonderland at Woodbury
Elementary. This past spring he played Sir Harry in Once upon a Mattress at Shaker
Middle School.

Emily Wirthwein (Storyteller - COE) is thrilled to be a part of her second FPAC production. Last year was an “evil” year for Emily; she played Florinda, a wicked stepsister in Into the Woods at FPAC, and the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz at Hudson Middle School. This year she is telling tales, as the narrator in Goldilocks on Trial at school, and a storyteller in the summer! Love to all her family and friends- thanks for everything!

Brad Wyner (Music Director - HJ) has worked as musical director for Gutenberg! The Musical! at Dobama, The Rocky Horror Show at Cleveland Public Theater, Bunnicula at The Cleveland Play House, Little Shop of Horrors at Cassidy, Lobo-A-GoGo at Tri-C West, and a full season at Kalliope Stage (Christmas Carol Rag, A Little Night Music, Baby, Cabaret, Opal). In the past few years, he has collaborated on new cabarets at Cain Park, The Cleveland Play House Club, and Kalliope. Brad often works as a musical director for educational productions (JCC Playmakers, St. Richard Theatre Company, many, many others), and has also taught musical theater at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland School of the Arts, Beck Center, and the Play House. As a singer/rock pianist, Brad spent a year in New York performing with Piano Loco: The Rock’n’Roll Dueling Piano Show, played in the band for Playhouse Square’s Tony & Tina’s Wedding (three whole performances!), and currently plays keyboards for Diamond Dogs: The Sound and Vision of David Bowie.