ST. LOUIS ACTORS’ STUDIO 2008-2009 SEASON:
POWER AND POLITICS

Sept. 19, 2008 - Oct. 5, 2008
Jean Anouilh’s Antigone
Directed by Artistic Director Milton Zoth



St. Louis Actors’ Studio opens its Power and Politics season on Sept. 19 with Antigone by French playwright Jean Anouilh. This adaptation of the Greek tragedy is set in modern times. Originally produced in Nazi-occupied France, Antigone’s tragedy is not based on her inability to change her fate, rather it is founded on her futile struggle against the all-powerful state.

CAST - Jean Anouilh’s Antigone

	Aaron Orion Baker (Haemon) Aaron is very thankful to be working with St. Louis Actors’ Studio for the first time.  He is equally thankful to be sharing the stage with his beautiful wife for the first time.  A native of Illinois, Aaron has worked with St. Louis Shakespeare, Magic Smoking Monkey, Muddy Waters, the Non-Prophets, RiverCity and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis since moving to this fair city three years ago.  He has also worked regionally with the Oxford Shakespeare Festival.  He sincerely hopes that Emily will still be his wife at the end of this run.
	Emily Baker (Antigone) Emily is thrilled to have this opportunity to work with St. Louis Actors’ Studio.  Still fairly new to the St. Louis stage, Emily was last seen as Penelope (among others) in St. Louis Shakespeare’s production of The Odyssey.  She has also worked in various backstage capacities with Soundstage Productions.  During the day, Emily teaches English and film appreciation at McCluer High School.  She sends much love and thanks to her family and her ever supportive husband, Aaron.
	John Contini* (Creon) John is very happy to be returning to STLAS for a second time, having appeared last year as Phil Gorski in Greetings!.  He has appeared in nearly every theatre in St. Louis and many throughout the Midwest.  John is the Artistic Associate for Avalon Theatre, where he has appeared as Dr. Lyman in Bus Stop, A Walk In The Woods (Kevin Kline nominee for Best Actor as Botvinnik) and Molly Sweeney (Kevin Kline nominee for Best Director). He has worked for The Rep, The Black Rep, Stages, St. Louis Shakespeare, Shakespeare Festival, HotCity and New Jewish Theatre. Most recently, he was seen as the Constable in Fiddler on the Roof at The Muny, where he has appeared in over 40 shows in the past 18 years, including: 1776 (McKean), Sound of Music (Franz), Guys and Dolls (Harry the Horse) and countless others.  John has worked in various theatres throughout the Midwest including: the Fox in Atlanta, Starlight in Kansas City, Dallas Summer Musicals, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Arrowrock, Okoboji and two tours of Fiddler on the Roof with Theodore Bikel. Other favorite roles from more than 200 shows include: Arsenic and Old Lace (Jonathan Brewster), All My Sons (Joe Keller), Merchant of Venice (Shylock) and Van Helsing in Dracula.  Film roles include Shadowland and Fallen Skyes.  John lives in St. Louis with his wife, Sharon, and three sons, and as a proud member of Actors’ Equity for over 30 years, wishes everyone would consider being an organ donor.
	Teresa Doggett (Nurse) Antigone marks Teresa’s debut as both an actor and costume designer with STLAS, although she has worked with Milt Zoth on numerous productions. She has been nominated for multiple Kevin Kline awards as both an actor and costume designer, and received the Outstanding Supporting Actress Kevin Kline award in 2007. She is also a Regional Division winner of the Kennedy Center Theatre Awards for Costume Design for King Lear at Fontbonne University. Locally she has appeared with St. Louis Repertory Theatre, New Jewish Theatre, HotCity Theatre, St. Louis Shakespeare, ACT Inc., New Line Theatre, WEPG, CityPlayers and will appear next with Stray Dog Theatre in Franz Kafka's The Trial. Recent design projects have included the opera Lizzie Borden for Washington University Music Department, The Wizard of Oz for Whitfield School, L'elisir d'Amore and Carmen for Union Ave Opera. Upcoming design projects include 9 Parts of Desire for STLAS, Fables for Metro Theater Company, Quickbrew Macbeth for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Die Fledermaus for Washington University Music Department, Sonia Flew for New Jewish Theatre, and The Merry Widow and Lakme for Union Ave Opera.
	Roger Erb (Third Guard) Roger returns to St. Louis Actors’ Studio after appearing in Snapshots in June. He was last seen in The Odyssey with St. Louis Shakespeare and KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park: LIVE! with Magic Smoking Monkey. Roger has also worked with Stray Dog Theatre, New Jewish Theatre and Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis. He'd like to thank his family and friends for their continued support.
	Kelly McCarthy (Eurydice) Kelly is from Princeton, NJ, and is currently pursuing a BFA in Acting at Lindenwood University.  She has trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, The Second City Comedy Center, and Circle on the Square in New York.  She has enjoyed working with the cast and crew of St. Louis Shakespeare, Act II Community Theater as well as Lindenwood University. She is delighted to be involved in this project with St. Louis Actors' Studio’s. As always, special thanks and love to mom and tata.
	Paris McCarthy (Page) Paris is a proud graduate of Saint Louis University. She was most recently seen as Cordelia in King Lear for St. Louis Shakespeare with director Milt Zoth and is thrilled that he let her join the St. Louis Actors’ Studio gang! Past credits include Emilia in Othello for St. Louis Shakespeare and Alice in You Can’t Take It With You for Stray Dog Theatre, which earned a Kevin Kline Nomination for Best Ensemble. She looks forward to literally playing a Stray Dog next year in their production of Sylvia. Much love goes out to Gary and Tom at SLU for bringing her to lovely St. Louis and to her loved ones for putting up with her new puppy.
	Ben Ritchie (Second Guard) Ben is playing for the first time with St. Louis Actors’ Studio in this role.  He has been active in the St. Louis theatre scene for several years now and has most recently performed as Odysseus for St. Louis Shakespeare's production of Mary Zimmerman's The Odyssey.  Other recent credits include Cassio (Othello), Peter Criss (KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park: LIVE!), and Hank (Night of the Iguana).  When not in plays, he stretches his comic muscles as a member of The Non-Prophet Theater Co.'s sketch comedy troupe, The Militant Propaganda Bingo Machine.  He can also be seen in his long-running performance as 'server' with The Pasta House Co. most days of the week.  *sigh*  Oh, and Ben does not like Strawberry Yoo-hoo...it's gross.  Thanks for reading.
	William Roth (First Guard) William has been working on St. Louis stages for over 25 years, including The Classic Theater Company, River City Players, Magic Smoking Monkey, Midnight Productions, the Goldenrod Showboat, the International Hemmingway Festival, HotHouse Theatre and Muddy Waters. During that time, he spent six years with the Orthwein Theatre Company, appearing in several shows, including The Grapes of Wrath, Our Town, ER, Emergency Room and Harvey. And over the past 15 years he has appeared in countless St. Louis Shakespeare productions, including Richard III, Metamorphoses and Antony and Cleopatra. Most recently he appeared in St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s production of The Late Henry Moss.
	Megan Vickers (Ismene) Megan is excited to make her debut with St. Louis Actors’ Studio. Since moving to St. Louis in 2006, Megan has worked with several theatre companies, including St. Louis Shakespeare, HotCity Greenhouse Festival, Hawthorne Players, FMT and others.  She was most recently seen as the Bed Dancer/Player in Kirkwood Theatre Guild's “Pippin” and Myrtle Mae in "Harvey" at TGWG.  She also uses her talent behind the scenes, having choreographed St. Louis Shakespeare’s “The Odyssey” and stage managed “Playhouse Creatures” for the Orange Girls.  Megan is proud to play the role of teacher in her dance/movement classes at the Daysprings School of the Arts and COCA, as well as choreographer, currently working on "The Secret Garden" for the Jewish Community Center Youth Theatre Program and "Urinetown" for UMSL.
	David Wassilak (Chorus) David returns to the Actors' Studio stage after having appeared as Ray Moss in last season's The Late Henry Moss.  He has performed with The Orange Girls, Muddy Waters Theatre, St. Louis Shakespeare, The Midnight Company, Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre, The New Theatre, Orthwein Theatre Company, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Theatre Project Company, to name a few.  David is the Associate Artistic Director of St. Louis Actors' Studio and directed the company's first show, Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance. He will direct Medal of Honor Rag and Back of the Throat for the company, later this season.

GALLERY - Jean Anouilh’s Antigone
Photography by John Lamb