PRODUCTION TEAM
Prior productions: They Shoot Horses Don't They? (Director, Co-Adaptor/ Producer): which received 17 L.A. Theater Awards including Best Director from L.A. Drama Critics Circle. A Clockwork Orange (Director, Co-Producer, Sound Design): Winner of Best Director and Sound Design L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award / Backstage West Garlands. The L.A. premiere of Psycho Beach Party (Director, Co-Producer, Choreographer): 7 awards including Best Direction from L.A. Weekly. Off-Broadway, and L.A. Production of Down South, which won praise on both coasts. Other directing credits include The Colony Theaters productions of Clutter, and Stage Struck. Rick directed and Co-Wrote/Produced L.A's hits Highballs Ahoy!, and A Charlie Brown Commercial Christmas. Other shows include There is No Place Like Hollywood, Tallulah, Poet's Garden, Tough Choices for the New Century, The House of Blue Leaves, A Life in the Theatre, Blithe Spirit, Grease, A Salute to Frederick Lowe, Hey Mr. Producer!, Kiss Me Kate, Twentieth Century, The Nothing Boys, and choreography for the Lily Tomlin produced Sheila Sands Live! at the ROXY. Upcoming: The Laguna Playhouse west coast premier of Tom Dudzick's Don't Talk To The Actors, and Erin Kamler's world premier of Divorce, The Musical opening Valentine's Day '09. Originally a performer, Sparks starred on Broadway for two years when he replaced Terrence V. Mann as Rum-Tum-Tugger during the early run of CATS. He was an original cast member of the LA and Broadway companies of Sunset Blvd., and an original company member of the first national tour of Les Miserables, playing Boston and Washington D.C.’s prestigious Kennedy Center. The only thing Rick desperately misses about performing is the backstage antics with actors and crew. |
Tamara has over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Her professional acting training and experience have led to performances in over 100 plays and featured roles in more than 300 commercials, movies, and television productions. Tamara also has 20 years of management experience in business organizations. Her extensive communication, organizational, and management skills, combined with her undergraduate degree in Speech and Communication Studies and her Master of Fine Arts, provide the foundations for her work as a producer. Born and raised in Kansas, Tamara is a founding member of The Kansas Connection, Inc. (now The Midwest Entertainment Connection), a networking organization for those from Kansas in the entertainment industry. She was a long time Board Member of that organization, as well as having served as the Executive Producer of the first ever Kansas Connection Film Fair held at DreamWorks Studios. The festival exhibited films made by Kansas artists. She has served on the Steering Committee of the organization Theatre N.O.W., a writers’ focused group which develops original works through readings, workshops and co-productions as well as serving as a link from the workshop process to the entertainment community. With Theatre N.O.W., she has produced many of their living room series’ readings as well as plays in their LOOK! Reading Series. She is a member of The Road Theatre Company where she served for many years as the Company’s bookkeeper and was a producer of the award winning world premiere The Seventh Monarch. |
Racquel is the founder and managing director of Theatre Planners, her own theatre production/PR firm. She graduated from NYU-Tisch School of the Arts and lived in NY for over ten years producing theatre. Theatre Planners has since developed in to a very busy and successful outlet for actors, producers and theatre companies. Doing everything from publicity, consulting, printing and graphics, Racquel loves to make productions a reality and help to keep the theatre scene in LA alive and strong. Racquel has recently acquired the Actor's Gang old space on El Centro and is the new owner of the LOUNGE THEATRE in Hollywood on Theatre Row. To learn more about Racquel and Theatre Planners, go to www.theatreplanners.com. |
Alice is the product of a Catholic education in a suburb of Denver, Co. The youngest of six girls she learned early on to distract with humor. She received a degree in theater with a minor in English from Loretto Heights College in Denver, which was then known as the Julliard of the west,. It’s now know as an English Language School for the Japanese. After several years in Denver doing theater and improv comedy she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of waiting tables for the rich and famous. Additionally she starred in numerous plays, improv shows and nightclub acts. Her character The Dazzling ChiChi was a favorite for years in The Les Stevens Comedy Show as well as Shelia Sands Love Nuts. Alice has been lauded for her theater work in such productions as Down South, Charlie Brown Christmas Special, Highballs Ahoy, and A CLockwork Orange. She’s been seen in What Women Want, Castaway, As Good As It Gets as well as other films. Alice has been a long time member of the Bubalaires, an improv group that uses mime, Comedia Del Arte, as well as modern film and TV to create scenes of gibberish fun. The award winning Bubalaires are currently using their talents to create a children’s TV show for smart children who’ve lost their sense of hope. |
Dana stage managed Rick Spark's production of "Where's My Money?" in 2005 at the Hudson Guild, and is thrilled to be back working on another production with such a talented group! A native of Los Angeles, Dana has racked up numerous credits about town as an as actor, director and stage manager. Recent stage managing credits include Taken and Eclectic Comedy 1000 at the Eclectic Company Theater, and The Charlyne Yi Show and The Bilgewater Brothers Swamp Jamboree at the Steve Allen Theater. Dana is alive, unwed, and has never even owned a pair of Reeboks. |
Gary was born and raised outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his undergraduate degree in Media Theory and Production from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. Gary relocated to Los Angeles three years ago in order to pursue his masters degree. His short films “Legato” and “L.E.S. – Linear Editing System” have been showcased in galleries and presented at new media presentations. Both pieces are vibrant constructions that examine self, history, desire, objectification and the cultural phenomena surrounding these topics. Gary’s most current work involves a critical analysis of youth and the cultural obsession with such told through the use of folk tale. L.E.S. may be viewed at www.web.mac.com/heygary |
Co-wrote the music and lyrics for the Robin Hood sequence in Dreamworks’ Shrek, and has been commissioned to write lyrics for the proposed Broadway musical version of Oscar™-winning film Gladiator. He is the lyricist (and book co-author) of the authorized musical version of E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View for Tony Award® winner Faith Prince.. He co-authored Lola with composer Craig Safan for the Eugene O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference Additionally, he wrote the award-winning music and lyrics and co-authored books for two of L.A.’s long-running musicals: The Gay 90’s Musical; and Back Home. For his longtime friend, hero and collaborator Rick Sparks he served as musical director for A Clockwork Orange and he co-authored the script and wrote music and lyrics for Highballs Ahoy! For 14 years, he was the author of special script and musical material for the Center Theater Group/Mark Taper, including authoring many speeches for Gordon Davidson, and has written special material for Dyan Cannon, Burt Reynolds, Lily Tomlin and John Ritter. He is proud to have been the sole scriptwriter for the legendary Gordon Davidson’s retirement tribute at the Ahmanson, starring Sidney Poitier, Carol Burnett, John Lithgow, Lou Gossett, Jr. Kirk Douglas, and more. |
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As a composer, lyricist, arranger and record producer Peitor Angell contributes a lot of the instrumental music you hear in DEAD BRIDE RUNNING. He's also contributed music to other Sparks' stage productions such as, Clutter, Clockwork Orange and Stage Struck. His recording work includes Billboard chart hits he wrote and produced for Pat Hodges, Nocera and The Sweet Inspirations and he recently arranged and produced the new Thelma Houston CD, A WOMAN'S TOUCH released in August of this year. His film scores include, Dirk Shaefer's, MAN OF THE YEAR, Dan Ireland's VELOCITY OF GARY with Selma Hayek and Vincent D'Onofrio and original songs he wrote and produced for THE CLEARING starring Robert Redford and Helen Mirrem, and Randal Kleiser's, ITS MY PARTY. Currently he is in the studio finishing two Cds scheduled for release in spring 2008 featuring new songs he wrote for Monte Carlo & His Orchestra which blend 60's Pacific Coast Jazz and European Pop with big band instrumentation. One CD, THE INTERNATIONAL SET, features Kristi Rose singing his songs in French, Italian, German and English, the other, KISS YESTERDAY GOODBYE is a mock soundtrack recording, capturing the feel of the music in a 60's Swinging London type picture. |
Born and raised in Tokyo, Mina attended college in Italy and the United States. She worked at the Denver Center Theatre Company for two seasons where she was involved in the RSC co-production of Tantalus. After receiving her MFA in Theatre Design, she moved to Los Angeles where she has worked in both film and theatre. Recent scenic design credits include Stew Rice with East West Players; Thursday" and Anon with the Echo Theatre; Arlington with Company of Angels; Three Sisters with HapaLis Productions; Marriage of Figaro at Smothers Theatre; Living Out at Wallachs Theatre; and American Monsters 2, Golden Hour, Mikado Project, and Trojan Women with Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. |
Jeremy has worked with Rick Sparks previously on A Clockwork Orange, Clutter, Twentieth Century, Where's My Money and Inconceivable among others. He has also designed numerous other productions locally, nationally, and internationally with such theatres and with such companies as the Pasadena Playhouse, The Colony, The El Portal, The Theatre @ Boston Court, International City Theatre, Echo Theatre Company, The Road Theatre Company, Playwright's Arena, Metrostage and The Rubicon Theatre Company, as well as in such cities as Washington D.C. San Francisco, and New York. He has been nominated for and received numerous awards, including the LA Drama Critics Circle Angstrom Award for Career Achievement. |
A. Jeffrey Schoenberg has been designing costumes for many L. A. area theaters for almost 25 years. His recent productions include Nighthawks at the Kirk Douglas Theater, the NoHo Arts Center's Elizabeth Rex, for which he received a Theater L. A. Ovation Award, Open Fist Theater's productions of The Time of Your Life, Threepenny Opera, and The Devils (Ovation Award winner), The Count of Monte Christo for Sight Unseen Productions, and Zanna Don't at West Coast Ensemble. For the Colony Theater he has designed The Ladies of the Camellias (Ovation Award nomination), The Grand Tour, Clutter (directed by Rick Sparks), The Laramie Project, and Side Show (Ovation and Garland Awards, and a L. A. Drama Critics Circle Award nomination,) among many others. His upcoming projects include Tonight at 8:30 for Antaeus Theater and Twelfth Night for Nevada Shakespeare in the Park. |
Cricket is thrilled to be working with Rick again, having designed Stage Struck, and Clutter at the Colony Theater, Twentieth Century at the Lillian, and Inconceivable at the Globe with him. Other recent designs include Come Back Little Sheba at the Kirk Douglas Theater; Nightingale at the Mark Taper Forum; Marvelous Wonderettes at the El Portal; Impending Rupture of the Belly and Back of the Throat with Furious Theater Company; I have Before Me…, and Trying at the Colony; Walkin' Thru the Fire at the Hayworth; Mommy Mommy the Musical Musical at the Hudson Backstage; Iphigenia (A Rave Fable) (LA Weekly Nomination) and King Cat Calico Finally Flies Free with Son of Semele; Zanna Don't and Floyd Collins (LA Drama Critics Award) at West Coast Ensemble. Cricket is the resident Sound Designer at Celebration Theater. Cricket won the 2003 USITT Clear Com Award for achievement in Sound Design, and was a finalist for the TCG/NEA Career Development Grant and was recently name a “Young Designer to Watch” by Live Design Magazine, April'07 www.cricketsmyers.com |
Joni relocated to California's after a long tenure in New York theatre, which included working with Equity Library Theatre, The Ballet Hispanico (with the great Geoffrey Holder), innumerable Off and Off/Off Broadway theatres, and stints in two theatre companies, Shalom Yiddish Theater and The American Line (founding member). Joni has created the Wig & Hair Designs for the Open Fist theatre productions of Lydie Breeze and Speaking in Tongues as well as Colony productions of Stage Struck, The Grand Tour, Gunmetal Blues, The Drawer Boy, Around the World in 80 Days, Accomplice, Indoor/Outdoor and both Hair & Make-up Design on Clutter: The True Story of the Collyer Brothers Who Never Threw Anything Out (for which she received a Garland Award). Joni also created the Make-up Design for the Colony's production of Sherlock's Last Case and As Always, Jimmy Stewart at Theatre West. Joni also created and teaches the drama program at Maryvale, a residential treatment facility for abused girls. |
Fritz is a diverse theatrical designer & technician. Currently he is the technical director of the popular “Greenway Court Theatre” His previous credits include They Shoot Horses Don’t They? (also with director Sparks) and Orphans starring Al Pacino. He has also been involved in numerous projects with the Actor’s Studio. To accommodate the director’s vision for this piece, he collaborated with set and video designers to create the massive video images on stag |
Rick
Sparks
Tamara
Zook
Racquel
Lehrman
Dana
R. Amromin
Kirby
Tepper 
Peitor
Angell 
Mina
Kinukawa
A.
Jeffrey Schoenberg
Cricket
Myers 
Joni
Rudesill