| Biographies

The Ardeo Theatre Company is committed to the development of ensemble theatre, and the cultivation of a creative community. Company members contribute to all aspects of the Project, including theatrical productions, education programs, administration, and the daily life of the community. Members include:

	Rachel Atkins Writer, actor and educator; specialized in educational theatre and movement training; primary scriptwriter for internationally acclaimed educational theatre company Living Voices; former University of Washington Drama Coordinator for public school outreach; Partnership Coordinator for Youth Theatre Northwest, Seattle; dramaturg for The Empty Space Theatre, Seattle; Literary Manager at Pilgrim Center for the Arts, Seattle. Yoga instructor; pre-certified in Skinner Releasing Technique; MA in Educational Theatre from New York University.
	Jodi Beckwith Actor, educator and director; specialized in interactive and educational theatre; creator and former director of Planned Parenthood of Rochester's Education Through Drama program and IMPACT Teen Theatre; former actor/teacher for Theatre for Life in Pomona, NY; performed with JCC Centerstage, Blackfriars Theater, Shipping Dock Theater, The Downstairs Cabaret, and Rochester Children's Theater in Rochester, NY; commercial, industrial/educational video and film performer; national workshop leader in educational theatre; member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education; MA in Educational Theatre from New York University. Post Graduate studies in Health Education Through Drama, New York University.
	Stefan Cohen Actor, educator and Ardeo's Dean of Students; performed with Blackfriars Theater, JCC Centerstage, Shipping Dock Theater, Finger Lakes Shakespeare Players, and Rochester Children's Theater in Rochester, NY, and with Gilpin Stage Company in Richmond, Virginia; member of Rochester Actor's Workshop; respected teacher and educational leader for ten years in Rochester, New York; BA from Yale University; MS from the State University of New York at Brockport.
	Derek DeJoy Actor and set designer; trade experience spans fifteen years of residential and commercial carpentry, managing crews and subcontractors for renovation and new construction projects; designer and set-builder for theatre, television, commercial, industrial and feature films. Derek is also a licensed massage practitioner.
	Jennifer DeJoy Actor and public relations professional; performed with Boston theatre companies Threshold Theatre, Triangle Theatre, Speakeasy Stage Company, Back Alley Theatre, and the New Theatre; summer stock, cabaret, and repertory performer with Cold Comfort Productions, Deck House Cabaret, and New Surry Theatre in Maine; Seattle theatre credits include original works and One World Theatre's 14/48 (14 plays written, rehearsed and performed in 48 hours); studio vocalist and voice-over talent for industrials; BA in Theatre, University of Maine, Orono; Certificate, New Ehrlich Theatre Conservatory actor-training program, Boston.
	Lawrason Driscoll Actor; Broadway productions include Oh Calcutta! and Fame; Off-Broadway credits: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Moon Children and The Changing Room; film credits include Rolling Thunder (Fox), Grey Lady Down (Universal) and From Here to Eternity; television credits include visiting roles on M.A.S.H., Laverne & Shirley, Eight is Enough, Family, Kojak and other prime time programs; member of SAG, AEA, and AFTRA.
	Patty Flynn Actor; founding member of Book-It Repertory Theatre where she performed literary roles for the stage and live radio; performed in Life Under Water a New York production under the Lincoln Center Directorial Program; former member of the improvisational company Transformation Theatre (a spin-off of Playback Theatre); former actor and director for Cygnet Productions in Portland, Oregon; original works include "Shipyard Epiphany" performed at Dreamswell Studio in Portland; trained at Freehold Theatre Lab/Studio in Seattle.
	Amy Frazier Actor, director, writer; founding member and former Co-Artistic Director of A Theatre Under the Influence in Seattle; additional Seattle work includes roles with The Bathhouse Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Festival, Immediate Theatre, Living Voices, Annex Theatre, and, in California, the California Shakespeare Festival; national voice-over credits include commercials, videos and CDRoms; BA in Theatre from the University of Denver; member of AEA and AFTRA.
	Cecelia Frye Actor; performed on tour with Seattle Public Theatre and The Municipal Light and Theatre Company of Seattle; writer and performer of several original works for the Seattle International Fringe Festival, Northwest New Works at On the Boards, and independent productions; wrote and performed solo show entitled I Am the Pirate King, which won her a Seattle International Fringe Festival Artistic Pick Finalist award and juried entrance into ArtsEdge Festival; appeared in numerous independent films in Seattle and New York; voice-over credits include radio spots for WOMAD USA Festival, Washington Egg Commission and Blue Cross/Blue Shield; trained with veteran actor Ted Forlow (of The Actor's Studio), and in Seattle at Freehold Studio/Theatre Lab; BA in Psychology from State University of New York College at Purchase.
	Chuck Harper Director, performer and educator; specialized in physical theatre and development of new performance styles; recipient of a CEC ArtsLink Grant for award-winning commedia collaboration with theatre artists of the Czech Republic; former associate artistic director of Chicago's Strawdog Theatre Company; student of Suzuki and Viewpoint Training with Anne Bogart and the Saratoga International Theatre Institute; member of AEA and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers; MFA in Directing from the University of Washington.
	Carrie Hegdahl Actor; Seattle productions include Can't Stand up For Falling Down, Titanic and The Erpingham Camp ; Chicago credits include performances with Zebra Crossing Theatre, Remains Theatre, Temporary Theatre Company and SST Communications; former ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company-productions: Etta Jenks, Search and Destroy, Absent Friends and world premiere of Studs Terkel's RACE: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession; Czech Republic credits include Quills and December of All Things; actor for television and radio commercials and industrials; film credits include Foreign Exchange and What's the Soup?; member of SAG and AFTRA; BA in Theatre/Dance from Western Washington University.
	Laurence Hughes Actor; performed roles for many Seattle theatres including On the Boards, Annex, Freehold Studio/Theatre Lab, Windowlight and the Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival; film/video credits include For the Love of Money and Christmas-A Time of Joy; founding member of the critically acclaimed Elastic Picnic Improv Troupe; trained extensively at Freehold Studio/Theatre Lab, Stanford University and the University of Washington in Suzuki, Meisner and improvisation.
	Katie Kovacich Stage manager; co-producer of feature-length independent film, "Shoot the Girl". Previous professional experience includes work with CleanScapes, Smith & Leary PLLC, and Si-Sa Language Institute in South Korea; BS in Anthropology, Central Washington University.
	Mik Kuhlman Movement artist, actor, producer and educator; toured and taught extensively throughout the United States as a performer and Associate Artistic Director of Seattle Mime Theatre, performed at the International Arts Carnival, Hong Kong; Associate Artist with UMO Ensemble (giant puppetry, interactive street theatre); actress and creator of devised works for the stage (On the Boards, Seattle Fringe Festival, Seattle's Group Theatre); Producer of small hand open fist productions; Project Coordinator and Assistant to the Senior Vice President for One Reel Productions (Teatro ZinZanni, WOMAD USA, and Bumbershoot); Television actor (Fox's Medicine Ball), Film actor (Out of the Blue, Opening Adoption) and voice talent (over 50 clients, the first voice sent over email); member of AFTRA, SAG and Equity eligible; MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts.
	Ginger McNew Costumer and chef; costumed the Key City Players in Port Townsend, Washington; worked and trained extensively as a designer and seamstress; formerly part owner and designer for a Bali-based clothing company; former chef and owner of a restaurant and bed & breakfast in California.
	Max Morel Former Assistant Stage Manager for the Denver Center Theatre Company; production crew, premier of Sunset Boulevard's national tour; founding member, Trouble Clef Theatre Company, Boulder, Colorado; Technical Director, Anyone Can Whistle, Trouble Clef Theatre Company.
	Ben Rankin Director; founder of Ardeo Theatre Project; specialized in directing and playwriting; co-founder and former managing director of Freehold Studio/Theatre Lab, the most respected acting studio in the Northwest; former executive artistic director of Pilgrim Center for the Arts, host to the U.S. premiere of Vladivostok's Chamber Drama Theatre; theatre producer; director, actor, musician and composer; BA, Reed College.
	Jeremy Sher Actor and pastry chef; performed with St. Louis' New Line Theatre and Seattle's Annex Theatre and Elastic Picnic Improv over past 10 years; founded the first and only English-speaking improv company, El Trupo, in Barcelona, Spain in 1993; voice-over talent for radio and television; copywriter for audio and video productions for United Artists Theaters, Optimists International, and Ralston Purina, among others; wrote and co-directed the first of Apple Corporation's Racial Diversity interactive video series for universities and colleges nationwide; AAS in Pastry & Specialty Baking; BS in Mass Communication from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
	Kerry Skalsky Director, actor and movement instructor; specialized in stage combat; international fight choreographer; founder of the North American Theatre of Prague; co-founder of Bogota's Teatro de las Americas, and Golpe de Gracia, Colombia's only professional stunt association; theatre, television and film actor; member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American and British Fight Director Societies, and United Stuntman's Association; T'ai chi instructor; MFA in Directing from the University of Washington.
	Todd Tressler Actor and landscape architect; performed on Broadway and in the National Touring Company productions of HAIR; performed in Taming of the Shrew, Cherry Orchard, and Cyrano De Bergerac at American Conservatory Theater; Seattle theatre credits include As You Like It at Seattle Repertory Theatre and these productions: All Powers Necessary and Convenient, Oleanna, Waiting For Godot, Betrayal, King Lear, Specter, and Zoo Story; selected as one of the first actors in the Intiman Theatre and Freehold Journeymanship Program; owner of landscape architectural business focusing on natural habitat restoration; graduate of the American Conservatory Theater's Advanced Training Program; Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington. Top
Key to acronyms: AEA: Actors Equity Association; AFTRA: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists; SAG: Screen Actors Guild; Degrees: MA-Master of Arts; MFA- Master of Fine Arts; BA-Bachelor of Arts; BS-Bachelor of Science.

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