::BY THE BOG OF CATS:: MEET THE CAST
Derdrui Ring* (Hester Swane) An MFA graduate of The Gaiety School of Acting, Dublin, Ireland, Derdriu began her acting career at The Abbey Theatre. Ensemble Theatre work includes: Angels In America Parts 1 & 2 and The Normal Heart. Some cherished roles include: Martha ( Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf) at Beck Center, Two ( None Too Fragile), Slippy Helen in The Cripple of Inishmaan (Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles), Catherine in A Long Day’s Journey into Night (Hartford Stage), Catherine in Proof (The Cleveland Playhouse), Josie in A Moon for the Misbegotten (Great Lakes Theater Festival), Pegeen in The Playboy of the Western World (The Irish Rep, NYC.) Rosie Redmond in The Plough & The Stars (The Guthrie Theatre), Nora Reilly in John Bull’s Other Island (Geva Theatre), Alexa in Stranded on Earth, and Tess in Majorie Prime ( Dobama Theatre). Television: Law and Order, C.I., Hope & Faith. Film: The Yank, Fortune. Derdriu is a proud a member of SAG and AEA. Many thanks to Celeste for creating a powerful female season and for taking on our greatest Irish living playwright. *(Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association).
Lexi Cowan (Josie Kilbride) is in the 8th grade at Laurel School. She is thrilled to be performing at the Ensemble Theatre for the first time! Lexi earned her first professional acting job at age 3 in the Lionsgate film Warrior. She has since had roles in other feature films for Focus Features and Netflix. Some of Lexi's favorite performances around town have been in Great Lakes Theater's Les Miserables, The Cleveland Playhouse's A Christmas Story, Cain Park's The Music Man in Concert and Dobama's The Baker Street Irregulars. She has performed as a solo artist with, both, The Musical Theater Project and numerous times with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. Lexi has spent the past 3 summers at Stagedoor Manor where she has performed in The Boy Friend, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Pirates of Penzance, and Seussical, the Musical, in addition to a performance group called Our Time Cabaret (OTC). She has also appeared in numerous commercials and print ads. You can look her up at IMDb.com. Extra thanks and hugs to Celeste, Mom, Dad, Ben, and fab family and friends!
Daniel Telford (Carthage Kilbride) is making Ensemble Theatre debut in By the Bog of Cats. You may have seen him previously at Beck Center in Really Really (Davis), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Nick), and most recently King Lear (Edmund). Daniel is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace's BFA Acting Program. Previous Credits include: Macbeth (Young Siward, Thane of Ross u/s) , Witness for the Prosecution (Policeman) at Great Lakes Theater, The Diviners (C.C Showers) at Baldwin Wallace University and Glengarry Glen Ross (Williamson) at Blank Canvas Theatre.
Laura Starnik (Monica Murray) returns to Ensemble where she appeared in Well and Prelude To a Kiss. Her most recent turn was in Tom at the Farm at convergence-continuum, and she has worked at a number of theaters in northeast Ohio, including: Beck Center (Is He Dead?), Blank Canvas (Our Town), Clague Playhouse (Ghost Writer), Cleveland Play House (All The Way), Cleveland Public Theatre (This is Not The Play), Dobama (Humble Boy, Sons of the Prophet, Middletown, Becky Shaw, Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars), Karamu (You Can’t Take it With You), Mamai (Lady Windermere’s Fan), none too fragile (A Kid Like Jake), Oberlin Summer Theater Festival (Come Back, Little Sheba, The Miracle Worker, Picnic). Thank you for supporting live theater.
Julia Kolibab* (Mrs. Kilbride) is very happy to be returning to Ensemble Theatre where at one time she worked as Operations Manager for Lucia Colombi who she misses very much! She has performed in several shows at Ensemble including Anton In Show Business (Kate/Jackie/Ben), Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune (Frankie), Our Town (Mrs. Webb), and The Rose Tatoo (Estelle). Some other favorite Cleveland credits include King Lear (Goneril) and Body Awareness (Phyllis) at Beck Center for the Arts, Lifex3 (Inez), Edward Albee’s The Occupant (Louise Nevelson), Marriage Play (Jill), and Pack of Lies (Barbara) for Cesear’s Forum at Kennedy’s Down Under, and Necessary Targets (Jelena) at Willoughby School of Fine Arts. Julia was a company member of Arts Club Theatre in Soho, NYC for several years where she performed as Elena in The Awakening and as Mother in Scoot, Death, Scoot! She is currently the director of the Youth Theatre at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre. Julia would like to thank Celeste for giving her this opportunity to return to Ensemble!
*(Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association).
Bob McCoy (Xavier Cassidy) returns to Ensemble Theatre for the first time since 2012 (Destroying The Light). He was most recently seen in Seat Of The Pants' production of Smokefall, which appeared on Ensemble's Playground stage last month. Bob is a member of the resident acting company for Seat Of The Pants and has appeared in The Best Man and That Championship Season as well as Smokefall. Bob has appeared onstage at many area theaters over the last 45 years, including The Beck Center, Karamu, Cain Park, Rabbit Run, Lakeland Civic Theatre, the Fine Arts Association of Willoughby, Aurora Community Theatre, Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, and many others. Favorite roles include Big Daddy in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Lenny in Of Mice And Men, Victor Fleming in Moonlight and Magnolias, and Art Hockstader in The Best Man. Also a director, Bob has directed shows at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Aurora Community Theatre, Hudson Players, and East Cleveland Theatre.
Erin Moran (Caroline Cassidy) is thrilled to be making her debut here at Ensemble Theatre. Erin is a graduate of Saint Mary's College, Indiana with experience in Film and Theater. Erin has worked with Dobama Theatre, Blank Canvas Theatre, Silhouette Productions, Playmakers Youth Theatre, and Imaginos Productions. Recent roles include, Vicky in Vicky Velocity and the Star Strikers, Mortimer in The Fantastiks, Donkey in Shrek the Musical, Natalie in Next to Normal, Heidi in Title of Show, and Henry in Shakespeare's Henry V. She now works as the Cultural Arts and Nature Programmer for French Creek Theatre. Erin would like to thank Celeste for this wonderful opportunity as well as her Uncle Mark
for all of his help.
Maryann Elder (The Catwoman) is a native of Cleveland who stepped onstage at the original Fine Arts Association in Willoughby at the age of 7. She first performed with Ensemble in The Price, with Dorothy and Reuben Silver, and is delighted to be back working with Celeste Cosentino and a remarkably gifted cast. Other credits include Beck Center (Holy Ghosts, A Man Of No Importance), Dobama (Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Middletown), Cleveland Public Theater (Barbecue, Standing On Ceremony), Cain Park (Oliver!), Lakeland Civic Theater (Death Of A Salesman), Actors Summit, Mamai, and The Cleveland Playhouse. Maryann is also proud to have directed many high school productions, hopefully inspiring a new generation of artists.
Nate Homolka (Ghost Fancier) makes his triumphant return to the Ensemble stage. He was recently seen as Mike Hogan in
Moon for the Misbegotten. His next project will be as The Writer in Homos or Everyone in America at Convergence Continuum. Enjoy the show.
Nicholas Chokan (The Ghost of Joseph Swane) is elated to return to Ensemble! He previously appeared in This Is Our Youth as Warren. He is a proud graduate of Cleveland State University. Recent credits include; Yankee Tavern and Bloomsday at None Too Fragile, and Marjorie Prime and On the Grill at Dobama Theatre. Nicholas wishes to thank Celeste and everyone at Ensemble for this wonderful opportunity. He would like to dedicate this run to Donald Patrick Palmer and Margaret Madden.
Greg White (Father Willow) is an actor and director who has been performing in the Cleveland area for a decades. He was last seen as Chuttes & Ladders in Water by the Spoonful, as Mr Macon in East of Eden, and the title character in Jelly Belly in at Ensemble. Before that, he played two characters at Cleveland Public Theatre in Lisa Langford's The Art of Longing. He played the role of Willy Loman twice in Death of a Salesman at Ensemble Theatre and then at True North Theater. Greg has also directed at Ensemble: Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. In 2015, he was recognized as Best Actor in Scene Magazine for his performance of Thurgood Marshall in Thurgood and for Superior Achievement by the Cleveland Critics Circle for his performance of Chris Christopherson in Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie, both for Ensemble Theatre. He most recently finished the run of Sunset Baby as Kenyatta at Dobama. Greg received his training at the Ohio University's School of Theatre.
Timothy Hayes (Young Dunne) is thrilled to be making his Ensemble Theater debut! TJ was most recently seen in Cleveland’s first fully produced immersive play; Shadow of the Run: Part One: Wanderlust (Pastor), Prior to Wanderlust, TJ has worked with Rubber City Theatre: Romeo & Juliet (Abram, Citizen, Page), A Christmas Carol (2nd Gentleman, Dick Wilkins, Topper), and A Streetcar named Desire (Young Collector, Doctor). TJ has also had the opportunity to do tech with The Beck Center (Gypsy, An Act of God). TJ is a graduate of Cleveland State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance (‘17, Cum Laude) where he had the opportunity to play roles such as Friar Lawrence in Romeo & Juliet, one of three woodcutters in Blood Wedding, and seven people in Ubu Roi. TJ would like to thank Celeste for inviting to be a part of this great play. And to Mom and Dad for saying “Okay” when he told them he wanted to pursue a career in Theatre. I love you, 3,000.
MEET THE CREW
Celeste Cosentino (Executive Artistic Director/Director)
Gabrielle Angela DeFelice (Production Stage Manager)
Becca Moseley (Assistant Stage Manager)
Ian Hinz (Set and Lighting Design)
Meg Parish (Costume Design)
Charles Richie (Dialect Coach)
Dusten Welch (Fight Choreographer)
James Rankin (Technical Director)
Bios to come!!!
