Sandi Belcher
Edwin Drood / Dick Datchery / Alice Nutting

Sandi began to first perform publicly as a singer at the age of twelve. She started out singing as a soloist in churches and then, by the age of fifteen, as a lead singer in a local swing band called The Robsons. Her first role in a play came when she wrote, directed, and acted in a production that she and her friends performed for their sixth grade class. Sandi became more seriously involved in acting when she entered high school, performing in One Acts and school productions. 

Her first show with the Waynesboro Players was You Can’t Take it with You in 1977. She moved from Waynesboro in 1980 and, after starting a family, began to perform in community theater in Tidewater, Virginia. One of her favorite roles was Babe in Crimes of the Heart. She has been involved in many shows with the Players since returning to Waynesboro in 1995.  Her favorite show of all Waynesboro Players productions is Sunday in the Park with George. She has also been active with Oak Grove and ShenanArts, acting and singing in productions like Company and The Spitfire Grill. She was thrilled and honored to direct the world premiere of Woody, written by Staunton’s own Richard Adams, in the fall of 2004.  She also played Gertrude McFuzz in the Waynesboro Players’ spring 2005 production of Seussical. Sandi has most recently been seen on stage at BRCC's Black Box Theatre in Side by Side by Sondheim and Spirit of Augusta.

Joe Bruce
Townsperson

Joe Bruce is a 16-year veteran of community theater. Joe is very excited to be doing a play with so many fantastic actors and actresses. Joe has worked with most of these guys at one time or another but never at the same time until now. Joe has received many prestigious accolades from his peers, including "Keep Your Day Job" and "Never Do That Again." After this, Joe will be in A Christmas Story, and then he'll marry his girlfriend of seven years this spring.

Hank Fitzgerald
Neville Landless / Victor Grinstead
Wig Master

Hank Fitzgerald attended Shenandoah University, where he studied musical theater. He has been performing in professional theater for the last 15 years. Regional credits include Aladdin, Damn Yankees, Sweeney Todd, and Cinderella. He was also the co-director of ShenanArt's production of Tommy, in which he starred as Captain Walker.

Duane Hahn
Durdles / Nick Cricker

Duane Hahn was a teacher at Waynesboro High School for 33 years. He is a director, actor, ceramic artist, and playwright. He has been a member of the Wayneboro Players since 1976—former president and board of directors member. He's had ceramic art in galleries in Virginia and North Carolina, was Virginia’s Secondary teacher of the year in 2000, the extras casting director for Gods and Generals, and the playwright of Don't the Moon Look Pretty, a local story about the building of the Shenandoah National Park. He has pretty well done it all and has appeared on all local stages in many different roles.

Brian Holsopple
John Jasper / Clive Paget
Music Director

Brian Holsopple has wide theatrical experience with community and semi-professional companies. Roles of note include Sweeny in Sweeney Todd, John Adams in 1776, King Arthur Camelot, Che in Evita, Noah in Two by Two, and The Cat in Seussical. He sings with the Ovation Singers of Staunton and is part of the Broadway and Beyond trio. Brian runs a business as a voiceover professional, voicing everything from commercials and training modules to audio books (for one of which he received a best in category award from Publishers Weekly in 2007). (See holsopplevoiceover.bizland.com.) He resides near Verona, Virginia, with one wife, Bev, two cats, Nefertiti and Jeepers, and one dog, Emerson.

Nancy Houseknecht
Townsperson

Nancy Houseknecht was introduced to the local theater scene a few years ago and has been hooked ever since. She had been involved in many productions at Oak Grove Theatre as crew and stage manager before deciding to try the view onstage as General Genghis Khan Schmitz in the Waynesboro Players production of Seussical. She has since appeared in WP's production of Big River, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Clue: The Musical. nancy is the art director at Folio Deisgn, Ltd., and spends a lot of time keeping up with her 6-year-old, Emma.

Justine Juart
Townsperson

Justine is delighted and honored to be part of such an accomplished cast and crew! After moving to Staunton a year ago, she made her local theater debut in The Spirit of Augusta. A native of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Justine has performed in many productions with the Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild. Some of her favorites include Raggedy Ann and Andy, The Anastasia Affaire, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Pajama Game. She is a fourth grade teacher at Stump Elementary in Augusta County.

Jarod Kearney
Townsperson

Jarod is the Curator of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton. He moved to Virginia in December, and has enjoyed getting involved with the local theater scene, playing Cheswick in the Oak Grove production of One Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest and Mr. Gilmore in ShenanArts's To Kill a Mockingbird. Jarod is a bladesmith and has a side business as a custom knifemaker. He enjoys doing archaeological digs, writing and playing music, raising bonsai, writing fiction, exploring, and all kinds of random stuff. He plays the piano, guitar, bass, banjo, and sings. He is also known to speak to goldfish.

Mike Lafferty
Deputy / Master Cricker

Michael has been working in local theater for almost 30 years. Michael is a director, actor and producer. He has been a member of Oak Grove Theater and the Waynesboro Players since 1981. He presently sits on the Oak Grove Board. His most recent accomplishments have been his direction of Jesus Christ Superstar at Waynesboro and Of Mice and Men at the Grove. Michael's favorite role was Dr. Hubert Bonney in the door slamming farce, It Runs in the Family. Michael is a state certified Master Electrician in real life, living in Staunton.

Barbara Spilman Lawson
Princess Puffer / Angela Prysock

Barbara Spilman Lawson knew from the age of seven that musical theater was her passion as she sang and danced around her living room (much to the thrill of her entire family) singing all the tunes to The Music Man. In high school, she played many deeply moving roles, many of them written by author and sister, Elizabeth Massie. Barb received the Best Actor Award from Waynesboro High School… well, long, long ago. She has been in over 50 musical productions for Waynesboro Players, ShenanArts, Oak Grove Theater, as well as some independent productions and appeared in the PBS Parents' Choice Award-winning musical, Rhymes and Reasons. Barb was also an extra in the movie, Evan Almighty, and can be seen for approximately 5 seconds at the beginning of the film. Some of her favorite theater roles have been Mother Superior in Nunsense and Nuncrackers, Bloody Mary in South Pacific, Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors, Joanne in Company, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. She is a professional storyteller and presents her programs, "Stories with a Twist!" at elementary schools and libraries up and down the east coast. (Check out www.storieswithatwist.net.) Along with Bob Wright, Barb is co-founder of Bob & Barb Productions, providing motivational entertainment for educational groups and other local and state organizations. She is married to Charlie, President of Waynesboro Players and an Oak Grove Theater board member and they have a beautiful 15 year-old daughter, Jenni.

Bob Lunger
Townsperson

Bob received a degree in performing arts from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington). This is also where he learned to write about himself in third person. He recently appeared as Atticus Finch in ShenanArts' production of To Kill a Mockingbird. Other favorite rolls include Norman in, The Boys Next Door, Duke Orsino in Shakespeare's, Twelfth Night and Mushnik in, Little Shop of Horrors. Bob will soon be concluding the recuring role of City Attorney on Government Access Channel 14's reality show, City Council Meeting.

Bob is an active member of First Baptist Church in Waynesboro where he leads the contemporary service, and he performs locally with Schola Cantorum and the Waynesboro Third Fridays' River City Players. His guilty pleasure is an occasion jumpsuited Elvis gig...thank ya very much. A lawyer by trade, Bob can regularly be seen in area courtrooms litigating for Wharton Aldhizer and Weaver, PLC.

Cassy Maxton
Rosa Bud / Deirdre Peregrin

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Cassy holds a B.A. in theatre Miami University in Ohio and a teaching certificate in theatre arts from Mary Baldwin College. She currently teaches gifted/talented and after-school drama programs in the Augusta County school system and performs with Impressions Theatre (www.impressionstheatre.com) to bring educational theatre to area elementary schools.

She has appeared locally with ShenanArts, Oak Grove Theatre, Golden Duck Productions, the Mary Baldwin College MLitt/MFA program, and the Frontier Culture Museum. Some of her favorite roles include Mayella Ewell in To Kill A Mockingbird, Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, and Nurse Kelly in Harvey.

Her ultimate goal as an actor (besides, of course, being able to give up restaurant jobs) is to be in anything written by Joss Whedon.

Michael Vayvada
Rev. Septimus Crisparkle / Cedric Moncrieffe

Michael Vayvada is a local theater veteran, having appeared this summer at Oak Grove Theater as Jake in Jake's Women and Klinglehoff in The Underpants. He has performed in many area productions including: The Spirit of Augusta, The Sorcerer, No Time for Sergeants, Taking Steps, Of Mice and Men, The Mikado, It Runs in the Family, Guys and Dolls, Shadowlands, Once Upon a Mattress, HMS Pinafore and others. Michael has also appeared in plays at Mary Baldwin College. Michael lives in Staunton with his wife Emily and is the owner/operator of Ace Communication Arts, a graphic design firm in Staunton.

Bhagavatar "Llyn" Walker
Helena Landless / Janet Conover

Llyn is a professional performer whose venues include being a local lounge lizard crooning to cronies in places of late, very late. Every full moon or so, she'll land a winery or family-friendly gig just to keep her in the up-and-up. She is delighted to bring some curry and other delicacies from her recent travels to India. By the way, please have seconds.

Matthew Warner
Bazzard / Waiter / Phillip Bax

This writer's need for attention has driven him quite mad. Someone stop him before he sings again! No, no, that's a description of Bazzard, the character whom Matt plays, not Matt himself, although he is a writer, too. (Take a look at matthewwarner.com.) Really, he's not an attention whore. We promise. But he does comb his goatee, for some reason. Matt lives in Staunton with our lovely set assistant, his wife Deena Warner. You can hear his new radio play, How the Martians Stole Christmas, every third Friday this fall at the River City Radio Hour in Waynesboro.

Barbara Wimble
Florence Gill
Costumer

Barbara Wimble has been involved in local community theater for several years.  Her love of music, dance, history, playing dress-up and acting silly has led to her involvement in theater. She has been involved in supporting roles in Oak Grove Theater and Waynesboro Players musicals, including H.M.S. Pinafore, Of Thee I Sing, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and, most recently, Die Fledermaus.  She has also danced in the Shenandoah Civic Dance Company’s The Nutcracker, acted and costumed Conversations from the Grave and costumed Spirit of Augusta.”  She is married to her best friend and colleague, William Browning, and works at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library.

She would really, really like to know if we are “Off To The Races” yet.  After all, she has to design all these stuffy Dickensian costumes!

Bob Wright
Chairman / Mayor Thomas Sapsea / William Cartwright
Director

Bob is a graduate of James Madison University and the University of Virginia. He has been a teacher for 33 years, teaching special education for the mentally retarded, learning disabled, and preschool handicapped as well as grades 1 through 7. He was also an adjunct professor of education at Mary Baldwin College, and Technology Teacher for grades 6-8. Bob is currently retired from teaching. He has been a Master Teacher for The National Teacher Training Institute since 1994 and is the author of several published lessons. He was also the host of WVPT’s Pop Quiz for four years. He has worked with the Council for Economic Education and the Virginia Program for Law Related Education. Bob has made presentations to the American Bar Association in Orlando, Florida and the National Council for Teachers of Social Studies in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Virginia Society for Technology Education. He has also offered varying workshops for local school systems. Very busy in local theatrical productions, Bob has appeared on stage for Blue Ridge Theater Festival, Waynesboro Players, ShenanArts, and Mary Baldwin College Theater. You may have seen Bob last spring as 11 different characters in Greater Tuna. His latest roles have been as Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus and Dr. Spivey in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Oak Grove Theater. Bob is married to Cookie Wright. They have two children. Along with Barbara Spilman Lawson, Bob is co-founder of Bob & Barb Productions, providing motivational/entertaining speeches for schools, public, and private organizations.

Kim Harris, Linda Petzke, Charlie Lawson
Producers

We're grateful to our producers and especially to Charlie Lawson and the Waynesboro Players for the generous use of the Players' warehouse and sets.

Kim Harris is excited to be producing another show at BRCC and with such a fabulous cast & crew! She most recently had the honor of producing Spirit of Augusta, an original musical and a national  award winning show, also performed at BRCC. Kim has worked backstage and/or produced many shows at Oak Grove Theater. She can also usually be found operating her business, "Bit n' Bridle Tack Shop," in Staunton.

Charlie Lawson is the President of the Waynesboro Players, which has generously given us use of their warehouse for rehearsal and set-construction. Charlie also built the beautiful sets for us that you'll see on stage. Co-owner of of C.J. Buggs, Charlie lives in Waynesboro with his wife, Barb Lawson, and their daughter, Jenni.

Linda Petzke is thrilled to be working on this show with such an outstanding cast and crew!  Her most recent productions include Spirit of Augusta  for the Augusta Jamestown Committee and  Cinderella for Oak Grove.  Linda's favorite productions of all time include Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, Forever Plaid and Oklahoma.   

Jean Morgan
Props

Can't bloody well have a murder mystery without a murder weapon, among other things. "Props" to our props mistress, Jean Morgan.

Don Roe
Pianist

Doe Roe started playing piano at age nine and became a church musician at age eleven. He has accompanied numerous solists and groups, including the Ovation Singers, Broadway and Beyond, and voice majors at Mary Baldwin College. Don has been involved in local productions with Oak Grove Theatre, ShenanArts, Waynesboro Players, Blue Ridge Theater Festival, and Mary Baldwin College, including Oklahoma!, Yes! By George, Company, Sweeney Todd, Annie Get Your Gun, Westside Story, Seussical, and Forever Plaid. Don is music director for st. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Staunton, director of clinical program services at the Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, and an adjunct faculty member in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Mary Baldwin College.

Paul Southerington
Lights

They say that when you're on stage, the lights add ten pounds to you. This is not Paul Southerington's fault.

Deena Warner
Assistant Set Designer
Sound Effects

Deena Warner painted the portrait of Rosa Bud that you'll see over Jasper's fireplace and helped to paint the rest of the sets. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte magna cum laude with a degree in illustration, and has worked for more than 12 years in the advertising and graphic design industry. She lives in Staunton with her husband Matthew Warner, where they own Deena Warner Design LLC.