Cast & Creative
Ann Talman (Playwright/Performer)
Ann Talman made her Broadway debut playing Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter, Alexandra, in The Little Foxes. Additional Broadway credits include roles in The House of Blue Leaves, Some Americans Abroad, and The Women with numerous credits Off-Broadway and regionally at the Second Stage, The Vineyard Theatre, Soho Rep (Cat’s Paw), EST/LA (Bright Boy), Primary Stages (Better Days), Goodspeed Opera (Carnival), Geffen Playhouse (All In The Timing), Center Stage (Picnic), Huntington Theatre (Dangerous Liaisons), St. Louis Rep. (Diary of Anne Frank), and the Long Wharf Theatre (The Cocktail Hour).
Selected TV and film work includes roles in Seinfeld, Law and Order, Special Victims Unit, and in Wall Street, Limitless, Serendipity and Archeology of Woman. Ann’s cast album credits include Yours Anne, and Hannah 1939, and on NPR’s Tales from the South.
A documentary about Ann, her brother Woody, and Woody’s Order! was a 2017 selection at the Tribeca Film Festival (Ironbound Films), will soon have its world premiere in a major international film festival. The short film captures the first time Ann performs Woody’s Order! for its muse, Woody. He is now 68 years old.
John Shepard (Director)
As an actor, John Shepard has appeared on Broadway in American Buffalo with Al Pacino, as well as the subsequent national tour and on the West End, and A View from the Bridge, with Tony LoBianco. Off-Broadway, he worked at the Manhattan Theatre Club (Scenes from La Vie de Boheme directed by Doug Hughes), Joyce Theatre (1984 with Frances Fisher and Oliver Platt), the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre (The Normal Heart), Lambs Theatre (the world premiere of The Boys Next Door), Theatre for a New City (the world premiere of Eduardo Machado's Fabiola), as well as EST and SoHo Rep.
John recently appeared in the Cinemax series Banshee. Film credits include Fathers and Daughters, Adventureland, Hollywood & Wine, The Race, Sneakers, and Patriot Games, among others. Movies of the week include An Inconvenient Woman (with Jason Robards), Torch Song, Rock, and Face of Love. He has guest starred on many episodic television shows, including L.A. Law, Silk Stalkings, Nasty Boys, Quantum Leap, Dallas, and Spenser: For Hire, among others.
John has also worked at some of America's finest regional theatres. He was a company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for four years where he appeared in more than 16 productions. He has also worked at the Long Wharf Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Yale Rep, Huntington Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The REP, as well as the Wilma and the Kennedy Center, among others.
He has directed across the country including Quantum Theatre's Tamara (2014 "Production of the Year," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). John was also named 2014 "Director of the Year," by the Post-Gazette for his directorial work on Tamara, Off the Wall's Or and the REP's Heads. Also at the REP, John directed August: Osage County (2012 "Best Production," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Top 10 Productions of the Year," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), Buried Child, The Chicken Snake, Mother Courage, The Visit, and One Flea Spare. He has directed in Minnesota (Commonwealth Theatre), Maine (Vacationland Theatre), Illinois (Krannert's Summerfest at UIUC) among others.
John is the author of Auditioning and Acting for the Camera, published by Smith and Kraus. He is a professor at Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts, where he teaches acting and directing. He has been on the faculty at University of California, Irvine, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Roderick Menzies (EST/LA Producer, Co-Artistic Director)
As Co-Artistic Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, Menzies has produced several critically acclaimed and award-winning productions, including Princes of Kings Road (2015), Watching O.J. (2015), Winterfest (2016), the inaugural EST/LA One Act Festival (2016), and Mutual Philanthropy (2016). He also served as Associate Producer for EST/LA’s award-winning Tree at Inside-the-Ford (2009). Previous producer credits include Nora for Blue Angel Theatre at the Pico Playhouse (2006). Since becoming a member of EST/LA in 2007 Menzies also directed Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King and Jennifer Maisel’s Tempted, and appeared in Tony Foster’s Tag and Tom Jacobson’s The House of the Rising Son. From 2010-2014 he served as founding Producing Director of New York Theatre Intensives, offering conservatory training in new play development in mid-town Manhattan in collaboration with the member artists of EST/NY. In May 2017, he will appear as “DaddyO” in Murray Mednick’s The Gary Plays for Open Fist Theatre Company at the Atwater Village Theatre.
Ronald Allan-Lindblom (Pittsburgh Playhouse, Artistic Director)
Artistic director Mr. Lindblom has produced, directed and acted in hundreds of theatre and dance productions on three continents. He has directed internationally at drama festivals in Shanghai, Edinburgh, and Hong Kong. Mr. Lindblom is the founder of The REP, Point Park University’s professional theatre company and serves as Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse, the Conservatory of Performing Arts and Point Park University.
Stephanie Mayer-Staley (Scenic Design, Pittsburgh Playhouse and EST/LA)
is an idea artist whose work ranges from scenic and lighting design to installation, land art, painting, photography, and stone masonry. Originally from Germany, her art often reflects her desire for cross-cultural understanding. Mrs. Mayer-Staley’s work has been produced, displayed and honored in the U.S.A. as well as in Germany. Recent theatrical designs include: Tamara for Quantum Theater (named Best Play of 2015 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard for The REP, Beckett and Beyond for Corningworks, and The Wild Duck and The Bluest Eye for the Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Joan Markert (Costume Design, Pittsburgh Playhouse and EST/LA)
is in her 36th season with the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Her favorite projects include The School for Scandal, Carousel, Parade, Assassins, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Nine, City of Angels, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Anything Goes (twice), Contact, Playboy of the Western World, and The Drowsy Chaperone. A graduate of Grinnell College and with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Costume Design from Carnegie Mellon University.
Annmarie Duggan (Lighting Design, Pittsburgh Playhouse)
is delighted to make her Playhouse debut. She has designed Off Broadway and extensively in regional theatres across the United States. She has designed the lighting for more than 400 productions. Off Broadway: Sphinx Winxs, Beckett Theatre, Captain Louie, York Theatre, Jolson & Company, Century Center. Regionally: Saint Michaels Playhouse, Orlando Rep, Capital Repertory Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare, American Girl Theatre, Northern Stage, Stoneham Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre Company, Potsdam Music Theatre, to name a few. Ms. Duggan is the designer for Que-It & Line-It iPad apps for Stage Managers and Designers (http://urbanbyte.io/ ). Ms. Duggan is currently an Associate Professor, Chair at the University of Pittsburgh were she teaches Lighting Design, Stage Management, and Computer Aided Drafting.
Heather Ankley (Stage Manager, Pittsburgh Playhouse / Production Consultant and Lighting Design, EST/LA)
earned her Bachelor of the Arts degree in Stage Management and Musical Theatre from Point Park University in 2000. Since graduating she has been employed by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at the Byham Theater as a stage technician and spent many years as a Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager with the Pittsburgh Opera. Heather is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, the American Guild of Musical Artists, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local #3. Her involvement with these organizations has allowed her to work in a variety of live entertainment mediums from musical theatre and opera to dance, comedy, and rock ’n’ roll. Credits from theatre and opera include: Wig Out!, A Musical Christmas Carol, Merchant of Venice, The Flick, Choir Boy, Souvenir, The Last Five Years, Man of La Mancha, Carmen, Falstaff, The Threepenny Opera, Dead Man Walking, The Magic Flute, Billy Budd, Cosi fan tutti, The Grapes of Wrath, Hansel and Gretel, The Marriage of Figarro, La Boheme, and many more.
Steve Shapiro (Sound Design, Pittsburgh Playhouse and EST/LA)
is pleased to return to the Playhouse for his seventh year as Resident Sound Designer. Favorite Playhouse works include The Bluest Eye, The Flick, Into the Woods, Urinetown, A Streetcar Named Desire, Antarktikos, Dark of the Moon, The Umbrella Man, Camino Real, M33, The Producers, and Illyria. In previous years, he designed the sound for such great Playhouse productions such as August: Osage County, Death of a Salesman, A Moon to Dance By, A Con uence of Dreaming, The Rocky Horror Show, and others. Before joining our staff, Steve spent 30 years as a professional sound designer around the country and the world, most recently spending five years as the sound designer/engineer for the national tour of Menopause, The Musical. In 2015, Steve provided the sound design and manned the board for The Presidential Scholars Performance at The Kennedy Center, directed by Debbie Allen. Before that, he spent 16 years at the world renowned Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, designing over 85 productions and working with such different artists as Jimmy Buffet, Jack Klugman, Tony Randall, Len Cariou, Anthony Newley, Bea Arthur, and many more. Other credits include the Russian language premiere of The Skin of Our Teeth in Novosibirsk, Russia, helming the sound board for the 1995 South American Tour of The Phantom of the Opera, composing the original score for the South Florida premiere of Angels in America, and the score composition and sound design of Alan Ginsburg’s only play, Plutonian Ode.
Andrew J. Paul (Video Design, Pittsburgh Playhouse and EST/LA)
started his theater career as a stage manager, working locally and internationally, for companies ranging from The Pittsburgh Public Theater, the New York City Opera, and corporate clients such as The New York Yankees, Mercedes Benz and Mack trucks. He is now a creative producer on live corporate events such as the Microsoft Windows Devices Launch, and Xbox’s E3 Global Media Briefing (live on SpikeTV). He is thrilled to be working again at Point Park and is grateful for the chance to work alongside the amazing team on Woody’s Order! His non-theater work can be found at runrabbitgilding.com.
Zane Wagner (Assistant Director, Pittsburgh Playhouse)
is a senior musical theatre major at Point Park University. He was last seen on stage as Charlie Bradley in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This fall he wrote and directed 10th Leading Cause with Pinnacle Productions. With Pinnacle he has also directed Bang, Bang You’re Dead. He has also worked on The Spitfire Grill (Front Porch Theatricals, Asst. Stage Manager) and Oklahoma! (Student Summer Stock, Prod. Stage Manager). Thank you to John, Ann, and the entire team for a spectacular experience!
Rachel Marengere (Assistant Stage Manager, Pittsburgh Playhouse)
is thrilled to be work with The REP once again. Rachel is a third-year stage management major who will be graduating this coming spring. Past credits include: The REP; Assistant Stage Manager Endless Lawns, Conservatory Theatre Company; Assistant Stage Manager The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Stage Manager Raymond Laine Memorial Student One Acts, Assistant Stage Manager Into the Woods, Video Operator “21” The Musical, Conservatory Dance Company; Stage Manager 2016 Student Choreography Project. Rachel would like to thank her family for their constant support.
Lauren Wijangco (Production Assistant, Pittsburgh Playhouse)
is a B.F.A. stage management major and is thrilled to be working with The REP for the first time. Some of her previous credits include Assistant Stage Manager for Ballet Off-Center (Conservatory Dance Company); Diary of a Madman and Poe’s Last Night (Metropolis Theater); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Too Many Cooks, Social Security, The Bikinis (Mountain Playhouse); Raymond Lane Memorial One Act Festival (Pittsburgh Playhouse); A 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol (Playhouse Jr.); Emma (A.D. Players Theater); Stage Manager for Stay Carl Stay, God of Carnage (Stephen F. Austin State University); Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Middle Ages (Theatre Southwest); Cinderella: The World’s Favorite Fairy Tale. Proud AEA EMC.
Alicia DiGiorgi (Director of Production and Stage Manager, Pittsburgh Playhouse)
was the production stage manager for THE REP from Ah, Wilderness! in 2007 to Of Mice and Men in 2014, then became the full time director of production in January 2016. She proudly served as the production & facilities manager for Bricolage Production Company and had the honor of working on STRATA and OjO, including OjO for the 2015 WoW Festival at the La Jolla Playhouse. She has stage managed over 50 productions and served in various backstage roles on dozens more. In 2003 she began as a spot light operator and production assistant at City Theatre for Cafe Puttanesca, then went on to work as a sound board operator, production assistant, wardrobe crew and AEA stage manager for 7 seasons. In 2004 she stage managed Travesties for The Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre and continued to work with them until their 2011 production of House & Garden. From 2010 to 2014 she was on the AEA stage management team at The Pittsburgh Public Theater. Over the years Alicia has been a part of 7 barebones productions, worked with Unique Staging Solutions, Pittsburgh Musical Theater and The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Kim Martin (Production Director, Pittsburgh Playhouse)
graduated from Point Park University in 1987 where she received a B.A. in Fine, Applied and Performing Arts and graduated again in 2016 with a M.B.A. in Sports, Arts & Entertainment Management. She remained involved with the University since her undergrad and returned in 1999 as Production Stage Manager for The REP where she also created and developed the Stage Management Program. In 2013, she was promoted to Director of Production at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and in 2016 became Producing Director.
Kevin Comartin (Production Manager, EST/LA)
is a graduate of the University of Southern California and an active member of EST/LA where he serves as Producing Director. He produces and hosts The Kitchen Sink Variety Show, a monthly comedy show, and heads up the New West Playwrights group at EST/LA. He is also the producer of many digital shorts and web series and a frequent collaborator with Worst Person Productions.
Nick Foran (Production Stage Manager, EST/LA)
Originally from Australia, Nick has stage managed as well as light and sound designed countless shows both in America and abroad. He can be currently seen running shows all around town in various theaters, being technical director at two independent theaters in Los Angeles as well as providing technical supervision at the Stella Adler school of acting.
Maggie Dunleavy (Assistant Stage Manager, EST/LA)
is so excited to be joining EST/LA for Woody’s Order! She is currently a senior BA Acting major at Emerson College. She’s acted in student and department produced plays while at Emerson, and been president of Chocolate Cake City, a sketch comedy group.