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Christopher Howard (Pirate King)
Chris is happy
to be taking the stage with TLO. Other G&S credits include Colonel Calverly in Patience, Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore and Dick Deadeye in HMS Pinafore ( all under the direction of
Lucinda Winslow). He made his return to the stage after a brief
“theatrical leave of absense” in last years’ The Gondoliers .
Chris has received two ACTF Irene Ryan Award Best Actor nominations
for his portrayals as Mickey in Hurlyburly and Anthipholus
in The Boys from Syracuse. Other
favorite roles include Father in
Canadian Gothic , Vladmir
in Waiting For Godot, and Tony
in West Side Story. Chris
would like to thank his friends and family for their continued support.
He especially wants to thank Andrea, his bride-to-be, for her love
and friendship. |
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Amy Beebe (Mabel)
is delighted to make her debut with Troupers Light Opera Company. She
previously performed the role of Mabel with the Chancel Players in
Scarsdale, and has played Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore and
performed in The Gondoliers and Trial by Jury with the West
Texas Opera Theater. This fall, she will be appearing as Blonde in
Mozart’s Abduction from the
Seraglio with the Crystal Opera in Norwalk, Connecticut. She was
recently selected to be one of sixteen participants at the Bel Canto
Institute this summer. Amy is pleased to have been a finalist in the NYSTA
Vocal Gymnastics Competition last December.
Also in 2000, she bowed as Norina (Don
Pasquale) with Crystal Opera Consortium and appeared as soloist in
Mozart’s Requiem with the First Presbyterian Church of Stamford. She has
appeared in several opera gala concerts with the American Singers’ Opera
Project and with the Trovatore Opera in New York City. |
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Chris
Coppola - (Samuel) - Chris is pleased to return to Troupers
again this year. He appeared in Gondoliers as Antonio and in The Yeomen of the Guard. He has
been seen in several Crystal Opera productions, including Pish-Tush
last fall in The Mikado, Don Pasquale,
Gianni Schicci, The binding of Isaac, and A Royal Evening
of Gilbert and Sullivan. Chris is the Minister of Worship at Grace
Evangelical Free Church, where he serves as worship leader/lead singer for
the worship band. He also directs the choir and the drama ministry. In
this capacity, he has directed two cantatas, six seasonal musicals and
thee seasonal plays. He recently directed a comtemporary presentation of
St. Mark's Gospel, called Travelling Light. Other appearances have included Judas Maccabeus,
Dvorak's Requiem and Dvorak's Mass in D with the Fairfield County
Chorale. |
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Margaret Jackins
(Ruth) last appeared with Troupers as Lady Angela in Patience.
She is a singer/actress who has performed Off-Broadway, in regional and
summer stock theatre, as well as on television and in film. Also an
accomplished cabaret singer, Margaret spent 8 months at New York's Don't
Tell Mama, and 18 more months on tour in the award-winning revue Say it
in Song. Margaret teaches scene study and acting for Creative Summer at
the Mead School and Crystal Theatre, as well as Spanish at Rye Country
Day School. Margaret recently entered the word of playwriting.
Her musical version of Puss in Boots, debuted in February 2001.
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John Congdon (Frederic) is pleased
to be back with Troupers for his third consecutive season. He
was last seen on several stages in NYC, playing leading roles in The
Gondoliers, H.M.S. Pinafore (with a Star Trek twist), and an original musical, Rubirosa.
Past Troupers' operettas include The Gondoliers and The Yeoman of
the Guard. Currently, he is working on productions of Pippin
(Pippin), followed by Grease (Teen Angel), at Musicals at Richter, in
Danbury, CT, this summer. Past favorites include Evita (Che), Godspell
(Jesus), The Secret Garden (Archibald), Guys and Dolls (Sky
Masterson), The Pirates of Penzance (The Pirate King). John
is also involved in a traveling children's show entitled The Adventures
of Zak, and is an elementary school teacher in Trumbull, CT.
Thanking God for all His gifts and blessings! Enjoy the show!
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Tom Zimmerman, A.G.M.A.*
(Sergeant at Arms) completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Drama and
Voice at the University of Toledo, then attended the Carnegie Mellon
Institute’s Opera Performance Master’s program where he also taught
acting and singing for the musical stage. Tom’s multifaceted singing
career included four years with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus,
performances with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall and at
Philharmonic Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
With other NYC opera groups, Tom sang Verdi’s Falstaff,
Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Mozart’s Figaro.
Regional theaters around the country saw Tom in such diverse roles
as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” Sir Francis in “Where’s
Charlie,” and Emile de Becque in “South Pacific.”
Tom also appeared in an off Broadway production of an absurdist
comedy by esteemed Andy Warhol screenwriter Ron Tavel.
Tom was founder and director of the “What the Dickens Christmas
Carolers,” a dramatic choral ensemble (choreographed by Tom) which
delighted New Yorkers for several years.
As for Gilbert & Sullivan’s operettas,
Troupers Light Opera cast Tom as (a gleefully depraved) Wilfred Shadbolt,
in their stunning 1999 production of “Yeoman of the Guard,” and as a
Mephistophelean Grand Inquisitor in last years’ “The Gondoliers.”
Recently, Tom portrayed a very self aggrandizing Pooh Bah in
“The Mikado,” and wishes to thank Troupers’ alumni Frank Sisson, Karen
McCormick and Tim Throckmorton for allowing him to direct scenes in their
winter production of that G&S masterpiece.
Kudos also to Tom’s spouse Kathy for learning all these roles
with him “just for the fun of it.”
*(American Guild of Musical Artists) |
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David
Schancupp - Major General Stanley - David Schancupp (Major General Stanley) made his debut with Troupers in 1982 as Wilfred Shadbolt ("Yeomen of the Guard"), and since then has appeared with us in virtually all the leading G&S bass-baritone roles; John Wellington Wells ("Sorcerer"), Sir Despard and Sir Roderic ("Ruddigore"), Plaza-Toro and Don Alhambra ("Gondoliers"), the Mikado, Dick Deadeye ("Pinafore"), the Judge ("Trial by Jury"), the Lord Chancellor and Private Willis
("Iolanthe"), and Sergeant Meryll ("Yeomen"), a role which he also performed with the Connecticut Gilbert & Sullivan Society (Middletown). David has also appeared with the Simsbury Light Opera Company as Pooh-Bah ("Mikado") and, most recently, the French Ambassador in Gershwin's "Of Thee I Sing". With the Greater New Britain Opera Company he has appeared as the Sacristan ("Tosca") and Benoit and Alcindoro ("La Boheme").
His musical comedy credits include Ali Hakim in "Oklahoma", Miles Gloriosus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", the Wazir in "Kismet", J.B. Biggley in "How to
Succeed...", the Governor in "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and Tiger Brown in "Threepenny Opera" with Nutmeg Players (Clinton), Mr. Bumble ("Oliver!”), Hucklebee ("Fantasticks") and Hines ("Pajama Game") with Something Players (New Haven), and the
Mysterious Man ("Into the Woods"), Ali Hakim, and his favorite role, Tevye ("Fiddler on the Roof") with the Orange Players.
His non-musical appearances include Harry ("Prisoner of 2nd Avenue"), Tito Merelli ("Lend Me a Tenor") and Teddy ("Arsenic and Old Lace").
David is a past president of Troupers, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors of Orange Players. In his non-theatrical life, David practices law in New Haven. |
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Margo
Brody - Margo comes from Victoria, British Columbia, where she
performed operatic roles and studied classical voice, while earning a
degree in Music Education. She then went on to the Royal Scottish Academy
where she earned a post-graduate degree in Lieder and Oratorio. She has
been a soloist with various orchestras, loves to perform in operettas and musicals,
and also sings jazz. She performed professionally for five years in a
summer concert musical review, playing the role of Mae West (and yes there
was significant padding involved!). Most recently she played the role of
Fiametta with Trouper's [production of Gondoliers. A public school
teacher, who teach for many years in Canada, she was Education Coordinator
for Connecticut Grand Opera, and now teaches music privately at the Westport
Conservatory. |
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Victoria Font is making her
debut with Troupers and is thrilled to be singing again. It's been a long
time. She just completed a run of Man of LaMancha at the Wilton Playshop--it
wasn't a singing role, just to get back into performing again. Before
moving to Connecticut, Victoria worked with Steven Schwartz and John Caird
in their American Premier of the musical, Children of Eden, at the Mill
Mountain Theatre in Virginia. She studied acting with Sande Shurin at the
Acting Studio NY. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and received an Award of
Excellence at the American College Theatre Festival. Her favorite roles
include Mary, in a European Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, Maria in West
Side Story, Joanne in Godspell, Crystal in Little Shop of Horrors, Olive
in Odd Couple, female version and Winifred in Once Upon a Mattress.
Victoria has also directed and choreographed musicals such as, Grease,
Anything Goes and, Closer Than Ever at the Greater Norwalk Community
Theatre. She has also been a member of three different original bands
singing in clubs in NYC. Now full time is spent as the Director of the
website creative design and production team at Starwood Hotels and
Resorts, and traveling as much as she can. |
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Heather Handley -Heather is
delighted to be performing in her first Troupers production. She is a
former member of the St. Andrew's Church choir in Stamford, and is very
excited to be singing again. Heather is a second generation Trouper as her
parents performed in the 1981 production of Pirates, as well as several
other shows. Heather sends a very special thank you to her new husband,
Bob, for his support in this new artistic endeavor. She looks forward to
many more fun-filled years singing with the great people of Troupers.
Enjoy the show! |