ABOUT THE ARTISTS
DARA CAMERON (Violet) is so pleased to join the cast of this wonderful show in her American
Blues Theater debut. Recent credits include They’re Playing Our Song (Sonia) at Fox Valley Repertory; How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy), Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), and Little Women (Beth) at the Marriott Theatre; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Christine) and Hello, Dolly! (Minnie Fay) at Theatre at the Center; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Miss Dorothy) and The Buddy Holly Story at Drury Lane Oakbrook; and Meet Me in St. Louis (Rose Smith) at Drury Lane Water Tower. She is proud member of Actors’ Equity and a graduate of Northwestern University.
SHAWN J. GOUDIE (Foley) is really excited to be back on Foley for It’s a Wonderful Life. Recently he reprised his role as Foley artist for Sleepy Hollow at City Lit. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Shawn has been seen in a variety of productions including being a founding member of the sketch comedy group The Dolphins of Damnation.
He would like to thank his parents and especially his wonderful wife Jaclyn for her patience, support and the gift of their amazing baby boy, Wiles.
JAMES JOSEPH (Uncle Billy) is an Affiliate Artist at American Blues, where he returns for his second production of It’s a Wonderful Life, and with whom he previously appeared in Tobacco Road. He has performed on Chicago stages for thirteen years, including with City Lit, Eclipse, First Folio, Illinois Theatre Center, the Ivanhoe, Live Bait, Metropolis, Northlight, Prop Thtr, Shakespeare on the Green, Shakespeare’s Motley Crew, Steppenwolf, Strawdog, TimeLine, and Victory Gardens. He was nominated for a Non-Equity Jeff Award (Supporting Actor) for his role in Faith Healer with UMA Productions.
KEVIN R. KELLY (George Bailey) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 1994. ABT credits include George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph Theater! (3 seasons), Ripped, St. Scarlet, The Skin of Our Teeth, Scapin, Stalag 17, Flight of the Phoenix, One Day Only, Monsters III, and On The Waterfront. Kevin has also worked in Chicago and Los Angeles at the Odyssey Theatre, Actor’s Repertory, Lifeline Theatre, Pegasus Players, Bailiwick Rep, City Lit Theater and many others. Film Credits: THE EXPRESS, TRUE NATURE, CA$H, BAD NEWS BEARS, OF BOYS AND MEN, AMERICAN DREAMZ, THE PROMOTION, A LOT LIKE LOVE, LIGHT IT UP and numerous independent films. TV Credits: PRISON BREAK, CHARMED, THE INSIDE, BOSTON LEGAL, 7TH HEAVEN, EARLY EDITION, CLUBHOUSE and SPIN CITY. Kevin also enjoys working as a Realtor with Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty and wishes to thank Cathy, Griffin & Sienna for all the love and support.
ZACHARY KENNEY (Harry) is happy to return to American Blues, where he recently performed in Waiting for Lefty. Chicago credits include Chicago Boys at Goodman Theatre, The Gospel According to James at Victory Gardens Theater, The Farnsworth Invention and Not Enough Air at TimeLine Theatre Company and Letters Home at the Griffin Theatre Company. He played Charlie in Mary’s Wedding at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. Mr. Kenney studied at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where he originated the title role in The Actor by Horton Foote as part of their New Plays Program in collaboration with the Royal National Theatre, London.
MICHAEL MAHLER (Announcer/Pianist) is happy to make his American Blues debut. He most recently appeared opposite his wife, Chicago actor Dara Cameron, in They’re Playing Our Song at Fox Valley Rep. Previous credits include Working (Broadway Playhouse), 12 Angry Men (Maltz Jupiter Theater), The Illusion (Court), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (TATC – Jeff nom.), High Fidelity (Route 66), Magnolia (Goodman), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marriott), and Tomorrow Morning (Greenhouse). Michael will appear in the Steppenwolf’s upcoming world premiere production of Frank Galati’s adaptation of The March. He is a composer/lyricist (ASCAP) who recently performed at the Kennedy Center. Michael’s original musical The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is currently running at Provision Theater. He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity, Provision, Barrel of Monkeys, and a Northwestern Graduate. He sings and plays guitar in the band The Lincoln Squares. Visit www.michaelmahler.com
JOHN MOHRLEIN (Clarence/Mr. Potter) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 1997. He’s appeared in Waiting for Lefty, Half of Plenty, It’s a Wonderful Life, A View from the Bridge, Strictly Dishonorable, American Dead, The Hairy Ape, A Lie of the Mind, Endgame, American Buffalo, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Threepenny Opera, A Stone Carver (Joseph Jefferson nomination for Best Actor, After Dark Award for Outstanding Performance), and directed Catch-22. Other credits: The Glass House at the Art Institute of Chicago; nine productions at Goodman Theatre, Cripple of Inishmaan, Heart of a Dog, and Murder of Cardinal Tosca at Northlight Theatre. His extensive television and film work includes GOLDEN BOY, GOOD NIGHT SWEET WIFE, DILLINGER, KILLING FLOOR, EARLY EDITION, CRIME STORY (recurring role), UNTOUCHABLES, DEVIL’S DOMINOES, STRANGER THAN FICTION, NO PLACE TO BE SOMEBODY, HELLCAB, HERO, and COLD JUSTICE.
GWENDOLYN WHITESIDE (Mary Bailey) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 1998 and serves as the Producing Artistic Director. Theater: Indiana Repertory Theater, Lookingglass Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight Theatre, About Face Theatre, Chicago Humanities Festival, and Los Angeles theaters. Television: COLD CASE, SIX FEET UNDER, DAWSON’S CREEK, JACK & JILL, CUPID and recurring role on THE EDUCATION OF MAX BICKFORD. As A.D., she ushered in the annual Blue Ink Playwriting Award, Blueprint Play Development, and implemented community outreach into the company’s mission. She served two terms on the theater panel for the National Endowment for the Arts in DC. She sits on the National Board of Directors for Network of Ensemble Theaters. She is a cum laude graduate of Northwestern University and received her MFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was included in the top 5 performances (Mary’s Wedding) of 2010 by Indianapolis Star. She’s received seven (7) Joseph Jefferson Awards, Citations, and nominations. She’s the recipient of two (2) After Dark Awards.
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FRANK CAPRA (director of the film “It’s a Wonderful Life”) SEE DRAMATURGY.
PHILIP VAN DOREN STERN (writer of “The Greatest Gift”) SEE DRAMATURGY.
MARTY HIGGINBOTHAM (Director) joined the American Blues family in 1991, appearing in Desire Under the Elms, Monsters, On the Waterfront, Tom and Jerry, The Homage that Follows, Stalag 17, Bus Stop, The Three Penny Opera, Working, The Trip to Bountiful, American Dead, and Oklahoma. His sound design / original score credits with ABT include Monsters, Monsters II, and Monsters III, Food from Trash, The Homage That Follows, The Million Bells of Ocean and A Lie of the Mind. Marty has also worked on and off stage at The Old Globe, The Prince Music Theatre, The Goodman, Northlight, Oak Park Festival Theater, Circle Theatre, and the Organic. Marty directed the original full production of It’s a Wonderful: A Live Radio Play in 2004 and continued to helm the production up to 2008, moving with the ensemble in 2009 to the Biograph. Marty is also Founder and President of The Stage Channel, a video production company serving the Arts in Chicago and across the country since 2001. The Stage Channel, to date, has produced over 900 promotional videos for music, theater and dance. And finally, all my love to my wife Ashley Bishop for the love, support, strength and joy she shares on a daily basis.
GRANT SABIN (Set Design) is pleased to be working with the creative team at American Blues Theater. This will be his third year working on IAWL. He’s a company member and resident set designer for Dog and Pony Theatre, designing their past productions of God’s Ear, Ape, Mr. Marmalade (Jeff Award Nominee), Dead City, Osama the Hero, and Crumble. Grant is a graduate of Columbia College with a BFA in theatre design, where he was awarded the 2005 Michael Merritt scholarship for collaboration in theatre design. Recent set design credits include: The Secret Garden, (James Lumber Center ), A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes,( Pine Box Theatre), Circle Mirror Transformation (Victory Gardens Theatre), Invasion of Skokie (Chicago Dramatists), Sweet Tea (About Face Theatre), Garage Rep (Steppenwolf Theatre), It’s A Wonderful Life (American Blues Theater), Whiff of Anarchy (The Seldoms), The U.N. Inspector (Next Theatre), Forbidden Broadway, (Royal George Theatre). grantsabindesign.com
SAMANTHA C. JONES (Costume Design) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 2011. She’s happy to spend the holidays with her ABT family again this year. As a designer, her work has been seen at American Blues Theater (Waiting for Lefty, Rantoul & Die, It’s a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph!) 16th Street Theatre (Menorca, Fires in the Mirror, Unveiled, and The End of the Tour), Chicago Dramatists (Hickorydickory, Jade Heart), Remy Bumppo Theatre Co. (Mourning Becomes Electra, Night and Day, Heroes, American Ethnic), Peninsula Players Theatre (A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Wait Until Dark, Around the World in 80 Days, Heroes, Over the Tavern), and Congo Square Theatre (Brothers of the Dust, A Colored Museum BTAA nominated for Best Costume Design).
KATY PETERSON VICCELLIO (Lighting Design) is thrilled to design lights for It’s a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph! with ABT again. Past designs have been seen at the Chopin Theatre, the Athenaeum, The Building Stage, Prop Theatre, Viaduct, Stage Left, The Side Project, Profiles, Theatre at the Center (Indiana), The State Theatre, Lab Theatre (Texas), among others. Favorite shows include seven years of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Nebraska (BOTC), Playing With Fire (BoHo), The Glorious Ones, and I Am My Own Wife (Jeff nomination) for Bohemian Theatre Ensemble (BoHo). Katy spent seven seasons in Lighting/Production Design for The Oprah Winfrey Show, and now resides in on a farm in Ohio with her dogs and loving husband Ben, where she is pursuing a masters in Architecture at OSU. Sincerest thanks to Marty, Ashley, Wendy, Jax, Brian, and Sarah- it is always an honor to work with you.
BOBBY RICHARDS (Projections Design) is thrilled to be part of It’s a Wonderful Life for another holiday season. He was last seen onstage in the summer run of Funtime & Friends, a sketch show he also co-wrote and directed with the sketch team Funtime, at A Red Orchid Theatre. Bobby also plays at iO (formerly Improv Olympic) on the team Classy D. In the world of media design, Bobby has created video for shows including Hair (as a guest artist) at Ball State University as well as Peoples Temple and Speech and Debate with the American Blues Theater Ensemble at American Theater Company which earned him a 2007 Jeff nomination. Bobby wishes to thank his friends and family as well as Marty for being a great boss and mentor. Happy Holidays!
SARAH E. ROSS (Properties Design) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 2011. Chicago credits include scenic designs for Rantoul and Die (American Blues Theater), Southside of Heaven and Sex and The Second City (The Second City); costume designs for Tobacco Road (American Blues Theater) where she won a Joseph Jefferson Award. Sarah is currently designing sets for TheaterSquared’s production of It’s A Wonderful Life and The Fall of the House. Other regional credits include scenic and properties designs at Summer Studio Theater Company, Peninsula Players Theater, Writers’ Theatre, Theater Wit, Helen Hocker Theater, Topeka Civic Theater and Academy, and Washburn University Theater Department. Sarah is also a properties artisan at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
AUSTIN COOK (Underscore Design) is an Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater where he played the Pianist in It’s a Wonderful Life for two seasons. National Tour: Million Dollar Quartet (Jerry Lee Lewis u/s), Regional credits: Putting It Together (music director, man #4), Some Enchanted Evening (music director/pianist)*Jeff Award Winner, Grey Gardens (Gould), A Tale of Two Cities (Dr. Manette)*Chicago premiere, A Christmas Carol (Bob Cratchit). Music Director credits: Theo Ubique Cabaret, Porchlight Theatre, Second City. He wishes to thank manager Matthew Sitz, friends and family for their continued love and support!
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GWENDOLYN WHITESIDE (Producing Artistic Director) SEE CAST
JILL SWARTZMILLER (Business Manager) is thrilled to be a part of the ABT family. She is also currently working on The Doyle & Debbie Show at the Royal George Theater. Previous Chicago credits include White Noise, Victory Gardens Theater, and Don’t Dress for Dinner. Before Chicago she worked on the national tours of August: Osage County, Movin’ Out, Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, Music Man and Titanic. Big thanks to Kevin for giving her A Wonderful Life.
KELLI MARINO (Dramaturg) is the Literary Associate/Resident Dramaturg and Artistic Affiliate at American Blues Theater. She last dramaturged Waiting for Lefty at ABT. She also recently worked on Porchlight Music Theatre’s Putting it Together. This past summer, Kelli worked on The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek with Eclipse Theatre, and three new plays for Stage Left Theatre’s Leapfest: Thirst; Make Sure It’s Me, and Underneath; A Red Orchid Theatre’s Youth Ensemble piece, I and My iPhone; in Colorado she dramaturged One for My Baby, Dames at Sea, Nixon’s Nixon, The Odd Couple: Female Version, and The Music Man at The Little Theatre of the Rockies. For the 2010-11 season, Kelli was the dramaturg for Remy Bumppo’s productions of Night and Day, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia, as well as A Red Orchid’s productions of The Mandrake and Craig Wright’s new adaptation of The Iliad. Kelli has previously worked with Chicago’s Court, TimeLine, Northlight, Collaboraction, and Citadel Theatres. Kelli holds an M.A. from the University of Arizona and a B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado. She is the Regional Vice-President of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America—Chicago, the Resident Dramaturg for Porchlight Music Theatre, and the proud coordinator of Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Artistic and Technical Team.
SARAH BURNHAM (Production Manager/Technical Director) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 2011. She’s happy to be working on Wonderful Life once again! Recent projects include: Under the Blue Sky, Festen, Lakeboat with Steep Theater; A Few Good Men, The Importance of Being Earnest at Peninsula Players Theater; The Chicago Landmark Project with Theater Seven, Red Light Winter with Mary-Arrchie Theater and Waiting for Lefty with American Blues Theater. Coming up next: technical direction for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat with Magical Starlight Theater and props for Love Me Some Amnesia with ABT. Sarah not only works as a production manager and technical director, but does props and acts, too.
BRIAN CLAGGETT (Stage Manager/Master Electrician) joined the Ensemble of American Blues Theater in 2011. He’s thrilled to be a part of this wonderful show. Previous credits with ABT include It’s a Wonderful Life, Tobacco Road and the Lighting Designer for Rantoul or Die. Brian has been the Master Electrician for Peninsula Players for the last 5 seasons, shows include Around the World in 80 Days, Little Shop of Horrors, Doubt and A Little Night Music. He was also Technical Director for Profiles Theatre’s Body Awareness and the Jeff Award-Winning Killer Joe. Brian was a Production Assistant on Whoopi Goldberg’s White Noise. Carpentry credits include: Ella, Low Down and Dirty Blues and Better Late all for Northlight and Court Theatre’s Orlando.