Cast
Kelly Ward
Linda
Having been recently divorced, Kelly is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the amazing cast of Divorce Party the Musical, and loves that she gets to share the journey each and every night with all of you. Kelly is a freelance singer and actress, singing professionally around Las Vegas since 1993. Her most recent theater credits include Nunsense (Sister Amnesia), Hairspray (Velma), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Jeannie), and Annie (Grace Ferrel). During the day she is the choir director for 5 amazing middle school choirs. Kelly is just so grateful to be able to do two jobs she loves…teaching and performing. However, her most favorite job of all is that of mommy to Nicholas and Melanie. She would like to thank the production team for this opportunity, and Glenn and Mom for all their support.
Michelle Johnson
Sheila
Michelle Johnson has performed on Broadway and worked with Paul McCartney, Gladys Knight, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Sheena Easton, Slash, Neal Schon (Journey), David Foster, David Cassidy, Wynonna, and Josh Groban among others. Television appearances include "Jay Leno & the Tonight Show", "The Arsenio Hall Show"," Soul Train", HBO’s “Comic Relief,” and the AMC Awards on CBS. Favorite roles include "Effie" in Dreamgirls, "Evilene" in The Wiz, and "Sister Hubert" in Nunsense. Michelle is a vocalist with former Platters’ lead singer Sonny Turner. She is known as “Las Vegas’ First Lady of Jazz.” She is a Yale graduate, a wife, and mom to a black lab.
Jacquelyn Holland-Wright
Carolyn
Born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii, “Jac” is proud to be part of our Broadway West community. Jacqueline is best known for her leading role as "Donna Sheridan" in the #1 Broadway musical Mamma-Mia. Las Vegas named her their “most talented female in Las Vegas”. Jacqueline is a mom, teacher, and voice over artist. Her credits also include, originating the lead role of "Jocelyn" in the world premiere of Sudoku-The musical, she co-starred opposite Rick Springfield in EFX, she was leading lady of TEASE, she was also a featured singer for Wayne Newton, and the USO Tour post-9/11. Jacquelyn just completed her first big screen leading role in “Ha Ha Ha”, due out Summer 2014.
www.jacquelynholland-wright.com
Robin Berry Vincent
Courtney
Robin Berry Vincent holds a BA in Musical Theatre from California State University, Fullerton. Credits include Company (Amy), A Chorus Line (Maggie), Chess (Florence), Grease (Sandy), South Pacific (Nellie), and most recently Guys and Dolls (Adelaide) at the LVH, for which she received the nomination for BroadwayWorld.com's "Best Featured Actress in a Musical". She recently appeared in the Las Vegas productions of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Plaza Hotel) and Nunsense (LVH), and has performed aboard several luxury cruise liners. Robin has shared the stage and sung background vocals for various recording artists such as Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Leslie Gore, B J Thomas, Marilyn McCoo and most recently, the legendary Barbra Steisand!
Jeff Brooks
Boy Toy
Jeff Brooks is amped for his Vegas debut! Jeff is a proud graduate of SUNY Cortland and as an NYC transplant, Jeff would like to thank Jay and the rest of the production team for this exciting opportunity! National tours include: Disney's Beauty & the Beast (Gaston), Oklahoma! (Jud/Curly cover), Bathhouse the Musical!; Off-Broadway: Parenting 101 (written by Jay Falzone); Favorites include: Into the Woods (Cinderella's Prince), Carousel (Billy Bigelow), Chicago (Billy Flynn).
Jeff would like to thank his extremely devoted family, his fiercely supportive circle of friends, and everyone at Across The Board Talent Agency.
Zipporah Peddle
Understudy Linda & Carolyn
Zipporah Peddle is a dynamic vocalist, music arranger, and educator, hailing from the beautiful city of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. She spent six years as lead vocalist in Cirque du Soleil’s top selling production show, O, and obtained her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from UNLV, where she played the role of Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. She has spent more than fifteen years in the theater, with companies such as the Charlottetown Festival, Red Barn Theater, and Rising Tide Theater, as well as performing throughout the world as lead production vocalist with Crystal Cruises and Norweigian Cruiselines. Zipporah toured Canada and France with the internationally renowned vocal ensemble, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and her voice and arrangements can be heard on iTunes with the vocal ensemble Vox Indigo. Most recently, she joined the pop/opera trio Poperazzi for guest performances on board Royal Caribbean Cruise ships, and also loves to perform in and around Las Vegas, where she resides with her husband and two boxers.
Steven Arlen
Understudy Boy Toy
A Southern California native, Steven has traveled the world performing on three different cruise lines as well as with Disneyland CA, Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. In Las Vegas he has performed as a singer with Spirit Productions in several shows including Dancing Queen, Broadway Celebration and was their headliner for Shades of Temptation, all at the NYNY Casino. But most may recognize him as the face of Tony in Tony n Tina's Wedding at Bally's. Special thanks to his family, JG, DJ-JDB and God for allowing him to continue to do what he loves.
Creative
Mark Schwartz
Conceiver/Author/Producer
Mark Schwartz has a 22-year career in Broadway and professional theater. He began his Broadway career with Nine, directed by Tommy Tune and starring Raul Julia (five Tony Awards). He co-produced Zorba starring Anthony Quinn, My One and Only, starring Tommy Tune and Twiggy (three Tony Awards), and La Cage Aux Folles (six Tony Awards including Best Musical). Recent projects include the Tony nominated Broadway production of Dream; Jackie: An American Life (Broadway and London’s West End productions); the Broadway production of Epic Proportions directed by Jerry Zaks and starring Kristin Chenoweth; the London West End production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the long-running Off-Broadway production of Menopause the Musical and the Off-Broadway and US & UK touring productions of SHOUT! The Mod Musical, and now Divorce Party the Musical: The hilarious journey to hell… and back!, playing to record breaking capacity audiences.
Dr. Amy Botwinick
Conceiver/Author/Producer
Dr. Amy Botwinick has a B.S. from Rutgers University and a D.C. degree from Life Chiropractic College. She is the author of “Congratulations on Your Divorce – The Road to Finding Your Happily Ever After” (published worldwide by Health Communications, well known for the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series) and “Divorce Party and Moving On Handbook – Plan a Great Party for Yourself or a Friend!” In addition to her books Dr. Botwinick found a new way to help others powerfully manage their divorce transition through her websites at www.womenmovingon.com and www.divorcecoachsupport.com.
Jay Falzone
Book/Lyrics/Director/Choreographer
Jay is proud to be “changing the world one rabbit at a time” with Divorce Party the Musical. Other writing credits include: Cooking with the Calamari Sisters (Book/Additional Lyrics), Christmas with the Calamari Sisters, and The Calamari Sisters’ Big Fat Italian Wedding; www.TheCalamariSisters.com. Also Parenting 101 (Co-Writer), and You Don’t Know Jack, an adult retelling of the Jack & Jill nursery rhyme (Book/Lyrics). Directing/Choreographing credits: Bush Wars (Off-Broadway), SHOUT! The Mod Musical (Chicago; National Tour), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (National Tour), Snoopy! (50th Anniversary National Tour), 42nd Street (Naples, FL), and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Rochester, NY – 9-year run). Next up, Dear Mom, a play based on real letters written by daughters to their mothers. Mark, Amy, Kat, and the whole DPTM cast, thanks for making this whole adventure so much fun. Much love to Stephen for making life a party… and not the divorce kind.
Victoria Lang
Executive Producer
Victoria Lang has enjoyed a wide-ranging career as a Producer of theatre, film, television and concerts. Theatre: The Off Broadway & LA hit Silence! The Musical! (Best Musical: Off Broadway Alliance Award, Top 5 Musicals: Time Magazine), Matt & Ben in NY & LA (Top 5 Plays: Time Magazine), Johnny Guitar (Best Off-Broadway Musical: Outer Critics Circle Award), Listen to My Heart: The Songs of David Friedman (Drama Desk nomination), Bat Boy (London), SHOUT! The Mod Musical (Off-Broadway, West End, Chicago, 1st National Tour, UK Tour) and Girls Night! The Musical (LA). She has been associated with the Broadway productions of Private Lives (Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton), Peg (Peggy Lee), A View From The Bridge (Tony LoBianco), Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (David Cassidy, Andy Gibb), The Little Foxes (Elizabeth Taylor), Peter Pan (Sandy Duncan), Oklahoma!, West Side Story and Brigadoon. Upcoming: the new musical Found. TV: “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee” (3 Emmy nominations), “Joy Philbin’s Haven” and Specials for A&E and PBS. Film: Macbeth in Manhattan (Best Feature, South Beach & L.I. Film Festivals), Dark Tides (Showtime),The Last Lie and Chaos Theory. She was a Founder and Co-President of PLUS Entertainment and PLUS Media and is currently the President of Lang Entertainment Group.
Jennifer Young
Producer
Jennifer Young created, Declaire, a Las Vegas based entertainment company, originated in Detroit, Michigan. Declaire was developed to create entertainment
projects to bring various audiences a great time. Jen is excited to be the local producer with Divorce Party Las Vegas. Working with local Las Vegas creative talent, and creating a fun environment for people to celebrate life, has been a great new experience. Declaire is a full service entertainment company, focusing on development, branding and marketing, for theatre, film, television, and music. A few projects: GAME OF DEATH (film with Wesley Snipes), ShipwreckUnion.com and Matt & Ben (with Victoria Lang).
Tim Bennett
Resident Director
Tim Bennett was the resident director of Disney’s THE LION KING in Las Vegas, as well as the original assistant director for Memphis. Tim has directed and choreographed numerous productions across the country including Bernstein on Broadway with the Boston Pops, Miss Saigon, RENT & 42nd Street (Casa Mañana,) High School Musical & A Man of No Importance (North Carolina Theatre), Macbeth (New Jersey Shakespeare Festival,) Urinetown, Moon Over Buffalo, Lend Me A Tenor, and Vegas Vaudeville. Tim’s work as a performer includes the national and international tours of Steel Pier, Phantom opposite Kristin Chenoweth, South Pacific with Robert Goulet, and My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain. On television, he appeared on "Growing Pains", as well as numerous daytime dramas and TV commercials. Tim holds a BFA in musical theatre and dance from The Boston Conservatory, and a master’s degree in directing from NYU.
www.timbennettonline.com
Kat Winston
Company Manager, Stage Manager
Kat is very excited to be a part of this fabulous venture with such a hardworking and creative cast and company. She has been stage managing since 6th grade and hasn’t been able to stop since. After working as a stage manager and production manager with chainsaws and deadites for almost 3 years she is very excited to move onto what comes naturally, vibrators and divorce cakes. Some of Kat’s favorite shows she has stage managed are: Dr.Horribles Sing-Along-Blog (Off Strip Productions), Evil Dead the Musical 4d (Sirc Michaels Productions), Buffy The Vampire Slayer The Musical (RagTag),Heaven Can Wait (Rodgers Memorial Theatre). Many thanks to the amazing cast and production staff for all of their hard work and fabulous talent. Lots of love to my loving husband, for without him I would never be able to achieve my dreams, and to my little Eponine, who will hopefully love the theatre and the arts as much as her parents do. AYW
Alec Bart
Musical Director
Alec Bart is a freelance musician currently living in Las vegas. Originally from Los Angeles, Alec earned his Bachelors degree (B.M. Jazz Studies) from the University of North Texas before relocating to Las Vegas where he is currently pursuing his masters degree at UNLV. Locally, Alec subs on keys for major Vegas productions including Jersey Boys, Vegas: The Show, and MJ Live to name a few. He performed with "Mannheim Steamroller" during their fall 2012 residency at the Palazzo and played behind Ben Vereen last year at the Smith Center in Las Vegas. Alec is beyond thrilled to be a part of the creative team for Divorce Party The Musical, as Music Director, and is honored to be working with such a talented group of individuals.
Roxanne Andrews
Costumes
This is the fifth theatre company Roxanne has worked on costumes for this last year. You may have seen her lederhosen dancing in Baked Stage production of The Producers or working the kick line in Table Eight’s production of Blood Orgy of the Chainsaw Chorus Line, or striking a pose in Broadway Bound’s Hello Dolly. Most recently she joined Faith Lutheran’s cast down the Rabbit Hole in Alice’s Wonderland. She is humbled and proud to be a part of this production and would like to thank the directors and producers for choosing her for this opportunity.
Jason Hamblen
Lighting Designer
Jason Hamblen (Lighting Designer) has designed extensively for musical theatre and dance. Most notable designs include The Producers, Into the Woods, Hairspray, Eclipsed, and Almost Maine. Jason graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Lighting Design. He has worked at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA, The Little Theatre of the Rockies in Greeley, CO, and is currently working in Las Vegas as a lighting technician for several of the strip’s large productions. Jason is thrilled to be working on Divorce Party and would like to thank his loving wife for her undying love and support.
TROY HEARD
Casting Director
Casting Directory Troy Heard has directed the Las Vegas productions of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Summer Camp! The Musical, Death of a Salesman, Stones in His Pockets, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Mystery of Irma Vep and the critically acclaimed Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom. He served as Artistic Director of Chattahoochee Shakespeare Company and is resident director for Pawn Shop Live! at the Golden Nugget. A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a M.F.A. in Directing, Troy is happily married to a genuine Vegas showgirl. Associate Member Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
www.facebook.com/directortroy
Press Representatives
Langdon Flynn Communications is a Public Relations agency with representation in two of the country's top destination locations, Las Vegas and Orlando. We provide our clients with public relations, social media management, restaurant consulting and special event execution. We individually tailor each campaign to meet our clients’ specific needs – then strategically execute our plan across a variety of platforms in order to generate the maximum amount of consumer awareness and positive buzz.
SNUG HARBOR PRODUCTIONS
General Management
Steven Chaikelson and Kendra Bator provide general management services for productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the United States. Credits include, Broadway: Ring of Fire; Elaine Stritch at Liberty (Tony Award); George Gershwin Alone; A Moon for the Misbegotten; Death of a Salesman (Tony Award, starring Brian Dennehy); The Price and Fool Moon (Tony Award); Off-Broadway: Murder for Two; Marty Moran’s All the Rage; Eve Ensler’s Emotional Creature; 3C; Elective Affinities (starring Zoe Caldwell); Slipping; Too Much Memory; Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn; Evil Dead The Musical; Almost, Maine; The Normal Heart; They Wrote That: The Songs of Mann & Weil; The Tricky Part (Obie Award); Private Jokes, Public Places; Peter Brook’s Tierno Bokar and Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children (RSC); National Tour/Regional: Trumbo (starring Brian Dennehy); Fool Moon; The Vagina Monologues (Los Angeles) and Art (Chicago); International: Where Elephants Weep (Cambodia). Steven teaches in the Theatre Program of the Columbia University School of the Arts where he directs the MFA concentration in Theatre Management & Producing.
Sound Designer
Name TBD
Bradley Vieth
Orchestrator & Arranger
Bradley Vieth is thrilled to work on Divorce Party with Jay Falzone and Mark Schwartz. Off-Broadway credits: Wings, A Child’s Garden & SHOUT! The Mod Musical. European tours: 42nd Street, Chicago, On the Town, West Side Story, Carmen, and Little Shop of Horrors (German premiere). Regional: Hello, Dolly! Camelot, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, I Do! I Do!, Forbidden Broadway, A Little Night Music (Jeff Award for Best Musical Direction), Pacific Overtures, First Lady Suite, Annie Get Your Gun, A Wonderful Life (premiere), Jerry’s Girls & Fiddler on the Roof. Recordings: Wings, First Lady Suite, Far from the Madding Crowd/The Awakening, SHOUT! The Mod Musical.
Production Manager
Karen Gibson
Assistant Stage Manager
Karen Gibson, a board member and stage manager at Las Vegas Little Theatre, tends to do productions that showcase her sense of humor, like Measure for Pleasure and A Behanding in Spokane. Thanks to everyone in Divorce Party Las Vegas for this opportunity and to her family and friends for their loving support.
W. Michael Close
Assistant Stage Manager
Celebrating 15 years in the Las Vegas Theater Community, Michael is thrilled to be entering another exciting adventure on the Las Vegas Strip with Divorce Party Las Vegas. A performer by trade, working as a Gondolier at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, he recently caught the Back Stage Bug while stage managing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Godspell at the Onyx Theatre. To his Cast and Crew, Thank You for this opportunity - especially Kat. May we create some amazing memories while bringing this show to life.
