Troupe America, Inc., Curt Wollan Executive Producer
Presents
Pump Boys and Dinettes
Conceived & Written by
John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk
Cass Morgan, John Schimmel & Jim Wann
Music Direction Choreography Scenic Design
by by by
Dennis Curley Wendy Short-Hays Erica Zaffarano
Lighting Design Costume Design Sound Design
by by by
Scott R. Herbst Katrina Benedict Ryan Milligan
Directed by
Curt Wollan
Original stage production by Dodger Productions
Produced through special arrangement with
Samuel French, Inc., NYC
Tour Direction by
Starvox Booking LLC
27 Kendal Avenue
Maplewood, NJ 07040
(Note: The name of the Authors should be 50% the size of the title of the Play)
CAST
Jim CHET WOLLAN
L.M. BRANDON FILLETTE
Jackson STEVEN ROMERO SCHAEFFER
Eddie ED AVILA
Prudie CANDICE LIVELY
Rhetta JESSICA BRADLEY
(Understudy for Prudie & Rhetta: DEBORAH KENNEDY)
(Understudies never substitute without prior announcement)
String Endorsement by D”ADDARIO STRINGS
PRODUCTION STAFF
Company Manager CANDICE LIVELY
Production Manager/Sound Engineer RYAN MILLIGAN
Production Stage Manager DEBORAH KENNEDY
Music Captain BRANDON FILLETTE
Master Electrician JIM EISCHEN
Technical Director MADELYN SCOTT SMITH
Wardrobe Supervisor JESSICA BRADISH
Accounting BROCKMAN-MARCHAN, LTD.
Insurance GARRY INSURANCE
Payroll Services WELLS FARGO
Transportation MAYO TOURS, INC.
Trucking STAGE CALL CORPORATION
MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
“Highway 57” (Wann) Company
“Taking It Slow” (Foley,Hardwick, Schimmel,Wann) Pump Boys
“Serve Yourself” (Wann) L.M.
“Menu Song” (Morgan, Monk) Dinettes
“The Best Man” (Wann) Prudie
“Fisherman’s Prayer” (Wann) Pump Boys
“Catfish” (Wann, Simpson) Pump Boys
“Mamaw” (Wann) Jim
“Be Good or Be Gone” (Wann) Rhetta
“Drinkin’ Shoes” (Hardwick, Morgan, Monk) Company
ACT TWO
“Pump Boys” (Wann) Pump Boys
“Mona” (Wann) Jackson
“The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine” (Wann) L.M.
“Tips” (Monk, Morgan) Dinettes
“Sister” (Morgan) Dinettes
“Vacation” (Wann) Company
“No Holds Barred” (Wann, Morgan) Company
“Farmer Tan” (Wann) L.M. & Dinettes
“Highway 57” (Reprise) (Wann) Company
“Closing Time” (Wann) Company
“Greatest Hits” (Medley) Company
WHO IS WHO IN THE CAST
ED AVILA (Eddie) Ed has performed nationally and internationally with various artists and musical productions. He enjoys playing all styles of music especially rock, funk and blues. He has travelled all over the world as a showband bassist aboard luxury cruise lines. Past musical theatre credits include Troupe America's 2013 national tour of Ring of Fire: The Life and Music of Johnny Cash and Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash. Ed resides in Long Branch, New Jersey.
JESSICA BRADLEY (Rhetta) is thrilled to be making her debut with Troupe America in one of her favorite rolls! Other favorites include Maggie in A Chorus Line, Trenna in Ring of Fire, and Marlene in Top Girls. Jessica is originally from Des Moines, IA and is now based in NYC. She received her BFA in musical theater performance from Wagner College in NYC. She sends love and thanks to Ryan, Babba, and all of her friends and family for their love and support.
BRANDON FILLETTE (L.M./ Music Captain) has been playing piano for as long as he can remember. He has performed at the Loessin Playhouse, The Palace Theater at Cedar Point and most recently at Circa 21 as Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet. Other roles include: Pippin (Pippin), Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit), Cain (Children of Eden), Bud Frump (How to Succeed...). Thanks to family and friends for supporting him and his dream of shaking hands with Billy Joel.
CANDICE LIVELY (Prudie) Originally from East Tennessee, Candice is excited to make her debut as "Prudie" in T.A.'s Pump Boys and Dinettes! Recently, she has been seen in North Dakota's The Medora Musical as a Burning Hills Singer. Previously, she has performed in several theatres in Pigeon Forge, TN, including The Smoky Mountain Opry, The Black Bear Jamboree, and Dollywood. Candice has also been a featured singer for Norwegian Cruise Lines, and performed in the national tours of Miracle on 34th Street, Ring of Fire, and Live From Nashville. Candice would like send love to her family, and as always, she is excited to again share the stage with her husband Chet!
STEVEN ROMERO SCHAEFFER (Jackson) (Chicago, IL) is excited to be a part of his first Troupe America National Tour. He has performed regionally with Texas Family Musical (Galveston, TX), the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival: Youth Tour (Auburn, NY), the Straw Hat Players (Moorhead, Minnesota), and the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival (Vermillion, SD). A graduate from the University of South Dakota Acting program, Steven is also a singer/ songwriter who performs throughout the Chicago area.
CHET WOLLAN (Jim) Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Chet is thrilled to be a part of T.A.'s Pump Boys and Dinettes! Most recently, he hosted "The Greatest Show in the West" as "Cowboy Chet" in North Dakota's Medora Musical. Previously, he has been seen in the national tours of Miracle on 34th Street, Ring of Fire, and Live From Nashville. He has also spent several years performing at Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, TN, where he met his wife, Candice. Chet would like to thank his family for their continued support! Enjoy the show!
WHO IS WHO IN PRODUCTION
CURT WOLLAN (Director) has directed most of Troupe America’s National Tours including twelve seasons of A Christmas Carol, The Odd Couple starring William Christopher and Jamie Farr, Moon Over Buffalo starring Gavin MacLeod, Same Time, Next Year starring Mackenzie Phillips and Adrian Zmed, and The Sunshine Boys starring Frank Gorshin and Dick Van Patten. He has also directed and produced all six musicals about the Church Basement ladies. Each summer season for the past 30 years, Curt has produced and directed the Medora Musical in the beautiful Badlands. Curtwollan.com.
DENNIS CURLEY (Music Director) grew up in Syracuse, New York, and received his B.A. in music from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He moved to the Twin Cities in 1992. In 2013 he created and performed in Table Salt’s Country Roads: Dennis Curley Sings the Music of John Denver, which went on to have a 15-week run at the Plymouth Playhouse in 2016 (CD available at TableSaltProductions.com). Dennis is a co-founder of Table Salt Productions and can also be found on the web at DennisCurley.com.
WENDY SHORT HAYS (Choreographer) has been choreographing for Troupe America for over 30 years. She created the original musical staging for all six episodes of Church Basement Ladies as well as other favorites such as, Nunsense, Pump Boys and Dinettes, and Diamond Studs. Her work has also been seen at regional theatres, in commercials, industrials and the Medora Musical. She lives in Minneapolis where she is Artistic Director of VISTA Productions, an award- winning high school theatre program
DEBORAH KENNEDY (Production Stage Manager/ Prudie & Rhetta understudy) is thrilled to be joining the fantastic team at Troupe America! Originally from Florida, Deborah has been working in the Midwest for the past 17 years onstage, backstage, and on screen. Some of Deborah’s favorite stage credits include: Sister Amnesia in Nunsense, Carlotta in Phantom, and The Wicked Witch in The Wizard Of Oz, and has also had a blast portraying various scream queens for independent thrillers. “Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.” –Gandhi
ERICA ZAFFARANO (Set Designer) designed Christmas, My Way and Jekyll and Hyde, the Musical for Troupe America and works with Curt Wollan on theMedora Musical in North Dakota. She feels so fortunate to be in such a delightful profession filled with music, dance and surrounded by diverse, passionate, collaborative artists. She hopes you will enjoy Pump Boys and Dinettes as much as she has enjoyed designing it!
SCOTT R. HERBST (Lighting Designer) Scott is pleased to be back designing another round of Pump Boys and Dinettes. Past shows include many tours for Troupe America including, The Odd Couple with Jamie Farr and Bill Christopher, and Moon over Buffalo with Gavin McLeod. Recently Scott expanded his design horizons to include his longtime passion of the Garden returning to school to receive a degree in Landscape Design.
KATRINA BENEDICT (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be a part of Pump Boys and Dinettes. She has previously been the costume designer for five of The Church Basement Ladies shows based on the writings of Suzann Nelson and her mother Janet Letnes Martin. She works as a freelance costume designer and draper at various theaters in the Twin Cities area. Her most recent designs include Rise Up, O Men! And A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement for the Plymouth Playhouse, Kirby! for the History Theater, and Sherlock’s Last Case for Minnesota Centennial Showboat.
TROUPE AMERICA INC. (Producer) was formed in 1987 by Curt Wollan to provide touring theatrical productions for the vast array of renovated opera houses and performing arts centers that began popping up across the country. In addition to now over 250 national tours under their belt, Troupe America has produced for the Plymouth Playhouse in Minneapolis since 1988 and also produces, (as StageWest Entertainment), the Medora Musical each summer at the gates of North Dakota’s beautiful Theodore Roosevelt National Park now in it’s 53rd season this coming summer. medora.com