Director Tim Rutten-Kempees

Numbers by Day, Director by Night

ASPI is proud to present “Escanaba in da Moonlight” as the “After Dark” Production for the 2019 season.

Ever have a disappointing hunting season where nothing seems to be going your way? In Jeff Daniels’ play “Escanaba in da Moonlight”, that’s exactly what huntsman Reuben Soady feels like. Except his unlucky streak will make him the oldest Soady in history to not shoot a buck.

Director Tim Rutten-Kempees
Director Tim Rutten-Kempees

Meet the Director who will bring the Yooper hunting experience to life, Mr. Tim Rutten-Kempees!

Accountant by day, director by night, Tim comes to ASPI with years of experience wearing multiple theater hats. On top of having a bachelor’s degree in theater, Tim has acted in over 20 shows. “Escanaba in da Moonlight” will be the seventh show he has directed and the second second he has directed with ASPI, his first being “Barefoot in the Park”. Tim also played Warren in ASPI’s production of “Meet Me in St. Louis”.

The cast of “Escanaba in da Moonlight” is what Tim believes will really draw the audience to the show.  The production is early in the rehearsal process, but it has already been filled with lots of laughs and a lot of fun!

Did we mention that the play takes place in Upper Michigan? So, this production is sure to hit close to home to many in the audience! Get ready for some slang and references only a true “Yooper” would know.

Will Reuben Soady go down in history as the oldest Soady to not shoot a buck by the end of hunting season? Buy your tickets now to find out! Performances will be September 12-15 and September 19-22.

Elf The Musical, Jr.

Showtimes

  • Friday – Saturday, December 6 & 7 @ 7 PM
  • Saturday – Sunday, December 7 & 8  @ 1 PM
  • Friday – Saturday, December 13 & 14  @ 7 PM
  • Saturday – Sunday, December 14 & 15 @ 1 PM
Elf The Musical JR. logo
Dec 6-8, 13-15!
Nancy Byng Community Theater

Elf The Musical JR. is based on the 2003 New Line Cinema hit and features songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar (The Wedding Singer) and Chad Beguelin (Disney’s Aladdin On BroadwayThe Wedding Singer), a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan (AnnieThe ProducersHairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).

The musical tells the story of a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is given the name Buddy and raised by elves in the North Pole.  Buddy lives happily unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth.

With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list, and his stepbrother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of the holidays.

Elf The Musical JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).  All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com.


Cast:

Buddy – Bella Frank
Jovie – KK Blau
Walter Hobbs – Kael Richard James
Emily Hobbs – Myah Jane Mlnarik
Michael Hobbs – Natalie Pera
Deb – Paityn Keller
Charlie/Macy’s Store Manager – Nick Blaser
Sarah – Brynna Moody
Chadwick – Lauren Herison
Matthews – Emma Ronk
Mr. Greenway/Taxi Driver – Brady Cox
Santa/Souvlaki Seller – Sophia Wonz
Shawanda/Macy’s Saleswoman – Sadie Smith
Police Officer – Faith Marquardt
Charlotte Denon – Sydney Surber
Teenager – Ashlynn Vanderheyden
Fake Santa – Cora Heinecke
Darlene Lambert – Mary Peterson
Emma Van Brocklin – Hailey Marquardt
Elf 1/”Santa’s” Helper – Jaycie Norman
Elf 2 – Hannah Nicholson
Elf 3 – Darcin Wright
Elf 4 – Eden Kuchta
Elf 5 – Alexa Samsa
Elf 6 – Maria Ronk
Elf 7 – Sawyer Norman


Production Staff:

100% Youth Driven (even behind the scenes):

Jr. Director – Sydney Surber
Jr. Asst Dir – KK Blau
Jr. Production Coord – Ellie Finger
Jr. Stage Manager – Allie Brehmer
Jr. Choreographer – Bella Frank
Jr. Technical Director – James Perkins
Jr. Marketing – KK Blau
Jr. Lights / Sound – Nick Symons
Jr. Costume Designer – Calea Wirtley
Jr. Props – Alyssa Peterson
Jr. Make-up – Gracelynn Williquettes

Young @ Heart Production Staff:

Director – Liz Jolly
Asst. Director – Josh Blau
Choreographer – Debra Jolly
Stage Manager – Tanya Brehmer
Technical Director – David Jolly
Scenic Design – David Jolly & Mike Konkel
Lighting Designer – Debra Jolly
Costume Designer- Katie Myrick-Jackson
Props Manager- Jim Klein
Marketing – Josh Blau
Volunteer Coordinator – Brigette Finger
Production Coordinator – Ali Carlson


Want to help out? We need lots of extremely important behind-the-scenes elves! 
Contact volunteers.aspi@gmail.com for more information.