KAREN LUND, she/her (Director) happily returns to Village Theatre where she enjoyed directing She Loves Me in 2020. Karen is the Producing Artistic Director of Taproot Theatre in Seattle. Taproot was voted the Seattle Times People’s Choice Best of the Northwest for Theatre 2024 and received the 2024 Gregory Award for Outstanding Performing Arts Organization. Recent directing work includes Taproot’s Murder on the Links, Always Patsy Cline, and Lewis and Tolkien. Karen thanks her amazing family.
TIM SYMONS, he/him (Music Director) is the Resident Music Supervisor at Village Theatre, where he has overseen all aspects of music for the company since 2005. Select credits include The Color Purple, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Fantasticks, Songs for a New World, The Who’s Tommy (Village Theatre); Rock of Ages, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (The 5th Avenue Theatre); Assassins (Union Arts Center, formerly ACT Theatre); Man of La Mancha, Xanadu (Arizona Theatre Company). Love to Taylor, Cedar and Winslow!
KATY TABB, she/her (Choreographer) is honored to return to Village Theatre after choreographing Legally Blonde: The Musical, The Fantasticks, Rodgers & Hammersteins’ Cinderella, Mamma Mia!, Singin’ in the Rain, Billy Elliot, ZM, and Disney’s Newsies. Katy’s work has been presented at The 5th Avenue Theatre, Theatre Aspen, The Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Olney Theatre Center, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Seattle Symphony, Cornish College of the Arts, The Triple Door, and Taproot Theatre. Next: directing 9 to 5 at Village Theatre!
PARMIDA ZIAEI, she/her (Scenic Designer) is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist, designer, and co-founder of Seda Theatre. As a designer, Parmida has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including interior, architectural, immersive, and entertainment spaces. She has worked as a scenic and production designer for numerous Seattle theaters, such as Village Theatre, Union Arts Center (formerly ACT Theatre), The 5th Ave Theatre, Seattle Public Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and more. When not designing, Parmida performs, choreographs, and teaches as a movement artist. Parmidaziaei.com
NANETTE ACOSTA, she/her (Costume Designer) is happy to return to Village Theatre after a long hiatus, having previously designed Babes in Arms and Grease! Recent Seattle work includes Murder on the Links, Book of Will and Hello Girls (Taproot Theatre). Nanette has been designing award-winning costumes for over 25 years for theater and film across the county. Her designs have been seen onstage in Austin, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Bloomington and Charleston. Nanette is an Associate Professor of Practice and the Costume Production Director at The University of Texas at Austin.
AHREN BUHMANN, he/him (Lighting Designer) is a Lighting and Video designer based in Seattle. His previous shows include Jersey Boys, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, MISS STEP and Eastbound (Village Theatre); Legally Blonde: The Musical (Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE); The Moors (Seattle Public Theater); Or, Nonsense and Beauty (Theatre22); Solaris and My Antonia (Book-It Repertory Theatre); White Noise, The Good Book, Angels in America and Out of Character (Berkeley Repertory Theatre); and Carefree (New Jersey Performing Arts Center). Ribbet.
JUSTIN SCHMITZ, he/they (Sound Designer) is ecstatic to make his Village Theatre debut. He has collaborated Off-Broadway with 59E59 Theaters, Dixon Place Theatre, Chautauqua Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse, St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Constellation Theatre, Theater J, Gala Hispanic Theatre, Imagination Stage, Round House Theatre, Folger Theatre, amongst many others. Justin is the Eastern Region Trustee for USA829’s LUEB. For more information please visit: justinschmitztheatre.com
BRUCE MONROE, he/him (Conductor, Additional Orchestrations). Celebrating 40 years at Village Theatre, most recently in Hello, Dolly! (2023), Bruce has worked here as a musician since 1985 (The Pirates of Penzance), as an orchestrator/arranger since 1991 (Jungle Queen Debutante), as a conductor since 1995 (On the Town!) as a music director since 1997 (Guys and Dolls) as a writer/composer/lyricist since 1998 (Bootlegger) and as an actor in 1999 (Babes in Arms) for a total of over 60 shows, including Brigadoon (2001). Past favorites as a conductor: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2000), West Side Story (2001), The King and I (2008), Show Boat (2009) and Singin’ in the Rain (2016). Also composed, conducted, and arranged for The 5th Avenue Theatre. Recent NYC credits: music, lyrics and scoring for Alva Rogers’ The Harlem Doll Palace at Dixon Place (2024) and HERE Arts Center (2025). Special thanks to Moira Macdonald for making this impossible career possible.
LAUREL NICHOLS, she/her (Stage Manager) is happy to be back for this beautiful musical after most recently working on Jersey Boys! Past Village credits also include Legally Blonde: The Musical, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Hello, Dolly!, Songs for a New World, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, Disney’s Newsies, Pump Boys & Dinettes, and Billy Elliot. In her free time, Laurel enjoys exploring new places & reading in her hammock. Proud AEA member. Love to Mr. Nichols! @laurelleemarie
ANNIKA EVENS, she/her (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to be back at Village Theatre. Past credits include: Jersey Boys, Camelot, The Fantasticks, and Sense and Sensibility. Other experience includes work at Seattle Shakespeare Company, The 5th Avenue Theatre, The New London Barn Playhouse, and KÀ by Cirque du Soleil. Additionally, she enjoys mentoring students through Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE and Intiman Theatre’s STARFISH Project. Annika is a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Stage and Production Management.
NICOLA KRAUSE, (Assistant Stage Manager). Nicola was recently an Assistant Stage Manager for Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals. Previous credits at Village Theatre include Production Assistant for Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood and Assistant Stage Manager for Becoming Dr. Ruth.
ETHAN SWIM, he/him (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be joining such an amazing stage management team! Previous Village Theatre credits include: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables School Edition (Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE), and more. Thanks to Drew and family for their constant love and support! “The world is your oyster and we’ll all be Cosmopolitans.” Instagram: @ethan_swim22
KARIE KOPPEL, (Koppel Casting). Off-Broadway: Fatherland, Maybe Tomorrow, Deadly Stages, Queens Girl in the World, and Fruit Trilogy. Regional: Denver Center Theatre, Geva Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Cape Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Trinity Rep, A.C.T. of Connecticut, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Arrow Rock Lyceum, Northern Stage, Syracuse Stage, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Feature Films: The Empath, The House of Usher and The Visit; upcoming Smashing. For PBS: “Walter Winchell,” “The Vote,” “Charles M Russell.”
CHARLIE JOHNSON, (Associate Director). Regional Credits: ACT Theatre, Arrow Rock Lyceum, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Barnstormer’s Theatre, Bay Street Theater, Flat Rock Playhouse, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, North Carolina Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Rep, Taproot Theatre, and The 5th Avenue Theatre. He has developed new musicals with The Rev Theater Company, New York Theater Barn, The Dramatists’ Guild, and Musical Theater Factory, and has assisted Tony-winner Michael Arden, Adam Immerwahr, Connor Gallagher, and Denis Jones. BFA: Elon University.
ERIN CRALL SCOTT, she/her (Associate Choreographer) is thrilled to be working with Village Theatre! She has choreographed for concert:nova, the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society, and many PNW dance festivals and youth companies. Erin danced with Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, at the Hungarian National Opera House, and more. Erin is the Director of Aspire Kinetic Arts and the Artistic Director of Aspire Repertory Theatre.
GIN HAMMOND, (Dialect Coach) is an award-winning Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre MFA graduate, author, and certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework ™ . Gin has had the pleasure of dialect-coaching multiple shows at Village Theatre, including Jersey Boys, Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Hello, Dolly! For more information, visit gin-hammond.com.
BRIAN HILL, (Revised Book) has written the book for the stage adaptation of Disney’s classic Bedknobs & Broomsticks (UK tour), Broadway’s The Story of My Life (Booth Theatre – 4 Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Book and Outstanding Musical), Something Wicked This Way Comes (11 Barrymore Award nominations), the English language adaptation of Michel Tremblay’s Les Belles-Soeurs (Canadian National Tour), a solo voice musical You Are Here (Off West End), a fresh take on The Adventures of Pinocchio (Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Young People’s Theatre Toronto), a musical fable Senza Luce and the international licensing hit The Theory of Relativity, all with composer/lyricist Neil Bartram. He wrote the new book for the Old Globe’s production of NBCUniversal’s October Sky and the revised book for the Goodman Theatre’s acclaimed production of Brigadoon. Directing credits include new works, revisited classics and works-in-development for Disney Theatrical Productions, Mirvish Productions, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodspeed Musicals, TheatreWorks, The 5th Avenue Theatre, The Segal Centre, The Shaw Festival and The Stratford Festival of Canada. He helmed the early developmental readings, workshops and production of Come From Away. He was resident director of the Toronto and Broadway companies of Disney’s The Lion King and associate director of Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Broadway.
ALAN JAY LERNER, (Book and Lyrics) and FREDERICK LOEWE (Music) wrote some of the American theater’s most memorable musicals, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon and Gigi. Among their most famous songs are ‘’Almost Like Being in Love,’’ ‘’I Could Have Danced All Night’’ and ‘’Thank Heaven for Little Girls.’’ Lerner was born in New York City in 1918 and attended Choate and Harvard. Loewe was born in Berlin in 1901 to Viennese parents, made his piano debut with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13 and came to the United States in 1924. The two met in 1942 at the Lambs Club in New York City when Loewe approached Lerner about collaborating on a show. In 1947, they had their first Broadway hit, Brigadoon, followed in 1951 by a second success with Paint Your Wagon which included such songs as “They Call The Wind Maria,” “I Talk to the Trees” and “Wand’rin’ Star.” In 1956, My Fair Lady, with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, opened on Broadway. Often called the “perfect musical,” the show ran for 2,717 performances and the cast album sold more than five million copies. Their 1958 film musical, Gigi, won nine Academy awards and, in 1960, came the last great success of their partnership, Camelot, starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. In 1974, Lerner lured Loewe out of retirement to work on their last venture together: a film version of Antoine de St Exupéry’s The Little Prince. Lerner went on to collaborate with other composers including Burton Lane, Leonard Bernstein and Andre Previn. He died in 1986 at the age of 67. Loewe died two years later at the age of 86.
MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theaters from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form. MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theaters in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide. MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students. MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).