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"A Christmas Memory" and "Winter Song" Cast and Creative Team

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY
By Truman Capote
-paired with-
WINTER SONG
By Merideth Kaye Clark & Brandon Woolley

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM
Performer Merideth Kaye Clark
PerformerLeif Norby
Author of A Christmas MemoryTruman Capote
Creators of Winter SongMerideth Kaye Clark & Brandon Woolley
DirectorBrandon Woolley 
Music Director and Accompanist Mont Chris Hubbard
Scenic Designer Daniel Meeker
Costume Designer Paula Buchert
Lighting Designer Sarah Hughey
Sound Designer Casi Pacilio
Stage Manager                     Janine Vanderhoff
Production Assistant  Jordan Affeldt
Original Underscore Music by Mont Chris Hubbard
Arrangements by Merideth Kaye Clark & Mont Chris Hubbard

The Actors and Stage Manager in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

BIOS

Merideth Kaye Clark
Performer & Co-Creator of Winter Song
Merideth Kaye Clark has played definitive leading theatrical roles nationwide, such as Elphaba in the First National Tour of Wicked, Eva Perón in Evita (Northern Stage), Nancy in Oliver! (5th Avenue Theatre), and has originated roles in two Off-Broadway musicals. Clark is a sought after concert artist described as "plain astonishing" and "a masterful performer" with "powerhouse pipes." She is a multi-instrumentalist and plays anything with strings, most notably the guitar, dulcimer and viola. Her solo album Young Stellar Object garnered critical praise from New York theater reviewers and the studio recording of her acclaimed Joni Mitchell's BLUE concert was successfully funded on Kickstarter in only four days. Portland credits include: Cathy, The Last Five Years (The Armory); Tzeitl, Fiddler on the Roof (The Armory); Clara, The Light in the Piazza (Portland Playhouse); and Lilli/Kathryn, Kiss Me Kate (Clackamas Repertory Theatre). Many thank yous to everyone who helped create this show!

Leif Norby
Performer
Leif was last seen in Wild and Reckless, Astoria: Part One and The Oregon Trail. Other appearances at The Armory include: Professor Willard/Joe Stoddard in Our Town, De Guiche in Cyrano, Rodrigo in Othello, ensemble in both Anna Karenina and Sunset Boulevard, Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps, Tateh in Ragtime, and Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls. Other recent Portland appearances include: Cervantes in Man of La Mancha (Lakewood Theatre Company), Dr. Givings in In the Next Room (Profile Theatre), Tom in The God Game (Brandon Woolley prod.), Bastion in Mr. Kolpert and Jane/Edgar in Mystery of Irma Vep (Third Rail Repertory Theatre), Verne/George in And So It Goes… and Frank Keller in Red Herring (Artists Repertory Theatre), Charlie in The Scene (Portland Playhouse) and Beast in Beauty and the Beast (Pixie Dust). TV credits include Portlandia and Leverage. Leif is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, sends love to his wife Susie, and thanks you for supporting live theater. 

Truman Capote
Author of A Christmas Memory
Truman Capote (September 30, 1924-August 25, 1984) was born in New Orleans, LA. He was a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, playwright and celebrated man-about-town. Early writings include his novel of alienated youth, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948); a collection of Gothic short stories, A Tree of Night and Other Short Stories (1949); and the tender novel The Grass Harp (1951), which Capote adapted into a play that debuted on Broadway in 1952. The novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958; film adaptation by George Axelrod released in 1961) introduced the charming, hedonistic Holly Golightly as a heroine. Childhood reflections formed the basis of two short stories, A Christmas Memory (1956) and The Thanksgiving Visitor (1968). Capote’s groundbreaking novel In Cold Blood (1966) was a pioneering work in the true crime genre and the basis for three film adaptations, including the 2005 film Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. Other works include The Dogs Bark: Public People and Private Places (1973) and Answered Prayers, an unfinished novel, published posthumously in 1987. 

Brandon Woolley
Director Co-Creator of Winter Song
Brandon is a director and producer in Portland, Oregon. He is so grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and work on two productions in one this holiday season. Directing credits include: Mary’s Wedding and Sex with Strangers (The Armory); Luna Gale (spring, 2018), International Falls and The Few (CoHo Productions); The God Game (self-produced); The End of Sex (Theatre Vertigo); Dial M for Murder (Bag&Baggage Productions). Brandon has worked on multiple shows at The Armory as an assistant director (Astoria: Part One and the upcoming Part Two, LIZZIE, The Whipping Man, Red, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and A Christmas Story). He has also collaborated with Michael Curry and Oregon Symphony on Persephone, which will travel to Seattle in the spring, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Broadway Rose Theatre Company and Live On Stage. Brandon is the producing associate and JAW co-producer at Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Much love to Sean.

Mont Chris Hubbard
Music Director/Accompanist
Mont Chris Hubbard is a Portland performer, composer and music director. He is the creator and host of Portland's most endearingly-strange variety show, The Mont Chris Hubbard Bonus Show, and hosts a monthly late night piano bar at Artists Repertory Theatre. He has released five CDs of solo piano improvisations and is excited for the opportunity to create the musical palette (not improvised!) for A Christmas Memory. He is pleased to work with Brandon Woolley and Leif Norby again, and positively chuffed to collaborate with Merideth Kaye Clark again and again and again and again. He is a proud member of the American Federation of Musicians, the union of professional musicians, and a proud supporter of the labor movement. Find out more at montchrishubbard.com.

Daniel Meeker
Scenic Designer
Previously at The Armory: lighting for Lauren Weedman Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Wild and Reckless; scenery for The People's Republic of Portland and Red (Drammy Award); and set and lighting for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and SpikeThe Typographer’s DreamLIZZIE (Drammy Award for Best Lighting), The Last Five Years and The Mountaintop. Recent projects: Big Night Out, Così fan tutte, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field and The Little Match Girl Passion (Portland Opera); The Talented Ones (Artists Repertory Theatre); The Language Archive (Portland Playhouse); Judy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt (Oregon Children’s Theatre); 26 Hours (Profile Theatre); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Pioneer Theatre Company); How I Learned What I Learned and Peter and the Starcatcher (Portland Playhouse); The How and The Why (COHO Productions); and lighting director for the Pickathon festival. Daniel is a graduate of Ithaca College and The Yale School of Drama, and a member of United Scenic Artists.

Paula Buchert
Costume Designer       
Paula has been employed as a cutter/draper in the costume shop for Portland Center Stage at The Armory for the past 15 seasons. She has also had the privilege of creating garments for singers, dancers and actors at such venues as Seattle Opera, American Players Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Glimmerglass Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Shakespeare Theatre and Portland Opera. She holds a degree in Fine Arts with a theater emphasis from the University of Wisconsin, as well as a degree in Fashion Design with a lingerie emphasis from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Paula lives in North Portland with her five companion house rabbits. This is her first design project at The Armory. She would like to thank her family for their love, support and encouragement.

Sarah Hughey
Lighting Designer
Sarah Hughey is proud to make her debut at The Armory. Design credits include Blair Thomas & Co., Steppenwolf Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, City Theatre (Pittsburgh), Kansas City Repertory Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, Writers’ Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, and many little rooms across Chicago. Upcoming projects include Major Barbara (The Armory) and Lifeboat (Corrib Theatre w/ Northwest Children’s Theatre). Ms. Hughey is the recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Award and the Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award at the Merrit Awards for Design and Collaboration. She has taught lighting design at Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago and Willamette University. She holds an M.F.A. from Northwestern University and is a member of USA Local 829. Ms. Hughey lives in Portland. skhugheylighting.com

Casi Pacilio
Sound Designer
Casi’s home base is The Armory, where recent credits include Lauren Weedman Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Wild and Reckless, His Eye is on the Sparrow, The Oregon TrailLittle Shop of Horrors, A Streetcar Named Desire, Great Expectations, Ain’t Misbehavin’Three Days of Rain; A Small Fire, Constellations and Chinglish with composer Jana Crenshaw; and 11 seasons of JAW. National shows: Holcombe Waller's Surfacing and WayfindersLeft Hand of DarknessMy Mind is Like an Open Meadow (Drammy Award, 2011), Something’s Got Ahold Of My Heart and PEP TALK for Hand2Mouth Theatre. Other credits include Squonk Opera’s Bigsmorgasbord-WunderWerk (Broadway, PS122, national and international tours); I Am My Own WifeI Think I Like Girls (La Jolla  Playhouse); Playland10 Fingers and Lips TogetherTeeth Apart (City Theatre, PA). Film credits include Creation of DestinyOut of Our Time and A Powerful Thang. Imagineer/maker of the Eat Me Machine, a dessert vending machine.

Janine Vanderhoff
Stage Manager
Janine is glad to be back for her third season at The Armory. Previous credits at The Armory include: Wild and Reckless, Lauren Weedman Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Santaland Diaries, The Oregon Trail, Little Shop of Horrors, JAW, Great Expectations, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Our Town. Other Portland credits include Portland Opera’s Sweeney Todd (followspot caller); DC Copeland's Play (stage manager/production manager); Portland Playhouse's How to End Poverty in 90 Minutes and The Other Place (stage manager). Touring stage management credits include: The Graduate (starring Morgan Fairchild), Cats, The Vagina Monologues, Jekyll & Hyde and Show Boat. While in New York, Janine had the opportunity to work on The Lion King on Broadway, as well as with many Off-Broadway and regional companies. Production management credits include: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for “Democalypse 2012 Republican National Convention” (Tampa, FL); Straz Center (Tampa, FL); The Fox Theatre (Atlanta, GA). Proud NYU graduate and AEA member.

Jordan Affeldt
Production Assistant
Jordan is a stage manager from the small mountain town of Julian, CA. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University, majoring in theater studies and psychology. Her recent work includes a stage management internship at Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA), where she assistant stage managed Beauty and the Beast, Lend Me a Tenor and You Can’t Take It With You. Prior to PCPA, she completed stage management internships with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and ion theatre company. She spends her free time playing and writing music in the Portland area. 

               

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