Mamma Mia! Program

Cast

Sophie Sheridan - Sophie Bustetter
Donna Sheridan - Michelle Koenen
Tanya Cresham-Leigh - Nicole Galyean
Rosie Mulligan - Kathy Kluska
Sam Carmichael - Dan Overton
Bill Austin - Dave Marsh
Harry Bright - Rich Garrett
Sky - Steven Walker
Ali - Lizzie Conner
Lisa - Brittany Wilcox
Pepper - Nathan Crummett
Eddie - Noah McKenzieSullivan
Father Alexandrios/Ensemble - George Dougherty
Ensemble - Susan Bustetter
Ensemble - Asia Conner
Ensemble - Brenda Crummett

Crew

Director: Emilie Brown
Music Director: Brynn Walker
Choreographer: Scarlet Nixon-Klein
Stage Manager: Matthew Michael
Costumes: Allison Haugan, Shari Blackwell
Properties/Scenic Dressing: Alene Stewart
Set Design: Rich Garrett
Light Design: Danielle Kays
Set Construction: Rich Garrett & Mark Pendleton
Scenic Painting: Theresa McKenzieSullivan
Sound Board Operator: Noah Lyons

ACT ONE

"Overture/Prologue" - Sophie

"Honey, Honey" - Sophie, Ali and Lisa

"Money, Money, Money" - Donna and Company

"Thank You for the Music" - Harry, Bill, Sam, and Sophie

"Mamma Mia" - Donna and Company

"Chiquitita" - Rosie, Tanya, and Donna

"Dancing Queen" - Rosie, Tanya, and Donna

"Lay All Your Love on Me" - Sky, Sophie, Pepper, and Eddie

"Super Trouper" - Donna, Tanya, Rosie and Company

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" - Company

"The Name of the Game" - Sophie and Bill

"Voulez-Vous" - Company

Act Two

"Entr'acte" - Orchestra

"Under Attack" - Sophie and Company

"One of Us" - Donna

"SOS" - Sam and Donna

"Does Your Mother Know" - Tanya, Pepper and Company

"Knowing Me, Knowing You" - Sam

"Our Last Summer" - Harry and Donna

"Slipping Through My Fingers" - Donna and Sophie

"The Winner Takes It All" - Donna

"Take a Chance on Me" - Rosie and Bill

"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" - Sam, Donna and Company

"I Have a Dream" - Sophie and Company

Emilie Brown, Director 

Emilie is thrilled to be making her Evergreen Playhouse directorial debut. Previous directing credits include Tom Kempenski’s Duet for One and Kobo Abe’s The Man Who Turned Into a Stick. You may remember her from previous roles on the EP stage including Adele in Steel Magnolias and Yonah in Children of Eden. Other favorite roles from around the South Sound region include Jan Ballas in The Memorandum, Queen Aggravain in Once Upon A Mattress, and Rizzo in Grease. In addition to over two decades performing in community theater and choral groups, Emilie holds a B.A. in Music and in Theater Arts from Saint Martin’s University.

A Note From the Director:

Mamma Mia…

Here we go again…

We all know the last two years have been difficult – full of emotional highs and lows, loss, constant change, and an unclear future. I think we’re all looking for a path forward, a feeling of community, and moments of pure, unadulterated joy.

Enter – Mamma Mia! While we originally planned to bring you this show two years ago, it seems even more fitting, and needed, to me now. At surface level Mamma Mia! is a fun, funky show filled with ABBA music, dance, and disco balls, but under the waves are a universal search for purpose and passion. Donna and Sophie are both seeking what’s next – who are they, what do they really want, and what do they have to give up or embrace to get there?

Set against the hilarious hijinks of the three potential fathers, Donna’s old back-up singers The Dynamos, and the younger members of the wedding party, to me the true story is not about the men in Donna and Sophie’s lives, but about the strength of their shared relationship and how both heal and grow up a little bit in the process.

My wish for you as an audience member is that you set down your luggage and sit a spell at Donna’s Taverna. Let us whisk you away to a sunny, Greek isle, where you can forget your troubles and perhaps find some bits and pieces of yourself along the way.

For the next few hours, I hope you smile.

~

Before the orchestra plays me out, I must quickly say thank you to: the entire cast and crew for your hard work and dedication and sticking things up your nose every week to be here, my designers for creating such a breathtaking and vibrant world, Matthew Michael for being el stage manager supremo (seriously, not enough words here but my deepest thanks), the EP for trusting me with this show, and Geoff.

Thank you for the music and giving it to me.

Tenino Young-at-Heart Theatre, Isaac McKenzieSullivan, Kris Garrett

Sophie Bustetter, Sophie Sheridan

Sophie is so excited to be making her debut performance at the EP in her dream role! She began performing at the age of 7 and some of her favorite past roles include the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Grandma Addams in the Addams Family and Jan in Grease. Outside of theater Sophie is an elementary teacher for a bilingual after-school program. She is excited to be performing with her mom for the first time and would like to thank her family, friends and coworkers for believing in her and supporting her in her craft. Enjoy the show! 

Susan Bustetter, Ensemble

Susan played Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown in high school and performed in Peter Pan in college. She is making her debut at Evergreen Playhouse and back into theater after 38 years away! She and her husband Kerry, son Kameron, and daughter Sophie sang in the Capital City Chorus together for a few seasons with Mamma Mia! director Emilie Brown, who introduced them to EP. Susan has really enjoyed watching her boy-girl twins perform in theater for the last 15 years and is super excited to be in a musical with her daughter Sophie! She works for the State of Washington at OFM and in her spare time loves to travel. She wants to thank her family and friends for being so supportive of her return to theater as an adult. Enjoy the show!

Asia Conner, Ensemble

Asia began her involvement with theater when she attended high school. She performed in The Purloined Letter, Cinderella, Rosie the Riveter, Arsenic and Old Lace, and The Buccaneer Bride. She worked on the props crew for the EP's production of Blithe Spirit and is thrilled to be performing onstage at the Evergreen Playhouse in Mamma Mia!

Lizzie Conner, Ali

Lizzie began her involvement in the performing arts at the beginning of the pandemic. She was in performances of She Kills Monsters as Tillius, as well as Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream for TOAD. She also performed in the 10 Minute Musical performance at Tacoma Musical Playhouse in the show Dead Flowers. Her most recent performance at the Evergreen Playhouse was Shootout At Sadie's Saloon as Prudence. Lizzie is so excited to be involved in a show once again at the Playhouse. 

Brenda Crummett, Ensemble

Brenda is no stranger to the stage, however, most people probably don’t know that when they go to a musical at the EP she is frequently the one running the sound. This time however, Brenda is excited to be playing the role of Aunt Rhonda in the Evergreen Playhouse’s finale Mamma Mia! Some of Brenda’s productions include Children of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and she feels very lucky to have played M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias.  While she’s been away from the stage for a while, she has been acting in her new role as stage manager and director with TOAD.  Her directorial debut was Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr. in Eatonville.   She is excited to be working as the stage manager at Charles Wright Academy for TOAD’s production of the Aristocats. Brenda wants to thank her family for their love and constant support, including all the extra driving to get everybody where they need to go while she gets to go off and play with her friends.

Nathan Crummett, Pepper

Nathan attends Adna High School and Centralia College. He enjoys spending time with friends, acting, singing, working out, and playing video games. Favorite roles include The Beast/Prince in Beauty and the Beast Jr. (TOAD), Scar in The Lion King Jr. (TOAD), and Dr. Watson in The Hound of the Baskervilles (Evergreen Playhouse), and he also enjoyed playing a variety of roles in Scrooge, the musical (Evergreen Playhouse). Nathan enjoys learning all aspects of theater whether onstage or behind the scenes and is very excited to be a part of this production.

George Dougherty, Father Alexandrios/Ensemble

George is very excited (well, excited and scared) to be making his Evergreen Playhouse debut in Mamma Mia!  George has been performing and working tech in the Olympia community theater for more than 30 years, so this’ll be his first out-of-town show!  Over the years, he’s worked with The Abbey Players (Hero in …Forum, Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha), Harlequin Productions (Sidney in their Stardust series), Capital Playhouse (Lord Brockhurst in The Boy Friend, Dolly Dimples in Side Show) Apple Tree Productions (Ensemble in Hairspray), Broadway Olympia Productions (Ensemble in A Christmas Story, props for Legally Blonde), Olympia Little Theater (Craig Conlin in Laughing Stock, sound board operator) and Theater Artists Olympia (Lord Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Ensemble in The Brain From Planet X, much tech, member of TAO’s Board of Directors). Thanks for the opportunity!

Nicole Galyean, Tanya Cresham-Leigh

Nicole is excited for patrons to sing and dance along to their favorite hits from this iconic show. She is no stranger to the EP stage. You may recognize her over the seasons when she brought the following roles to life; Diana in Next to Normal; Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls, Truvy in Steel Magnolias, Ruth Condomine in Blithe Spirit, Charlotte Hays in Moon Over Buffalo, Jacqueline in Don't Dress for Dinner; and Doris in TOAD’s production of Same Time, Next Year. Nicole is beyond thankful for community theater and the opportunities which have given her the platform to become the actress you see today.

Rich Garrett, Harry Bright

Rich is pleased to be playing Harry in Mamma Mia, which marks the final role he will portray at the Evergreen Playhouse for a short while, as he has accepted a teaching position in Monterrey, Mexico this coming school year. No stranger to the EP stage, Rich most recently played Dan in Next to Normal.  Patrons have seen Rich in past EP seasons as Scrooge in Scrooge, the Musical, Archibald in The Secret Garden, as well as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. Rich has been seen in other regional productions as Father in Children of Eden, Che in Evita, Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre, The Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors, and George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Rich would like to thank the Evergreen Playhouse and its patrons for the years of support, as it has been a pleasure performing on this stage.  When not on stage, Rich is a US History and Yearbook teacher at Chinook Middle School and helps to run TOAD along with his best friend and wife, Kris. While gardening and cooking are both passions for Rich, he is most happy when spending time with Kris and his family, most notably his three grandchildren: McKayla, Otto and Logan.

Kathy Kluska, Rosie Mulligan

Kathy has performed in over 50 stage productions, but this is her first at Evergreen Playhouse.  She is thrilled to finally perform here and get to do a “bucket list” show.  Some other favorite roles include Lily St. Regis in Annie (Tacoma Musical Playhouse), Gingy in Shrek (TMP), Jennyanydots in Cats (TMP), Tessie Tura in Gypsy (Tacoma Little Theater), and Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooge the Musical (TLT). 

Michelle Koenen, Donna Sheridan

Michelle has been involved in several productions with various theater companies in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, including productions of Pirates of Penzance, Gypsy, Babes in Arms, The Little Foxes, and 42nd Street. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest and raising her two daughters, she had not been as involved in theater as she once was. A few years back she discovered the Evergreen Playhouse and was hooked! She's excited to be a part of this production of Mamma Mia! Previous shows at the EP include Guys and Dolls, Scrooge, the Musical, Play On!, Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Blithe Spirit, Shootout at Sadie's Saloon, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. As an EP board member, she is fortunate to work with fantastic individuals working hard to bring quality theater to our community. Enjoy the show!

Dave Marsh, Bill Austin

Dave loves theater.  He was recently Martini in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and last Summer was Snail in A Year With Frog and Toad and Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He has also directed The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Don't Dress for Dinner and Scrooge the Musical. He would like to thank his wife for all of her support. Dave is also excited to finally, after two long years, take on the role of Bill and he'd like to give a shout out to his fanclub at Roosevelt Elementary who have spent that time eagerly awaiting this show!

Noah McKenzieSullivan, Eddie

This is Noah's second time on stage with Evergreen Playhouse. He has also been a part of Tenino Young-at-heart Theatre since it started and is frequently a part of their productions as well. Noah really enjoys opportunities to create art on stage and get to know other artists.

Dan Overton, Sam Carmichael

Dan is thrilled to return to Evergreen Playhouse. The Evergreen Playhouse is his “Happy Place.” This is his fourth show with the EP, having solved the case as Sherlock in The Hound of the Baskervilles, (mostly) avoided mayhem as Bernard in Don’t Dress for Dinner and navigated two ghost wives as Charles in Blithe Spirit. Some of his other roles/shows include: Oberon/ Shakespeare in Hollywood, Phil and East / Almost Maine, Senator Fipp / Urinetown: The Musical, Inspector Kemp/ Young Frankenstein and Ben Weeks / The Normal Heart amongst others. For a myriad of reasons, he is grateful to this wonderful cast of dedicated and talented actors and all those who put in the hard work on/off and behind stage. He is thankful the EP has taken the precautions necessary and gone the extra mile to ensure a high level of safety for all so we can all enjoy this magical form of art again. Lastly, he wishes to thank those in attendance tonight for the support that allows him such a tremendous opportunity. Dan lives in Olympia with his amazing wife, whom he thanks for tolerating this wonderfully strange vacation.

Steven Walker, Sky 

Having just played Aide Warren in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Steven is excited to be back on stage to be a part of Mamma Mia! at the Evergreen Playhouse. Most recently he appeared here as Harry in Scrooge, the musical and previously as Jim in Rebel Without a Cause, Judas in Godspell, and Mr. Boddy in Clue.  He has performed on stage in several venues in the Puget sound for the last eight years. Some of his credits include: Riff in Westside Story and John Canty in The Prince & The Pauper (where, for the first time he worked on stage with his wife Brynn Walker) at Tacoma Musical Playhouse; Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with TOAD; and a myriad of chorus roles in various theaters. He would like to thank his family (both paternal and matrimonial) and his wife Brynn for working so hard to help him find his voice and character in this role. Enjoy!

Brittany Wilcox, Lisa

Brittany is ecstatic to be a part of this production of Mamma Mia!. She was most recently in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as Sandra. You may have also seen her here before in Don't Dress For Dinner as Suzanne or in And Then There Were None as Vera. Other favorite roles include that of Eponine in Les Miserables, Rizzo in Grease, and Hope in Urinetown. Brittany would like to thank her mother for her undying love and support. She hopes you enjoy the show and thanks you for supporting the arts.

Brynn Walker, Music Director

Brynn is excited to be involved in a variety of jobs at the EP, most recently having costumed One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and bringing Next to Normal back to life as the music director. She also has a passion for costuming and is happy to be a part of this show.  Brynn discovered her love for the arts at an early age from performing to directing where she found a home in the Pacific Northwest theater community. Since moving here she has directed, musically directed, choreographed, and costume designed with nine different companies, public schools and home schooled students. Brynn has been a private voice teacher since 2009 and is continuing to grow her studio. She is currently accepting new students! Brynn is fortunate to have the support of her family and is thankful to live in a community that strives to keep the arts alive. Thanks to her husband, her family, and her son for allowing her the time to continue her passion for the arts.

Scarlet Nixon-Klein, Choreography

Scarlet has been dancing for the past 15  years, studying ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz. Scarlet has been a part of a good number of EP shows, and is very excited to return as the choreographer for Mamma Mia! For this show, Scarlet was tasked with choreographing all of the biggest and most recognizable numbers from the show, which proved to be as rewarding as it was challenging. You may recognize Scarlet from previous EP shows she choreographed such as Scrooge, the Musical, Urinetown, and The Secret Garden as well her various appearances on stage in shows like Steel Magnolias, Play On!, and most recently The Hound of the Baskervilles. Scarlet really hopes you enjoy the show!

Matthew Michael, Stage Manager

Matthew is happy to be on the tech side of Mamma Mia!. He was just seen as Dr. Spivey in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. EP audiences may remember him from Scrooge, the Musical (2018, 2019), The Secret Garden, The Importance of Being Earnest, Rebel Without a Cause, Children of Eden, And Then There Were None and Don’t Dress for Dinner. He has been seen performing at many theaters along the I-5 corridor. Favorite roles have included Cogsworth in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Wolf/Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Jacob Marley in Scrooge, The Musical. Some of his favorite shows he has been in are A Chorus Line, Threepenny Opera, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, and RENT! He also had the privilege of directing his first Evergreen Playhouse show, Steel Magnolias, last year and he just recently directed Next to Normal! Enjoy the show!

Allison Haugan, Costumer

Allison has been sewing for over 25 years but didn’t get interested in costumes until her children started performing.  Allison loves the creative aspect of taking the director’s ideas and bringing them to life. She would like to thank her family for being so understanding and her mom Jessie for her constant help and ideas.

Shari Blackwell, Costumer

What a great way to close our first season back with Mamma Mia! a musical extravaganza of fun, flair and flashy costumes!  Shari is energized to partner again with Allison Haugen to create the vision Emilie Brown has for this show. Shari and Allison last collaborated on The Secret Garden.  This is Shari’s 7th costume adventure for the EP.  Each show she has dressed has been uniquely different from cast size to time period. She’s also costumed Barefoot in the Park, Play On, And Then There Were None, Clue the Musical, and Guys & Dolls.  In her “real life” Shari owns The Undershirt, a screenprinting and embroidery apparel business, so matching clothes to the occasion is right up her alley. 

Rich Garrett, Set Design/Builder

Rich is excited to build the set for Mamma Mia! on the EP stage. Rich has designed and built many of the Playhouse production’s sets over the past six plus years including Godspell, A Streetcar Named Desire, Don’t Dress for Dinner, Moon Over Buffalo, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and many more. Mamma Mia! marks the final set Rich will design and build for the Playhouse as he has accepted a teaching position in Monterrey, Mexico which starts next school year. Rich always welcomes the challenge of bringing a known show to the stage, having directed Rebel Without a Cause, Guys and Dolls, Godspell as well as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for the Evergreen Playhouse. When Rich isn’t at the EP building, designing, directing or acting, he is at home with his wife, kids and grandchildren cooking, playing xbox, or teaching at Chinook Middle School.

Danielle Kays, Lighting Designer

Danielle has designed lights at the Evergreen Playhouse since 2015 and this production of Mamma Mia! marks her 40th design! Her work has also been seen in other local productions at Centralia College (1984, Antigone, You Can’t Take it With You, Fun Home), TOAD (Mulan, Jr., Once Upon A Mattress, Same Time Next Year) and with Tenino Young-at-Heart (Just So). Some favorites include Next to Normal, The Secret Garden, Godspell, Children of Eden, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Christmas Carol, A Few Good Men, and Grease. designsbydaniellek.com/light-design

Alene Stewart, Props/Set Dresser

Alene (Al to her friends) became a member of The Evergreen Playhouse in March, 2013 when she volunteered to decorate the set of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Her first on stage role was as Prospera in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  Her favorite role was Mother in a staged reading of Night, Mother by Marsha Norman. But her dream role was as Claree Belcher in Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. She has a couple roles that are among her most fun roles: Lillian Troy in I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick and Ethel in Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig. Alene loves the challenge of creating props and set pieces.  If you ask her what some of her best creations are, she will tell you vintage microphones for Alfred Hitchcock: The Radio Play by Joe Landry, a bleeding garrotte for Deathtrap by Ira Levin, a radiator heater made out of cardboard and pvc pipe for Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon, a tree trunk constructed of a sono tube/chicken wire and paper mache for Children of Eden by Stephen Schwartz and most recently a wood chopping machine for Beauty and the Beast.  And the most creative set she helped with was undoubtedly Play On by Rick Abbot. Alene also serves as the Treasurer for the Evergreen Playhouse. Al invites each and everyone of you to come and join the joy and excitement, the challenges and triumphs, the fun and the hard work that is community theater. There is always room for one more. Let that one more be you.

Theresa McKenzieSullivan, Scenic Painter

Theresa has been involved with local theater for over 20 years. She is active with Tenino Young-at-Heart Theatre, Centralia Community College, and happily serves on the Board of Directors at the Evergreen Playhouse. She loves the theater world and enjoys contributing in any context - be it on stage, working on the set, as a musician in the orchestra pit, or as music director. For this production of Mamma Mia!, she is delighted to be able to contribute artistically as the show’s Scenic Painter.

Noah Lyons, Sound Board Operator

Noah Lyons had his first theater experience as part of the ensemble for Li’l Abner. His first tech experience was for Yelm’s Standing Room Only and their production of The Women. Since then, he’s done tech for various SRO productions, like Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Mousetrap, and 12 Angry Men. This is Noah’s first time working with The Evergreen Playhouse, and looks forward to potentially working with them more in the future.

Bob Holland Insurance

Book 'n' Brush

Centralia College

Centralia Community Church of God

Designs by Danielle

Dick's Brewery

Doggie Designs Pet Grooming

Hub Bub*

Jeff Kingsbury*

McMenamin’s Olympic Club

Newaukum Golf and Banquet

O’Blarney’s*

PostNet

Security State Bank

The Albee's Garden Parties

The Rectangle Gallery*

The Undershirt*

TOAD Theatre LLC

*show sponsor

Welcome back to the Evergreen Playhouse. My goodness, how we’ve missed you. It has been over a year and half since we have been together and we are so grateful to bring theatre back to the Evergreen Playhouse stage.

We took this gift of time to renovate and rejuvenate our beautiful theatre and we took time to raise money to help offset the loss of income during those difficult 20 months. As you sit here in the theatre, you will notice the new paint, the new carpet, the new seats but most of all you will notice how good it feels to be here celebrating the stories of our 62nd season.

Live theatre is important, it is immediate, and it is necessary. Our stories this year will feature actors putting themselves out there for you to love or hate, they will bare their souls to you, share the vulnerability of these characters, and they will bring laughter, joy and a little bit of intrigue to you as well.

When you, the audience, reacts, applauds, gasps, or is held in silence, that is what live theatre is - that moment where the people onstage connect with the people in the seats and there is no better feeling when that connection is made. Thank you all for joining us in person again - it is so good to be back.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the show -

Kris Garrett, Board President

To contact the board, please email us. Board meetings are open to the public and are every second Sunday of the month at 6:30pm.

Mamma Mia! Show Sponsor

Our other Show Sponsors for Season 62: