TIME STANDS STILL to Play North Coast Rep, 2/23-3/17

David Ellenstein (Director)Born into a theatrical family, David has worked in theatres across the country. Before joining North Coast Rep in 2003 he served as Artistic Director for the Los Angeles Repertory Company and the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company (AJTC). A veteran of over 200 theatrical productions, directorial favorites include:

North Coast Rep - Two by Pinter: The Lover and The Dumb Waiter, HENRY IV Part 1, Heroes,My Name is Asher Lev, The Drawer Boy, Becky's New Car, Ghosts, The Tempest, Talley's Folly,Over the Tavern, Old Wicked Songs, The Dresser, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Madagascar, A Shayna Maidel, The Honky Tonk Angels, Rashomon, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Tuesdays With Morrie, Collected Stories, Halpern and Johnson, Romeo and Juliet,Amy's View, Einstein Comes Through (also co-author), The Chosen, A Life in the Theatre, Story Theatre and Charley's Aunt. Coconut Grove Playhouse - Sonia Flew starring Lucy Arnaz; Halpern and Johnson starring Hal Linden and Brian Murray. Papermill Playhouse - The Chosen starring Theodore Bikel and John Lloyd Young. Portland Stage - Halpern and Johnson.Renaissance Theatre - Long Day's Journey Into Night. Actor's Theatre of Phoenix - Rabbit Hole. Alabama Shakespeare Festival - Rocket City (world premiere) and Honky Tonk Angels. Laguna Playhouse - Alexandros (world premiere). Southwest Shakespeare Company -Cyrano de Bergerac. AJTC - Awake and Sing. Meadow Brook Theatre - A Christmas Carol. Pirate Playhouse - Old Wicked Songs and Talley's Folly. Kingsmen Shakespeare - Hamlet. Portland Rep - Conversations With My Father and Gaslamp Quarter Theatre - A Shayna Maidel. David has also been guest faculty for numerous universities including California State Northridge, Cal Arts, and Shakespeare workshops privately. David lives with his beautiful wife Denise and their amazing sons Jamie and Will.

Francis Gercke* (Jamie) Francis has appeared in theatre productions throughout San Diego including: Proof, The Merchant of Venice, In the Next Room, In the Wake (San Diego Rep); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Love Song, Tragedy of The Commons, Desire Under the Elms, Our Town, The Glass Menagerie (Cygnet Theatre); A Life in the Theatre (NCRT); Hurlyburly, Grace (ion theatre); The Pride (Diversionary Theatre); True West, Orphans, Three Sisters, A Hatful of Rain, The Only Game in Town, The Waverly Gallery, Nocturne, Playboy of the Western World (New Village Arts). Directing credits include A Lie of the Mind, Three Sisters, Playboy of the Western World, A Hatful of Rain, The Only Game in Town (New Village Arts); Mauritius, Dying City, The Man from Nebraska, Curse of the Starving Class (Cygnet Theatre). He is co-founder and former artistic director of New Village Arts and a resident artists and former associate artistic director of Cygnet Theatre. He has been a recipient of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for his work as an actor and as a director. He has been a faculty member at Palomar College, University of San Diego, and California State University San Marcos and is the founder of Actors Approach, a weekly private acting class. He received his Master's Degree from The Actors Studio Drama School at the New School for Social Research in New York.

Stacey Hardke* (Mandy) North Coast Repertory Theatre: Becky's New Car. Other San Diego credits include Penny Pingleton in Hairspray at the San Diego REP, and The New Century at the Diversionary Theatre. East coast credits include Desdemona in Othello at the Worcester Shakespeare Company, The Legend of Minni Willet at the National Playwrights Conference, and See, Hear, Taste, Touch with the Modern-Day Griot Theatre Company in NYC. In 2010 she was awarded the San Diego REP's Carol Corolla Fellowship for Emerging Artists. Stacey holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of San Diego, where she was the recipient of the Irving Parker Award for Excellence in Theatre. She received further training from LAMDA, The National Theatre Institute, and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Stacey is a New York City-based actor, and is thrilled to be returning to her hometown and to NCRT for Time Stands Still.

John Nutten (Richard) John received his bachelor's degree at UCLA's school of Film, Television and Theatre. John has various Film & Television credits as well as local theatre. Most recently John was seen on Showtime's The Big C. This is John's second production with NCRT. He appeared in Breaking Legs in 2004. John's local theatre credits include, A Prayer for My Daughter at 6th & Penn Theatre, 1776 at Lamb's Player's Theatre, Twelfth Night with New Village Arts, Rounding Third at Scripps Ranch Theatre, and most recently Zoot Suit with SDRT. John would like to thank David Ellenstein for this opportunity, and is eternally grateful to his wonderful wife Charlene for her unwavering support!

Mhari Sandoval* (Sarah) Mhari Sandoval is a NYC native, born in Little Italy and now living in the theater district of Manhattan. This is her first show with North Coast Rep, and she is thrilled to be working with David Ellenstein again. Her first collaboration with David was in A Shayna Maidel at the Gaslamp Quarter Theater in downtown San Diego when she was a mere lass. Since then she has worked all over the country. Spending five seasons as a company member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, as well as working at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, California Shakespeare Festival, The Eureka Theater in San Fransisco, and many other theaters both on and off the I-5 corridor. Her New York credits include The Power of Darkness at the Mint Theater, and As You Like It with the Alibi Group. Other regional credits include Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Actor's Theater of Louisville, Denver Center, St. Louis Rep., Syracuse Stage, Geva and others. She is currently the voice of Deadly Sins on Investigation Discovery Channel, and can be heard doing the promos for Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States on Showtime.

Marty Burnett (Scenic Designer) Marty has designed for North Coast Rep for the last 143 shows. Mr. Burnett has designed sets for the Union Plaza, Sahara, and Hacienda Hotels and Casinos in Las Vegas; Harrah's Lake Tahoe; The Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ; The Grand Hotel in Anaheim; and The Drury Lane in Chicago. Mr. Burnett is the resident designer and technical director at North Coast Rep.

Jay Mower (Assistant Director) Jay is pleased to be working with David and such an amazing cast! Jay has directed over 50 community theatre and semi-professional productions throughout the San Diego area. He has won 5 Aubrey Awards and 7 PowPAC Awards for Direction. Many of his shows are also multiple Aubrey Award winning productions including, I Do!, I Do! and The Diary of Anne Frank at Patio Playhouse, To Kill A Mockingbird at Scripps Ranch Theatre, and Angel Street, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Independence at PowPAC. Some of Jay's other favorite productions include: The House of Yes at Compass Theatre, 110 in the Shade at the California Center of the Arts - Escondido, Eat Your Heart Out at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, Shadowlands, A Doll's House, Dinner With Friends, and Wait Until Dark at PowPAC, Ordinary People and An Inspector Calls at Onstage Playhouse, Cactus Flower at La Jolla Stage Company, and Nuts and I'm Not Rappaport at Patio Playhouse. Jay would like to thank David for this wonderful opportunity.

Matthew Novotny (Lighting Designer) Matthew recently designed the lighting for Educating Rita, The Underpants, Dames at Sea, Two by Pinter: The Lover and The Dumb Waiter, THIS, Visiting Mister Green, Lend Me A Tenor, Five Course Love, My Name is Asher Lev, King O' the Moon, Ghosts, Glorious, I Love You Because, Old Wicked Songs, Rabbit Hole, Shipwrecked!, TheDresser, Don't Dress for Dinner, Mornings at Seven, Baby and Rashomon at North Coast Rep. He's currently the Director of Production for Lyric Opera San Diego. Lighting designs include: Iolanthe, The Merry Widow, The King and I, Countess Maritza, and The Mikado. San Diego: Das Barbecu, The Wiz, West Side Story and Rumors. Regional: Yankee Doodle Dandy (Seattle), Noises Off! (Boston), The Game, (Washington DC) and Primal Twang, a guitar concert featuring six Grammy-winning artists. Matthew holds a BA in Technical Theatre from San Diego State University, and an MFA from Boston University.

Sonia Lerner (Costume Design) As an L.A. based Costume Designer, Sonia comes back to San Diego for her third show here at NCR! Her other shows here at NCR were Lend Me a Tenor (nominated for Best Costume Design at the San Diego Critics Choice Awards 2011), and Becky's New Car. Recently, she designed costumes for Caesars Entertainment's new observation wheel, The High Roller, set to open in Las Vegas late 2013 at The Linq. Sonia also takes on many independent films both in L.A. and San Diego, and looks forward to further mixing her career with different outlets of costume design! www.SoniaElizabethDesign.com

Chris Luessmann (Sound Design) Chris' favorite NCR designs include: Dracula and A Christmas Carol, for which he won Patté Awards, King O' the Moon, Gee's Bend, Over the Tavern, JaquesBrel..., The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Baby, and Voice of the Prairie. Off-Broadway: The Third Story. Miracle Theatre Productions: Das Barbecu, Too Old for the Chorus, and Forbidden Broadway SVU. Moonlight Stage Productions: Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Magic Fire, Moon Over Buffalo. La Jolla Playhouse: Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays,Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. Scripps Ranch Theatre: Red Herring. UCSD: Angels in America, Full Circle, Eurydice, Labyrinth of Desire, Cabaret, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, and The Skin of Our Teeth. Chris holds a BA in Theatre from UCLA, and an MFA in Theatre from UC San Diego.

Annie Bornhurst (Props & Set Dressing) North Coast Repertory Theatre: Dames at Sea, Two by Pinter: The Lover and The Dumb Waiter, THIS, Visiting Mister Green, The Lion in Winter, Heroes, Lend Me a Tenor, My Name is Asher Lev, King O' the Moon, The Drawer Boy, Gee's Bend, Becky's New Car, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Voice of the Prairie, Ghosts, Little Women, Glorious!, A Christmas Carol, Talley's Folly, I Love You Because, Don't Dress for Dinner, Over the Tavern, Old Wicked Songs, Rabbit Hole. Actors Circle Theatre: The View from Here. The Sanford Meisner Center: Frankie and Johnny, Babes and Brides.

RosaLee Barrientos* (Stage Manager) Rosalee last worked with North Coast Repertory Theatre in 2001 on Fuddy Meers with the late Sandra Ellis-Troy. Other NCRT credits include As Bees in Honey Drown, First Night, Moon Over Buffalo, The Rivals, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Arcadia. Theater credits: Parade, It's A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play (2007, 2009, 2011), The Glass Menagerie, Our Town, The Tragedy of The Commons, The Norman Conquests trilogy, Sweeney Todd, Noises Off, A Christmas Carol, The Receptionist, A Number, Turn of the Screw, Arcadia, Desire Under the Elms, Yellowman, Copenhagen, Biedermann and the Firebugs, The Invention of Love, A Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Pageant, and Bed and Sofa 2004 (Cygnet Theatre); Redwood Curtain (Asian American Repertory Theatre); Master Class (Alpine Theatre Project); A Dream Play, Macbeth, Nu, [sic], Berzerkergäng, and The Universal Monster Show (Sledgehammer Theatre). Ross holds a BA in Theatre Arts from San Diego State University and has been a proud member of Actors' Equity Association since 2008.

Sean O'Hara (Assistant Stage Manager)

John Finkbiner (Scenic Artist) John has been a member of the NCR staff for nearly three years. His favorite shows are Halpern and Johnson, SHIPWRECKED!, The Dresser and Jacques Brel. John received his BA degree at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television in 1991. John is also an accomplished singer/songwriter and performs with his band, the Stereotypes. His music has been featured on Showtime's "Californication", Fox's "Bones" and NBC's "Knight Rider", among others. John lives with his wife Judi and his son John Gibson in Leucadia.

Jason Nall (Production Manager) Jason is in his first season with North Coast Rep. Previously, he was production manager with The Cutting Ball Theatre, where he worked on their award-winning Pelleas and Melisande, Tontlawald, and Tenderloin, a documentary piece of the famous San Francisco neighborhood. He was also the resident PM for Crowded Fire Theatre Company (Exit, Pursued by a Bear; Songs of the Dragon Flying to Heaven; The Secretaries) and served as production manager for Boxcar Theatre (Clue), and Lamplighters Music Theatre (Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, Mikado). He is also an AEA stage manager, working for San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program, The Magic Theatre, and Berkeley Playhouse. He has also participated in several new works, including Cybil Shepherd's one-woman show Curvy Widow, Lou Harrison's Young Caesar with Ensemble Parallèle, and Mark Foeringer Dance Project's Bitter Fruit. Originally from Claremont, CA, he has a BA in Criminology from UC Irvine.

Ryan Ford (Associate Production Manager) Ryan is thrilled to be on staff here at NCRT as the Associate Production Manager. Previous works at NCRT include: as a sound mixer; Dames at Sea, Honky Tonk Angels, and Back to Bacharach and David; as ASM or PA; Dracula, String of Pearls, Madagascar, A Shayna Maidel, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Leading Ladies. Around San Diego, Ryan has worked as a stage manager at several theatre companies including Moxie, ion, Diversionary, Cygnet, Playwrights Project, and San Diego Rep. Favorite productions include Twist (Diversionary), A Hammer A Bell and A Song to Sing (SDRep), and Angels in America (ion). Ryan holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from UCSD. Love and thanks to his fabulous fiancée, Sammi, for long days and late nights.

About the North Coast Repertory Theatre: North Coast Repertory Theatre is a professional equity theatre founded in 1982. Currently celebrating its 31st season, North Coast Rep has received critical acclaim from media and audiences alike. With the fifth largest operating budget of non profit theatre and employing the third most Actors' Equity Association members (the union of professional actors and stage managers) in San Diego, North Coast Rep continues to produce high quality, award winning theatre and has evolved into one of the area's leading performing arts organizations. Located in Solana Beach, California, NCR not only draws its audience from the North Country region, but 50% of its audience base resides in metro San Diego and throughout Southern California. Recognized for the quality of its work and its commitment to quality, this season will be performed on the Blakistone Stage, dedicated to North Coast Rep founders Olive Blakistone and her departed husband, Tom, who passed away in March of 2009.

Pictured: Mhari Sandoval courtesy of Ken Jacques

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