Donald Birely is thrilled to be sharing the stage with his longtime friend Danielle DeCrette. As a performer, he has toured the states in Beauty and The Beast, Oklahoma! and Annie. His favorite accomplishment to date is performing in the Yeston/Kopit Phantom, as well as appearing on the BMG/RCA recording. Donald is also a director whose work has been seen at Westchester Broadway Theatre, Musicals at Richter, Mac - Haydn, Theatre Barn and Weathervane Playhouse. Mr. Birely is the founder of DB Productions Costume Rental in Ossining, NY and Entertainment Company, celebrating 24 years producing musical events.

Kate Castel has been fortunate enough to be performing most of her life starting as a child in a Jr. production of Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas as Little Cindy Lou Who. Since then she has earned a BFA in acting from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she also studied voice and dance. Some of her favorite shows include Crazy For You (Polly), The Country Wife (Margery Pinchwife), The Tempest (Ariel), Chicago (Velma Kelly), The Importance of Being Earnest (Cecily), and here at The Wilton Playshop in Leading Ladies (Meg). Kate is thrilled to be a part of this year's benefit performance to support such a wonderful community for the arts.

Lynne Colatrella most recently appeared on the Wilton stage in a reading of Greenbriar Ghost. Last spring she directed Wilton Playshop’s Sweet Charity. Next week Lynne will be trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. She promises to ring the bells in the Sacred Valley!

Kevin Cooper’s last appearance at The Wilton Playshop was in the role of Brother Gad in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat directed by Al Recchia. Prior to that, he worked professionally for almost 20 years where he worked locally at Candlewood Playhouse for 3 seasons in such shows as Evita, Joseph… and Barnum. He toured regionally, nationally and internationally with A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Sweet Charity and West Side Story. Kevin is now a “retired” performer with a private massage therapy practice for over ten years.

Danielle DeCrette is tickled to be back on stage with so many old (really old) and new friends here at The Wilton Playshop. Her theatre credits include Showboat (European tour), David Merrick’s 42nd Street (National Tour), A Funny Thing Happened…with Mickey Rooney (National Tour) Anything Goes with Leslie Uggams and Rip Taylor (Lincoln Center Productions National Tour). Danielle holds a B.A. from the Gallatin School at NYU. Her favorite role is proud Mama of three little stars: Julia, Ava and Natalie, and she occasionally plays the role of wife to her wonderful husband, Jed Sexton. Congratulations to Zelie and the entire board for making this "jewel" of a theatre shine so brightly!

Janice Dehn is delighted to serve as the producer of The Wilton Playshop’s 72nd season! In an earlier life, she performed and/or stage managed a variety of musicals and benefit productions in Westchester County. More recently, Janice performed in Greenbrier Ghost and had the distinct honor of stage-managing the world premiere of My Dearest Anna with Edward Herrmann, both here at The Playshop. She is delighted to share the stage tonight with so many new and old friends. Janice is currently a marketing consultant for TV Guide Magazine and Barcelona Restaurant Group, which allows her to watch television and sample fabulous tapas all in the name of client research. She thanks Zelie for providing selfless and stellar leadership, and Tom, Christopher and Nicholas for their company while waiting for Guffman.

Mary Jo Duffy performed on and off Broadway before moving to Newtown with her husband Daniel, daughter A’ine, and four labrador retrievers. Mary Jo studied voice with Mimi Lerner, Lorenzo Malfatti, Margaret Ross, Beatrice Krebs and Tony McDowell. Mary Jo played Liberty in Tom O’Horgan’s Senator Joe on Broadway, Julie in the National and European tours of Showboat and has spent years working in regional theatres across the country, as well as industrial trade shows and television commercials. Mary Jo’s regional credits include Shelby in Steel Magnolias, Maria in West Side Story, Julie in Carousel and Laurey in Oklahoma!. Mary Jo has worked with film director David Lynch at BAM and has performed as a soloist in Columbia Artists Concert tours. She has been directing musicals in Newtown’s Fraser-Woods School since 2005, as well as guest directing in local public schools. Mary Jo teaches musical theatre, drama, and private voice in Newtown, CT, and has been on the MTC vocal faculty since 2003. Member AEA, SAG.

Meg Fuentes has performed in regional summer theater and trouped with the Seattle Bathtub Players. In recent years she has appeared in community productions in Stamford, Ridgefield and Wilton. Favorite performances include Anna in The Rink at The Ridgefield Theater Barn and Mrs. Johnston in Blood Brothers at The Wilton Playshop. Other performances include The Secret Garden, Godspell, Pirates of Penzance, Three Penny Opera and South Pacific. Meg is on the board of The Wilton Playshop and thrilled to serve on one of Wilton’s true treasures! She lives in Wilton with her gem of a husband, Chris, and has three wonderful sons as well as two awesome ABC sons.

Ellen Krinick-Porto is thrilled to be back at The Wilton Playshop, having last appeared there in the role of Charity in Sweet Charity. Other local theater credits include, Nunsense, Laughter on the 23rd floor, Baby, Top Of The Heap, Pajama Game, Play It Again Sam, Christmas on Mullberry Street, and Always Patsey Cline. She is so happy to be working again with some of the gang from Charity, and is thrilled to be sharing the stage with her talented friend, Lynne Coletrella. “Ralph, I wish you were up here too. I will share the ferris wheel with you whenever you want.” She wishes to thank her family for all their continued love and support.

Sarah Lee Michaels has performed professionally over the last 25 years in musical theater as a singer/dancer/actor. A troupe member with Bob Hope’s overseas USO shows at 20, she toured with the Louisiana Worlds’ Fair, performed in national tours of “Ziegfeld” and “Will Rogers Follies” and performed numerous regional and local roles including Eva Peron in Evita, Fastrada in Pippin, Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Sheila in A Chorus Line and more. She has choreographed local musicals and taught master classes in Fosse-style dance at Brass City Ballet, and continues to musical direct broadway cabaret shows in the greater NYC and CT area. A member of Actor’s Equity, SAG and AFTRA, film and TV credits include “The Stepford Wives”, ”Cashmere Mafia”, “Sex in the City” movie, “Law & Order: SVU” and “All My Children”, along with numerous commercials. A busy vocal coach/ voice teacher in Fairfield County, CT, she also serves on the faculty at the Lee Strasberg Institute of Film and Television in NYC, teaching musical theater and voice. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Music degree and post grad study from NCSA.

Burke Moses debuted on Broadway as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, then went on to create the role of Gaston in the Broadway, Los Angeles, and London productions of Disney’s mega-hit Beauty and the Beast. Also on Broadway Mr. Moses headlined in the smash revival of Kiss Me Kate, and played Hercules in Stephen Sondheim’s Frogs at Lincoln Center. He recently opened the first New York revival of The Fantasticks as El Gallo, and has worked on several occasions at City Center’s prestigious Encores series, as well as other Off-Broadway and regional venues in The Way of the World, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Streetcar Named Desire, The Music Man, Carousel, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and many others. He recently returned from Toronto where he played Captain Von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit revival of The Sound of Music. He has starred on daytime television in three soap operas, and has guest-starred in many primetime programs on American Television.

Jeff Porper was recently seen as Max Bialystock in The Producers at Curtain Call, Pseudolus at the Ridgefield Theatre Barn in Craig David Rosen’s ...Forum. Other favorite roles: Pirate King in Pirates!, Mayor LaGuardia in Fiorello at Stamford’s Curtain Call, Off-Broadway as Harold in Harold & the Purple Crayon. In real life, Jeff is a webmaster and designs web sites @ www.porper.net.

Sarah Pfisterer was nominated for the prestigious Joseph Jefferson award for her portrayal of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera (Christine) on Broadway and across the country, exceeding 1000 performances! Other Broadway credits include, Harold Prince’s Show Boat (Magnolia), and Children and Art. Off Broadway she appeared in Meet Me in St. Louis (Anna Smith) at the Irish Rep. Regional credits include The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Kennedy Center) and she won a IRNE award for The Sound of Music (Maria) and was nominated for a IRNE award for Carousel (Julie) with Shirley Jones, The Music Man (Marian), The King and I (Anna), and Beauty and the Beast (Belle), and also appeared in My Fair Lady (Eliza). A Metropolitan Opera semi-finalist, she’s worked with conductors Michael Tilson Thomas and John McGlinn, with whom she did a recording of Jerome Kern’s “Oh Boy” in London. Television appearances include The Today Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Food Network and numerous commercials. She’s featured in the music video “Beggar’s Waltz”. A Milwaukee native, Sarah has Bachelors and Masters degrees from Northwestern University. She resides in Wilton with husband, actor Rick Hilsabeck, and daughters, Hannah and Lily, where she also has a successful voice studio. Sarah and Rick often perform their own concert across the country. She is so thrilled to be onstage at the beautiful Wilton Playshop!

Zelie Pforzheimer has performed throughout the US and internationally in Broadway and Off-Broadway tours and regional theatres. She has played leading roles in Carnival, GiGi, Annie Get Your Gun and Brigadoon in Greenwich, Pajama Game in Westport and A Chorus Line, City of Angels, Bedroom Farce and Sweet Charity here at The Wilton Playshop. Her most brilliant move was to marry Andy who assisted in the production of her three children and who continues to pick up all the many pieces of their lives that she often puts on hold while fulfilling her duties at The Playshop.

Susan Terry made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway cast of Evita. Other Broadway credits include Zorba (starring Anthony Quinn), Anything Goes at Lincoln Center (with Leslie Uggams), and City of Angels in which she co-starred opposite Tom Wopat. Off-Broadway, she was seen in the popular revue, Forbidden Broadway. She appeared as Petra in New York City Opera’s A Little Night Music which aired Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. Other PBS appearances include Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, and Follies in Concert (with the New York Philharmonic.) She was a guest soloist with The Scottish Opera and The Boston Pops. Susan has a voice studio in Westport where she lives with her husband and two teenage sons.

Bev Ward is thrilled to be back on the Playshop stage! She’s been performing since she was a child, first studying under her parents-in-law at San Diego’s Junior Theatre. On Broadway she was seen as Louise and the Queen in Epic Proportions. Her National Tour credits include playing the wisecracking Ellie May Chipley in Hal Prince’s Showboat, and the tough as nails Polly Baker in Crazy For You (a portrayal that netted her a Helen Hayes nomination for best actress in a musical while at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC). Regional audiences have seen her perform countless roles. Favorites? Trina in Falsettos, Roxie Hart in Chicago, Shelby in The Spitfire Grill, Maria in The Sound Of Music, Edythe Herbert in My One And Only, and Ilona in She Loves Me. With husband Kirby she has traveled the world and they have been fortunate enough to perform for royalty and heads of state as a team. Her moment to top would be stopping the show at the Hollywood Bowl with their tap-dance rendition of Gershwin’s “I’ve Got a Crush on You”. Bev is also a painter and a composer/lyricist and is a proud member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. www.beverlyward.com

Kirby Ward originated the lead role of Bobby Child in the London Premier of Crazy For You. Broadway: Show Boat, Never Gonna Dance and Woman of the Year. Regional: My One and Only, Singin’ in the Rain, They’re Playing Our Song, George M, School For Wives, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Evita and Sugar Babies. Kirby is a director and choreographer. His original short film, Down in the Mouth, has been a favorite in film festivals around the country, winning the best short film at the Kent Film Festival in Connecticut (http://www.kirbyward.com/ditm/index.html).

Al Galletly (Musical Director) Al is happy to be back as Music Director for this latest Playshop benefit, and thrilled to be working with such wonderful talent. He studied classical piano growing up, but majored in public relations and advertising at Ohio University. During his business career, he was in telecommunications with AT&T and GTE (now Verizon). After retiring and riding his bicycle cross-country, he got back into music. He is choir director at Wilton Presbyterian Church, where he is currently looking shamelessly for additional tenors and sopranos.

Tickets are available one month before show