ACTORS
MIDDLE AGED BUSKER by Melissa Lucero McCarl
MARK COLLINS (BEAU)
Mark Collins is happy to be performing in one of his favorite annual theater events, And Toto too's Play Crawl, in "The Middle-Aged Busker." Recent credits include Sergio in "Conversations: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" (The Dairy Arts Center); Ludie in "The Trip to Bountiful" (Bas Bleu Theatre); Thomas Stockmann in "An Enemy of the People" and Goose in "Coal Country" (Boulder Ensemble Theatre); Father/Mr. Grimm in "ImpossibleThings" and Bob in "Small Ball" (The Catamounts); Buster in Miners Alley Playhouse’s "Misery"; Tim in "A Great Wilderness" and Neil in "The Quality of Life" (Benchmark Theatre). Mark holds an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Find his music on streaming services under House Painter Music.
ALWAYS by Susan Lyles
LORRAINE LAROCQUE (CALLIE)
This is Lorraine’s second year with And Toto too's The Play Crawl. Lorraine studied theatre at North Carolina School of the Arts and has performed throughout N.C. and Colorado. Favorite roles include: Sarah in TRYING, Slippy Helen in THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN, and Meredith in FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS. Lorraine would like to thank her friends and family for being absolute rockstars this past year.
AUSTIN LAZEK (JACK)
Austin Lazek is excited to return to the Play Crawl this year. He has appeared in local shows with And Toto too, Cherry Creek Theater, and Denver Children's Theater. Thanks to all who have supported this event, and thanks especially to Kaela, Harrison, and Lucy for letting Papa do a little acting this summer.
YOU’VE GOT MAIL by Leslie C. Lewis
KATE POLING (EMILY)
Kate is excited to be back for another Play Crawl. Kate is an actor and director in the Denver area. Credits with And Toto too include Gertrude and Ophelia in Hell, One Last Thing Before I Forget, South Star, The Way Station, and Smoke. Other regional credits include Three Tall Women and Pride and Prejudice (Firehouse Theater) and Rumpelstiltskin, The Nutcracker and Robin Hood (Miners Alley). Directorial credits include These Shining Lives and Little Women (Firehouse Theatre), Mother Goose and Juan Bobo (MIners Alley TYA)
MEGAN DAVIS
Megan Davis (she/her) - is so happy to be in her first Play Crawl! You might be used to seeing Megan as the resident Stage Manager at Firehouse Theater, and she's excited to do something so fun and different. She wants to thank Susan and Kate for thinking of her and letting her be a part of this wonderful experience, and to everyone who comes out to be a part of live theatre!
CLOWN SHOES by Rebecca Gorman O’Neill
JULIE WOLF (HER)
Julie loves being involved in the Play Crawl. Julie received her B.F.A. in Theatre from Emporia State University. She has been seen on stage as Lisa Kron-Well, Annie Sullivan-The Miracle Worker, Lenny McGrath-Crimes of the Heart, and Elizabeth Proctor-The Crucible, Blanche Dubois-A Street Car Named Desire, and Lady Macbeth-Macbeth to name a handful. Julie has also recently directed Pride & Prejudice by Kate Hamill at Firehouse Theater Company. She will be directing Dracula by Steven Dietz this fall for Firehouse. Jeff Jesmer, you’re my forever favorite. Love to our fur-babies. And thanks to you, the audience, for supporting live theatre.
JEFF JESMER (HIM)
Jeff Jesmer is very excited to share this experience with a live audience. Thank you for supporting live theatre in our community. Jeff works around Denver as a Set Builder/designer and as an Actor. He hopes you enjoy the evening and wishes that you spread the word of this and other live theatre around Denver. Jeff would like to thank Julie and our fur-babies for the most love any one person could handle.
KATHI BAERNS (CLOWN)
Kathi is so glad and proud to be in the 2025 Play Crawl. This will be her 12th consecutive as either a director or actor, having only missed the inaugural crawl. She is amazed each year at the creativity of all the fabulous writers and talent Susan is able to assemble and so honored to be a part of this extraordinary summer event.
LEGACY, or, MOM-VIBES by Nina Alice Miller
DEB HULTGREN (TOMI)
Deb has performed on stage with various theater companies in Colorado and directed a few plays too. She is honored to be asked back to the Play Crawl benefitting And Toto Too Theater Company. Long live the Arts!
LAURA ADDUCCI (SIRPA)
Laura Adducci is excited to be part of one of her favorite theatre events of the year. After a long time away, she's grateful to Susan, Darren, and Nina for inviting her to play once again.
ROGER WINN (JAY)
Roger Winn is pleased to be back for the Play Crawl, this time as an actor. He has acted and directed in quite a few over the years. Roger has been acting, directing, and running a theatre for the better part of 3 decades in Denver.
BALANCE by Linda Berry
RICK LONG (MAN)
A native of Littleton, Rick Long has been seen on stages all over the United States and Europe, with this marking his debut in the cast of the Play Crawl. Earning an MFA in Theater from UW-Milwaukee, Rick has appeared with The Arvada Center, THAC, Vintage Theater, Stage One-Louisville, The Arizona Theatre Company, the Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod, and appeared as a Guest Artist at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Tony Award winning Utah Shakespearean Festival. Nominated in 2022 as Best Supporting Actor for a Henry Award, Rick is also an accomplished director, playwright, and internationally exhibited watercolor artist. Rick’s watercolors can be viewed at www.RickLongArt.com
DARLENE GRANDY
I love the idea of Play Crawl. My fourth Play Crawl, my third Linda Berry piece. She’s great. Past performances include WRTC (Christmas Cactus), Broomfield Community Players(Christmas Carol)Firehouse Theatre Company (Gross Indecency, The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde), Coal Creek Theatre Company (And Then There Were None). Theatre Company of Lafayette, (Time of My Life) Town Hall Arts Center (Applause,Company) Theatre on Broadway, (Campaigning) Arvada Center, (God’s Favorite) CRTC (I Hate Hamlet, Talk Radio) and Spark Theatre (Miracle on 34 th St.).Past credits also include her time as a professional performance ASL interpreter, working with Arvada Center, Denver Women’s Chorus, PHAMALY, Rocky Mountain Deaf Theatre and various theatres and performing groups in the Denver area.
EXTREME JOLENE by Edith Weiss
EMILY PATON DAVIES
Emily has been performing on stages across Colorado for decades. She is excited to help bring the words of the talented Edith Weiss to life at this year's Play Crawl benefiting the terrific And Toto too Theater Company. Thank you for supporting the arts.
CANDACE ORRINO
Candace Orrino is an actor, audiobook narrator, and director. Directing credits include Good People (Ouray’s UpstART Theatre), JQA and Dorothy’s Dictionary (Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company), The Real Inspector Hound (University of Colorado), and Double Gothic (University of Central Missouri). Favorite roles include Eddie Van Halen in Eddie and Dave (The Catamounts); Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice (BETC); Siobhan in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center); Michelle in Amerikin and Gloria and Nan in Gloria (Curious Theatre); and Portia in District Merchants (Miners Alley, Henry award nominee, best actress), Mother in The Oldest Boy, and Abby in Belleville. She has also played Shakespeare’s Malcolm, Olivia, Emilia, Helena, Celia, Perdita, Thaisa, and Bawd. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA. www.candacejoice.com
DEEP CUT by Ellen K. Graham
JOHNATHAN UNDERWOOD (he/him) (LUX)
Johnathan is so ecstatic to be a part of this year’s Play Crawl! A veteran to the stage, he has been quite fortunate to portray many amazing characters onstage. These days, in between acting gigs, Johnathan is excitedly growing his very own production company, Theatre Three Twelve. Their first show being Jean-Paul Sartre’s classic, No Exit, which is opening next month! Follow him on Instagram @wakebrunchrepeat and/or @theatrethreetwelve for updates! “Always grateful for this opportunity to truly play, Susan Lyles! Thank you & Happy Play Crawl!!!”
SAM CHARNEY (BRIAR)
Sam Charney is excited to be joining And Toto Too for their 5th play crawl ! Sam’s passion is theater that expands the audience's experiences so they can gain new perspectives on the world, and they also love all things Shakespeare. Sam is also passionate about makeup and costume design and technical theater. Sam previously has been in, Transduction, CCC, The Cult of Gender, A Midsummers Nights Dream , Our Town, and Macbeth. Sam has also designed for productions such as Fun Home, Do You Care That I’m Like this, Crush, A Chorus Line, Rocky Horror Show, and She Kills Monsters. When not acting, Sam can be found advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, or curled up in a corner with whatever fiber arts project they are working on. Sam would like to thank their family and friends for always supporting them and their artist mentors for helping them grow as an artist and person.
HARD ROCK LIFE by Christie Brenner Winn
JOHN LONGO (DAD/SON)
John Longo hails originally from New York where he studied acting at the Actors’ Space and appeared in a number of plays Off Off Broadway. Since 2018 he has worked mostly with The Funky Little Theatre Company in Colorado Springs. Some favorites shows there include August: Osage County, Twelve Angry Men, and A Christmas Carol. He is currently reprising his role as Sam in Funky’s production of Four Old Broads on the HIgh Seas, and will appear later this summer as Morrie in the dramatic adaptation of Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie at the Town Hall in Palmer Lake.
SOLOMON ABELL (SON)
Solomon Abell is thrilled to be a part of his third Play Crawl with And Toto Too! In 2020 Solomon graduated from NYU Tisch with a BFA in Drama. Most recently you might have seen him as Curley in Front Range Theatre Company's production of Of Mice and Men, or as Steven/Tequila Mockingbird in Funky Little Theater's production of 4 Old Broads on the High Seas (running this month through June 28!). Many thanks to family, friends, and mentors, and he hopes that you will enjoy this unique theatre-going experience as much as he does!
KELLY EPSTEIN (WOMAN)
Kelly Epstein is excited to do her first Play Crawl with And Toto too! Last year she made her stage debut with Funky Little Theater Company’s PLAY CRAWL. She is excited to share the stage this year with some of her Four Old Broads on the High Seas (playing at Funky through June 28) cast members! She is thrilled to be here with her Funky Fam! She has had roles in short films like “Tess Terror and the Demons”, “The Copeland's”, and “The Safeguard”. Currently, Kelly is working on a film project slated for release by summer's end. Love to her family for the support!
MISS REMAX by Carrie Printz
KAITY GRAY (she/her) (JANE)
Kaity Gray is honored to be joining And Toto too in a small but mighty way! Most recently, Kaity is proud to be a "Seven Night Stander" with One Night Stand Theater! Other favorite Denver credits include In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) (Mrs. Givings), and Kimberly Akimbo (Debra Watts) with Equinox; and Murder on the Nile (Kay Ridgeway) with Spotlight Theatre Company. By day Kaity is the Director of Community Education at The Blue Bench where she educates and trains community members to prevent sexual violence.
PAULA JAYNE FRIEDLAND (GRACE)
Paula Jayne Friedland earned her degree in music from CSU, and received her acting training at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where she spent 13 years working in professional theatre. She played Sheila in three European tours of the Broadway musical HAIR, and played leading roles in regional productions of A CHORUS LINE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, HELLO DOLLY and SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM.After returning to Colorado, she co-wrote and performed three original Sondheim revues, ART ISN’T EASY; OUR TIME; and LOVE,MARRIAGE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. She received wide acclaim for her first one-woman show, AGING, THE MUSICAL, which she performed to sold out crowds at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret Most recently, Paula partnered with AndTotoToo, to produce her one woman show, “Collecting Myself”. The show blends humor, heart, and Paula’s original songs, to chronicle the journey of finding one’s purpose in an increasingly chaotic world. Paula is also a licensed counselor and certified life coach and has had a successful private practice for 22 years. In addition, she teaches a transformative approach to getting over the fear of public speaking called, Soul Speaks, and has helped hundreds of people become more authentic, powerful speakers in all areas of life. www.paulafriedland.com www.SoulSpeaks.biz