Heather Curie (Pig)
Heather has been a member of Lifeline’s ensemble since 2013. She has directed Fable-ous! and Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters for the KidSeries. As an actor, Lifeline credits include Jane Eyre (2014); One Came Home; Duck for President (2008 and 2012); Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (2010); Dooby Dooby Moo; How To Survive a Fairy Tale; Click, Clack, BOO! A Tricky Treat; and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. She is excited to return to the farm as Pig in Giggle Giggle Quack! Most recent Chicago acting credits include: The Wicked Witch in WOZ: A Rock Cabaret featuring Andre De Shields at Victory Gardens Theater and Lady Montague in Romeo&Juliet by Scott Palmer with Along the Way Productions. Heather teaches screenwriting in the department of Cinema Art and Science at Columbia College Chicago.
Bernell Lassai III (Farmer Brown/Brother Bob)
Bernell is ecstatic and grateful to be making his Lifeline Theatre debut. Born and raised in Chicago, IL. Regional Credits include: A Christmas Carol at Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre; The Rink at Porchlight Music Theatre; Antony & Cleopatra at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis; Tarzan and West Side Story at Bigfork Summer Playhouse; You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Romeo & Juliet, and All Shook Up at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. Bernell is a recent graduate of The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.
Jennifer Ledesma (Cow)
Jennifer is beyond excited to make her Lifeline Theatre debut! Originally from Southern California, she recently graduated from Columbia College Chicago with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Musical Theatre. Favorite Chicago credits include BITE: A Pucking Queer Cabaret (Pride Films and Plays, BroadwayWorld Chicago Nomination – Best Actress in a Non-Equity Musical/Revue), bare: a pop opera (Refuge Theatre Company), A Christmas Story (Citadel Theatre), Mary Poppins (Jefferson Playhouse), and Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown(Columbia College Chicago). Many thanks to the entire GGQ cast, crew, and team.
Carolyn Plurad (Hen)
Carolyn is excited to make her Lifeline debut! Her favorite and recent credits include The Peoples History of the United States (Quest Ensemble), Little Red Riding Hood (Little Red, Improv Playhouse), Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park, Surging Films and Theatrics), and Miss Saigon (Mimi, Jedlicka Performing Arts). She has also worked for Child’s Play Touring Theater, The Muny, and St. Louis Opera Theater. Carolyn has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Columbia College Chicago and is currently signed with Stewart Talent agency. Although she plays the Hen, she aspires to be a proud owner and caretaker of a potbelly pig.
Brian Tochterman Jr. (Duck)
Brian is so excited to be back on the Lifeline stage, where he was last seen as Fox in Fable-ous! Other Lifeline credits include Lyle Finds His Mother and Sparky! (U/S). Recent Chicago credits include Orientation Day (Otherworld Theatre), Campion’s Will (ATHE Natl’ Conference), and two runs of El Stories: Holiday Train (Waltzing Mechanics). Brian performs improv with his indie team LL Cool Beans and will also be appearing on an episode of Chicago Justice this season. Brian is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent.
Lexi Alioto (Understudy)
Lexi is thrilled to be making her Lifeline Theatre debut! Other credits include Winters Tale (First Folio), The Realization of Emily Linder(Redtwist), and Sleeping Beauty (Alphabet Soup Productions). She is currently a member of The Second City’s House Company, Toast, and has recently been cast as a part of their Musical House Company, Infinite Sundaes. Lexi has a B.F.A in Actor Training from The Hartt School and performs improv comedy regularly around the city. Thanks again to the Giggle, Giggle, Quack gang!
David Gordon-Johnson (Understudy)
David makes his first appearance at Lifeline. Recent credits include The Most Happy Fella (Theo Ubique), It’s a Wonderful Life (Metropolis Performing Arts Center), A Christmas Carol (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre), Tug of War: Civil Strife (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (First Folio Theatre). Other credits include Indiana Festival Theatre, Jewish Theatre of Bloomington, Cardinal Stage Company, and Cincinnati Opera. David is an alumnus of Indiana University (B.A. & B.Music).
Maisie Rose (Understudy)
Maisie is overjoyed to join the company of Giggle, Giggle, Quack! She recently graduated from Northwestern University, receiving a B.A. in Theatre and Psychology with a Certificate in Music Theatre and a concentration in Theatre for Young Audiences. Favorite Northwestern credits include Hair (Sheila), A Year with Frog and Toad (Frog), The Hundred Dresses (Peggy Hawthorne), and Titanic (Alice Beane). She also appeared in Numbers Nerds at the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, and in Loving Repeating with Kokandy Productions.
James E. Grote (Adaptor)
Jim joined the Lifeline artistic ensemble in 1999. In addition to Giggle, Giggle, Quack, he has adapted four other books in the Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type series, which have been produced at theatres all across the country. He also adapted Katherine Applegate’s Newbery Award-winning The One and Only Ivan, Daniel Mason’s The Piano Tuner, and C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair for Lifeline. As an actor, Jim has appeared at Lifeline in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile; Around the World in 80 Days; and The Killer Angels (2004), among other shows.
George Howe (Composer, Lyricist, Music Director)
George is an award-winning composer/lyricist and a familiar face at Lifeline Theatre. He composed the score for last season’s critically-acclaimed musical Northanger Abbey. George has written the songs for many Kidseries shows, including the five musicals in the Click, Clack, Moo series; as well as Mr. Popper’s Penguins; Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile; Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch; The Emperor’s New Threads; and 2011’s hit Arnie the Doughnut, which went on to be performed at the 2012 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF). His musical Queen Lucia premiered at Lifeline and received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for Best New Musical 2006.
Shole Milos (Director)
Shole is an ensemble member who has directed more than twenty Lifeline productions, including all of the original adaptations from the Click, Clack, Moo series; How To Survive a Fairy Tale; and A Long Way From Chicago (both at Lifeline and Theatre on the Lake). As an actor, Shole has appeared in many Lifeline shows, including Mariette in Ecstacy, The Piano Tuner, and Johnny Tremain.
Jacqueline Marschke (Stage Manager)
Jacqueline is so excited to be returning to Lifeline for some fun on the farm after stage managing Northanger Abbey last season! Other Chicago credits include stage management for The Citizens Anthology(The Inconvenience); and assistant stage management for Pirandello’s Henry IV and The Life of Galileo (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), No Wake (Route 66 Theatre Company), and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (No Stakes Theatre Project). Jacqueline is an alumna of Hope College (Holland, MI), where she received her B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Stage Management.
Jana Anderson (Costume Designer)
Jana is thrilled to be back at Lifeline designing her favorite children’s animal shows. You might have seen her designs in the entire collection of Click Clacks as well as Sparky! and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile in Lifeline’s KidSeries. She is also well known for designing with Chicago finest schools and universities like Northwestern, Northeastern, Loyola, DePaul and Roosevelt, as well as numerous Chicago theaters including Lyric Opera, Porchlight, Theatre at the Center, Light Opera Works, Redmoon, and Quest. Prior to coming to United States, she designed and tailored elaborate costumes for the National Theatre in Bratislava, Slovakia. She graduated from Fine Arts University in Bratislava, where her interest in costumes originated. For fun she creates crazy fashions for photo shoots, advertising and fundraising events.
Erik S. Barry (Lighting Designer)
Erik is thrilled to be working on this production! He has designed lights around Chicago for the past four years. Erik’s designs have been seen at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Harris Theatre, Carnegie Hall, and the Detroit Music Hall. He is currently affiliated with Chicago based musical ensemble “eighth blackbird,” as well the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus. He received his Masters of Fine Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. He has designed over 80 productions in his career.
Blake Leo Burke (Properties Designer)
Blake is very excited to be working with the fantastic team at Lifeline Theatre on what is sure to be a spectacular production! Her other Chicago credits include Winter and upcoming production of Firebirds Take The Field as Properties Designer (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), The Snow Queen as Costume Designer (Piccolo Theatre Company), and After The Dance as Costume Designer (Runcible Theatre Company). Blake is a recent graduate of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.
Alan Donahue (Scenic Designer)
Alan has designed numerous Lifeline shows over the last 20+ years. Most recently, he designed scenery and properties for Miss Buncle’s Bookfor the MainStage and Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters for the KidSeries. He opened a new production of It’s a Wonderful Life in Dollywood in November. In years past, Alan adapted Donald E. Westlake’s Trust Me on This and Adam Langer’s Crossing California for the Lifeline MainStage and Daniel Pinkwater’s Bongo Larry & Two Bad Bears and Eileen Spinelli’s Sophie’s Masterpiece: A Spider’s Tale for the KidSeries.
Anthony Ingram (Sound Designer)
Tony is very happy to be back at Lifeline after having most recently designed sound for Fable-ous! and Miss Buncle’s Book. A freelance Sound Designer and theatre generalist, Tony has worked with a number of companies in the Chicagoland area, including Signal Ensemble Theatre (his artistic home for over a decade), Factory Theatre, The Right Brain Project, Chicago Public Schools, and Shattered Globe Theatre. On a daily basis you can find him at the Shedd Aquarium helping the dolphins get their emails. Much love to Stephanie, Kyle, Shaun, and Jill.
