The lifeblood and brainchild behind this Herculean endeavor, Margaret's background and experience as a playwright is rooted in teaching literature in the Iowa Public School System for over 40 years. Having taught Dickens, and particularly Great Expectations, each of those years, she became as familiar with his writing as if it were her own. Always the theatre maven, Margaret has always contended that Great Expectations, perhaps more so than other Dickens works that had been produced into musicals, really lent itself to the classic American musical in its story and structure. At 92 Margaret is a testament to age really being a state of mind and that we are never too young to go for our dreams.
Steve Lozier (Co-Writer)
As a high school freshman in the Boston area, Steve Lozier was assigned to read the Charles Dickens novel “Great Expectations.” He was so moved by the story of a young boy with large dreams; he refused to return the book at the end of the year. To this day, that book is his only and beloved copy of Dickens’ masterpiece. Since that fateful theft, he went on to study film and writing at Emerson College and after graduating moved to Los Angeles. Lozier has worked in various areas of television and he ran the successful monthly nightclub/cabaret The Freak Show. Recently, he produced and directed a documentary, “Season Of Dreams,” which follows a group of teen actors during the whirlwind of pilot season. This year he was fortunate to be the General Manager for the award winning musical The Beastly Bombing which he helped deliver to the 2007 New York Musical Theater Festival. Currently, Lozier is the Managing Director of
MOVING ARTS, a Los Angeles theater company with a 15-year history of excellence. He no longer steals books.
Richard Winzeler (Composer)
Richard started his association with musical theatre performing in a regional summerstock production of The King And I at the age of 5 in Peoria, Illinois (yes, it played in Peoria!) and he went on to enjoy performing through high school and college. Performing ignited his love of theatre music and a natural progression to be involved as a composer for musical projects like Great Expectations. His first professional gigs were working as a rehearsal pianist for a variety of television specials before moving on to arranging and conducting in Vegas, Tahoe and Atlantic City for such performers as Suzanne Somers and Cathy Rigby. As a songwriter, Richard has had a Billboard Top 10 R&B single, and had songs recorded by Diane Schuur, Lou Rawls, Michael Johnson, Terry Steele, Gladys Knight, and Phil Perry.
Steve Lane (Lyricist)
Having been in performance much of his life, Steve began his career in Washington, D.C., singing in rock bands in local clubs while in high school and college. He was selected to perform with a group of singers and dancers for a US State Department tour of the former Soviet Union for five weeks. He moved to Nashville where he landed a regular gig singing at the famous Grand Ole Opry. Moving west, he then joined Debbie Reynolds' Las Vegas Show singing and dancing with her for nearly 15 years, eventually being asked to arrange and produce. He has also appeared on the Tonight Show with his band Uptown Country who also performed with Bob Hope, Perry Como, and Shirley McClaine. He has since written songs that have been sung or recorded by Jasmine Guy, Aretha Franklin, Peabo Bryson, & Diane Schuur. His song, Lead Me Into Love, recorded by Anita Baker and released as a single, earned him a multi-platinum record. The song, You Don’t Remember Me, recorded by Diane Schuur and co-written with Richard Winzeler, was on her Grammy nominated album. Steve and Richard also collaborated on two Phil Perry songs. Working on Great Expectations has allowed Steve to broaden his craft to include the challenging genre of the musical theater where much of the story telling is done in song.
Jules Aaron (Director)
Has directed more than 250 productions for stage and television and is the recipient of 18 Drama-Logue Awards, three Backstage Garland Awards, four Bay Area Theatre Awards, three LA Drama Critics Circle nominations and one LADCC Award for director. He has directed frequently at the Public Theater in New York, Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival), South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, New Mexico Repertory, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Falcon Theatre, TheatreWorks and La Mirada Theatre of the Performing Arts. Jules has directed Bruce Davison, Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, Joan Van Ark, Billy Zane, and Mercedes Ruehl, among others. Most recently he was the recipient of the Granada Chair at UC Davis where he directed Noises Off. He directed a benefit of Last Night of Ballyhoo at the Wilshire Theatre and an acclaimed production of Caberet at ITC. Jules will also be directing Last Night of Ballyhoo for McCoy/Rigby at La Mirada this spring. He teaches at American Academy of Dramatic Art.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Adam Blumenthal (Scenic and Lighting Designer) Adam holds a BFA in Theatre Design from the University of Southern California. Most recently he was assistant scenic designer for Three Travelers (NY) and is lighting designer for Milt Larsen and Dick Sherman’s upcoming new musical Pazzazz. Scenic and lighting credits include Invasion: The Musical (Hudson) The Chicago Conspiracy Trial, The Brig and the upcoming production of Proof all at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, and Yeehad! The Musical (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). Venues include The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, The Hudson, The Eclectic Company, Los Angeles Theatre Center, The 24th Street Theatre and The Bing Theatre (all in LA), and in New York at Theatre Row and at the Theatre at St. Clements. In addition to his design work, Adam is a professional magician working frequently for private and corporate clients.
Brigid O’Brien (Production Stage Manager) Brigid has been a stage manager for so long that the only show not on her resume is East Lynne. (It is merely an urban myth that she stage managed the original Jules Aaron production of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre.) It’s not often one falls in love with a show and everyone connected with it, but Steve and Dick have made this a glorious experience and Brigid only wishes that Judy Arnold were here to add her applause. Following in the footsteps of her dad, Pat O’Brien, she hears confessions on a regular basis.
Shon LeBlanc (Costume Designer) Mr. LeBlanc has designed over 600 productions in L.A. and around the US. He has been recognized for his work with 9 Drama-Logue awards, 6 garland awards, a Drama Critics Circle Award, an L.A. Weekly award, the Ovation, for Theatre Neos’ The Women, and the LAVC, and Garland award for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir with James Barbour and Lynne Wintersteller at NOHO Arts, And a NAACP nomination for The Bluebonnet Court. Most recently Mr. LeBlanc won the LA Drama Critics Circle award for The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, at the Fountain Theatre. IN 2006 Mr. LeBlanc had the privilege to design 6 world premier productions, including Manor of Trust, Equinox, One Way Ticket to Hell, Lizard, Conjunto, Bluebonnet Court, and the west coast premiere of Friends like These with Donna Mills. Mr. LeBlanc is the owner of Valentino’s Costumes in Van Nuys, and divides time between L.A. and San Francisco, where he teaches Costume Design at the Academy of Art University.
Gordon and Patty Briles (Property Masters) have joined their skills in the three dimensional work Gordon produces in ceramics and fine arts and Patty’s work in design and illustration. Together they have created props as Resident Designers for ICT in Long Beach where they just completed Cabaret in another happy collaboration with director Jules Aaron. Patty’s set designs have included The Fast (Dramalogue Award), Powder Keg, the LA premiere of Two-Headed (Ovation nomination Best Production, LA Weekly nomination Set Design, Backstage West nominations). Their work has been seen at (Inside) The Ford Theatre, John Anson Ford Ampitheatre, the Odyssey, the 24th Street Theatre, the Edgemar, The Matrix and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Both work with young artists at Loyola and Santa Monica College.
Michael Donovan, C.S.A. (Casting Director) For the 3rd consecutive year, Michael is the recipient of the C.S.A. Artios award for Outstanding Casting. Other current theatre projects include Mask (Pasadena Playhouse), 1001 (Theatre@Boston Court, Pasadena) Park Your Car in Harvard Yard (I.C.T., Long Beach), and the national tour of Walking with Dinosaurs. Recent credits include Cabaret (also at I.C.T., directed by Jules Aaron), and The Catholic Girl’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity (Pico Playhouse). Credits include shows produced at Arkansas Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company, the Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Post St. Theatre (San Francisco), Ensemble Theatre of Santa Barbara, the Falcon Theatre, Shakespeare Festival/LA and Laguna Playhouse. Past L.A. credits include South Pacific (Hollywood Bowl) and Damn Yankees (Reprise!). Michael has also cast nine TV series, numerous films and over 1,200 commercials.
Peter Matyas (Casting Associate for Michael Donovan Casting) Select credits include: “Life As A Song” (CBS Pilot); “Just Say Love” and “Naked Boys Singing!”(Feature Films); Mask, Orson’s Shadow, Ray Charles Live! at the Pasadena Playhouse; Damn Yankees at Reprise!; South Pacific at the Hollywood Bowl; Cabaret at I.C.T. in Long Beach; 1001 for The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena; Falsettos 2007 Actor’s Fund Benefit @ Wilshire Theatre; current tour of Walking With Dinosaurs (Immersion Edutainment/BBC); tours of Love Sweet Love (Theater League), Salsalandia (La Jolla Playhouse) and Pollution Solution (I.C.T.); and numerous Commercials, Industrials, Infomercials, Workshops and Readings.
David Elzer/DEMAND PR (Marketing/Publicity) DEMAND PR currently represents The Antaeus Theatre Company, Apartment A; Cabrillo Music Theatre; Celebration Theatre; Colony Theatre Company; Furious Theatre Company; La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts; NoHo Arts Center; Open Fist Theatre; Rubicon Theatre Company; Theatre Tribe; Troubador theatre Company; West Coast Ensemble and West Coast Jewish Theatre. David also oversaw the publicity for the Los Angeles production of Disney’s The Lion King. As a producer, Mr. Elzer has the smash-hit, award-winning, critically-acclaimed production of The Marvelous Wonderettes currently playing at the El Portal Forum Theatre in North Hollywood and the acclaimed, Winter Wonderettes. He also produced The Laramie Project at the Laguna Playhouse; and the New York and Florida productions of Jewtopia. He also served as a publicity consultant on Sony Pictures production of Jonathan Larson’s “RENT”. Prior to The Lion King, he was Vice President of Publicity for Paramount Classics and Vice President of Marketing and Publicity for Trimark Pictures. He also served as Director of National Publicity at 20th Century Fox. Musical, Toys in the Attic, The Laramie Project and Side Show at the Colony Theatre; Beautiful Thing, Play it Cool, Buddies, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Pinafore! at the Celebration Theatre; tick…tick…BOOM!, Waiting for Godot and Night of the Iguana at Rubicon Theatre Company; Zanna Don’t, Two Gentlemen of Corona; Floyd Collins, Catch-22, Sunday in the Park with George, The Grapes of Wrath and Epic Proportions at West Coast Ensemble; Space Therapy, Pot Mom, Wifeswappers and Oklahomo at Third Stage; The Long Christmas Ride Home, Recent Tragic Events, The Intern at Theatre Tribe; Ascension, Three, An Evening on The Brink for Apartment A; Little Egypt, Honour at the Matrix; Atalanta at the Powerhouse; Hollywood Hell House at the Steve Allen, Matt & Ben at the Acme, Sam. and Menopause the Musical at the Coronet; Bug, Turnaround, Bark!, and Julia Sweeney: Letting Go of God at the Hudson, among others. www.demandpr.com
Patricia Mullins (Kid Wrangler/Dresser) Pat’s lifelong love affair with the theater began at age 10 at the Ft. Wayne Civic Theatre. Since then, she’s been an actor or crew member in nearly 200 productions: on stage, television and film. She‘s delighted to be working with longtime colleagues, Madame O’Brien and Mr. Aaron, and has great expectations for a long and happy collaboration with the sensational team of Winzeler and Lane.
