Front
Jeanette Sassatelli is The Sheriff
Linda Hughes is Willa Mae Wilcox
Middle
Linda Yurschak is Reba Harper
Winnie Bowen is Myra Marlowe
Bea Girard is Cora Gump
Back
Scott Fellows is Piney
Rick Kelsey is Tom Lamont
Featuring the introduction of
Grandpa Willis White's Grandpa
Linda J. Hughes is Willa Mae Wilcox
Linda is thrilled to be debuting on the SPAO Dinner Theatre stage. Up until two years ago she hadn't been on any stage since high school. She says that she always loved and wanted to act but was too busy being a mom. Now that her kids are all grown up she can once again persue her dream. Since returning to acting, Linda has appeared in Saratoga's Homemade Theater productions as Clelia Waldgrave in "The Nerd" and as Mrs. Cratchit in "A Christman Carol". Other recent roles include Mechanicville's Side by Side Theater's production of "Peter Pan", Saratoga Theater Projects production of "The Maids" and Albany Theater Voices presentation of "84 Charing Cross Road". She works for State Farm Insurance Company and also has her own coaching/consulting business called 'Learning Journey'. A cool fact about Linda is that she appeared as an extra in three scenes of the local 2001 Dreamworks filming of "The Time Machine". She sends loving thanks to her friends and family for their endless support with special love and thanks to her husband Peter for his acceptance and encouragement of her dreams, schemes and crazy adventures. Linda is a native of Albany and has resided in Stillwater for the past fourteen years. SPAO welcomes Linda as she makes her SPAO debut.
Winnie Bowen is Myra Marlowe
Winnie holds a BFA in Theatre from Flordia State University. Being removed from theatre for twenty five years, she joined the cast of SPAO's "Steel Magnolias" last spring and became an immediate SPAO darling playing the energenic Clairee Belcher. She now accepts the strenuous comical lead role of Myra. Winnie recalls her past favorite roles as that of Mildred Wilde in "The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wilde"; Madame Arcati in "Blithe Spirit"; Evelyn Jackson in "The Rimers of Eldritch"; Vita Louise in "Harvey" and Miss Spindle in "The Drunkard". During the '80's, Winnie performed in Manhattan at the Colonnades Theatre with Val Bisoglio in the original one-act play, "Beltway". She also appeared extensively with the comedy group, The Fresh Air Taxi Cab Company in "Don't Even Think of Parking Here" at Palsson's Supper Club, New York City. Winnie says, "I am pleased to be back working with a very talented SPAO cast and crew". She resides in Ballston Spa with husband Tom and her three dogs and two cats. Winnie wishes to send special thanks to her friends and co-workers at the Saratoga Mental Health Clinic for their wonderful support.
Bea Girard is Cora Gump
Bea has been delighting audiences with her characterizations since she made her acting debut as Mr. DePina, the little Italian ice man in "You Can't Take It With You", SPAO's first community theatre production presented at the highschool. She considers that role as one of her most enjoyable and creative roles. Bea appeared in "Mousetrap", "Blithe Spirit", "Harvey" and, "Pure as the Driven Snow" at the high school for SPAO. Her SPAO dinner theatre shows include "All in the Timing", "Moon Over Buffalo" and, as the leads of Aunt Abby in "Arsenic and Old Lace" and Aida Gianelli in "Over The River and Through The Woods". Bea appeared for SPAO as the irate French chef of last spring's "Don't Drink the Water" then returned last fall as the hilarious curmudgeon Ouizer in SPAO's hit "Steel Magnolias". She has also been seen on the stages of The Round Lake Auditorium and The Schuylerville Community Theater in "Mornings at Seven", Albany Civic Theater in "Impassioned Embraces" and Schenectady Civic Theater in "The Crucible". This past summer Bea sang the role of the French countess in Victor Herbert's operetta, "The Red Mill" at Russel Sage's Little Theater. Bea, a past SPAO president, resides in Stillwater with set designer husband Paul. We are extremely delighted to have her comical talents once again grace the SPAO stage.
Scott Fellows is Piney
Scott made his SPAO dinner theatre debut in the spring of 2001 at 19 years of age playing the cowering villian Dr. Herman Einstein, the role Peter Lorre made famous, in "Arsenic and Old Lace". By that time he was already a stage veteran having appeared previously in the SPAO Youth Theater production of "Fiddler on the Roof", and The Stillwater School Drama Society's productions of "My Son is Crazy.... But Promising", "Jenny Kissed Me", and "The Diary of Anne Frank". Scott's wild dinner theatre character's continued as Owen Musser, The Georgia red-neck member of the Klu Klux Klan in SPAO's "The Foreigner" and the crazy taxi cab driver in "Lunch Hour". He is most proud of his lead role as the clean cut fumbling lover in last year's SPAO hit comedy "Don't Drink the Water". Scott is most happy to be back on the SPAO stage after being shut out as an actor in last spring's production of "Steel Magnolias". He is currently serving on SPAO's Board of Directors. Scott now resides in Clifton Park.
Rick Kelsey is Tom Lamont
Rick last appeared on the SPAO dinner theatre stage as the devious comical embassy aide, Kilroy, in last year's SPAO comedy hit "Don't Drink the Water". He debuted for SPAO as the lawyer in "Moon Over Buffalo" back in the spring of 1999. Rick started acting in the '60's with Albany Civic Theater productions of "Pajama Game" and "Country Girl" and with The Slingerlands Players in "The Play is the Thing". While residing in Boston, Rick performed in the musicals "Funny Girl" and as the lead in "Promises, Promises". Upon returning to the Capital District area Rick appeared in several plays with Curtain Time Players. He is most proud of playing Taxi Dave in the piece "Stuck on a Country Road" for the 2002 Changing Spaces production of "A Night of Shorts" presented by the new young playwright, Craig Ryan. Rick is a professional hair stylist and runs his own salon where he resides in Halfmoon. Talented Rick created hair styles for the locally filmed movies "Ironweed", "The Bostonian's", and "Billy Bathgate" as well as last spring's SPAO production of "Steel Magnolias".