The Bard Theatre BETHANY Team!
(in alphabetical order)
Jake Beamer (Fight Choreographer) has been recognized by the Society of American Fight Directors as an actor/combatant trained in 6 weapons. Past performances for The Bard's Town include The Kings of Christmas (Kennedy King), Hashtag (#LoveWins), Chasing Ophelia (Joe), Mad Gravity (Dr. Joe), and BSFFs (Aquaman). Jake has also directed at The BT for the mainstage (This is Not the Play) and the Ten-Tucky Festival of Ten Minute Plays (A Family Affair, Shop at Home, BSFFs, and The Internet President). Before returning to Louisville, he was a resident company member at the California Theatre Center in Sunnyvale, CA. He holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Kentucky and an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Louisville.
Cheryl Brumley (Asst Dir) is back in Louisville after recently receiving her M.A. in Educational Theatre from NYU, previously completing her B.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies from Georgetown College. In August, she will be joining Campbellsville University as a professor of Theatre Arts! She is proud to be a part of the Bethany team at The Bard!
Carol Dines (Toni) is thrilled to perform with her Bard family in her 6th show—prior shows include Collected Stories, Other Desert Cities and Stupid F#cking Bird. A musical theater artist, she has been seen around town in Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, Young Frankenstein and The Drowsy Chaperone. Carol is an Audiobook Narrator with many books available on Amazon, ITunes and over 500 titles in the National Library Service.
Katye Heim (Crystal) was last seen strutting around the Bard stage with a ukulele as MASH in Stupid F*%#ing Bird and directing in the 2016 Ten-Tucky Festival. Other past acting credits include The Vagina Monologues, The Odd Couple, Talking With... and On The Verge. She is a Louisville native and holds a B.A. in Arts Administration with minors in Theatre and Violin Performance from UK. Katye currently works full-time for the KY Center as the Programming Assistant. She’d like to especially thank her mom and dad who never talked her out of pursuing a career in the arts.
Mandy Kramer (Patricia) is excited to be part of her first production with Bard Theatre. Favorite past performances included; A Chorus Line (Bebe), Cabaret (Lulu), Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Beatrice), Les Miserable (Ensemble), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy) and The Faculty Room (Zoe Bartholomew). If you are wondering, Mandy’s bump is real! She is overjoyed to be starting a family with a handsome guy she adores & dedicates this performance to them.
Kenn Parks (Gary) is appearing in his first Bard Theatre production. You have probably seen Kenn before on The Alley Theatre stage, as he has been a regular performer there for so long it’s hard to believe he’s only 26. During scene changes, Kenn asks that you think about what karaoke duet you’d like to sing with him following the show.
Kimby Peterson (Shannon) is thrilled to be back with Bard Theatre. She holds a BFA in Theatre and Minor in Music from WKU, & has performed with many regional theatre companies, in independent films, and as a veteran improv performer. Favorite roles include both Constance and Queen Eleanor in King John, Noleta in Sordid Lives, God in The Summoning Everyman (who doesn’t want to play God?) and being Zoë’s mom in REAL LIFE. She’d like to thank her husband Tom and daughter Zoë for understanding & respecting her need to pretend to be other people.
Doug Schutte (Director, Charlie) is the Chief Idiot of this Village. If you liked them, Schutte wrote Chasing Ophelia, Misses Strata, The Kings of Christmas, Just Like Life, Love Religiously, Stained Glass, Whistler’s Mother, and The Ward of the Wings. If you didn’t, he has never heard of any of those plays. As Artistic Director, Schutte has planned each of Bard Theatre's seasons and produced all of the 50+ productions. His recent directing credits include The Kings of Christmas, A Bright New Boise, Misses Strata, Greater Tuna, The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence, Crooked, Rapture Blister Burn, and Reasons To Be Pretty. He also serves as festival director each year for The Ten-Tucky Festival, and occasionally as guest director in his own life. The highlight (and greatest compliment) of his acting career occurred following a performance of "The Kings of Christmas" in 2012, when a little old lady came up to him after the show to tell him that "You were great as Uncle Frank, but I just LOVED the man who played the Elvis character." In the obvious realm, he loves the Bard most days, and adores Claire, Ryan, Luke, Kate, & Kristen.