Cynthia Meier (Director) is Co-Founder and Managing and Associate Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre where she has adapted and directed James Joyce’s The Dead, Kafka’s Metamorphosis and F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tales of the Jazz Age, and directed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Galileo, King Lear, Bach at Leipzig, Celia, A Slave, The White Snake, Miss Julie, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Merchant of Venice, Waiting for Godot, Jerusalem, Betrayal, Arcadia, Richard III, Journey to the West, The Winter’s Tale, Shipwrecked!, New-Found-Land, Old Times, The Tempest, Naga Mandala, The Four of Us, Othello, Animal Farm, Orlando, Happy Days, The Good Woman of Setzuan, The Fever and The Cherry Orchard. She holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of Arizona. She is co-founder of Bloodhut Productions, a company performing original monologues and comedy improvisation, which toured throughout the western United States. She also directed The Seagull (featuring Ken Ruta) for Tucson Art Theatre, and she directed Talia Shire in Sister Mendelssohn and Edward Herrmann in Beloved Brahms for Chamber Music Plus Southwest. Cynthia received the Mac Award for Best Director, Drama for Richard III in 2013, and for Arcadia in 2014. She has been nominated for eight Mac Awards for Best Actress from the Arizona Daily Star, and in 2008, she received the Mac Award for Best Actress for her performance of Stevie in Edward Albee’s The Goat at The Rogue Theatre.
Cynthia Meier’s direction of The Secret in the Wings is supported in part by a generous gift from Ann & Nils Hasselmo.

Mary Zimmerman (Playwright) is an American theatre director and playwright. Born in Nebraska, she spent much of her childhood in Hampstead Garden, England, and in Paris. She is currently a faculty member in the Performance Studies department at Northwestern University. She is an ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company and the Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

Zimmerman received degrees in theatre and performance studies at Northwestern University. She has earned national and international recognition in the form of numerous awards, including the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship in 1998. She won a 2002 Tony Award for Best Direction for her adaptation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Other notable productions include Eleven Rooms of Proust, The White Snake (performed at The Rogue in January 2017), Pericles Prince of Tyre and Cymbeline.

Zimmerman has adapted several literary works in addition to Metamorphoses, including Journey to the West (performed at The Rogue in September, 2012), The Odyssey, The Arabian Nights, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci and Argonautika, the Greek story of Jason and the Argonauts' search for the Golden Fleece. Zimmerman has directed Bellini's La Sonnambula, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor andRossini's Armida for the Metropolitan Opera. She is the director and co-librettist of the 2002 opera Galileo Galilei, with music by Philip Glass, commissioned by the Goodman Theatre.

Cast

Bryn Booth (Snake-Leaves Princess & others) is a graduate of the BFA Acting program at the University of Arizona. She was most recently seen as Hero in The Rogue’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. This is Bryn’s second season as a member of the Resident Acting Ensemble with The Rogue where she has performed as Voice Five/No. 40 (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Little Monk (Galileo), Regan (King Lear), Rose of Sharon (The Grapes of Wrath), Sybil (A House of Pomegranates), and Lady Macduff (Macbeth). Other credits include Mag in Lovers and Gowdie Blackmun in The Love Talker with the Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre, Juliet in Romeo & Juliet (Tucson Shakespeare in the Park), and Bianca in Othello (Arizona Repertory Theatre). In recent years, she had the pleasure of understudying with Arizona Theatre Company in Romeo & Juliet as Lady Montague and Lady Capulet, and Of Mice and Men as Curley’s Wife. Bryn is ecstatic to spend another season at The Rogue creating beautiful performances with talented artists.
Bryn Booth’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Clay Shirk.

Patty Gallagher (Allerleira & others) is a Resident Acting Ensemble member at The Rogue. She is Professor of Theatre Arts at University of California Santa Cruz where she teaches movement, mask, Balinese dance, clown traditions and Shakespeare. With The Rogue, she was last seen as Siobhan in Curious Incident.   Other roles at The Rogue include: Fool in King Lear,  B in Three Tall Women, the White Snake in The White Snake, Mrs. Kilbride in By the Bog of Cats, Rosencrantz in Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Mabel in The Lady in the Looking Glass, Madame Moiselle in Dante’s Purgatorio, Hannah Jarvis in Arcadia, Kali in Mistake of the Goddess (Hayavadana), Red Peter in Kafka’s Monkey, Mrs. Samsa in Metamorphosis, Monkey King in Journey to the West, Autolycus in The Winter’s Tale, Player 1 in Shipwrecked!, Alibech in The Decameron, Ariel in The Tempest, Rani in Naga Mandala, Emilia in Othello, the Player in Act Without Words, Orlando in Orlando, Sonnerie and Scarron in Red Noses, Winnie in Happy Days, Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard and Shen Te in The Good Woman of Setzuan. She was recently named an Artistic Associate at Santa Cruz Shakespeare. She has also worked with The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, The Jewel, EnActe, The New Pickle Circus, Ripe Time Theatre, Two River Theatre, RangaShankara, Jagriti, Teatro Cronopio and Grupo Malayerba. She has performed, choreographed and directed workshops in Asia, South America, Europe, and the US. She served as a Fulbright Scholar in Quito, Ecuador, and in 2014 she was awarded a Chair in Creative Studies at UCSC’s Porter College. She holds a doctorate in Theatre from University of Wisconsin–Madison and a BS from the University of Arizona. From 2002 to 2010, she was Director in Residence at Circus Center San Francisco.
Patty Gallagher’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Jan Linn & Richard Pincus.

Holly Griffith (Princess Who Won’t Laugh & others) is a 5th year member of the Resident Acting Ensemble at The Rogue. Favorite productions include Much Ado About Nothing, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Three Tall Women, Celia A Slave, A House of Pomegranates, The White Snake, Uncle Vanya, Angels in America, By the Bog of Cats, Hamlet, and Arcadia. She also serves as a Box Officer and Co-Producer of the John & Joyce Ambruster Play-Reading Series at The Rogue. Holly holds an MA in English Literature from the University of Arizona where she now teaches in the department of Theatre, Film, & Television. She also serves as Artistic Associate and Director at the Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre, and maintains a fierce interest in the culture and literary tradition of Ireland.
Holly Griffith’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Bill & Barbara Dantzler.

Claire Hancock (Wild Swans’ Daughter & others) holds a Master of Arts degree in European Dance Theatre from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England, and earned both a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of Arizona. In 2009 she began collaborating with colleague Ashley Bowman and co-founded Artifact Dance Project. They have been creating main stage concerts, short dance films and collaborative projects together ever since. Claire has danced professionally with ODC/San Francisco and River North Dance Company in Chicago, and has been a guest teacher and choreographer for organizations including the Broadway Theatre Project, Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, True Concord: Voices and Orchestra, Arts Express, and Broadway in Tucson. She is a Qualified Fletcher Pilates® teacher at Body Works Pilates™ in Tucson, AZ. 
Claire Hancock’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Carol Mangold, in memory of Bill Mangold, M.D.

Hunter Hnat (Son of Three Blind Queens & others) is grateful to be in his first season as a member of The Rogue Resident Acting Ensemble. You may have seen him in previous Rogue productions as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Andrea in Galileo; Oswald in King Lear; Steindorff in Bach at Leipzig; and Ensemble for A House of Pomegranates. He has also been a part of The Rogue’s staged readings of The Illusion, No Exit, and Cloud 9. Other credits include Jokanaan in Salomé (The Scoundrel & Scamp); Ensemble and Romeo U/S in Romeo and Juliet (Arizona Theatre Company); Boyfriend in How the House Burned Down (Live Theatre Workshop) as well as several other workshops and readings. He is a U of A alumnus with his BFA in Musical Theatre, class of 2015. Enjoy the show!
Hunter Hnat’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Jim Wilson & Adam Hostetter.

Ryan Parker Knox (Allerleira’s Father & others) continues this season, his 7th in The Rogue’s Resident Acting Ensemble, with The Secret in the Wings being his 34th company production. Audiences will remember him from Arcadia (2014 Mac Award winner for drama), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Uncle Vanya (2016 Mac Award winner for comedy), Jerusalem, King Lear, Galileo, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and most recently Much Ado About Nothing, among others. Ryan hails from South Dakota, but spent over a decade in Minnesota’s Twin Cities and surrounding regions where he appeared in over 90 productions. He received his BFA with an Acting Emphasis from the University of South Dakota in 1999. Ryan would like to thank the patrons and board of The Rogue for their never-ending support of art and of artists, and would like to thank his dearest loved ones for always having his back. Here’s to another inspired season of creativity and imagination!
Ryan Parker Knox’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Kathy Ortega & Lawrence Johnson.

Joseph McGrath (Ambassador & others) is Co-Founder and Artistic Director for The Rogue Theatre and has appeared in Galileo (2018 Mac Award for Best Actor), King Lear, Bach at Leipzig, Celia, A Slave, Macbeth, Penelope, The White Snake, Angels in America Part One, Tales of the Jazz Age, Miss Julie, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Merchant of Venice, Waiting for Godot, Jerusalem, Awake and Sing, Arcadia, Measure for Measure, Richard III, The Night Heron, Journey to the West, The Winter’s Tale, The New Electric Ballroom, Shipwrecked!, Major Barbara, New-Found-Land, Old Times, The Tempest, Ghosts, Naga Mandala, Othello, Krapp’s Last Tape, A Delicate Balance (2009 Mac Award for Best Actor), Animal Farm, Orlando, Happy Days, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Red Noses, The Goat, The Cherry Orchard, The Good Woman of Setzuan, Endymion, The Dead, and The Fever. Joe is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama and has toured with John Houseman’s Acting Company. He has performed with the Utah Shakespearean Festival and has been a frequent performer with Ballet Tucson appearing in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and for seventeen years as Herr Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. He has also performed with Arizona Theatre Company, Arizona Opera, and Arizona Onstage. Joe owns, with his wife Regina Gagliano, Sonora Theatre Works, which produces theatrical scenery and draperies.
Joseph McGrath’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Jan Stewart.

Aaron Shand (The Sea Captain & others) is thrilled to be in his first season as a member of The Rogue Theatre’s Resident Acting Ensemble, after having appeared as Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, Sagredo in Galileo, Noah Joad in The Grapes of Wrath and Duke of Albany in King Lear. Born and raised in Tucson, he received his B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Arizona, performing for the Arizona Repertory Theatre in Bus Stop, The Miracle Worker and Romeo & Juliet. He also spent a season with the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, performing in The Cherry Orchard, State of the Union and A Christmas Carol. Aaron would like to thank his wife and two sons for sacrificing their evenings together so he can continue to pursue his passion.
Aaron Shand’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from Meg & Peter Hovell.

Matt Walley (Mr. Walley) is a member of The Rogue Theatre Resident Acting Ensemble and was most recently seen as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, Roger in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Matti in Galileo, Edmund in King Lear and Uncle John in The Grapes of Wrath. He has enjoyed previous roles at The Rogue in Bach at Leipzig, Macbeth, Richard III, Journey to the West, The Winter’s Tale, Shipwrecked!, As I Lay Dying and Major Barbara. Last year, as an Artist in Residence at The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre, Walley co-created and performed in Oaf. Matt is on the board of The Tucson Fringe Festival and also The Shakespeare Forum in New York City. His company, Theatre 3, created new work for Live Theatre Workshop’s late night series Etcetera including Theatrum Orbis Terrarum and Mixtape. He graduated from Dell’Arte International in 2009 with an MFA in Physical Ensemble Theatre. He has also performed with The Pinnacle Peak Pistoleros and their Wild West Stunt Shows, Stories that Soar!, and Live Theatre Workshop
Matt Walley’s performance is supported in part by a generous gift from John & Joyce Ambruster.

Music

Music is supported in part by a generous gift from Sally Krusing

Jake Sorgen (Music Director and Composer) is an Artistic Associate and Resident Music Director at The Rogue. Since 2014 Jake has composed, performed and/or arranged music for nearly 25 productions at The Rogue. Jake is a composer/improviser/musician originally from Woodstock, New York. He performs solo and in music and interdisciplinary ensembles around the world with musicians, writers, actors, and dancers. As the 2018 “Maverick Prodigy,” Jake debuted two new works for text and music and two new works for guitar, double bass, and drum set at the Maverick Concert Hall in New York. His recorded output includes 4 albums of lyrical songs, the most recent, American/English was released in May 2018. Jake currently studies guitar and composition with Robert Windbiel and has previously studied improvisation with violist Mary Oliver and dancer Katie Duck and performed and studied with members of the Instant Composers Pool and the Creative Music Studio in the Netherlands and New York.

Russell Ronnebaum (Vocal Director) is happy to be back for his second production at The Rogue Theatre, this time providing vocal and choral direction. Past credits include The Rogue’s most recent production of Much Ado About Nothing, in which Russell served as Music Director, Pianist, and Composer of an original score. Russell holds a Master of Music degree in collaborative piano from the University of Arizona where he studied under Dr. Paula Fan. He currently serves as the assistant director of music at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Oro Valley, as well as the staff accompanist for the Tucson Masterworks Chorale. Recent composition commissions and premieres include music for voice, choir, piano, string orchestra, dance and live theatre. Recordings, sheet music, and upcoming concert dates can be found at: www.RRonnebaum.com.

Designers

Costume design is supported in part by a generous gift from Ellen Bodow

Scenic design is supported in part by a generous gift from Ward & Judy Wallingford

Lighting design is supported in part by a generous gift from Kristi Lewis

Production Staff

Deanna Fitzgerald (Lighting Design) is a professional Lighting Designer and member of United Scenic Artists, as well as an Associate Professor and head of lighting design and technology at the University of Arizona, where she also serves as the Associate Director of the theatre program and the Director of Graduate Studies. Her lighting design credits include a range of theatre, dance, opera, circus-themed entertainment, puppets, architectural lighting and more. She is a registered yoga and meditation teacher and conducts classes and workshops focused on using these and other “quietive” practices to enrich creative processes. Some of Deanna’s career highlights include the lighting designs for STOMP OUT LOUD, the Las Vegas version of the internationally acclaimed STOMP, for whom she also toured for six years as lighting director; Cirque Mechanics: Boom Town, which toured for two years with an off-Broadway appearance at The New Victory Theatre; and Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo US Tour. Deanna has been smitten with her Rogue family since 2014 when she designed their extraordinary creation Jerusalem, and has since designed Waiting for Godot, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Miss Julie, Bridge of San Luis Rey, Tales from the Jazz Age, Uncle Vanya, Penelope, Macbeth, Celia A Slave, Bach at Leipzig,Three Tall Women, King Lear, Galileo and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She is grateful for every moment she gets to spend making things with them and for ME Peter Bleasby and Associate LD Shannon Wallace whose collaborations make that possible.

Shannon Wallace (Stage Manager) is excited for her third year as Resident Stage Manager with The Rogue Theatre. She served as stage manager for Angels in America, A House of Pomegranates, and The Grapes of Wrath. She also worked on The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Uncle Vanya, Penelope, Macbeth, Celia, A Slave, Bach at Leipzig, Three Tall Women, King Lear, Galileo, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Much Ado About Nothing as stage manager as well as associate lighting designer. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, focusing on both stage management and lighting design. During her time in school she worked on over 25 productions with Arizona Repertory Theatre. She has also worked for Arizona Theatre Company, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and the Contemporary American Theatre Festival serving on both stage management teams and company & events management teams. She is grateful to be working full-time as a theater artist in her hometown.
Shannon Wallace’s stage management is supported in part by a generous gift from Susan Tiss.

Peter Bleasby (Master Electrician) lit his first show at 13. Professionally, he was with BBC-TV for several years, and was an assistant to UK lighting designer Richard Pilbrow during the inaugural production of the National Theatre (Hamlet, directed by Olivier.) He transferred to architectural lighting, but maintained his theatre interests by lighting many shows on both sides of the Atlantic. When the Rogue established itself at the Historic “Y” in 2009, he volunteered for the initial season, returning in 2013 with  lighting designer Don Fox, and later working with Deanna Fitzgerald. He devised the installation of the permanent wiring system that enables lighting teams to devote more time to the creative process. For the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation he directs the technical and logistical aspects of fundraisers, including the fashion show Moda Provocateur.

Susan Collinet (House Manager) earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of Arizona in 2008. Decades before returning to college as a non-traditional student, Susan spent twenty years in amateur theater, mostly on the East coast, as well as in Brussels, Belgium in the American Theater of Brussels, and the Theatre de Chenois in Waterloo. She has worked in such positions as a volunteer bi-lingual guide in the Children’s Museum of Brussels, the Bursar of a Naturopathic Medical school in Tempe, Arizona, an entrepreneur with two “Susan’s of Scottsdale” hotel gift shops in Scottsdale, Arizona, and as the volunteer assistant Director of Development of the Arizona Aids Project in Phoenix. Susan continues to work on collections of poetry and non-fiction. Her writing has won awards from Sandscript Magazine, the John Hearst Poetry Contest, the Salem College for Women’s Center for Writing, and was published in a Norton Anthology of Student’s Writing. In addition to being House Manager, Susan serves on the Board of Directors and acts as Volunteer Coordinator for the Rogue.

Our Thanks