The Playwright: Dion Boucicault
Dion Boucicault was a Dublin-born playwright and actor most known for his plays London Assurance, Old Heads and Young Hearts, Louis XI, The Corsican Brothers, The Comedians, The Octoroon, Colleen Bawn and Arrah na Pogue. Boucicault was heralded as one of the best Irish stage actors of his time after playing the character of “Conn the Shaughraun” in The Shaughraun. In addition to his contributions to the theatre as playwright and actor, Boucicault was instrumental in setting fireproofing and safety standards for theatres and played a major role in getting the first American copyright law passed in 1856. He died in New York in 1890.
Setting
1870s, The west of Ireland, County Sligo.
ACT ONE:
Scene i: Suil-a-beg, The cottage of Arte O’Neal.
Scene ii: The Devil’s Jowl. A cleft on the rocks in the sea coast.
Scene iii: The exterior of Fr. Dolan’s cottage.
Scene iv: A room in the house of Fr. Dolan’s cottage.
ACT TWO:
Scene i: A room in ballyragget house.
Scene ii: The parlor in Fr. Dolan’s house as before.
Scene iii: A room in the barracks.
Intermission
ACT TWO:
Scene iv: The exterior of Mrs. O’Kelly’s cabin.
Scene v: The interior of the prison.
Scene vi: The Coot’s Nest. Night.
Scene vii: Rathgarron Head.
Scene viii: The ruins of St. Bridget’s Abbey.
ACT THREE:
Scene i: Mrs. O’Kelly’s cottage.
Scene ii: Interior of Mrs.O’Kelly’s cabin.
Scene iii: Hogan’s Shanty.
Scene iv: A shed looking out upon a rocky cove.
Performance run time is 2 hours & 20 minutes.
This includes a 15 minute intermission.
Cast
(in order of appearance)
Claire Ffolliot Sarah Seidler
Mrs. O’Kelly Denise Smolarek
Captain Molineux Austin Tyler Heemstra
Arte O’Neal Nora McKirdie
Corry Kinchela Jack Burr
Fr. Dolan Maurice McNicholas
Harvey Duff Jimmy Ladd
Robert Ffolliot Andrew Lachlan Cawley
Moya Dolan Madysen Frances
Conn, The Shaughraun Cooper Bohn
Sergeant Jones Alex Poe
Sullivan Chris Lysy
Reilly Dane Larson
Mangan Alex Poe
Doyle Dane Larson
Nancy Malone Amelia Finefrock
Bridget Madigan Teagan Earley
Sarah Brady Emily Landreth
Andy Donovan George Petermeier
Cast
Cooper Bohn (Conn, The Shaughraun) Cooper Bohn is so excited to be a part of this amazing production! He has starred in over 30 films in his career, including lead roles in the thriller feature film Without a Name, dramatic short film Twirl, and the comedic short HIDE. His recent work includes a co-star role on Chicago PD and a role in The Factory Theater’s production of The HoA. He’s a graduate of The Second City Conservatory and Acting Studio-Chicago’s Core Program. He is currently represented by Dream Team Talent. He enjoys watching the Cubs, playing video games, and trying every buffalo chicken wrap in Chicago. He would like to thank his mother Kellie, best friend Steven, and fianceè Halina for their unwavering support.
Jack Burr (Corry Kinchela) is blown away to be making his debut with Storm Theatre! Jack appeared in Beverly Theatre Guild’s production of The Sting in January of 2022, and in a lead role in the feature “You and What Army” by Milknose Films, which won the award for Best Comedy in the Swedish International Film Festival’s 2022 season. Additionally, Jack can be seen as a guest star on The Coleman Show on Amazon Prime. Jack would like to give a great big shout out to his friend and auditioning partner Lynda! When he’s not acting, you can catch Jack training at Chicago Muay Thai Kickboxing Club on Clybourne Avenue in Chicago. Enjoy the show!
Andrew Lachlan Cawley (Robert Ffolliot) is an actor, comedian, writer, pick-up basketball player, fantasy novel enjoyer, and general wonder from the backwoods of Corinth, Vermont and currently spending time investing in his art in Chicago. He’s thrilled to be working on a play that gets in touch with Irish heritage and is beyond excited to be working with Storm Theatre. Recent credits include “A Night of One Acts” at Theatre Above the Law and “The HOA” at Factory Theatre as well as several films and web series set to be released in 2023. More information can be found at andrewlcawley.com.
Teagan Earley (Bridget Madigan, u/s Claire) is a passionate storyteller based out of Chicago. Some of her recent theatrical credits include Connie Dayton in Come Blow Your Horn at The New Theatre, Lucille in Parade at Theatre Nebula, Queer Eye at The Second City (where she previously starred in their musical improv show, Sing Out!), Helena in Midsummer at The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Veronica in Heathers, and Daisy in The Great Gatsby. Her voice is also currently featured as Athena on the original concept recording of EPIC the Musical – a show that originally went viral on TikTok, and is now #2 on the Billboard Charts for Cast Albums. Concert credits include features alongside Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Moreno, and Todd Rundgren. Her work can also be seen in a variety of screen credits, including NBC’s Chicago Fire. And through her company, Sisters First, she is a proud producer on Tony Award winners SIX and Clyde’s. Love to thank her fiercest advocates – her family, her partner, her friends, and her wonderful representation, Gray Talent Group. For more information, see www.teaganearley.com
Amelia Finefrock (Nancy Malone, u/s Mrs O’Kelly & Bridget Madigan) is a singer/songwriter who has performed alongside Grammy-Award-winning bands and was a Top 300 contestant on Season 11 of American Idol. She has studied theater at Kent State and the Chicago Conservatory of the Performing Arts. She is beyond elated to be making her theatrical debut and would like to thank her partner Ariel, parents Jeff & Jen and six sisters for their constant love and support. She is represented by Promote Agency.
Madysen Frances (Moya Dolan) is a Chicago based actor, singer, and songwriter. She recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Music Arts in Lyric Theatre. She has been acting professionally since the age of 10 and since then has worked with Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, Broadway in Chicago, NBC, and Disney. Some of her theatre credits include The Gulf (Betty), Fun Home (Joan), and Ordinary Days (Claire). You could have also caught her on screen in the most recent season of Chicago Fire (Ivy) and film, Empty Space (Rebecca). This is Madysen’s first production with Storm Theatre, and she is thrilled to join such a talented cast in sharing this story with you.
Austin Tyler Heemstra (Captain Molineux) is originally from Severna Park, Maryland where he acted locally in musicals for many years. After graduating from DePaul in 2016, he relocated to Los Angeles where he worked various jobs on film sets as well as studied acting under Martha Gehman and Eden Bernardy. Some of Austin’s credits include Spamalot and Hairspray at the Annapolis Summer Garden Theater as well as a few short films and a co-star on Investigation Discovery in Los Angeles. He is overjoyed to return to Chicago and is excited for his theatrical debut with this marvelous cast!
Jimmy Ladd (Harvey Duff) recently graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign Studio Theatre program. Most recently he was in the Illinois Theatre production of Native Gardens and Neverland while also doing voicework for Benztown. Additional credits: Smee in Neverland, Keven in Fugitives in America, Slavsvik/Brad Donavin in By The Way, Meet Vera Stark. This is Jimmy’s first show with Storm Theatre, and he is grateful for the opportunity to work on such an exciting show!
Emily Landreth (Sarah Brady, u/s Arte O’Neal, Moya Dolan, Nancy Malone) is Chicago-based actor, singer, and comic. In 2021, she graduated from Northwestern University where she studied musical theatre and psychology. Recent professional credits include productions at Windy City Playhouse, Towle Theatre, Raven Theatre and Eclectic Theatre Company. She sings for The Caroling Company, and appeared most recently in the independent film Domesticated (Mary). Emily is thrilled to make her Storm Theatre debut! She gives her love and gratitude to her gorgeous friends and family and is proud to be represented by Big Mouth Talent.
Dane Larson (Reilly, Doyle, u/s Conn) is thrilled to be a part of The Shaughraun in his debut performance with Storm Theatre! His other Chicago credits include MPAACT’s Red Summer, Second City Improv Showcase and an appearance on NBC’s Chicago Med. He is currently represented by Lori Lins Ltd. Some of his favorite roles are Gomez Addams in The Addams Family and Boris Kolenkhov in You Can’t Take It with You. He enjoys playing board games with his friends, watching movies, and hosting trivia at Double Clutch Brewery in Evanston. A very special thanks to Amanda and his family for the fantastic, ever present, love and support.
Chris Lysy (Sullivan, u/s Corry Kinchela & Harvey Duff) is proud to be making his Storm Theatre debut! Other Chicagoland performances include Labyrinth (Broken Nose Theatre), The Next Big Thing (The Factory Theater), The Cleanup (Prop Thtr), Terra Nova (Three Crows Theatre Co.), La Ronde (Stage 773), Macbeth (Shakespeare All-Stars), and A Klingon Christmas Carol (Commedia Beauregard). He is a graduate of Act One Studio’s Conservatory program and of Virginia Tech’s Theatre Arts program. He has also worked with the Great River Shakespeare Festival of Winona, MN in both Julius Caesar and Macbeth. He’d like to thank his wife and the rest of his loved ones for all of their support! www.chrislysy.com
Nora McKirdie (Arte O’Neal) is very excited to be a part of The Shaughraun with Storm Theatre Company. Nora recently graduated from Illinois State University, where she received a BS in Acting. Recent credits include directing and starring as Ben in Matt & Ben (ISU), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with ISF’s touring company, and Juliet in ISF’s Measure for Measure. Other credits include Daphne in Good Kids, Chutney in Legally Blonde, and Elinor in Sense and Sensibility. Nora has trained at The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Acting Studio Chicago, and Stella Adler NY. She would like to dedicate her performance to her grandmother, who now has the best seat in the house.
Maurice McNicholas (Fr. Dolan) has been acting for over 50 years. He has played roles ranging from Hitler to Marx. (Groucho, not Karl!) The venues he has played in have varied from Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to the pages of Playboy Magazine. (He was fully dressed!) Some of his original stage roles are Valere in Gary Slezak’s Slaphappy, Aristide Bruant in Ron Mark’s Van Gogh, Maurice in John B. Keane’s Big Maggie and the Shakespearean King in Eric Forsberg’s The Adventures of Baby Clown Foo for the Children’s Theater of Second City. His film credits include Sword of Hearts, Pickman’s Muse, The Pale Man, When Icarus Fell, Unordinary Occurrence, Husband Insured and Forces of Destiny: Special Forces and the Zombie Apocalypse War. His most recent radio work was as the voice of Jacob Marley in Relevant Radio’s Christmas Carol.
Steve Munro (u/s Fr Dolan) Steve Munro is delighted to be working with The Storm Theatre Company. A theatre graduate from UIC and an ensemble member of The Old World Theatre Company, his acting career began working with the great director Robert Sickinger, inventor of the Chicago Theatre of today. Steve created the role of Eugene in the original cast of GREASE and also in THE ORIGINAL GREASE in 2011 at The American Theatre Company directed by the highly respected P J Paparelli. Steve recently created a new World War 1 Cabaret and An Evening of Samuel Beckett. He is working on a new musical about Chicago songs.
Alex Poe (Sergeant Jones, Mangan, u/s Captain Molineux) Alex is a Chicago-based actor. He is very excited to be making his debut with Storm Theatre. He holds two Degrees from North Central College in both Theatre and Theatrical Design & Technology. Some of his favorite credits include The Lover (u/s) in Machinal, Prentiss in Peter and the Starcatcher, Paris in Troilus and Cressida, and an Apparition in Macbeth. He would like to thank the cast and crew for all of their work and his girlfriend Katy for her love and encouragement.
Sarah Seidler (Claire Ffolliot) is a Chicago-based actor who, after graduating from Illinois State University in 2019, began her professional career in musicals like Assassins and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. In addition to musical theatre, she has toured with both Chicago Kids Company and Illinois Shakespeare Festival, performing abridged classics for young audiences. Most recently, she has been working more on the film and commercial side of the industry, but is very excited to return to her theatrical roots with The Shaughraun. She is represented by Dream Team Talent.
Denise Smolarek (Mrs. O’Kelly) is a Chicago-based film actor and theatre artist with a background in teaching. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to work with Storm Theatre as she makes her return to live in-person stage work. Denise’s theatre credits include roles in Diary of Anne Frank (Metropolis Performing Arts Center), Come Blow Your Horn (Oil Lamp Theater), Bicycle Thieves (Littlebrain Theatre), and touring performances of Goliath (Akvavit Theatre) and Defamation Experience (Canamac Productions). She directed All Mixed Up (Barely Concealed Productions) and The Water Children (A Cuckoo’s Theatre Project) as well as several online short plays and scenes (Women’s Theatre Alliance, Barely Concealed Productions), and will lead a reading of Bandera, Texas (Transformation Theatre) this summer. Denise also enjoys film acting. Watch for her in Now I See, a crime drama soon to be released from Anthem Entertainment. www.denisetsmolarek.weebly.com
George Petermeier (Andy Donovan, u/s Robert Ffolliot, Fight Captain) is a Minneapolis native but moved to Chicago to study theatre. He graduated with a BFA in Acting from UIC in 2021, where he was in productions ranging from Three Sisters to In the Other Room (or The Vibrator Play). He was most recently seen as a Sprite in A Midsummer Night’s Cirque at Dominican University and has worked on a few independent film projects around the city. He is also an Actor Combatant with the SAFD and studies Armizare Longsword with the Chicago Swordplay Guild. He spends too much of his free time in front of his computer making digital art and compositing VFX, and is currently rewatching all of Monk. George is excited for The Shaughraun to be his first show with Storm Theatre, and thanks his friends and family for their never-ending support!
Peter Dobbins (Director) is a cofounding member and Producing Artistic Director of the Storm Theatre Company since its inception. Recently, he has directed the Blackfriars Repertory Theatre and Storm Theatre’s co-productions of Ah, Wilderness! by Eugene O’Neil, The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash, and Death Comes For The War Poets by Joseph Pearce, all staged at The Sheen Center For Thought and Culture in New York City. Dobbins’ other Storm directing credits include: George Lillo’s The London Merchant; The President by Ferenc Molnar adapted by Morwyn Brebner; Le Cid by Pierre Corneille translated by Richard Wilbur, Stewart Parker’s Spokesong, Marcel Pagnol’s Marius and Collaborators by John Hodge.
Fleur Phillips Dobbins (Associate Artistic Director/Assistant Director) has been working for 30+ years in the entertainment industry as actress, director, and writer. She has appeared on and off Broadway as well as regionally in the US. Storm productions include The Surprise, The Fight, Deconstruction and The Rainmaker. Some Film/TV credits include Strong Medicine, Yellow, Mr. Pleasant and on ETWN’s Magnificat Day The Woman at the Well. In addition, Fleur is an experienced children’s acting coach as well as a certified Early Childhood Music Specialist. She is a composer/playwright, has studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has a BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University. @fleuralysdobbins / www.fleuralysdobbins.com
Michael Abrams (Lighting Design) Michael has designed numerous shows all over the country, including Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, Regional, Tour and Cruise Ship venues. Select Design credits include: I Of The Storm, Music Man, The Merry Widow, The Salvage Shop, My Favorite Year, Twelfth Night, The Last Starfighter, Midsummer Nights Dream, Occupation: Dragonslayer, American Nocturne. She Loves Me, Amadeus, Quartet, Last 5 Years, Jekyll & Hyde, Scarlet Pimpernel, Parade, King And I, Children Of Eden, 42nd Street, I Do I Do, Meet Me In St. Louis, Godspell, Annie Get Your Gun, Phantom, Annie, Forever Plaid, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Singin’ In The Rain, Oklahoma, Crazy For You, Damn Yankees, Anything Goes, The Nutcracker, And A Christmas Carol. In addition to designing shows, Michael is a professional photographer that has been published nationally and internationally.
Paul Anthony McGrane (Dialect Coach) Theatre includes (as an actor): New York: Storm Theatre Co, Playwrights Horizons, TFANA, Irish Repertory Theatre, Irish Arts Center, Hunter Theatre Project.Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre (Boston), ACT (San Francisco), Alley Theatre (Houston), Irish Classical Theatre (Buffalo). Ireland: The Abbey Theatre, The Gate Theatre, Project Arts Center, Andrews Land Theatre, Wet Paint Theatre Co. UK: Royal National Theatre Co.
Grace Onofrey (Costume Design) is excited to be joining the Storm Theatre and Athenaeum Theatre in her first professional production. Grace is a graduate of the costume design program at The Theatre School at Depaul University where she worked as a lead and assistant on several productions including Miss Intergalactic 1967 and Tartuffe. Grace would like to thank her parents for helping her achieve her goals and also Peter and Fleur Dobbins for taking a chance on her. She plans to continue working freelance and exploring the opportunities the world of Chicago theater has to offer!
Averi Paulsen (Sound Design) is excited to join the team for The Shaugraun! Averi is a sound designer and technician based in Chicago, and their recent design credits include: Strange Heart Beating at Cloudgate Theatre, Reverse Missionary at Haven Theatre, and If/Then with Brown Paper Bag Company. As a designer they love getting to the heart and the humanity of the work. They’d like to thank they’re supportive friends and family.
Grey Smith (Scenic Design) Grey Smith is a Chicago-based designer and interdisciplinary artist and recent graduate from Loyola University Chicago. Grey has worked across several theatrical disciplines, including scenic and properties design in the Arizona Young Actors’ Alliance’s production of She Kills Monsters and Loyola University Chicago’s recent production of Everybody. They have a deep interest in history and the intersection of culture and spaces, so they are very excited to have the opportunity to help share the richness of the world of The Shaughraun!
Violent Delights, Ambert Wuttke & Jay Donely (Fight Direction) Fighting duo Amber Wuttke and Jay Donley have designed, choreographed, and directed stage violence for the past decade in the Chicago land area. In 2019 came the official joining of their artistry, under one name, of Violent Delights. Most recent credits include Julius Caesar and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Invictus Theatre); Who’s Afraid…Woolf (Elsinore Players); Sweeney Todd (Mendel Center for the Arts). Past Favorites include Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver (Drury Lane), and productions of Fight Girl, Battle World and She Kills Monsters. @violentdelights_chi
Storm Theatre Company, established in 1997, is a not-for-profit company that strives to make a meaningful impact on the lives of its audience. Utilizing classics, under-acknowledged gems from the world repertory, and vigorous new visions of life today, The Storm invites audiences to take part in a celebration of existence, its beauty and potential. The Storm sets out to create through an ideal image of what collective efforts might accomplish, a journey through catharsis to regeneration. Past productions include The Satin Slipper, Gigi, The Salvage Shop, House Of Desires, Arrah Na Pogue, Ross, The Last Starfighter: A New Musical, Tidings Brought to Mary, The Shoemakers Holiday, Eurydice, As you Like it, Twelfth Night, Stravogin’s Confession and Murder in the Cathedral, among others. In the Spring and Fall of 2007, The Storm Theatre celebrated the work of Karol Wojityla (Pope John Paul II) with a festival of his plays.
Special Thanks
Sylvester Bretschnieder
Robert BenBenick and Linda Moser
Steve Munro
Stef Tovar
Melanie Keller
Katherine O’Brien Rusin
Katherine McCombs
Ted McGuiness
Connie Castanzo
Michael Altobello
Jillian Gryzlak
Loyola University Theatre Department
Fr. Steve Bauer
Will Cheeseman
The Storm Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the following individuals who have made this production possible:
ANGELS: ($5,000 AND UP)
Jim Scully & Marlene Stoczko
BENEFACTORS: ($1,000 – $4,999)
The Joe and Hellen Darion Foundation, Inc
Renee Petrofes & Gerald McNamara
Frances Foley Jueds
Elizabeth Fuller
Jeanne Hegner
SUPPORTERS: ($100 – $249)
John & Mary Beth Carroll
Robert & Barbara Braine
Ann Preston Phillips
DONORS: ($25 – $99)
Mrs. Oren Root
Mary C Guardiani
Kurt and Evangelia Kingsley
Carla Price Childs
Nancy L. Whitaker
Eileen Acheson Bohn
Gerald & Karen Hanley
Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture
The mission of the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture is to invite people into encounters with beauty and to revitalize the great Catholic tradition of the arts from its location in one of Chicago’s most unique religious, artistic, and civic buildings. ACTC’s core belief is that Beauty has the capacity to build up culture, transform society, and change lives. They are committed to thoughtfully and joyfully engaging the community, creating and promoting beauty in its diversity of forms, and inspiring people to seek answers to life’s deepest questions.
Lawrence Daufenbach Executive Director Katie Joy Daufenbach Associate Director Margaret Ryland Marketing Director Teresa Hull Box Office Manager Ethan Avina Events & Operations Manager Erin Corbett Bar Manager Vanessa Jungbluth Venue Booking Agent
Board of Directors
James N. Perry Jr.
Anthony Pienta
Lawrence Daufenbach
William O’Hara
Advisory board
Ross Douthat
Dana Gioia
Elizabeth Lev
Advisory committee
Jeff Parker
J.R. Sullivan
Mark A. Bartosic
Peggy Garvey
Tom Donnelly
Zach Martinez
Gabriel Toretti, OP
Michael Rogalski
Katelyn Slater
Abby Slater
Franz Berkemeier
Founding Members
Noel and Michele Moore
Lauren and John Paul Mulhern
William and Melanie O’Hara
Neal J. and Jennifer A. Reenan
