Cast and Staff
Perry Albert (Lily) has enjoyed performing for as long as she can remember. A graduate of Ithaca College in vocal performance, Perry has continued her musical endeavors as a performer and voice teacher in the Boston and Brookline area. She is very excited to be working with Ragnarok Productions, and so honored to join them on their 'Scottish Adventure.' You may have recently seen Perry as Prentiss in The Footlight Club's Peter and the Starcatcher, Maria in Moonstruck Theatre's production of West Side Story, or in The Longwood Player's version of Urinetown as the greedy McQueen.
Emma Boroson (Dodi) is thrilled to make her debut with Ragnarok Productions and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! As both an actor and music director, Emma often has trouble choosing her preferred side of the stage. Favorite past roles include Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Wellesley Players), Edwin Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Vokes Theatre), Franca Nacarelli in The Light in the Piazza and Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee (Arlington Friends of the Drama), Amy in Company (Footlight Club), Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Vokes Theatre), and Cinderella in Into the Woods (Turtle Lane Playhouse). Music Direction credits include Avenue Q (Winthrop Playmakers) and The Last Five Years (Tortoise and Finch). Thanks so much to this great team!! Love to D.
Jenn Butler (Publicity) is thrilled to be working on The Odyssey and See Rock City as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A native Bostonian, Jenn has been involved in Community Theater for the past three and a half years in a variety of roles, most of them being behind the scenes as an ASM or Props designer. Jenn had also recently become a part of the publicity and promotional teams for a few different theatres in the Boston area. And when she is not working on a show, Jenn can be found in a dance studio with tap shoes on, or writing her latest column for On Stage Theatre Blog. She would like to thank everyone involved with these shows for giving her the opportunity to be a apart of two of her favorite things: Travel and Theater and for helping her at times during the whole the process be in two places at once.
Amanda Casale (Kate) is a musical theatre (and recently, film) actress active throughout the New England area, most recently appearing in Songs for a New World (Woman 1) and Next to Normal (Natalie). Amanda has been a fan of See Rock City & Other Destinations for several years, and is so excited to be a part of it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe alongside such a wonderful cast (love you, Bammer!) and crew! Favorite roles include Louise (Gypsy), Jo March (Little Women: the Musical), Wendla Bergman (Spring Awakening), and Cathy Hiatt (The Last Five Years). Amanda has a Masters in Statistics from Harvard University and has worked as an analyst at MIT for the last nine years. Love to M/D/S and my Puppy, and endless thank-yous to Brad and Adam, Brendan, Julia, Nicole, and Nathan and the rest of the Ragnarok crew. www.amandacasale.com for more!
Samantha Casale (Lauren) is thrilled to be a part of Ragnarok Productions' See Rock City & Other Destinations, and to be able to share the stage with her sister for the first time in forever! It is such an honor to perform alongside such a remarkably talented cast, in such a remarkably beautiful place! She wants to thank her family for their constant love and support, and the cast and crew at Ragnarok for this wonderful opportunity! Favorite past roles include: Shelley in Batboy, Percy Talbot in Spitfire Grill, Elmire in Tartuffe, Silly Girl in Beauty and the Beast, and Urleen in Footloose. When Samantha is not on the stage, she can be found working in a wildlife center with exotic animal species, buried in a book, or watching an unhealthy number of Disney movies.
Hannah Cohen (Claire) is thrilled to be returning to Edinburgh for the third time, and performing at the Fringe for a second. Hannah holds a BA in Acting from Rider University, and balances her love for performance with a job in Public Relations (which she also enjoys). At Rider, Hannah developed an interest in and deep passion for speech, dialects, and the international phonetic alphabet, which she has continued to tutor and teach. Hannah also discovered a passion for makeup design, specifically SFX makeup. Some of her design credits include Once on This Island, She Kills Monsters, and White Christmas. While she's not working or singing, Hannah can be found practicing her Italian, learning French, or continuing her hunt for the perfect croissant. Grazie a mille a mia famiglia de sangre, e questo incredible famiglia da Ragnarock.
Chris Deter (Waiter/Announcer/Carney) is thrilled to be participating in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the first time! He enjoys participating in the Boston theater scene, having previously performed in Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Schmendiman), Is He Dead? (O'Shaugnessey), The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Humphrey), R&G Are Dead (Alfred), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Theseus/Oberon). When he's not doing theatre, he's wrangling developers as a scrum master (which is a cooler way of saying "project manager") for a major financial company.
Julia Deter (Director) is a Boston based theater arts professional. Formerly a performer based in New York, she has worked with the touring companies of 42nd Street, Fiddler on the Roof, All Shook Up, and many other Regional productions. In Boston, Julia primarily works as a director/choreographer; her favorite credits include: Next to Normal (BTD), Peter and the Starcatcher (Footlight Club), Shrek: the Musical (Wellesley Players), Kiss Me Kate (Concord Players), Avenue Q (Arts After Hours), Ragtime (Emerson Umbrella), West Side Story (Turtle Lane), The Producers (Emerson Umbrella), Singin' in the Rain (Emerson Umbrella), A Chorus Line (Emerson Umbrella), Hairspray, Jr., Hello Dolly!, The Pajama Game, and more. Julia also enjoys teaching theater and dance throughout the area for companies including: the American Repertory Theater, Boston Conservatory, Boston Ballet, Celebrity Series of Boston, Wheelock Family Theater, Reagle Music Theater, and North Shore Music Theater. She is the recipient of EMACT DASH awards for Direction and Choreography (Ragtime), as well as an IRNE nomination for Direction (West Side Story). Julia is an Honours graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance in London.
Connor Fallon (Evan) is extremely grateful to be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival after participating in it almost a decade ago!! He is a graduating Senior at Suffolk University, where he studies Sociology and Psychology. His favorite roles include Gabe in Next to Normal, Link in Hairspray, Tommy in The Who’s Tommy, Joseph in Joseph…Dreamcoat, and Moritz in Spring Awakening. Along with this incredible cast and crew, he would like to especially thank his Mom for her never-ending love and support.
Brendan Kenney (Music Director) is a Greater Boston area Music Director, conductor, and accompanist with dozens of productions under his baton at the community, high school, and college levels. Previous credits include: Gypsy (Bridgewater State University); Side by Side by Sondheim, Songs for a New World, Jekyll & Hyde (Colonial Chorus Players); Ain't Misbehavin' (The Lexington Players - EMACT Award for Outstanding Piano Accompaniment); West Side Story (Arlington Children's Theatre). In 2010, Brendan founded the "Call for Pit Orchestra Musicians" Facebook initiative to raise awareness about the importance of musicians in the theatrical process. To date, the Boston branch has over 2,000 musicians with recent expansion into NYC, NJ, and CT, and has helped to staff hundreds of orchestras in the Greater New England Area. This summer, Brendan will have the honor of taking the podium in Leonard Bernstein's hometown of Lawrence, MA for his and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story as part of the Lawrence Cultural Council's "Bernstein Centennial Festival", celebrating the composer's 100th birthday on August 25. All my love to JM and the SRC team.
Justin McCoubry (Tour Guide) is a Cambridge, MA based director, performer, and the creator/host of Sing Out! a monthly cabaret in residence at Club Café in the South End of Boston that features a variety of local performers. Recent performance credits include Company (Robert, Burlington Players), First Date (Aaron, Regatta Players), The Boy From Oz (Greg, AFD; EMACT DASH Nomination – Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), Avenue Q (Princeton/Rod, AFD; EMACT DASH Nomination – Best Leading Actor in a Musical), Songs for a New World (Man 2, Colonial Chorus), and Spamalot (Sir Robin, et al), Rent (Mark), and All Shook Up (Dennis) all at Theater at the Mount. Recent directing credits include 25th Annual…Spelling Bee (AFD; EMACT DASH Nomination - Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Ensemble), Xanadu (Moonstruck Theater Company), next to normal (Back Bay Rep.), It Shoulda Been (Bentley University), as well as Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, Legally Blonde, and 25th Annual…Spelling Bee at Babson College. He was a part of the cast of …but the rain is full of ghosts, selected to perform in the American College Theater National Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 2003. Much love to BK and my "framily" for their support.
Kara Nelson (Judy) feels so lucky to be a part of this wonderful project, which is her debut with Ragnarok Productions. She has also worked at North Shore Music Theatre, The Umbrella, The Longwood Players, Hackmatack Playhouse, and Patrick Dorow Productions, among others. Favorite past roles include Éponine in Les Mis, Hope Cladwell in Urinetown, Natalie in Next to Normal, "Somewhere" Girl in West Side Story, and The Mistress in Evita. Kara would like to thank the amazing RP team for this unique and exciting opportunity, and her parents for never missing a show.
Nicole O'Keeffe (Stage Manager) is a Boston-area stage manager and actor. Stage management credits include Stage Manager for The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) (Hovey Players – DASH Nom Best Play), Peter and the Starcatcher (The Footlight Club), Avenue Q (Arts After Hours), and four years of A Night at the Cabaret (Longwood Players), Production Stage Manager for Children of Eden and Urinetown (MIT Musical Theatre Guild), and Assistant Stage Manager for Truth Values... (Central Square Theater) and Bat Boy (MetroStage Company). Nicole is an MIT graduate in Mechanical Engineering and works as a Quality Assurance Engineer by day. She would like to her family and friends for all of their love and support.
Jay McCarthy (Cutter) is beyond excited to be performing with this phenomenal cast and crew. Jay is a Boston based actor and studies theatre and dramatic arts at The University of Massachusetts, Boston under the direction of Carrie Ann Quinn. Other notable acting credits include: Orpheus in Polaroid Stories, Che in Evita, Louis in Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Gavroche in Les Miserables, and Phil in Almost, Maine. Jay would like to thank his lovely mother and sister for their endless love, his father for the endless motivation, and Kevin Whewell for the inspiration to impact this world in one way or another.
Bradford Robinson (Rick) is elated to return to the Fringe Festival after participating in the high school festival in 2010. Bradford has enjoyed a wide range of theatrical experiences, with favorite roles including Jack in Into the Woods (Flyleaf Theater Company), Ernst in Spring Awakening (The Lexington Players) and Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone (Wakefield Repertory Theatre). Recently Bradford has been working behind-the-scenes, serving as the choreographer for 9 to 5 with Arlington Friends of the Drama and musical director for 35mm: A Musical Exhibition at Salem State University. Bradford currently works at Suffolk University as the Office Coordinator for Admissions and is pursuing a Master of Education in Higher Education at Suffolk.
Nathaniel Scott (Grampy) is thrilled to return to Fringe with these two fantastic shows. Favorite roles past include Macbeth (with three companies), John Proctor in The Crucible, Abraham in The Mysteries, and the Creature in Frankenstein. He is a published poet, licensed massage therapist, husband, and father of two. In non-theater arts he wrote and directed the feature film, Tales from Shakespeare & Postscripts, and narrates audiobooks.
Jake Smerechniak (Jess) graduated in May from Emerson College's BFA Acting program. He is ecstatic to be joining Ragnarok Productions for the first time. Select previous credits include: American Idiot (Tunny). At Emerson College, Wild Party (Oscar D'Armano), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chip Tolentino), American Idiot (Will), Legally Blonde (Emmett Forrest). At Barrington Stage Co. Hairspray (Corny Colins), The Little Mermaid (The Pilot), Beauty & the Beast (Monsieur D'Arque). Other training includes several sessions at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox MA. as well as a slew of full performances through their Fall Festival. Thanks to the Ragnarok team and all his friends and family who made this process and trip possible.
Alex Wersted (Dempsey) is a graduate of Ursinus College and is currently a history teacher and the head of the drama department at Hopedale Jr./Sr. High School. Wersted has recently been nominated as Best Actor in a Play by BroadwayWorld Boston for his roles of Curley in Of Mice and Men and McMurphy in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Recent productions include Dog Sees God (CB), The Glass Menagerie (Jim), The Big Meal (Man #3), Hamlet (Horatio), Taming of the Shrew (Kate), and Ajax (Odysseus).