NORTH COAST REPERTORY REPRISES MUSIC-LADEN FAVORITE,
2 PIANOS 4 HANDS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Starring Richard Todd Adams & Matthew McGloin
By Ted Dykstra & Richard Greenblatt
Performances Beginning Friday, December 12, 2024
Running Through Sunday, December 29, 2024
Directed by Tom Frey

Solana Beach, Calif. – By popular demand, North Coast Repertory Theatre is bringing back the joyful family pleasing 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS to brighten the holiday season. Get ready for an interlude of riotous laughter as Richard Todd Adams and Matthew McGloin take us on a musical comedic journey about their would-be careers as concert pianists. The talented duo trade stories about piano lessons, pushy parents and eccentric teachers while playing everything from Bach to Billy Joel. This entertaining, crowd-pleasing show not only hits all the right notes, it tickles the ivories and your funny bone. Tickets will be flying out the door, so reserve yours early to avoid disappointment.

Tom Frey directs Richard Todd Adams* and Matthew McGloin.* The design team includes Marty Burnett (Resident Scenic Designer) and Matthew Novotny (Light Design), and Ian Scot (Projection Design). Vernon Willet* is the Production Stage Manager.

*The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

2 PIANOS 4 HANDS performances begin Friday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 pm. Final performance is Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 2 pm. The show runs Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Added Monday matinee on December 23 and Wednesday, December 27 at 2pm. There is no evening performances Dec. 24, & Dec 25 2024. Tickets are $64 plus service fee. Call 858-481-1055, or visit www.northcoastrep.org to purchase tickets.

BIOS:

TED DYKSTRA (Co-Creator / Original Co-Director) started playing piano at age six, and peaked at age twelve, when he had a particularly memorable string of firsts competing in the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival. His acting career began at a young age in St Albert, Alberta, playing the 2nd Bird in Once Upon a Clothesline, but his breakout role was Bilbo Baggins in his school’s grade 8 production of The Hobbit. Since then, he has gone on to play leading roles on every major stage in Canada, often combining his musical skills in such roles as: Mozart in Amadeus; Cale Blackwell, a character based on Jerry Lee Lewis, in Fire (seven Canadian theatres); Shostakovitch in Master Class (Manitoba Theatre Centre); Glenn Gould in An Evening with Glenn Gould (National Arts Centre); Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Crow’s Theatre); and Cousin Kevin in The Who’s Tommy (Mirvish Productions); and school children around the world know him as Bach in the film Bach’s Fight for Freedom. He also wrote and composed the acclaimed musical Evangeline, which was produced at The Charlottetown Festival and The Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. Other favorite acting roles include the title role in Hamlet (Theatre Calgary); For Soulpepper Theatre: Teach in American Buffalo, Daffyd Llewelyn in A Chorus of Disapproval and Yuri in his own adaptation of Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata; for Stratford: title role in Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ariel in The Tempest; as well as three seasons of leading roles for The Shaw Festival. Most recently Ted portrayed Scrooge in The Citadel Theatre's landmark new production of A Christmas Carol, a role he originated and has played for three seasons in a row. In 2000, he turned his attention to directing, and since has directed many award-winning shows in Toronto and across the country. He has also directed 2P4H across America and in Australia and Hong Kong. In 2014, Ted and his wife Diana Bentley founded The Coal Mine Theatre in Toronto's East End, and it has become the most successful indie theatre in the country, garnering its artists a staggering 29 Dora nominations in 6 seasons. He regularly directs and acts there. He has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows and most recently was a regular on Season 6 of “The Expanse.” He is also the voice of Dad Tiger on “Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.” He is also a Founding Member of Soulpepper Theatre and in the award department he has received 6 Doras (acting, musical direction, producing), a Gemini (acting), a Sterling (musical direction), a Merritt (directing) and a Chalmers (writing). He is the proud father of Theo, Rosie and Henry. He loves playing and watching tennis. Oh, and Go Oilers!

RICHARD GREENBLATT (Co-Creator /Original Co-Director) is an actor, director, writer, and musician who has been a professional theatre artist for the last 49 years. He was born in Montréal and studied piano for 10 years with the late Professor Dorothy Morton of the McGill Conservatory of Music. He studied theatre at Dawson College before pursuing his acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. Upon graduating, he worked at Leeds Playhouse for a season, returning to Canada in 1975. Since then, he has performed in theatres in Toronto, across Canada, and abroad, playing such diverse roles as Henry David Thoreau, Spinoza, and Sam Goldwyn, as well as in feature films, television and radio.  Other favorite roles include: The Fool in King Lear, Creon in Antigone, The Concierge in The Gladstone Variations, Galbraith in Essay, Cadman in I Call Myself Princess, and touring to Galway, Ireland, as The Father in Enda Walsh’s Bedbound. He has directed well over 130 productions for theatres across the country - the vast majority being original and/or Canadian works – including: plays by George F. Walker, Judith Thompson, Jason Sherman, Adam Pettle, Diane Flacks, Shirley Cheechoo, Michael Healey, Julie Tepperman, and Rob Fothergill, amongst numerous others. Classical works he has directed include plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, Brecht and Shepard, amongst many others. As a writer, he wrote or co-wrote: Soft Pedaling, 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Sibs, The Theory of Relatives, i.d., Letters from Lehrer, Care, and Athabasca. 2 Pianos 4 Hands has played on five continents and in over 150 cities since it opened at the Tarragon Theatre in April 1996. Greenblatt himself has performed the play with co-creator Ted Dykstra over 1,000 times across Canada, and in New York City, Washington D.C., London, U.K., and Tokyo.  A mentor and teacher to young talent, he has taught acting, directing and play creation at most of the theatre training institutions in Canada, including Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Alberta, George Brown College, Humber College, and the National Theatre School of Canada. He has also directed the premieres of numerous groundbreaking and award-winning plays for young audiences, including Seesaw; Mirror Game; Misha; Danny, King of the Basement; Wrecked; The Incredible Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh and Kindness. Since the Covid Pandemic, he has “pivoted” to being an author. In 2021, his book Text and Context, The Operative Word was published by J.G. Shillingford Press, and his memoir, “Two of the Best in the Neighborhood, An Anecdotal History of 2 Pianos 4 Hands,” has just been released, and is on sale at J Gordon Shillingford Publishing! His third writing/performing collaboration with Diane Flacks, “Pals,” will be presented at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre in the fall of 2023. Oh, and he’s writing his first novel. He has received numerous nominations for his work and has won seven Doras and two Chalmers Awards. He lives in Toronto with partner Tanya Greve and their daughter, Amelia, and is the proud father of Natasha, Will, and the dearly missed Luke Greenblatt.

TOM FREY (Director) is the new artistic director of the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire, as well as the US resident director of 2 Pianos 4 Hands. He has directed over 20 productions of 2P4H at theatres around the country, including: Portland Stage, The Cape Playhouse, Stages Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Pittsburgh City Theatre, the Rubicon, and many others. In addition to directing the show, he has performed the show over 600 times in the United States and Canada. He has played both roles, but spent most of his time playing the role of Ted. During the pandemic, he helmed the critically successful 2021 outdoor summer season for the Peterborough Players, including an acclaimed production of Our Town, performed onsite in downtown Peterborough, widely believed to be a heavy inspiration for Thornton Wilder's "Grover's Corners." Also at the Players, he directed Cabaret, Circle Mirror Transformation, A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, Always...Patsy Cline, the U.S. premiere of Kristen DaSilva's Where You Are, and others, in addition to spending the better part of 12 years as a member of the Players' Acting Company. As an actor, he has performed in venues across the country, with some favorites including Daniel Beaty’s Breath and Imagination from early development workshops to Hartford Stage, Pittsburgh City Theatre, and Cleveland Playhouse; Dirty Blonde at the Cleveland Playhouse and Pittsburgh Public Theatre; Souvenir at Seven Angels Theatre; Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes at Milwaukee Skylight Opera Theatre; Mack Sennet in Mack and Mabel and Wilson Mizner in the American Regional Premier of Sondheim’s Road Show at Stages Repertory Theatre, Houston. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a fairly recent resident of Peterborough, NH. Love to Bridget.

RICHARD TODD ADAMS* (Ted) was last seen on Broadway in the 2016 revival of Cats, where he was the standby for Old Deuteronomy and Gus/ Bustopher Jones. Richard is one of a handful of actors around the world to have portrayed both The Phantom and Raoul in Phantom of The Opera, and Jean Valjean and Javert in Les Miserables. He made his Broadway debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman In White and a year later appeared in Boublil and Schoenberg’s The Pirate Queen. Richard made his professional debut in Phantom of The Opera as Raoul, performing with the national tour as well as the Los Angeles production. Ten years later, he returned to the tour to play The Phantom. In 2008, he won the Jeff Award for his portrayal of Javert in Chicago’s Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre production of Les Miserables. He toured the country from 2011-2013 with the 25th anniversary national tour of Les Miserables. Off-Broadway, he appeared in the 2000 revival of Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill, the 2003 Second Stage production of Michael John LaChiusa’s Little Fish, and the 2003 Studio 54 production of David Friedman’s Listen To My Heart. Regionally, he has starred in Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Ragtime, Showboat, 1776, Man Of La Mancha, and Billy Bishop Goes To War. He has appeared across the United States and Canada as both Ted and Richard in 2 Pianos, 4 Hands. Richard received his Bachelor of Music from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and his Masters in Music from The Juilliard School. Richard has sung with symphonies in Cleveland, Naples, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Raleigh. He currently resides in South Orange, NJ with his wife, native San Diegan Maria Eberline, their 16-year- old son, native San Diegan Nate, and beloved non-native San Diegan Beagle, Sherlock. For more, please visit www.richardtoddadams.com.

MATTHEW MCGLOIN* (Richard) is honored to team up again with Jefferson & Tom, having previously collaborated with them on 2 Pianos 4 Hands at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Peterborough Players, and the Mayfield Theatre. NY/Off-Broadway: The Hello Girls (Prospect Theater Company/59E59, OCR), Bastard Jones (The Cell), Casablanca Box (HERE Arts), Xanadu (Piper Theatre), workshops/readings with Tectonic Theater Project, Abingdon Theatre Company, Dixon Place, The Lark.  Regional: Cabaret (Peterborough Players), The Play That Goes Wrong (Repertory Theatre St. Louis), Murder for Two (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre), Beautiful Star (Triad Stage), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Signature Theatre), Misalliance, Cinderella (Olney Theatre Center), As You Like It (Folger Theatre), History on Foot (Ford’s Theatre), various shows at The Kennedy Center and Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Training:  BFA Acting, UMBC.  www.matthewmcgloin.com // @jackie_of_all_traits.This one’s for Mimi, Ruth, and Helen.

VERNON WILLET* (Production Stage Manager) is returning to NCRT after having helmed two world premieres: The Angel Next Door by Paul Slade Smith and one of the most successful productions to date, Murder on the Links, written and directed by Steven Dietz. Vernon’s work encompasses many of the Southern California theatres: the Laguna Playhouse, McCoy/Rigby Entertainment, Musical Theatre West, 3D Theatricals, the Rubicon Theatre, San Diego Musical Theatre, Theatre Aspen, Maltz Jupiter Theatre and a myriad of others. He shares his life with director/choreographer/champion ballroom dancer Cate Caplin. Actors’ Equity Association member since 1983.

SOCIAL UPHEAVALS CREATE TURMOIL IN FAMILY COMEDY
AT NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE
INCIDENT AT OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP
Written by Katie Forgette
A San Diego Premiere Directed by Jenny Sullivan
Oct. 23 – NOW EXTENDED THROUGH Nov. 24, 2024

Solana Beach, Calif. – Embark on a delightful journey down memory lane as North Coast Repertory Theatre presents the San Diego Premiere of INCIDENT AT OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1970s, Katie Forgette’s charming comedy unfolds within the confines of a working-class home. The quirky O’Shea clan navigates the tumultuous and sometimes awkward realities of this rapidly changing decade.  This heartwarming play keeps audiences engaged and laughing, while delving into themes of faith, friendship, personal choices, and their values. Spend an unforgettable evening with the hilarious O’Shea clan.

Jenny Sullivan directs Samantha Gorjanc,* Erin Noel Grennan,* Shana Wride,* Abbi Hoffpauir, and Tom Dugan* in INCIDENT AT OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP. The Design Team includes Marty Burnett (Scenic Designer), Matthew Novotny (Lighting Designer), Elisa Benzoni (Costume Designer), Evan Eason (Sound Designer) and Peter Herman (Hair & Wigs). Christopher M. Williams* is the Stage Manager and Props Designer. Tyler Dean is the Production Assistant.

*The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

INCIDENT AT OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP previews begin on Wednesday, Oct. 23.  Opening Night is set for Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 pm. The play runs Wednesday, Oct. 23, NOW EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND to Sunday, Nov. 24, with performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Added matinee performances at 2pm on Friday, Oct. 25, and Wednesday, Nov. 13. A talkback session with the director and cast is scheduled for Nov. 1.

BIOS:

KATIE FORGETTE (Playwright) Katie spent most of her professional life as an actor. At the Seattle Repertory Theatre, she was privileged to work with such directors and playwrights as Doug Hughes, Bill Irwin, Mark O'Donnell, Dan Sullivan, John Patrick Shanley, Liviu Ciulei, Lillian Garrett-Groag and Jon Robin Baitz. Her plays include Linda Loman is Leaving, A Facility for Living, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily, The O'Conner Girls, Everybody's A Critic, It Went Like This, The Body Snatcher and Welcome to Vital Vista Village. Her scripts have been produced at The Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, CAP21, People's Light, Park Square Theatre, Barter Theatre, Austin Playhouse, Cortland Repertory Theatre, Dorset Theatre Festival, Vertigo Theatre, Taproot Theatre, Centenary Stage Company, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Bristol Valley Theater, Chenango River Theatre and Theatre 40. She lives in a tiny brick house in Seattle with her favorite husband, actor R. Hamilton Wright, and a giant, judgmental, gray cat named Eddie.

JENNY SULLIVAN (Director-SDC) is thrilled to add North Coast Rep to her list of favorite theaters: NYC Acorn and Wallis Annenberg productions of Tom Dugan’s Wiesenthal. Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre: The Dresser (Len Cariou and Granville Van Dusen). Geffen Playhouse: Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Laguna Playhouse: The Year of Magical Thinking (Linda Purl), I Am My Own Wife, Steel Magnolias. Rubicon Theatre: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Rainmaker, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. ETC of SB: The Mystery of Irma Vep, Good People, Tea at Five, Lion in Winter, Clean House, The Legend of Georgia McBride, The Children.  Premiere of Jane Anderson’s The Baby Dance: Pasadena Playhouse, Williamstown, Long Wharf (CT Critics’ Directing Award), Lucille Lortel Theatre. Film: “Access All Areas”, “The Next Best Thing” (in which she had the good fortune to direct her father Barry). Jenny’s most proud of her play J for J starring the late great John Ritter.

(IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

SAMANTHA GORJANC* (Linda O’Shea) is so excited to be making her San Diego theatre debut with this show. Originally from the Bay Area, Samantha currently spends most of her time in New York. Previous credits include Ragtime - 25th Anniversary Concert (Mother u/s), To Sir, With Love (Tara), Much Ado...(Bea), This Random World (Bernadette), and more. She is a proud member of Actors' Equity. instagram: @samanthagorjanc.

ERIN NOEL GRENNAN* (Josephine ‘Jo’ O’Shea) is delighted to return to North Coast Rep after appearing last season as Olga in The Angel Next Door. Regional: The Outsider (premiere) at Paper Mill Playhouse; Reckless at Cincinnati Playhouse; Unnecessary Farce (premiere), Wit at Boarshead Theatre; Timon of Athens at Chicago Shakespeare; A Moon for the Misbegotten, Blithe Spirit, Taming of the Shrew at First Folio; Christmas Carol at Geva; A Flea in Her Ear, The Foreigner, The Man Who Came To Dinner at Drury Lane; Noises Off at Totem Playhouse; Petrified Forest, Making God Laugh (premiere), Miracle On South Division at TATC; King O’ The Moon at Mercury; eight seasons with Peninsula Players Theatre, two seasons with Gaiety Theatre, Ireland. TV: “The Other Two,“ “Dr. Death,” “Bull,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Blue Bloods,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Chicago,” “Chicago Fire,” and umpteen commercials. Big love to Paul, as always. For Mom, who would’ve adored this play. erinnoelgrennan.com

SHANA WRIDE* (Theresa “Terri” Carmichael) is a San Diego based actor and director who has been involved in many shows at North Coast Repertory Theatre, most recently as the Director of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She has also worked with The Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Diversionary Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, The San Diego Symphony, Intrepid Theatre, Moxie Theatre, Compass Theatre, The Colony Theatre, Open Fist Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Gaslamp Quarter Theatre, and Sledgehammer Theatre. While living in Los Angeles, she co-hosted the nationally syndicated radio show, “Women Aloud,” with actor/comedienne Mo Gaffney. shanawride.com

ABBI HOFFPAUIR (Becky O’Shea)  is ecstatic to be making her North Coast Rep debut! Some favorite credits include: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (MiraCosta Theater), Natalie/Ed in All Shook Up, Ellie Blake in Freaky Friday (Ritz Theater Company), Ms. Lark/Winifred Banks u/s in Mary Poppins, Featured Dancer/Glinda u/s in The Wizard Of Oz (Moonlight Amphitheater), Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Finch/Katherine Plumber u/s in Newsies, Pugsley in The Addams Family (Classical Academy), California Center of the Arts Escondido Rising Stars, 2023 Broadway San Diego Awards top three women’s finalist. Many thanks to her wonderful family and friends for their love and support.

TOM DUGAN* (Mike O’Shea/Father Lovett/Betty Heckenbach) Lauded as a “National Treasure” by critics, Tom Dugan is a celebrated Los Angeles-based playwright and actor with a host of awards and nominations, including from the New York Drama Desk and Los Angeles Ovation. His meticulously researched historical one-person plays have received acclaim worldwide, from the U.S. and Canada to Australia, Israel, and London. Dugan’s notable work Wiesenthal (“Heartbreaking and beautiful” - New York Times) was produced Off-Broadway and featured on PBS. His other acclaimed plays include Tell Him It’s Jackie (“Masterful” - Curtain Up), Tevye in New York! (“Delightful” - Broadway World), The Ghosts Of Mary Lincoln (“Spellbinding” - LA Times), and Robert E. Lee – Shades Of Gray (“Brilliant” - Stage Happenings). His recent project, The New Jersey Trilogy, includes Cemetery Pub (“Terrifically entertaining” - Theatre Notes), Irish Goodbye (“Hilarious” - Stage Raw), and Hank & Otto, set for production in 2025. Contact Tom at tom.dugan@outlook.com.

CHRISTOPHER M. WILLIAMS* (Stage Manager/Props Design) During his 30 years in the industry, Christopher has made his theatrical career as a director, union actor and stage manager, as well as, fight choreographer, designer, and instructor. His directing credits include: Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Visiting Mr. Green, and the West Coast Premieres of Gabriel and Desperate Measures (North Coast Rep); Romeo and Juliet (Southwest Shakespeare); Beau Jest and Leading Ladies (Moonlight Stages); Halpern and Johnson (AZ Jewish Theatre); I Hate Hamlet (Intrepid Theatre); Julius Caesar (New Village Arts); The Outsider and Chapatti (Scripps Ranch Theatre). He served six years as Associate Artistic Director and Casting Director for North Coast Rep following his duties as founding Artistic Director of Oceanside Theatre Company. Christopher has also worked in the film industry where he was producer, casting associate, and on-set acting coach for the WWII feature “Walking with the Enemy,” starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Jonas Armstrong.