Harper College will be closed Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.
The Harper Ensemble Theatre Company, Liberal Arts Division and Cultural Arts Committee Present...
She Loves Me is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). MTI also supplies all authorized performance materials. www.mtishows.com
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Ensemble |
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Busboy/Ensemble |
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Ensemble |
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Amalia Balash |
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Mr. Maraczek |
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Ensemble |
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Ensemble |
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Ensemble, us/Ilona |
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Head Waiter, Ensemble |
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Georg Nowack |
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Ensemble, u/s Amalia |
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Ensemble, u/s Busboy |
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Arpad Laszlo, u/s Kodaly |
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Ladislov Sipos |
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Ensemble/Caroler/Keller, u/s Sipos |
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Ilona Ritter |
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Steven Kodaly u/s Georg |
Maddie Fishman, EJ Freed, Kara Handy, Henry Hanson, Isaiah Martin, Michael Perlin, Jay Torrens
*Understudies will never substitute for a listed player unless an announcement is made at the time of the performance.
If we can help accommodate you during your visit, please speak with our House Manager.
This musical has mild sexual innuendo and an offstage attempted suicide/gunshot sound effect. The musical is appropriate for all ages.
The Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988 or +1 (800) 273-TALK (8255).
If we can help accommodate you during your visit, please speak with our House Manager.
Kevin Long (Director): Nominated for the 2015 Tony Award® for Excellence in Theatre Education, Kevin Long is a multiple award-winning Professor of Theatre at Harper College and a nationally-recognized expert in Folio Technique. He is the co-author, with dramaturg Mary T. Christel, of Bring on the Bard: Active Drama Approaches for Shakespeare’s Diverse Student Readers. Kevin frequently presents his signature workshop, Shakespeare Whispers into Your Ear, which explores Shakespeare’s language and theatre through the 1623 First Folio. He teaches Folio Technique for Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Education Department, the Actors Training Center, and at theatres and educational institutions across the country. www.kevinlongdirector.com
Tameron Conseur (Music Director) is making his Harper College Debut. As the Director of Music and Liturgy at St. James Parish, he leads several choral and instrumental ensembles. Mr. Conseur launched the Sacred Sounds Concert Series in 2023, which brings our local music community together to present timeless works, both vocal and instrumental. Mr. Conseur excels at various styles of sacred music from traditional chant and choral music to contemporary praise and worship. In the music theater world, he has directed the music for Ragtime, Crazy for You, Big Fish, Cinderella and Matilda, among others. As a chorister and vocal soloist, he has performed with such companies as Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Diego Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Elmhurst Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Chorus, among others. He earned his Bachelor of Music at San Diego State University and his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.
Jen Cupani (Choreographer) is so happy to return to Harper College as choreographer for She Loves Me! Jen has choreographed in and around Chicagoland for the past two decades, most recently with North Central College, Blank Theatre, PrideArts, Harper College, Oakton College and Illinois School District 214 as the artist-in-residence for musical theatre choreography. Thank you to the She Loves Me team and cast for their dedication, talent and support. www.jencupani.com
Lauren Nichols (Set Designer) is a Jeff Award-winning freelance designer and model-maker native to Chicago. This is her ninth show with the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. Other credits include designs for Paramount Aurora, Marriott Theatre, Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Kentucky Opera, Remy Bumppo, UChicago, Rivendell, Lifeline, Steep, Jackalope, Renaissance Theaterworks- Milwaukee, Shattered Globe, Village Theatre- Seattle, The Gift Theatre, Firebrand, Teatro Vista, Raven, First Floor, Court and BoHo. As an associate, she has worked on dozens of productions all over the country. Upcoming: shows with Olney Theatre in Baltimore and Milwaukee Rep. She is currently in her fifth year as an adjunct professor at The Theatre School-DePaul University. MFA Northwestern. Member USA829. laurenangeldesigns.com
Andrew H Meyers (Lighting Designer) is a professional lighting designer based in Chicago and is pleased to be returning to Harper College. Longtime resident lighting designer for Music Theatre Works, his work in Theatre, Opera, Ballet and Circus has been seen throughout the English-speaking world.
Jane DeBondt (Costume Designer) has been a professional costume designer/seamstress since 1994. She has designed and built costumes for professional theaters and schools in and around the Chicago area as well as Colorado. Her most recent productions have been Guys and Dolls, Gaslight, Frozen, Clue and The Odd Couple. Jane is currently the resident costume designer at Harper College. She is happy and grateful to be able to work with such a talented production team.
Jenna Moran (Sound Designer) has been designing sound for Harper College since 2013. Select credits include Guys & Dolls, Too Heavy for Your Pocket, Shakespeare in Love, Follies, Fiddler on the Roof, Driving Miss Daisy and Parade. Jenna has worked at several of Chicago’s top theaters including Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre and Porchlight Music Theatre where she is a proud Artistic Associate. She has also worked for The Walt Disney Company and represented the U.S. at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial where her work was on display throughout the Czech Republic. Jenna is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University with her BFA in Sound Design and studied at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England.
Lisa Giebler (Construction Coordinator and Scenic Painter) is currently the technical director for William Street Rep and Raue Center School of the Arts at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake. This is her 11th year working with Harper College in various positions, of which her favorite is making magic happen onstage.
Mary T. Christel (Dramaturg) earned a degree in theater from Northwestern University (an alma mater she shares with SLM’s Sheldon Harnick) and taught courses in theatre, film, creative writing and world literature at Adlai E. Stevenson High School. Currently, she serves as dramaturg for productions at Harper with Kevin Long, her co-author of Bring on the Bard: Active Drama Approaches for Shakespeare’s Diverse Student Readers. This spring semester, she and Kevin will be facilitating a Continuing Education course at Harper, Exploring the Chicago Theatre Scene, attending and discussing three area productions. Check it out on the Harper website and join the group!
Kate Stewart (Stage Manager): Kate is thrilled to be back at Harper College again working alongside Kevin and Alyssa. A few of her favorite credits at Harper include Guys and Doll and Sense and Sensibility the Musical; Boeing Boeing at Columbia College of Chicago and Clybourne Park directed by Elizabeth Margolius. Kate would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support over the years.
Alyssa Maslanka (Assistant Stage Manager): Alyssa is excited to be working on another show with Kevin, Kate and all the members of the designer team, cast and crew. Alyssa's previous shows include Guys and Dolls, The Odd Couple, Crimes of the Heart, Lettie, Follies, Sense and Sensibility, Shakespeare in Love, Ragtime and Anna in the Tropics. Alyssa has had a wonderful time working on this show and is so proud of everyone. She hopes everyone has a great show!
Abbi Adjei-Perberg (Ensemble) of Mundelein is thrilled to join the talented cast and crew of She Loves Me for her
first appearance at Harper Ensemble Theatre Company! Recent credits include Motormouth
Maybelle (Hairspray, CLC), Mr. T (The Wedding Singer, Music on Stage), The Narrator
(Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Overshadowed Theatrical Productions),
and Mrs. Greene (The Prom, Highland Park Players). Special thanks to Bethany and "The
Circle," her village and especially her husband, Geoff, and children - Savanna (25),
Alexander (15) and Ariyana (13) - for their unwavering support. "Love all, trust a
few, do wrong to none.” – William Shakespeare
Riley Beckett (Busboy/Ensemble) is making his first appearance with the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company. Riley holds
a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Clarke University (Dubuque, IA). Previous
credits include The Addams Family (Lucas Beineke), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour),
and ensemble work in Cabaret and Fiddler on the Roof. Riley is thrilled to be part
of this production and he hopes you enjoy the show!
Kim Borland (Ensemble) is happy to be joining the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company for the second time after
appearing in Follies in 2018. Her favorite roles include the Baker's Wife (Into the
Woods), Princess Winifred (Once Upon a Mattress), Sister Robert Anne (Nunsense) and
Hattie Walker (Follies). Kim is an educational publisher by day—a singer by night.
Over the years, she has performed with a variety of groups in the Chicago area, including
a 1940s Big Band and an a cappella jazz quartet. This holiday season marks Kim's 40th
year singing with The Merry Maskers, an a cappella holiday jazz quartet. Happy Holidays!
Bethany Brautigam (Amalia Balash): Bethany is thrilled to be joining Harper Ensemble Theatre Company for this incredible
show! Favorite roles performed over the years include Marie in Cinderella, Featured
Ensemble in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Belle in Beauty & the Beast, Jenny Hill in
Big Fish, Fiametta in The Gondoliers, Norina in Don
Pasquale, Cinderella in Into the Woods, Musetta in La Boheme, Laurette in Doctor Miracle and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. Bethany is a founding member of the Chicago chapter of Opera on Tap and holds an MM degree in Vocal Performance from North Park University.
Bill Brown (Mr. Maraczek) is glad to be back performing at Harper College in his 15th production. He last appeared
at Harper in Gaslight directed by Sally Wippman. Favorite roles include those where
he performs as husband to real-life wife, Alice, such as in Fiddler on the Roof, Enchanted
April and Anna in the Tropics, all directed by Kevin Long. Thanks to the staff and
talented cast and crew who contributed to the quality of this production. Audience
members, thank you, thank you, please come again, do come again, thank you!
Josh Carter (Ensemble) is pleased to make his first appearance with the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company.
Josh holds a B.M. in Music Composition from Temple University. Previous roles include
Chip Tolentino (...Spelling Bee), Noel Gruber, (Ride the Cyclone) and Nigel Bottom
(Something Rotten!). A newcomer to Chicago, Josh enjoys traveling and serving as director
for South Creek Revival, a vocal group he founded (find them on your favorite streaming
service). He hopes you enjoy the show!
Francesca DeTongne (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her return to the stage in this terrific production of She
Loves Me! A veteran of countless recitals, benefits and cabarets, the last proper
role she played was in 2011 when she played Mother Abbess in Green Room theater's
production of The Sound of Music. She is better known around the Northwest suburbs
as a director, most notably with the children's theater Setting the Stage, which she
has worked for since its inception in 1996. She would like to thank the directors
for giving her this opportunity, her family for their endless love and support, her
business partners for their patience and flexibility and her friends for listening
to all her goofy rehearsal stories. And, to all the theater children she's taught
over the years who might be in the audience, remember; it's never too late to come
back! Enjoy!
Madelyn Fishman (Ensemble, u/s Ilona) is thrilled to be making her Harper College debut! A Chicagoland native, she recently
moved back home after graduating with a Master of Arts Degree in Psychology from the
University of Vermont. Favorite past credits include Bat Boy (Maggie/Ensemble), Shrek
The Musical (Fiona), Matilda The Musical (Bruce), and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
(Charlotte). Madelyn is so grateful to be part of this wonderful company and would
like to thank the cast, crew and creative team for their encouragement, creativity
and friendship throughout this journey. She hopes you enjoy the show as much as she’s
enjoyed being part of it!
EJ Freed (Head Waiter, Ensemble) (he/him) is so excited to join the Harper College community in their production of
She Loves Me. Originally from Tempe, AZ, he holds a B.Ed. in choral music education
from Northern Arizona University and a MM degree in music theatre vocal pedagogy from
Carthage College in Kenosha, WI. EJ is currently an adjunct professor of various musical
theatre courses at Carthage. EJ's favorite recent performance credits include Miss
Andrew in Mary Poppins (Phoenix, AZ) and Dan in Next to Normal (Carthage College).
Many thanks to Kevin and the whole cast and creative crew for their warm welcome and
incredible work on this production.
Sam Garrison (Georg Nowack) is a graduate of Lake Michigan College where he obtained his Associate in Arts and
Theatre degree. He has been in 19 productions in the last nine years, spanning from
Kentucky to Michigan, including Les Misérables (Grantaire), The Addams Family (Gomez
Addams), The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson), etc. His goal is to gain as much experience
and exposure as possible to be the best actor he can be and prepare for his journey
to become a professional actor/performer. He’d like to thank Kevin for the opportunity
and hopes this leads to many more shows in the future!
Kara Handy (Ensemble, u/s Amalia): Kara is absolutely thrilled to be making her debut with the Harper Ensemble Theatre
Company! Some favorite roles include Polly Baker in Crazy for You (St. James Theatre),
Florinda in Into the Woods (Deerfield Family Theatre), and Jetsam in The Little Mermaid
(Big Deal Productions). Kara is a mental health therapist and very proud aunt to her
niece and nephews. All my love to my family and friends. For my gals!
Henry Hanson (Ensemble, u/s Busboy) is participating in his 19th production and his first at Harper. He has enjoyed his
time spent with the cast and crew. Henry would like to thank his family and friends
for their support and for coming out to see the performance. As always, he'd like
to acknowledge his parents.
Isaiah Martin (Arpad Laszlo, u/s Kodaly) is making his first appearance with the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company in this production
of She Loves Me. He has played many roles including Mr. Cladwell in Urinetown (Hoffman
Estates), Don Price in Big Fish (Hoffman Estates),and Smee in Peter and The Starcatcher
(Hoffman Estates). This is his first college role and he is quite excited. He is a
student at William Rainey Harper College and wishes to thank his friends and family
for their love and support.
Don J. Orlando (Ladislov Sipos): Don is happy to be back on the stage at Harper, having last been seen here as Gov.
Slaton in the Broadway World-winning production of Parade. Other roles in recent productions
are The Constable in Fiddler on the Roof, Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein, Maurice
in Beauty and The Beast as well as others with Music On Stage. Over the years Don
has appeared in many professional, semi-professional and local community productions,
including Ragtime, 42nd Street, Two By Two, Avenue Q, La Cage Aux Folles, Dames At
Sea and the Midwest Premiere of Hands On A Hardbody with Williams Street Rep. Being
in theatre has been a great source of pride for Don and has enabled him to make many
wonderful lasting friendships, which is one of the things he cherishes the most.
Michael Perlin (Ensemble/Caroler/Keller, u/s Sipos) is thrilled to return to the Harper stage in She Loves Me! Past credits include:
The Wizard of Oz (Ensemble) UAC/EST 2025, Guys and Dolls (Lieutenant Brannigan) Harper
Ensemble Theater Company’s Oliver! (Mr. Brownlow) H.O.T.T. Productions 2024, 1776
(James Wilson) Rising Stars Theatre Company 2024, and multiple other shows in the
1970s and 1980's. In 1983, Michael left the theater to pursue a career as an anesthesiologist.
He retired in 2023 and since then he is happy to be back on the stage after a long
intermission. Special thanks to his family, friends and former colleagues for their
support!
Julianne Pfendt (Ilona Ritter): Julianne is thrilled to return to the stage for her second appearance with the Harper
Ensemble Theatre Company. She would like to thank the cast and crew, her supportive
parents, her brother-in-law Dylan and her boyfriend, Alex, for their constant love
and encouragement throughout this process. A very special thank you goes to her sister,
Lauren, whose inspiration led her to pursue musical theatre: thank you for introducing
me to the world of theatre which has filled my life with so much joy. Julianne hopes
you enjoy this wonderful show!
Jay Torrens (Stevn Kodaly u/s Georg) is a Chicago-based music educator and theatre teaching artist. He is excited to return
to the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company stage. He was previously seen as Karl in Big
Fish. Recent credits include Coupaeu in Scarlet Pimpernel (TBCP), Sir Harry in Once
Upon A Mattress (Devonshire Playhouse), Richard U/S, Minister U/S in A New Brain (Pride
Arts), Travis, Willard U/S (Big Noise Theatre) and Lewis in Pippin (Towle Theatre).
He thanks his loved ones for their support and you for supporting the arts!