"Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas"
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Daniel Burnley was seen most recently in the Art Within production of "The Invisible Man" at 14
th Street Playhouse. He last appeared at ART Station as Sambo (Dr. Ferrol Sams) in "Harmony Aint Easy." Past ART Station productions include "Love Letters" & "A Christmas Carol Southern Style." Daniel has also performed with Actor’s Express, Aurora Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Gael, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Theatre in the Square, & other Atlanta theatres. He was seen on film as President William McKinley in "The Adventures of Ociee Nash" which had its world premier at the Fox Theatre this summer.Bill Chameides is pleased to be making his ART Station debut this holiday season in "Uh-Oh..." Atlanta credits include Bohr in "Copenhagen" (7Stages), Sherwood Habersham in "Peachtree Battle" (Peachtree Playhouse), Hugh DeLacey in "Bald Grace" (Theater Gael), Johnny Paolucci in "Bermuda Avenue Triangle" (Stage Door Players), and Birling in "An Inspector Calls" (Neighborhood Playhouse); and in New York City, Duke Senior/Duke Frederick in "As You Like It" at the Off-Off-Broadway Wings Theater. Bill has studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York City and is currently receiving voice training from Atlanta Opera’s Rebecca Shipley.
Judy Leavell is thrilled to be returning to her ART Station home, where she last appeared in "Harmony Ain’t Easy." She just completed her second run of "The Spitfire Grill," a co-production of the Aurora and Horizon theatres, and will play Big Mama in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Springer Opera House in Columbus early in the year. She received her MFA in acting from the University of Denver, and has taught on both high school and college levels. She has been a member of Actors Equity Association since 1980, when she was a member of the original Denver Center Theatre Company. You can spot Judy in commercials for Singer Sewing Machines, O’Charley’s, and Bayliner Boats, among others, but her favorite role is that of "Mami" to grandson Parker.
Widdi Turner is happy to return for her second show at ART Station, the first being another holiday show, "Christmas Carol - Southern Style." She recently performed at Theater Emory in "Dating And Mating In Modern Times." Other Atlanta shows include "Far East," "The Waiting Room," and "M. Butterfly." Widdi also makes appearances on the Food Network’s top-rated program, "Good Eats." She received her BFA in Theatre at Stephens College, and spends her days producing commercials.
Googie Uterhardt. This is Googie’s "second coming" on the ART
Station stage. You may remember him as Jesus in "Godspell" a few
years past, and as a storyteller at "A Tour of Southern Ghosts" the last two
years. Recently he has been seen in "Big Love" with Out Of Hand Theater,
"Bat Boy the Musical" at Dad’s Garage and "I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now
Change" with Horizon Theatre Company. He has also performed with Aurora,
Actor’s Express, The Lyric, Theatre Gael, Shakespeare Tavern, and Soul-stice
Rep. Googie is also a visual artist and candle maker, and writes and tours
shows for young audiences with his fiancée, Barbara.
Patrick Hutchison (Music Direction/Pianist) has served as the Resident Music Director at ART Station since 1994. He has sung, danced, & acted in many shows at ART Station, including his own one-person show "Patrick’s Theatricks." Besides his work in composing, conducting & choreography, Patrick has also musically directed at other theatres such as Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre & The Alabama Shakespeare Theatre. He played keyboards on the Moody Blues "Strange Times" tour, & has also played for such stars as Richard Chamberlain, Keith Carradine, & Toni Tennile.
CREATIVE BIOGRAPHIES
Ernest Zulia (Adapter) His adaptation of "All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" is followed by the sequel "Uh-Oh Here Comes Christmas." Both Pieces were the product of a joyful collaboration with Robert Fulgham and composer David Caldwell. Zulia is an alumnus of Northwestern University’s Graduate School of Theatre Arts. He now resides in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains & is the founding director of the International Theatre Laboratory held annually on the island of Crete. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Mill Mountain Playhouse in Roanoke, Virginia.
David Caldwell (Music and Lyrics) has been a musical director for the past 20 years. His most interesting gigs have been collaborations with Ernie Zulia. Zulia hired him as musical director in 1983 and a few years later, they migrated to Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, VA, which is where the theatrical version of "All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" was born. He also collaborated with Zulia in the creation of "Uh-Oh Here Comes Christmas" and "Magic to Do," an evening of Stephen Schwartz’s songs.
Robert Fulgham (Author) has published several best selling books including: All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, Uh-Oh, Maybe (Maybe Not), From Beginning to End, True Love, and Words I Wish I Wrote, setting records at the top of the New York Times best seller list.
An inveterate traveler, he’s lived in Greece, France, Thailand, and Japan where he studied in a Zen Buddhist monastery. He has been deeply involved in the ecumenical work of the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Greece.
After college, and a short stint as an IBM salesman, he returned to graduate school to complete a degree in theology. For 22 years he served as a parish minister of Unitarian churches in the Pacific
Northwest. He has four children and several grandchildren. He is very happily married to Lynn Edwards, a family physician, and lives on a house boat in Seattle, WA.
PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES
David Thomas (Producer/Director) is a native of North Carolina, but has been a resident of Stone Mountain for the past 19 years. He founded the ART Station Contemporary Arts Center 18 years ago and has served as the President and Artistic Director of the arts center and the theatre since its beginning in 1986. David holds two MFA degrees in Theatre Directing and Arts Administration and a BA in Communication Arts. He is also a graduate of the IBM Leadership Institute, Leadership DeKalb and the Middle East Travel Seminar. He has directed over 40 productions for the ART Station Theatre, his next being "The Guys," by Anne Nelson. David is currently working on a collaboration with Bailey White for the stage play "Mama Makes Up Her Mind, and other dangers of Southern Living" to premiere at the ART Station. He serves on numerous arts boards and associations in Georgia and is on the Advisory Board for Theatre Arts at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild & the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers. David is currently serving on his second term as a Commissioner for the Stone Mountain Main Street, Inc.
Michael Hidalgo (Associate Producer/Set and Lighting Design) is one of the original founders of ART Station and has served as the resident set and lighting designer for the past 18 seasons. After spending much time in the corporate world working in the insurance industry, Michael officially joined the ART Station administrative staff in 1996. He currently serves as Associate Producer for ART Station, where he oversees the marketing, development and general management of the organization as well as serving as Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Michael’s set designs have toured throughout the United States with various ART Station touring productions as well as the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and the Cultural Olympiads in Lillehammer, Norway and in Atlanta. He is a 1997 graduate of Leadership DeKalb.
Jeanne Cwiklik (Costume Design) has designed over 30 shows including "Bright Room Called Day," "Measure for Measure," "Sisterly Feelings," "Merrily We Roll Along," "The Elephant Man," "Steel Magnolias," "Filumena," "Tartuffe," and here at ART Station, "Always...Patsy Cline." Jeanne also designed "Charlotte’s Web" for Seaside Repertory Theater. Currently she is a Wardrobe supervisor for the Alliance Theatre. Jeanne has also worked for the Joffery Ballet as the in house wardrobe assistant.
Jon Goldstein (Stage Management) has been with ART Station since 1992. He serves as the theatre’s resident stage manager and visual arts gallery manager. Jon is a native of Atlanta where he started in theatre as an actor at the age of twelve. He has been working as an Equity Stage Manager in the Metro Atlanta area for twenty years. Jon has served on the board of the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts and on the Atlanta Area Equity Liason Commitee.