Superstar 2022 Program

Beverly Tipton Hammond: Mary Magdalene

I am an ordained minister, dancer, singer, actor and recording artist. I am married to Andrew Hammond for 13 years! He is my best friend and artist in his own right. I enjoy the stage and have been singing and dancing since the age of 5.

I was a dance major at State University of New York at Purchase and continue to teach dance at my gallery/studio in the Northrup King Building, the Pure Water School of Dance. I also have recorded 3 albums “Refreshing Hymns & Spirituals, Holy Fire and Wondrous Child, a Christmas Cd.

I love Jesus Christ Superstar because it debuted on stage and screen when I was a teenager. The music consumed me and I fell in love with every song as it told the story of the life and times of Jesus in the form of a rock opera! I know every song and actually performed as a dance back in 1982 at SUNY Purchase in New York.

I love the diversity of our cast with the Theatre 55 Production of Jesus Christ Superstar and appreciate all the amazing actors and singers that Richard Hitchler has put together along with our top notch Musical Director and Choreographer, Raymond and Patricia!

Brenda Starr–Various Roles – leper, merchant, soul girl, high priest, and part of the mob.

At 74, I am the oldest active member of Theatre55, and I am beyond thrilled to be participating in the 2022 JCS concert in the park. An iconic block buster rock-opera, the many messages of JCS are just as relevant today as they were in 1970/71, and they continue to resonate 50 years later.

I’m a lifelong learner and at age 70, received my master’s degree from Augsburg University. My professional background spans 35 years in Human Resources, in senior & executive positions, and in for-profit and non-profit sectors. Semi-retired, I currently assist others part-time, as an independent Organizational Development Consultant. In my community, I serve as an Election Judge and passionately advocate for raising awareness on issues related to women’s cardiac health, self-care, and ageism. I’m Mom to 3 and Nini to 11 Grandchildren; my 3rd Great Grandchild is due to arrive in August.

My journey with Theatre55 began in 2018 with their initial production of HAIR. To date, I’ve performed in Pippin, Urinetown, The Philip Marlowe Private Eye Radio Series and HAIR (The 2021 Concert Experience) at Caponi Park. Prior to Theatre55, my experience in theater was limited and in the last 30 years, I had only acted in a couple of plays and sung in church choirs. With the help of a good friend, I mustered up the nerve to audition in 2018 for HAIR, but I must tell you – I was pretty rusty, kind of scared, and had very little confidence.

But the most exciting thing about Theatre55 is their mission to enrich the lives of Elders. With little to NO experience, they build community by helping Seniors grow into “what More We Can Do, versus What We Can’t Do. And by doing so, they help defy stereotypes about aging and ageism.

Brian Patrick Driscoll—Pontius Pilate

It had been 40 years since I performed anything theatrically when I was extraordinarily fortunate to have had the opportunity to take on the role of Riff Raff in this past winter’s run of The Rocky Horror Show. It is such a thrill to perform with all of these life-experienced folk in Theatre55; many of them decades-long professionals.

Now, again, with Jesus Christ Superstar, my fortune continues. I can’t think of any album that I listened to more before the age of 10. So many great songs. The lyrics truly provided my first lessons into the story of Jesus and the concepts of betrayal, fate, and persecution. It’s also how I learned how to play some nasty air guitar!

I am proud to continue a family legacy of performance in Saint Paul. My grandparents, father, and his siblings performed back in the ’50s at Theater Saint Paul. My father (Andy) continued to perform in the ’60s with the Eastside Theater and Bloomington Civic Theater. And then my sister, Amy, performed in HAIR; the first T55 production.

Carole Conoma–Annas & Various Roles

Carole is an avid gardener and an environmental advocate. When she’s not involved in a theater performance, you can usually find her in or near the dirt, be it in the backyard, at Mear’s Park in Saint Paul, or up at the cabin in the woods. She loves musical theater and has choreographed for many other community theaters and schools. Her three favorite flavors are Coffee, Chocolate, and Grandbaby kisses (not in that order).

Why Theatre 55? Richard has built a family, rich in diversity, talent, and history. Carole feels at home when performing along with so many like-minded individuals. Theatre 55 tends to breathe life into edgy productions, which need a new perspective, a new audience, and a not-so-new crew of actors, dancers and musicians.

As a Roman-Catholic apostate, Carole is still seeking a path back to religion. This play resonates with both the pious and the doubters. As a teen, Carole could be found belting along with Helen Reddy while driving in her ‘65 Rambler. She loves the music and believes you will as well. Enjoy!

Elisa Cross–Peter & Various Roles

I started this theater adventure in my mid-40s, and have performed in many shows at various community theaters around town, mostly Woodbury Community Theater and Lakeshore Players Theater. Retired after 28 years in product development, my husband and I are now empty nesters in the best possible way as my two sons still live in Minneapolis.

This is my third performance with Theatre 55, and I am loving performing with all of these experienced people! Theatre 55 is unique in that many of us who did not pursue theater in our youth still get a chance to perform real musicals, and we all come with very different backgrounds and experiences.

Unlike “Hair”, from which I knew all the songs because my Dad bought the album, before this I only knew a few of the songs from Jesus Christ Superstar. I love it because the incredible rock music totally sucks you in! It is very challenging music so it is good that Raymond, Patricia and Richard are very patient. Enjoy the show!

Gary David Keast: Judas Iscariot

I am a descendant of European immigrants and my spiritual beliefs are centered on love and compassion. I have had a fortunate life, with kind and caring parents, brothers, wife, and daughter. I am drawn to acting through empathy and intimacy.

When this musical came out in the early 70s, it quickly became a family favorite. I spent many hours listening to the record albums through headphones and following the libretto. As a 13th birthday present, my mother took me to see the touring Broadway show. I love the position that Time Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber have taken by asking important questions without trying to answer them.

Jeff Bieganek–Annas, Various Roles

Jeff Bieganek is excited to be part of Theatre 55’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar. He’s used to being behind the scenes and is looking forward to the adventure of being back on stage again.

Jeff’s early career was managing arts organizations and now transitioned to leading programs in graduate management education, currently serving as the Executive Director of the MBA Roundtable.

Working with Theatre 55 has been such a pleasure with such a friendly, supportive and patient cast and crew. Everyone in the cast has such a great story and it is fun to discover their amazing musical theater talents. Life has taught him that you can always look at a show from a different perspective and Theatre 55 does that so well.

Besides seeing the original film as a kid and then seeing a touring show while in college, his strongest memories of this show are working on several numbers from Jesus Christ Superstar with a very “interesting” voice coach who he used to study with in the Chelsea Hotel in NYC. The elevator ride alone, along with some very unexpected guests, was enough to write a short story about.

Lawrence Hutera–King Herod

For me Theatre 55 has been like being a part of a repertory company. I have been in all of Theatre 55’s productions. A highlight was playing Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show earlier this year.

I am happy being a lead or a member of the chorus ensemble.

The part of Herod is definitely in my wheelhouse. It’s the only levity in the show. I am grateful and proud that at the age of 73 that I’m acting, dancing, singing on stage.

My 8 year old grandson, Leo, told me when he was 5 “Pa, I’m going to tell Hashem to give you more than 100 years.” So, who knows, I may just drop dead on stage in 28 years.

Lee Engele–Simon Zealotes & Various Roles

Vocalist, Disc Jockey, Curator, Actor. I’ve been singing since I was a child, and loved singing to records of popular musicals. As a vocalist I have performed in New York, front local big bands and combos, and have had an active solo career that has put me in the company of both top call local and national artists. I have several self produced CD’s to my credit, which have garnered savory reviews by LA Jazz magazine, former MPR Host Leigh Kammen, and more. My music has also been featured on a number of jazz compilation CD’s. In my younger days I did a season at Dudley Riggs’ ETC Theater, as well as shows at Chimera, Theater of Involvement and others.

I have loved this show since I first heard the soundtrack, and am partial to the soundtracks of shows that were popular when I was a teenager.

This is my fourth Theatre 55 show. The opportunity to do shows I would not have been able to at other points in my life, and working in a supportive environment is amazing. I have met so many wonderful people through these experiences.

Lisa Ramos–Mary Magdalene (Act 2) & Various Roles

I’ve been singing, dancing and performing any chance I could get since I was very young. I loved it so much that I changed majors from science to music/vocal performance in college and then worked for a while in the local theaters and stages around the Twin Cities and Midwest with organizations some of which include Plymouth Music Series, North Star Opera, MN Opera, The Chanhassen Dinner Theater, and Mississippi Valley Orchestra. And now, this is my fifth production with Theatre 55!

I remember listening to recordings of Jesus Christ Super Star over and over again as a child, learning my favorite songs. It seemed so modern and the ease of the music – the songs are memorable, singable and lots of fun! Then later, as I saw the production many times, the themes – particularly power and the different ways it can be handled and what it does to people – fascinated to me.

Marilyn Marmo–Simon Zealotes & Various Roles

This is my third show with Theatre55 and I am having the time of my life.

I was a lounge singer in my he early 1970s in my hometown of Boston. I’ve also sung tenor in church choirs over the years and I currently sing with the Mill City Singers, an R&B choir, under the direction of JD Steele. I’ve been a self employed esthetician for over 40 years and still really enjoy my work as well as a wonderful clientele, and Ive always been interested in healing and have practiced some modalities of healing.

I discovered Theatre 55 at the beginning of the pandemic and couldn’t audition for a year, after which I did audition, and was accepted into the cast of HAIR, last year. In the winter, we performed Rocky Horror and now, Jesus Christ Superstar.

I love Theatre55 for many reasons. It fills a much needed gap the over 55 demographic, to still stretch our chops, meet other cast members of such different backgrounds and make lasting friendships. I love the creativity, open arms and minds and professionalism from all involved.

Nancy LaCroix–Various Roles

I am a Minnesota native and grew up in a musical family. My Greek grandmother would often play the organ and sing at parties, and my parents were both musical. My siblings and I learned to read music just like we learned to read words. I can’t imagine my life without music and I’ve had some wonderful opportunities to make beautiful music in theater, school, and church. However, my method of supporting my passions is to work in a role where I facilitate communication between business and technology. I grew up in White Bear Lake and currently live there with my husband, Les.

Jesus Christ Superstar holds a special place in my heart. I remember a group from church going to see the movie in the 70’s and then my sister got the music book for the brown album and we learned a bunch of the songs and would sing them together. And harmonize, of course. It is also an interesting telling of the last days of Christ, stressing Jesus’ humanity and the conflict that Pilate had within himself.

When I learned about Theatre 55 I thought wow, what a great idea! A place for people to continue their passion for theater and music and possibly perform roles they never had a chance to. Then I saw Hair in the Park in the summer of 2021. It was full of energy and passion. For some, it is a return to something familiar. For others, it is a chance to try something new in a safe and welcoming space. The director, music director and choreographer all work extremely well with people of varying ages, skills, and backgrounds. Theatre 55 is a gift to the Twin Cities.

Rik Kutcher–Caiaphas & Various Roles

As a young teen in the early 1970’s, I would bike to my local public library to bring home as many books and record albums as I could carry. I often came home with various tried and true Broadway cast recordings. Then one day, I brought home a new rock opera recording of “Jesus Christ Superstar” which was unlike any other conventional musical I had heard. It quickly became a favorite, and I have sung along with that album fifty-thousand times over since.

Listening, singing, and dancing along with all those cast recordings had significant influence toward the realization of my dreams of becoming a professional “triple threat” musical theatre performer. I was fortunate to realize that dream for over thirty years! Alas, as a chorus “boy” at age 46, dancing and singing “West Side Story”, eight shows a week, six days a week, I decided I had become too old to live that dream anymore, and that it was time to hang up my dancing shoes and retire from show biz. Or so I thought. Perhaps I will never be too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.

After a thirteen years hiatus, I am grateful that Theatre 55 gave me the opportunity to join this production. It has been a delight to be a part of the creation of something unique and memorable, to experience and joy of performing with others again, and to add value to the third act of my life…which may be my best act yet!

Sue Killeen–Annas & Various Roles

I have loved the stage my whole life, dancing at 3, talent shows at 6, was in my 1st play at 10, Marta in The Sound of Music. My favorite role was Dolly in Hello Dolly but that was over 45 years ago.

I currently sing with the Twin Cities Women’s Choir (for 10 years) and their small acapella ensemble, ENCORE.

I am an HR professional, but my favorite job is being a Grandma to Sydney, Charlotte, Jolayne & Preston (and I like their parents, too!) and have been married for over 45 years.

As a freshman at Archbishop Brady High School in 1970, our religion class WAS Jesus Christ Superstar. We tore through the album, found bible passages and poetry to compliment what we heard, had in depth discussions about crime and punishment (the death penalty), religion (Jewish and Catholic) and it was instrumental in shaping me in so many ways.

I have seen more productions of Jesus Christ Superstar than any other play.

I had been toying with the idea of trying out for a play for a long time, and when I saw Theatre55 was doing JCSS, I knew I HAD TO give it a go!

Van Nixon–Jesus Christ

Van Nixon, a student of classical music, with emphasis on studying opera, has performed professionally for 40+ years. He is recognized as a gifted vocal artist bringing unique gospel, blues, reggae, and jazz music throughout the Twin Cities, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.

Jesus Christ Superstar ( L. Webber- T. Rice)

the storyline..is one of those productions that musically, as well as spiritually, puts the character’s, especially Christ, in more of a humanistic roll to be experienced, and maybe better understood!

I am very new to this Theater 55 production company. I’m enjoying the many talented artist, actors, dancers, director, musicians… And I hope to continue on with more “stuff” in the future! The big picture , in my mind says, “Age is just a number”!