Drew Barr, Director

 Shayne was last seen as Roy Cohn, in ActOut’s productions of ‘Angels in America - Millennium Approaches, & Perestroika,’ also directed by Drew Barr.  He was also Ned Weeks, in ActOut’s production of ‘The Normal Heart.’

In Louisville, KY,  his award winning performances include the Jekyll twins , in  ‘Love! Valour! Compassion!,’ and as Horst, in ‘Bent.’ 

Mr. Brakefield is a proud graduate of the full time Meisner program at the William Esper Studio, in NYC.   He studied Improv Acting, at Upright Citizens Brigade, in NYC.  

A licensed massage therapist, he is also a proud graduate of the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences, in NYC.  

For Mom/Dayna/Marvis/Wanda, and all the incredible women in my life that opened the door to unconditional love.   Thank you.  

Recent productions: Romeo & Juliet (Friar John) Antagonist Productions, The Crucible (John Willard) Woodford Theatre, It’s a Wonderful Life (Mr. Potter) Leeds Center for the Arts, and The Diary of Anne Frank (Mr. Dussel) Studio Players. Thank you to my husband, Joe - happy 17th wedding anniversary (July 11th). My performance is dedicated to the memories of my Great-Aunt Nilly and my very first friend, Janet Puckett.
 

Jeff is thrilled to make his Act Out debut. He has been performing in Central Kentucky for decades, with recent roles including Paris in The Crucible and Scott Connor in American Son.  Jeff also wrote and performs Stumbling Stones: The John Rosenberg Story, a solo  play currently on national tour recently seen off-off-Broadway  at The Tank in New York City. He performs monthly with Central Kentucky Improv at Al's Bar. More at jeffsherr.org.

Jonathan has worked with many local theatre groups. A few roles include: Otto Frank (with Studio Players), George Bailey (with Leeds), Julius Caesar (with AppShakes), and Ichabod Crane (with Woodford Theatre). But the roles with ActOut have challenged him the most.  Playing the necrophiliac serial killer, Billy Joe, in Sordid Wedding really stretched him. But nothing could prepare him for the difficulty of playing this role: a Jonathan who spells his name with an O. He dedicates this performance to those brave enough to live life authentically, even when it hurts. 

Melissa is thrilled to be making her debut with ActOut Theatre Group!

Locally, she has performed with The Lexington Theatre Co., AthensWest, On The Verge, Bluegrass

Mystery Theatre, The Maysville Players, Woodford Theatre, Studio Players and Paragon Music Theatre.

Some favorite roles include Truvy (Steel Magnolias), Mrs. Paroo (The Music Man), Aunt Eller

(Oklahoma!), & Louise (Always, Patsy Cline).

Timothy has performed with many of the companies throughout the Lexington area, and has also performed in New York City and San Francisco. This will be Tim’s first production with ActOut Theatre. 

Some of his past roles include: Finbar in The Weir (Antagonist Productions), Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter (On The Verge), Robert in Boeing Boeing (Studio Players), Dr. Givings in The Vibrator Play (AthensWest), Versati in The Underpants (Woodford Theatre), Crumpet in The Santaland Diaries (Actor’s Guild of Lexington), Jody in Lonely Planet (ProjectSee), The Professor in The Lesson (Theatre Farouche), Buckingham in Richard III (Lexington Summerfest), Herostratus in Forget Herostratus! (Balagula Theatre), Dick Wilkins in A Christmas Carol (A.C.T., San Francisco), Ajax (Theater of War/ A.C.T., San Francisco), James in The Collection (The Strand, A.C.T. MFA), Various roles in The Possibilities (foolsFury, San Francisco), Jonathan Waxman in Sight Unseen(City Lights, San Jose), David Bebe in Instigated Violence (Artistic Home NY, New York City), Mike in Clubland  (NYC Fringe Festival, New York City), and is a long-time actor with Bluegrass Mystery Theatre. 

Tim has an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco.

 Brad is thrilled to be making his ActOut Theatre debut! Recent credits include Woodford Theatre's The Underpants (Theo) and The Lexington Theatre Company's Christmas Story (Ensemble/Jean Sheppard u/s) and Fiddler on the Roof (Constable.) Brad would like to thank his castmates and director for an incredible process and his wife Meredith for her support. 

Michael was last on stage as Fezziwig in The Lexington Theatre Company’s A Christmas Carol, and has performed in regional theatre, television, audiobooks, and film.  He served on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin and Elmhurst University, and was, for ten years, the Voice of the University of Kentucky Marching Band. 

 Marianne is thrilled to be working with this marvelous group of artists to bring Casa Valentina to life. She received her bachelor's degree in theater performance from the University of Evansville and her MFA in acting from University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill/PlayMakers Repertory Company. After living and working in New York City in television, film, voice over, and the stage, she decided to return to her home state to fulfill a lifelong promise of working in the arts in Central Kentucky. Marianne also sings, plays a variety of instruments, directs, coaches clients pursuing acting training, serves as the general manager for the Junior Theater Festivals in America, and functions as an associate editor, writer, and company manager for iTheatrics in New York, NY. All thanks to Drew for the opportunity, Bird + Babies for the support, and AP for her artistic home base. Proud member of Actors' Equity Association. mariannecatherinemiller.com 

Figaro is a producer and director based here in Lexington. He holds a BA in Theatre from Berea College and was a member of the 2022 cohort of Yale University's A Practical Approach to Directing program. He serves as artistic director and producer of Star Stuff Theatre, for which he enjoys developing and directing new scripts from Lexington playwrights. Favorite credits include Daisy Violet the Bitch Beast King by Sam Collier (Producer/Director, Star Stuff Theatre), We Wrote These Plays Today (Producer, Star Stuff Theatre), the Disabled Playwrights Workshop (Director, UK HDI), and Notes on a Living Machine (Stage Manager, Sydney Willis). You can learn more about him and his work at www.figarovance.com. 

 With Drew Barr:  Angels in America: Perestroika, Much Ado About Nothing / The Tempest (Great Lakes Theatre), I am My Own Wife / Clean House (Boise Contemporary Theater) Opera: the Mozart / da Ponte trilogy (La Monnaie, Brussels – scenery), Mitridate, Re di Ponto (La Monnaie – scenery and lighting), La Chute de la Maison Usher (Opéra national de Paris – scenery and lighting), Rusalka (Opéra Grand Avignon, France – lighting), Ariadne auf Naxos (Opèra de Limoges, France – Lighting) and Serse (Staatstheater Nuremburg, Germany). Member: United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE.  

Lissa Pohl (Wardrobe) 

Kim Dixon (Makeup)

Lily Miller (Assistant Stage Manager)

Jazzy Hager(Deck Manager)

Katy Chadwell (Wigs)