Sleepy Hollow the Musical

Music by Michael Sgouros
Book/Lyrics by Brenda Bell

 

CAST

Eric Fletcher – Hans Van Ripper
Sue-Ellen Mandell – Lady Van Tassel
Jack Wooton – Ichabod Crane
Lauren Updyke – Katrina
Shea Coughlin-Jacobs – Anna
Will Ernest Adams – Henry (U/S Van Ripper)
Gabe DeRose – Brom Bones
Wesley Gardner – George (U/S Ichabod)
Max Hunkler – John/Headless Horseman (U/S Brom & Henry)
Nicole Gardner – Sarah (U/S Katrina & Anna)
Avery Ilardi – Hollow Spirit 
Tess Majewski – Hollow Spirit
Emily Thamm-Avsyuk – Hollow Spirit
Magen Willis – Hollow Spirit

CREATIVE

Brenda Bell – Director/Playwright
Shino Frances – Choreographer
Michael Sgouros – Musical Director and Composer
Eric Fletcher – Vocal Director 
Courtney Hansen – Costumes
Elizabeth Chaney – Set Design
Emma Ruopp – Production Manager
Jessica Choi – Lighting Designer
Luke Pearlberg – Violence Director
Production Stage Manager – Kelley Alogna
Assistant Stage Manager – Matthew Davis

Eric Fletcher – Hans Van Ripper (Vocal Director)
Eric Fletcher’s Off-Broadway credits include Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein), Sleepy Hollow (Henry and Van Ripper), Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom), Beauty and the Beast (Papa), The Little Mermaid (Fish Witch), Cinderella (Madame), Alice in Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), The Selfish Giant (Giant) and Treasure Island (Ben Gunn). Eric earned a BFA in theatre per-formance form Virginia Commonwealth University. He can also be seen around New York as his drag persona Sparkle Monster. Thanks to friends, family and Michael Capecci.

Sue-Ellen Mandell – Lady Van Tassel
Sue-Ellen Mandell has appeared in many regional, and Off Broadway productions. She has played several iconic roles, including: Blanche: Streetcar Named Desire, Martha: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Ouisa: Six Degrees of Separation, Escalus: Measure for Measure. Television work includes: Celebrity Ghost Stories, Investigation Discovery and commercials. She enjoyed working for Comedy Central, playing Hillary Clinton, and collaborating to produce several Mini Mocks with them. She was nominated for Best Actress at the 2023 N.Y. Theater Festival. This will be her 21st production (but who’s counting?) at The Players Theatre, and she is rooting for, at least 20 more! When not acting, she enjoys teasing her granddaughters and sailing with her “boatman”, Jack! sueellenmandell@aol.com

Jack Wooton – Ichabod Crane
Jack Wooton is excited to be making his Players Theatre and Off-Broadway debut! New York credits include A Snowflake on the Ocean (Hudson Guild Theatre), Minutemen (The Tank NYC), and The Trojan Women (Shakespeare Workshoppe). Jack was recently nominated for Best Actor at the New York Theatre Festival Summerfest. A graduate of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts (BFA in Acting for Stage, Screen, and New Media), he is grateful to his family and friends for their endless support. Instagram – @snacksnooton

Lauren Updyke – Katrina
Lauren Updyke is thrilled to be apart of “Sleepy Hollow”!! A recent graduate of Tisch Drama at NYU, Lauren is passionate about performing, writing and producing. Since moving to NYC, Lauren has been the lead in fourteen theatrical productions and has acted in over 50 student films. This past summer, she made it to the Top Five at Don’t Tell Mama’s Next Big Act competition and performed in “For the Records” at Greenroom 42. This is her second off-Broadway production and she is so thrilled to be working with Be Bold Productions on this spooky tale! Huge thanks to mom, dad, her twin brother Jake, and her boyfriend Luke. www.laurenupdyke.com

Shea Coughlin-Jacobs – Anna
Shea Coughlin-Jacobs is thrilled to be returning to the West Village and the historic Players Theater! Performance highlights include: A Christmas Carol (Off Broadway), Jesus Christ Superstar (ACT), and Nickel Mines (professional premiere). Creative highlights include: Limerence (world premiere), Beauty and the Beast (Off-Broadway), and Cycles (music video). Shea would like to thank her wife, Kayleigh for her constant love and support.

Will Ernest Adams – Henry (U/S Van Ripper)
Will is thrilled to join the company of Sleepy Hollow! New York: Trap Game (Aaron), Elysian Fields (Joshua Speed), The Visit (Louis Perch), In Between 48th Street (Maxie). Regional: Kinky Boots (Charlie Price), The 25th Annual…(Mitch Mahoney), Pippin (Pippin). Proud Iowa Hawkeye. For Connor Moll. @willernestadams

Gabe DeRose – Brom Bones
Gabe DeRose (Brom Bones) Gabe was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Point Park University with a BA in musical theatre. He was recently seen here at the Players Theatre in Murder on the Links as Captain Hastings. Favorite credits include Charlie Price (Kinky Boots), Godspell (Jesus), Titanic (Barrett), and As You Like It (Orlando). He would like to thank his family and friends for their constant love and support. www.gabederose.com

Wesley Gardner – George (U/S Ichabod)
Wesley Gardner grew up singing at church and running spotlights for his dad’s theatre productions. Most recent, “Johnny” at Universal Studios Japan in their production of “Sing, On Tour!” Wes has been a teaching artist/director with GREAT Theatre’s traveling children’s camp in MN and teaches/plays classical piano. Favorite roles include Henry Clerval in an original production of “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” and “King Charlemagne” in Pippin. Wesley is grateful to be a part of this production and hopes to continue performing wherever it takes him.

Max Hunkler – John/Headless Horseman (U/S Brom & Henry)
Max Hunkler is thrilled to be making his off broadway debut! Before moving to NYC this past June, Max played roles such as Dmitry (Anastasia), Bob Wallace (White Christmas), Denny (Shboom! Life Could be a Dream), and many others. He hopes you enjoy the show and would like to thank his friends and family for their unrelenting support. Website: maxhunkler.com

Nicole Gardner – Sarah (U/S Katrina & Anna)
Nicole Gardner has worked alongside experts at the Powerhouse Theater Program at Vassar College and graduated from Muhlenberg College with a B.A. in Theater and Music. Recent credits include Barefoot in the Park (Corie Bratter), The Lemurian Experience (Mara), The Three Penny Opera (Jenny Diver), Trojan Women (Helen of Troy), and Steel Magnolias (Annelle Desoto). She is thrilled to be making her Off-Broadway debut and would like to thank her friends and family. Especially her Mother, whose patience, dedication, and love made it all possible.

Avery Ilardi – Hollow Spirit 
Avery is honored to be returning to The Players Theatre. Avery’s Off-Broadway credits include: A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland, Furever Home, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast. Avery can be seen in the Kars4Kids commercial, laughing it up with Impractical Jokers and co-staring alongside Matt Rife and Eric Roberts in The Elevator, and horror film The Undead. Much love to my family, all of my coaches who helped me on my journey and the cast and crew for all of their love and support. @AveryIlardi

Tess Majewski – Hollow Spirit
Tess Majewski (they/them) is a mover and choreographer from portland. their dancing has focused primarily on hip hop, tap, modern, improvisation, and choreography. they co-founded congruency dance collective in 2022, a portland-based tapfusion dance company. tess has been dancing for over two decades and never shuts up about it–they’re glad to bring spooky energy to their first show in NYC.

Emily Thamm-Avsyuk – Hollow Spirit
Off-Broadway Debut! Emily Thamm-Avsyuk is a NYC based performer and Halloween-obsessed witchy October baby, and is so excited to be telling this spooky story with this incredible cast and crew in this renowned theatre! Regional: Cabaret, Holiday Inn, West Side Story, Joseph…Dreamcoat, Something Rotten!, The Little Mermaid. TV: The Gilded Age, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Evil. Emily sends all her love to her incredible husband, Greg, her Gramommy, her puppy Ralphie (who will be the Headless Horseman for Halloween this year) and her whole family for being her cheering squad, always. <3 Instagram: @emilycthamm Website: www.emilythamm.com

Magen Willis – Hollow Spirit
Magen Willis grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. She began dancing at the age of 12. After graduating from her hometown studio, she began her career as a teacher and choreographer. 4 years after nurturing that side of her passion, she then proceeded to pursue her personal career as a dancer. She attended year 4 at the CLI Conservatory, training under Teddy Forance, Martha Nichols, and Riley Watts. She just moved to the city this summer to continue to train and work toward her dreams!

Brenda Bell – Director/Playwright
Brenda Bell founded Literally Alive Theatre in 1999 and Be Bold! Productions in 2009. She has written the book and lyrics for each production, including 13 with composer Michael Sgouros. Her adaptations of A Christmas Carol and original musical Tico Tales were featured in Costa Rica at Teatro Jaco. Rumor has it that she wrote, produced and directed her first show at age six when the summer proved to be too boring. Her first love has always been dance and Bell is committed to increasing the role of dance in Off-Broadway musicals. As the owner of the Showboat Theatre, she wrote and produced shows for theatre legends including Mickey Rooney, Jamie Farr, Van Johnson, Mimi Hines and Frank Gorshin. Her writing credits also include Reading Is Cool for Reading is Fundamental and Chasing Phantom, a travelogue that traced the novel of Phantom of the Opera through Paris. She would like to thank this talented cast and creative team for bringing Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow  to life and The Players Theatre for providing the perfect home for her whimsy and always encouraging her to be bold! Special thanks to her husband Michael Sgouros for creating music that makes her words soar and his unending support and trust.

Shino Frances – Choreographer
Shino Frances (she/they) is a NYC-based international Theatre Maker. Raised in a Japanese-Jewish household, Shino’s performance career started in diapers when accidentally moon-ing their grandparents’ guests at the dinner table. Directing followed close after, as they enrolled their bestie from next door to act out scenes on the back porch. More recent adventures include an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Full Length Musical award from MITF; two nominations for BroadwayWorld Off-Broadway Awards – Best Original Choreography; Directing Rob Chen’s THE BLU ROOM; and most recently, Dir/Choreo of Sgouros & Bell’s CINDERELLA, this past spring. – A special thank you to all at The Players Theatre & Literally Alive!! @shinofrances

Michael Sgouros – Musical Director and Composer
Michael has served as music director and composer for the Off-Broadway shows Percussion People, The Selfish Giant, Treasure Island, Stone Soup, A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Phantom of the Opera (Sgouros and Bell), The Little Mermaid, Alice In Wonderland, Tico Tales, Sleepy Hollow, Beauty and the Beast and Frankenstein the musical.   A native New Yorker, Michael has enjoyed performing as drummer/percussionist in a variety of musical settings which have included the American Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Ethos Percussion Group, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus and the Broadway productions of The Secret Garden, Falsettos, The Goodbye Girl, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. He has toured nationally with A Chorus Line and has traveled to Singapore and Costa Rica with the touring productions of Anything Goes and Tico Tales. Mr. Sgouros has worked professionally with Eartha Kitt, Mandy Patinkin, Michael Rupert, Bernadette Peters, Martin Short, Danny Aiello, Michael Kamen, Alison Janney, Laura Linney and Richard Thomas. He has also collaborated with notable percussionists Glen Velez, Stefan Harris, Michael Markus, Danny Druckman and Samir Chatterjee.

Courtney Hansen – Costumes
Courtney Hansen has been part of the Players Theatre, Literally Alive, & Be Bold! teams for over a decade. Love to Alex, the niblings, family, & friends.

Elizabeth Chaney – Set Design
Elizabeth Chaney is an Associate Professor in the BMCC Theatre Program. Designs include scenery for Sweat, Twelfth Night; scenery and lighting for Marisol, Love is a Blue Tick Hound, The Imaginary Invalid, and Measure for Measure. At The Players Theatre, scenery for The Hollow, Frankenstein, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, and Cinderella. Other set designs include Candlelight by John Patrick Shanley (world premiere with Nylon Fusion), Italian American Reconciliation Play (Royal Family), and “One Glove” music video for Majorette. Elizabethchaney.carbonmade.com.

Emma Ruopp – Production Manager
NYC: Picnic; Asleep at the Wheel (Brooklyn College), The Misanthrope; A Doll’s House (BMCC), Dadabomb (Giants Are Small), I Am Not I, Colorblind’d (FringeNYC), The Gulf (Samuel French OOB). She is a Production Supervisor for Literally Alive and Be Bold! Productions at the Players Theatre.


Jessica Choi – Lighting Designer
Jess is the Lighting Designer forSleepy Hollow the Musical at Players Theatre. Past shows include: Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland, The Stranger, The Mystery of Mosaic Bridge, The Little Mermaid, Frankenstein, And Then There Were None, Somewhere I Can Scream, Murder on the Links, Sleepy Hollow, Christmas Carol, and Beauty and the Beast at Players Theatre. She studied and graduated in Entertainment Technology at NYC College of Technology. In addition to her design work, she is a freelancer in the positions of a technician, assistant/associate lighting designer, light board programmer/operator working in the field of theater and fashion.

Kelley Alogna (Production Stage Manager)
Kelley is a Connecticut based Stage Manager who commutes daily to pursue theatre in NYC. This production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Links will be her 21st show working at the Players Theatre. Off-Broadway credits include: Dark Ladies, Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol and Beauty and the Beast.