Shrek The Musical

Robby is excited to be back at The Rose Theater. He has been in "Honk," "A Christmas Story," "Jackie & Me," "The Cat in the Hat" and "Big Nate – The Musical." Robby has played Peter Cratchit, Topper, and Jake in "A Christmas Carol" at the Omaha Community Playhouse. He has also performed in musicals for St. Bernadette, Bellevue Little Theater, Ralston Community Theater, and Burke High school. At Burke High School, he was drama club president, assistant and student directed plays, and tried to involve himself in everything that had to do with the arts. He thanks his friends and especially his parents for being so supportive and helpful with achieving his dreams.

Lauren is so excited to be performing in "Shrek The Musical!" She has been seen onstage at The Rose in "The Reluctant Dragon," "A Christmas Story: The Musical" and in "The Cat in the Hat as Fish." Some past favorites at The Rose have been "A Year with Frog and Toad," "George and Martha: Tons of Fun," and "Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type." Outside of The Rose Lauren has been seen in "Tigers Be Still" at the Omaha Community Playhouse as part of the 21 and Over Series. Lauren has also performed with Nebraska Shakespeare on tour as Maria in "Twelfth Night" and Don John/Margaret in "Much Ado About Nothing." Lauren has also appeared On the Green with Nebraska Shakespeare in "Much Ado About Nothing" as Ursula.

Nik Whitcomb is excited to be back on The Rose Theater stage! Other Rose Theater credits include "Pete the Cat," "Honk," "A Christmas Story: The Musical," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "High School Musical 1 & 2," "Seussical: The Musical," and three years with the award-winning Pride Players improv troupe. Nik received a TAG nomination for his portrayal of Ronald McCowan in the Omaha Community Playhouse production of Hands on a Hardbody last season and has for the Riant Theatre Company sBroadway production-performed and stage managed Off in New York City. Nik holds a BA in theatre with an emphasis in acting and directingfrom Creighton University and is currently serving as the Rose Theater's first artistic fellow. Nik sends love to his mother for her undying support and is excited to perform for you today!

Sue has appeared on The Rose stage recently in "Pete the Cat" and "The Cat in the Hat." Her national tour credits include "Annie Get Your Gun," "Beehive," and "Grease." Her credits include "Rocky Horror" (Columbia), "Ring of Fire" (Ensemble) and "Always, Patsy Cline" (Louise,) for Artist Repertory Theater. She was an original cast member in Omaha's longest running musical, "Beehive" (Brenda Lee, Petula Clark, Janis Joplin), and appeared in shows on Royal Carribean, Carnival, Royal Viking and Europe's Sally Cruise Lines. Other Rose stage appearances include "Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly" (Mrs. McBee), "Pinkalicious - The Musical" (Dr. Wink/Allison), "Velveteen Rabbit" (Ensemble), "Charlotte's Web" (Templeton/Narrator/Goose), "The Little Engine That Could" (Blue Dress Girl), "Cinderella" (Fairy Godmother), and "Miss Nelson is Missing" (Miss Nelson/Viola Swamp) Choreographic credits include "Mary Poppins," "A Christmas Story," "Tarzan," "Narnia," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Madeline's Christmas," "High School Musical," "High School Musical II," "The Cat in the Hat" and "Annie - The Musical." She was a 2015 Theater Arts Guild Best Choreographer nominee for "Mary Poppins," recipient of the 2014 National Freddy G Award given to outstanding musical theater educators, 2014 Theater Arts Guild nominee for her choreography of "Tarzan," and awarded the 2014 Theater Arts Guild Education Award. She is The Rose Theater's Resident Choreographer and Director of BROADWAY at the Rose, as well as the Rose Brigade and Transcendtrix Performing Company.

Brian is the Education Director / Playwright in Residence for The Rose and has been a member of the resident acting company here since 1999. He was most recently seen in "Honk," "Mary Poppins," and as Will Scarlet, Prince John and Friar Tuck in "Robin Hood." Some of his favorite roles at The Rose include Toad in "A Year with Frog and Toad," Sharktooth in "How I Became a Pirate," the Mouse King in "The Nutcracker," and Stepsister in the ballet "Cinderella." As the Education Director, Brian teaches after school, Saturday morning, and summer acting classes here at The Rose and annually directs the award winning teen theater troupe Pride Players. He has also written over 25 scripts for the company including "Sherlock Holmes & the First Baker Street Irregular," "The Grocer’s Goblin and The Little Mermaid," "The Misfits," "Where the Red Fern Grows," "The Super Adventures of Nutrition Woman and Dr. Exercise," "Brave Little Tailor," and "The Bully Show." Brian's scripts have won several national and regional awards and have been produced by professional theater for young audiences and schools across the country.

Colleen Kilcoyne recently returned from an internship with the National Association of Play Therapy, India in Bangalore, India and is currently working as a Rose Theater Teaching Artist Fellow. She has recently appeared at The Rose in Honk!, at Creighton University as Sally Bowles in Cabaret (TAG Award Nomination, OEA Nomination), Percy Talbott in The Spitfire Grill,Carlotta in Phantom, Leonata in Much Ado About Nothing, and Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown. She was also featured as a soloist for the Marvin Hamlisch Tribute with the Omaha Symphony, performing “At the Ballet” with Donna McKechnie and Jodie Benson.

Jennifer is an actor, teacher, and writer who now calls Omaha her home. She earned her BFA at The Theatre School at DePaul University. While in Chicago, her scripts were performed at ATC, Chicago Dramatists, Wrights of Spring Festival, and Circus Theatricals. In 2007, she won the Zach Helm Playwriting Scholarship for her one-act, A Speech for Tobias Hawkins. She also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Stonecoast, and is the author of a Young Adult book about growing up in Omaha, along with short stories about robots and spaceships and dragons. She also has worked as Omaha North’s drama teacher and now is a Teaching Artist with Nebraska Arts Council, Nebraska Writers Project, and The Rose. This last August, she was seen in the world premiere of My Broken Doll (Beate Stern) at the Circle Theater.

Local actress Regina Palmer is so excited to be performing in the Rose’s production of Shrek the Musical as one of her favorite characters, Pinocchio. This past year, you may have seen her on stage as Dotty Moffett in Caroline or Change at the OCP, a Wei Hung Lo girl/ice fairy/ church lady in Blue Barn’s production of Little Nelly’s Naughty Noel, and in Walk the Night: Where madness lies as The Fool. Other credits include the Siren in Sirens at the Omaha Community Playhouse, Actor 4 in We are proud to present a Presentation at SNAP! Theater and Brandi in The Curious Disappearance of Mulder the Cat at Firebelly Rep. When she isn’t performing, she’s massaging at local spas or attending school. Regina would like to thank the Rose Theater for allowing her to perform on their stage once again, the directing staff, and her boyfriend and mother for putting up with her schedule.

Fran Sillau is the accessibility coordinator at The Rose Theater in Omaha and the new artistic director of Circle Theatre. Over the past decade, Fran has served as a teacher, writer, director, actor and producer. With an extensive background in theatre for youth, Sillau has worked for both Lexington Children’s Theatre and Omaha Theater Company. His most notable professional accomplishments have been that of teacher and director. Sillau has been the recipient of an Access Grant from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and served as a teaching artist fellow for VSA, an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Currently, he conducts arts education professional development for teachers. To date, he has conducted workshops in Iowa, Nebraska, Kentucky, North Dakota, Tennessee, New York State, Washington State, Connecticut and at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. Another focus of Sillau is in teaching workshops specifically for youth with physical and developmental disabilities. In this work, he uses theater as a tool to help every child, disabled or not, to see the good and power within themselves. He holds an MFA in Directing and Inclusion from Goddard College. His professional activities can be found at www.Fransillau.com.