Who's Who at Marriott Theatre

TERRY JAMES (Executive Producer) has been associated with the Marriott Theatre for the past 28 years. Originally from New York, as a professional actor he first appeared at the Marriott Theatre in 1982 and eventually settled in Chicago. He served as resident musical director for the Marriott Theatre in the 1990’s; became Associate Producer in 1992; and Executive Producer in 2000. Mr. James has continued the long tradition of the Marriott Theatre launching Broadway shows into the regional market with acclaimed productions of Cats, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard, Beauty and the Beast, and Les Misérables; and, in addition, continued to foster new works with recent presentations of The Bowery Boys (2008/09), Married Alive! (2007), All Night Strut (2006/07), and Once Upon A Time In New Jersey (2006). He served as musical supervisor of Casper: The Musical at the Shaftsbury Theatre on London’s West End, as managing director and co-founder of Puszh Co. for the Performing Arts, director of the acclaimed Dark Night series and the performing group S.R.O., artistic director of the California Conservatory Theatre, on staff with the Piven Theatre Workshop, and as theatre lecturer/musical director for Loyola University.

ANDY HITE (Artistic Director) began his affiliation with the Marriott Theatre as an actor in 2000. Two years later he joined the artistic team as Assistant to the Artistic Director, and is now ecstatic to hold the position of Artistic Director in this great theatre. As Artistic Director he has had the pleasure to oversee 2008’s critically acclaimed Les Misérables which won the Joseph Jefferson award for Best Musical Production. Other highlights include Footloose, Oliver, Into the Woods, Shenandoah, The Full Monty, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Hairspray, and Fiddler on the Roof all to audience and critical acclaim. Prior to joining the Marriott Theatre, Andy enjoyed an award winning acting career in Chicago and was fortunate to be able to work with companies such as Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre, Northlight Theatre, The Auditorium Theatre and, of course, the Marriott Theatre. Mr. Hite also teaches acting and audition workshops for musical theatre. His greatest accomplishments are four year old twins Rowan and Sylvie, and wife Sasha.

AARON THIELEN (Artistic Director) This marks Aaron's 15th year associated with the Marriott Theatre, as an actor, choreographer, and now Artistic Director. Aaron, long an advocate for new works, was one of the creative forces in bringing the 2008 world premiere musical The Bowery Boys to the Marriott Theatre stage. He recently wrote a musical adaptation of For The Boys; the popular 1991 Fox film starring Bette Midler. This new musical will get its world premiere at the Marriott Theatre in August of 2011. He is also writing another new musical, with music and lyrics by Michael Mahler, called HERO. He also co-authored our award-winning All Night Strut, A Fascinatin’ Rhythm with Marc Robin. As Artistic Director, in addition to The Bowery Boys and All Night Strut, he led the creative teams of the record-breaking hit Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; The Light In The Piazza; The Producers; Little Women; Thoroughly Modern Millie; State Fair; and Married Alive. As an actor, Aaron appeared in theatres throughout Chicagoland and was featured in more than 20 productions here at Marriott Theatre. In 2001, Aaron was instrumental in facilitating the theatre's expansion. He co-founded a theatre company in Milwaukee dedicated to community outreach, he is a former company member of Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Company.

THOMAS M. RYAN (Resident Scenic Designer) has designed scenery for more than 100 productions here since 1985. Some favorite Marriott Theatre designs include Les Mis, Oliver!, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof, Chess, 1776, Brigadoon, Hello, Dolly! (Jeff nominated), Miss Saigon, and Cats. He has taught at Moorhead State University, the Latin School of Chicago and Northwestern University. Other Chicago theatrical designs have been seen at Chicago Opera Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Northlight, Apple Tree, Northwestern, and Pegasus Players. Non-theatrical work has been seen locally at Navy Pier (Winter Wonderfest and Halloween), the Notebaert Nature Museum (interactive treehouse), large scale hats, caps and other wear on the Picasso in Daley Plaza, on The Big Ten Network and NBC 5 Chicago (HD Set), where he was recently nominated for a Chicago/Midwest Emmy. A special thanks to my assistants S & C.

NANCY MISSIMI (Resident Costume Designer) has been designing costumes in Chicago for 27 years. She has taught at the University of Detroit and C.W. Post College, and managed the costume collection for Theatre Development Fund in New York. Credits include designs for Court, Royal George, Chicago Opera Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook and Martinique and Northwestern University’s Waa-Mu Show. She is the recipient of numerous Joseph Jefferson nominations and awards, most recently for Marriott’s Beauty and the Beast, Cats, and Show Boat. Her designs for Joseph... and The Wizard of Oz have been seen at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; and she has recently designed a national tour of Phantom. Among her favorite Marriott Theatre shows are The King and I, 1776, and Hot Mikado. She and director-husband, Dominic, are pleased to share billing with daughters Emmy and Angela.

DIANE FERRY WILLIAMS (Resident Lighting Designer) has designed over 100 productions for the Marriott Theatre. She has also worked for many other theatres around the country, including The Ravinia Festival, The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Portland Center Stage, Theatre Under the Stars, The Goodspeed, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Goodman, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, ACT Seattle, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Rep, Hubbard Street, Regional Dance America, The Augusta Opera, and the Kennedy Center. International work includes The Harlem Gospel Singers in Paris and their European tour, and Die Shone Und Das Biest in Berlin and their European tour. Other design work includes national tours of Victor/Victoria, Kiss Me Kate, and State Fair. Awards include a Jeff Award for Miss Saigon, an After Dark Award for Sunset Boulevard, Drammy awards for A New Brain, BatBoy, and Snow Falling on Cedars, a Carbonell Award for Don’t Stop the Carnival by Jimmy Buffet and Herman Wouk, and Jeff nominations for The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, Cats, Beauty and the Beast, Sunset Boulevard, The All Night Strut, and Les Misérables (all at the Marriott Theatre). Diane has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatrical Design from Northwestern University.

ROBERT E. GILMARTIN (Sound Designer) has been engineering and designing theater around Chicago since 2002. His engineering experience includes work with Lookingglass Theater, Marriott Theatre, Steppenwolf, and The Goodman. Design credits include Marriott Theatre's productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Light in the Piazza, Hairspray, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, The Drowsy Chaperone, Once on this Island, Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, A Christmas Carol, High School Musical, and Aladdin, The Buddy Holly Story (Mercury Theater), A Flea in Her Ear (Northwestern University), Don Juan in Chicago (Tinfish Theater), Psyche (New Theater Collective), StopKiss (Black Dove Theater). Robert graduated from Middle Tennessee State University's school of Recording Industry Management. Thanks to Buster and Family.

DAVID SIEGEL (Orchestral Reductions) was co-orchestrator with Danny Troob for the Broadway revival of How To Succeed In Business.... National Tours include orchestrations for Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, Little House On The Prairie, and orchestral reductions for How To Succeed... and Beauty And The Beast. Original orchestrations for theatre include Windy City, The All Night Strut, Pippin, and The Bowery Boys. David has also written orchestrations for the Radio City Christmas Show, Walt Disney Entertainment’s Tokyo Disney, Euro Disney Parade, C’est Magique, Disney Cruiselines, Walt Disney’s 100 year parade and SeaWorld. For the Fynsworth Alley label he orchestrated The Stephen Sondheim Album, Emily Skinner and The Sherman Brothers. For the Varese Sarabande label David wrote the orchestrations for Unsuspecting Hearts and Broadway Duets with Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley, The Stephen Schwartz Album, Cinderella, and Christiane Noel’s A Broadway Love Story. Orchestrations for TV & film include The Wonder Pets, Little Mermaid II, and Music Man.

MICHAEL HENDRICKS (Production Stage Manager) has worked in professional theatre for over thirty five years. Prior to stage managing, he acted at such regional theatres as the Guthrie, Indiana Rep, Wisdom Bridge, and Meadow Brook Theatre. Michael and his wife, Janet Wilson, have written two musicals for young audiences - Little Red and Her Friends, which was recently performed at the Winnetka Community House, and Patrick and the Pirates. They are also the parents of three adult children. In his spare time, Michael does volunteer work for Misericordia.

PETER MARSTON SULLIVAN (Artistic Associate) has worked for the Marriott Theatre for over six years in various capacities, including his current position of Artistic Associate. Peter earned a BA in Theatre and an MA in Teaching at Trinity University in San Antonio, and an MFA in Directing at Illinois State University. In tandem with his work at the Marriott Theatre, Peter frequently directs in the city and is the Artistic Director of the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble. Recent directing projects include Big River, Ghosts, I Am My Own Wife (co-Director), Playing with Fire (After Frankenstein), and M. Butterfly at BoHo Theatre; Black Comedy at Piccolo Theatre, Monster Garden at the Gorilla Tango Theatre, and Cry Havoc at Bailiwick.

Peter Blair (Producing Associate) started working with the Marriott Theatre in 2005 and currently serves as Producing Associate. In addition to his work at Marriott, Peter is the former Executive Director of Bohemian Theatre Ensemble in Chicago, where he produced 14 shows and remains a proud company member. As a stage manager, director, and producer, he has also worked with Drury Lane, Porchlight Music Theatre, Bailiwick Repertory, and 18 months with the original Chicago company of "...Spelling Bee". Originally from San Diego, Peter earned a music degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Claire, co-owner of Volume Gallery.

PATTI GARWOOD (Musical Supervisor/Conductor) has been with the Marriott Theatre since 1994. Other Chicago musical directing and conducting credits include the Grant Park Orchestra featuring Dennis De Young, Catskills On Broadway at the Shubert Theatre and Oliver!, Song and Dance and Kopit and Yeston’s Phantom at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. Prior to making the Chicago area her home, Patti served as Resident Musical Director at the Fireside Dinner Playhouse in Fort Atkinson, WI and at the Musicana Dinner Playhouse in West Palm Beach, FL. Other regional theatre work includes La Comedia Dinner Theatre in Springboro, OH; the Capitol Theatre in Rome, NY and the Harbor House on Nantucket Island, MA.

PRODUCTION STAFF

Assistant Stage Manager/Master Electrician Terry Ghiotto*

Set Construction Ravenswood Studio, Inc.

Warehouse and Properties Manager Rob Rahn

Resident Assistant Lighting Designer Charlotte Rathke

Press Representative Noreen Heron & Associates Kate Hughes, Lianne Wiker, Holly Gustavson, Katharine Nichols, Ellen Molina, Susan Duffy, Kelly Erdman

*Member of Actors' Equity Association