Anna Doyle (Mandy) was born and raised in Maine, and ventured out to Michigan last year for an apprenticeship at The Purple Rose Theatre. She attended Colby College, and has also studied at the Eugene O’Neill Center and The Barrow Group. Most recently, Anna played Nina in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike right here at Open Book. She also appeared in the Detroit New Works Festival as Lucy in Ripped. Next up is Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hoosier Shakes in Indiana. In fact, Anna will be a Hoosier for the next three years, getting her MFA in Acting from Indiana University. She will miss the Michigan theater community, and will surely be back again. Big thanks and hugs to Krista, David, Robert, Wendy, and Jill. As always, all the love and gratitude to Mom and Dad, and Michael. Anna also does film, voiceover, and audiobook work– learn more at annadoyleactor.com.
David Galido (James) is thrilled to be making his Open Book debut with such an amazingly talented cast and crew. His previous credits include shows with Penny Seats, Roustabout Theatre, Pencilpoint, Monsterbox, Shakespeare in Detroit, Pointless Brewery, Slipstream, and the Michigan Shakespeare Festival Tour. When not acting David spends his time playing with fire at the Michigan Science Center and locking people up at Escape the Room Detroit. His interests include breakfast foods, pretending to have the Force, ranking Beatles songs, debating the merits of Star Trek series, and pretty much any sport that doesn’t involve a car. He would like to thank his friends and family for their support; Wendy, Krista, and everyone who made this show not just possible, but a joy to be a part of; and you – the person reading this right now – for coming to support live theatre.
Krista Schafer Ewbank (Sarah) is the founding Artistic Director of Open Book. This season she directed Life Sucks and appeared in the title role of Emilie. Last season she was nominated for Wilde Awards for her direction of Peter and the Starcatcher and her performance in Boy Gets Girl. A native Michigander, Krista holds a degree in theatre from Northwestern University and has worked in theatres large and small across the country. She is also the drama director at Grosse Ile High School and will be directing the Grosse Ile Boar’s Head Festival again this December. She is grateful every day for the amazing artists she works with, the wonderful theatrical home we share, the audiences who engage in this conversation with us, and her family who makes it all possible.
Robert Schorr (Richard) is a graduate of the Actors Studio Drama School where he received his MFA in Acting. Originally from California, he has a B.A. in Cinema from CSU San Francisco and is an alumnus of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Robert made his Michigan debut in the Open Book production of Good People, appeared summer 2017 in the Penny Seats production of The Renaissance Man. While in New York he appeared in productions of The Wild Duck, Three Sisters, Six Degrees of Separation, and The Laramie Project. Robert made his feature film debut in Heroes Don’t Come Home, available on Amazon Prime. He has also appeared in the original web-series Into Girl as Alice’s Dad and Ringer$ as Franklyn. He also appeared as Macy in the SVA short film, Gloaming Almost Invisible. Robert is the father of three wonderful children.
Wendy Katz Hiller (Director) is delighted to be making her directing debut here at Open Book having previously directed for BoxFest Detroit and Theatre Nova’s 10-Minute Play Festival. Better known to audiences for her on-stage, rather than back-stage, work, Wendy has performed in three shows at Open Book, most recently portraying Masha in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Trained at New York’s National Shakespeare Conservatory, Wendy has also appeared with various theatres in the area including The Jewish Ensemble Theatre, The Matrix Theatre, The Encore Musical Theatre Company, and The Michigan Shakespeare Festival where she was awarded a “Wilde Award” for her portrayal of Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals. She would like to offer her deepest thanks to Krista for giving her this opportunity, the rest of the cast and crew of Time Stands Still for their amazing work, and her husband, Steve, for supporting her as she pursues her crazy dreams.
Jillian Joie Dahl (Stage Manager) is a Detroit based stage manager, hailing from the East Coast where she was a Young Critic for the Delaware Theatre Company and ASM for A Midsummer’s Night Dream with the Delaware Shakespeare Festival. She graduated from Susquehanna University with a degree in Theatre. She has completed an apprenticeship with The Purple Rose Theatre and Tipping Point Theatre. This year she was ASM for the Michigan tour of Hockey the Musical and SM for Emilie at Open Book. She is ecstatic to be back at Open Book for the second time. As a passionate fan of Shakespeare and creating accessible programming, Jillian is also a board member of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival. Much love and thanks to my Mom, Sami, Grandma, and Ferguson my hamster. Check out her website bit.ly/TheJillianJoie for upcoming shows and updates!
Harley Miah (Lighting Designer) is a professional in the entertainment technology industry. He is a freelance lighting programmer for a large number of nightclubs, concerts and festivals across the country, and the chief lighting designer for IKO Global Productions. Harley is the resident lighting designer for Open Book, and has been involved in the technical design of our new performance space from the ground up. He has designed the lights for all of the shows in Open Book’s first two seasons and earned a Wilde Award for Best Design – Lights for his work on Red in 2015. He is also the resident lighting designer for the AKT Theatre Project in Wyandotte, and Outvisible Theatre Company in Allen Park. When not in the theater, Harley spends his time painting, building Lego stages, loitering in museums, and riding his bicycle on the mean streets of Downriver.
Eric Niece (Scenic Designer) has built and designed the sets for Open Book’s productions of Emilie and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. He received his bachelor’s degree in Theatre: Performance from Northwest Missouri State University and his Masters of Arts in Theatre from Regent University. When not working at Open Book or his job as Technical Director for Adrian College, Eric enjoys picking up freelance acting and design work throughout the state of Michigan. Eric would like to thank Krista and the rest of the Open Book team for bringing him on board, his family for their continued love and support, and his lovely wife, Hannah, for putting up with his late nights and long hours. He couldn’t have done this without her.