Ghost Quartet
October 31-November 10, 2019

Music, Lyrics, and Text by Dave Malloy
Music Direction by Aaron Albin
Directed by Mark Albin

Four friends meet over multiple lifetimes, falling in love, murdering each other, and drinking whiskey, in the song cycle, Ghost Quartet, by Tony nominated composer, Dave Malloy. An interwoven story of two sisters, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, a lazy evil bear, and a New York subway murder is just the trick and the perfect treat for this Halloween season. Set to a score of contemporary folk music, this 90-minute show is smooth and neat. Raise a glass to love, death, and whisky. Next stop, Ghost Quartet!

Photo credits: Jamie & Eric Photography

The Cast

Grace Lazarz………Dunyazad, Rose Red, (Starchild), Roxie, The Photographer/Rose
Karen Dickerson…Scheherazade, Pearl White, Soldier, Lady Usher, The Victim/Pearl
Joe B Russo……….Monk, The Astronomer, Edgar, The Driver
Tyler Miller…………Shah Zaman, Bear, The Fool, The Pusher

UNDERSTUDIES
Erin Joines…………Dunyazad, Rose Red, (Starchild), Roxie, The Photographer/Rose
Tessa Pauls…………Scheherazade, Pearl White, Soldier, Lady Usher, The Victim/Pearl
Zach Rivers…………Monk, The Astronomer, Edgar, The Driver, Shah Zaman, Bear, The Fool, The Pusher

Directed by Mark Albin and Music Directed by Dr. Aaron Albin

KAREN DICKERSON
Karen Dickerson is a versatile soprano with a diverse repertoire. Karen most recently covered the role of Diana in Art 4's production of Next to Normal and is thankful for the opportunity to work with Art 4 again. She has been heavily involved with the South Bend Lyric Opera since it's founding, performing roles including Despina in Cosi fan tutte, Mother in Hansel and Gretel, Sally in Die Fledermaus, Gianetta in L’elisir d’Amore, and Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor. Other local credits include Rosalind in As You Like It at the South Bend Civic Theatre. Karen holds a B.A. in Music Performance from Bethel College. Her solo credits include Handel’s Messiah, Haydn's Creation, Schubert’s Mass in G, and Poulenc’s Gloria. A longtime lover of jazz, Karen can often be seen singing with some of her favorite musicians in and around South Bend.

ERIN JOINES
Erin Joines is an Acting BFA student at Baldwin Wallace University and was recently in Art 4 production of Next to Normal as the cover for Natalie Goodman. Some of her previous roles include Sara u/s in Stop Kiss and Jason in Medea at Baldwin Wallace. She is so grateful to have the opportunity to work with Mark and Aaron again! She would like to thank the entire production team as well as her amazing castmates. She would also like to thank her friends and family for their love and support! Enjoy the Show!!!

GRACE LAZARZ
Grace Lazarz is an actor, director, stage manager, and educator, as well as the current Volunteer Coordinator and Education Specialist at South Bend Civic Theatre. She is thrilled to be onstage for an Art 4 production after having stage managed their production of [title of show] in 2018. Most recently she performed as Lucrece in South Bend Civic Theatre's production of The Liar and as Jennifer in The Acting Ensemble's The Realistic Joneses. Favorite acting credits include Riff Raff in Rocky Horror Show (DePauw University)and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (IndyFringe Theatre). She'd like to thank both her English teachers and her father (all of whom led her to a deep love of eerie stories), as well as the rest of her family, and always: Joe B Russo for the unconditional support.

TYLER MILLER
Tyler Miller considers the stage his second home, second only to his actual house in Goshen, Indiana. Tyler is thrilled to join Art 4 for the first time; he has previously performed with many companies in northern Indiana, including the South Bend Civic, Amish Acres, Premier Arts, and more. Tyler serves on the Board at the Goshen Art House, a nonprofit that serves local artists of all genres. He is the founder and producer of the Neighborhood Watch variety show and has appeared in musicals, plays, variety shows, improv, bar karaoke, and background footage of local news reports. Tyler served as the 10th President of the United States from 1841-1845.

TESSA PAULS
Tessa Pauls is a soprano with an interest in many different types of repertoire. Performing in musical theatre productions since middle and high school, she has always had a deep interest in music and performing arts. Tessa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Bethel College (now Bethel University), where she fell in love with the world of opera and classical music. Since graduating, she has been seen on stage in South Bend Lyric Opera’s Die Fledermaus and Rigoletto, as well soloing with various choirs in the area in oratorios such as Haydn’s Creation, Handel’s Messiah, and Gounod’s Seven Last Words of Christ. Tessa also sings with Vesper Chorale (part of Musical Arts Indiana), and serves as a soprano section leader and as a vocal coach in their Young Singers Development Program. Tessa is beyond thrilled to be returning to the musical theatre world in Art 4's production of Ghost Quartet!

In recent years, Tessa has also become interested in the technical side of performing arts--designing hair and makeup, helping with costume and set designs, music directing, and most recently doing administrative work for SBLO. She also serves as secretary on the Board of Directors for both Musical Arts Indiana and SBLO. In her free time, Tessa enjoys drinking coffee, reading, crafting, and spending time with friends and family.

ZACH RIVERS
Though this is Zach’s first time working with Art 4, he is a frequent collaborator with Elkhart Civic Theatre, most recently portraying Ewart Dunlop as part of The Music Man’s Barbershop quartet.  Other ECT Credits include Disaster Expert, Dr. Ted Scheider in Disaster! The Musical, Bumbling Henchman, Lefou in Beauty and the Beast, Detective Morris Brummell in No Way to Treat a Lady, and Hapless Toll Collector, Norbert Garstecki in The Great American Trailer Park Musical.

In addition to his work in theatre, Zach provides his talents to “Theater geeks, Dweebs, and Weirdos” as a Technical Advisor and Performer. “Theater Geeks…” is a weekly Twitch Livestream of a 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons game, with a focus on role playing and character development in tabletop gaming. He also lends his voice to the “Lost Legends of Scadrial” Podcast, a Mistborn adventure game actual play based on the “Mistborn” series by Brandon Sanderson.

An Elkhart Central Graduate, Zach went on to attend Carthage College as a Vocal Performance and Musical Theatre Major. While there, he was a part of Carthage’s first A Capella group, Maximum Capacity.  He was also featured in the Carthage Vocal Jazz ensemble, and the Lincoln Singers, a vocal chamber group. Notable credits at Carthage include co-writing and performing in The Steampunk Opera Symposium as Van Helsing, and Gangster #1 in The Drowsy Chaperone.

JOE B RUSSO
Joe is thrilled to return to the Art 4 stage once again in Ghost Quartet. A freelance theatre artist born and raised in Fairbanks, AK, Joe has been performing and teaching in the arts in South Bend since September 2016. Most recently, you may have seen him performing with Art 4 in Next to Normal as Henry, Seaside Cabaret as a vocalist, [title of show] as Hunter, or in South Bend Civic Theatre's As You Like It as Oliver. Joe would like to thank his girlfriend Grace as well as Shrek, his anchors and sources of constant inspiration.

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