Who Killed Santa? 2018 Cast and Crew
Neil Haven, Playwright
Neil Haven's plays have been seen at various theatres in Milwaukee and other places around the country like Rochester, Minnesota and New York City, New York, and Louisville, wherever that is. Some favorites include Come Back, Stuck, Get a Life, and The Playdaters. Since debuting in Milwaukee in 2008, Who Killed Santa has been produced in Los Angeles, Omaha, Louisville (is this really a place?), Denver, and somewhere in Florida. Originally from Whitewater, Wisconsin, Neil worked in the Milwaukee theatre scene for several years before giving up and becoming a dueling piano player. He currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island, wherever that is.
Bo Johnson as Santa, et al
WHO KILLED SANTA has been produced in the Milwaukee area (and Racine) a bunch of times. And every time, Bo has been in it. Every time. And he always plays the same part, pretty much the same way. Always! Every Time! (pause) It's been great.
Nate Press as Frosty
Nate Press is the original Frosty from Who Killed Santa?’s debut performance in 2008. This will be his 8th time inhabiting the character and each year Frosty actually gets stupider. This is because he is kept on ice during the off-season (Jan-Nov) so he never learns anything new and much of what he already knows just slowly melts away whenever he is indoors during the month of December. True story. Nate however, is very smart. He has been seen on multiple Milwaukee stages over the years. Recent favorite roles include Tim in The Good Father with MKE Irish Arts, Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie at the Underground Collaborative, and Horst in Bent with The World’s Stage.
Grace DeWolff as Tiny Tim
Grace is a Milwaukee-based actor, director, and theater-maker who also really enjoys teaching. Favorite credits include Juliet and Laertes at Bard and Bourbon Theatre Company; Seta in Beast on the Moon and Laura in The Glass Menagerie at In Tandem Theatre; and teaching her own Shakespeare curriculum at Bradley Tech High School through Arts@Large. Thanks Bo and team for including her once again in this silly Christmas play.
Tawnie Thompson as Rudolph
Tawnie Thompson is an Actor, Fight Choreographer and avid enthusiast of all things Christmas. She is incredibly excited to be taking on the role of Rudolph with such an amazingly talented cast and crew. Some recent acting credits include Adrian, Coriolanus; Holly Hobby, Death Shipp 666!; Nurse/Prince, Romeo and Juliet; Lost Child, Nightmares and Lullabies. Tawnie is also a founding member of the Theatre of the Mind Players streaming group who were recently featured on Geek and Sundry.
JJ Gatesman as Steve (The Little Drummer Boy)
JJ Gatesman is an MFA from Western Illinois University. Originally from Las Vegas, he has been performing in Milwaukee for the last 4 years. His recent credits include: Mr Darcy, Pride and Prejudice; Romeo Romeo and Juliet (SummerStage of Delafield); Ellard The Foreigner (Sunset Playhouse); and Clarence The Nautical Tragedy of Dick III (Quasimondo). JJ is also an accomplished fight director, having choreographed fights in Madison, Las Vegas, Denver, and Milwaukee. He is thrilled to be a part of the mystery.
Kendall Yorkey as Chastity
Kendall couldn't be any happier to be joining this incredible cast! She's most recently been seen as 'Honey' in The Flesh Trade at the Alchemist Theatre, 'Bonnie' in Anything Goes at Patio Players, and the 'Other Mother ' in Coraline at Tenth Street Theatre.
Desiree Stypinski, Stage Manager
Desiree is a third year attending Alverno College, and she is currently earning her BA in Psychology and Creative Arts. Her most recent stage management credits are King Lear (Free Shakespeare in the Park) and I Never Saw Another Butterfly by Celeste Raspanti, an Alverno Alum and retired Alverno Professor. She has been stage managing since the summer of 2017 and hopes to continue after graduation.
Dan Katula, Puppetmaker
Dan is the guy who did the puppets for Who Killed Santa? He has worked at several local theatres including Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theatreworks, Optimist Theatre, and First Stage Children's Theatre. Dan has also spent summers at Door Shakespeare. Regionally he has acted for the Cleveland Playhouse, New York's GEVA, and Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod.
Amanda Press, Costume Designer
Amanda has been with the show since the beginning, way back before she became Mrs. Frosty the Snowman. At first she just did costumes, but now they make her do all the producerish stuff like promote the show and pay people. Amanda has a BFA in Costume Design from UW-Whitewater and in her younger years she worked at a bunch of theatre places. Now she is a full-time photographer and crams in theatre work sometimes.
