Meet the Cast

JEFF BRYANT (Dickon) is happy to be making his second appearance with the Willows Theatre Company.  He first appeared on our stage last summer as the Courier in 1776, in which he sang “Mama, Look Sharp.”  You may also have seen him in The Tempest at California Shakespeare Theatre, or in Roar of the Greasepaint at 42nd Street Moon.  When not on stage, Jeff is usually engaged in songwriting (he plays both guitar and harmonica), creative writing, painting, and trying to figure out how to pay for the rest of his college education.

MARK FARRELL* (Neville Craven) has worked as an actor in the Bay Area for over 15 years. He has appeared at the Willows in Funny Girl; Fiddler on the Roof; 1776 (2000); Look Homeward, Angel; Merrily We Roll Along; and most recently, Judgment at Nuremberg.  Work at other theaters includes: Fugitive Kind, Noel & Gertie, (BATCC/Shellie award), Around the World in 80 Days, and Laughter on the 23^rd Floor at Center Rep; The Crucible, Lady in the Dark, Wonderful Town, Me & My Girl, Splittin’ the Raft, and Old Wicked Songs at Marin Theatre Co.; Haunting of Winchester at San Jose Rep; Travesties (understudy) at A.C.T.; and The Fantasticks (BATCC award) and Putting It Together at  S.F. Playhouse.  Mark has also worked with such esteemed companies as ArtRise, the Bay Area Playwright’s Festival, 42nd Street Moon, Golden Thread, ODC, Playground, Solano College (guest artist), and TheatreFirst.  He appeared last year Off-Broadway at the historic Ars Nova Theatre as Erik Menendez in Loaded, written by and co-starring Scott Capurro and directed by Barbara Damashek.

LUCINDA HITCHCOCK CONE* (Mrs. Medlock) is pleased to return to the Willows, where she has appeared in The Night of the Hunter, The Spitfire Grill, Nunsense Jamboree, Lettice & Lovage, Noises Off, and Jimmy Valentine.  Her Bay Area credits include The Music Man, My Fair Lady, and Big River for American Musical Theater of San Jose; Hans Christian Andersen and understudy to Diane Venora in Pinter’s The Room/Celebration at  A.C.T.; River’s End, All in the Timing, Wilder,Wilder,Wilder, Lips Together, Teeth Apart, and The Puppet Master of Lodz at Marin Theater Co.; Shear Madness at the Mason St. Theater; The Clean House, Cabaret, and Ragtime for TheatreWorks; Rumors at San Jose Rep; Woody Guthrie’s American Song and Reckless at Berkeley Rep; Oklahoma, Footloose, Crazy for You, Damn Yankees, and The Sound of Music for Sacramento Music Circus; Convenience, Arms and the Man, Tartuffe, Cinderella (Fairy Godmother), and The Christmas Carol for Sacramento Theater Company; and Sylvia at the B Street Theater.  She also spent a year on the National Tour of Big River.  Her regional credits include Hartford Stage Co., PCPA, Arizona Theater Co., The Folger Theater, Coconut Grove Playhouse, The Birmingham Theater, St. Louis Rep., Indiana Rep, The Geva Theater, Syracuse Stage, Portland Stage Co., The Human Race Theater, and the Odyssey Theater.  Off Broadway she appeared in the Obie Award-winning Eyes on the Harem.  She has received a Dramalogue award and four Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards. She was a member of the Circle Rep Lab in New York and studied mime in Paris with Etienne Decroux.

ELIZABETH HUNTER (Lily) is an accomplished soloist in opera, musicals, oratorio, and concerts, as well as a recording artist.  She has been a featured soloist with orchestras in California, Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, and New Jersey.  Internationally, she has appeared as a soloist with the Salzburg Prodigy Orchestra. Elizabeth has been the recipient of many vocal awards; among them two NATS competitions, a Concert competition, as well as being named Miss Minnesota, Miss Minnesota Talent winner, and competing in the Miss America Pageant.  She holds a master’s degree in Performance and has sung in numerous venues, ranging from the site of the College World Series in Nebraska to the Minneapolis Metrodome, where she performed the National Anthem at the World Series.  Since moving to California nine years ago, she has earned two Shellie award nominations for Lily in The Secret Garden and Marsinah in Kismet.  In California, she has also performed lead roles in Carousel, H.M.S. Pinafore, Gianni Schicchi, and Die Fledermaus.  Ms. Hunter has also been a soloist and member of San Francisco Choral Artists.  She has co-produced and been featured in cabaret shows and co-produced a Christmas CD.  Currently, she is a private voice teacher in Danville and a voice teacher for the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

RUSS LORENSON (Archibald Craven) has a passion for theatre and music that began as a youngster, with a performing career that began at age seven.  As a choral conductor and vocal coach, he was the Associate Conductor of the award-winning California Youth Chorale, and as an actor he has appeared locally with 42nd Street Moon (Finian’s Rainbow, Minnie’s Boys, Red Hot & Blue, The Golden Apple) and the Willows Theatre (1776).  In San Diego, he appeared with Starlight Musical Theatre (The Wizard of Oz, Phantom), Lyric Opera San Diego (Rose Marie, The Desert Song), Diversionary Theatre (Ten Percent Revue, C’est La Guerre), and toured with the National Theatre for Children.  As a nightclub entertainer, Russ’s sound and approach place him at the intersection of Broadway, jazz, and pop – the very essence of the Great American Songbook.  His current show, Benedetto/Blessed: A Tribute to the Life and Music of Tony Bennett, premiered in July 2006 as the opening act for the legendary Eartha Kitt and is currently enjoying sold-out runs across the country, including San Francisco’s Empire Plush Room, Sterling’s Upstairs in Los Angeles, and New York’s famed Iridium Jazz Club.  His debut CD, A Little Travelin’ Music, was released in May 2006 on the LML Music label and features songs from his nightclub show of the same name, including duets with special guests Shawn Ryan and Klea Blackhurst.  His second CD, What I Want for Christmas, was also released on LML Music in 2006 and has received extensive radio airplay in major markets across the U.S.  (www.russlorenson.com).

KRISTIN STOKES* (Martha) is pleased to be returning to the Willows stage after making her debut last year as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.  She recently closed a great run of The Learned Ladies of Park Avenue (Betty) at TheatreWorks.  Other credits include: The Ride Down Mount Morgan (Bessie) at S.F Playhouse; Brooklyn Boy (Alison) at TheatreWorks; John and Jen (Jen) at Bus Barn Stage Co.; Brigadoon (Jean MacLaren) at PCPA Theatrefest; and The Miracle Worker (Helen Keller) at Universal Performers.  Kristin has also been a part of workshops for Asphalt Beach (Marvel Ann) with Andrew Lippa at TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival, as well as Richard II and One with PCPA.  She is a proud graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.

RICK WILLIAMS (Ben Weatherstaff) is delighted to be back at the Willows after appearing as John Adams in 1776 (twice!) and the title role in Man of La Mancha, two roles which earned him a pair of Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards for best male performer in a musical.  Rick is a 30-year veteran of San Francisco’s Lamplighters Music Theatre, where he has performed all 13 Gilbert & Sullivan comic patter baritone roles; received a third BATCC award (Koko in The Mikado); and was featured on the Lamplighters CD.  Favorite roles with the Lamplighters include Higgins in My Fair Lady and Frederik in A Little Night Music (BATCC award nominee for both); Captain Andy (Show Boat); Pangloss (Candide); Baron Zeta (Merry Widow); Spettigue (Where’s Charley?); and Horace Vandergelder (Hello, Dolly).  He is also a familiar performer with other Bay Area companies, including 42nd Street Moon (Bauer, Pardon My English); West Bay Opera (Dr. Bartolo, Barber of Seville; Sacristan, Tosca); Pocket Opera (Njegus, Merry Widow); Berkeley Contemporary Opera (Governor, Candide); Peninsula Civic Light Opera (Dickinson, 1776); and Piedmont Light Opera Theater (Fagin, Oliver).  His stage directorial experience includes work with the Lamplighters and the Stanford Savoyards.