MICHAEL STEWART ALLEN (Ariel) is happy to be making his debut at The Human Race. Most recently he was seen as George in Of Mice and Men at Arkansas Repertory Theater. Off-Broadway credits include Turn of the Screw, Two Gentleman of Verona and Love Shakespeare, all with the Tony Award-winning Acting Company, and Don Carlos in Don Carlos with Prospect Theatre of New York City. Regionally, Michael has been a company m150108ember of the Shakespeare Festival of New Jersey since 1997 and has performed at numerous theatres, including Arkansas Repertory, The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Contemporary American Theater (CATCo.), 12 Miles West and The Compass Rose. Film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU and voice work on Cold Mountain. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Screen Actors’ Guild. Much love to Amy!

JEFFREY M. BENDER (Trinculo/Mariner/Reflection/Spirit/Ceres) is in his first season with The Human Race Theatre Company. He has been a company member of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for seven years and has performed there in such roles as Ludovico in Life of Galileo, Trinculo in The Tempest, Solyony in Three Sisters, and Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night, to name a few. Jeff has performed regionally at the Delaware Theatre Company, Capital Repertory Theatre, Public Theatre of Maine, Tulsa Rep., Michigan Shakespeare Festival as well as with numerous New York City theater companies. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Michigan.

DAMIAN BUZZERIO (Alonso/Spirit) In Regional Productions Damian has appeared as: File in Rainmaker (Des Moines Playhouse), Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing (Mill Mountain), Antonio in Twelfth Night, Lord Montague in Romeo & Juliet and Rivers in Richard III (PA Shakespeare Fest.), Ismay in Titanic (La Comedia), Arthur in Camelot (John Harmes Center), Grober in Carnival (Rockwell), Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors (Northern Stage), Fredrik in A Little Night Music (Weathervane Playhouse). In NYC as: Prospero in The Tempest (Pulse Ensemble), Stuart in Beyond Therapy ( Cabaret Theatre at Dillon’s), Pandarus and Ulysses in Troilus & Cressida (Clemente Soto Velez Art Center), Prince Sergius in Tolstoy’s “Redemption” (La MaMa Etc), Proteus in The Apple Cart (Theater Ten Ten), Michael in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me (Abingdon Theater). He has also been cast in lead roles in four local Independent films

BRUCE CROMER (Prospero) is a proud Resident Artist with The Human Race Theatre and member of Actors’ Equity. A regional theatre actor for nearly thirty years, he has also performed with the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Shakespeare Festival of New Jersey, Santa Fe Stages, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, etc. He is an Associate Professor in Theatre at Wright State University.

HERB DUVAL (Gonzalo/Spirit) moved to Ohio in April. He has written and performed a segment in a film, Freedom, which premiered at the Aronoff Center in January, and taken over the Directorship of the Rising Phoenix Theatre in Middletown. No stranger to the area, he has played Cincinnati several times, appearing in national companies of Equus, Children of a Lesser God and Much Ado About Nothing. As a director, he has staged productions of Playboy of the Western World, A Doll’s House and his own work, Sister Carrie, a musical based on the Dreiser novel. Herb lives in Wyoming with wife, Donna, and son, Alex.

KIMBERLY FINCH (Miranda/Spirit) This is Kimberly’s Human Race debut. Her professional credits include: Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (Galveston Island Musicals), Wendy in Peter Pan and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof (La Commedia Dinner Theatre). College productions: Mother in Ragtime and the Witch in Into the Woods ( Wright State University). Thanks to my family for their love and support!

NATHAN KAUFMAN (Caliban/Master of Ship/Spirit) Regional credits: As You Like It (Charles/William), Julius Caesar (Metellus Cimber/Clitus/Plebeian), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (The Major-Domo) and Life of Galileo (Mucius/Monk) all at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey where he also toured Macbeth (Macbeth), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bottom/Egeus), Henry V (Constable of France) and Hamlet (Claudius/Ghost). Nathan received his BFA in Acting from the Purchase College Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film where he performed in such plays as The Laramie Project, The Grapes of Wrath (Jim Casy), Boys' Life (Phil), The Trial (Huld) and The Oresteia (Orestes).

SCOTT LEAKE (Antonio/Juno/Hellhound) recently moved to Fairborn after completing his first season playing the title role in the local outdoor drama Blue Jacket.  He received his M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Central Florida and his B.A. from Huntingdon College.  Scott is looking forward to marrying his beautiful fiance Tracy this coming April and would like to thank Tara and The Human Race Theatre for their confidence.

BRIAN McKNIGHT ( Sebastian/Spirit/Hellhound) has his BFA from Wright State University and his MFA from DePaul University, Chicago. At The Human Race Brian has appeared in The Dazzle, Crimes of the Heart and The Underpants. Other roles include the title character in Shakespeare’s Richard III, Dodge in Buried Child and roles in Cyrano de Bergerac, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet. His poem/biography of John Lennon appears in the book Writing with Passion and his debut CD (as The Baker Street Irregulars) is available now at  www.atomicmouserecordings.com . A recognized actor/combatant by the Society of American Fight Directors, Brian is currently a full-time faculty member in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Sinclair Community College.

BRIAN SCHILB (Stefano/Mariner/Francisco/Spirit) is in his first season with The Human Race Theatre Company. He has been a company member with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for two seasons, having appeared in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Richard II, Macbeth, Merry Wives of Windsor, Life of Gallileo, The Importance of Being Earnest and Julius Caesar (directed by Brian Crowe). Favorite roles include Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Berenger in Rhinoceros, the title role in Hamlet and Tom in The Glass Menagerie. Following this show, he will be seen as Slim in Of Mice and Men at the Texas Repertory Company. Schilb is a pre-thesis MFA Candidate at the University of South Carolina.

AARON VEGA (Boatswain/Adrian/Iris/Hellhound/US Ariel/Caliban) is currently on staff with The Human Race and has already begun his season with The Nerd, Seussical and the In-School Tour of The Tempest. Aaron has his BFA in Acting/Musical Theatre from Wright State University and performed in many shows there including: States of Independence, Parade and South Pacific. Other professional credits include: Was, Green Gables, Christian Duhamel’s Reinventing Romance, Animal Farm, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, West Side Story, Joseph..., The Wizard of Oz, Noises Off, Beauty and the Beast, A Little Night Music and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s tour of Twelfth Night.

DEREK WILSON ( Ferdinand/Spirit ) Regional: Julius Caesar, Pygmalion (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey); Hamlet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Shakespeare Live!); Macbeth, Pericles, Lorenzaccio, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Theatre Company in the Nation’s Capitol).

BRIAN B. CROWE (Director) is very excited to be returning home to The Human Race, for whom he has directed Noises Off, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Patient A, Proud Voices and four educational touring productions – including his original work Nevermore: The Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe – and appeared on stage in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Elephant Man. Mr. Crowe is currently the Director of Education at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where he has directed Julius Caesar, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors and the world premiere of his original script, Wonderland (...And What Was Found There). He has also directed Shakespeare LIVE! touring productions of As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello and The Tempest. Other directing credits include Red Herring and A Perfect Ganesh (12 Miles West); Somewhere in Between and Children of a Lesser God (Dayton Playhouse); The Destiny of Me (The Act-Up Theatre Festival); and Bent. He received two B.F.A. degrees in directing and acting from Wright State University, and was a Fellow at the 2000 International Salzburg Shakespeare Seminar.

DICK BLOCK (Scenic Designer) has designed a number of productions for The Human Race, including West Side Story, Spinning Into Butter, Of Mice and Men, Steve Martin’s The Underpants and, most recently, The Nerd. As a native it is always fun to return to Dayton and always a pleasure to work with this exciting company. His work has been seen at the Virginia Stage Company, Starlight Productions in Pittsburgh, the Weston Playhouse in Vermont, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre and the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey. Last Spring he was in Cairo designing the Feydeau farce, Silly Goose. He currently serves as the Associate Head of the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of United Scenic Artists. He received his MFA from Northwestern University.

MARY BETH McLAUGHLIN (Costume Designer) has designed numerous shows for The Human Race Theatre including: Copenhagen, The Nerd, Crimes of the Heart, Was, TheOdd Couple, Of Mice and Men, Over The River and Through The Woods, Death of a Salesman, Bat Boy, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Seascape, Noises Off, Wit, Angels in America. She also has worked with Wright State University designing Biloxi Bluesand One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  Prior to The Human Race Theatre she worked for Dayton Ballet and American Stage Company in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has also designed specialty costumes for Kids Voting and United Way.

JOHN RENSEL (Lighting Designer) is the president and co-founder of The Light Fantastic. John has designed productions for Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton Playhouse, Dayton Theatre Guild, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The Muse Machine, Fraze Pavilion and Northeast Regional Ballet Festivals. He is also the resident lighting designer for The Human Race, as well as Kettering Children’s Theatre and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Pops.

RICHARD M. DIONNE (Sound Designer) This is Richard’s first production with The Human Race Theatre. Richard is in his second year as a faculty member at Purdue University, where he serves as production manager and technical director. Previously, he spent four years as the production manager and resident sound designer at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where he mounted nearly 30 productions at various indoor and outdoor venues, including a nationally-recognized educational touring company and such critically-acclaimed productions as The Fantasticks, Hamlet and The Glass Menagerie, among others. His sound design credits include Brecht’s Life of Galileo, Macbeth, Hay Fever, Love's Labour's Lost, Pygmalion, The Glass Menagerie, A Midwinter Night's Dream (a wintry adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream), The Tempest, Enrico IV, The Crucible, Three Sisters, Antony and Cleopatra and Rhinoceros at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; Shadow of Greatness (a world premier starring Richard Chamberlain) and Starr's Last Tape (a barbed and witty exploration of the Whitewater investigation, and a world premiere), both at The Berkshire Theatre Festival; and Wintermezzo, an evening of new plays, at Actor's Theatre of Louisville. Richard received his MA in English Literature from Bucknell University, and has taught at the University of Scranton and Lycoming College.

D. TRISTAN CUPP (Mask and Properties Designer) is currently employed at First Frontier Inc. as technical director. He is frequently involved in puppet design and building for shows at The Human Race.

ELIZABETH GRUNENWALD (Production Stage Manager) is happy to be joining the Human Race for her first full season, her previous Human Race Credits include: Seussical, Copenhagen, The Nerd, The Retreat from Moscow, Green Gables and The Underpants. New York credits include: Blues for an Alabama Sky and Top Girls with NYU Tisch School for the Arts. Other Credits: Cabaret, Plaza Suite, and Peter Pan with Tri-arts at the Sharon Playhouse; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with the Alabama Ballet; Romeo and Juliet and Electra with the Cincinnati Opera.