River Benson is delighted to be back onstage with Red Octopus Theatre Company, this time as Frau Fahrenkopf in The Night of the Iguana. Her local stage adventures have included The Taming of the Shrew, The Odd Couple, Man of La Mancha, Coriolanus, and a favorite, Sex Please! We’re Sixty, where she played the wonderfully Southern Charmaine Beauregard. Offstage, River is the founder of Joy & Forge Forward, creating experiences that invite curiosity, reflection, and a little more play into being human. She is also a fiber and mixed-media artist and firmly believes that one never grows too old to play make-believe.

Fred Kunde is an 8 year Newport resident who loves the Performing Arts Center, the Visual Arts Center and the vibrant arts of this area. The raw beauty of the Oregon coast and it's surrounding woodlands inspire him daily. This is his fourth appearance in a theater production at the PAC and he couldn't be more excited!

Cody Larsen has been involved in the Newport theatre community since his debut as Princeton in Avenue Q. Favorite roles since then include Jack in Into the Woods, Fester in The Addams Family Musical, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha. Cody is regularly harassed by a dachshund named Frank and a chihuahua named Henry. 

Jayne Calkins (Hannah Jelkes) is honored to be a part of this production. Jayne was recently in two productions at Theatre West, as Roberta Phelps and Dr. Nancy Schultz in The Dead Guy, and as Ethel in Moon Over Buffalo. Jayne was the teacher in the Speechless Film Festival award winning film Draw, Don’t Speak (on Vimeo and YouTube), directed by Griffin Huber. Jayne was the teacher in the Speechless Film Festival award winning film Draw, Don’t Speak (on Vimeo and YouTube), directed by Griffin Huber. Jayne’s previous credits include Pearl in The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and Penelope in See How They Run, both at Albert Lea Community Theater. She studied acting at Santa Barbara City College, where she was Dorothy in the Shock of Recognition. Jayne was a regular comedian and improv performer at the Second Story in Santa Barbara. She is grateful for the encouragement of her husband Dan, and daughters Quinn and Phoebe.

pdxjayne on instagram

Prior to retiring to the Oregon Coast, Bonnie spent decades acting, directing, costuming, propping, and designing for theater productions in Carson City NV, Portland OR, and Colorado Springs CO. She has since participated in many productions in Newport and Lincoln City. Favorite roles have been Polly in Other Desert Cities for Red Octopus, Vivian Bearing in Wit for Porthole Players, Marjorie in Marjorie Prime and Maude in Harold and Maude, both for Theatre West. She directed The House of Bernarda Alba for Porthole Players and Doubt for Red Octopus, as well as Amahl and the Night Visitors. She plans to continue her theater addiction as long as she can climb ladders and memorize lines. So grateful to Red O for the privilege of directing her favorite Tennessee Williams play, and for a cast that was willing to go places they didn't think they could go.

Russel Sweet and his wife, Elaine, are enjoying their post-retirement life in Depoe Bay, Oregon. Russel's theatrical journey spans acting, producing, and directing in a variety of college and community theatre productions. He produced and acted in M*A*S*H, and directed The Miracle Worker and The Matchmaker. His acting credits include Our Town, Fiddler on the Roof (twice), Oliver!, Once Upon a Mattress (twice), I Do! I Do!, Twelfth Night, and most recently the title role in Theatre West's production of The Outsider.

Behind the scenes, Russel has served as props master or assistant for You Can't Take It With You, Fiddler on the Roof, and Twelfth Night.  He was also the set designer for Once Upon a Mattress and stage manager for Theatre West's production of The Subject Was Roses.  For The Night of the Iguana, Russel designed the sound.

A passionate supporter of the arts, Russel regularly volunteers at the Newport Performing Arts Center and Theatre West in Lincoln City.  The Night of the Iguana marks his first venture as an assistant director.  He hopes to gather more directing experience in the future. 

Geoff has designed and built sets for twelve years in Newport,Portland and Clackamas Oregon.

Also in Phoenix, Mesa and Fountain Hills Arizona.

His favorite shows in Newport were “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” “On Golden Pond” and “The Spirits of Silvia Beach”