Michael Schocker

Michael Schocker is grateful to be performing in his 6th show with Fridley Community Theatre. His previous roles include Jud Fry in Oklahoma! and TJ in Sister Act. He is incredibly thankful for everyone who has come to see the show.

Abbey Mae

Abbey is honored to be able to work with such an amazing cast and crew on a bucket-list show. Abbey is thankful for the support and love from her closest people and for the new friends made during this process. It has been a top-tier rehearsal experience and everyone is ready to share the fun!

Luis Ventura

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Scott Ragan

Scott is thrilled to be back at FCT for his third production (in a row!). Last seen as Corny Collins in Hairspray and Sandy Tyrell in Hay Fever, he’s enjoyed tapping into his villainous side to play Lord Farquaad. Be sure to pick up some Duloc merch at intermission…I hear the model is very handsome!

Kayleigh Turner

This is my first production with FCT & I am so thrilled to have found such a talented, focused, and passionate group of artists to work with. This is my 16th musical I’ve performed in & this cast has made the magic of performance feel as bright as it did during my very first production. I would like to thank my family, the cast, & my boyfriend especially for supporting me through rehearsals & performance!

Most Recent Roles:
Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie boogie Champagne Ivy Events
Alice In Wonderland Red Queen Champagne Ivy Events
Anything Goes Reno Sweeney Black Hills Theater Company
Beauty & The Beast Ms. Potts Black Hills Theater Company
 

Ramsey Rose Folkerts

RamseyRose Folkerts is a performer, choreographer, teacher, and event manager located in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated with her BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in dance from Millikin University. She has been seen in previous shows such as Poe: the Rock musical, Elf the Musical, Romeo and Juliet, and Songs for a New World. She holds a national award at ACDA for her direction and dancing in the dance film “The Balloon”, has had the opportunity to work with Kooman and Diamond through voice over work, and was recently seen as a back up dancer for Usher in the R&B tour. She also can be found dancing in the hip hop crew, Elite Family. She is excited to be in her first production at Fridley! 

Max Lesch

Max Lesch is excited for his fourth production at FCT! Max would like to thank his family and friends for supporting him and coming to see the show.

Amanda Ripley

Amanda Ripley is thrilled to be in her first production at FCT! Amanda recently wrote, produced, directed and starred as Medusa in The Untold Myth of Medusa, The Musical; Part 1. She is currently writing a second musical The Witch of Fife. Amanda would like to thank her family and friends for coming to see the show!

Andrew Birnstengel

Andrew Birnstengel is grateful to be a part of his first production FCT. Andrew’s “recent” roles over 10 years ago include The Minstrel "Once Upon a Mattress" (SSPS), Fagin "Oliver!" (SSPS), Jack "Jack and the Beanstalk" (UMM), and Billy Crocker "Anything Goes" (UMM). Andrew dedicates his performances to Aunt Jani. Andrew would like to thank Jani for everything as well as thank you all for coming!

Andrew Rehlander

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Anna Werner

Anna is happy to be back for her third Fridley show, and her third time playing the Wicked Witch in Shrek! (It's not typecasting... she thinks.) She was last seen in Legally Blonde with SMCT. When not performing, Anna enjoys writing and hanging out with her greyhound, Logan.

Ben Farrey-Latz

Ben is excited to be back this summer performing with Fridley Community Theatre. Last summer, he played Wilbur in Hairspray opposite his husband as Edna. Other shows: Beauty and the Beast (Ashland) Matilda, Christmas Carol and Christmas Story (CVFT) SpongeBob ( 4CT) and several plays with Applause Community Theatre. Ben is also a voiceover actor. Benjfarreylatzvoiceover.com
Go out and be amazing!

Brielle Teasley

Brielle is elated to perform with FCT for the first time. Some of Brielle's previous credits include Romeo *Romeo and Juliet* (UMM) and Gertrude McFuzz *Seussical* (Moore Than Dance). Brielle has adored being able to work with so many talented and driven individuals throughout the course of this production, and hopes to work with FCT again in the future.

Cael Jameson

Cael is honored and grateful to be in her first production in the twin cities in a show that's been on her theatre bucket list for over a decade. She would like to thank this amazing cast and crew for their perfect balance of dedication, kindness, and energy, as well as her parents for their continued encouragement and support of the arts.

Coral Bode

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Alex Schmuck

Alex believes that it’s important that bios have word limits.  When people are allowed to write bios without being limited to a certain amount of words, the outcomes could be disastrous or just downright annoying. For those who are unfamiliar with program bios, they are often pasted into the hard-copy program for people to read. People can write about their lives, their favorite shows, or maybe they just want to send a shout-out to people who came to support them. Or….they can be like Alex who finds his personal life boring and therefore writes utter nonsense in his bios (he has gotten in trouble in other theatres for doing this).

See?! That right there should be more than enough for a bio!  In fact, most people are not going to read this anyway- they probably got to the show early and are anxiously waiting for the show to start because they’re worried about sitting next to someone with a crying baby or a person who pulls out a bag full out deviled eggs at the end of the first song.  You’d think that deviled eggs would be a great choice for a theatre snack- they’re quiet, satisfying, and unique!  But shut those thoughts down RIGHT NOW, fair audience members- because deviled eggs have a strong smell and the smell gets even stronger when you chew them. Yeah…don’t think about it too much; it’s gross. Besides, why bring a whole bag of eggs? Did you not eat before you got here?  Are the snacks at intermission too expensive? Did egg prices go down yet or is bird flu and inflation still a thing? How do you have the nerve?!  In addition to the smell, these are all questions that your fellow audience members are going to ask 

But I digress…You see, usually theatre companies want actors to have only a few short sentences for their bios because bios would require more paper. More paper requires more money. More money requires a higher ticket price. Higher ticket prices mean less audience. Yeah... so... we all lose. 

Some might argue that using a digital program is a great solution! But alas, another problem is created. In order to read the digital program, the audience members need to use their phone! Is it really a good idea to encourage audience members to have their phones out in the theatre?! No! Nobody should have a phone in the theatre. I leave mine in my care ( go ahead and steal it if you want! Jokes on you; it's an iPhone 8!). 

Nobody is going to read this! I'll just type the alphabet: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPRSTUVWXYZ. That was fun......except I forgot the letter "Q" ....whoops.  Well... nobody uses that letter anyway. 

By the way! Those three dots that I'm using to add omissions and personality in my sentences are called: ellipses. They're uite fun to use! Shoot! Forgot the "Q" again!

But Alex! Why are you adding so many paragraphs? It's simple: super long paragraphs are discouraging to read. Most people don't have that kind of focus or attention span or memory. I bet most people don't even remember what they had for lunch today. Was it chicken salad? Who knows?!

So, is this going to be posted in full text between two other actor's bios? Or is mine going to turn into one of those boxes with the scrolly thingy at the edge? Either way, it's probably going to be a pain to scroll through (especially on a stupid phone that you shouldn't have brought to the theatre!).  

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who only eat the red and pink Starbursts, and people who have no standards for anything.

How about a short fairy tale! Once upon a time, there was an angry farmer. He was angry because he couldn't get his corn to grow. He would spend the majority of his day throwing seeds on the ground, drenching them in soapy water, and then screaming at the sky. One day, a magical gremlin heard the farmer's angry screams coming from across the field. He jumped on top of the farmer's shoulder (the left one) and whispered in his ear, 
"If you pay my fee. I shall make the corn grown for you."  
The farmer thought for a moment and replied, "What's your fee?"  
 "Four ears of corn!" said the gremlin. 
"Bro... I don't HAVE any corn! That's kind of the problem. How about four gold coins, instead?"  "Eww! I can't EAT gold coins!" shouted the gremlin into the farmer's only good ear.   
" Why don't you grow the corn, THEN I give you four ears of corn?" 
"It doesn't work that way!" snarled the gremlin. " I'm going to need some collateral before I agree to a deal like that." 
"What kind of collateral?" asked the farmer.
"How about TWO ears of corn?" proposed the gremlin. 
"Go away!" said the farmer. 
The moral of the story: grow soybeans instead.

(this extra large paragraph spacing is here for aesthetic purposes) 

Do you have a favorite parking space at your place of work? I mean, this doesn't apply to those snobby executives or bosses with their own private parking spot;  I'm referring to the average Joe's out there who can park anywhere but like to choose a particular spot. Anyway, do you ever park there for a couple months and then one day someone parks in your spot?! Oooo! That's the worst! Sometimes it happens once and then you move on with your life but sometimes it happens multiple days in a row and then you have to leave for work extra early and it becomes a passive aggressive race to the sacred parking spot. It's not a good way to start the morning. Then you have to choose between finding a new job or sabotaging the career of your parking lot rival. Life's not fair.

Believe it or not, they call it pound cake because people eat you up if you don't mix the ingredients properly before baking. I found this out the hard way.

Well then... did you have a good 4th of July? Did you run out of hot dog buns again? It's the same thing every year. Here's an idea: get a package of hot dog buns on the way home tonight, put them in the cupboard with a sticky note that says " save for the 4th of July " and then leave them there. By this time next year, they will be there in the cupboard ready for you!

But Alex, are you being unprofessional by writing a super long, nonsensical bio? Ummmm…. I’m not a professional!  I don’t get paid to be in their show. I do shows for me! Keep your filthy money!  Where does the money go? I don’t know….probably to the person who built the giant dragon costume.  Either way, not my problem. Therefore, I can use this “no word limit bio” to my full advantage without worrying about my professionalism being questioned (because… like I said… it doesn’t exist!).  

Heck , there is a 78 ½% chance that Annie is just gonna cut it off after a few sentences anyway. After all, is she going to read this WHOLE thing?  Like, what if I have a hidden add for a financial scam or something in here?  Are they worried about that?  What if I say a bad word? What if I wrote a regular word but spelled it wrong and it became a bad word by accident?  But is it harmful if nobody reads past the first three sentences? Aw well. 

If you made it this far, congratulations. Reward yourself by reading someone else’s bio.

Final word count: 1284

Corrine Olson

Corrine Olson is very happy to be back at FCT after she stopped doing theater when the pandemic lockdown was put in place. Corrine has worked with FCT since she was attending middle school in Fridley and has been a part of their productions of Urinetown, The Lion King Jr., and more. She would like to thank the family and friends coming to see her perform for the first time in forever and the amazing cast and crew (especially those who recognized her after seven years)!

Daniluz Schueller

Daniluz is incredibly thrilled and proud to be in her first production at FTC! She previously appeared in Godspell at Saint Joan of Arc. Daniluz would like to thank her family and dear friends for their endless love and support! 

Dani Szykulski

Dani is excited to be playing percussion in her 10th show with FCT! Her favorite past shows with FCT include The Addams Family, Mamma Mia!, and Beauty and the Beast. She was last heard in Goosed! (Bunce Performing Arts). Being in the Fridley pit is always a highlight of her summer!

Eleanor Auna

Eleanor is so excited to be in her first ever adult community theater show! This was a big first experience for her, and she can’t wait to share the stage with these incredibly talented people!!

Heather Cogswell

Heather is so happy to be making a return to Fridley Community Theater after making her debut last summer as Prudy Pingleton in Hairspray. A former music teacher, Heather is the choir director and organist at Parkview United Church of Christ in White Bear Lake, and sings professionally with The Minnesota Renaissance Choir and Consortium Carissimi. “A huge thanks to my wonderful husband and two kids for managing with me gone most nights while I was doing something just for me that I love!"

Jaime Boonreung

A former Fridley Public Schools student actor, Jaime is thrilled to be back on this stage after more than REDACTED years. And even better, this time it is alongside her son, Nolan! After graduating from Perpich Center for Arts Education, Jaime moved to New York where the extent of her acting was appearing in a student film before trying her hand at producing with an independent short film. After earning her degree in Communications, Jaime had the time of her life working for the Tribeca Film Festival and later in advertising, before starting a family and deciding to bring them to MN. She hopes to continue to be involved in theater now that she is back! Performing with this incredible cast has been an absolute delight. Jaime's performances are dedicated to the memory of her brother, Blair Eisenbraun.

Janene Dold

Janene is excited to be back on stage with Fridley Community Theatre’s production of Shrek the Musical. She thanks the production team for their trust in her abilities to play Mama Ogre. Janene has loved getting to know this cast of amazing artists and especially spending quality time with her Dragon ladies. She would like to thank her family, friends, fur babies, and Dan for their continued love and support. 

John Ballin

John is thankful and excited to be in his first production with FCT!  He has worked with a number of other community theaters in the area over the years, including Masquers Theatre, St Odelia Musical Ministry, Morris Park Players, and Theatre 301.  His favorite roles have been Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof; Oliver Warbucks in Annie; the Baker in Into the Woods; and Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast.  He is greatly blessed by the support of his family - especially his wife, Amy, who not only tolerates his absences during rehearsals, but even attends his performances (and always volunteers to help)!

Julie Donnelly

Julie is excited to be making her FCT debut! She was most recently seen as Leah in Prince of Egypt (St. Odilia) earlier this year. Other productions include Legally Blonde (Mounds View High School), Annie & Fiddler on the Roof (Rosetown Playhouse). Julie holds a doctorate in occupational therapy from The Ohio State University and is currently employed as a pediatric occupational therapist. She would like to thank the directing team at FCT for this opportunity and is very excited to be part of such a talented and hardworking cast. Julie would also like to thank her family for their support!

Kelli Nelson

Kelli is thrilled to be back in theater after 20 years, and this time around with her daughter, Sofia! She loves being part of the FCT community and getting to play in this space with such fun and talented castmates. She thanks you all for coming to see the show and for supporting this wonderful community!

Kerry Landin

Kerry is in her first production at FCT and couldn't be more excited! Some of her recent onstage credits are ensemble in Mary Poppins (CVFT) and Elf the Musical  (CVFT). She primarily works behind the scenes as a stage manager and producer. She also serves on the board of directors at Chaska Valley Family Theatre. Thank you to the production team, cast and crew for giving her the opportunity to be in one of her favorite musicals! Also big thanks to her friends and family for their continued love and support especially her partner Brian, her dog Strudel and her twin and fellow Mama Bear Stacy! LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY!!!

London Fehr

London is so excited to be in her first FCT production! She is a recent graduate from Breck School and plans to attend the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities to pursue a BFA in acting! Her recent roles include Donna in Mamma Mia (Breck School), Aaron Schultz in Legally Blonde (BWTC), and Anastasia in Anastasia (Breck School). She would like to thank the cast and crew of Shrek and everyone who came to support her and see the show!

Mackenzie Krueger

Mackenzie is SO excited to be in her first production with FCT! Some of her recent roles include Lulu in “Cabaret” (G.R.E.A.T Theatre) and Adult Ensemble in “Frozen” (G.R.E.A.T Theatre). Mackenzie would like to thank everyone for coming to the show and remind them to LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY! :)

Meg Reinhardt

Meg is honored to join the cast of Shrek for her first show with Fridley Community Theater (FCT). To quote Princess Fiona, “By day one way (being a nurse), by night another (being a Duloc Dancer), this shall be the norm.” Meg would like to give a huge thank you to the leadership team at FCT for this incredible opportunity. She would also like to thank her mom for taking her to her first tap dance lesson at age 10.

Nicodemus Tibbitts

Nicodemus Tibbitts is thrilled to be on the stage for his first FCT production! It's been a while since he has last danced on stage in heels but welcomes the challenge! Recent past roles that he is very proud of and are his favorites include Ragueneau Cyrano de Bergerac (Classics Lost ‘n’ Found Theater Company), Sebastian The Little Mermaid (South Saint Paul Theatre), Chef Louis The Little Mermaid (Prior Lake Players), and King Triton The Little Mermaid (Minneapolis Community Ed). When he is not doing theater, he likes to spend his time playing RPG Fantasy games, doing art projects, and cuddling his cat, Hermes. He hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Nolan Boonreung

A native New Yorker, Nolan is bringing that energy with him to his theatrical debut! Prior to SHREK, Nolan began exploring the arts with camps at Youth Performance Company and with his school choir. He enjoys creating Lego stop-motion animation short films, and educating anyone who will listen on the history of a wide variety of wars, with World War II being his specialty. Nolan has had so much fun working on this show with everyone!

Robie Ryan

Robie Ryan (she/her) is thrilled to be performing in her first FCT production in Shrek the musical! This marks her third-ever musical theatre production, following a momentous debut last summer in Hairspray as Sketch and understudy Tracy Turnblad (Minneapolis Community Education)! You may have seen Robie last fall, in a kickline that didn’t require knee pads, as Tom and understudy Bobby in A Chorus Line (Century College Theatre). Robie has often been described as a “big character” in life, and with her improv group, so Shrek has felt like a natural fit for her third show. Offstage, you can find her watching Survivor, floating in a lake, working on a jigsaw puzzle or taking a Community Ed class.

Sofia Garcia Nelson

Sofia is so excited to be in her first ever big show! Her first taste of theater was as a participant in Mayer Arts Theater Camp performing songs from Wicked and there's no stopping her now. She would like to thank her friends and family for coming to watch the show!

Therese Dehnert

Therese is excited to be in her first production at FCT! She would like to thank her family, friends, and coworkers for their flexibility during these busy months, as well as her partner for encouraging her to audition. Therese would also like to thank her castmates and the production team for always welcoming her into conversation. Therese is glad to have made friends during the rehearsal process and she's proud of the work of everyone involved- she's had a lot of fun being in this production, and she hopes you have fun watching it :)

Vicki Sands-Roehl

This will be Vicki’s fifth musical with FCT. Some of her favorite roles so far include Madame de la Grande Bouche Beauty & the Beast (CCP), Florinda Into the Woods (SACT), Kit Kat Club girl Helga Cabaret (Century College), Miss Andrew Mary Poppins (MPP), Gertie Oklahoma (CCP), and Star To Be and Grace Farrell (twice) in three different productions of Annie (SACT, G.R.E.A.T., & KTC). Vicki would like to thank this amazing cast, crew, & production team for being fabulous! 

Wyatt Brandenburg

Wyatt is happy to be performing in his 17th show! While his other roles big roles such as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen, and prince Eric in the little mermaid required so much work for one character and no dancing, he is very happy to be playing multiple roles in this show, his favorite being Peter Pan, and dancing is his favorite part of this show and he has learned so much new things he never knew he could ever do.

Anthony Scarcella

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Amy Letson

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David Haugan

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Monique Haugan

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Matthew Springer

Matthew Springer is thrilled to be in his third production at FCT! Outside of the theatre, he likes to spend his time knitting and biking around the Twin Cities. Matthew will be working towards a M.Ed in Elementary Education and a teaching license at the University of Minnesota starting this fall.

Connor Gorby

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Griff DeGolier

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Katharine Szykulski

Katharine is overjoyed to be playing French horn in the pit orchestra for FCT's Shrek! This is her 10th show with the Fridley Community Theatre playing either the horn or percussion. One of Katharine's favorite shows to be a part of with FCT was Mamma Mia. She was last heard in Goosed! (Bunce Performing Arts).

Tim Carlson

Tim Carlson is playing trombone in his fourth show with Fridley Community Theater. He also appears regularly in other productions around the metro and with the Fridley City Band. Tim is thrilled to have another chance to play with such a talented group.

Joe Einertson

Joe Einertson is excited to be making his debut with Fridley Community Theatre. A passionate musician, Joe has played piano since childhood, and in pit orchestras since 2008. Joe enjoys mixing his tech skills with musicianship to bring stage shows to life. Recent credits include Shrek the Musical, Once Upon a Mattress (Cross Community Players); Goosed! (Bunce Performing Arts); The Producers, Merrily We Roll Along (Morris Park Players).

Maureen Zeleny

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Nathan Christensen

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Don Metke

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Steve Nollet

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Rowen Klug

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Dani Szykulski

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