The Mighty Maisie

Emily Yancey

Emily is stoked to originate a role again in another locally written world premiere! Artie recognitions include: THE…WATSON INTELLIGENCE (Eliza) RLTP: Nominee – Outstanding Leading Actress, Play; DISASTER! (Sister Downy) MusicalFare: Winner – Outstanding Musical Ensemble & Nominee – Outstanding Featured Role Performance; 1776 (Rutledge) OCC: Winner – Outstanding Musical Ensemble & Nominee – Outstanding Supporting Actress, Musical; KILLER RACK (Betty Downer, World Premiere) Alleyway: Nominee – Outstanding Leading Actress, Musical; FACTORY FOR MURDERERS (Kate/Perlman, World Premiere) Alleyway: Nominee – Outstanding Supporting Actress, Play. Emily also performed the title-role in the PBS-televised opera SUSANNAH, produced by WNED & Buffalo Opera Unlimited. Next: CHESS (Florence) Lancaster Opera House, 3/28-4/13. BA Vocal Performance, BS Biology/Psychology, Canisius University. www.eyancey.com. 93/93.

Anthony J. Grande

Anthony makes his debut at ART. He last appeared in The A.I. at Delphi (Calos), which is another play by Dr. Bella Poynton, and is glad to work with her again. Recent roles include Rehearsal for Murder (Frank), Cops and Friends of Cops (Paul), Entertaining Mr. Sloane (Sloane), Angels in America (Louis), and Significant Other (Will/Tony). Anthony is “The Actor’s Tailor” and Owner of 2NY Video, a video production company that promotes actors in Western NY.

Scott Gattie

Scott Gattie is thrilled to be working once again with ART of WNY. His stage debut was in “When Worlds Collide” in 2023 singing Christmas Carols and wearing a few different hats. Since then, he has worked backstage on various productions in the area for the Lancaster Opera House (“Airness”), Aurora Players (“A Wrinkle in Time”) and Bellissima Productions (“Bonnie & Clyde”). Be sure to catch him here on stage next month too, in “The Informer”! He would like to thank the great local theatre community that has welcomed him in, his wonderful friends and family, and you. Thank you for supporting local arts.

Matthew LaChiusa

Matthew returns for another season as American Repertory Theater of WNY’s technical director. Among the favorite sets he’s designed for ART/WNY include “Paradigm Bomb”, “Something Wicked”, and “London Calling”. Lighting design favorites include “Mercy Seat”, “Something Wicked”, “When Worlds Collide” and “Paradigm Bomb”. When not designing, Matthew is the Executive/Artistic Director for American Repertory Theater of WNY. Namaste.

Bella Poynton

Bella Poynton is a playwright, director, dramaturg, and theatre historian. She has had more than 40 productions of her plays locally and nationally. Poynton’s plays are published with Samuel French, Broadway Play Publishing, Applause Publishing, and Smith & Kraus. Her scholarly work has been published in Comparative Drama, Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Global Performance Studies, and Theatre/Practice, among others. Other publications have appeared in Clockhouse, JellyBucket, and Fleas on the Dog. Poynton is senior co-chair of the Playwriting Symposium at the Mid America Theatre Conference and the director of the Playwrights Wing at First Look Buffalo Theatre Company. She is an Assistant Professor of Theatre History, Criticism, and Playwriting at SUNY Oswego. www.bellapoynton.com

Kate Olena

Kate Olena taught theatre arts to grades 5-8 at Nichols Middle School for over 40 years where she produced 6- 12 plays each year. Now retired from teaching, she is working in professional theatre, locally. As an actor Ms. Olena has appeared with Alleyway Theatre, Brazen-Faced Varlets, Buffalo Writers Theatre, O’Connell and Company, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, and Subversive Theatre. She is a proud member of the New York State Theatre Education Association and the Puppeteers of America.

Marie Hasselback-Costa

When the truth is all you have, how do you defend it from the people who question it? We face this in the theater often: thank you for coming to join us for this exploration. Marie is grateful to have worked on and back stage in WNY and beyond for over 25 years, and hopes to do so for another 25. Thank you to everyone who makes this work possible, especially the Pup and the Cub.