Westfield Community Players (39 Steps bios)

Cast and Production Members

The Cast	The Production/Crew
Tim McGovern as Richard Hannay	Steve Lemenille Director
Sherilyn James as Annabella/Pamela/Margaret	Peter Curley Producer
Rachelle Mandik as Clown #1	Ed Bontempo Stage Manager
Andrew Weinstein as Clown #2	Jeanne Lioy Properties
	Linda Correll Set Design
	Jean Lioy Set Decor
	Steve Lemenille Lighting Designer
	Jake Malhosky Lighting Operator
	Steve Lemenille Sound Designer
	Jake Malhosky Sound Operator
	Steve Lemenille Publicity
	Karen DiFabio / Grace Sweeney Playbill/Marketing
	Steve Lemenille Webmaster
	Lois Stevens Box Office Director
	Ed Bontempo Costumer/Hair/Make-Up
	TBA House Managers
	TBA Ushers
	Steve Lemenille Photographer
	Stu Schnitzer Videography
	Linda Correll Set Construction
	Robert Palladino / Anne Troop Set Construction
	Lois Stevens / Bill Sesselberg Set Construction

BIOGRAPHIES
The Cast
TIM McGOVERN	*(Richard Hannay)* Timothy is very happy to continue to be part of Westfield Community Players. He was last seen as Harry Percy in The Explorer's Club last season. He also appeared in the opening play of last year, Play On!, where he was the actor Saul Watson playing the scoundrel Stanley Grimes who was pretending to be Dr. Forbes. Most confusing! In the last season before COVID, he was Davenport in The Late Christopher Bean, and the season before that, he set a personal record by appearing in three straight shows at Westfield: Capt. Hastings in Black Coffee, Stefanowski in Mister Roberts, and Dick in Play It Again, Sam. Timothy also played Elyot in Private Lives here and filled a long desire by playing Charles in another Noël Coward play, Blithe Spirit in Cranford. Typically, Timothy acts in comedies here in WCP such as The Fox on the Fairway (Dickie Bell), Don’t Dress for Dinner (Robert), Caught in the Net (John Smith), Run for Your Wife (Sgt. Porterhouse), It Runs in the Family (Dr. Bonney) and Squabbles (Jerry Sloan). A special memory was acting in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, because that’s where he first met his wife, Diane. Timothy is dedicating this performance to her and his sons Jack and Brian.

SHERILYN JAMES	*(Annabella/Pamela/Margaret)* Sherilyn is thrilled to be making her second appearance at WCP. She was last seen in Butterflies are Free. She was in Mystic Vision Players’ Broadway World nominated productions of Steel Magnolias (Annelle) and Dog Sees God (Tricia) at the UCPAC. In Spring 2013, she won Superior Dramatic Monologue for Antigone at the NJ Thespian Festival. Favorite stage credits: Journey to the West (Apricot), The Tempest (Adrian), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Pinecone), Metamorphoses (Atalanta), Oliver Twist (Dodger), The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy). Favorite film credits: Melissa in the Sundance Film contest “BLAME” teaser and Julia in Khanate Studios’ “Broken”.

RACHELLE MANDIK	*(Clown #1)* Rachelle spent most of her bicoastal childhood performing, then studied acting and voice at Northwestern University and Oberlin College. She took a nearly twenty-year hiatus but has been steadily making her way back “home” to the stage. Recent credits include As You Like It; Spoon River; Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play; and Romeo & Juliet and A Man for All Seasons this past January. This is her second production with Westfield Community Players.

ANDREW WEINSTEIN	*(Clown #2)* Andrew is thrilled to be making his debut performance with the Westfield Community Players. He has always enjoyed acting and making people laugh, and now after a brief 28-year hiatus to pursue life, wife and family, he is thrilled to be returning to community theater to do both. Favorite credits include: Buddy Baker in Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn, Lysander in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Peddler in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma, and The Pancake in his kindergarten class production of Stop That Pancake!

Production Staff
STEVE LEMENILLE	*(Director)* Steve has directed WCP's productions of Dial 'M' for Murder, A View from the Bridge, the comedy Squabbles, {p r o o f}, Barefoot in the Park, A Thousand Clowns, And Then There Were None, Mister Roberts, The Runner Stumbles, and last season, The Explorer's Club. In 2013 Steve was nominated for a NJACT Perry Award for OUSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY for {proof}. He also has appeared in six consecutive productions here at WCP. Steve has been involved in theatre since his college days at Jersey City State. He is a retired Social Studies teacher and Drama Director of 29 years with the Hackensack Public Schools. Steve was also a MFA candidate at Montclair State. He has acted with Tower Players and the Opera Workshop of Jersey City, StageCrafters (Fairlawn), and Bergen County Players. He has also acted in dinner theatre for Regal Productions, a professional theater ensemble. Some of the roles he portrayed were: Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (Tower Players), the Grandfather in The Long Christmas Dinner (Tower Players), Ulysses in Tiger At The Gates (Tower Players), Paul Verrall in Born Yesterday (Bergen County Players), Paul in Barefoot in the Park (Fairlawn), and Michael in Second Time Around and the Inspector Paul Sevigne in A Shot In The Dark (Regal Productions) and the Grandfather in Kurt Wiell's Down in the Valley (Opera Workshop). Steve portrayed Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stanley in Death of a Salesman, The Magistrate in Fools, and Gen. Oscar Fairfax in Little Mary Sunshine and Kilroy in Don't Drink the Water, and most recently as Daniel in Almost, Maine…all for WCP. Steve was nominated for a 2009 NJACT Perry Award for OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE MEMBER for his role as the Magistrate in Fools. His directorial credits include: You Can't Take It with You, Harvey, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Gramercy Ghost, George Washington Slept Here, L'il Abner, The King & I, Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, The Diary of Anne Frank, Our Town, South Pacific, The Music Man, Rehearsal for Death (all for HMS), Dial 'M' for Murder (Stagecrafters/WCP). Steve was nominated for two (2) 2012 NJACT Perry Awards for OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY (As Producer for Rehearsal for Murder) and as OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY (Rehearsal for Murder). Steve was also nominated for two (2) NJACT 2011 Perry Awards: OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR in a Play for his role as Justice Lawrence Wargrave in Main Street Theatre's production of And Then There Were None, and OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR in a Play for his role as Isaac Cohen in Westfield Community Players production of Abie's Irish Rose. Steve is the immediate Past-President of WCP, as well as, the webmaster here at WCP. Steve wishes to thank his wife, JoAnne, for getting him back involved with theatre. "Without her support and love, I can accomplish little. Thank you dear!!" Steve also thanks Sherrie Ahlin and Drude Roessler for making his WCP experiences very special. A special note of thanks to Katie, Mike, JoAnne, Glenn, Bill, Ed Whitman and Ed Bontempo for their contributions at WCP. And of course special thanks to this Cast/Crew for their hard work and love of theatre. Steve has also performed at the Grove Street Theater in Montclair performing in Apricot Productions' 1-act series. Also, he has appeared in a series of monologues entitled Sex, Relationships and Sometimes… Love at The Old Library Theater, Main Street Theater Company; and at the Producer's Club and the Jerry Orbach Theater, both off-Broadway, NYC. Steve also directed Harper Lee's classic To Kill A Mockingbird and Sharr White's The Other Place at the Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) on the Hamilton Stage, in Rahway, NJ for Fearless Productions. Steve was inducted into NJACT's Hall of Fame for Directing. Steve was recently awarded with the David P. McMenemie Award from NJACT at the 2022 Perry Awards.

PETER CURLEY	*(Producer)Peter is ecstatic to be back at WCP. He has performed as an actor in 12 WCP productions including Death of A Salesmen, Fools, Don't Drink the Water, Hot L Baltimore, Mr. Roberts, Almost Maine, The Man Who Came To Dinner, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Rehearsal for Murder, Midsummer Night's Dream, Streetcar Named Desire, and A View From The Bridge. Peter just directed 12 Angry Jurors* back in March. His Stage Manager credits at WCP include A Man For All Seasons, Play On, and " The Dining Room. His previous Directing credits from other theaters include Leading Ladies, Play On, Rumors, Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island, The Boar, Union County Performing Arts Center- Kicking and Swearing Original One Act Festival including What It's Like To Be A Bat, 12th Draft, The Sentence, and Good Luck Charm and Trilogy Repertory Children's Traveling Library Theater shows- Dinosaur Play, Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, Brementown Musicians and Cinderella.

ED BONTEMPO	*(Stage Manager)* Aside from portraying the role of Beverly Carlton in the production of The Man Who Came to Dinner, Ed has taken on the responsibility of being the costumer, including hair and make-up for this production. For this production, Ed is taking on the responsibility of Stage Manager, in addition to being the costumer. Ed Bontempo in 2018 received two NJACT Perry Award Nominations: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Mister Roberts and Outstanding Costume Design of a Play Mister Roberts. He was the recipient of Outstanding Costume Design. As of our 2018-2019 season, Mr. Bontempo was nominated for a NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Costuming of a Musical for Follies


JEAN LIOY	*(Director of Performances / Properties Set Decor)* Jean is a retired professor of microbiology at Union County College and also Rutgers/UMDNJ. She also has been a consultant with the NJ Office Of Homeland Security in the area of bioterrorism and emergency preparedness. Being new to WCP, she is very thankful for the opportunity to learn about the backstage world of the theater. Jean currently serves on the Board of Directors as Director of Performance. Most recently Jean has been nominated for a NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Properties in a Play for On Borrowed Time.

JAKE MALHOSKY	*(Lighting/Sound designer/operator)* Jake Malhosky is a high-school senior who found a love for theater at a young age. This will be Jake's 4th show at WCP and his 12th show in his career but only the 2nd one he has designed. Jake has been on and off stage throughout his 12 shows which earned him the name by his theater teacher "The Jake of All Traits". Jake has been accepted into four college theater programs and plans on a career as a theater teacher.

DON SCHLACHTER	*(Lighting Designer/Operator/FX)* has, for the past 50+ years, helped create the sets and designed and operated lighting, sound, and special effects for more than 200 shows for community theaters, high schools, and middle schools. His credits include the sets and lighting for the A.C.T. award-winning Gill St. Bernard’s Community Players and five Perry Award nominations for lighting design, as well as two nominations for sound design for his work with various NJ community theater.

KAREN DiFABIO	*(Playbill/Marketing)* Karen made her acting debut as Nurse Flinn in WCP's production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and then appeared in The Man Who Came to Dinner. She also assisted her time to assist Ed Bontempo with costumes. Karen currently serves on the Board of Directors as Director of Playbill and Marketing. .

STEVE LEMENILLE	(Webmaster / Publicity / Prodcuer) See above.

LOIS STEVENS	*(Box Office)* This is Lois' fourth production for which she has participated. Lois has also served as House Manager. She is one of our newest volunteer members.

ED BONTEMPO	*(Costumes)* Aside from portraying the role of Beverly Carlton in the production of The Man Who Came to Dinner, Ed has taken on the responsibility of being the costumer, including hair and make-up for this production. Ed Bontempo in 2018 received two NJACT Perry Award Nominations: Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Mister Roberts and Outstanding Costume Design of a Play Mister Roberts. He was the recipient of Outstanding Costume Design. As of our 2018-2019 season, Mr. Bontempo was nominated for a NJACT Perry Award for Outstanding Costuming of a Musical for Follies

TO BE DETERMINED	*(Stage Crew)* To Be Developed.

LINDA CORRELL	*(Set Construction Chairperson)* has been involved in theater for many years in and around New Jersey and New York. It is a pleasure working with this talented group. Thank you to Jeanne, our wonderful director, and WCP for staging A Man for All Seasons. Linda built the sets for Black Coffee, The Dining Room, Play it Again, Sam, and Play On!, and is proficient in stage pyrotechnics. A performer since she was 13, she has played Abby in Musical of Musicals, the Musical (Nutley Little Theater), Lillian Le Fleur in Nine! (UCPAC), Carla in Phantom of the Opera (UCPAC), Marta in Thumbs! (Bergen County Players/world premiere). Her absolute favorite role is John’s “other half”. AML, AML