Cat's-Paw

By William Mastrosimone

This intense thriller examines the motives of an eco-terrorist through media reporting. Obsessed with the pollution of the world’s water supply, the mastermind behind deadly attacks on the EPA and the White House takes a hostage and grants a young journalist the interview of a lifetime. While justifying his actions on camera, a taut game of cat-and-mouse ensues, leading to a shocking and surprising conclusion.

For mature audiences only, due to sexual content and strong language.

SHOW PHOTOS

2014 Performance Dates

February 14, 15, 21 & 22 at 8 p.m.
February 16 & 23 (ASL interpreted) at 2:30 p.m.

Ticket Information

Adults - $10
Seniors (55 and over) - $7
Non-KSU Students (17 and under) - $7
KSU Students - Free with current ID

• Tickets go on sale February 3.
• Purchase tickets online, by phone or in person at the Box Office.
• Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted. Checks and cash accepted in person at the Box Office.
• Tickets purchased online or by phone will be available at Will Call.
• Will Call opens one hour prior to curtain time and closes when the performance begins.
• Kent State Students: Free admission with current Kent State ID. Seats must be reserved in person at the Box Office.
• No refunds for purchased tickets. Exchanges for the same production can be made by contacting the Box Office prior to the reserved performance date.
• Tickets held at Will Call will be forfeited if not picked up by curtain time.

Ticket sales begin February 3 at 8 a.m.

Cast

John-Michael Roberts: Victor
John-Michael is a junior at Kent State University at Stark majoring in psychology and minoring in theatre sound design. His work in the theater has ranged from acting (Buried Child, Huck Finn’s Story, Crazy for You), sound design assistant (I Love You Because, Dating is Tough to Do, and Funny Too!, The Glass Menagerie) and stage management (Anton in Show Business, The Crucible). He was part of the writing ensemble for Voices from Hurt Street and recently a crew member for The Maiden's Prayer. In the future he hopes to continue his work in theatre while working on his degree in counseling.

Sarah Peters: Jessica
Sarah is majoring in electronic media while minoring in theatre. After attending a year at Kent, she transferred to and graduated from NYCDA: School for Film and Television located in New York City. In addition to NYCDA, she also received voice-over training from Howard Ross, her voice-over coach; voice-over character training from Paul Liberti; and improv training from the Red Tie Mafia improvisational group. She has now returned to Kent to finish where she left off. Before college, she appeared in numerous community plays at the Canal Fulton Players Guild, and was active in her high school theatre and choir productions. Some of her past performances include Buried Child and Anton in Show Business at Kent State Stark, where she was also a scenic/lighting design assistant for I Love You Because and Voices from Hurt Street and a crew member for The Maiden's Prayer. She also performed in The Music Man, The Odd Couple, Bus Stop, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz, The Man Who Came to Dinner and Blithe Spirit.

David Sponhour: Darling
David has been active in theater for over 30 years. He has performed on many local stages, and acted at Kent State Stark in Buried Child, where he is a full time theatre student. David served as assistant director for Voices from Hurt Street and sound design assistant for The Maiden's Prayer. He is also a founding member of “Scared Scriptless," Canton’s premiere professional Improv troupe. Some of his favorite past performances include Crumpet in Santaland Diaries, Comet in The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Jerry in Zoo Story, and Hal in Proof starring All My Children’s David Canary. He spends what little free time he has with his wonderful, spectacular and supportive wife, Christine.

Megan Deierling: Cathy
Megan is a freshman at Kent State Stark and is studying broadcast journalism. She has been involved in theatre since she was in second grade when she was in her first play The Emperor’s New Clothes and shortly after, The Red Shoes. In high school she was one of the lead roles in her junior play Aladdin and her senior play Our Town. She recently served as a makeup assistant for The Maiden's Prayer at Kent State Stark. Megan is a member of the International Thespian Society and she was inducted her senior year of high school. She now continues her love for theatre through college and community theatres.

Production Team

Brian Newberg: Director
Brian Newberg is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Director at Kent State University at Stark. Brian’s directing experience (more than 80 production credits) includes Broadway, regional, equity waiver, industry showcases, new work development, and many college productions. He has extensive experience as an actor (more than 70 production credits) in the New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oregon areas. He has also served as an associate artistic director for a regional theatre company, run his own private acting studios, and taught at a number of colleges on the west coast before coming to Kent State. Brian is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), and received his M.F.A. in Directing from the University of California, Irvine.

Louis Williams: Scenic & Lighting Designer
Louis Williams is the resident technical director, and scenic and lighting designer, at Kent State Stark and has designed more than 200 productions in 30 years in theatre, opera, ballet and rock 'n' roll. This includes work with such theatre companies as: the American Ballet Theatre II; the Joffrey Ballet II; the Arizona Theatre Company; the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis; the Kenley Players; the Ohio Light Opera; the Cleveland Opera; the Cinncinnati Opera; Southern Arizona Light Opera Company; Carousel Dinner Theatre; the Agora, Cleveland Ohio; the Temple of Music and Art, Tucson, Arizona; ChildsPlay Inc., of Phoenix, Arizona; and the Scottsdale Civic Center, Scottsdale, Arizona. Read more about Louis Williams.

Susan Blurton: Costume Designer
Susan Blurton has designed costumes for various productions over the past 16 years including the Canton Palace Theater, Canton Civic Center, Players Guild, Porthouse Theatre, John F. Knight Center, Akron Civic Theater and The Christmas Spectacular, which was recorded and aired on PBS. She began her venture into theatre while living in New York and freelancing for Off-Broadway shows, mainly as a stitcher and pattern maker. She designed sportswear for the 7th Ave. design house Ellen Tracy/Liz Claiborne. Her duties included designs for sportswear and the dress division, purchases of all fabric and trims, and dressing models at runway shows and photo shoots. While living in L.A., she served as a dresser to Frankie Valli, The Pointer Sisters, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and she was a personal shopper for Aaron Spelling. Along with designing costumes, she is an active artist and art teacher. She received her B.S. in Fashion Design from the University of Cincinnati, teaching certification from Mount Union University and an M.A. from Marygrove College.

Ron Jarvis: Sound Designer
You might recognize Ron Jarvis as a performer, producer, music director and/or composer for such stalwart Northeast Ohio acts as The Buckeye Biscuit Band, Ital, First Light, Alex Bevan, Pat Dailey and, most recently, Macaw: the American Worldbeat Band. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Kent State where he has taught Art of the Theatre and Theatre Criticism classes as well as the three-part series of Sound Design and Technology classes for the Entertainment Arts and Technologies certificates program. Ron has worked with world renowned directors Vincent Dowling (composition for The Winter’s Tale at Kent State) as well as Ping Chong (Blindness: The Irresistible Light Of Encounter at La Mama Theatre in NYC), and has served as a live-mix consultant at Geauga Lake and Cedar Point amusement parks. Although his first sound design for Kent State Stark was for the 2002 production of Dancing at Lughnasa, since 2007 he has designed many of the Kent State Stark theatrical productions including Oklahoma!, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Into the Woods, The Revenger’s Tragedy, The Mikado, Crazy for You, Dating is Tough to Do... and Funny, Too!, Songs for a New World, Plumfield, Iraq, Evil Dead: The Musical and Anton in Show Business.

Molly Patterson: Assistant Director
Molly is a sophomore theatre technical and design major, and was stage manager for I Love You Because, assistant stage manager for Buried Child and The Crucible, and scenic/lighting design assistant for The Maiden's Prayer at Kent State Stark. She recently returned to Kent State after spending a year making magic at Walt Disney World! Her previous technical credits include Nunsense, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Cedar Point's Rock Band Live!

Jonathan Diehl: Stage Manager

Jonathan is pursuing a music technology degree here at Kent State Stark. He has a been a part of a few concerts and plays at Kent State Stark, such as I Love You Because (crew), Voices from Hurt Street (assistant stage manager & composer/musician) and The Maiden's Prayer (stage manager).

Cory Kosman: Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant
Cory’s theater experience started in 7th grade when he acted in the musical Guys And Dolls. When freshman year rolled around he found himself being drawn toward the technical side of the theater. Since then he has had a deep love of anything tech related, sound especially. He has been the lead sound engineer on two musicals at his high school. He has also worked sound for two rock concerts that took place at his high school. He was a scenic/lighting design assistant for I Love You Because, crew for Buried Child and a musician/composer for Voices from Hurt Street at Kent State Stark, and hopes to continue on the tech path throughout college and beyond. 

Brynn Albert: Scenic/Lighting Design Assistant
Brynn is currently a freshman at Kent State Stark, pursuing a major in English. She is a graduate of Minerva High School, where she performed in the shows Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Dracula, The Music Man and Annie. Brynn was a scenic/lighting design assistant for The Maiden's Prayer, her first show at Kent State Stark.

Lynda Wilkinson: Sound Design Assistant   (NO PHOTO)

Jillian Dailey: Crew
Jillian began her theatrical training at Lake Center Christian High School, where she was involved in all the musicals and plays during her four years there. This included leading roles in Seussical and Little Women. She is a sophomore at Kent State Stark, where she has performed in Anton in Show Business and Plumfield, Iraq; was the costume design assistant for I Love You Because, Evil Dead: The Musical and Voices from Hurt Street; was a member of the crew for The Maiden's Prayer; and was a member of the writing ensemble for Voices from Hurt Street.

Caitlin Roberts: Crew
Caitlin is a sophomore at Kent State Stark and is pursuing degrees in music education and theatre. Previous theatre experience includes acting in Lil Abner, Anything Goes and Oklahoma. Cait is a graduate of Northwest High School, and is involved in worship at her church and working on youth drama there. At Kent State Stark, Caitlin was a crew member for I Love You Because and The Maiden's Prayer, scenic/lighting design assistant for Buried Child, assistant stage manager for Plumfield, Iraq, and the makeup/special effects design assistant for Evil Dead: The Musical and Voices from Hurt Street. She also acted multiple roles in Anton in Show Business, and was a member of the writing ensemble in Voices from Hurt Street.

James McKeon: Crew
James is a music technology major at Kent State Stark. He has an extensive background in music performance and writing, as well as painting. James has performed in various bands since 5th grade, and has created original artwork all his life. He learned about scenic design through his first full theatre experience at Kent State Stark with Evil Dead: The Musical. He recently was a crew member for The Maiden's Prayer.