WARREN CASEY (Book, Music & Lyrics) was born in Yonkers, New York, and attended Syracuse University. During the late ‘50s, he learned all about “greasers” while working as an art teacher in upstate New York. He moved to Chicago in 1962, where he hoped to pursue an acting career. He appeared in dozens of productions, including creating the role of Bernie Litko in David Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago. He supported himself with jobs in retail, including working as an assistant manager of a chain of apparel stores, and as a record salesman. In the meantime, he taught himself how to play the guitar and began writing songs. Mr. Casey acted with the Chicago Stage Guild (where he met Jim Jacobs), the Old Town Players, and the Kingston Mines Theatre. The latter company staged the original production of Grease which he wrote with Jim Jacobs. After the incredible success of both the musical and the movie, the two collaborated on Island of Lost Coeds, a musical satire of the B-movies of the 1950s. Mr. Casey died in 1988.
JIM JACOBS (Book, Music & Lyrics). Jacobs, who created Grease (in 1970) with Warren Casey, was born and raised on the mean streets of Chicago’s far northwest side. During the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll (1956-1960) he was a guitar-playing “greaser” student at Taft High School. In 1963, Jacobs met Warren Casey when they were both cast in a local theatre production of A Shot in the Dark. Seven years later they wrote what was to become one of the greatest musicals of all time. Grease opened in 1971 in a former trolley barn called the Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago. A year later, Grease made it to Broadway and “Greasemania” took off, resulting in one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. The 1978 movie became and remains the highest grossing movie musical of all time. Originally an actor, Jacobs has been seen on television, in motion pictures, regional theatre, national tours, and on Broadway. He is the co-author of several other plays and musicals including Island of Lost Coeds, a musical spoof of the low budget sci-fi/horror/jungle movies of the 1950s, which he wrote with Warren Casey. In May 2014, Mr. Jacobs was presented with an honorary doctorate degree from Columbia College in Chicago. He currently resides in Southern California and remains active in the theatre, especially with the American Theatre Company of Chicago. KEVIN P. HILL (Director, Choreographer, Producing Artistic Director) began his theatrical career as dancer and actor, having appeared in the National Touring companies of Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams and Michele Lee, Anything Goes and the International Touring Company of A Chorus Line. Kevin has directed and choreographed more than 200 productions across America, including Waitress, Titanic The Musical (Elliot Norton Award), Disney’s Frozen, Sunset Boulevard, Jersey Boys (‘19 & ‘24), The Sound of Music, A Christmas Carol, Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, Sister Act, Mamma Mia!, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Grease and others. He has had the privilege of working with such stars as Alice Ripley, Marin Mazzie, Jeannette Bayardelle, Joanne Worley, Kathleen Turner, Josh Groban, Jonathan Groff and Tony Award winner, Cady Huffman. In New York, he was the assistant to the director of On the Twentieth Century at the New Amsterdam Theatre and assistant to the choreographer on the revival of Guys and Dolls. Kevin has been nominated as Best Director/Choreographer for his work on Sunset Boulevard, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Rent, The Full Monty, Chicago, and Edwin Drood, and was awarded the NH Theatre Award for Best Choreography for West Side Story at the Papermill Theatre. Kevin has also been awarded Six Broadway World awards and two Motif awards for his productions of Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins and Young Frankenstein. As a Professor of Dance, Kevin has been on faculty at Pennsylvania State University, Kansas State University and most recently The Boston Conservatory of Music. Kevin and his husband Matthew have created their own production company called, Chappell Hill Productions. Their first venture is co-producing the new Broadway musical Wanted (previously Gun & Powder). Chappell Hill Productions is also the lead producer of a new medium of theatre called, Dance Night. Kevin is a proud member of SDC, AEA and a past member of Dance Masters of New England, Chapter 5. For eleven years, he has held the role of Producing Artistic Director at North Shore Music Theatre and twelve years at Theatre By The Sea. MILTON GRANGER (Music Director). Grease marks his 35th production at North Shore Music Theatre. In addition, he has worked on six Broadway shows, six off-Broadway shows, four national tours, two international productions of West Side Story, and over one hundred regional productions at Theatre by the Sea, Baltimore Center Stage, Mill Mountain Theatre, and others. Work as composer/lyricist: Two First Prizes in National Opera Association new chamber opera competition; nine chamber operas, performed throughout U.S. and Canada; several produced musical plays, including Castle Walk (NYMF Next Link Selection), and Peter Rabbit and the Garden of Doom (winner, Actors Playhouse competition). miltongranger.com JACK MEHLER (Scenic & Lighting Design). Previous work with NSMT includes Scenery & Lighting for Waitress, Titanic The Musical, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jekyll & Hyde (IRNE nomination), Singin’ in the Rain (2016), Billy Elliot The Musical, Miss Saigon (2013), Scenery for West Side Story (2003), and Lighting for A Christmas Carol ('02-'19, ’21-‘24; 2012 IRNE nomination), Annie, Buddy, Camelot (IRNE nomination), Children of Eden, Elvis: A Musical Revolution, Fiddler On The Roof (2024), 42nd Street, Funny Girl, Gypsy, Hairspray, High School Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, The King and I, A Little Night Music, Little Shop of Horrors, My Fair Lady, Nine(IRNE nomination), Oklahoma! (2019), The Producers, Ragtime, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Tootsie, West Side Story(2016), The Wizard Of Oz (202 & 2025, and Young Frankenstein. He received the 2012 (Elisabeth) and 2013 (Rebecca) Korean Musical Theatre Awards (Korean Tony) for Lighting Design of the Year. Other Theatre design credits include Walnut Street Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, Riverside Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Seattle Rep, Syracuse Stage, Weston Playhouse, The Working Theatre and WPA among many others. Dance: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Met, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Donald Byrd/Spectrum Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, Lar Lubovitch, San Francisco Ballet, The Washington Ballet and many others. Jack also provides owner's design representation for organizations building or renovating performance and rehearsal spaces and is a founding Board Member of A.C.T. of Connecticut. jackmehlerdesign.com ALEX BERG (Sound Design) is excited to return to North Shore Music Theatre! Alex is a freelance sound designer and mix engineer in the greater Boston area. Credits include shows at The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, ACT of Connecticut, Theatre by the Sea, Prescott Park Arts Festival, Barrington Stage Company, Kavinoky Theatre, and Shakespeare in Delaware Park. Thank you to the team at NSMT, and to my family, friends, and Lyn for all their love and support. RACHEL PADULA-SHUFLET (Wig & Hair Design). Previous work at North Shore Music Theatre include The Wizard Of Oz, Waitress, Titanic The Musical, Million Dollar Quartet, Tootsie, Disney’s Frozen, Fiddler On The Roof, Jersey Boys (‘19 & ‘24), Elvis: A Musical Revolution, The Full Monty, Escape To Margaritaville, The Sound Of Music, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Buddy, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Bodyguard, Sunset Boulevard, Freaky Friday, and Oklahoma! Broadway credits include: Glass Menagerie, Waitress. Regional: American Repertory Theatre: Macbeth in Stride, Moby Dick (Elliot Norton Award winner- Best Design), Black Clown, Waitress, Fingersmith (Elliot Norton Award winner- Best Design), Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Elliot Norton award winner- Best Design), Marie Antoinette, and Crossing. Huntington Theatre Company: The Colored Museum. Rachel is the hair and makeup supervisor for Boston Ballet. REBECCA GLICK (Costume Coordinator) is thrilled to be designing for North Shore Music Theatre! A stitcher/dresser with NSMT for a few years, Rebecca is now the Costume Shop Manager for the theatre. She has designed for many theatres and educational programs around Boston. Her recent designs include Waitress & The Shark is Broken (NSMT), Laughs in Spanish (Speakeasy Stage Company), and The Outsiders (Framingham High School). She is the recipient of the Thomas Derrah Emerging Artist Award for her Costume Design of POTUS and was nominated for an Elliot Norton Award for her design of Sweeney Todd (Moonbox Productions). Rebecca's educational designs can be seen throughout the year on the stages of Framingham High School, Weston Drama Workshop, Greater Boston Stage Company, and NSMT. She is also the designer for Refine Dance Studio's annual production of The Nutty Suite. BRIAN M. ROBILLARD (Production Stage Manager) returns to North Shore Music Theatre after previously working on The Wizard Of Oz, Waitress (2025) & Jersey Boys (2024). National Tour: Menopause The Musical! Regional credits include Crazy for You, The Cher Show, Young Frankenstein, Jersey Boys, and Smokey Joe’s Café (Ogunquit Playhouse) What You Are Now, A Christmas Carol, How High the Moon: The Music of Ella Fitzgerald, The 39 Steps (Merrimack Repertory Theatre) An American in Paris, Pippin, West Side Story (Reagle Music Theatre) Macbeth, Cymbeline, Romeo & Juliet (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company) A Man of No Importance (Speakeasy Stage), and many other regional credits in the Greater Boston Area. Brian received his BFA in Stage Management from Boston University and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. ROBERT L. RUCINSKI (Assistant Music Director) is thrilled to be returning to NSMT. Past NSMT Music Director credits include Curious George: The Golden Meatball (’23 & ’25), Madagascar, Elvis: A Musical Revolution, Escape To Margaritaville, A Christmas Carol(‘19), A Year with Frog & Toad, School House Rock Live Jr. Past Assistant Music Director credits include The Wizard Of Oz, Waitress, A Christmas Carol (‘04 – ‘07, ‘10 – ‘18, ‘21- ‘24), Titanic The Musical, Tootsie, Disney’s Frozen, Fiddler On The Roof, Jersey Boys (‘19 & ‘24), The Full Monty, The Sound of Music, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Kinky Boots, Little Shop of Horrors, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, , Sunset Boulevard, Freaky Friday, Oklahoma!, Hairspray, Jekyll & Hyde, Peter Pan, 42nd Street, West Side Story, Singin’ in the Rain (‘06 & ‘16), Les Misérables, The Little Mermaid, The King and I, Forever Plaid, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Crazy for You, Cinderella (‘05-’06), Ain’t Misbehavin’, Damn Yankees, Camelot, Fame. Robert has been music director at many theaters throughout New England and teaches at several high school and university theater programs in the local area. A native of Jersey City, NJ, he now lives in Danvers, MA. More info at rucinskimusic.com DAKOTAH WILEY HORAN (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back having worked as the Assistant Stage Manager on the 2016 productions of Singin’ In The Rain, West Side Story, & Spamalot and the full 2017 – 2019, 2021-2024 Musical Seasons, the 2025 productions of The Shark is Broken, Waitress, The Wizard Of Oz, as well as working as the Production Assistant in 2016 for Funny Girl & Mary Poppins. Some of her previous Stage Management credits include: Capital Repertory Theatre: Betrayal, Marvelous Wonderettes, Cactus Flower, 33 Variations, Leslie Uggams in Uptown Downtown, Man of La Mancha, and Single Girls Guide. Pendragon Theatre: Clean House & Twelve Angry Men. She would like to thank her parents for instilling and encouraging her love of theatre, and her beautiful friends for always believing in and supporting her. MARIA PAPADOPOULOS (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to return to NSMT after previously working on The Wizard Of Oz, Waitress, A Christmas Carol, Tootsie, Disney’s Frozen, and Fiddler on the Roof. She is the Resident Assistant Stage Manager of The J2 Spotlight Musical Theatre Company with her favorite credits from there being Lucky Stiff and Goodbye Girl. Select other credits include: Indecent (PSM - Weston Drama Workshops), Merrily We Roll Along (ASM - Weston Drama Workshops), POTUS (Sound Board Op - SpeakEasy Stage), A Case For The Existence of God (Sound Board Op - SpeakEasy Stage). BFA from Penn State. BILL HANNEY (Owner/Producer) is honored and proud to have been responsible for the re-opening of the nationally renowned North Shore Music Theatre in 2010. Aside from his work operating North Shore Music Theatre, one of Bill's crowning achievements was the 2007 purchase and re-opening of Theatre By The Sea, a landmark 500 seat professional summer theatre and restaurant, which is entering its seventeenth successful year of operation in Matunuck, RI (theatrebythesea.com). Bill was a co-producer on the recent Broadway production of The Shark is Broken, and recently co-produced a New York City workshop of The SeaView Nursing Home for the Newly Deceased. Bill was an investor in the recent Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Pippin, as well as the First National Tour. Bill is currently expanding his group of live theatres. He began his career in show business at age 19, leasing and developing movie theaters, including his first multiplex in Quincy, Massachusetts. Before long, he was booking rock shows (Jefferson Starship, Rush) and other types of live entertainment, which eventually led to the presenting and producing of Broadway productions. One such show was an appearance by the legendary mime artist, Marcel Marceau. As president of Broadway Productions, Bill presented national tours such as Annie, Amadeus, Dancin', Peter Pan, The Rocky Horror Show and Mark Twain starring Hal Holbrook, throughout New England including Worcester, Springfield, Portland, Maine and Boston. Throughout his career, Bill has stayed focused on his movie theatre chain having bought, built, owned, operated, and sold more than 30 cinemas. His company, Entertainment Cinemas, currently operates six movie complexes in three states. Bill is currently Chairman of the Board of the Theatre Owners of New England. Bill has been named to the North Shore Top 100 by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. He received the Leslie S. Ray Hall of Fame Award (2015) and Businessperson of the Year Award (2012) from the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce, as well as Businessperson of the Year from the Salem Chamber of Commerce (2011). MATTHEW CHAPPELL (Associate Producer & Casting Director) is in his 7th season as resident Casting Director and Associate Producer for Bill Hanney’s North Shore Music Theatre and resident Casting Director for Theatre By The Sea. He is a former talent agent, casting associate, and photographer for Heyman Talent Agency, specializing in TV/film, commercials, runway, print and voiceovers and, for many years, worked as Associate Producer for Encore International, casting and producing shows for theme parks, cruise ships, and corporate events. Prior to making the leap to Casting and Producing, Matthew enjoyed a 20+ year career as a professional Actor/Singer/Dancer. ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. actorsequity.org NORTH SHORE MUSIC THEATRE (NSMT) Since 1955, NSMT has become one of the most attended theatres in New England, with approximately 250,000 patrons annually. With a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, NSMT has received numerous industry awards including Elliot Norton Awards, IRNE Awards, the Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors’ Equity, and the Moss Hart Award. NSMT produced the World Premiere of Memphis in 2003, the show went on to win four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Under the new ownership of Bill Hanney in 2010, NSMT continues to annually produce a musical subscription series and an annual production of A Christmas Carol along with celebrity concerts, children’s programming, and year-round education programs for all ages. |
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VISIT ALL THREE OF BILL HANNEY'S ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATIONS!
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PHONE: 978.232.7200 | FAX: 978.232.9999 | EMAIL: [email protected] | Privacy Policy
All photos © Paul Lyden except where otherwise noted.
PHONE: 978.232.7200 | FAX: 978.232.9999 | EMAIL: [email protected] | Privacy Policy
All photos © Paul Lyden except where otherwise noted.