Cast & Crew
Jack Allen is politalks about politics, so he’s got this.
Ed Bettinger likes his gin neat, his steaks rare, and his women well done. Writer, backpacker, beer connoisseur, raconteur and bon vivant, Ed authored the classic backcountry cocktail guides “Drinker’s Guide to Hiking in Grand Canyon” and “Hiker’s Guide to Drinking in Grand Canyon.”
Suzanne Bloomfield has been performing for her salon clients for 34 years. It’s always been a dream to work with a cast on a stage. She is grateful to the GridIron for the opportunity to mark this off her bucket list.
Nic Bushta says this year’s Tulsa Gridiron is gonna be a blast! We will touch on many things in this year’s performance. With luck, you will be able to laugh, cry, gasp and maybe even wet your pants a little whilst watching the players serve you antics and astonishments from every angle! Sit back, grit your teeth, and tighten those Depends tabs because here we GO!!!
John Cory has had featured roles on the Tulsa Gridiron stage for a number of years and been a prolific contributor to the writing team as well. John works for the Tulsa Area United Way and helps the good agencies it serves to make the most of technology. You can enjoy John’s musical talents on Sunday mornings at East Side Christian Church.
Kelly Boggs Cory is finishing up her doctoral dissertation at OSU and teaches English writing classes at TCC. She has been a member of the cast and writing team for many years.
Michelle D. Cullom is a classroom teacher with a drama queen persona. She toured Sweden with a “Godspell” company and held the leading roles in Theater North’s production of Mahalia the Musical (2002) and Crowns (2004). Michelle had a supporting role in Spinning Plates production of Dreamgirls (2015). In 2016, she portrayed her own life story in the Invisibility Project with Echo Theater Company. Michelle is currently working on Theatre Pops 2017 production of The Last Days of Judas.
Lori Decter Wright is excited to be making her debut with Tulsa Gridiron. As a former professional opera singer, the 2016 Democratic Nominee for Oklahoma House District 67 thought participating in this show would be the perfect combination of performing and politics. After a nine-year hiatus from singing, Lori returned to the stage this past summer as Madame Rose in “Gypsy” with Broken Arrow Community Playhouse. This coming summer she will stage direct “Addam’s Family, The Musical” for Broadway At Boston Avenue. Lori currently serves as the Executive Director for Kendall Whittier, Inc. (KWI) a homegrown, community-based organization focused on food security issues in the neighborhood. KWI hosts three organic community gardens: GROW Teaching Garden, Tipton Community Garden, and The Garden at Sequoyah Elementary School, as well as the city’s only delivery emergency food pantry. Lori lives in South Tulsa with her husband and two children.
Angela Smith Flax is a Talent Acquisition Consultant and professional volunteer. Most days she can be found doing yoga or pilates to keep her sanity. Instead of therapy she is doing her part to support the Tulsa economy by enjoying wine with her husband and friends or shoe shopping. Her motto – buy local and buy often….. really often!
Weydan Flax makes his triumphant return to Gridiron after last year’s triumphant return. Shout out to my Peeps (can’t wait until Easter). Semper Fi, Mac!
Emergency Infant Services’ Downtown Receptionist Joan Gallo is back for a fourth year. She loves being a part of Gridiron’s silliness while thumbing her nose at those local and national notables whose antics never fail to bring a quizzical, “What the…?” to her lips.
Jonathon Galluzzi likes to eat lots of cookies.
Sharon King Davis is going for her ninth year and honored to be cast at all….much less as Hillary!! Thanks for coming.
Karen Klein’s life is all avocados and ice cream, and she’s terribly thankful for all of the beautiful and supportive people in her life. Please always believe in yourself, too, okay? You’re valuable, and I hope you never think differently.
Stage Manager Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton will eventually quit calling her kids the cast and crew’s names. Maybe.
Randy Krehbiel gave up Lent for sloth, gluttony and avarice.
A newcomer to the Tulsa Gridiron, Ann Lauderdale is a veteran of the local community theatre scene. She has appeared in performances with Theatre Tulsa, American Theatre Company, Odeum Theatre Company, and Broken Arrow Community Playhouse, as well as burlesque performances under the moniker Whiskey Sainte Cyr. This is Ann’s first theatrical production since moving back to Tulsa after spending the last five years in the Kansas City area, where she appeared in numerous burlesque, dinner theatre, and musical theatre productions.
This is Nick Lutke’s first year participating in Gridiron and he is having a blast! He loves the vibrant community theatre scene in Tulsa and has most recently worked on productions with Midwestern Theatre Troupe, American Theatre Company, and Heller Theatre Company, for which he also acts as secretary. He studied Crying in Public under Steven Seagal at Minnie’s Acting “School” and Day Spa before attending a screening of Pretty Woman. He loves writing, acting, and can be seen working at Fat Guy’s Burger Bar in Downtown Tulsa or doing a fair-to-good Larry David impression. Enjoy the show, turn your phones off, and please tip your waiters.
Jane Lyon has been singing since the 6th Grade at Lee School. She’s played at Mayfest, Oktoberfest, Blue Dome Fest and Garden Deva Fall Open House. She’s also a long-time Gridiron cast member. For the past two years she’s been part of the cast of Nanyehi (at the Joint at the Hard Rock Casino) and currently sings with two choirs: Trinity Episcopal Church and Sisters in Song. She’s most happy playing guitar and singing high harmonies with others.
Liz Masters is an award-winning actress, singer, mediocre-but-enthusiastic ukulele player. She’s been treading the boards in Tulsa for nearly 30 years, working with nearly every theatre company in town along the way. She should probably add at least one more sentence to this, shouldn’t she? (There, she just did.)
Kelly McEver has performed in shows with Theater Tulsa, Theater Pops, Heller and Broken Arrow Community Theater. Favorite movie line – “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father – prepare to die.”
Technical Director Tim Moore is in his 44th year with the show. Still recovering from being pieced back together but never letting Gridiron get in the way, he fully understands what Frankenstein must have felt like after his surgery. Tim still awaits that phone call from Jerry Jones to tell him he has been selected to be a judge for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader tryouts!
Kerry Malone Stancavage. Spotty Gridiron track record. Penned “the most difficult number ever” to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” back when ONEOK Field was a high-drama idea. Joined the cast and served as producer the next year. Then, life. Happily back after a Gridiron Gap. Spouse John is a Gridiron writer of note; an all-around good guy; and needs a donor kidney.
Longtime Tulsa World Business Editor and columnist John Stancavage retired from the Tulsa World in 2016 to spend more time writing for Tulsa Gridiron. Some of the results of those efforts can be heard in tonight’s show. For the rest, drop by Rebecca Ungerman’s house and check the bottom of her cat’s litter box.
Cecilia Wessinger returns to the stage to tackle yet another year of profundity and all things Gridiron. As with every year, she happily performs whatever our esteemed director throws at her with bravado, because, well… someone has to do it and she was told “bravado” was a bigger role since Kim Jong Il has been weirdly quiet.