Susan Moniz

Susan Moniz is originally from Rhode Island, Susan has called Chicago her home for over  20 years. She first appeared with Provision Theater as Shelby in The Spitfire Grill--receiving a Joseph Jefferson award nomination-- as well as Vera in Smoke On The Mountain. Some of her other Chicagoland credits include Catherine in The Heiress, Anna In Anna Karenina (Jeff nomination), Ruth in Dessa Rose (Jeff nomination) and Josephine/Monica in  Romance Romance  (Jeff nomination)  all at Apple Tree Theatre. At the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre she has been seen in such roles as Marcina in Kismet, earning her a Jeff award, in addition to The Witch in Into The Woods (Jeff nomination), Peggy Sue in the world premiere of Peggy Sue Got Married  (Jeff Nomination), the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing…, Maria in West Side Story (Jeff nomination), Tuptim in The King And I (Jeff nomination), Vi in Footloose, Julie in Showboat, Julie in Carousel, Mrs Molloy in  Hello Dolly, Swing, and The All Night Strut. At Drury LaneOakbrook, Susan has appeared as Eva Peron in two productions of Evita, Paula in The Goodbye Girl, Millie in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Adriana in The Boys From Syracuse, Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense and as Susan in Big for which she received a Dark Night Award. At Court Theatre she was seen as Sarah Brown in Guys And Dolls. Other regional credits include Woody Gutherie’s American Song at Goodspeed Opera House, Missouri Repertory and Chicago’s Northlight Theatre, where it won the Jeff award for best Musical, at Ford’s Theatre as Yum-Yum in The Hot Mikado, and Josephine/Monica in Romance/Romance  at the Cherry County Playhouse, which was filmed and aired on A&E. Susan was part of the Chicago Ovations series  production of  Promises, Promises, playing the role of Fran opposite Jason Graae and George Hearn. She worked with George Hearn again at Ravinia in the concert performance of Camelot, conducted by Paul Gemignani. She met her husband touring Love Scenes with Chicago Shakespeare, where she also played Jessica In The Merchant Of Venice. At The Eugene O’Neill Theater on Broadway, Susan played both Sandy and Rizzo in Grease. She can be heard on both Second City Divas- Women of Chicago Musical Theater and Live At The Mercury Theater recordings.

Michael Mahler is a composer/lyricist from Minnetonka, Minnesota who currently resides in Chicago. At 17 he became the youngest composer ever published by GIA publications, the nation's largest Catholic liturgical publishing company. He has since released five recordings of liturgical songs.

Michael earned his BS in Theatre at Northwestern University, where he won the Sarah Siddons award and wrote about 50 songs for the annual Waa-Mu Show, a student-written review. Since then he has contributed to: What U Will (La Red Productions); The American Dream Songbook (Next Theatre Company); The Main Street Kids Club & Chicago Sound Connection (Northwestern University); The Adams Conglomerate High School Presents:Tales of the 8th Grade (NY Fringe Festival); Will and Bill (Lakeshore Theatre, Chicago Center for the Performing Arts); A Christmas Carol (Provision Theater Company); Barenaked Lads (Bailiwick Theatre); Where The Sidewalk Ends (American Eagle); Peef & Cinder Edna (Stages Theatre Company); and others. His musical reviews 5 to 9 and Moving Forward, Looking Back (both co-conceived with director Jessica Redish) have been performed at The Beechman Theatre in NYC, Northwestern, and St. Olaf College. Michael's songs have been sung in various songwriter showcases in both New York and Chicago, including Ars Nova, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre New Works Summit and the MAC/ASCAP Songwriter Showcase. His song 'That's When I Miss You' won 1st prize in the Great Lakes songwriting contest.

Michael teamed up with Alan Schmuckler to write How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, a critically-acclaimed original family musical that premiered at the Tony Award-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater. It has since been performed at The Spirit of Broadway Theater, Stages, Northwestern and the Chicago Humanities Festival.

With Buddy Farmer and David H. Bell, Michael wrote Knute Rockne: All-American, an original musical about the life of the famed Notre Dame football coach, which premiered at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana.

Michael music-directed and wrote the vocal arrangements for Bowery Boys, an original musical that premiered at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theater. His original piece based on the 9/11 Report will premiere in August with La Red Productions. He is currently working with Schmuckler and Jarrod Zimmerman on an original web-based musical series entitled Boyfred.

As an actor, Michael won the Jeff Citation for Best Actor in a Musical and an After Dark award for his portrayal of Benjy Stone in the Bailiwick's production of My Favorite Year. He will be playing Isaac 'Chip' Berkowitz in the Marriott Lincolnshire Theater's upcoming production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Favorite previous credits include: Magnolia (Goodman); Tomorrow Morning (Greenhouse Theater - Chicago Cast Recording); Leo Bloom in The Producers (Theatre at the Center); Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit (Royal George); Shenandoah, The Princess & The Pea, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, & Treasure Island (Marriott); The Balladeer in Assassins (Porchlight); Hero in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Noble Fool); Sydney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success (Circle Theater - Jeff Citation nomination); and Urinetown (Mercury Theater), as well as staged readings of High Fidelity (Route 66 Theatre Company); Yeast Nation (American Theater Company) and The Nervous Set (Stages Festival). Michael created the title role in Joe! The Musical (Equity Library Theater). He has also done voice-over work, including the voice of the Big 'N' Tasty Burger in McDonalds' national '$1 Menu' campaign. Michael is a proud member of Actor's Equity, ASCAP, Barrel of Monkeys and Provision Theater Company. He also sings and plays guitar in an as-yet-unnamed rock band coming soon to a venue near you.

Alaric Jans is Chicago’s most noted composer for theater and film. He holds the Bob Tilles chair, an honor established at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where he recently composed music for Twelfth Night, his thirty-fourth production with CST.

Jans is a six-time Joseph Jefferson Award Winner for his work in Chicago theater (with seventeen nominations), as well as an After Dark Award winner.

Broadway credits include music for The Water Engine (in which he appeared as “the Musician”) and music and lyrics for Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? (with James Quinn). Several films directed by David Mamet feature Mr. Jans’s music:  House of Games, Things Change, Homicide, and The Winslow Boy.

Brad Armacost has been working with PROVISION THEATER since 2004, the company’s second season. He appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL and received a Joseph Jefferson nomination for his work. He performed Scrooge for two additional seasons, with his son Evan Armacost in the cast. He followed in the one man show C.S. LEWIS, ONSTAGE at the Royal George Theatre during the 2007-2008 Season and received a Jeff Nomination for Solo Performance.

At Steppenwolf Theatre he received the Joseph Jefferson Award for his work as Teddy in FAITH HEALER. Other Steppenwolf mainstage productions include THE SEAFARER with John Mahoney, MARIA ARNDT and PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD. Other Friel projects include ARISTOCRATS, WONDERFUL TENNESSEE, LOVERS, and DANCING AT LUGHNASA. He has appeared at the Goodman Theatre in A TOUCH OF THE POET with Brian Dennehy, A CHRISTMAS CAROL as Bob Crachit, ZOO STORY, OEDIPUS COMPLEX and THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL.
With his wife, Cynthia Judge, he produced FAITH HEALER at TurnAround Theatre as well as an award winning series of one-man shows by the late Irish actor Chris O'Neil (directing STRICKLY BRENDAN, another Jeff-award winner). For his work in the Chicago theatre he was named to the Tribune's MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE ARTS in 1995, and the two productions of FAITH HEALER were atop both the Sun-Times and the Tribune's BEST PLAYS OF THE YEAR.

He has appeared often with Chicago Shakespeare (CYMBELINE, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, COMEDY OF ERRORS, MERCHANT OF VENICE, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA and TIMON OF ATHENS) and many other Chicagoland theatres (Northlight, Organic, Touchstone, Remy-Bumppo, Drury Lane and the Candlelight).

His television credits include MISSING PERSONS, ANGEL STREET and recurring roles on THE UNTOUCHABLES and EARLY EDITION.
Film credits include Robert Altman's THE COMPANY, Alderman Brock in BARBERSHOP 2, REPETITION, EIGHT MEN OUT and BACKWOODS.