TrueNorth Ends Run of Updated Version of Maltby and Shire's BABY, 3/21

TrueNorth Cultural Arts will end the run of their updated version of the Maltby and Shire musical, BABY on March 21st. The cast stars Michael Dempsey as Alan, Natalie Green as Lizzie, Bernadette Hisey as Arlene, David Robeano as Nick Shane Joseph Siniscalchi as Danny, and Maggie Stahl-Floriano as Pam.

The cast also features BrIan Bowers, Douglas M. Brill, Jessica Mester, Kimberly Aldrich-Ceja, Lauren Skirbunt, Lydia Hall, and Susan Watson.

Baby tells the story of three couples on a university campus as they deal with the painful, rewarding, and agonizingly funny consequences of this universal experience. There are the college students, barely at the beginning of their adult lives; the thirty-somethings, having trouble conceiving but determined to try; and the middle-aged parents, looking forward to seeing their last child graduate from college when a night of unexpected passion lands them back where they started.

A smart, energetic show with loads of charm, Baby has a modern, up-to-date sensibility, with strong female characters, a hysterically insightful book by Sybille Pearson and a tuneful, contemporary score of show-stopping numbers by David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr. (Starting Here, Starting Now, Closer Than Ever and Big, The Musical). Warm, intimate, and immensely likable, Baby is a perfect show for anyone who's ever had a baby... or anyone who's ever been one!

Kimberly Aldrich-Ceja (Nurse, Ensemble) is happy to be performing again at TrueNorth at French Creek. A singer, songwriter, actress and playwright, she has performed on stages across the greater Cleveland area, including The Cleveland Play House, Mercury Summer Stock and Beck Center for the Arts. Favorite roles include the drummer in We Gotta Bingo (Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theater, Cleveland), the wedding singer in Tony ‘n Tina's Wedding (Hanna Theater, Cleveland) and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (Lorain Palace). Her commissioned play, Blooms of Steel, an historical drama about the families and community that grew around the steel industry in Lorain, played to sold-out audiences at TrueNorth at French Creek in May 2008. She also wrote the book and music for a full-length musical, Pale Mary. Kim earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. She works as a freelance graphic designer and writer.

BrIan Bowers (Professor Weiss, Mr. Hart, Ensemble) is excited to be working with Fred again, after last appearing in his production of Man of La Mancha at the Halle Theater/JCC. No stranger to the True North stage, Brian has previously performed in their productions of Working, Swingtime! 1944, Side by Side by Sondheim, and in the January 2010 production of The Last Five Years. His work on the stage includes performances at The Cleveland Playhouse, Playhouse Square Center, the Idea Center, Beck Center, Cesear's Forum, Dobama, Clague Playhouse, Lakeland Theater, Kalliope, and the Barn Theater in Augusta, MI. By day, Brian is the owner/operator of Braedy Photography and writes for his blog for the entertainment community. He is also active in the local film community, serving as moderator for the New Vision Film Club, Cleveland Producer of the 48 Hour Film Project, and producing and consulting work for many filmmakers, writers, and performers.

Douglas Brill (Doctor, Dean Webber, Ensemble) has performed at Beck Center, Clague Playhouse, Huntington Playhouse, Lorain Community Music Theater, Mighty Goliath Theater, Rocky River Community Theater, and the Old Firehouse. Favorite roles include Juror #8 in Twelve Angry Men, Uncle Max in The Sound of Music, Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, Clem in Will Rogers Follies, Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof, and Chief Sitting Bull in Annie Get Your Gun.

Michael Dempsey (Alan) Michael's written for network television (CBS's CyBill Starring Cybill Shepherd) and is a theatre writer, actor and director. His plays have been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Washington and regional theaters like Actors Theatre of Louisville. Original productions staged in Ohio include Hail to the Chef, Mrs. Claus Has A Gun! and The Romeo and Juliet War. Local stage appearances include The Seagull (Medvedenko), 1776 (Wilson) and Fiddler On The Roof (Avram) at the Beck Center for the Arts and Fiddler On The Roof (Mordcha) at Cain Park. Michael studied acting at Ohio State University, Actors Theatre of Louisville and the National Theatre of Great Britain Acting Programme (Shakespeare). A member of the Writer's Guild of America, Michael's a recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship for playwriting. Michael has just completed his first novel. A Youngstown native, he is on the board of several Youngstown-area theaters and is deeply committed to growing the arts there to aid in the city's cultural and economic rebirth. He recently directed Into The Woods in the area and will direct the musical Curtains and Macbeth in 2010. Currently, he divides his time between Ohio and New England.

Natalie Green (Lizzie) is a 2005 graduate of Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts with a degree in Theatre Arts - Musical Theatre Concentration. Prior to attending Point Park, she studied Classical Vocal Performance, Theatre and Education at Mount Union College. Onstage, Natalie is best known in the Cleveland area for her portrayal of Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Beck Center (2005-2007). Since returning to Cleveland, she has been seen as Seada in Necessary Targets at Fine Arts Association, Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice at Lakeland Theatre, Laverne Andrews in Boogie Woogie Baby at the Cleveland Play House Club, and as Hanna in A Shayna Maidel with the Jewish Community Center of Cleveland. She has also worked in the Cabaret Shows at Pickwick and Frolic. As a singer, she was the Lead Vocalist with Collision Jazz and was a Semi-Finalist on American Idol, Season 3. Natalie is currently a lead singer with the Grand Avenue Band.

Lydia Hall (Narrator, Operator, Ensemble) began performing as a child in North Dakota, where she grew up, and has been fortunate to perform in five European countries and with the Wesley Balk Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota, the American Singers' Opera Project in New York City, New York, Boston Opera Collaborative in Boston, Massachusetts and with OperaWorks in Los Angeles, California. Locally, Ms. Hall has appeared in productions with The Cleveland Public Theatre, Tri-C West, Opera Cleveland and with The Cleveland Orchestra and Blossom Festival Choruses. Other favorite roles include the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, Dinah in Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, and Woman 1 in Adam Guettel's Myths & Hymns. Lydia holds a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from The Boston Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bernadette Hisey (Arlene) has performed at Beck Center, Cain Park, Cassidy Theatre, CAMEO Productions, Ensemble Theatre of Cleveland, JCC at Tri-C East, Lorain Community Music Theatre, TrueNorth, and most extensively with Mighty Goliath Productions where she has been the drama director, music director, choreographer, historian, and marketing manager as well as having played leading and supporting roles. Favorite roles include Mrs. Anna in The King and I, Kate/Lilli Vanessi in Kiss Me, Kate, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance and Annie Oakley in Annie, Get Your Gun.