Gary W. Blackman and Mark A. Blackman, Executive Producers
Greg Gunning, Artistic Director
presents
THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD™
EARNS HER WHISTLE
Based on the book by Watty Piper
with
Charles Armstrong Erin Byun
Michelle Croll Cait Dailey
Stage Manager
Kristiana Lyn Cowcer
Adapted and Directed by Greg Gunning
Lyrics by Greg Gunning
Music and Orchestrations by Richard DeRosa
Incidental Music by Ron Drotos
Costumes by Fred Sorrentino
Set Construction by Tom Carroll Scenery
The Little Engine That Could™
© Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Presented under a special arrangement with Penguin Publishing.
All rights reserved.
CAST
(in order of appearance)
BlueErin Byun
Red Michelle Croll
Gold/RustyCait Dailey
SilverCharles Armstrong
Stage ManagerKrisitana Lynn Cowcer
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Overture/Opening …………………………………………………………..Orchestra
All Aboard!………………………………………………………………….Blue & Rusty
On the Right Track.……………………………………………………………….Cast
On the Right Track (reprise)…………………………………………….Blue & Red
Piney Vale Railroad Anthem…………..…………………….………Silver, Red, Blue
An Engine of the Railroad…………….………………………...……Silver, Red, Blue
Perfect Harmony (The Toy’s Song)………..………………….Punch, Dollie, Monty
I Think I Can.…………………………………………………………...….Rusty & Blue
On the Right Track (reprise)…………………………………….………..Silver & Red
Don’t Look At Me!…………………………………….………………Gold, Silver, Red
The Final Big Journey.…………………………………………..…………Blue & Cast
Finale’: I Think I Can………………………………………………………………..Cast
Who’s Who______
CHARLES ARMSTRONG (Silver) is thrilled to be returning to ArtsPower and The Little Engine… He also performed the role of Dog in ArtsPower’sAre You My Mother? Favorite regional credits: White Christmas (Jenny Wiley Theatre, KY), Joseph…, Spamalot, and South Pacific (Forestburgh Playhouse, NY), 9 to 5, Kiss Me Kate, andYoung Frankenstein (Regional Premiere)(Weathervane Theatre, NH). Charles would like to thank the ArtsPower team as well as his family, friends, and Dr. David Bankston for all their love and support. Enjoy the show!
ERIN BYUN (Little Blue) is originally from Long Beach, California. She recently moved to New York City to pursue a career in opera and musical theatre after receiving her Masters of Music degree in Voice Performance from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). She also has a Bachelors of Music Education degree from Vandercook College of Music (Chicago, IL). When Erin is not busy singing and performing, she loves to watch movies, read books, and go to the gym. She is thrilled to be a part of ArtsPower's production of The Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle and is excited to share this encouraging story.
MICHELLE CROLL (Little Red) is thrilled to be reprising her role as Little Red.She was last seen as Ralph in the national tour of The Monster Who Ate My Peas.Michelle has a B.F.A. in Theatre from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she trained at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School.She minored in American Sign Language and is working towardher interpreter certification.Favorite roles include Mercy Lewis inThe Crucible, Mrs. Mayor inSeussical, and Hermia inA Midsummer NIght's Dream. Many thanks to her family for their constant love and support.
CAIT DAILEY (Gold, Rusty) is thrilled to be joining the ArtsPower tour of this classic children's story! She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and recently graduated from DeSales University with a degree in Musical Theatre with a minor in Music. Some of her favorite roles include Eulalie Shinn in The Music Man (DeSales), Aunt Gert in Lost in Yonkers (DeSales) and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival). She thanks Greg and the ArtsPower staff for her first touring experience and looks forward to sharing this endearing yet powerful message!
KRISTIANA LYN COWCER(Stage Manager) is excited to begin her third tour with ArtsPower, after stage managing tours of TheMonster Who Ate My Peas and Madeline and the Bad Hat. Previous credits include working as a production assistant for Lord of the Flies and Stage Manager for Beauty and the Beast at Barrington Stage Company; Assistant Company Manager at Two River Theater Company; Assistant Stage Manager at Olney Theater Center; Assistant Stage Manager at Barrington Stage Company's Stage II; and a Stage Manager for several seasons at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. She would like to thank her family for all of their love and support.
GARY BLACKMAN(Executive Producer) co-founded ArtsPower in 1985 with his identical twin brother, Mark and serves as ArtsPower's managing director. Gary received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from ColumbiaCollege, ColumbiaUniversity and earned a Master's degree in Music Education from theCollege of Music at FloridaStateUniversity. In 2013, he was appointed as a council member to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts by Governor Christie. He is also a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute. Gary, his wife Amy, and their daughter Emma live in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.
MARK BLACKMAN(Executive Producer)is ArtsPower’s founding co-director and currently serves as director of development. He is a graduate of ColumbiaCollege, ColumbiaUniversity and received his Master of Music Education degree from FloridaStateUniversity's College of Music. He is also a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute. Mark is responsible for ArtsPower’s fundraising and marketing efforts. In a former life, Mark was a jazz saxophone player who was a recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to study for a year with jazz recording artist Eddie Daniels. Mark and his wife Leslie Sutton-Smith each have a daughter, Alyssa Blackman and Kelly Sutton-Skinner. They all share their dog Alex in their Montclair, New Jersey home.
GREG GUNNING(Artistic Director) hails from Chicago, Illinois and is the man behind ArtsPower’s on-stage magic. He has written every ArtsPower production since 1989. Greg auditions and rehearses ArtsPower’s theatre companies each semester in addition to creating at least one new production each year. A graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a former actor, Greg has performed in 38 states across the country.
RICHARD DEROSA(Composer & Orchestrator) orchestrated the scores to ArtsPower's Fourscore and Seven Years Ago, Olympic Spirit: The Jesse Owens StoryBeyond the Miracle, and The Silent Boy. He composed and orchestrated the scores to ArtsPower's Jigsaw Jones, Anne of Green Gables, Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie, Terrifically Tilly, A Little Princess, Caddie Woodlawn, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Salem Justice, Are You My Mother?Anastasia Krupnik, Highlights for Children, Hans Brinker & the Silver Skates, Lily's Crossing, The Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel and The Rainbow Fish, Amber Brown is Not A Crayon, My Heart in a uitcase and Harry the Dirty Dog. Richard is a respected jazz drummer and arranger and has toured and recorded with jazz legend Gerry Mulligan, Susannah McCorkle, Jackie and Roy, and many other world-class jazz musicians. He recently joined the music faculty at University of NorthTexas in Denton where he teaches composition, arranging, and jazz improvisation. Richard is also affiliated with Jazz at LincolnCenter as an arranger for Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In 2014, Rich was named chief conductor of the WDR Big Band, one of the most prestigious jazz orchestras in Germany.
FRED SORRENTINO(Costumer)has designed and built the costumes for ArtsPower’s Beyond the Miracle, Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Hans Brinker & the Silver Skates, A Little Princess, Terrifically Tilly, Salem Justice, Caddie Woodlawn, Are You My Mother? Anastasia Krupnik, Highlights for Children, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Lily’s Crossing, The Little Engine That Could; Earns Her Whistle, From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel, and The Rainbow Fish, Amber Brown is Not A Crayon, My Heart in A Suitcase, and Harry the Dirty Dog. Fred is a gifted musician having earned a Bachelor’s degree in voice from Jersey City (NJ) State College. A veteran performer in both operatic and musical theatre productions, Fred now maintains a busy schedule designing and building costumes.
ARTSPOWER NATIONAL TOURING THEATRE Celebrating our 29h anniversary season in 2014-15, ArtsPower is one of America's largest and most respected producers of professional theatre for young and family audiences. Founded by twin brothers Gary and Mark Blackman in 1985, ArtsPower has created 28 original musicals and plays that have been presented for more than 13 million people throughout 49 states and the District of Columbia. Based in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, ArtsPower hopes you enjoy today’s performance and invites you to share your comments with us at .
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