Talk about your cast for this show.

We have an exciting cast for this show with a good mix of newcomers and old timers. There are a couple of veteran ART performers and some folks who will be performing with us for the first time, all of which all very hard working seasoned performers:

• El Gallo: The Narrator is played by M Justin Red who is an ART regular last seen in "All In The Timing Too" and cousin Eddie in "The Rocky Horror Show"


• Luisa: Amy Bolton, our ingénue, a Madera native has just returned from a two year stint at the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Santa Maria where she's had a chance to hone her performing skills. We are so excited to have her in this production and her first ART show.


• Matt: Tyson Pyles plays our leading male, although he is our youngest cast member Tyson is no stranger to the stage. If you caught Clovis East's production of "The Titanic" this year you would have seen his powerful portrayal of the boiler room operator. Tyson is another ART newbie and a real hard worker on stage.


• Huckelbee (Matt's Father): Randy Stump is a veteran to Fresno theater, he has performed at Roger Rocka's, Second Space, Center Stage, Fresno State, among others and has the been a founding member of two local theater companies in the past. His first show with ART was "All In The Timing Too" where he delivered a knee slapping performance as the Lindbergh Baby in "Mere Mortals." Randy's impeccable comic timing and razor sharp wit makes him a perfect member of "The Fantasticks" team.


• Bellamy (Luisa's Father): Joe Ozier is recently returning to Fresno after spending the last ten years performing in Florida. We are happy to have him part of the team in his first ART production.


• Henry: Greg Ruud masterfully plays "the ol Shakespearian player" in our production. He is also a veteran to Fresno theatre; he most recently played Marley among other characters in Second Space's "A Christmas Carol." ART welcomes his experience and talent in his first production with us.


• Mortimer (Henry's sidekick): We are lucky to have Tony Thammavongsa for the highly comedic and very physical role of Mortimer (wait till you see him die). You might recognize Tony from CMT's production of "Sweeny Todd" last summer, or as Slightly in MTF's production of "Peter Pan" both of which were bang up performances. Tony is another welcomed addition to the ART team.


• The Mute: Diane Engeln plays this silent yet vital character, with the kind of grace and poise that only she can bring to the stage. She is a seasoned dancer and performer who spent many years dancing with The Portable Dance Troup, and was also seen on the ART stage as one of the rockin' back up dancers in "The Rocky Horror Show." Diane's honed movement skills help bring "The Mute" to life.

Last, but not least, we have a fabulous live band made up of a trio seasoned of musicians:

• First we have Nate Butler as our musical director and show's bassist. You might remember Nate as the effervescent bass player from "The Rocky Horror Show", and also perhaps as the evil Captain Hook in MTF's production of Peter Pan.


• On drums we have a very experienced local talent: Michael Faeth


• St. Joseph Phao, one of the piano instructors at Cal-Arts is our very talented and dedicated Pianist.

This show is described as a fable. As a director, what does that mean to you?

"The Fantasticks" is essentially a re-telling of a roman fable, "Pyramus and Thisbe" which also is the base story for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and later Edmond Rostand's "Les Romanesques." As a fable, this story has been passed down through time for different generations to enjoy and interpret for the lessons that best suit their times and society. Although "The Fantasticks" was created in the fifties, and some of our society's ideals have changed in the last sixty years, I'm sure the audience will be able to find something in the story that will relate to them, because any good fable stands the test of time.

I know that after September 11, the show seemed to take on added poignancy because of the lyrics of "Try to Remember" and its reference to September. Do you think that the World Trade Center incident has inadvertently added another layer of meaning to the show?

I think any good story will have the ability to adapt to its surroundings as well as local or global events. Although I believe nobody in this country has forgotten 9/11, I imagine that our present state of economy might be a little stronger them in peoples minds as they watch the show. I think songs like "Try to Remember" and "Soon it's Gonna Rain" might also be able to relate to our recent economic strife. No matter what you connect to in this show there are many thought provoking connections to the story and songs in this musical.

Anything else you'd like people to know about this production?

At the base of it all; themes and messages however simple or complex, the point of this show is to have fun. So please, take a break from your busy world and help make this fun little story a night to remember.

Anything else you'd like people to know about this production?

At the base of it all; themes and messages however simple or complex, the point of this show is to have fun. So please, take a break from your busy world and help make this fun little story a night to remember.