ARTISTIC TEAM BIOS

LESLIE WAGGONER (Director/Choreographer) The Full Monty marks Leslie’s 5th show with BAM, having worked on The Wedding Singer (choreo), Hairspray (assoc. choreo), and performed in 42nd Street (Henrietta) and Crazy For You (Mitzi/Tess cover.) Leslie most recently choreographed the West Coast premiere of American Psycho with Ray of Light Theatre (TBA Finalist.) She also directed and choreographed Ray of Light’s Rocky Horror Show (2018) after serving as its choreographer in '15, '16 and '17. Other recent credits include direction and choreo for Debbie Does Dallas The Musical (Oasis); choreo for Ghost and Pageant (OMG I Love That Show), and D'Arcy Drollinger's upcoming film, "Shit & Champagne". She has performed locally with AMTSJ, Ray of Light, Diablo Theatre Company, BAM, Oasis, Magic Theatre, Berkeley Playhouse, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, SF Shakes, Killing My Lobster (5-year company member) and at the Herbst Theater. Endless love and gratitude to Zac!

JON GALLO (Music Director) is a music director and pianist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he studied piano performance under Dr. W. Terrance Spiller. Jon was last seen as MD of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Bay Area Musicals, and MAMMA MIA! for Mountain Play's 105th season on top of Mount Tamalpais. He has worked as music director for Bay Area Musicals for the past 4 years, and for the Performing Arts Academy of Marin for the past 6 years. In addition to a busy rehearsal and performance schedule, he serves as choir director for Trinity Music Ministry in Oakland, and produces the annual WE ARE OAKLAND community benefit concert there. Some of his favorite music director credits include, but are not limited to The Wedding Singer, Into The Woods, 42nd Street, Assassins, Legally Blonde, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, La Cage aux Folles, and Hair. Jon is a founding member & resident music director of Bay Area Musicals.

GENEVIEVE PABON (Stage Manager) is happy to come home to Bay Area Musicals. Last season Geneviève stage managed Violet, the Musical for Bay Area Musicals. Past productions with Bay Area Musicals include The Wedding Singer and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Recent work includes The Fit for San Francisco Playhouse, several productions for Zspace and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show, including the World Premier of Dream Snow for Bay Area Children's Theatre, including the World Premier of Dream Snow. She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Drama from San Francisco State University. Favorite past shows include Basil Twist's Symphony Fantastic, Daisy in the Dream Time, and The Supers. When not in the booth calling cues or on deck, Geneviève can be found house managing A.C.T.'s Geary and Strand theaters. Special thanks to Elaine Miller for her unending love and support.

FRANK CARDINALE (Assnt. Stage Manager) is excited to return to the BAM Fam for his third show with them. He has been stage managing in Marin and San Francisco for the past 9 years. He can be found as a fixture running the back stage of the Mountain Play every Spring. He wants to thank his lovely wife Sumi for letting him play with this fabulous team of designers and actors on such a lovely play.

HARLEY GREENE (Assnt. Stage Manager) is excited to work on his first show with BAM. Previous credits include work on Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Custom Made Theatre Company), Witch Hunt (Those Women Productions), and Othello (Inferno Theatre). When not backstage, you can find working at Zymergen in the East Bay.

MATTHEW MCCOY (Set Designer) is proud to call San Francisco home. Mr. McCoy has directed, choreographed, and produced plays, musicals, cabarets, and magic production shows nationally and Internationally. He has worked professionally in the regional theatre circuit as well as in Las Vegas, New York, Paris, London, and Shanghai. Professional Credits Include: Cinderella (Director/Choreographer), The Music Man (Director/Choreographer), Little Shop of Horrors (Director), Into the Woods (Choreographer), The 25th Annual … Spelling Bee (Director/Choreographer), Bye Bye Birdie (Choreographer), Shrek the Musical (Director/Choreographer), Addams Family the Musical (Director/Choreographer), Fiddler on the Roof (Choreographer), How To..Trying (Director), Hair (Choreographer), La Cage aux Folles (Director/Choreographer), Seussical (Choreographer), 42nd Street (Choreographer) Wedding Singer (Director) and Hunchback of Notre Dame (Director/Choreographer). He has recieved TBA Award nominations for his choreography on Nunsense (Altarena Playhouse) and Peter Pan (Berkeley Playhouse) and has won BEST CHOREOGRAPHY from the SFBATCC for his work on 42nd STREET and CRAZY FOR YOU as well as BEST DIRECTION for CRAZY FOR YOU. Matthew is the Founder & Artistic Director of Bay Area Musicals.

BROOKE JENNINGS (Costume Designer) is an award-winning costume designer and educator living in the Bay Area. Her recent credits include Hairspray, Violet, Crazy For You, Hunchback of Notre Dame (Bay Area Musicals), You Mean To Do Me Harm, Barbecue (San Francisco Playhouse); Undiscovered Country, Caesar Maximus, Roman Women, Ondine (We Players), Scenes from 71 Years (Golden Thread Productions), Arcadia (Shotgun Players), Phèdre (Cutting Ball Theater), A Lie of the Mind, Bad Jews (Magic Theatre, asst. designer), #bros, Where All Good Rabbits Go, Every 28 Hours, Maggie’s Riff (FaultLine Theater). She gives many, many thanks to her partner, Cole, for his unwavering support and love.

ERIC JOHNSON (Lighting Designer)has worn nearly every hat in theater that is possible. He has worked on multiple national and international tours. Some of his work includes: Tarzan, title of show, Thrill Me, Trailer Park the Musical, Dog Fight, West Side Story, Cinderella, Hamlet, The Music Man, Million Dollar Quartet, Wedding Singer, Hunchback, Crazy For You, Violet and Hairspray.

ANTON HEDMAN (Sound Designer) born and raised in the Bay Area, he is the owner of Hedman Sound and General Manager of Sound Productions. Anton has worked in several venues including SF Playhouse (2014-2017), Victoria Theatre (Ray of Light), Pier 39, Eureka Theatre, BRAVA Theatre, Showgun Players (Assassins, Woyzeck), CFRT (Fayetteville, NC), and LaMaMA (NYC). He would like to thank his family and friends for their support and the cast and crew of this show for their hard work and talent! For more information please visit hedmansound.com

THOMAS O’BRIEN (Props Designer) is pleased to be with BAM for this production of The Full Monty. Thomas has designed sets for theatre and still photography for many years.Based in San Francisco, he has had great opportunities working with very talented theatre groups. Some of the productions he has been involved in are Ageless for Quantum Dragon, Mamma Mia for Diego Rivera Theatre, How I Learned To Drive for Custom Made Theatre, She Loves Me for Mountain Play, Mouse Trap for Ross Valley Players, Just to mention a Few.

STEWART LYLE (Set Consultant & Technical Director) has worked as technical director and master carpenter for Berkeley Playhouse (3 seasons), Contra Costa Civic Theatre (5 seasons) Altarena Playhouse (8 seasons) Custom Made Theatre Company (2 seasons), Woodminster Amphitheatre (3 seasons), 42 nd Street Moon, The Mountain Play, Marin Shakespeare Company, and Bay Area Musicals. Over the last five years, he’s designed, technically directed, directed, and/or built over 100 shows, including designing and directing Wait Until Dark, ART, Man of La Mancha, Spelling Bee, Moonlight and Magnolias, The Fantasticks, RENT, Blood Brothers, Guys and Dolls, Children of Eden, and the multiple-award-nominated Altarena production of The Light in the Piazza. Other designs include Three Tall Women (BATCC Award Nomination), The Little Mermaid, Ragtime, Over the River And Through the Woods, Seussical (Bay Area Musicals), In The Heights, You Can’t Take It With You, Peter and the Starcatcher, Grey Gardens, The Addams Family, The Crucible, The Pain and the Itch, and Private Lives. On stage he’s appeared in over 100 productions throughout California, including roles with TheatreWorks, San Jose Stage, Pacific Repertory Theatre, Center Rep, Diablo Theatre Company, Palo Alto Players, The Mountain Play, and most recently in Altarena’s Almost Maine and Woodminster’s Les Miserables (Thenardier). Love always to Donna.

JAI CHA (Sound Board Op) This is Jai’s first time as a sound board operator with Bay Area Musicals. As an actor, his past credits in the peninsula so far are as George in The Drowsy Chaperone and Jekyll and Hyde The Musical as an ensemble. Prior to his arrival in the Bay Area, he has done many shows in his hometown of Fresno. He has a strong passion for the arts with an emphasis in music and sound design. Jai learned sound design and audio engineering from his studies at Fresno City College, where he graduated with his AA degrees in music business and theatre arts, and from his current job as an Audio/Video Technician. Though he cannot seem to describe himself any better than this, at the current time that he is writing this about himself, he assures you that he is not a narcissist…he is a very modest Jai. If you ever get to work with him, or hang out with him, you’ll find that he’s a pretty funny and cool guy…. more news at 11.

CAT KNIGHT (Production Manager) is a Bay Area Stage Manager who grew up in nearby San Jose. She graduated from California State East Bay with a degree in Theatre. She continued her education as a Stage Management Fellow with the American Conservatory Theatre here in San Francisco. Some credits include “Girlhood” with FaultLine Theatre, “ReOrient Festival” with Golden Thread Productions, and “The Lion In Winter”, “House of Yes”, and “Middletown” (to name a few) with The Custom Made Theatre Company. This is her first show with Bay Area Musicals. She would like to thank her wonderful husband for his love, and her family for their endless support.

ALEX HERLIHY (Production/Marketing Intern) is a writer, director, stage manager and 1st class honours graduate of Drama & Theatre studies at CIT, Corks School of Music in Ireland. He is the co-founder of two theatre companies in Cork, which found success during his final year in college. During this time working as a producer, writer, director, stage manager and marketing manager. He has since left to pursue a career in San Francisco. Recent Writer/Director credits include; Paris (TDC. MAY 2019.) What a Scream (10x10, Cork Arts Theatre, October 2018) Antiretro (Views from a Barstool, Cork Arts Theatre, May 2018). Further production credits include; Mind That Tis Me Brother (Producer/Marketing Manager. Kinsale Arts Festival & Cork Arts Theatre, 2019) Lucyd: Podcast (Production Manager, dir Liam Cuthbert, CIT CSM, 2017) The Events (Stage Manager/FOH Manager, dir Regina Crowley, CIT CSM, 2018) Tiny Little Love Scenes (Stage Manager, dir Samantha Kelleher, CIT CSM, 2018).