Grace Firari
Grace Firari plays the part of the second sister, Jo. Grace is a freshman at
Fort Atkinson High School. She has played in FACT productions of “Annie,” “The
Wind in the Willows,” “Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus" and “A
Christmas Carol.” Grace enjoys dance and is a member of the Lexington Singers at
the high school.
Domino Gehred-O'Connell
The oldest sister, Meg, is played by Domino Gehred-O’Connell. Domino is a senior
at Fort Atkinson High School. She will be going to Vassar College in New York
next fall. She played Mrs. Potts in the high school production of “Beauty and
the Beast” and was also in the high school productions of “Les Miserables,” “My
Three Angels” and “A Piece of My Heart.” She appeared as Annie in FACT’s
production. She also played in “Annie Get Your Gun” at the Fireside.
Olivia Gilkey-Meisegeier
The third sister, Beth is played by Olivia Gilkey-Meisegeier. She is an eighth
grade student at the Fort Atkinson Middle School. Olivia was in the “Secret
Garden” at the CPA and has performed in “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Sound of Music”
and the Christmas show at the Fireside. She is a member of the middle school
orchestra and jazz band.
Robert Horton
Mr. Lawrence, the wealthy neighbor of the Marches, is played by Robert Horton.
Dr. Horton has been the coordinator of the Management Computer Systems Program
at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 25 years. He has twice played the
role of Scrooge in FACT productions of “A Christmas Carol” and also has played
the part of Old Joe and Marley in the same play at the CTM in Madison. Horton
has played Dracula on two occasions also, in a radio play for FACT and in
“Dracula Nosferatu” at the CPA. Other favorite roles include John Barrymore in
“I Hate Hamlet,” Captain Hook in “Peter Pan,” James Tyrone in “Long Days Journey
Into Night” and Garrett Fallon in “As We Forgive Those.” Bob and his wife Eve
live in Fort Atkinson and have three grown children and a new grandson.
Eric Lonsdale
Eric Lonsdale plays the part of Laurie’s tutor, John Brooke. Eric has most
recently directed the FACT productions of “Dracula” and “tick,
tick…BOOM!” At Fort Atkinson High School, Eric played in the band, Jazz combo
and pit orchestras for musicals. Eric graduated from Boston’s Berklee College of
Music with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Synthesis. Since then, he has played for
musicals put on by Fort Atkinson High School and the Watertown Players. He also
plays baritone sax in the Main Street Big Band.
Rebecca McHenry
Rebecca McHenry is the youngest sister, Amy. Becky has been in FACT
productions since she was five, including “Annie,” “The Wind in the Willows,”
“Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus”, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas
Carol.” She was the mayor’s wife, Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn, in this spring’s
middle school production of “Music Man.” She is an eighth grader at Fort
Atkinson Middle School.
Doug Reed
Doug Reed is the director of “Little Women.” He started dancing at age 11 and
acting in “Camelot” at age 12. The theatre bug bit and these years later,
he is still going strong. He spent many summers doing community theatre in his
hometown of Evansville, Indiana. He is well known here for his choreography of
local plays and for his work as dance captain at the Fireside. He has directed
many plays for FACT, including “Collected Stories,” “Noises Off,” and a
children’s play, “The Prince Who Wouldn’t Talk.” He has also directed for the
local group, Act One.
TJ Streich
A newcomer to FACT, TJ Streich plays the part of the neighbor boy, Laurie. TJ is
am eighth grader in Lake Mills. He has performed in several Missoula Children’s
Theatre performances at the CPA, in “Music Man” with the Watertown Players and
in school productions.
Lorraine Tekeley
Lorraine Tekeley plays the part of the March family’s maid, Hannah. Lorraine is
no stranger to the FACT stage having acted in productions since almost its
inception including roles in “The Corn is Green,” “Medea,” “Miracle Worker,”
“Anne of Green Gables,” and “Fox Fire.” Roles at the Jefferson CPA included
“Trip to Bountiful,” “On Golden Pond,” “As We Forgive Those,” “Steel Magnolias,”
and “Grapes of Wrath.” She played in “Agnes of God” for Act
One. Lorraine studied in NYC at the Harrison Lewis School of Acting and also
workshops under the direction of the late Lee Strasburg. Lorraine is blessed
with four children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild and considers
them a loving support circle.
Gary Thom
Gary Thom, plays the father, Mr. March. Gary is the long time treasurer of FACT
and plays special characters on occasion, including Erronius in “A Funny Thing
Happened On the Way to the Forum.”
Trudianne Thom
Marmee is played by Trudianne Thom. Trudianne is head of the theatre department
at Waterford High School. She has directed many area favorites, including
“Annie,” “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum,” “Hello Dolly,” and “A
Christmas Carol.”
Estelle Wiemann
Estelle Wiesmann is Aunt Cecilia March, a wealthy widow who disapproves of the
charitable habits of her nephew’s family. Wiesmann
is a founding member of FACT and has been a part of many productions. She
most recently performed “Julian,” a one-woman play depicting Julian of Norwich,
an Englishwoman whose written work, “Revelations of Divine Love,” is still
studied by scholars of literature. Other recent roles in one-woman plays are
Katharine Hepburn in “Tea at Five” and Emily Dickinson in the “Belle of
Amherst.” She also especially enjoyed playing Amanda in “The Glass Menagerie.”