TONY LOVERS

Click on a specific performer or scroll through them all!!

MELISSA FAHN

HEATHER FERGUSON

EMILY FLETCHER

BARRETT FOA

The following is used with permission from http://millebaci.net (updated January 28, 2007)

Biography written by Jax @ MILLE BACI

Melissa Fahn is the youngest in a very creative family. She has three older brothers who are all deeply involved in the arts (two actors and a jazz trombonist, respectively,) her father is a jazz musician and a retired television producer and her mother is an art lover.
Her mother started her in dance lessons at the age of three where she started in ballet and tap and got her first taste of performance with song and dance routines at her recitals. When she was ten, Melissa made her theatrical debut in her school play "Free to Be You and Me" and her first professional role came two years later as the dew fairy in a children's musical theatre production of "Hansel and Gretel."
Through her teens, Melissa continued her tap and ballet training, earning solos in her recitals. Soon she added jazz and eventually modern, ballroom and musical theatre character dances as well. At the same time, Melissa began focusing more on her vocal talent, taking voice lessons and perfecting hers singing along with her dancing.
After she graduated from high school, Melissa attended a year at California Sate University at Long Beach, where she studied dance. After a year, Melissa decided to pursue her career more actively and started working full time. It was while she was working as a receptionist at a post-production studio that she found her first big break.
Elaine Craig, a casting director, came in to the post-production house and dropped off some voice-over samples with Melissa, who accepted them. When Elaine heard Melissa's unusual voice, she asked her if she'd ever done any voice acting. She hadn't and so Elaine gave her some advice. She told Melissa to make a tape of herself reading magazines, advertisements, and anything else she could read out loud and send it to her. A few days went by and Elaine called her back but Melissa hadn't made the tape yet. Elaine asked Melissa to come over on a lunch break for an audition for the new Betty Boop special. Melissa went and the rest is history.
That first big job opened a lot of doors for Melissa, giving her more opportunities on stage, singing jingles and parody songs for Premiere Radio Networks and, of course, leading her to a very successful career as a voice over actress, voicing many popular and beloved characters. Melissa quickly made a name for herself as a quality actress, always putting 110% into everything she does.
Her hard work paid off in 2000, when she was nominated for a Denver Critics Circle award (the Denver regional equivalent of a Tony) for her portrayal of Maria in Denver's Arvada Center's production of "West Side Story," a role that Melissa still counts as one of her favorites. While in Denver, Melissa also played Kathy Selden in a stage adaptation of "Singin' in the Rain" which got many positive reviews, many of which proclaimed her to be the best dancer and singer on stage.
Back in Los Angeles, Melissa performed in nearly half a dozen shows with the Los Angeles Musical Theatre Guild, Reprise Productions, and many more shows, including Johanna in "Sweeney Todd," "The Tin Pan Alley Rag" as Dorothy Berlin and the world premiere of "Gilligan's Island: The Musical" as Maryann. Also, she began recording two of her favorite cartoon characters, Gaz on "Invader Zim" and Rika on "Digimon," as well as the zany Radical Edward on "Cowboy Bebop. "
The year 2000 also proved to be a great year for Melissa with many new projects that would play a huge part in shaping her future. In that year she signed on for a new and unique project called "Vox Lumiere" where she met drummer (and future husband) Joel Alpers. Also that year, Melissa received a message on her answering machine from Stephen Schwartz, personally asking her to take part in the workshop reading for a new musical he was writing called "Wicked."
"Vox Lumiere" took off, performing for the last five years throughout Los Angeles and touring from Paris to Avignon and New York City to Seattle, Washington and Philadephia, PA. In 2002, Melissa married Joel Alpers in Kauai, Hawaii. In 2003, Stephen Scwartz's little project, "Wicked," had a successful pre-Broadway run in San Fransisco and then in October, 2003, it made its Broadway debut, bringing Melissa's childhood dream of performing on Broadway to life.
Melissa performed in the show for almost a year, leaving September 5, 2004 to return to Los Angeles and her career and family. Since her return to Los Angeles, Melissa has performed in a limited engagement of "The Sunshine Boys' with Ed Asner and Harold Gould, a two night concert production of "Redhead" with the Musical Theatre Guild, a month-long production of "Grease" with The Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities as Marty, a brief tour of Vox Lumiere's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" to Seattle, WA, and voiced many brand new characters, such as Tia on "Zatch Bell."
She's also traveled to New York again where she spent two weeks as an emergency swing back at "Wicked," made an appearance at Anime Boston 2005 in Boston, MA, and spent the month of July as an emergency swing (going on many times!) for the Los Angeles leg of the "Wicked" national tour. She just wrapped up the Philadelphia leg of the Vox Lumiere "Hunchback" tour with hubby Joel and the rest of the uber talented Vox Crew.

Melissa is very happy to announce that she will be reprising her ensemble role in the sit-down production of Wicked in Los Angeles February 2007! She will also be understudying Glinda.

Melissa's Stage Credits

Broadway

Los Angeles (Musical Theatre Guild, Member)

Tours

Workshops

The following was used with permission from Heather Ferguson

Heather was raised in San Diego, California. Through the immense support of her family, she started performing when she was very young, at Community Theatres and at her church. She attended Rancho Buena Vista High School and was heavily involved with the drama program under the direction of Mark Scott, along with being Head Cheerleader, and on the Dance and Gymnastics teams. After graduation, she went to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, majoring in Music, Dance, and Theatre. In Utah, she performed as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, Guinevere in Camelot, Amalia Bolish in She Loves Me, and the title role in Antigone.

After only two years at BYU, she was cast in Les Miserables on Broadway from an open audition. Heather was honored to be a part of the closing performance in 2003, featured as the Hair Crone (and understudy for Cosette.) After the closing of the Broadway Company, she traveled with the National Tour. She decided after a year, to leave the tour to go back to school. Soon after, Heather was cast in La Jolla Playhouse’s Zhivago. There, she met director Des McAnuff and was soon cast in the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys under the same direction. 

What an amazing ride this journey has been for her. She feels extremely blessed to be in such an incredible show, working with incredible people. She owes everything she has been blessed with to her Heavenly Father and her family for showing her so much love, support, and laughter.

The following is used with permission from Emily Fletcher (added March 9, 2008)

Emily Fletcher can currently be seen on Broadway in A Chorus Line playing Vicky Vickers.  She also covers the roles of Sheila, Val and Judy.  She will be playing the role of Sheila Bryant on the 1st national Tour that opens in May and will spend 2 months at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. 

Emily also played Hunyak, the Hungarian in the legendary musical "Chicago"  She was joined by the likes of George Hamilton, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Joey Lawrence and Brian McKnight.  Other Broadway and National Tours: Anytime Annie cover "42nd St";  Baroness cover "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"; and Ulla u/s and usherette in the 1st National tour of "The Producer's".  Emily's first job in New York City was originating the role of Daphne in "Scooby Doo" at Radio City Music Hall.

Emily was also featured in two of last season's Encores! preformances at City Center.  She played Buddie's Blues "Sally" in "Follies" and sang "Social Significance" with Kristen Chenowith in "Stairway to Paradise"

On top of performing Emily also has a production company, Apt 3B Productions.  They are currently working on a new feature film script. 

You can see her film reel at www.emilyfletcher.com

The following is used with permission from www.barrettfoa.com (added February 8, 2007)

Barrett Foa was born and raised in Manhattan. At the tender age of three, Barrett put together a puzzle in record time, gaining him entry into the prestigious Dalton School on Manhattan's Upper East Side. After 14 years at Dalton, he graduated high school.  While at the academically-minded, Dalton, Barrett spent all four high school summers pursuing his love for theatre at Interlochen Arts Camp in upstate Michigan.

Considered one of the nation's top musical theatre departments, Barrett continued his studies at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, graduating with honors and earning a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance.  In addition, he spent a semester abroad studying Shakespeare and acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England.  Each June, Barrett headed off to summer stock to sharpen his acting chops at such notable theatres as the New London Barn Playhouse, Maine State Music Theatre, Music Theatre of Wichita, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.

After his college graduation, it didn't take Barrett long to land his first major gig in New York: Starring as Jesus in composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz's off-Broadway revival of GODSPELL. Barrett can be heard on GODSPELL's 2000 Off-Broadway Cast Recording. After a few paid workshops at Playwrights Horizons and The New Victory Theatre, as well as some regional shows, including playing the protaganist in JUST SO at North Shore Music Theatre, and Tulsa in GYPSY at Vermont's Weston Playhouse, Barrett made his Broadway debut in 2001 in the original cast of MAMMA MIA! 

After only 6 months, Barrett left MAMMA MIA! to do a three month long regional gig at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA. This was a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to create a brand new leading character in a new musical called KEPT by Henry Krieger (music writer of DREAMGIRLS and SIDE SHOW) and Bill Russell (book and lyric writer of SIDE SHOW).  After a quick stint playing Matt in THE FANTASTICKS at the 12,000 seat outdoor St. Louis Muny,  Director Mark Lamos picked Barrett (who had never performed in a Shakespeare play before) to play the leading role of Claudio in a dual production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at Hartford Stage in CT, and The Shakespeare Theatre in D.C.   Barrett went on to play the evil Mordred in CAMELOT at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey.  The boards of New York City beckoned once more, and Barrett landed the role of Cupid in the four person off-Broadway production of CUPID AND PSYCHE.

While performing as Cupid, Barrett started auditioning for Broadway's AVENUE Q. After two months, 5 auditions, and a whole lot of puppet practice, Barrett became the first understudy to the role of Princeton/Rod in December 2003. After about a year, Barrett was promoted, and took over the leading role on February 1, 2005. He could be seen wiggling dollies around a Broadway stage in a gray t-shirt 8 times a week for another year and a half.  While in AVENUE Q, Barrett was offered the role of Leaf Coneybear in the Broadway company of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. For two weeks he did "double duty," rehearsing BEE during the day, and performing Q at night.

Stepping into his third Broadway show, Barrett made his debut as Leaf Coneybear on July 11, 2006, and can be seen blowing bubbles in a crash helmet at The Circle in the Square Theatre eight times a week.

In addition to various workshops and readings, Barrett donates much of his time and talent to community causes and not-for profit theatre companies and organizations, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Actors' Fund.

photo credit: Christine Cain-Weidner

photo credit:  Joan Marcus