LORI HAMMEL
The following is used with permission from Lori Hammel (added September 10, 2007)
Lori Hammel was raised in North Dakota where she started singing in talent shows at age 12 and by age 15 was touring with a professional country western band. She studied acting at Minnesota State University in Moorhead and, after graduating, moved to Chicago. There she landed lead roles in theatrical productions and earned the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award.
Lori then moved to New York City and appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia! Her ability to quickly transform herself and play many different characters was highlighted in her work in such hit Off-Broadway productions as Forbidden Broadway; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and Bush is Bad.
Lori will be playing the role of Cindy, a perky talk show host, in the Coen Brothers new feature film, Burn After Reading. Television appearances include 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live and As the World Turns. Lori played opposite Rob Riggles in the TV pilot Family Values, which was featured in the New York TV Festival in 2007. She plays political pundit Leslie Hillerman for the Onion News Network.
Lori is also a painter and has exhibited her expressionist portraits in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Visit Lori at www.lorihammel.com
TYLER HANES
The following is used with permission from www.tylerhanes.com
Tyler Hanes is an accomplished dancer/singer/actor who grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia, area and has been a performer for most of his life. As a child and teen, he did many commercials, voiceovers, industrials and television shows and held numerous dance titles and scholarships from Dance Masters of America and Dance Educators of America. Tyler was cast by Robert Barnett as the Prince in the Atlanta Ballet's NUTCRACKER, a role he reprised three times and would later go on to appear as guest artist in many other versions and roles of THE NUTCRACKER.
Musical theater became important to Tyler when he was cast in the national tour of THE WILL ROGERS' FOLLIES. Regional productions of THE KING AND I (with Shirley Jones) and CINDERELLA (The Joffrey Ballet) soon followed. He was also cast in several productions of the Atlanta Workshop Players Tour Show, a touring company that performs throughout the southeast. At the age of 14, Tyler became the youngest person to play an adult role in a main stage show at Opryland, USA, where he was featured in I HEAR AMERICA SINGING.
Throughout these busy years, Tyler continued to train at CCCEPA, Cobb County's performing arts magnet school, the Atlanta Ballet, and was twice scholarshipped to Ann Reinking's Broadway Theater Project. At CCCEPA, he appeared in countless productions, including lead roles in FOREVER PLAID (Jinx), MY FAVORITE YEAR (Alan Swan) and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Joseph). For his efforts in THE TEMPEST and CHILDREN OF EDEN, Tyler was twice awarded the Best Actor distinction in Georgia's One-Act Competition.
At the age of 17, while training at The Broadway Theater Project, Tyler caught the eye of Ann Reinking, who cast him in the first national tour of FOSSE. Ann started it all for Tyler and Ann, herself, and Gwen Verdon taught him the Fosse choreography. Tyler put his scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University on hold for a year while touring in FOSSE.
Since studying at CMU, Tyler has been fortunate to be cast in several Broadway shows where he has been privileged to work with some amazing performers, directors and producers, including OKLAHOMA!, URBAN COWBOY, THE BOY FROM OZ, THE FROGS, SWEET CHARITY, HAIRSPRAY, and A CHORUS LINE, where he is now playing Larry. He can be heard on the original cast recordings of THE BOY FROM OZ, THE FROGS, and SWEET CHARITY. In the fall of 2005, Tyler was cast as Ren in the Chicago production of FOOTLOOSE, a role that brought him accolades by Chicagos critics and established him as a true triple threat.
Tyler played the recurring role of Brian on "One Life to Live" and in 2004 filmed his first lead in the independent feature In the Blood. A proud member of AEA, Tyler volunteers his time for benefits and causes, while at the same time continuing to train and teach master classes, hoping to share with others his love of the arts.
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JULIE HANSON
The following is used with permission from http://juliehansonline.tripod.com (updated January 28, 2007)
Born in Tulsa Oklahoma June 14th 1979, Julie Hanson was only in 3rd grade when she took the stage in her first play, which was a High School production of "The King and I" where she played one of the kings children. She continued performing in community theatre and school productions throughout high school.
She then went on to study voice at Oklahoma City University, which lead her to become a soprano. While at college, she had a series of auditions for the role of Cosette in "Les Misérables". Unfortunately, she didn't get the role, but the casting people later called her and asked her to go to New York and audition for "The Phantom of the Opera". She left OCU after her Junior year to become part of the ensemble and the Christine Daaé understudy on the US tour. After only a year of understudying the role, she became the Christine Alternate and had a short stint as the principal Christine while Rebecca Pitcher took a leave from the tour and went to Broadway to cover for Lisa Vroman.
Once Rebecca returned, Julie decided to leave the tour and move to New York to continue her training and pursue other opportunities. After performing in "Good News" as Connie Lane at Music Theatre of Wichita, Julie landed the role of the Princess/Mirror Bride/and Christine understudy on Broadway.
After just a few months as the Christine understudy, Julie took over the position of the alternate Christine on Broadway. On July 9th, 2005 she had her final performance with the company, after spending two years with it. She continues to study voice, dance, and acting at the Broadway Dance Center and is attempting to finish her bachelor's degree via correspondence in her newly found free time!
Julie's favorite shows that she has been in are "Good News", "Peter Pan", "Sweeney Todd", and "The Phantom of the Opera". Her favorite roles include Tuptim in "The King and I", and Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera"
Julie is back with the Broadway company of "The Phantom of the Opera" as the Christine Daae alternate. Her first performance was on December 9, 2006.
SHULER HENSLEY
The following is used with permission from www.shulerhensley.com
Born on March 6, 1967 in Atlanta, Georgia, the youngest of Sam and Iris Hensley’s three children, Shuler grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His brother, Sam Jr., is a writer and his sister, Nevanne, is an actress. His father is a former Georgia Tech football star, retired civil engineer and former state senator. His mother, Iris Antley Hensley, was the Artistic Director of the Georgia Ballet, and Shuler had an early start in show business at the age of four when he appeared as Fritz in her production of The Nutcracker!
In 1985 Shuler graduated from Atlanta's private Westminster Schools, where he had played baseball, football and basketball. He then attended the University of Georgia on a baseball scholarship and while there performed in the concert choir and glee club. After attending a recital by Jessye Norman ("I was transported by her voice") and being cast as Judge Turpin in a college production of Sweeney Todd, he decided to leave university after his sophomore year in order to study voice at the Manhattan School of Music.
Having majored in opera and at the same time taken private acting classes, he graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in 1989 with a degree in vocal performance, finishing the four-year course in three years. From there he went to the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, and obtained his Master's Degree in 1993.
Shuler’s career began in the early 1990’s with roles such as Pitkin in On the Town, Joe in The Most Happy Fella, and Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, plus appearances in the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas Pirates of Penzance and Patience. And in addition to an early Oklahoma! casting as Jud Fry at the North Shore Music Theatre, Boston, Shuler also played Curly at the Skylight Opera Theatre, Milwaukee!
In the summer of 1996 he moved to Hamburg to play the lead in The Phantom of the Opera, performing the role in German! Travelling back to America by way of England in order to visit with his wife’s family, Shuler heard that casting was in progress for Trevor Nunn’s London revival of Oklahoma - and the rest, as they say, is history!
Shuler was Jud Fry in London for 10 months, wowing critics and theatre-goers alike and became the proud recipient of the coveted Olivier award –London theatres equivalent of the Tony – for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.
In November 2000, he made his Broadway debut in portraying the relentless Inspector Javert in Les Misérables, a role which he performed for a year. And February 2002 saw at long last the arrival of Oklahoma! on Broadway, and with it the opportunity to reprise his critically acclaimed performance of Jud Fry. Once more receiving rave review after rave review. Shuler again became a proud award winner, this time of three separate awards – the prestigious Tony (New York theatre’s highest honour) the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics’ Circle, collectively referred to as Broadway’s "Triple Crown".
Shuler's resume also includes leading roles in operas such as Don Giovanni, La Boheme and The Magic Flute. He has continued to take voice lessons since leaving college and says three opera roles interest him: "Iago in Verdi’s Otello, Tarquinius (Rape of Lucretia) and Nick Shadow (Rake's Progress". He’d also love to play the lead in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. According to his friend Hugh Jackman:
He has appeared as a guest soloist in concerts such as the Happy End Music by Kurt Weill at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 1999, the American Songbook Tribute to Frank Loesser at the Lincoln Center, New York in 2000, and Some Enchanted Evening : A Richard Rodgers Gala at the Juilliard School, New York in 2002 - which as well as celebrating the centennial of Rodger's birth also paid tribute to his daughter and Juilliard chairman emeritus, Mary Guettel.
In October 2001 Shuler played the lead in a unique, full-length film of Frankenstein,The Musical - a brand new show written by Mark Baron, Gary P Cohen and Jeff Jackson and the very first fully-produced film "demo" of a new musical.
Film credits include: Oklahoma, Someone Like You, Monday Night Mayhem, the Brave my Sweet, Van helsing Cheer the Brave The Legend of Zorro and OPA!
TV credits include Law & Order: SVU, The Jury, Law & Order: CI, ED, Deadline. Gary Power (BBC),The Tenderline, All My Children and In Question of Love
Shuler is currently appearing as Kerchak in Tarzan at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. He will be with the show until April 2007.
MEGAN HILTY
The following is used with permission from www.meganhilty.org
Currently, Megan Hilty is making her debut at TheatreWorks with Vanities (Mary). Most recently, she starred as Glinda in the Broadway company of Wicked. Other regional credits include Cafe Puttanesca for Pittsburgh's City Theatre, and Suds for the Oregon Caberet Theater. Ms. Hilty is also a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University's Drama program and the winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters award for excellence in Musical Theater.
Facts from Megan:
Middle name: Kathleen
Birthday: March 29th
Favorite food: pizza
Favorite movie: Legally Blonde & Mean Girls
Favorite band: Ben Harper
Favorite color: Pink....for now! (It changes all the time!)
Favorite place to shop: Bloomie's
CHRISTIAN HOFF
The following are credited to www.christianhoff.com
Christian Hoff began his stage and screen career at age eight. Performing became an instant passion and he began training as an actor, singer and dancer. When he was eleven, he followed his Dad and Brother into music and bought his first guitar. By age twelve he was a member of three professional actors unions: Actors Equity Association, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild. His first break on screen was dancing a pas de deux with Shirley Maclaine in her television special Every Little Movement, then on stage in the original Los Angeles company of Evita under the direction of Harold Prince. Christian balanced a family life in San Diego, California while maintaining his theatrical career in Hollywood, bridging the transitions from child actor to young adult and beyond with unique perspective. During these formidable years he utilized his diverse talent and experience to continue doing what he loved best with guest appearances and regular roles in television and film, commercials and regional stage productions. Notable career highlights over the decades include portraying Walt Disney in One Man’s Dream, providing the voice of Richie Rich in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series of the same name, hosting the cable series Eyes and Ears Inside Disney, playing Shelley Winters bad-boy step-son in her one and only sitcom Shelley, replacing David Arquette as Frank-n-Furter in the Los Angeles production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Tiffany Theater, touring as King Herod with Sebastian Bach in Jesus Christ Superstar, his Broadway debut in The Who’s Tommy (original cast album) with Michael Cerveris and his Broadway return, starring as Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys (original cast album). Christian has always been drawn to “real life” characters both on screen: as Walt Disney in One Man’s Dream, as Kevin Anderson in Just A Regular Kid, An AIDS Story with Florence Henderson and Ronny Cox, as James “Moog” in Honor Thy Mother with Sharon Gless, as Sid Stockdale in In Love and War with James Woods and onstage: as George M. Cohan in George M!, as Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies, and Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys. Christian has been a guitarist and singer in a number of bands, sung the national anthem at major sporting events and has performed on The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman. Christian is father to the precious Eli and Erika Hoff and husband to actress Melissa Hoff. Their latest “Hoff” addition is due in November 2006.
photo credited to www.christianhoff.com
ROBERT HUNT
