John W. Behonek (Sergeant
Meryll), a past president of VLOG and a Life Member, joined the group in
1972. Active on- and off-stage, he is currently Secretary of the Board and
liaison to our principal venuses, FIT and First Presbyterian Church. He
has been a principal in full productions of all 13 extant G&S operas,
plus a reconstruction of the "lost" G&S work, Thespis
and also Engaged!, a "new" G&S work from the play by
Gilbert with music by Sullivan. It should come as no surprise that Jack
is also a past president of the G&S Society of New York.
William J. Brooke
(Jack Point) has performed in 28 different roles in the G&S repertory
with such groups as LOOM and NYGASP. His eleven roles with VLOG have included
Harold Hill in The Music Man, and last season's Benny in The Desert
Song. In his other life, he is an author of children's books, most recently
Teller of Tales from Harper Collins. He is married to the gifted
mezzo, Lynne Greene-Brooke, who appeared last year in VLOG's The Sorcerer.
Mark Calvino (Colonel
Fairfax) was last seen as Lun Tha in Mill Mountains production of The
King and I. In New York City, Mark has sung the tenor leads in The
Mikado, The Sorcerer, and The Pirates of Penzance, as
well asTony in West Side Story, and Billy Bigelow in Carousel.
Touring credits include Opera Northeast and Feuilly in the National Company
of Les Misérables. His opera credits include Pinkerton in
Madama Butterfly. He is also frequently heard singing opera excerpts
at social events in New York City.
Nancy Degener (Dame
Carruthers) is pleased to be making her debut with VLOG. She has also performed
the Dame with the New York Gilbewrt & Sullivan Players, and has appeared
with the Liederkrantz Opera as Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte),
the Brandenberg Opera as Schwertleite (Die Walküre), the Amato
Opera as Maddalena (Rigoletto) and with Brooklyn College as Mistress
Quickly (Falstaff). Ms. Degener has also performed at Lincoln Center
as soloist with the Westchester Symphony Orchestra. She is a student of
Arthur Levy.
Nathan Hull (Wilfred Shadbolt)
is quickly becoming a professional
"Yeo-player," having performed Jack Point with the Washington
Lyric Opera and Sergeant Meryll last spring with the Bronx Opera. Nathan's
last venture with VLOG was as Director/Choreographer of The Boys from
Syracuse, the 1994 BALOE show presented with London's Philbeach Society.
With VLOG he has also directed the Kabuki Mikado and the space-age
Princess Ida, and has played many G&S parts ranging from Lord
Mountararat in Iolanthe to the Captain in Pinafore. Nathan
is a member of the Drama Desk, and is Webmaster to several Internet Web
sites, including this one for VLOG.
Lisa Inserra (Kate)
was last seen in Mr. Shakespeare and Mr. Porter at the Medicine Show
Theatre in Manhattan. She is a resident director/actor at the Theatre Ensemble,
and a member of VLOG for the past three years, during which she appeared
as Sacharissa in Princess Ida and Laetitia in The Zoo for
VLOGworks.
William Koch (Stage Director
& Choreographer) During at 30+ year career in professional theatre (S.S.D.C.,
A.E.A., S.A.G., A.G.V.A.), Bill has directed staged and/or choreographed
130 shows, 14 concerts, 4 ballets and one film, for more than 50 theaters,
companies and colleges. This production marks his 19th show as Director
for VLOG, and he is an Honorary Life Member of the group. Bill's work on
Yeomen is dedicated with gratitude, respect and joy to the memory of a delightful
performer, excellent VLOG president, and wonderful human being, Beverly
Knapp.
Gregg Lauterback
(Sir Richard Cholmondeley) is making his second outing with VLOG; he was
Capt. Paul Fontaine in last spring's The Desert Song. Elsewhere he
has sung Danilo in The Merry Widow, Falke in Die Fledermaus,
and Feri von Kerekes in The Czardas Princess. Greg has appeared with
Opéra Français de New York, Opera Carolina, Columbus Opera,
and the Lyric Theatre of Iowa as Capulet in Roméo et Juliette,
as Germont in La Traviata, and all the principal Mozart baritones.
In March he will sing Papageno in The Magic Flute with Cantata Singers.
Karen Leah (Elsie Maynard)
is delighted to join VLOG again, after having first appeared as Edith in
The Desert Song. She received her music degree at the University
of Colorado in Boulder, where she performed in La Bohème,
The Magic Flute, The Merry Widow, Falstaff, and The
Secret Marriage. She continued graduate studies in Tampa. Highlights
there included opera scene performances and the title role in Annie Get
Your Gun. Karen would like to extend a special thanks to family and
friends for their love and encouragement.
Ronald W. Noll (Music Director/Conductor)
in his 37th season with VLOG, is an award-winning pianist who has conducted
everything from opera and operetta to musical comedy, including the entire
G&S canon. The arranger and director of a professional vocal quartet,
The Manhattan Singers, he received a New York Area Emmy Award and an International
Broadcasting Award from the Hollywood TV and Radio Chapter of Broadcasting.
An Honorary Life Member of VLOG, Ron is married to soprano Sara-Ann Noll.
Their daughter, Christiane, is now touring the country as Lisa in the new
musical Jekyll and Hyde which will be coming to Broadway next year.
Bill Poock (Leonard Meryll) is making
his VLOG debut. His stage credits include Casey O'Brien in Boy Meets
Boy, Tobias in Sweeney Todd, Mozart in Amadeus, El Gallo
in The Fantasticks, and Billy Bigelow in Carousel. In cabaret
he has done An Absence of Concepts and Arlene DeMarco and Friends.
He has recorded "The Day After That" (backup for Liza Minelli)
and was a soloist in "Love Lives On" (NYC Gay Men's Chorus, Virgin
Records).
Emily Joan Wigod (Phoebe
Meryll) is very happy to be making her debut with VLOG. She studied voice
at the Manhattan School of Music and at the Escuela Superior de Canto in
Madrid. This year she was one of seven finalists in American Landmark Festival's
competition in honor of Jarmila Novotna. Hugs and kisses to Rachel, with
whom she shares the stage for the first time since High School!