It is with great pleasure that we announce the cast and crew of the Jasper Project’s 2023 Play Right Series Winning Play — THERAPY — by Lonetta Thompson!
Elena Martinez-Vidal — Director
Elena Martínez-Vidal is an actor, director, and teacher. Recently she was in Montgomery, in 2019. The last show she directed was Marjorie Prime in 2019. Trustus Theatre is her theatrical home since appearing in a show in 1989 when the theatre was on Assembly street. She was a Company member from 1993 to 2019, then transitioned to Company Emeritus. Elena has a BA in French and Theatre Arts from Dickinson College, PA, and an MFA in Theatre: Acting from USC. She also has 30 hours of courses in Communication and a Certificate of Leadership in Higher Education from USC. By day, Elena works at Midlands Technical College.
Dr. V — Marilyn Mattheus
Marilyn Matheus is a theatre artist who portrayed Modjeska Monteith Simkins in the Supper Table theatrical performance. Matheus received her BA from Kent University and her MA from South University. She is currently the Director of Media Relations at the Department of Social Services in Columbia. Matheus has appeared in many local theatre productions with recent performances in the “Freedom Rings: A Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.” event at the University of South Carolina and A Song for Coretta at the Kershaw County Fine Arts Center
Alex — Allison Allgood
Allison Allgood has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Furman University and loves stage and voice acting. Some of her favorite roles in Columbia include MacBeth (Second Witch) with the SC Shakespeare Company, The Red Velvet Cake War (Elsa Dowdall) at Town Theatre, Belles (Audrey) at Workshop Theatre, and Mr. Burns: a Post-Electric Play (Jenny/Bart) at Trustus Theatre. Allison has recorded eight full-length audio books. She has a degree in counseling and works as a high school counselor
Chris — Ric Edward (Richard Edward III)
Richard Edward iii is a stage & screen actor based in Columbia, South Carolina. It is his mission to help his artistic community grow, and is an advocate for actors who struggle with the stigma of dyslexia, and ADHD. Special thanks to My daughter Cora Jean Calk for being the best scene partner in the whole world, and to my beautiful wife.
Not Pictured — Michelle Jacobs- Is excited to be performing again after a small hiatus. Credits includes: The Color Purple, Kinky Boots ,Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, (Workshop Theater), Hurricane Diane, By the Way Meet Vera Stark, Good People, The Motherfucker with the Hat, The Glass Menagerie, HAIR: The Tribal Love-Rock Musical, For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide/ when the Rainbow is Enuf, (Trustus Theater) Knock Me A Kiss, Henny Penny, & Whisper @ The Movies (The NiA Company).
Playwright — Lonetta Thompson
Lonetta Thompson is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B. A. in English and a Minor in Theatre. As an actor, she has performed for years on stages in Columbia and surrounding cities, most recently touring with Spark, an Outreach initiative of the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in partnership with Workshop Theatre of South Carolina. She is a member of the NiA Company and Company Emeritus with Trustus Theatre. Prior to entering the Play Right Series, she had written a handful of short stories and one other script. By day, Lonetta is an eLearning Developer with a large insurance company. She has one daughter and one grandson.
Stage Manager — Emily Deck Harrill
Emily has played a variety of roles in many theatrical productions in the Columbia area. She appeared in Love, Loss, and What I Wore and the 2014 production of Evil Dead: The Musical, both at Trustus Theater. She also appeared in The Crucible (Elizabeth Proctor), Inherit the Wind, Arsenic and Old Lace, You Can’t Take It with You, and The Exonerated (Sunny Jacobs) for the Arts at Shandon series. Emily has directed and appeared in Smoke and Mirrors and All in the Timing. She designed the sound for Village Square Theater’s production of Harvey, and she’s served as Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager for a variety of productions over the years, including Trustus Theater’s production of The Flick and Chapin Theater’s 2022 Ten Minute Play Festival.
By day, Emily is an attorney who has a terrible penchant for run-on sentences. She holds a double undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and government from the College of William and Mary. She has two adult children of whom she is quite proud.
Play Right Series Director — Jon Tuttle
Also …
Max — Michelle Jacob — photo and bio coming soon!