Director: Kendra Holton
Assistant Director: Blake Jablonski
Assistant to the Director: Jack Matyas
Costume Designer: Kylee Galarneau
Lighting Designer: Ross Wheeler
Sound Designer: Kendra Holton
Properties Designer: Matthew Chagoya
Technical Director: Emery Foster
Musical Director: Kendra Holton
Dialect Consultant: Stanton Davis
Dialect Coach: Bethany Mangum-Oles
Fight Choreographer:  Stanton Davis
Stage Manager: Gabby Gozdecki
Assistant Stage Manager: Jamie Mendez

This show is approximately one hour and has no intermission

Deep in the heart of coal country, Appalachian America. Now.

Fall – Kayla Crispino 
En –  Sophia Dimond 
Skylar/Riley – Kylee Moore 
Kyle/Axe – Skylee Pierce 
Morgan/Clem – Richmond Fredrickson 
Casey/Jo – Hans Herrera 

Kayla Crispino (Fall, Fight Captain)

Kayla Crispino (she/her) is a third-year B.F.A. acting candidate from Elgin, Illinois and she is extremely excited to be a part of this production. You may have recently seen her in Macbeth as Lady MacDuff/Witch #1/Gentlewoman, Life is A Dream as Estrella and in God Of Carnage as Annette here at NIU. Kayla would like to thank her directors, team and cast for helping create this beautiful story and allowing her the space to build Fall. She wants to thank her family and friends for constantly supporting her and loving her. Lastly, she would like to thank her husband, Cole. You are her greatest gift and love. Kayla hopes you enjoy the show! 

Sophia Dimond (En, Music Captain)

Sophia Dimond (she/her) is a third-year B.F.A. acting major at Northern Illinois University. This is her fourth production here at NIU, with her previous roles including the Earl of Shrewsbury in Fredrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart, various roles in Carol Lee’s Anxious People, and Snug the Joiner in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sophia would like to thank her fellow cast, crew, and director of Holler River for cultivating such a warm and fruitful learning environment, as well as her family, friends, and loved ones for their continuous love and support. 

Kylee Moore (Skylar/Riley)

Kylee Moore Skylar (she/her/hers) is a B.F.A. acting sophomore at NIU. This is her second play at NIU. Previously a part of Macbeth. I want to thank my friends and family for their support. I am so grateful to work with such a great cast and amazing director Kendra I have learned so much from working with you. Thank you for coming and enjoy the show!

Skylee Pierce (Kyle/Axe)

Skylee Pierce is a third-year B.F.A. acting candidate here at NIU. Her previous credits here include last semester’s Mary Stuart as Count L’Aubespine, Booked, Blessed…or BUST! as Trudy and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in which she played Hippolyta and First Fairy. Other previous roles include Mayzie La’Bird (Suessical), Marcy Park (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and many more. She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support, her boyfriend for his never-ending love, her cohort and professors for helping her grow; and the cast and crew of Holler River for their hard work. A special thank you to Kendra Holton for being an amazing director and mentor to her throughout this process. Enjoy this special labor of love and exceptional work! 

Richmond Fredrickson (Clem/Morgan)

Richmond Fredrickson (she/her) is a second-year B.F.A. acting major at NIU. Previous credits include Peter Pan (Peter/Wendy), Olive Ostrovsky (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Miss Scarlett (Clue), and Charity Barnum (Barnum) at MCHS, Princess Jasmine (Aladdin) with SWATA, and most recently stenographer/nurse (Machinal) at NIU. She is incredibly thankful to be in this show and would like to give a big thanks to her cast mates and team. She is looking forward to many more performances and is excited to continue her growth as an artist and actor. She would also like to thank her friends and family for having her back and showing her love and support <3 Love you!!

Hans Herrera (Jo/Casey)

Hans Herrera (he/him) is a second-year B.A. theatre studies candidate at Northern Illinois University (NIU). This is his acting debut with the School of Theatre and Dance! Some of his favorite past credits include Kevin in Love/Sick, Ryan in High School Musical: On Stage!, Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, and Professor Plum in Clue at Glenbard South High School. Offstage he wrote and co-directed A New Life at the NIU 24 Hour Play Festival in 2024. He would like to thank the Holler River cast and crew for an incredible first production as well as his family and friends for their invaluable patience and support. 

Kylee Galarneau, Costume Designer is a first-year graduate student at NIU studying costume design and technology. She previously studied theatre arts at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY. When Kylee is not sewing, she can be found curled up at home with her cat, Purrogi. She is thrilled to be a part of telling this story. Previous design credits include: Godspell (assistant costume designer/Le Moyne College), Antigone (costume designer/Le Moyne College), Mean Girls (costume designer/CNS High School), Betrayal (costume designer/CNY Playhouse), and Edgar in the Red Room (costume designer, Le Moyne College). Find more of Kylee’s work on Instagram: instagram.com/kylee.r.costumes

Gabby Gozdecki (she/her) Stage Manager is a fourth-year B.F.A. acting student. Her roles at NIU include Hannah Kennedy in Mary Stuart, Bella and Eleanor in Big Love by Charles Mee, and Joan in Melancholy Play by Sarah Ruhl, all directed by Bethany Mangum-Oles. She also played The Singer in Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle translated and directed by Alexander Gelman. Now, she is playing her final role at NIU as stage manager of Holler River. She would like to thank Jordan, Angi, Kendra, and Sarah for all their inspiration and support on her stage management journey.

Jamie Mendez (he/him) Assistant Stage Manager is a first-year B.F.A. design and technology student at NIU. Jamie is a recent graduate of The Chicago High School of the arts, where he got his start in tech stage managing Sister Act and assistant stage managing In the Red and Brown Water. Jamie has also got his start in working in downtown Chicago stage managing two shows over the past two summers such as Chicago the Musical And The Wedding Singer. Jamie would like to thank the cast, Kendra, Angi and most all of his mother, and family and friends for the support along the start of his college journey!

Blake Jablonski (he/him) Assistant Director is a fourth-year B.A. theatre studies major at Northern Illinois University (NIU). This is his first show, and he is excited to be a part of the production team. He’s grateful for the opportunity to work with the team, as well as to his parents for their unwavering love and support.

Matthew Chagoya, Properties Designer is a senior B.A. theatre student. Created and participated in many productions throughout the years such as Guys and Dolls, Machinal and Twelfth Night. Creative design is one of his strong suits, plus a comic connoisseur.  

Bethany Mangum-Oles Dialect Coach holds an M.F.A. in acting from Northern Illinois University and a B.F.A. in acting from California State University, Fullerton. Bethany is a Certified Intimacy Captain and is also trauma-informed yoga and yoga nidra certified. She has made her artistic home at NIU as performance area faculty where she teaches all levels in the Meisner-based acting sequence and all levels of both voice and movement tracks, as well as directs in the official production season. Directing credits for the school include Mary Stuart, Melancholy Play, Twelfth Night, Big Love, Bird in the Hand, Our Town, and A Song for Coretta. She also serves as head of B.F.A. acting recruitment. Recently Bethany was named artistic director at Kane Repertory Theatre where she oversees the daily workings of the company, season selection, and casting. She also works as rotating voice and movement faculty at the renowned Gately-Poole Acting Conservatory. Chicago acting credits include projects with The Organic Theater Company, MUSE Theatre Collective, Along the Way Productions, The Outer Loop Theatre Experience, Unnecessary Nowledge, and Kane Repertory Theatre. Favorite acting roles include Masha in Three Sisters, Lady Capulet in BCC: Romeo and Juliet, and Viola in the US premiere of Out of the Blue. Internationally, Bethany has studied at the Moscow Art Theater School in Moscow, Russia, and performed and facilitated workshops at the Adana International Theatre Festival in Adana, Turkey.

Scenery

Scenic Coordinator – Sahin Sahingolu
Scene Shop Supervisor – Adam Rager
Scene Shop Graduate Employees – Emery Foster and Bridget Kearbey
Scene Shop Undergraduate Employees – David Mortenson, Mike Kozel, Sasha Norman, Jade Doherty
Student Technicians – THEA 295 Students
Run Crew – Catherine Cummings

Costumes

Costume Design Advisor – Jeremy W. Floyd
Costume Director – Lori Hartenhoff
Costume Shop Supervisor – Elizabeth Galba
Costume Shop Graduate Employees – Ski Sciaraffa, Kylee Galarneau
Costume Shop Employees – B. Leni, Alyssa Altadonna, Natalie Shank, Lexi Foelker, Emily Christianson
Student Technicians – THEA 210, 235, and 295 Students
Costume Crew – THEA 210 Students
Wardrobe Crew – Michael Kocher, Chance Lira, Irismichelle Martinez-Garcia

Lighting

Lighting Design Advisor – Brandon Wardell
Resident Head Electrician – Chris Kurszewski
Lighting Shop Graduate Assistants – Ross Wheeler, Bridget Kearbey
Lighting Shop Employees – Logan Bryant, Conall Doherty, Kateri Pfeiffer
Student Electricians – THEA 210, 241, 295, and 395 Students
Light Board Operator – Lauren Roth
Sound Board Operator – Sonya Dunn

Properties

Properties Director – Dave Doherty
Properties Graduate Assistants – Alicia Margerum, Ski Sciaraffa
Properties Shop Employees – Elizabeth Nowak, Sasha Norman, David Mortenson
Properties Shop 295/395 Students – Danisha Gilmore, Blake Jablonski, Sonya Dunn, Nina Kasman

Production Management

Technical Direction Advisor – Tracy Nunnally
House Management Supervisor – Cornelia Hayes

Roxanna Conner, Angela Miller, Dave Doherty, Jeremy W. Floyd, Chris Kurszewski, Brandon Wardell, Tracy Nunally, Gibson Cima, and Jack Matyas.

Richard Arnold (Emeritus)
S. Alan Chelser (Emeritus)
Judith Chitwood (Emerita)
Gibson Cima
Roxanna Conner
Stanton Davis
Frankie DiCiaccio
David Doherty
Lila H. Dole (Emerita)
Jasmine Eleazar
Jeremy W. Floyd
Paula Frasz (Emerita)
Elizabeth Galba
Kent Gallagher (Emeritus)
Kathryn Gately (Emerita)
Alexander Gelman
Richard Grund
Hannah Hammel
Lori Hartenhoff
Jennifer Ingle-Grund
Paul Kassel
Chris Kurszewski
Paige Larkowski
Marc Macaranas
Bethany Mangum-Oles
Kay Martinovich
Terrence McClellan (Emeritus)
Angela A. Miller
Randall Newsom (Emeritus)
Tracy Nunnally
Richard Poole (Emeritus)
Adam Rager
Patricia Ridge (Emerita)
Deborah Robertson (Emerita)
Michel Rodriguez Cintra
Sahin Sahinoglu
Stephanie Sailer
Robert Schneider (Emeritus)
Sarita Smith Childs
Brandon Wardell