CLARA USEALMAN
Lizzie Borden
Clara Usealman is is excited to make her Big Lake Theatre Company debut as Lizzie Borden. Though she hails from below the bridge, she loves the Marquette community and considers it home. When not performing, she works as a nursing assistant.
RACHEL HAY
Alice Russell
Rachel Hay was born and raised in Ishpeming, MI and has been involved in theatre in the Marquette area since age 8. She is excited to be making her BLTC and Ore Dock debut! Some of her favorite previous roles include Wendy in Peter Pan, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Annabeth in The Lightning Thief, and Shelby in The Prom. Rachel is incredibly proud of all of the hard work put into LIZZIE and cannot wait to show it to an audience. She hopes everyone who sees the show will enjoy themselves and learn something along the way.
BUD CLOWERS
Drums
Dennis (Bud) Clowers currently drums with Flat Broke Blues Band and WhoDat Brass. He’s played drums, bass, guitar, and various other instruments in many pits over the years including Rocky Horror, Evil Dead, Bye Bye Birdie, Nunsense, Frog and Toad, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Thanksgiving Play, and recently Cabaret at Forest Roberts.
Outside of music he is building a small business as a crafter making hats and woodworking.
LESLIE PARKKONEN
Bridget Sullivan
Leslie Parkkonen found her love for theatre when she was cast in The Sound of Music at the age of 10. She has been involved in shows at The Historic Vista Theater, NMU, Lake Superior Theatre, Wolf’s Head Theatre Company, and, now, Big Lake Theatre. You might remember her as Sister Amnesia in Nunsense, M’lynn in Steel Magnolias, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast or the Witch in Into the Woods. Leslie had the honor of being an Irene Ryan nominee in her college days. She also had the opportunity to perform at the Weidner Center in Green Bay and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC in Haywire. Some directing credits are Rocky 2015, Next to Normal, RENT, Jesus Christ Superstar, Heathers, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change and The Last Five Years.
SARA PARKS
Music Director / Keyboard
Sara Parks has been performing and music-directing in Marquette’s theatre community for the past fifteen years. Sara holds a Bachelor of Music Education from NMU and worked as a full-time elementary music teacher for nine years. Sara currently teaches private voice and beginning piano lessons at Yooptone Music Store in Marquette and is the Director of Music at Messiah Lutheran Church. Sara is also an adjunct instructor in NMU’s Department of Music. Sara has music-directed several productions for local theatre companies; her favorites include Bonnie & Clyde, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Into The Woods Jr. Sara also enjoys performing as a vocal soloist with the Westerly Winds Big Band. Her favorite roles on stage include Emily Hobbs in Elf the Musical (FRT), Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (PAAC), and The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods (FRT). Sara is a co-founder and Board President of Big Lake Theatre Company.
RYAN DART
Guitar
Ryan Dart is a guitarist from Ventura, CA. He studied jazz guitar with Larry Koonse at California Institute of the Arts from 2008 to 2010. He can be found performing around Marquette County in various small band formats.
ROSCOE SCHIELER
Bass
Roscoe Schieler is a Marquette local and has been involved in community music and theatre for the better part of two decades. You may have seen him on stage in shows ranging from Pirates of Penzance and Beauty and the Beast to Wolfs Head theatre’s Titus Andronicus. In the pit orchestra, he has played trombone for shows including Sweeney Todd, 1776, NMU’s production of Cabaret, and was the music director for Wolfs head theatre’s 2017 production of A Streetcar Named Desire. As a musician he performs with the Marquette City Band, Choral Society, Derrel Syria Project and the WhoDat Brass Band. He’s really looking forward to working with the band and the cast to bring this show to life.
AMANDA BOUNDY
Director
An Upper Peninsula native, Boundy was raised in rural Alger County and graduated from Superior Central High School. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Albion College and a Master of Music in Voice from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. She's divided her career between performing musical theatre, opera, and choral solos, teaching voice and vocal ensembles, directing theatre productions, and administration for performing arts organizations.
As a theatre performer, Boundy played roles including Cathy in The Last Five Years, Mary in Mary Poppins, Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Meg March in Little Women. Opera roles include Monica in The Medium, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and 2nd Lady in Die Zauberflöte. She was also the soprano soloist for several major choral works , most recently John Rutter's Magnificat with the Marquette Choral Society.
In addition to performing, Boundy was an Adjunct Professor of Music at Georgia College and State University. She directed community theatre performances for the Lake Country Players in Greensboro, GA and the Plaza Alliance for the Performing Arts in Eatonton, GA. As an arts administrator, she served as the Director of Operations for the youth and adult programs of the Fairfax Choral Society in Annandale, VA.
Boundy returned home to the U.P. in 2023.
VIC HOLLIDAY
Lighting Design
Vic Holliday was born in Detroit, but raised in Marquette, as his parents (both Yoopers) had the good sense to return to the UP before he turned one year old. He earned his BA in Psychology from St. John’s University in Minnesota, and his MFA in scenic and lighting design from the U of Hawaii at Manoa. Vic retired from NMU in 2019, after thirty-seven years in the Theatre and Dance department, serving as associate professor and scenic/lighting designer. Since retiring, his time is occupied with house remodeling, building ship models (pre-dreadnought steel navy), studying naval history, and doing scenic and lighting design for local theatre companies (PAAC/IronArts, MATI, Lake Superior Theatre, U.P. Shakespeare). He isalso a practicing ailurophile.
DAN ZINI
Sound Design
Dan Zini is an award-winning designer and engineer in both live and broadcast sound and media with over a decade of professional experience. He also works as a composer, studio engineer, musician, and programmer, holding many internationally recognized certifications. Dan’s client list is extensive and includes Andy Grammar, Keith Secola, Samantha Fish, Carlos Nunez, Alash, Sandra Joseph, Joshua Davis, LDI Las Vegas, Hershey Entertainment, and various theatre companies, serving on over 100 productions including The Wizard of Oz, Les Miserables, and Mary Poppins. At NMU’s School of Music Theatre and Dance, as well as the Department of Media Studies, Dan currently serves as an instructor in sound and media as well as the sound and media supervisor and engineer.
ALLYSE BELANGER
Emma Borden
Allyse Belanger is a Marquette native, who has been involved in community theater for the past 10 years. She has played many fun roles including a Silly Girl in Beauty and the Beast (Vista Theater 2016), Scuttle in The Little Mermaid (Vista Theater 2017), Joann in Rent (Masonic 2021), Sister Hubert in Nunsense (Lake Superior Theater 2021), Tammy in Escape to Margaritaville (LST 2023), and DeeDee Allen in The Prom (LST 2024). In her spare time, she attends classes at Adrian College for Elementary Education, student teaches at Graveraet Elementary School, and teaches several dance classes at Dawn Dott Dance Studio. Allyse is so excited to be a part of this incredible cast, and ready to rock!