The Royal Family Company Bios

Jack B. Wright (Director), professor of theatre and film, has been a member of the KU faculty since 1976, and has served as artistic director of The University Theatre (1976-94) and director of theatre (1989-94). He holds a theatre degree from Otterbein College in Ohio and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from KU. Prior to joining the KU faculty, he taught at the University of Texas-Austin. Jack has long been active in the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival and has served as chairman of ACTF's Regions V and VI. In 1983 his production of Buried Child was selected for the National ACTF at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 1987 he received the John F. Kennedy Center Medallion of Excellence for his work with ACTF.

In addition to teaching and directing, Jack also acts and directs for professional theatre, television and film. He was responsible for local casting on the ABC-TV films The Day After, Dead Before Dawn, and Love Kills; the ABC miniseries The Burden of Proof; the NBC miniseries Cross of Fire and A Matter of Justice; the CBS miniseries Gone in the Night; the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame productions of Sarah, Plain and Tall, Skylark, and Winter's End; and the CBS movies of the week, Stolen Women and Monday After the Miracle. Recently he was in charge of local casting for the feature films Mars Attacks, Robert Altman's Kansas City, and Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil.
Since 1981, Jack has been appearing throughout the United States as William Allen White in a one-man show, The Sage of Emporia.

Jack has over 80 directing credits including the KU productions of Grease, Sweeney Todd, Carousel, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Some Enchanted Evening, Romeo and Juliet, Uncle Vanya, 1776, You Can't Take It With You, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Tent Meeting, Tobacco Road, A Streetcar Named Desire, All in the Timing, The Boys Next Door, West Side Story, Crimes of the Heart, Bus Stop, The Batting Cage, Three Tall Women, and Henry IV, Part I, to name just a few. In 1989 he was a guest artist at the Teatr Popularney in Warsaw, Poland. Jack has also directed for the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival-Omaha, where he staged Henry IV, Part I in 1994 and King Lear in 1995.

In 1979 Jack received the Otterbein College Distinguished Alumni Award and, in 1991, he received the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for outstanding teaching at KU. Jack was invited to join the National Theatre Conference in 1993 and became a Fellow of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre in 1998.

Delores Ringer (Scenic Designer) has been a member of the KU theatre design faculty since 1984. She holds degrees from Pennsylvania State University and Hanover College in Indiana. In addition to designing for The University Theatre, Delores has designed for the English Alternative Theatre, University Dance Company, and the Cohan-Suzeau Duet Company at KU, and for the American Heartland Theatre in Kansas City and the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival in Omaha. Her most recent KU directing credits include the productions of Fen, The Gut Girls, Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman, and Variations on a Theme by Clara Schumann. As a designer, she has worked on the productions of Iphigenia at Aulis, The Dying Gaul, Call of the Wild, Selkie, Machinal, Godspell, The Accidental Death of An Anarchist, Crimes of the Heart, and Die Fledermaus, to name just a few. Last year Delores served as director of The University Theatre.

Beth Collins (Costume Designer) is a second-year graduate scenography student from Sanderstead, England, outside of London. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in theatre from the University of Kent, where she designed such productions as A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bondage, and Green Form. Earlier this season Beth designed the sets for The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Last spring she was the lighting designer for South Pacific.

Aaron Dyszelski (Lighting Designer), a second-year graduate scenography student, was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. This fall he was the scenic, costume, and make-up designer for Where to, Turelu? Last season he designed costumes and make-up for South Pacific. He attended Cardinal Stritch University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture. At Cardinal Stritch he worked on and acted in such shows as A Midsummer Night's Dream, Juno and the Paycock, and Good. After graduation, he spent a year as a free-lance scenic and props artisan around Milwaukee, working with the Skylight Opera, Theater X, Modjeska Youth Theater, and Creative Services International.

Leslie Bennett (Choreographer) is in her first year as assistant professor of theatre and film and resident movement coach for The University Theatre. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre education from the Boston University School for the Arts. Leslie previously taught acting movement and improvisation at Emerson College and was a movement instructor for the Boston University School for the Arts Opera Department. An accomplished vocal performer and choreographer, Leslie is recognized as an Actor Combatant by American Society of Fight Directors in Rapier and Dagger, Knife Fighting, and Unarmed Combat.

Travis Ashmore (Hallboy/Messenger) is a freshman theatre major from Chapman. Earlier this season he portrayed Sir Eglamour in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Previously he appeared in The University Theatre's production of Call of the Wild. This summer Travis performed in the Rocky Horror Show in Kansas City. He has also been seen in productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Wait Until Dark, Camelot, and Doctor Faustus.

Megan Carter (Miss Peake) is a sophomore from Overland Park, majoring in English and theatre. This fall, she appeared as Iphigenia in the Inge Theatre production of Iphigenia at Aulis, which was selected for performance at the Region V Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival in Iowa in January. Last season she appeared as Anya in The Cherry Orchard and the 609 project, Ana di Capo. Megan is co-coordinator of the Sexuality Education Committee at KU.

Aaron Champion (Herbert Dean) is a senior theatre major from Overland Park. He last performed as John Fulton in the Kansas Summer Theatre production of Prairie Fire. Previously he played Cassio in Othello and appeared in The University Theatre productions of Call of the Wild, An American Medley, Measure for Measure, Wolf Child, Joined at the Head, Lone Star, and Picasso at the Lapine Agile. Aaron was nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Competition, sponsored by the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, for his portrayal of Picasso in Picasso at the Lapine Agile.

Rita DeLoach (Gwen Cavendish) is a senior theatre major from Overland Park. This fall, Rita played Mrs. Lanfrey Clandon in You Never Can Tell. Previously she was seen as Bianca in Othello, Elizabeth in Six Degrees of Separation, Varya in The Cherry Orchard, and Elvira in Blithe Spirit. The holder of the Alexis and Craig Stevens Scholarship and a Performing Arts Scholarship, Rita has acted in several student films at KU, has appeared in commercials, and has done modeling in the Kansas City area.

Allison Gabbard (Della) is a senior theatre major from Topeka. Earlier this season she portrayed Clytemnestra in Iphigenia at Aulis, for which she was nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Competition sponsored by the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. This summer she appeared as Zula Moore and a Pony in the Kansas Summer Theatre production of Prairie Fire. Previously Allison has performed in South Pacific, Six Degrees of Separation, and Temptation. Allison formerly attended Stephens College in Columbia, MO, where she appeared in productions of Guys and Dolls, The Rivals, and A Christmas Carol. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and holds the Charles "Buddy" Rogers Scholarship.

Scott Johnson (Gilbert Marshal) is a junior theatre and film major from Lawrence. This fall he appeared as the Outlaw in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

David Kobzantsev (McDermott) is a senior theatre major from Overland Park. This fall he portrayed Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He has also performed in the KU productions of Othello and For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls. This summer he performed at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, appearing in productions of The Foreigner and Monkey. David, a member of the National Society for Collegiate Scholars, is on the Dean's List. He holds internships with Kansas City's Mix 93.3 and Lawrence's Pipeline Productions.

Betty Laird (Fanny Cavendish) received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Hastings College and also attended the University of Nebraska. A well-known local actress, her television credits include roles in Sarah, Plain and Tall, Skylark, and Sarah Plain and Tall: Winter's End, all with Glenn Close; Monday After the Miracle with Roma Downey; Stolen Women with Janine Turner; Gone in the Night with Shannen Doherty; and My Antonia with Jason Robards. On stage she has portrayed Melissa in Love Letters, Linda in Death of a Salesman, Janet in Gioconda Smile, and Bella in Angel Street. Betty has also had roles in industrial films for Sonic, American Hospital Association, Hallmark, McGraw Hill, Southwestern Bell, and Phillips 66. Betty's "special abilities" include folk singing, foreign dialects, and driving a team.

Darren Maloney (Chauffeur) is a junior theatre and film major from Overland Park. Earlier he performed as Achilles in Iphigenia at Aulis and Radio Operator McCaffrey in South Pacific.

Kelly Mengelkoch (Kitty Dean), a senior theatre major from Wichita, is appearing in her final production for The University Theatre. This fall she portrayed Dolly Clandon in You Never Can Tell, for which she was nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting Competition sponsored by the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival. At the regional festival she won the Musical Theatre Award. Last season Kelly portrayed Kitty in Six Degrees of Separation, Ranyevskaya in The Cherry Orchard, and Ensign Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. Previously she performed in Call of the Wild, The Waltz Project, and Fen. Last summer, Kelly performed in The Scarlet Pimpernel at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, where she will appear in Grease this summer. Kelly is a Loren Kennedy Trainee for The University Theatre and holds the Charles "Buddy" Rogers Scholarship.

Maureen Perry (Julie Cavendish) is a senior theatre and linguistics major from Eden Prairie, MN. She was last seen as Sylvia and Lucetta in The Two Gentlemen of Verona this fall and as Lucille in Prairie Fire last summer. Mo's previous KU credits include the productions of Desdemona, A Play About a Handkerchief; Blithe Spirit; Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches; Hedda Gabler; and Machinal. A University Scholar and National Merit Scholar, Mo was a 2002 KU nominee for a Truman Scholarship. This semester she is doing an honors project creating a one-woman play, Eurologue, about international perceptions of America and the U.S. War on terrorism.

Paul Matthew Pool (The Guest) is a sophomore theatre/voice major from Lawrence. Previously he sang in the chorus of The Bartered Bride. He also performed in Songs for a New World at Liberty Hall and in several productions of Summer Youth Theatre.

Matthew G. Simon (Tony Cavendish) is a senior theatre major from Overland Park. Last summer he appeared as John Fulton Jr. in the Kansas Summer Theatre production of Prairie Fire. Last season he performed as Luther Billis in South Pacific, as Montano in Othello, and as Woody in Six Degrees of Separation. Earlier Matt appeared in productions of Selkie, Call of the Wild, An American Medley, Henry IV, Part 1, and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. The recipient of the Dorothy and Benjamin Glick Theatre Scholarship and the New Theatre Guild Scholarship, Matt spent the fall semester in England studying British theatre.

Elliott Sowards (Jo) is a sophomore theatre and film major from Wichita. He was last seen as the Cook in You Never Can Tell. He also appeared as Dicky in The Heart Outright, a directing project. Away from KU, Elliott has appeared in Murder in the Cathedral and All in the Timing.

Christopher Wheatley (Perry Stewart) is a junior theatre major from Lawrence. This fall he portrayed Mr. Bohun in You Never Can Tell and Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. He previously performed this summer in Prairie Fire and last spring as Lodovico and the Sailor in Othello. Chris, the holder of the Alexis and Craig Stevens Scholarship and a Performing Arts Scholarship, also works in The University Theatre Scene Shop.

Isadore Alexander Wolfson (Oscar Wolfe) is a senior theatre major from Omaha, NE. Alex's University Theatre credits include the role of Speed in The Two Gentlemen of Verona and the productions of Prairie Fire, Othello, Temptation, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Away from KU, Alex has performed major roles in Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, The Trysting Place, and Fiddler on the Roof. Alex, who holds a Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship, is graduating in May and hopes to perform in regional theatre next year.

Andrew York (Hallboy/Messenger) is a sophomore theatre major from Wichita. This fall he played Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Last spring he performed as Abner in South Pacific. Off-campus he has appeared in productions of Chess, All My Sons, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Godspell, and The Fantasticks. Andrew holds a Creative and Performing Arts Scholarship.