Author

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), born in Madison, Wisconsin, and educated at Yale and Princeton, was an accomplished novelist and playwright whose works explore the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one of his seven novels, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and his next-to-last novel, The Eighth Day, received the National Book Award (1968). Two of his four major plays garnered Pulitzer Prizes: Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1943). His play The Matchmaker ran on Broadway for 486 performances (1955-1957), Mr. Wilder’s Broadway record, and was later adapted into the record-breaking musical Hello, Dolly!

Mr. Wilder also enjoyed enormous success with many other forms of the written and spoken word, among them translation, acting, opera librettos, lecturing, teaching and film (his screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1943 psycho-thriller Shadow of a Doubt remains a classic to this day). Letter writing held a central place in Mr. Wilder’s life, and since his death, three volumes of his letters have been published.

Mr. Wilder’s many honors include the Gold Medal for Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Book Committee’s Medal for Literature. On April 17, 1997, the centenary of his birth, the US Postal Service unveiled the Thornton Wilder 32-cent stamp in Hamden, Connecticut, his official address after 1930 and where he died on December 7, 1975.

Mr. Wilder continues to be read and performed around the world. Our Town is performed at least once each day somewhere in this country, with his other major dramas and shorter plays not far behind. In 2008, Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey were selected as a joint choice for the NEA’s “Big Read” Program. In recent years Wilder’s works have also inspired a growing number of adaptations, among them an opera based on Our Town (music by Ned Rorem, libretto by J.D. McClatchy) and a dramatized version of his novel Theophilus North (Matt Burnett). Reflecting the renewed interest in Mr. Wilder, the Thornton Wilder Society sponsored the first international conference on his works in fall 2008. For more information, visit www.thorntonwilder.com.

Director

Susanna Morrow, MFA, PhD is an artist, mother and teacher. She was an associate professor of theatre at Trinity University from 2006-2015. Directing credits at Trinity include Twelth Night, Blood Wedding, The Misanthrope, and The Laramie Project. She received her PhD in Theatre from CU Boulder and her MFA in Acting from UC Irvine. She worked professionally as an actor and dancer in the Tony-award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Shakespeare Orange County. Her local acting credits include Mabel in Pride’s Crossing at Trinity University, for which she won an ATAC award. She starred in Smudge at AtticRep, where she met her now husband, Ross Olsaver. They have a beloved daughter and many four-legged beloveds. She is honored to return to theatre, and dedicates this work to the memory of her mom and dad with whom she shared many Christmas meals.

Production Stage Manager

Crystal Carter is a Colorado native and new to San Antonio.  She began her career as a stage manager for experimental theatre in Colorado Springs and has since worked as a director, designer, producer, dancer, actor, and clown for theatres on the Colorado front range and here in Central Texas. An award winning director and actress, she is grateful for the opportunities she has found with 100A.

Lucia 1

Angela is thrilled to be in her first production with 100A Theater. She is a founding company member of The Magik Theatre, and has worked on many stages in San Antonio over 30 years. Favorite roles include Madeline in The Clearing, Kate in Sylvia with the Vexler Theater, Kate in The Miracle Worker and Kate in Cripple of Inishmaan with Firelight Players. In addition to multiple ‘Kates’ she’s played  Gertrude in Hamlet, Lucille in Junie B Jones, Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web, plenty of barnyard animals, with Magik Theatre, and Janet in Rocky Horror with Woodlawn Theater.  Angela has also had the honor of costuming several productions with Magik, Woodlawn (now Wonder)Academy, and the San Antonio Playhouse.

Lucia II, Nurse, Mother Bayard

Allie Perez is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a concentration in Shakespeare and the Classics. She has performed in various theaters across San Antonio, including the Classic Theatre and Vexler Theatre. She is the recipient of an ATAC Globe Award Excellence Lead Actress in a Comedy (Unnecessary Farce). Allie is excited to return to the stage after a ten year hiatus to raise her daughter Alexandria. She is also a community leader, workforce advocate for the skilled construction trades, founder of Texas Women in Trades and ORISE Department of Energy RAMP fellow.

Roderick1 & 2

Rick is a theatre artist who’s journey began at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, studying ceramics and performance art. And studied theatre at the University of Detroit conservatory program. After working professionally in Detroit, Rick ventured to Chicago, where he made his mark on the stages of The Lifeline, Northlight, and Victory Gardens Theatres. He spent 13 years with the acclaimed European Repertory Company performing many roles in Chekhov, Brecht, Berkoff and Girardeau and designed, production managed and served as Managing Director. His tenure saw the production of European classics and daring experimental works, fostering collaborations with esteemed institutions like Steppenwolf Theatre and the Chicago Department of Arts and Culture. He has lived and worked in San Antonio for nearly 20 years beginning with the Classic and Jump-Start Theatres. He was proudly, among the first resident performances at the Tobin Center acting in God of Carnage with AtticRep in 2014. In 2017, Rick joined the staff at the Tobin Center, where he now serves as the Creative and Resident Relations Director. He is also the Producing Artistic Director of 100A Productions, further solidifying his commitment to fostering creativity and innovation within the San Antonio arts community.

Charles

After finishing his graduate work in Chicago, Ross divided his time working with the Neo Futurists, Redmoon Theatre, and the Steppenwolf Garage, and playing road music with Tom Schraeder, David Safran, Joe Pug, and Jai Henry. Locally, he worked with AtticRep in Smudge and American Buffalo, and with 100A productions as Stan in Sweat. He lives with his artist wife, Dr Susanna Morrow, who creates chaos in her home studio, and he is in the locally acclaimed Americana band Carolwood.

Cousin Brandon, Cousin Ermengarde

Katrin is delighted to return to 100A after performing Deirdre Blake in The Humans. Other San Antonio credits include Bloodbottler in The BFG, Provost in Measure for Measure, Hildegard of Bingen in We Sail on in Darkness and Mrs. Whatsit in Wrinkle in Time. Her most recent venture is a member of Turnip Ensemble Theater, specializing in physical and devised theater. In addition to acting, she is a teaching artist for Wolf Trap Early Learning Institute at The Tobin. She is also a puppeteer!  Highlights include Puppet Choreographer for The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show at Magik Theatre and performing in touring productions for Walkabout Puppets and Madcap Puppet Theatre. Katrin is a graduate of the Drama Studio London @ Berkeley and Northwestern University.

Samuel

Grantham has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Texas State University and an AAS in American Sign Language Interpreting. He was previously seen in Boys in the Band as Emory at the Classic Theatre, understudied for John D’Agata in Lifespan of a Fact with 100A Productions and was the stage manager for Judgement of the Eye at the Overtime Theatre. Other credits include: Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth), Guys and Dolls (Nicely), Sweeney Todd (Pirelli) and much more. Grantham has also performed with ComedySportz San Antonio and various Children’s theaters around the country.

Genevieve

Kaitlyn is excited to return to the 100A stage. Previously, she appeared as Chick in Crimes of the Heart and as Jessie in the staged reading of Sweat. Kaitlyn has also appeared locally in productions at the Sheldon Vexler Theater, AtticRep, and Trinity University. Memorable roles include Jacqueline in Don’t Dress for Dinner, Catherine in The Foreigner, and Lady Muldoon in The Real Inspector Hound. Kaitlyn is proud and grateful that the Tobin Center is developing fresh outlets for artistic expression and community. Kaitlyn currently works as the Director of Program Development at the 80|20 Foundation, helping to create and strengthen pathways for San Antonio youth to thrive in quality jobs. She dedicates this performance to the memory of her recently departed pup, Sandy, whom she misses very much.

Leonora Banning

Melissa has dedicated her career to serving the youth of San Antonio by providing increased access to education and the arts.

After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the College of Santa Fe, Melissa began her career in nonprofits at Magik Theatre while pursuing her Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Our Lady of the Lake University and performing on the Magik stage. 

Melissa worked as a theatre teacher for NEISD, participating in UIL One Act Play as a Director, and continued her career in education and social service nonprofits. 

Now, Melissa has returned to Magik Theatre; this time as Managing Director, rejoining the organization for its 30th anniversary. She thanks founder, Richard Rosen, for his vision for every child in San Antonio to experience the transformative power of theatre. 

A dedicated public servant, Melissa has participated on many boards and nonprofit committees, is a graduate of Leadership San Antonio’s Class 46 (best class ever!), and has been seen on stages around San Antonio, including work with The Playhouse, Wonder Theatre, and San Antonio Broadway Theatre.