Our Home States Pacific Edition – Cast and Crew Bios
Evan Baughfman (playwright, Pachyderm Getaway) is a Southern California playwright, author, and educator. He is a playwriting member of PlayGround-L.A., and is a company member with Force of Nature Productions. A number of Evan’s plays are published through Heuer Publishing, YouthPLAYS, Next Stage Press, and Drama Notebook. Evan has also found success writing horror fiction, his work found recently in anthologies by Graveside Press, Inkd Publishing, and No Bad Books Press. Evan’s own books include: The Emaciated Man, Vanishing of the 7th Grade, Bad for Your Teeth, and Try Not to Die in a Dark Fairy Tale. More info is available on New Play Exchange and at amazon.com/author/evanbaughfman.
Melissa Bridges (playwright, My Coffee Place) has been a resident of Washington State for over 40 years and has belonged to the local Anacortes, WA playwriting group Page2Stage since 2006. Her first 10-min play “COFFEE, CREAM, TEARS AND SCONES” was presented during a members-only short play festival. She continues to write for the joy of it, and hopes for many more successful opportunities to show her work.
Jack Garton (Miller, Pachyderm Getaway; Cary, Incident on the Golden Gate Bridge) is thrilled to be taking part in his first performance at Broom Street Theater. He would like to thank the cast, designers, and production team for their incredible kindness, and you, for supporting local theatre. All performances are dedicated to his beloved cat PJ.
Beeshoua Lee (Avery, My Coffee Place) is excited to be a part of her first Broom Street Theater production. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s in Theatre and Drama. Previous credits include the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s production of Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams, Eyelash Wish by the Ten Minute Play Festival, and Isolated Incident from 1 Up productions. She wants to thank her family and friends for their continual support in her creative endeavors. She hopes that all will enjoy tonight’s play.
John Mabey (playwright, MEDIA or Men Eating Donuts in Alaska) is a writer and storyteller whose plays have been published and produced in eight countries and throughout the United States. After living in Europe for a decade, John now resides in Atlanta and collaborates with theater companies worldwide, both virtually and in-person. Their work as a playwright is deeply connected to their career in Psychology and certification as a Mental Health Counselor, infusing insights about behavior, emotion, and relationships into their plays. John is also a published author on sexual identity and spirituality in academic books and journals. Their multi-award-winning play A Complicated Hope, is now available through Dramatic Publishing. When not writing, they enjoy teaching and performing improvised comedy and true storytelling globally. https://mabeyplays.com/
David MacGregor (playwright, Incident on the Golden Gate Bridge) is a playwright and screenwriter. He is a resident artist at The Purple Rose Theatre in Michigan, where ten of his plays have been produced. His newest play, The Antichrist Cometh, premiered at the Purple Rose in 2024, and the third play in his Sherlock Holmes trilogy, Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Ghost Machine, was awarded Best New Play by Encore Michigan and the Arthur Conan Doyle Society in 2023. His plays have been performed from New York to Tasmania, and his work has been published by Dramatic Publishing, Playscripts, Smith & Kraus, Applause, and Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW). He adapted his dark comedy, Vino Veritas, for the silver screen, and it stars Carrie Preston (Emmy-winner for The Good Wife and star of the CBS series Elsbeth). Several of his short plays have also been adapted into films, including Easy Way Out, which stars Oscar-nominee John Savage. His screenplay In the Land of Fire and Ice was an Athena List Winner (best screenplay featuring a female protagonist) and is currently optioned, with Oscar-nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo attached. (david-macgregor.com)
Liz Mael (Stage Manager) retired from her “day job” as an RN this year and is devoting her newfound free time to theater (and granddaughters)! Liz recently played Genie in the movie The Voice of the Comforter by Rafael Ragland. Liz loves all components of theater and film, so you may find her shopping for props or producing when not stage managing or acting. She has been involved at Broom Street Theater for 19 years and recently joined the Board of Directors. Liz is in awe of the actors that have brought these funny and poignant plays to life. She would like to thank Todd for his support while she is at rehearsals or shows. She would also like to thank you, the audience, for supporting the arts.
Melissa Minkoff (Director) is thrilled to be directing Our Home States – Pacific Edition. Previous BST acting credits include the roles of Lampito in BST’s 50th Anniversary Production of Lysistrata, Betsey Hamilton/Mary Hamlin in Hamilton: The Original 1917 Broadway Smash Hit, and Delphyne/Beth/South Wind in Hark! A Lark!. Most recently, Melissa served as stage manager for Our Home States – Midwest Edition and Paul Blart 3: Blart of Darkness. She made her Broom Street directorial debut last summer with Our Home States – Northeastern Edition. Melissa is exceedingly grateful to her friends and loved ones for their support, as well as the playwrights, cast, and crew for helping her bring this show to life. She is also grateful to you, the audience, for supporting live, local theater. Enjoy the show!
Colleen Murphy (Sergeant Lee, Pachyderm Getaway; Mother Nature, Wake the Humans) is delighted to be returning to Broom Street, for another tour! Previously seen in Our Home States – Midwest Edition, other credits include performances with several theatre companies, in and around the Madison area. Most recently, she was seen in A Night in February (Know Better Productions), Patience or Bunthorne’s Bride (Madison Savoyards), and Overprint (KR Theatre). She is a teacher and performer with Whoopensocker, a collaborative program with UW-Madison, that partners with local schools to promote creative writing. She sings every chance she gets, obsesses about her grandchildren, and is thrilled to be sharing this performance with all of you!! Thank you for supporting community theatre!
Peter Olson (Man 1, MEDIA; Niko, Incident on the Golden Gate Bridge) is honored to be part of this production. Past shows include Harvey, The Untold Story of the Collyer Brothers, a staged reading of Cyrano, and last year’s Our Home States. He hopes all of you enjoy the show!
Rose Popma (Buffy Beaver, Wake the Humans) is very excited to be a part of the cast for Our Home States – Pacific Edition. This is her first acting experience with Broom Street. She’d like to thank her family and friends for their encouragement, and she is endlessly grateful to her wife for convincing her to return to theater after so long away.
Leah Stern (Cassidy, My Coffee Place; Pretty Blue Heron, Wake the Humans) is thrilled to be returning to the Broom Street Theater stage. Previous credits include Our Home States: Northeastern Edition. When not acting, Leah can be found birding or biking around Madison.
Kathleen Tomko (playwright, Wake the Humans) is a Dramatists Guild Member and some plays are on National New Play Exchange. Plays have been produced, read or workshopped internationally; placed in festival semi-finals; garnered Recognitions, Honorable Mentions, and an ARTemis award.
Sophia Whitehead (Blair, My Coffee Place; Jesse, Incident on the Golden Gate Bridge) is ecstatic to perform in her very first community show at Broom Street theater. A UW-Madison Theatre and Drama alumni, Sophia has previously performed in multiple university and student productions, including Wine In The Wilderness and those of Intermission Theatre. Additionally, Sophia had held the title of Assistant Technical Director for Wine In The Wilderness at UW-Madison Theater and that of Props Designer for Greco-Roman Myths and Mischief at the Bartell Theatre.