Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Meet the Cast of Red, White and Tuna

Jeffery Lathrop and Richard Gaylord reunite in Red, White & Tuna
Shows run through February 15.  Tickets can be purchased online and at the door.

Performed by Richard Gaylord

Star Birdfeather - A flower child
Thurston Wheelis - A radio disc jockey 
Elmer Watkins - A veteran Klan member
Bertha Bumiller - A widowed housewife and mother
Joe Bob Lipsey - Director of the Tuna Little Theater
Pearl Burras - Bertha’s aunt, a chicken farmer
R.R. Snavely - Estranged husband of gun shop owner, Didi Snavely
Inita Goodwin - The half owner of Hot-to-Trot Catering
Leonard Childers - Tuna’s mayor and owner of radion station, OKKK
Reverend Sturgis Spikes - A Baptist preacher

Richard Gaylord -  Owner of Rick Gaylord's TeleFiX, comedic actor and private pilot, Rick loves the reminder, "Levity is the only way to fly."  Rick said playing these 4 1/2 women and 5 1/2 men (allowing for Joe Bob) is his greatest vocal and dramatic challenge since his 1980 debut in San Jose Civic Light Opera's Paint Your Wagon.  Rick thanks his theater partner, Jeff, costumer, Diane Palmer as well as dressers, Janet & Adeline for keeping him clothed and in character. 

Rick is grateful to Lanny Langston, for his patience and for his dedication (along with Peter Wolfe) to our community's performing arts.  Rick's recent IT! appearances have been Mr. Kirby in You Can't Take It With You, Bobby in Run For Your Wife, Froggy in The Foreigner, 10 characters in Greater Tuna along with many others dating back to IT!'s beginnings. In addition to performing many principal roles, Rick has served in dozens of shows over the decades from backstage technician to Assistant Director.  Rick is most proud to be the first recipient of IT!'s Rodney Roberts Theater Achievement Award

Rick has deep respect and gratitude for the Tuna playwrights saying "They have masterfully painted hilariously entertaining scenes within the dialogue.  Hopefully Jeff and I can do it justice." Rick wishes to express his love and gratitude for his wife, Marsha Myers, and for her constant support for endeavors like this.


Performed by Jeffery Lathrop

Amber Windchime - Star’s friend, another flower child
Arles Struvie - A radio disc jockey
Didi Snavely - Used gun store owner
Petey Fisk - Head of Tuna’s Humane Society
Charlene Bumiller - Bertha’s pregnant daughter
Stanley Bumiller - Bertha’s son, reformed juvenile delinquent, artist
Vera Carp - Head of the Tuna society
Helen Bedd -  The other half-owner of Hot-to-Trot Catering
Garland Poteet - A soda pop delivery man

Jeffery Lathrop – A high school special education teacher and co-owner of Foothills Dance and Performing Arts Studio, theater has been a lifelong pastime and has had a tremendous  influence on his life.  He has been involved in many Imagination Theater! Productions including featured roles in The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and Big River.  His first lead role at IT! was in L’il Abner as Marryin’ Sam followed by Man of La Mancha where he played Sancho Panza.  In 2009, he played ten parts in Greater Tuna with Rick Gaylord.  He was the assistant director for White Christmas.  Most recently, Jeff played Mr. Sowerberry in Oliver! 

Lathrop says “I am excited to work with both Lanny and Rick again.  When a show has only two actors, there’s not a lot of downtime during rehearsals.  Luckily Lanny makes the experience as positive as possible, and I couldn’t ask for a better, more professional partner than Rick.”