"But you are, Blanche! You are in that chair!"
A parody of the 1962 classic film, this camp/thriller from director John-Ryan Griggs (Showgirls the Musical, Masters of the Musical Universe) centers around a demented former child star living with her paralyzed sister, whom she tortures with her monstrous temper and deranged culinary efforts. With dreams of relaunching her Hollywood career, she will stop at nothing to regain her faded glory.
The Headwaters, a project of Water in the Desert (WITD), is a black box theatre, rehearsal space and classroom dedicated to serving local artists by providing an affordable and professional space for launching new work. The theatre is located on the fringe of North Portland, a neighborhood with a burgeoning art scene. Equipped with professional sound, lighting and projection capabilities, a professional sprung-wood floor and comfortable movie-theatre-style seating, the space serves artists in theatre, dance, music and film throughout the year.
The Headwaters Theatre offers accessible seating.
"You can lose everything else, but you can't lose your talent."
A Portland-based performer, Melissa was recently seen starring as Cristal Connors in the 2016 A Touch Too Much production of Showgirls the Musical and in the Masters of the Musical Universe series, dancing her way across the stage as Skeletor’s henchwoman Evil-lyn. With almost two decades of performing in a variety of dance styles, highlights include having appeared in Edinburg’s Fringe Festival with the contemporary group Pivot Dance and performing with Ooh La La: the New Burlesque, directed by Maria Kroll.
Kellee June Korpi grew up in Anchorage, AK. She escaped the frozen tundra to thaw out and study acting in Los Angeles with Alex Taylor. Her stage credits include a sass master in The Odd Couple, a Hollywood bombshell in Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes, a brave warrior in the Masters of the Musical Universe series and a non-stop thrusting machine in Showgirls the Musical. She is jazzed to be working with A Touch Too Much to bring this classic thriller to the theater.
With over 25 years of experience, Columbia, South Carolina native, RhyanMichele is an entertainment professional of both performance and business. The entrepreneur is the Founder and CEO of Cineman Shots (an entertainment production and business development company) and a forensic actor for Kaufmann's Forensic Actors, LLC (an affiliate of the Dept. of Justice). RhyanMichele Hills is delighted to be amongst such an amazing group of vibrant artists that is the ensemble production of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The southern belle is especially grateful to the director, John-Ryan Griggs, for granting her this opportunity to play in City of Roses. For more info, visit www.RhyanMichele.com
John is a dabble-punk. He grew up in Wisconsin and is generally interested in the world. Questions pop into his head on a jog like “What are smiles? Why do our cheeks do that when we are happy? How crazy is it that we can generally tell a fake one from a real one?” The last one he can usually answer—it’s all pretty crazy. John is 30 years old and would like to continue these trains of thought for as long as possible.
Krystal Fields is so excited to take on the role of Mrs. Bates, and to work with this cast. You might recognize her from past appearances in Sweep the Leg!, Masters of the Musical Universe, Battle for Etheria, and The Three Amigos, Live! She is blessed to be supported by her husband and the best puppy in the whole world.
A Portland native, Geoff started dancing on the high school dance team for three years. He was the first man to ever make Dance Team All-State his senior year. After studying dance at University of Oregon, and Body and Soul, he went on to dance on Carnival Cruise Lines, doing three full length Vegas style shows and being a magician’s assistant. Locally, Geoff has taught at Studio One Dance Academy and has been a dance coach for 10 years. Recently his works include Showgirls the Musical and the Masters of the Musical Universe. Coming from a family of welders, Geoff jokes that his life mirrors Flashdance.
Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, John-Ryan began his theatre work in 2012 with the stage debut of Showgirls the Musical in Chicago. In 2014, John-Ryan relaunched Showgirls the Musical in Portland, and made history: putting on the first-ever live musical at the historic Hollywood Theatre. Most recently, he has packed The Headwaters Theatre with Masters of the Musical Universe and Battle for Etheria, both stage interpretations of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoons. John-Ryan is also co-founder of an independent record label, Vibe On Records, and author of the autobiographical book How Cigarettes Saved My Life.