The Giver
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Starring
Terry Lawler Nathan Fosbinder
Christopher Leonard Kathy Zuhlke
Courtney Zapp Katy Pirtle
Julie Burton Cameron Spencer
Evan Zuhlke Ike Cech
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Terry Lawler
"The Giver"
Terry Lawler is a Wisconsin native and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He taught English at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for over 33 years before retiring in 2002. He is a founding member of Lakeside Players, Inc., Kenosha’s community theater. For five years Mr. Lawler has written the column “Front Lines” for the Wisconsin Education Association’s monthly publication, “WEAC In-Print.” He is a practicing Celebrant, a lay person who plans and conducts funerals. Terry has also starred in a number of live, radio productions of The WGTD Radio Theater. WGTD FM is a Public Radio station located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He portrayed Clarence Darrow in the award winning radio production of "And on the Eighth Day." Terry and his wife, Colleen, enjoy travel, having recently visited England and Italy. Finally, Terry is a double-award winning actor for his extraordinary portrayal of the famed attorney, Claence darrow, in the award winning stage play, "And on the Eighth Day: Bryan v. Darrow." An Intelligent Perspective on the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial.
Nathan Fosbinder
"Jonas"
Nathan A. Fosbinder is in 8th grade at Sennett Middle School in Madison Wisconsin, where he plays trumpet and runs track. Nathan got the acting bug at age 3 while watching a production of Peter Pan, and first got on stage atage 6. "The Giver" marks his 20th appearance in a theatre production.He has appeared in "A Fireside Christmas" and "The Music Man" at the Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson, and "The Christmas Schooner" at the Janesville Armory Dinner Theatre. Other favorite roles include Tom Sawyer in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - The Broadway Musical", "the Courier" in"1776", both Kurt and Fredrich Von Trapp in two different productions of"The Sound of Music", "the Boy" in "Waiting for Godot" and Oliver in"Oliver!". He is excited to appear in this play based on one of his favorite books, and to give life to Jonas, a character he has always admired. Nathan also likes to write, and credits Lois Lowry as an inspiration in both style and subject matter. Thanks to Ms. Pinkston for recommending "The Giver" in 5th grade, to Vern for all his support, and as always, to Grandma, David, OSHP, family and friends for "giving me so much - confidence - in their way".
Christopher Leonard
"Father"
Christopher Leonard comes from a very theatrical family. His great-grandfather was Bolossy Kiralfy. Bolossy and his brother Imre were producers who created some of the most spectacular theatrical productions of all time. Producers in both London and on Broadway, the Kiralfy brothers introduced electrical lighting to the stage (with the help of Thomas Edison). Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in theatrical performance and a master’s degree in linguistics. He has been acting for a very long time and has recently started to direct and write. He directed The Actor’s Nightmare at Northeastern Illinois University and will be directing another production there during the spring semester of 2008. In addition to acting and directing, Chris also works as a college instructor and dialect coach.
Kathy Zuhlke
"Mother"
Kathy Zuhlke got the acting bug in the late 1980's and attended Improv Classes at Sarantos Studios in Chicago, IL. This affiliation led to acting in several Murder Mystery Dinner shows put on by Discovery Center of Chicago. When she moved to Racine, WI in 1990, she immediately joined the group backstage at Racine Theatre Guild and then onstage in the play "Pack of Lies". Kathy was in The Olympia Brown Players production of "Godspell" in 2003. She also plays guitar and sings along with her husband Jim at Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, "Second Saturday Coffeehouse." She was most recently seen in WGTD's radio production of "Miracle on 30th Ave." in Kenosha. Kathy's day job is in the field of radiation physics, designing treatment plans for cancer patients. She has two boys Max 13 and Evan 10, who are also musically and theatrically inclined. According to Kathy, "My thoughts on “The Giver” are that this story at first appeared to me as a science fiction novel, when in fact, it is a relevant commentary of where our society has been headed for the last 100 years or so and where we might be not too far in the future."
Katy Pirtle
"Fiona"
Katy Pirtle has been acting onstage for more than half her life. She has appeared in eight main stage shows at the Racine Theatre Guild starting in 1999, as an orphan in the musical "Oliver. "Her favorite role was Daisy Duckling in the 2003 production of "Honk! "The most challenging role was in "Stand and Deliver," when she played Rafaela, a Guatemalan immigrant. Katy has also been involved with several shows through CYT, including "Seussical " and "The Legend of Pocahontas. " Other shows, through several different theatre companies, have included "Annie," "Scrooge, " "The Wiz," "Cinderella," "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum," and "Alice in Wonderland." Not only has Katy been onstage, she has also worked behind the scenes in areas including stage manager, assistant stage manager, light tech, props crew, and backstage crew. Katy was recently heard in WGTD Radio Theatre’s "Miracle on 30th Avenue." Katy is thrilled to be taking on the role of Fiona. She feels that "The Giver" is an intriguing book that everyone should read.
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Courtney Zapp
"Lily"
Courtney Jo Zapp is 12 years old and is a 6th grader in a dual-language program. She has also published several of her poems and recently travelled to Greece and Italy with "People to People." as a student ambassador. In 2005, Courtney appeared in the Racine lakeside Kids production of "The Wiz." Courtney is fluent in not only English, but also Spanish. She also has a good working knowledge of Greek, Italian, French, and American Sign Language. Courtney says, "I am really excited about playing the role of "Lily" in THE GIVER, and I can't wait to meet Lois Lowry when she appears at several of our performances."
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Evan Zuhlke
"Asher
Evan Zuhlke has always had a penchant for storytelling, acting, magic, music and voice. He plays piano, cello, and most recently clarinet. He has also sung in the choir and performed in plays at his church and elementary school. Evan once constructed his own magic box in which he could disappear before your eyes. After he returned from the great beyond, he was in the Kypac production of “Oliver” in the summer of 2005 and most recently in the WGTD radio production of “Miracle on 30th Avenue” (December 2007). Evan will be graduating from elementary school in June, and will start middle school in 2008. He is proud to be a part of such a dedicated and prolific group of artists.
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Julie Burton
"Chief Elder"
Julie Burton has been acting as long as she can remember. Growing up in a small Iowa town gave her lots of opportunities throughout grade school and high school for plays and musicals. College added to her experience with an English major, speech, drama, and music minors. She has taught high school English and speech for 37 years, elementary music for 4 years, and Principles of Communication at Gateway Technical College for 3 years. She has a Masters Degree in Language Arts from Carthage College and taught in Racine Unified Schools for 16 years before retiring in 2001. Retirement has given her more opportunities to travel, volunteer, and read books of choice. “The Giver” was introduced to her by her grandson who was reading it for school. The book stimulated many discussions about sameness and differences, being programmed or making choices, avoiding pain or dealing with difficulties. Lois Lowry is a gift to readers of all ages.
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