The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat -
Lauren is so excited to be back on stage at The Rose and appearing for the second time in "The Cat in the Hat!" Some notable roles at the Rose include Princess Fiona in "Shrek the Musical," Miss Shields in "A Christmas Story," Penny in "Honk!," and Julia in "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs." She also was a part of two world premiere productions at The Rose: "Prancer" and "Pete the Cat." Lauren has also performed many times with the Omaha Symphony in their family and educational shows. She has been seen in their educational program Mission Imagination for two years, performing in The Misadventures of Melvin the Explorer and The Symphonic School Bus. Most recently she performed with the Omaha Symphony as concert host with the program Link Up! She has also been seen with the Sarasota Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and soon to be seen with the Lima Symphony and San Diego Symphony in "Gold Rush,"
a family concert celebrating American Composers.

Sally -
Katie Otten received her BA in Theatre Education at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and, recently, her MA in Theatre Performance at UNO. Previously at The Rose, she has acted in "A Child’s Garden of Verses," "A Palette of Possibility," "The Grocer’s Goblin & The Little Mermaid," and "The Super Adventures of Nutrition Woman." Other favorite roles include: "The Glass Menagerie," "Assassins" (Brigit Saint Brigit), "She Kills Monsters" (Creighton);
"The Grown-up" (Blue Barn). She’s also worked in film, as well as voiceover for audiobooks, video games, and educational projects.

Conrad -
Mr. Sillau serves as the Accessibility Coordinator at The Omaha Theater Company (The Rose), where he coordinates educational opportunities for students with disabilities and ensures that every individual who passes through the doors of The Rose can access all programing equally. He also directs MainStage productions and some of his credits at The Rose include "Shrek: The Musical" TYA, "Go, Dog. Go!," and "Hanna’s Suitcase." Sillau serves as Artistic Director of Circle Theatre, a company dedicated to creating theater that includes artists with disabilities.(www.circletheatreomaha.org). Under Sillau’s leadership, the Circle co-commissioned "My Broken Doll," a play based on the life of holocaust survivor Beatrice Karp, adapted by Ernie Nolan, and "Over The River," a play about friendship by Ellen Struve. In December of 2016, Sillau directed a regional premiere of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." This particular production incorporated American Sign Language, Shadow interpreting, Audio Description, as well as actors with various physical and developmental disabilities. He served as a Teaching Artist Fellow for VSA: The International Association for Arts and Disability and is a frequent contractor for The Kennedy Center. He is frequently called upon to facilitate on the subject of theater and disability, and has conducted workshops on theater and inclusion in Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, New York State, Connecticut, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. and more! He holds an MFA in Directing and Inclusion from Goddard College. His professional activities can be found at www.Fransillau.com.

Fish -
Jessica is so thrilled to be playing the role of Fish in "The Cat In The Hat!" She is originally from Maine and has been involved in professional theater since the age of 3. You may have seen her on stage or assistant directing shows here at The Rose, such as "Good Night Moon," "Babe The Sheep Pig," "Wynken, Blynken and Nod," "Curious George and The Golden Meatball," "Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt," "Thumbelina," and "Go, Dog. Go!" She is an ensemble member of Kerfuffle and has been the voice for commercials and videos in the Omaha Metro area as well as worked on shows for CBS and the Discovery Channel. She is a fiber artist and educator and when not directing, designing, writing or on stage Jessica enjoys spending time with her two amazing artistic daughters Jules and Jocey, her fluffle farm of adorable dwarf English angora bunnies, and knitting, spinning or weaving away every other free moment while finding joy always in the journey! She’d like to to thank her friends & family for all their love & support & for allowing her to reach for the stars & live her dreams.

Thing 1/Kitten 1 -
Sue Gillespie Booton’s National tour credits include "Annie Get Your Gun," "Beehive," and "Grease." Her latest credits include "Rocky Horror" (Columbia), "Ring of Fire" (Ensemble) and "Always, Patsy Cline" (Louise,) for Artist Repertory Theater. She was an original cast member in Omaha’s longest running musical, "Beehive" (Brenda Lee, Petula Clark, Janis Joplin), and appeared in shows on Royal Carribean, Carnival, Royal Viking and Europe’s Sally Cruise Lines. Her most recent Rose stage appearances include "Madagascar" (Gloria), "The Cat in the Hat," (Thing #1), "Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly" (Mrs. McBee), "Pinkalicious - The Musical" (Dr. Wink/Allison), "Velveteen Rabbit" (Ensemble), "Charlotte’s Web" (Templeton/Narrator/Goose), "The Little Engine That Could" (Blue Dress Girl), "Cinderella" (Fairy Godmother), and "Miss Nelson is Missing" (Miss Nelson/ Viola Swamp) Choreographic credits include "Elf The Musical," "Matilda The Musical," Disney’s "Newsies," "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," "Madagascar," "Mary Poppins" & more! She was a 2015 Theater Arts Guild Best Choreographer nominee for "Tarzan," recipient of the 2014 National Freddy G Award given to outstanding musical theater educators, 2014 Theater Arts Guild nominee for her choreography of "Tarzan," and awarded the 2014 Theater Arts Guild Education Award. She is The Rose Theater’s Resident Choreographer and Director of BROADWAY at the Rose, as well as The Rose Brigade
and The Dance Lab Performing Company. She is thankful that she could return to her
hometown and continue her professional career at The Rose Theater.

Thing 2/Kitten 2 -
Jay Hayden originally hails from Hebron, CT. She is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont, where they earned a B.S. in Secondary Education (Literature). Jay is currently a Teaching Artist Fellow, debuting here at The Rose! Most recently, Jay worked as an Education Associate with the Lake Dillon Theatre Company, and as a Box Office Manager with Vermont Stage. Some favorite past roles include: Moritz ("Spring Awakening"), CB ("Dog Sees God"), and Peter Pan ("Peter Pan"). Jay is ecstatic to be part of The Rose this season, and hopes to be a benefit to the community in the coming year!

Director -
Kevin Ehrhart has been a member of the Omaha Theater Company staff since 1989 as a Director/Actor/Instructor and Chief Technology Officer. While at the Theater, he has directed mainstage, studio theater and national touring productions. His directing credits include "Charlotte’s Web," "Treasure Island," "Old Yeller," "The Giver," "A Year in The Life of Frog and Toad" and "Pinkalicious." Recently, Kevin directed – "Sherlock Holmes and First Baker Street Irregular" and "The Cat in the Hat." Kevin’s acting credits include George Bailey in "It’s a Wonderful Life," Cat in the Hat in "Seussical" and George in "George and Martha." As an instructor, Kevin teaches Acting Technique classes for BROADWAY at the Rose and DRAMA at the Rose classes on Saturday mornings.