Howie D: Back in the Day

Howie D -
For 26 years, Howie has been a part of the Backstreet Boys, one of the most successful groups in music history, with countless #1s, record-setting tours, and worldwide sales in excess of 130 million. A multiple award winning and Grammy-nominated performer, Howie's work with BSB has gone gold and platinum in 46 countries, and BSB has continually delivered the finest pop music one has to offer, making them one of pop’s most influential performers and the best-selling boy band in history.
In July of 2019, Howie released his debut family album “Which One Am I?”
Along with People Magazine, Parents Magazine, Sirius XM, Billboard, Buzzfeed and more, Red Tricycle raves “this Backstreet Boy Is Back with a Kids Album You’ll Love” adding “music both you and your kids can agree on is a rare breed, but with Howie’s new album that’s exactly what you’ll get”
Entertainment Tonight adds "Seamlessly spanning a variety of genres, from blues to reggae and rock, Howie’s record explores issues both young and old can connect with, like dealing with worry, anxiety and growing up in the shadow of an older sibling, with humor woven in along the way."
Produced by Grammy nominee Tor Hyams, “Which One Am I?” is a collection of songs that offer musical reflections of Howie's own childhood and overcoming his insecurities to discover his true self. The songs also inspired an upcoming family musical theater production "Howie D: Back in the Day," which will have its world premiere this month at the famed Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mrs. D/Abuelita -
Cristina María Castro is thrilled to be making her Rose Theater debut! A sought-after performer in both opera and musical theatre, she spent the past summer as a young artist with Chautauqua Opera and returned to NYC to perform Monica in City Lyric Opera’s production of "The Medium". A lover of new music, she has had the honor of originating and creating two roles: Cristina Maria in Local Opera Local Artists’ opera pastiche entitled "We Might be Struck by Lightning" and Catherine in a New York Theatre Festival new musical called "Bright is the Ring of Words". She has also workshopped many compositions in Frontiers with the Fort Worth Opera Festival. Two of her favorite roles include Maria in "West Side Story" and Despina in "Cosí fan tutte". Having grown up in Texas while staying true to her Puerto Rican roots, follow Cristina María’s TexaRican adventures both on and off stage @cristinamaria_castro.

Mr. D -
Matthew R. Olsen (he/him/his) is excited to join The Rose Theater for the first time! You may have seen him around Omaha with Bluebarn Theatre ("The Woodsman", "Venus in Fur"), Brigit St. Brigit ("Bernhardt"/"Hamlet"), Shakespeare On The Green ("Much Ado", "King John", "Merry Wives", "King Lear", "Macbeth", "Taming of the Shrew", "As You Like It", "Othello"), Nebraska Shakespeare On
Tour ("Hamlet", "Romeo & Juliet", "Midsummer", "As You Like It"). Other select Regional credits
include: "The Matchmaker", "Both Your Houses" (dir. Frank Galati), "True West", "School For Lies",
"How I Learned To Drive" & "Oleanna". Matthew is an actor/director/educator. He holds a BFA from
the University of Minnesota-Duluth and an MFA from Florida State University/Asolo
Conservatory for Actor Training. Currently— Adjunct Faculty in Acting at University of
Nebraska-Omaha and Lead Facilitator of In Process Actor Training, a monthly class in
partnership with Bancroft Street Market. Thank you to my Family (theatrical & biological).

Pollyanna -
Natalie is a Chicago based performer from Seattle. A Creighton alum, she is ecstatic to be back in Omaha for "Howie D: Back in the Day"! Other noted Omaha credits include "Peter Pan"(Tigerlily) and "Newsies!" (Tommyboy) with The Rose Theater, and "Heathers the Musical"(Ensemble) with BlueBarn Theatre. She was last seen in "Hope: Part two of a Mexican Trilogy"(Betty U/S) with Teatro Vista in Chicago. Next up, "West Side Story" with South Bend Civic Theatre. Natalie is represented by Chicago Talent Network. IG: Ncmhanson Thanks to Mom, Dad, Emilie, and Andrew for endless support and love!

Tommy -
Jake Parker is proud to return to The Rose Theater with "Howie D: Back in the Day" as Tommy. His recent/favorite credits include: "A Christmas Carol" as Topper at Omaha Community Playhouse, "Go Dog, Go!" as Green Dog at The Rose Theater, "She Loves Me" as Arpad at Bellevue Little Theatre, "Hairspray" as Fender at the Papillion-La Vista Community Theatre, and "Newsies" as Crutchie at The Rose. He also toured with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s "A Christmas Carol" as Peter Cratchit in late 2018. Jake is very excited and humbled to be back on The Rose’s stage, and is thankful for the support of his friends and family!

Lucy -
RONI SHELLEY PEREZ was recently seen as Soonja Ma (u/s Goeun Kim) in New York City's Off-Broadway production of "Comfort Women: A New Musical" at Playwrights Horizons. Perez, originally from Nebraska, graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Grateful for her friends, family, and Take 3 Talent for the constant support.

Oba -
Marcel Daly is excited to be returning to The Rose Theater in "Howie D: Back in the Day". Born and raised in Bellevue, Nebraska, he has loved performing since elementary school. As an alumni from Bellevue West High School, he was selected to represent Nebraska at the Jimmy Awards as a national nominee in New York City. Since then he has performed around the Omaha area, and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in Vocal Performance. Marcel's credits include: Benny in "In the Heights"(SNAP! Productions), Davy in "Newsies"(Rose Theater), Prince Eric in "The Little Mermaid"(Rose Theater), and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" as Reuben(New Theatre Dinner and Restaurant). In the future, Marcel plans to pursue a career as an actor, composer, writer and lyricist.

Mrs. Schaefer -
A veteran of the local theater community, Theresa’s last Omaha theater experience was as Karl In "A Very Die Hard Christmas" at the Bluebarn Theater. Theresa has been in dozens of shows in the metro area and has been honored to receive many awards and nominations for her roles. Some of her favorite shows have been "Hummingbird", "Mack and Mabel", "Urinetown", "Batboy", "Parallel Lives", and "Every Christmas Story Ever Told". For five years Theresa performed for Holland America Princess in the Denali National park area at the Music of Denali dinner theater. She has also toured with the Nebraska Theater Caravans "A Christmas Carol". Theresa also works with WhyArts, a wonderful non-profit organization that brings the arts to underserved populations in our community.

Charles/Prep 1 -
Alphonse Kroeten made his acting debut in 2002 as Ren in "Footloose The Musical." Since then, he has performed on over one hundred stages across the United States and Europe, including Disney’s Animal Kingdom, New York City’s David Geffen Hall, and Norte Dame in Paris. After attending Midland Lutheran College and attaining his B.A. in Music, under direct tutelage of nationally recognized composers/directors Dr. Eric Richards and Jim Elsberry, Alphonse began touring nationally, with Omaha Theater Company, in "The Little Engine That Could" (2010), "Three Merser Meyer Classics" (2011), and "Diary of A Worm, A Spider, and A Fly" (2014). Alphonse is thrilled to be returning to The Rose Theater main stage after appearing as Emile in "Goosebumps The Musical: The Phantom of The Auditorium," Tall Boy in "Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt", Phinneas in "Curious George and The Golden Meatball," King Julien in "Madagascar: A Musical Adventure," and in "Peter Pan" and "Harold and The Purple Crayon."

Justin/Prep 2 -
Jay Hayden originally hails from Hebron, CT. Jay is currently a Teaching Artist Fellow here at The Rose, and is ecstatic to be working on "Howie D: Back in the Day"! Previous credits at The Rose include "The Cat in the Hat" (Thing #2/Kitten #2) and the touring casts of "NebraskaLand!" (Hummelsback) and "You and Me and the Land of Peas" (Kid). Before coming to Omaha, Jay worked as an Education Associate with the Lake Dillon Theatre Company, and as a Box Office Manager with Vermont Stage. Some other favorite credits include: "Spring Awakening" (Moritz), "Dog Sees God" (CB), and the titular boy-wonder in "Peter Pan". Proud alum of the University of Vermont. @jhaydenta

Carter/Prep 3 -
LIAM BRENZEL is a student in limbo until he can decide what school he wants to learn at. Originally from El Paso, Texas, he is excited for his third performance at The Rose and hopes that the five audience members who know him are equally jazzed. Liam has been acting since seventh grade where he played Nicely Nicely Johnson in his middle school production of "Guys and Dolls Jr." Since that standout performance, he has gone on to act in high school productions (Dr. Einstein-"Arsenic and Old Lace-Mascoutah" IL; Amos Calloway-"Big Fish"-Papio South; Papa Ge-"Once on This Island"-Papio South, etc.), community (Grimsby-"Little Mermaid Jr"; Sasha-"Fiddler on the Roof", all "Looking Glass" in IL; George Gibbs-"Our Town" at the Bellevue Little Theater), and professional (Ensemble-"Mamma Mia"-The Muny St. Louis; Ensemble-"Madagascar"; Albert-"Newsies", both at The Rose).

Polly Sidekick 1 -
Lauren is so excited to be back on stage at The Rose! 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.

Polly Sidekick 2 -
Shannon grew up and trained in Southern California. After graduating from school she joined The Young Americans to train and travel all over the world. After participating as a guest artist and educator in the US, UK, and Japan, she then took off to finish her education. As of this May, she graduated from Midland University with a Bachelors Degree in Arts Management. During her time there, she had the opportunity to play some noteworthy roles. Some of which included Mrs. Peacock ("Clue on Stage"), Queen Aggravain ("Once Upon a Mattress"), Mrs. Meers ("Thoroughly Modern Millie"), and Aldonza ("The Man of LaMancha"). She joined The Rose last season for her Debut at The Manager in "Elf the Musical", and has since become a guest educator for Musical Theater Classes. She also recently joined the cast of "Ella Enchanted" The Musical as the bratty stepsister, Hattie. She sincerely hopes you enjoy today’s production, and thanks you for your support.

Choreographer -
Sue Gillespie Booton's national tour credits include "Annie Get Your Gun", "Beehive", and "Grease". Most recent credits include "Elf" (Sam/Mrs. Santa), World Premiere of "The Dollmaker's Gift", (Pola/Rebecca), "Rocky Horror" (Columbia), "Ring of Fire" (Ensemble) and "Always, Patsy Cline" (Louise). 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. Other Rose stage appearances include "Madagascar" (Gloria), "Cinderella" (Fairy Godmother) and "Cat in the Hat", (Thing #1). Choreographic credits include "Elf The Musical", "Matilda", Disney’s "Newsies", "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever", "Madagascar", "Mary Poppins", "A Christmas Story", "Tarzan", "Narnia", "Peter Pan", "HONK!" and "Annie - The Musical". She won the 2019 Omaha Entertainment Award for "Outstanding Choreography" for "Newsies" and is the 2020 nominee for both "Elf" and "Matilda". She was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame summer, 2019 and is the 2014 recipient of the National Freddy G Award given to outstanding musical theater educators as well as the 2014 Theater Arts Guild Education Award winner. Sue is The Rose Theater’s Resident Choreographer and Director of BROADWAY at The Rose, which includes The Rose Brigade and Dance Lab at The Rose. She is thankful to return to Omaha and continue her professional career at The Rose Theater near friends and family.

Music Director -
Jerry Brabec, tenor, is an Ordained Deacon on the clergy staff at Omaha St. Paul United Methodist Church where he serves as Minister of Worship. His responsibilities include the overseeing of liturgical preparation for the congregation of 450. He also serves as choral director for Temple Israel’s Kol Rina. Awarded the Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska, he studied choral conducting with Dr. Cina Crisara and Dr. Z. Randall Stroope. As a chorister of the acclaimed Robert Shaw Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall, he sang for five years under the baton of the late Robert Shaw, was twice selected one of six participants in the Alice Parker Melodius Accord Fellowship Program and frequently continues his conducting studies with Ms. Parker during January in New York. At the Rose for the past eleven seasons, “Howie D: Back in the Day” marks his 41st show as a visiting music director/vocal coach. He also serves as music director for the nationally acclaimed Rose Brigade, one of the award winning offerings of the “Broadway at The Rose” program. Formerly, Jerry taught at the high school level for Council Bluffs Community Schools, served as associate artistic director of the Omaha Clarion Chorale, and as artistic director for the Kanesville Chorus and Renaissance Faire of the Midlands.

Book/Music/Lyrics -
Grammy nominated songwriter, Tor Hyams, and veteran Broadway performer, Lisa St. Lou (The Producers) offer a unique blend of comedy and heart through musicals, plays and screenwriting. The duo makes big musical comedy stage shows, intimate dramatic plays, and teleplays that are simultaneously funny and gut-wrenching.
Original works include "Stealing Time", a story about a woman struggling to reclaim her power after years in an emotionally abusive marriage (premiered at York Musical Theater Festival 2012 and has been further developed by Emerging Artists Theatre, "The Pitch" at the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival and at Goodspeed Opera House by way of the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony), "The Skylight Room", a story about asking for help through the lens of physical illness, with actor/writer, John Cariani, a political satire musical revue called "The 1st Annual Trump Family Special", which had an off-Broadway run at the Triad Theater, "Howie D: Back in the Day", a family musical about belonging and race, based on the real-life experience of Backstreet Boy, Howie D (work-shopped at the New Victory Theater in New York and is scheduled for a production at The Rose Theater in Omaha in January 2020), "Senior Living", a play about people dying to live, which takes place in a retirement community (directed by Judith Ivey and premiered at Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC), and "Collateral Beauty", an adaptation of the film starring Will Smith, Ed Norton and Kate Winslet (in collaboration with screenwriter Allan Loeb).
The duo has been commissioned by Center Stage Capital to write a musical adaptation of the legendary television show, "Green Acres". Additional commissions include "Ensemble", a collection of previously unpublished letters by Tennessee Williams, "Untitled", commissioned by Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) to be performed by middle and high school age students, and "aTypical Family", a story about Autism Spectrum Disorder told from the perspective of the couple raising an atypical child.
Hyams and St. Lou wrote "Mommy Needs A Timeout" for Nickelodeon’s Nickmom channel and most recently wrote a half-hour ‘dramedy’ television pilot called "The Lou" and a half hour comedy pilot based on their play, "Senior Living".
Their one-woman event, "LIFE. Who Knew?" has played to sold-out audiences across the country, including New York’s 54 Below, and Joe’s Pub, Los Angeles’ Rockwell, and the Gaslight Cabaret Festival in St. Louis.
The duo participated in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and were selected twice as residents for the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Opera House.

Director -
Matthew’s recent directing credits at The Rose include "Elf The Musical", "Prancer"
and "A Christmas Story". Other directing credits include "Cyrano" with Parallel 45,
"The Sparrow" and "Anon(ymous)" at the Interlochen Center for the Arts,
"Wuthering Heights" at the Mint Theatre in New York, and "Whacked Fairy Tales" at Twin City Stage. His plays have been workshopped/produced by Wordsmyth Theatre
Company, Horse Trade Theater Group (NYC), Reverie Productions (NYC), Tri Sate
Actors’ Theatre, and Magic Chicago. Matthew’s work for MagicMouth Theatre won a New Horizons Playwriting Award and the company premiered a new magic-theatre piece, "A Christmas Carol In Prose" with Parallel 45 in Traverse City, MI. He is the
former artistic director of the Children’s Theatre of Winston-Salem and completed a fellowship with the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis under the mentorship of Peter Brosius. Matthew assisted Peter Brosius on productions of "500 Hats of
Bartholemew Cubbins" and "A Christmas Story". He is a former Managing Director of the Yale Cabaret where he produced over 14 world premieres. He holds a BA in Theater from Wake Forest University and received an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama. He is in his seventh season as artistic director of The Rose.