Huck Finn

Nick Knipe (Huck Finn) is a University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate. Nick was featured in Narnia in 2013 here at The Rose, playing Dwarf. He has been filming short films and feature length indie films since graduation and this is his first musical in years. He is a proud member of Red Theater Omaha.

Kabin Thomas (Jim) is from Detroit Michigan. He was last seen on The Rose stage in the world premiere of "Zen Ties." He is a tuba player and actor, soloing with such orchestras as the Detroit and Arkansas Symphony, as well as acting in such theaters as Theatricum Botanicum and A Noise Within. Kabin studied acting and music at the Universities of Michigan and Wisconsin. He has served his country as a US Marine, with Helicopter Squadron HML-776 at NAS Glenview, and as a Sailor at the United States Naval Academy, in the USNA Band. Kabin hosted the game show Fast Lane, in the United Arab Emirates for a year and lives in the United States with the love of his life, Mary Bort and Kira, the Cat.

Jessica (Widow Douglas/Mary Jane/Girl #2) is thrilled to return to The Rose stage. Recent Credits include: Mouse - Goodnight Moon, Bonnie Latour - Anything Goes, Cinderella - Into The Woods, DeeLee - Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Evelyn Nesbit - Ragtime, Minnie Faye - Hello Dolly, and Adelaide - Guys & Dolls. She also has been the voice for commercials and videos in the metro and has worked with shows on CBS and the Discovery Channel. Jessica is a professional photographer in the Omaha area, and when not playing a small animal on stage she enjoys spending time with her own fuzzy little joys (adorable dwarf bunnies & guinea pigs), her two amazing artistic girls- Jules & Jocey, as well as remodeling her old 1967 Shasta Compact camper and knitting. She would like to thank her family & friends for always supporting her crazy dreams, allowing her dancing amongst the stars & helping forever find joy in the journey.

Robby (Tom Sawyer/Harvey Wilkes/Young Man/Man) is excited to be back at The Rose Theater. He recently performed the title role in "Shrek," and has been in "Prancer," "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," "Honk," "A Christmas Story," "Jackie & Me," "The Cat in the Hat" and "Big Nate – The Musical." Robby has played Peter Cratchit, Topper, and Jake in "A Christmas Carol" at the Omaha Community Playhouse. He has also performed in musicals for St. Bernadette, Bellevue Little Theater, Ralston Community Theater, and Burke High school. At Burke High School, he was drama club president, assistant and student directed plays, and tried to involve himself in everything that had to do with the arts. He thanks his friends and especially his parents for being so supportive and helpful with achieving his dreams.

Nils Haaland (Pap/King/Uncle Silas) began his professional acting career at age 10 after being cast in the lead role of “Dandelion Wine,” a Berkshire Playhouse production of Ray Bradbury’s coming-of-age tale. In 1989 Haaland Graduated with a BFA in Acting from Professional Theatre Training Conservatory at the State University of New York at Purchase. That same year Haaland helped establish the Blue Barn Theatre in conjunction with the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. The actor, who grew up in rural New York, found Omaha to be an exceedingly generous community and relished the “extraordinary freedom to choose the shows you wanted to perform and pursue the craft as you learned it in school.” After making Omaha his home, Haaland earned his MFA in Theater Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His resume is as diverse as the roles he’s performed – he’s done voice over work at the national level, directed animated television programs, worked as a staff educator and actor at The Rose Theater, performed the role of Ebenezer Scrooge for Nebraska Theater Caravan. Nils has acted in speaking roles with Opera Omaha and taught workshops for the Omaha Community Playhouse and with Shakespeare Unbound – the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s touring company, and is the recipient of numerous acting awards, including The Theater Arts Guild Award for Best Actor in A Drama playing Ludwig Von Beethoven in Blue Barn’s production of “33 Variations” by Moises Kaufman. He was most recently seen as John in the world premiere of "Prancer" at The Rose.
Nils is grateful to be included in this very fine ensemble of actors, designers and technicians. Thank you all!

Michael Miller (Duke/Mr. Robinson/Farmer/Doctor) has been a member of The Rose staff since 2011, having previously worked for Macon State College, Mercer University, Omaha Children’s Museum, Omaha Performing Arts, El Museo Latino, and Omaha Boys and Girls Clubs. Michael is a Master Teacher with the Nebraska Arts Council’s Artists-in-Schools program with a focus on creative drama and design residencies. He has an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a Masters degree in Non-Profit Management from UNO. He recently directed Leo Lionni’s Frederick on the main stage and Mouse on the Move as a part of The Rose's Pre-K Hitchcock Series. Michael has directed for the Teens ‘N’ Theater season, performed in Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, James and the Giant Peach, and the national tours of Frog and Toad, Richard Scarry’s BusyTown, and Treasure Island.

Autumn Simpson (Aunt Polly/Joanna/Girl #1) is a native Texan, who received her BFA in Theater Education from the University of Houston. She is thrilled to be here in Omaha with the Rose Theater. Autumn also works as a Teaching Artist Fellow at the Rose, and loves working with young people of all ages. When not on the stage or in the classroom, she loves fiction writing and playing with her pet bunny, Tyrion. Past productions include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Philadelphia Story, Three Sisters, and Serious Money. Autumn is thankful for her family, who always support her, and for the families and students who come to see productions at the Rose, because they keep the magic of theater alive.

Hayley Greenstreet (Miss Watson/Aunt Sally/Knitting Woman/Woman) is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a BA in Theatre with Honors. While in school, she worked at Twin City Stage as a stage manager for summer camps and as an educator for their season long classes. Also during this time at Wake Forest, she performed in a variety of shows such as As You Like It, Noises Off, The Laramie Project, Clybourne Park, and The Watchers, among others. Since graduating, she worked as a Resident Professional Education Intern at Lexington Children’s Theatre in Kentucky. Along with teaching classes, Hayley served as the stage manager for LCT’s first ever Learning Stage Series production, Zombie in Love. She also worked as the props artisan for the second Learning Stage production, Disney’s Mulan Jr. She is eager to not only further her knowledge of Youth Theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences, but also to learn from and grow with The Rose community in the 2016-2017 season.

Tyrone Beasley (Director) is The Rose Theater's Artistic Associate – Director of Outbound Programing. No stranger to the stage Tyrone has worked with acclaimed directors: Peter Sellars (The Merchant of Venice, It is Now Our Time), Claude Purdy (Jitney), Charles Marowitz (Shakespeare), David Wheeler (The Trials of Ezra Pound) and Antonio Banderas (Crazy in Alabama), among others. Tyrone has performed in many theaters around the globe including The Goodman Theatre (Chicago), Victory Gardens Theatre (Chicago), Thalia Theater (Hamburg, Germany), MC93 Bobigny (Paris, France) and The Royal Shakespeare Company (London, England). He has worked in front of the camera and behind the scenes in post-production on film and television projects for Disney, Fox, Sony, VH1, TriStar Pictures and the BBC. An Omaha Benson High School graduate, Tyrone earned a BFA in studio arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He attended California State University, Long Beach for graduate study in theater arts, taught acting classes there as a teaching associate and was an ensemble member of California Repertory Company. Tyrone served as the Artistic Director at The John Beasley Theater (JBT) in Omaha for ten years, he managed and taught the theater’s workshop programs that were a part of JBT’s mission of community outreach and developing a local pool of trained actors. He also acted in and directed numerous plays at the JBT.