Category: News

Colleen Carey (Una)

Colleen has been working as a professional actress in the Seattle area for thirty-three years. Favorite recent theatre roles include: Carlotta in The Cherry Orchard, Wife in Edmond, The Fraus in All Through the Night (Gregory Award Nominee) and Angustias in The House of Bernarda Alba. Look for Colleen as Dorothy O’Donnell in the feature film Different Drummers (Winner: Best Screenplay, WorldFest Houston International Film Festival). Release date: April 2013. Thanks to my Dad, Mom, David and Aidan. Also, special thanks to Charles Waxberg for re-forging and transforming my vision. “We don’t live a play. We live a scene at a time.” – Stella Adler

Laura Crouch (Anta)

Since moving from the midwest where, aside from acting, she worked with the Kansas City Philharmonic and NCAA, Laura has been fortunate to perform on many stages throughout Seattle. These include Seattle Shakespeare Co., ACT, The Bathhouse, The Market Theatre, Driftwood, and Phoenix. She is delighted to be able to add Stone Soup to the list. Some favorite shows include a rock and roll version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Diary of Anne Frank and Auntie Mame. Laura also works extensively in radio and provides voiceovers. She performed a one-woman USO show at The Museum of Flight and joyously “became” Mae West for the opening of the Radio Museum in Bellingham and for Lufthansa Airlines. What a thrill to be able to work with such a wonderfully talented director and group of women. She’s not in Kansas anymore!

Ellen Dessler (Triona)

Ellen is thrilled to be working with her good friend Roy in her inaugural production with both Arouet and Driftwood. She was last seen in Seattle Musical Theatre’s Legally Blonde as Paulette and Theatre 9/12’s Suddenly Last Summer as Sister Felicity. She has done many shows with ReAct (Izzy in Rabbit Hole, Interplanet Janet and others in School House Rock, Darla in A Letter to Three Wives, etc.), Second Story Rep (La La in Last Night of Ballyhoo, Chester in Bunnicula, Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors, etc), Village Theatre (Evita, South Pacific, Pirates of Penzance, etc.), and many others! She is also proud of her work with Effective Arts, Child Abuse Training with CJTC, and Living Voices. And you can find a few credits on IMDB.

Frances Hearn (Olive)

Frances is delighted to work with Roy again and this wonderful cast. Frances has an MFA from California Institute of the Arts in Drama and a Master’s in Education Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Seattle University. She has acted in several shows throughout Seattle and Los Angeles. She was last seen in The House of Bernarda Alba, directed by Charles Waxberg and produced by Roy Arauz, playing the role of Maria Josefa. She currently teaches at Seattle Central Community College.

Kelly Johnson (Kelly)

This is Kelly’s 2nd show with Roy Arauz, where she was seen as Hera in Thunderbolts and Dunderheads. She’s a local kid who can be found doing theatre in and around the Seattle area. Kelly would like to thank all her friends and family for their love and support. A big thank you goes to Vandyman who is always ready with a kind word, a shoulder to lean on, a warm hug or a gentle kick in the pants when needed. I love you big!

Roy Arauz (Director)

Roy gets to play with some of his favorite actresses in The Hen Night Epiphany, and he couldn’t be happier. It’s also very exciting to collaborate for the first time with The Driftwood Player’s Theatre of Intriguing Possiblities program. With a background dance, choreography, and stage management, he now directs around the Puget Sound and is Artistic Director at Arouet. Locally he has worked in various capacities at ArtsWest, The Driftwood Players, Redwood Theatre, SecondStory Repertory Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theatre, Studio East, and Valley Community Players. Recent directing credits: Lawfully Wedded (Arouet), The Music Man (The Driftwood Players), and Anna in The Tropics (Latino Theatre Projects.)

John Epperson (Sound Design)

John is a recording artist. His work appears on many albums, compilations and DVDs as well as television, film and video games. When not making weird noises with synthesizers, Epperson designs sound for theatre. He has previously worked with Arouet, ArtsWest, Driftwood Players, Latino Theatre Projects, Redwood Theatre and Theatre 9/12. John has a website.

Keith A. Gehrig (Co-Producer)

Keith is a 20 year veteran of theater in the Puget Sound area. He has designed lighting for Evergreen Theatre, Civic Light Opera (now Seattle Musical Theatre), Driftwood Players, Tacoma Little Theater, Northwest Savoyards, Seattle Comic Opera, and Gaydar Productions. Also a scenic designer, master electrician, actor and playwright, his day job is running the front office for The Driftwood Players in Edmonds. When not in a theater, he spends his time with his two “guys”, Chazz and Dave.

Roger Huston (Technical Director)


Roger Huston is relatively new to the Seattle area and the theater. He moved here from the DC area, where he was merely a patron, in 2010. He’d been a stage techie in school – many, many years ago. He began volunteering with Driftwood shortly after settling into his Edmonds home. He’s been involved in set design and construction, lighting design, running crew (runs a mean follow spot), and production management. He’s served as the Technical Director for TIPs, and its predecessor Alternative Stage Productions, since the 2011-2012 season. Roger can also be found at Theater Schmeater in Seattle, where he is Managing Director.

Renee Cyr Johnson (Stage Manager)

Renee is thrilled to be stage managing again with Driftwood Players and to be working with Arouet for the first time. She recently staged managed Music Man, Murder on the Nile, and Harvey here at Driftwood. She has also worked at Stone Soup, Greenstage, and Centerstage. She would like to thank all of you for supporting local theatre.

Chrystian Shepperd (Lighting Designer)

A graduate of UW’s drama department, Chrystian loves playing with lights and has done so at various theatres in Seattle including Annex, Theater Schmeater & Live Girls!, where he also directed. Most recently he was the lighting designer for Driftwood’s TIPS production, The 39 Steps. This is his first experience designing a show for 2 totally different spaces and he’s excited about the challenge of it. Jen- you are my everything, thank you for the constant encouragement and support, you’re a MoonMan! Immer.

Carissa Meisner Smit (Executive Producer)


After initially training and working in Southern California, Carissa moved with her family to the Seattle area in 2002. Since then she has worked with many different theaters wearing many different hats, including Madrona Children’s Theater and Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater (choreographer); Arouet, Second Story Repertory, The Phoenix Theatre, Adagio Players, and Seattle Musical Theater (performer), as well as The Driftwood Players where she has performed, choreographed, directed, and produced. She assumed leadership of the struggling Alternative Stages program in 2009 and is pleased to have guided it through a major renovation as The Theatre of Intriguing Possibilities (TIPs). She is pleased to collaborate with Arouet on this special production.

Deanna Smit (Costumer)

Deanna Smit is so excited to be working on this project! She has an acting background as well as several costuming credits under her belt — most recently including The 39 Steps and The Third Annual Festival of Shorts, both at the Edmonds Driftwood Players with The Theatre of Intriguing Possibilities. Thanks to Carissa!

Jen Cabarrus (Properties)

Jennifer is super excited to be wrangling props for the Driftwood Players and Arouet. Some of the past theatres she has worked with in the Seattle area include Annex, Open Circle and Live Girls! With her day job in the scientific community she is always rejuvenated at the magic of seeing a show come together. CS-thank you for always putting me back on the horse. you’re a moonman!–immer.