The Historical Fiction - Audio Drama Series
Beyond The Story Presents:
"A Judy Garland Christmas"
Behind the scenes of Judy's famous TV Christmas show
Scroll Down To Listen To Episode One
or listen on "Episodes"
The Creators:
Steve Anderson
Producer/Writer
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Tom Souhrada
Director and Dramaturge
John Kolbinski
Sound Design
The Cast:
Courter Simmons
"Gerald"
Tari Kelly
"Judy Garland'
Elizabeth Broadhurst
"Liza Minnelli"
Jonathan Hadley James T. "James Aubrey"
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Kara Oates
"Lorna and Joey Luft"
James Ludwig
"Mel Torme'"
Tom Souhrada
"Sid Luft"
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This podcast series is developed in cooperation with "The Protagonists", a New York City based writers' collective.
Thanks to Arlene Hutton and the Barrow Group Theater for their assistance in nurturing the play and The Dramatists Guild Institute and The Writers and Actors Group.
Bios
(in alphabetical order)
STEPHEN ANDERSON (Writer, Producer)
Steve's plays include “Wonderful”, “Joan and Nancy”, “Amos 'or'Andy”, and “The Judy Garland Christmas Show”. His plays have received readings at The Barrow Group Theater and have been read and workshopped at numerous playwriting groups throughout New York City. He has studied playwriting at New York University, The Dramatists Guild Institute and is a proud member of The Advanced Playwriting Workshop at The Barrow Group, and The Protagonists writers' collective. Website: https://lkleinbaum.wixsite.com/my-site-6
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ELIZABETH BROADHURST ("Liza Minnelli")
Elizabeth was most recently seen in the touring revival of Hello, Dolly! , starring Betty Buckley, where she understudied Irene Molloy and Ernestina Money! Other touring credits include four years with Mary Poppins (Mrs. Banks, u/s Mary Poppins, u/s Miss Andrew), the 30th Anniversary Tour of Annie (Grace Farrell) and a European tour of Hair (Paris Cast, Jeanie u/s). New York: Annie at Madison Square Garden (Grace) opposite Kathie Lee Gifford as Miss Hannigan. Regional: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins) and Henry V (Alice and Le Fer) at Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Secret Garden at The Denver Center (Rose), 1776 at The Guthrie Theater (Martha Jefferson), Company at Pittsburgh Public Theater (Susan), Two Gentleman of Verona, the rock musical at Baltimore Center Stage (Milkmaid), Spamalot (Lady of the Lake) and The Will Rogers Follies (Betty Blake) both at Arrowrock Lyceum Theater in Missouri. You can hear Elizabeth as Grace on the Annie, 30th Anniversary Cast Recording (TIME Life Records). Elizabeth earned her BFA in Musical Theater from the The Boston Conservatory and is a proud member of Actors Equity Association.
website: www.elizabethbroadhurst.me
JONATHAN HADLEY ("James Aubrey")
Appeared on Broadway in Jersey Boys as “Bob Crewe”, a role he went on to perform over 2000 times on both the National and International Tours. Other New York credits include The Great Divorce, A Class Act, Caesar and Cleopatra, Rothschilds and Sons, and Finian’s Rainbow. Jonathan has performed in the National Tours of The Bodyguard – the Musical, Into The Woods, Fiddler on the Roof, Joesph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Forbidden Broadway, and played leading roles in The 39 Steps, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Dirty Blonde, Beauty and the Beast, Tammy Faye’s Final Audition, Loves Labors Lost, and Pete N Keely, in many regional theatres. TV/Film credits include “Success” (HBO) “Mourning Hope” (Official Cannes selection) “Writer’s Block”, “Mary’s the Best” (Netflix) & “Another World”. Directing credits include Much Ado About Nothing and Tartuffe for New York’s Sonnet Repertory Theatre and two seasons as Producing Director for The Depot Theatre in Westport, NY. Jonathan holds a BFA in Acting from North Carolina School of the Arts and an MFA in Directing from Brooklyn College.
TARI KELLY ("Judy Garland")
In the before times, Tari Kelly was traveling the country and stopping the show nightly as Countess Lily in the First National Tour of Anastasia. She is honored to have been featured in 6 Broadway shows: Groundhog Day (OBC); Something Rotten!; Anything Goes (OBC Roundabout Revival - Reno Sweeney u.s./replacement); The Boy from Oz (OBC); How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Mama Who); Show Boat (OBC Revival). National Tours: Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey); Cabaret (Sally Bowles); Show Boat (Ellie); and Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl).
Regional Faves: End of the Rainbow (Judy Garland - Henry Award) Arvada Center; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie) Marriott Lincolnshire (Jeff Nomination), Fulton, and MUNY; Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney - Carbonell Award) Maltz Jupiter; Oklahoma! (Ado Annie) Lyric Opera Chicago; Damn Yankees (Lola) Ordway;The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet) Stages St. Louis and Marriott Lincolnshire; White Christmas (Judy Haynes) 5th Avenue and TUTS. Visit www.TariKelly.com for her current headshot and resume as well as links to view her various performances!
JOHN KOLBINSKI (Sound Design)
John is pleased to be working on this project with everyone! Coming from a theater background, his past work can be heard in: The Winter Wonderettes (Hampton Arts, The American Theatre); Popcorn Falls, Civil War Voices, The Winter Wonderettes, Baskerville, Souvenir, The Gift, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Always…Patsy Cline (Walnut Street Theatre); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare in Clark Park); Basic Witches (Robert Hager); Behold Her (FringeArts/ Half Key Theatre Co); Mort (New Paradise Laboratories); Every Brilliant Thing (Arden/Milwaukee Rep). He is also the Audio Engineer at Arden Theatre Company and InterAct Theatre Company; Sound Supervisor Chautauqua Theater Company. Sound Systems Designer, InterAct’s Drake Theater.
JAMES LUDWIG ("Mel Torme")
James’s Broadway credits include the original cast of Spamalot and Little Shop of Horrors; Off-Broadway credits include Blue Man Group Tubes, Bubbly Black Girl…, De La Guarda, Two Point Oh the original cast of john & jen. Film and TV credits include “Ghost Town”, “Chappelle’s Show”, “Lipstick Jungle”, “News To Me” and “The Happy Hour Guys”. James has worked at storied Regional Theatres all around the country, taught at many colleges and Universities including U of M, UW, AMDA and NYU, and also leads the Education department at the York Theatre, Off Broadway. Best gigs ever: Husband to KB, and Dad to 4 year old Jake. Follow: JimmyLudwigNYC, jamesludwig.org.
KARA OATES ("Lorna and Joey Luff")
Originally from Indiana, she is quite a long way from home! Kara began performing at the age of two and spent many years as a competitive dancer. Often winning awards such as "Broadway Baby" and "Broadway Bound," Kara hoped to one day be able to perform on Broadway. Little did she know this dream would become a reality sooner than she expected! In 2009, she was performing the title role of Annie in her hometown's equity theatre, when she was approached by another actor who told her she should come to NYC if she ever wanted to perform more seriously. Two months later, she traveled to NYC, auditioned and was cast in her very first Broadway show, Billy Elliot the Musical! She performed in Billy Elliot the Musical as Keeley Gibson for nearly 2 years (634 shows) and was infamously known by her castmates as “the girl who performed 500 consecutive shows without a single absence.” She later said goodbye to her home at the Imperial Theatre and found a new home at the New Amsterdam Theatre where she joined her second Broadway show, Disney’s Mary Poppins! Kara appeared as Jane Banks at the New Amsterdam Theatre for over 18 months! In 2012, Kara was nominated for a Young Artists Award for “Best Young Actress in Live Theatre” for her performance in Mary Poppins.
In addition to performing onstage, Kara has appeared on 30 Rock, The Chew, and The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Her voice can also be heard in commercials such as: Coca-Cola, Walmart, Tropicana, The National Ad Council, as well as the theme song for Dora the Explorer.
karaoates.com
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COURTER SIMMONS ("Gerald")
Courter Simmons performs internationally as an actor, singer and dancer. He appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in over 50 cities in the hit musical Jersey Boys, and represented the show as Frankie Valli on the Tony Awards in 2009. He has performed with regional theatres across the country in The Legend of Georgia McBride, Beauty and The Beast, Singin’ in The Rain, Funny Girl, and A Chorus Line to name a few. Courter was also in the 2005 film The Producers and has appeared as a guest star on NBC and HBO.
TOM SOUHRADA ("Sid Luft")
Broadway & National Tours: MARY POPPINS, KINKY BOOTS, EVITA, MY FAIR LADY, THE KING & I and THE BOY FRIEND (Directed by Julie Andrews). Off-B’way: POPCORN FALLS (Directed by Christian Borle), DESPERATE MEASURES (New World Stages), LIBERTY (Theatre 80), CLINTON (NYMF), THE KID WHO WOULD BE POPE (Ars Nova), MARDI GRAS/THE LAST WORD (York), BROKEN HANDS (NY Fringe Festival Award of Excellence), THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, TONY AND TINA’S WEDDING. Regionally, Tom has performed at many of the top theatres across the country. He can also be seen as “Prof. Ed M. Ology” on the children’s YouTube series THE HELLO YOU! SHOW . Graduate of NYU/Tisch School of the Arts. IG:tsouhrada