For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday Cast

Fran Martone has yearned to play Peter Pan for a very long time. Some dreams take decades to come true. Fran has spent her life in the theater relishing the exploration of the human spirit and the camaraderie with other artists. She hopes that you will enjoy this quixotic reimagining of the classic tale as it embraces life, death, familial connections, Chex mix, fairy dust and the eternal magic of theatre. Thank you for coming!

Renee is a seasoned theater artist with a long history at the Oregon Community Theatre. Her favorite roles include the fanciful Sugar Plum Fairy/Gingy in Shrek, the quirky Martha Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, and the mysterious Miss Casewell in Mousetrap. Beyond performing, Renee is a valuable contributor behind the scenes, having helped bring productions like Murder on the Orient Express, The 39 Steps, and Young Frankenstein to life. She's excited to embrace new challenges and expand her theatrical horizons with the BSP team. This is a truly remarkable and exciting educational experience.

Eight-year-old Gary was bitten by the acting bug when his Mom enrolled him in a summer school program with an acting module. He has been performing off and on ever since. With over 35 productions under his belt, he was seen recently as Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas at The Toledo Repertoire Theatre. Previous Toledo Rep productions include SWEAT and Camping with Henry and Tom. He is thrilled to be in his first production with the Black Swamp Players and for the opportunity to bring #3 (Jim) to the stage with this amazing cast and crew. A HUGE shout out to his beautiful wife Jackie for letting him out the house to play. Love you!

Karen Noble( #4 ) is excited and honored to return to the BSP stage. She has most recently been seen as Patty Cooper in the BSP production of Be Here Now and as Ethel Banks in Oregon Community Theaters production of Barefoot in the Park. Other favorite roles have been Katrin in I Remember Mama, Effie Krayneck in the Spitfire Grill, Mattie Fae Aiken in August: Osage County , and Grace in Bus Stop. She recently retired after teaching elementary school for 34 years at Eastwood Schools and sings with the International Award winning Scioto Valley Chorus of Sweet Adeline’s International. She would like to thank her family (Nora and Kristin) and friends for their continued support and encouragement. Karen is grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to work with this very talented director, cast, and crew.

Poet, literary scholar, Mississippi native, Jackson State University grad, and Central State University English Professor Naykishia Darby is an advocate for diversity and equity and focuses her research interests on the LGBTQ Student experience at the Historically Black College and/or University (HBCU) and Performance and the Black Woman exotic dancer, Black Women’s literature. With her scholarly and creative pursuits, she has served as panelist, presenter, and moderator at several academic and social conferences and published scholarly and creative works. Darby has created Thee Cardigan Professor!, which is designed to introduce her audience to interviews with and works from some of her favorite authors. The title of the program is a combination of the mantra of Darby’s alma mater, Thee I Love, her love of cardigans, and her profession and airs on the university’s radio station, WCSFM.org Jazzy 88.9. She loves the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Celtics.

Hans Giller (Father) is excited to be playing the father for the second time with a Black Swamp Players production. Previously, he played the father in It Shoulda Been You. He sits on the Board for Oregon Community theater and has been on stage and back stage for many shows, including Shrek, M*A*S*H, Spamalot, Cinderella, 39 Steps, Young Frankenstein and Little Mermaid. He is excited to be working alongside some old and new theater friends in this production. He also gets to be onstage with his buddy, Ozzy, for the 2nd time. Hans wishes to thank his wife, Beth, and his girls for giving him the gift of theater. This is a show about family, memories, theater, and Chex Mix! I hope you enjoy the show and it makes you think about family and friends!

Ozzy Giller is very happy to be in his seventh show and first with the Black Swamp Players. Ozzy’s previous roles include playing Sandy, Annie’s lovable orphan dog, in five previous productions of Annie and Max in a production of the Little Mermaid. He is typecast as the dog in shows… Ozzy is excited to be on stage again with Hans and to work with BSP in a new show for him. Ozzy would like to thank Mr. Diehl for inviting him to the BSP family for this new opportunity and Hans for training him and giving him rides to rehearsals. When not on stage, Ozzy enjoys walks at the park and snacks. Enjoy the show ..and come say Hi afterwards!