A Bench in the Sun Creative

Stage Manager, PA Announcer

Phyl Deany

Bench in the Sun is Phyl's 5th show at Starlight since moving to Arizona five years ago. She would like to thank all involved for making her feel welcome and embracing her obsessive organizational skills. Phyl is happy to be stage managing Bench in the Sun. Working with Dan and this talented cast always makes for a great day. Sit back and get ready to laugh.

Assistant Director

Lorenzo Escudero

Director

Dan Ashlock

Dan is the Artistic Director (volunteer) for Starlight Community Theater. For Starlight, his directing credits include The Island of Dr. Libris (*AriZoni nominee), Young Frankenstein, Xanadu, The SpongeBob Musical, ...Spelling Bee (*AriZoni nominee), Mamma Mia, The Year of Magical Thinking, Holy Matrimony! (*AriZoni nominee), A Christmas Story and The Pajama Game. At Desert Stages Theater, Dan has directed Sidekicked, A Christmas Story (musical), Damn Yankees, Puffs!, Oliver, Spamalot, Seussical, Moon Over Buffalo, A Christmas Story, The Musical and Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web. He has also directed two shows at Trilogy Players - Lend Me A Tenor and Farce of Habit. He has performed in productions in Arizona, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Maryland including Misery, Murder on the Orient Express and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Starlight.  Dan earned a BS in Speech Communication/Theater from NAU and a MS in Counseling at CCSU. He lives in Phoenix with his wife Renee and they are the proud parents of two adult children, Nathan and Quinlyn.

Production Assistant, Sound Tech

Esteban Valenzuela

Esteban Valenzuela is a 27 year old makeup artist and self employed entrepreneur. He has previously worked with Starlight as the Hair and Makeup designer for Young Frankenstein and Assistant Hair and Makeup Designer for Xanadu. He also helped as Stage Manager for Starlight's 24 Hour Musical Descendants. He discovered his love and preference for the production side of theater after starring in his first show, A Christmas Story The Musical, with Dan at Desert Stages Theater in Scottsdale. He looks forward to learning more of the production side with this show and would like to thank Dan for this opportunity. He would also like to thank his husband, Lorenzo, for introducing him to this world he’s come to love.

Lighting Designer

Renee Ashlock

Original Creative Team

Ron Clark (Writer of A Bench in the Sun) has been writing comedy for over 60 years. Born in Montreal, Canada, he started writing songs and sketches while at McGill University. He then headed for New York City where he spent several years writing monologues for the likes of Jack Carter, Alan King, Henny Youngman as well as dozens of other stand-ups of the period. Ron's Television credits include; The Jackie Gleason Show. The Danny Kaye Show. The Steve Allen Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Kraft Music Hall, The Tim Conway Comedy Hour, The Van Dyke Show, Moonlighting. E-R. Hot L Baltimore, He also created The Paul Lynde Show, Ace Crawford, Private Eye and Diana for Diana Rigg.His Broadway play credits include Norman Is That You?, Murder At The Howard Johnson's, No Hard Feelings, Wally's Cafe. Ron conceived and staged the very first Jackie Mason one-man show, The World Accorning to me. Other plays, all of which are published by Samuel French, include; A Bench In The Sun, The Incomparable Lulu, Pierre and Marie, 4 Beekman. He has recently adapted a French play, Two Women, Two Roads.Ron's film credits include; High Anxiety and Silent Movie for Mel Brooks, Revenge of the Pink Panther for Peter Sellers, The Funny Farm, which he also directed, Norman, Is That You?, The Visitors, Bloomies.The Clark family consists of two daughters who are novelists and two grandsons who are just plain fun.