Blithe Spirit Cast

Beth Sheridan is absolutely thrilled to be portraying the indomitable and loquacious Ruth and to be back on the Ooley stage. Beth has had the profound pleasure of performing and directing at numerous Sacramento area community theaters like Happy Hour, Free Fall and Sutter Street and EMH Pros. Her love of farces has led her to roles in The Games Afoot, Inspector Goring and Fox on the Fairway, Pamela Peabody. You may have last seen her as the gruff Scottish Col. McKean in Free Fall Stage's all female production of 1776 this summer. Or possibly as a dubious mystic at this year's historical Lantern Tours. She thanks her cast and production team for their support and this fantastic opportunity. By day she can be found sharing her love of theatre with the younger generations through NorCal Arts https://www.norcalsota.org

This is Sophia’s first production with the Ooley Theater and her first production in Sacramento. She is excited to be returning to the stage after a self-admitted too-long hiatus. She would like to thank her fellow cast and crew for their time and support, Rebecca McGregor for her continued encouragement, and viewers like you. Thank you!

Katie Smith-Induni is so excited to finally be performing at the Ooley. Katie is just as thrilled to return to the role of Elvira Condomine, having played it in 2024 at the Hummingbird Theatre Company. Some of her more recent roles include; Harley and Melinda in Accomplice by Rupert Holmes, Abigail Williams in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and Courtney in One Slight Hitch by Lewis Black. She has been performing since the age of six and hasn’t stopped since! She is currently attending American River College to get her AA in Theater Arts and Film. She wants to give a big thank you to the talented cast and crew! Special thanks to Director Christine and Sophia Paz for trusting her to fill in. Lastly, thank you to the beautiful Anna Key for suggesting her as an understudy! Enjoy the show!!

Arie Knyazev’s formal education was in Mathematics and Computer Science. His acting however was honed over multiple productions and ongoing lessons. Some of his favorite roles have been Brad Benedict in Done to Death, Max as well as Tito in multiple Lend Me a Tenor productions, and his first role as Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast. His favorite is William Gillette in The Game’s Afoot which he was fortunate enough to reprise earlier this year. In addition to theatre, he also performs in short films and sketch comedy (the latter here at the Ooley as recently as last month). Arie is excited to be performing as Charles in Blithe Spirit for his first theatrical appearance here at the Ooley. "

This is Anna's second time acting, she previously appeared as "Boi" in Antigone for Falcon's Eye Theater. Anna has also performed in local drag shows and as an emcee. Her theater passions include costumes and props and her non-theater passions are a bit racy. Anna is thrilled at the opportunity to play such a funny, quirky and well crafted character in Madame Arcati and with such a witty, talented and well... magical cast.

This is Laura’s first show with EMH Productions and is Grateful for the Opportunity and to be a part of Blithe Spirit. Thank you to the cast and crew Christine, Adriana and Elise. Some of Laura’s shows include: Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas, Musical Murders of the 1940’s, Sly Fox, The Game’s AFoot, Mary and Myra, Death of a Salesman, 12 Angry Jurors, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Walter Cronkite is Dead, Charitable Sisterhood and many Children’s shows. She is an Actor, Director, Producer and Consumer and Playwright. Laura thanks her family and friends for their support.

Jim Lane received his BA in Theatre Arts from CSU Sacramento in 1977. He has been acting and directing for over 63 years in Sacramento theaters – and in Southern California, where he earned an MA (also in Theatre Arts) from CSU Long Beach. Jim has worked at Sacramento Theatre Company, Capital Stage, and Sacramento Music Circus, among many others. Jim’s screen appearances include Clint Eastwood’s Bird, Melvin Purvis G-Man, and Wisdom with Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore. Jim was a film critic for the Sacramento News & Review for 30 years, and has taught Film and Media Studies for Los Rios Community College District.