Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Cast

Diane is originally from Boston, MA. She always wanted to be a performer of some sort and when she relocated to Buffalo in November of 1984, she never let go of her dream. Finally, that opportunity came in 2010 when she was asked to be an extra in The Rose Tattoo with American Repertory Theatre (ART). From there she performed for O’Connell and Company in Mame; Buffalo Zings; King Richards Feast (dinner theater); The Altos (dinner theater); and the ongoing DIVA by DIVA. Soon after, she joined Niagara Regional Theater Guild (NRTG) as Yente in Fiddler on the Roof; Goody Nurse in The Crucible; Rheba in Can’t Take It With You; Nurse McCarthy in The Sunshine Boys; various ensemble roles in My Favorite Year; Camelot; Garden of Eden; Hello Dolly and as a soloist in Broadway in Concert musical reviews. She has also performed in local church productions. After a hiatus to make room for work and other personal commitments, she came back to the theater in 2019, enjoying the role of Mother of the Bride in the comedy dinner theater production of Tony N’ Tina’s Wedding with Actor’s Anonymous. Diane is excited to be making her debut here at Towne Players of Ken-Ton as Juanita in “Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean”, and looks forward to continued work with her new theater family.

Lanie Shannon has performed live theatre across New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Tennessee. People can hear her in the Paw Island children's audio book series as Fifi LeGrume and see her on-screen in the sketch comedy troupe Full Body Wag and in PAX TV's It's a Miracle. Some of her favorite roles have been Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, Killer Queen in We Will Rock You, Mariah Duchess of Dean in Me and My Girl, Othello in Othello, and Kate Parr in Royal Gambit: Henry the VIII and His Six Wives. Lanie most recently appeared in Brazen Faced Varlets’ Hamlet as Claudius. She would like to thank Tony, her co-star in life, for all his love and support.

Jessica is thrilled to return to the Towne Players. She was last seen several years ago in Drinking Habits (Mary Cathrine) and Alice in Wonderland (Alice). Until recently she has been living in Orlando, Florida where she performed in shows such as The Graduate (Elaine) and The Importance of Being Ernest (Miss Prism). Now that she is back in Buffalo Jessica can be seen in Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding, and The Dinner Detective. A graduate of the Niagara University Theatre Department, Jessica has appeared on stages all around Buffalo over the years with companies from the Subversive Theatre Collective to O’Connell & Company. She dedicates this performance to her husband, Josh, whom she met through the Towne Players, and to her new niece who is due on opening weekend.

Tammy Ives Dobe (Sissy)- Tammy is a mother of four and teaches ELA to ninth graders. She studied theatre and communications at SUNY Geneseo, lived in NYC briefly, and then came back home to go to school for her masters in education. She has enjoyed performing recently as Truly in Steel Magnolias at the Historic Palace Theater in Lockport and with First Look Buffalo in their productions of HELL-OWEEN and FURSONA NON GRATA. Tammy is on the board with the Towne Players of Tonawanda and has performed as Mary in THE VULTURES, Chris Gorman in RUMORS by Neil Simon, Vesta in RADIO TBS, Sorel in DEATH BY DESIGN, Tansy McGinnis in THE NERD, Jesse in CALENDAR GIRLS, and Myrtle Mae in HARVEY. A really fun role was playing Darla Blue as the Bingo ball puller with the Lancaster Regional Players in two productions of an interactive dinner theatre show called WE GOTTA BINGO by Tom Williams. Tammy also performed in PROOF by David Auburn as Claire at the beautifully intimate Taylor Theatre in Lockport. She would love to thank her supportive family, friends, and students for coming to the show!

Gabriella is so thrilled to be making her debut on the Kenton players stage! Gabriella is no stranger to theatre having last appeared in “ 12 Angry Jurors” as Juror 6 with Western Door Playhouse. Some other favorite roles include Maddy in “Making God Laugh” ( Theatre in the Mist ) , Portia in “Cinderella”( Lewiston Porter High School ) and in the ensemble in “Sweeney Todd” (Ghostlight Theatre). Outside of acting Gabriella attends SUNY Niagara for chemical dependency counseling and she works for Enchanting Birthdays as Disney princesses. She would love to thank John and Jane for this amazing opportunity! Gabriella would also love to thank her family, friends and boyfriend Jacob for their continued support! Thank you cast and crew as well for welcoming her with open arms! Enjoy the show!

Harold Jacob has been active in music and theater since college, even graduating from Buffalo State University with a B.A. in Music with a minor in Theater. He has since worked in multiple 48 hour film festivals, short films, and multiple feature films. His most recent prominent role was a lead role in a local feature film: Angelfish

This is Angelina Celej's first time performing for the Towne Players of Ken-Ton in the play Come Back to the 5 and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean as Joanne. She has performed for the Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Company in the Barbie Dahl show as Barbie Dahl and performed at the Main St. 56 Theater in The Bear play as Elena Popova.

Kelly Mackowiak (Stella May) is delighted to be making her Towne Players debut! Most recently, you may have seen her with ComedySportz or Buffalo Improv House doing some comedic make-em-ups. You will see her next in the choral ensemble of Titanic with Starring! Buffalo or on select Friday’s with ComedySportz. Other favorites include Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods (Aurora Players), the ensemble of Hello, Dolly (Ghostlight Theatre), and the ensemble of A Sketch of New York (Producers Club, NYC). If you squint, she can also be found in the background of dozens of tv shows and movies from her days as a background extra. Outside of theater and improv comedy, she loves to spend time doing dog shows, agility, barn hunt and other activities with her two awesome pups, Auggie and Finn. She lives in Tonawanda with the aforementioned pooches.

Lori is thrilled to perform in her first show with the Towne Players. Some of her previous performances include Dearly Departed (Raynelle); Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (Mae); Brighton Beach Memoirs (Blanche); The Odd Couple (Cecily); Lady Windermere’s Fan (Mrs. Erlynne); Present Laughter (Joanna); Rumors (Claire); and an insurance executive in a series of Cellino Law commercials. Lori holds a BFA in Theatre from Niagara University, an MS in Education from D’Youville University, and an Advanced Certification in Educational Leadership from UB. When not performing, Lori is a middle school English teacher/ELA Consultant and an adjunct professor.