Agnes of God

JESSICA EMERLING CROW is thrilled to be making her directorial debut with OpenStage, having previously appeared on stage with the Company as Rebecca in The Book of Will, Olympe de Gouges in The Revolutionists, Helen Hubbard in Murder on the Orient Express (Henry Award Nomination/Outstanding Supporting Actress), the Narrator in Every Brilliant Thing (OpenStage Opus Award/Outstanding Actress), Truvy Jones in Steel Magnolias (OpenStage Opus Award/Outstanding Supporting Actress), Emily Brent in And Then There Were None (Opus Award/Outstanding Supporting Actress), Genevra in Bright Ideas, Rosemary in Outside Mullingar (Opus Award/Outstanding Actress), Karen in Unnecessary Farce, Madame de Volanges in Dangerous Liaisons (Opus Award/Outstanding Supporting Actress) and Clara in 33 Variations. Off stage Jessica is the owner of Be Ready Bookkeeping and enjoys beating her kids at basketball, traveling as much as possible and days when it is cold enough to wear one of her beloved sweatshirts. As always, she would like to thank her husband Robert for his unending support and his willingness to listen to her talk about the same thing repeatedly from new and exciting angles.

SAJA BUTLER is a Soul Folk musician living in Fort Collins, CO. She is the proud owner of Urban Monk Studios, a music instruction studio in Fort Collins, where she teaches clawhammer pickin’ Banjo, Guitar, Ukulele, Voice, Piano, and Adult Performance and Jam classes since 2007. Her studio was recently recognized as one of the top studios for lessons in Northern Colorado. Classically trained on clarinet, she originally hails from the South where she picked up the banjo 26 years ago. Since then, she has helped thousands on the road to playing Music, starting bands and getting better on performance on stage. She’s also working on a solo album coming out soon! She is excited to bring the gift of Music to Northern Colorado and around the world through lessons, classes and workshops. Music is a healing gift she is happy to teach and play.

MOLLY MCGUIRE first performed with OpenStage Theatre in 2004 in The Women. She began performing with the Company again in 2014, when she appeared as Nerine in Scapin. Since then, she has appeared with OpenStage as Beatrice in The Servant of Two Masters, Millicent/Laurie in Stage Kiss, Danielle in Ultimate Beauty Bible, Suzanne in Don’t Dress for Dinner, in the Ensemble of Christmas Chaos and Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors, Conrade in Much Ado About Nothing, Angela in Natural Shocks, and Fanny Dashwood/Lucy Steele/Lady Middleton/Gossip in Sense and Sensibility. She is excited to be working with the amazing cast of Cyrano and would like to thank the entire cast, staff and crew for their unwavering support. Also, Molly would like to take this opportunity to give her heartfelt thanks to her OpenStage family. Their support and love has helped her immensely this last year.

STEPHEN GILLESPIE is a Fort Collins native, and this is his second season with OpenStage. Recent stage credits include Treasure Island (Squire Trelawny), Elf The Musical (Walter Hobbs), A Musical Christmas Carol (Jacob Marley), The Little Mermaid (ensemble), James and the Giant Peach (ensemble), a frequent “suspect” in The Dinner Detective, and Never A Bride (Paul). Stephen earned his bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Art from the University of Illinois. Offstage, Stephen directs digital marketing for clients coast-to-coast, is a culinary hobbyist, and enjoys snuggling with his Goldendoodle Finn and Labrador Retriever John E.

DAVID GRINNELL has been continuously involved with OpenStage for the last 10 years. David originally worked in the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area, with companies such as The Great American History Theater, Cricket Theater, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and The Guthrie Theater. For OpenStage, he has served as the Master Electrician for Moonlight and Magnolias, Unnecessary Farce, North Plan, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Avenue Q, and Men On Boats. David was the Lighting Designer for this season’s CABARET and Don’t Dress for Dinner in 2017. Since the 2015 relaunch of OpenStage etcetera, he has served as Lighting Designer and Master Electrician for their productions of The Submission, A Bright New Boise, Ultimate Beauty Bible, H2O, Ideation, The Mystery of Love and Sex, Fool For Love, Every Brilliant Thing, Tiny Beautiful Things, Cry It Out, and A Doll’s House Part 2.

VICTORIA VILLALOBOS has loved theatre since she was a child. She has worked extensively with OpenStage as a Sound Designer and Engineer, Makeup and Hair Designer and Stylist, Assistant Director, Stage Manager, Board Operator, Stagehand, and Dresser. Victoria also has worked with Fort Collins Children’s Theatre for the past 8 productions, most recently as the Makeup Designer and Stylist for SpongeBob The Musical. Next on the list, she will be designing for FCCT’s production of The Wizard of Oz in November of 2025. In addition, she has worked with companies such as Opera Fort Collins, Canyon Concert Ballet, and The Cheyenne Little Theatre Players. Victoria was recently nominated for a Henry Award for Outstanding Sound Design for her work on The Book of Will with OpenStage. She received her associate degree from Front Range Community College, where she was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and was named to the President’s List, both for her academic achievements. Victoria wishes to thank her family and friends for all their love and support!

SYDNEY PARKS SMITH has worked with OpenStage since 1997 and serves as Producing Artistic Director for the Company. She received the 2019 OpenStage OPUS Award for Outstanding Director for Avenue Q; the OPUS for Outstanding Actress for her role as M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias; the 2018 OPUS for Outstanding Director for And Then There Were None; and the 2017 Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Award, a True West Award and the OPUS Award for Outstanding Actress for her role as Barbara in August: Osage County. Recent roles include Marie-Antoinette in The Revolutionists and Sir John Middleton in Sense and Sensibility. Recent directing credits include the upcoming Hedwig And The Angry Inch, Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Every Brilliant Thing. Sydney has designed hair for several productions and received OPUS Awards for her designs for Macbeth and The Tempest. She received the 2016 Founders’ Award for her outstanding contributions to the Company.