Our 2013 Company
 
Jenny Aldrich* (Fannie Church, Painting Churches) is an actor, producer, and playwright with theater credits spanning over 55 years, nine states and five countries. In high school she appeared as the actress in The Man Who Came to Dinner and has been addicted to theater ever since. She was associate director of the Entirely Theatre Company in Pennsylvania and founded children’s theaters in New Jersey and Florida. In Sarasota, Jenny appeared frequently at The Golden Apple and as the Orangeblossom Fairy in the schools. Among her favorite roles are Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Kate in Broadway Bound, Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Eleanor in Lion in Winter (and nowFannie) — and any time she’s onstage with her favorite actor and husband Don Walker. Jenny performs her one-woman shows about Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe and Anne Morrow Lindbergh for museums, libraries, schools and art and social organizations throughout the country.
 
Tom Aposporos (Richard, Time Stands Still) is honored to work for Banyan Theater Company and director Don Walker. His local credits range from comic to high drama, originating roles in new plays to working in classics. His favorite roles include Serge in Art, Midas in Metamorphoses, Henry Harry in Brilliant Traces and every character he has originated in new works. He has also directed short plays and has appeared in numerous television commercials. Long a member of the real estate profession, he also has served as a city mayor (Poughkeepsie, New York) in the 1980s and chaired a public banking company (Progressive Bank, Inc.) in the 1990s.
 
Chelsea Gonzalez (Mandy, Time Stands Still) is thrilled to be making her Banyan Theater debut. Originally from Sarasota, Chelsea now lives in New York City pursuing her dreams as an actress. Most recently, Chelsea filmed a pilot episode of a new TV show, The Wino Crossing, as well as the reenactments for a new documentary by Andrew Jarecki set to hit theaters soon. Currently, she is the marketing producer for a new Off-Broadway play entitled Breaking Heels in which she will also be acting this October. Chelsea holds a B.F.A. in acting from Syracuse University. This one is for Mom, Dad, Nanny and Brittany!

 
Alan Kitty (Philippe, Heroes) – New to Sarasota and Banyan, Alan is best known for his critically praised Off-Broadway portrayal of Mark Twain in his one-man show Mark Twain’s Last Stand, and is currently developing a television talk show which he will host as Mark Twain. Other works by Alan include Elective Behaviors and Bing! The Musical. Favorite roles include Tobias in A Delicate Balance, Applegate in Damn Yankees, Walter Gold in Twilight of the Golds, Conrad in Bye-Bye Birdie, Sgt. Scott in Dead Wrong and Bob in Speed the Plow. Among the classics, his favorites include Theseus in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Touchstone in As You Like It and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. In film, Alan won a principal role in TV’s Law and Order and was commissioned by Manhattan Cable to write a series of shorts titled Reel Exposure. He studied acting in New York under Uta Hagen, Terese Hayden and Richard Leighton.
 
Joseph Parra* (Henri, Heroes) is making his debut with the Banyan Theater Company. Usually he can be found on the other side of the bay, working with American Stage in St. Petersburg where he has performed Wit, August: Osage County, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sleuth, The Drawer Boy, Little Shop of Horrors, Anna in the Tropics, Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Gold with Alan Shepard, and many other wonderful plays. He has also been on stage in Florida with Alhambra Dinner Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre, Show Palace Dinner Theatre, Asolo Rep, Golden Apple Dinner Theatre, and Tennessee Williams Center for the Performing Arts (named for his good friend and mentor). Film fans may remember him from The Godfather, Zelig, Lovesick and Bedroom Window, to name a few; TV fans may recall him as John Thom for a brief while in Ryan’s Hope. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA, both for over 35 years.
 
Jim Sorensen* (James, Time Stands Still) is excited to play with this terrific team at the Banyan. Off-Broadway/New York: The Body Beautiful and Plain & Fancy (York), Miracle on 34th Street (Engeman), Plagued: A Love Story (NYMF).  Regional: The 39 Steps and A Few Good Men (Flat Rock Playhouse), Into the Woods and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Fulton), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Lyric of OKC), Grease (Stages St. Louis), Les Miserables (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina), A Little Night Music and The Sound of Music (Peach State). Florida: 1776 (Asolo), Cabaret and Becky Shaw (freeFall), The Rocky Horror Show (American Stage), and The Blue Room (Stageworks). Recipient of Creative Loafing's 2012 "Best of the Bay - Best Actor" award and proud member of Actors' Equity, Jim is also the managing director of freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, (www.freefalltheatre.com). Much love to my beautiful wife, Natalie.
 
Katherine Michelle Tanner* (Sarah, Time Stands Still) is thrilled to return to Banyan Theater where she was last seen as Holly in Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun. Recently she appeared in the acclaimed one-woman show The Amish Project and Nora in A Doll’s House, both at American Stage. Regional favorite roles include Ivy, August: Osage County; Catherine, Proof; Ophelia, Hamlet; Catharine, Suddenly Last Summer; Margaret Fuller, Charm; Laura, The Glass Menagerie; Jane, Jane Eyre; Luisa, The Fantasticks; Helen, The Cripple of Inishmaan; Celia, As You Like It; Cathy, The Last Five Years; Mrs. Cratchit, A Christmas Carol; Holly, Next Fall; Cinderella, Into the Woods; Lisa, Collected Stories; Actress, The Blue Room; and Myrrha, Metamorphosis. A few TV/ film credits include A Chance To Live, The Surgeon, The File, Fifteen Minutes of Faye, Respire Mon Amie, and the PBS series Diamonds Along the Highway. Katherine is proud member of American Stage Theatre Company. St. Olaf College B.A. triple major, FSU/Asolo Theatre Conservatory M.F.A. acting.
 
Peter Thomasson* (Gustave, Heroes) returns to the Banyan having appeared in 2012’s A Lesson From Aloes, and previous productions of Becky’s New Car, Ghosts and The Retreat From Moscow. At The Florida Repertory this season he played President Warren G. Harding in Camping With Henry and Tom and Ben Hubbard in The Little Foxes for which The Wall Street Journal pegged him as “satanically charming.” Most recently he returned to Flat Rock Playhouse in The Odd Couple, celebrating his 20 years at the State Theatre of North Carolina. He has also appeared at The Hippodrome in Other Desert Cities. Thanks to the Finns for the happy summers and love to Peggy and Mary.
 
Don Walker (Gardner Church, Painting Churches) previously appeared on the Banyan stage in The Drawer Boy and Becky's New Car. He served as foreman of the jury in Asolo Rep's Twelve Angry Men, and as Georgia delegate Dr. Lyman Hall in the Rep's production of 1776. Local audiences will also recognize him as the Sheriff in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Caldwell B. Cladwell in Urinetown, as well as dozens of Golden Apple Dinner Theatre productions. Earlier this year, Don was an aging Lothario in Theatre Odyssey's Ten-Minute Play Fest, the mustachioed villain in The Drunkard, and a frustrated husband in Missing Pieces, a short film shot in Shreveport — in all of which he shared the stage (and screen) with favorite costar and wife Jenny Aldrich. Last season, Don directed the Banyan's production of A Lesson From Aloes, and this season he is the director of Time Stands Still.
 
Olivia Williamson (Margaret, Painting Churches) is delighted to be making her debut with Banyan Theater. She is currently working on her M.F.A. at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and would like to thank Greg Leaming, Patricia Delorey, Sheila Bandyopadhyay and Andrei Malaev-Babel for their patient guidance. Olivia got her B.F.A. at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Pony Up! She has performed at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Ten Chimneys, Hangar Theatre, Broward Center for the Performing Arts and at the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival. Her favorite roles include Ms. Cheveley in An Ideal Husband, Susan Curtis in The Secretaries and Sorel Bliss in Hay Fever.  She would like to thank Melliss Kenworthy for the opportunity to work on this beautiful play, and her family and friends for their support and unconditional love.
 
 

Executive Director

JERRY M. FINN got his first job in radio at age 14 on WBGO in Newark. Following his formal training at Emerson College and law school at Boston University, he pursued a career in professional theater and radio drama and performed in over 100 productions before settling down to win over smaller audiences in courtrooms in New Jersey. He is a member of the Bars of New Jersey and Massachusetts and is admitted before the Federal and Supreme courts. Jerry was a partner and chief trial lawyer in the New Jersey law firm Schneider, Goldberger, Cohen & Finn for over 30 years until his retirement and relocation to Sarasota with his wife Terri in 1999. Jerry and Terri founded the Banyan Theater Company in 2002. Jerry has performed in several Banyan seasons, playing The Waiter in Betrayal in the inaugural season, Alex Gal in Rough Crossing and Telegin in Uncle Vanya.  He also played Bobby Franklyn in Run For Your Wife at The Lemon Bay Playhouse in Englewood and Hamilton Orr in Smoke and Mirrors at the Island Players in Anna Maria Island.
 
 
 

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers

 
 
     
   
Banyan Theater Company, PO Box 49483, Sarasota, FL 34230  Info: (941) 358-5330