People

The Fourth River Theatre Ensemble was founded in Spring 2007 by eleven young theatre artists. See below for short biographies of each of the company's members.

David Flaherty, Producing Director

David, a Pittsburgh native, currently resides in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. He spent two years as the Technical Director for the Performing Arts Camp held annually in Sewickley. David has served as a production stage manager for several plays, and he has worked extensively in lighting design. His favorite designs include his work for Love Suicide, part of the [Big Box] series at the Cleveland Public Theater, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee.

Jeffrey Gardner, Artistic Director

Jeffrey is a director, designer and fight choreographer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With a background in both theatre and classical history, he is delighted to have the chance to return to Pittsburgh for The Bacchae. His most recent direction credits include Jean Anouilh's Antigone and Jeffrey Hatcher's Turn of the Screw. Jeffrey also worked as assistant director for Daniel Kramer's adaptation of Our Town, and designed the sound for Love Suicide, a movement-theatre reworking of The Love Suicides at Sonezaki.

Shaina Cantino

Shaina, from Athens, Ohio, has been dancing and acting for the last twelve years. Favorite roles include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Sara in Stop Kiss. She has been inspired by her work with Eleanor Prokop of Toronto and other theatrical productions that integrate dance and theatre.

Anthony Fischer

Anthony hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, with a background in acting and writing. He has studied theatre at the British American Drama Academy in London, which ignited his zeal for movement-centered performance. Favorite projects include stage management for The Seagull and acting the titular role in Elizabeth Egloff's The Swan.

Claire Fort

An actor, dancer and singer, Claire is excited to be spending the summer working in Pittsburgh. She studied last year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Claire is particularly fond of the playwriting of Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. Favorite roles include Emily in Our Town and Antigone in Jean Anouilh's Antigone.

Craig Getting

Craig, from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, comes to the Fourth River Theatre Ensemble with a background in acting. Recent roles include Chorus in Jean Anouilh's Antigone and Bri in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. In the last year, he has also directed a production of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and worked as a literary intern at The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, where he served as research assistant on their October production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman.

Stephanie Miller

Stephanie is an actor and singer from Washington, D.C. She most recently appeared as "The Woman" in Scotland Road, produced in Gambier, Ohio. Next year, she will begin pursuing her Master of Music degree in vocal performance at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland.

Emily Peters

Emily is an emerging theatre artist from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Recent acting credits include Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh and Andrew White's adaptation of 1984. After this summer's production of The Bacchae, Emily will be spending the next year as an intern at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut.

Roseann Proctor

Roseann comes from Eugene, Oregon where she began acting at an early age. She was most recently seen in Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh as the Narrator. Her passions besides acting include baking, drawing, drinking tea, and frolicking about barefoot.

Kate Armstrong Ross

Kate is an actor and playwright from North Hollywood, California. She has studied at the Actor's Playpen studio in Hollywood, the French Woods Festival for the Arts in upstate New York, and the Cambridge Tradition in England, and will enroll for a semester at the British American Drama Academy in London this coming fall. Kate has recently performed in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Our Town, and a stage adaptation of 1984.

Patrick Shaw

A Pittsburgh native, Patrick Shaw is very excited to join the Fourth River Theatre Ensemble for their first production. A prolific actor, one of his favorite roles was Henry in Wendy Macleod's Juvenilia. Patrick studied at the National Theatre Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and is also a dancer, writer, and budding visual artist.