Cast & Creative
Cast
Rochelle Clark
Sari
Rochelle Clark
Sari
A renowned Michigan singer-songwriter with a powerful and expressive voice, Rochelle Clark has been captivating audiences throughout the Midwest for years. Initially Rochelle was recognized for her performances as part of the acclaimed Americana duo, The Potter’s Field. More recently she has become widely known and loved for her solo shows, as well as duo performances with her partner, the award-winning Bluegrass artist, Jason Dennie, or with her own band, The Familiars. Rochelle released her first single, Jericho, and her first solo studio
Recording, an EP titled, In Time, in 2019. With a background in both film and theater, Rochelle
currently holds a position with the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan.
http://www.rochellepclark.com
Brad Phillips
Michael
Brad Phillips
Michael
For more than 15 years, Brad Phillips has served as a sideman for some of Michigan’s most prevalent singer/songwriter acts. He is best known for his appearances with Emmy Award-winning actor/musician/playwright Jeff Daniels, Grammy-winner Mark O’Connor, as well as Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Stevie Wonder, Pat Metheny, Aretha Franklin, May Erlewine, and the Celtic-fusion super-group Millish. Most recently, he toured extensively with 90’s alternative rock band, The Verve Pipe, exploring various dimensions and possibilities of a violin in the context of a rock band and is featured on their 2017 release, “Villains-Live & Acoustic.”
Brad earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in music from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he is has joined the faculty as a lecturer in the department of Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation. Brad is also a resident artist at the Purple Rose Theatre Company, where he has worked as a composer, sound designer, and actor. He released two studio albums, Breaking Free (2021; Brad Phillips & the Roots Music Strings) and Ridella’s Cave: The Liberty Street Sessions (2021).
http://www.Bradphillipsmusic.com
Chris Buhalis
Narrator
Chris Buhalis
Narrator
Born in Detroit, singer/songwriter Chris Buhalis has long been a beloved mainstay of the Michigan folk music community, well known for his expressive resonant voice, powerful songwriting, and irrepressible and spontaneous wit. Performing at clubs, festivals, and charity concerts across the state, Chris is known to include the songs of Jay Stielstra whenever possible; and Jay views Chris as one of the finest interpreters of his music anywhere. With the release of two studio albums, Kenai Dreams (1998) and Big Car Town (2016) Chris’s reputation has grown around the country, from his performances at the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Oklahoma to his regular musical tours of Italy where he regularly performs at the Townes Van Zandt Music Festival. Chris has appeared in three of Jay’s plays, playing the role of O’Dell in North Country Opera Continued (1997) at the Performance Network Theatre, Ann Arbor; the lead role of Michael in North Country Opera (2003) at The Ark-Ann Arbor; and a member of the band in Jay’s one man play Old Man In Love (2012 and 2017). Chris penned one of the introductions to Heaven for Me (2019) a collection of selected lyrics and scores of Jay’s music, edited by Nada Rakic & Barbara Schmid.
http://www.chrisbuhalis.com
Kristi Davis
LibbyNorth Country Opera Choreographer
Kristi Davis
Libby
North Country Opera Choreographer
Southeast Michigan native Kristi Lynn Davis is currently most often found singing with her husband, Dave Boutette. Their folk duo highlights songcraft (Dave) and harmony (Kristi), as is evidenced on their releases Seven Stars Around the Moon (2020) and Easy as Pie (2018).
Together Dave and Kristi have performed at music festivals, listening rooms, and brewpubs from the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula all the way down to Oberlin, Ohio. Most notably, in her former career as a professional dancer, Kristi logged in approximately 1,200 performances and 240,000 kicks as a Radio City Rockette. She is author of the Amazon #3 Bestseller: Long Legs and Tall Tales: A Showgirl's Wacky, Sexy Journey to the Playboy Mansion and the Radio City Rockettes—Silver Medal winner of the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards (Non-fiction Music & Entertainment category).
Performance credits include the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular (w/ Susan Anton, Paige O’Hara, Maurice Hines), Concert of the Americas (for President Bill Clinton’s 1994 summit; Quincy Jones, producer); Buddy Ebsen Show; Holland America Cruise Lines; Universal Studios Hollywood; Playboy’s Girls of Rock & Roll; Evita; South Pacific (w/Jack Jones); Sugar Babies II (w/Juliet Prowse, Rip Tayor); Wizard of Oz; Gypsy; No, No, Nanette; Chess; Paint Your Wagon; Camelot; Funny Girl, Mirmdance.
Choreography credits include Elf the Musical, Miracle on 34th Street and Will Rogers Follies (Croswell Opera House); Merry Wives of Windsor and Much Ado About Nothing (University of Michigan Department of Theatre & Drama); Taming of the Shrew (Michigan Shakespeare Festival); the Encore Musical Theatre Company’s original musical Christmas Caroled! (2015 Wilde Award Nominee for Best Choreography) and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Kristi is also a Registered Drama Therapist and premiered her one-woman-show/motivational keynote Kick high! Be spectacular! at the Encore Musical Theatre and the Erikson Center for the Arts.
http://www.daveandkristi.net
Long Legs and Tall Tales
Peter Knox
BK the BartenderNorth Country Opera
Peter Knox
BK the Bartender
North Country Opera Set Design
Peter Knox was a staff member at The Performance Network Theatre of Ann Arbor when he first met the eclectic group of North Country Opera characters. Peter performed and directed works at the Performance Network by a diverse set of writers including Garcia Lorca, Sam Shepard, and Gertrude Stein. Since then he has appeared on stages as King Lear for Shakespeare in Detroit, in Detroit Repertory Theater’s A Lesson Before Dying, and in the one man show Thom Pain. More recently Peter has appeared on screen in Time Now (2021), I Dream Of A Psychpomp (2021), and the soon to be released Attack of the Flies (appropriately filmed in Michigan’s UP).
IMDB
Christina McMullen
Jenny Mack
Christina McMullen
Jenny Mack
Chris McMullen received her B.A. in Theater and M.A. in Performance Studies from Eastern Michigan University. An integral member of the Ann Arbor arts community, Chris has dedicated her career to raising funds for the arts and human services. She has been involved not only in performance, but in organizational and advisory roles, serving on the Board
of Directors for the Performance Network Theatre and the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival.
Currently, Chris sits on the Marketing/Development Committee for Washtenaw Literacy as well as the Advisory Committee for the Greater Milan Area Community Fund. She is also Capital Campaign Coordinator for Ypsilanti District Library’s new full-service branch under construction in Superior Township. Chris is an original member of the North Country Opera cast. With a voice that can raise the rafters, she has performed the role of Jenny Mack in previous productions of North Country Opera.
David Menefee
Old Man
David Menefee
Old Man
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, David Menefee is a beloved guitarist, fiddler, and vocalist, as well as a highly skilled stonemason, having built stone walls, fireplaces, and homes for himself, friends, and others for decades. David’s fireplace stonework happens to be the centerpiece of Jay Stielstra and Barbara Schmid’s living room. An extraordinary songwriter and song interpreter, Menefee is known for his unmatched, one-of-a-kind delivery. Many have dubbed Menefee one of their favorite Michigan troubadors. A veteran cast member of North Country Opera, Menefee played the role of The Old Man or Grandpa in each performance since it was first produced in 1982. His performance in North Country Opera in 1982 led to Menefee taking on the role of Herr Shultz in the 1983 performance of “Cabaret” at the Performance Network, Ann Arbor. Menefee continues with stone masonry and performing music.
Aaron Stielstra
Jim O'Dell
Aaron Stielstra
Jim O'Dell
Aaron Stielstra lives in Italy, where he acts in spaghetti westerns, too many B-movies and his own punk-rock comedies. He has also appeared in mainstream fare like Catch-22, the Disney series Penny on M.A.R.S. and the upcoming Batgirl movie (2022). He illustrates for the magazine Cinema of the 70s, and composes and performs his own music, including over 20 film soundtracks. Aaron was first involved in his father’s North Country Opera as propmaster for the original production at the Performance Network Theatre in 1982. Aaron is happily married to an Italian.
Aaron Stielstra PG-Rated Showreel
IMDB
"Weber Falls, USA" theme song
Creative
Ron Miller
Director
Ron Miller
Director
With an academic background in Creative Writing and American Literature, Ron took to the streets as one of the original members of the Ohio Bag and Suitcase Theatre Company, developing free street theatre pieces for the public. After teaching Theatre & Film at Western
College of Miami University, Ohio, Ron moved to Ann Arbor, becoming a member of the newly created Performance Network Theatre collective (1982-1992), where he taught workshops in improvisational theatre and served as the first Board of Trustees President. Ron crossed paths
with Jay Stielstra at that time and directed North Country Opera and North Country Opera Continued at The Ark in Ann Arbor (2003). Subsequently Ron helped to create a performance and production program for the Theatre Department at Washtenaw Community College and worked as Director of AV Services, Media Consultant, and Assistant Director Instructional Technology at the University of Michigan School of Education. Post-retirement Ron sits on several community boards and reunited with members of the original North Country Opera to re-enact a scene for the Michigan Tribute to Jay Stielstra celebration at The Ark (2017).
Barry La Rue
Stage Manager
Ron Miller
Director
A well-known and highly respected figure in the Michigan arts community, Barry La Rue
has managed the technical operations of the University of Michigan's Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre, Power Center for the Performing Arts, Hill Auditorium, Rackham
Auditorium and Arthur Miller Theatre for more than 40 years. His key responsibilities
relate to staffing, capital improvements, maintenance, and supplies. In addition, he has
certified staff and students in the proper use of aerial work platforms. Barry is also
current Vice Chair of Destination Ann Arbor
Much of his community involvement in his hometown of Ypsilanti has been in the area
of the built environment, planning, economic development and the arts. Barry has
served on the Board of Directors of the Riverside Arts Center Foundation, as former
chair and currently as Secretary, since 1993 and was elected to the Ypsilanti City
Council in 1991 and again in 1998. From 1996-1998 Barry sat as President of
Washtenaw Council for the Arts.
Barry graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a major in Speech and Dramatic
Arts and a Minor in Broadcasting and Film. He earned a Secondary Teaching
Certification in Speech and Drama, is a Licensed Residential Builder (Michigan) and
holds Certification in Theatre Rigging.
Barbara Schmid
Producer
Barbara Schmid
Producer
Barbara Schmid’s professional background includes careers in marketing, communication, and organizational strategy. Now retired, Barbara transfers her administrative and organizational skills to a variety of activist and artistic projects. She enjoys country life in the rural area where she lives with her husband, Jay Stielstra, and their dog, Sadie. The whole family is thrilled to see this beloved play revived once again by such a talented cast and crew.
Dan McCarthy
Producer
Dan McCarthy
Producer
A Michigan native, Dan McCarthy has a 30-year background in the labor movement, representing workers in a wide variety of occupations; serving primarily with the UAW and the International Union of Operating Engineers as well as the Michigan Education Association. Stepping in as Producer of North Country Opera is Dan’s first foray into theater since being kicked out of Theater Arts class in high school. A long-time friend of Jay Stielstra and fan of Jay’s music, Dan spearheaded the idea of bringing the 40th anniversary revival of North Country Opera to current audiences with this 2022 tour. Now retired, Dan and his wife, Karen, reside in Bear Lake Township on the Manistee River.
Judy Banker
Music DirectorBuckhorn Bar Band member
Judy Banker
Music Director
Buckhorn Bar Band member
Judy Banker has been Jay Stielstra’s musical partner since 2009, performing with Jay at clubs, bars, and festivals across Michigan and the Midwest. She is the Music Editor of Heaven For Me: Selected Lyrics and Scores by Jay Stielstra (2019) and has helped to produce dozens of Jay’s shows and concerts, including the 2017 Michigan Tribute to Jay Stielstra award celebration at The Ark-Ann Arbor. Along with Chris Buhalis and Jason Dennie, Judy played in the band for Jay’s one man show Old Man In Love (2012; 2017). Judy is also known as a singer-songwriter and frontwoman of the Judy Banker Band, her alt-country, roots project. She has released three full length studio albums Without You (2014); Devils Never Cry (2016), and Buffalo Motel (2020); and a single, Blessed Be The Nation (2019), a poem by Pete Seeger and Jim Mussleman set to original music composed and arranged by Judy with exclusive permission from the Seeger estate. By day Judy sits as the Founder/Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Eating Disorders, that has served the Michigan community since 1983.
https://www.judybanker.com
David Roof
Buckhorn Bar Band member
David Roof
Buckhorn Bar band member
A Michigan native, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and studio owner /engineer at Rooftop Recording, David Roof is an institution in the Michigan music scene, performing with dozens of bands over the years including Frank Allison and the Odd Socks, the Imperial Swing Orchestra, Dick Siegel & the Brandos, Kentucky Chrome, the Judy Banker Band and his own group, British Invasion. He also produces and engineers audio and video projects for artists, community groups, and schools throughout the state. Dave plays the bass/guitar for Jay Stielstra shows across Michigan and recorded Jay’s most recent album, Heaven for Me (2017) at his studio. Dave also was involved in transcribing some of the scores for Jay’s songs for the songbook Heaven for Me (2019).
Charlie Reischl
Buckhorn Bar Band member
Charlie Reischl
Charlie Reischl
Charlie Reischl is a bass player from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the Eastman
School of Music and the University of Michigan School of Music Theater and Dance to
earn his undergraduate degree in bass performance in 2014. A live musician at heart,
he has used music to find opportunities to to bring people together. He performed and
managed Wych Elm, a folk music group from 2012-2019 and led the Neutral Zone’s
after school music programs for teenagers in Ann Arbor from 2016-2019. He recently
returned to Michigan from Glasgow, Scotland where he worked with non-profits after
earning a masters degree in Creative Industries and Cultural Policy. He is a music
teacher of all things bass and a collaborator with all things in the arts non-profit world.
Grant Flick
Buckhorn Bar Band member
Grant Flick
Buckhorn Bar band member
Performer, recording artist, composer, and educator, Ann Arbor based artist, Grant Flick, is a multi-instrumentalist performing most frequently on violin, mandolin, tenor guitar, nyckelharpa, tenor banjo, and viola. His musical influences are new acoustic music, jazz manouche, jazz/swing, bluegrass, and American old-time; and his current original music projects, Westbound Situation, Warren & Flick, and Hannah O’Brien and Grant Flick, explore the fusion of chamber music with these genres. Grant writes pieces blending musical styles that feature the collective spontaneity and imagination of his fellow improvisatory collaborators. Examples of his writing can be heard on the songs Pilot (Westbound Situation), Tomorrow Worries About Itself (Grant Flick), Windward (Hannah O’Brien and Grant Flick), and Kestrel (Warren & Flick). Grant has received numerous music awards including the 2013 Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin. He was a finalist in the 2015 Walnut Valley Festival Fiddle Competition in Winfield, Kansas, as well as the 2017 Freshgrass Fiddle Competition in North Adams, Massachusetts. Additionally, several competitive collegiate awards and grants for improvisation, acoustic chamber music inventiveness, and music education have been presented to his original groups in the past few years. Grant has been selected as a two-time participant (2015 and 2016) of the Acoustic Music Seminar held at the Savannah Music Festival in Savannah, Georgia. He has taught workshops at the Tenor Guitar Gathering (Astoria, Oregon), Falling Waters Music Camp (Ithaca, New York), and Augusta Bluegrass Week (Elkins, West Virginia). Grant also tours and performs regularly and has played at many music festivals including Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, ROMP Fest, Red Wing Roots Festival, and Indiana Fiddler’s Gathering. Frank Vignola, Mike Marshall, Julian Lage, and Darol Anger are just some of the notable musicians with whom Grant has appeared on stage. Grant is currently completing a Master’s degree at University of Michigan in Improvisation.
Featuring
Buck
Mascot
Buck
Mascot
Buck has appeared in all past performances of North Country Opera except one.
Now balding, Buck will return for North Country Opera 2022 in his role as the Buckhorn Bar sentry.