Meet Jacques Du Plessis. Scene One is excited to welcome him to the Scene One stage for the very first time!
Originally from South Africa, Jacques found his way to Missouri where he received his Bachelor’s in Political Science and Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri. With recent experience at Capital City Productions playing Squidward and Pete in Spongebob the Musical and In the Heat of the Night, respectively, Jacques has re-discovered his love for stage theatre. Previously starring in numerous short films with directors heralding from Stephen’s College and the University of Missouri, Jacques has found time to participate in theatre while working as a Policy Specialist for Missouri’s Department of Conservation.
Meet Jahanna Koestner. Scene One is excited to welcome Jahanna to the Scene One stage for the very first time!
Jahanna has done theatre her entire life. She has participated in Parks and Recreation camps since 3rd grade. Then she started her participation with Capitol City Productions about 4 or 5 years ago and was involved in Newsies, Shrek The Musical, and Mama Mia. She first acted in The Addams Family. Her second show was Elf The Musical, then The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in January 2021!
Introducing Terry A. Yates, Jr.! We are excited to welcome Terry to the Scene One Theatre stage for the very first time in SAST 14!
Terry A. Yates, Jr can been seen performing in the short form improv group The Ponies at Talking Horse Productions, on various stages around hither and yon, in a variety of commercials playing “that guy”, or you’ve heard his delicious voice on various radio shows and podcasts.
He would like to thank his wife Julie and The Mama for all their love and support.
Lacey, it has been awhile! We are so excited to welcome you back to the Scene One stage for SAST 14!
Lacey has been a member of theJefferson City Community Theatre since 2005 with her first role in TLT’s “My Fair Lady” (Lady Enysford-Hill,Maid). Since then, she’s performed various roles for The Little Theatre, Capital City Productions, Midwest Lyric Opera, and Scene One in such shows as “Jekyll and Hyde” (Lady Beacons-field), “Brigadoon” (Meg Brockie), “The Last Five Years” (Cathy), “Beauty and the Beast” (Mrs. Potts), “The Ballad of King Windowglass” (The Quartette), “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Phantom), “Amahl and the Night Visitors” (Amal’s Mother), “Die Fliedermaus” (Adele), and the last foray on stage in “Mister Roberts” (Lt. Payne). When not enjoying the camaraderie and challenge of theatre, she works for Central Missouri Community Action in their Weatherization Department as well as a College Sports Board Operator for Learfield.
We…Love…Tim! He arrived on the scene just earlier this year and now he is an enthusiast who volunteers to do whatever he can do to help out! We appreciate you, Tim Thompson! He is making his Scene One directorial debut in SAST 14. He will be directing for TLT later this year and will be directing a full length play titled LAST LISTS OF MY MAD MOTHER for Scene One in 2023. He brings with him a wealth of theatrical experience and a love for the craft of theatre that is truly inspiring. The Jefferson City/Mid Mo. community theatre scene is lucky to have him. We cannot wait to get to know him more! Tim, thank you for arriving and landing here and finding a home with us!
Tim Thompson is a newcomer to Jefferson City with more than 140 productions to his credit. He is excited to join Scene One and JC’s TLT’s theatre family. He is grateful to find his “peeps”. His day is filled as the Director of Human Resources for JC School District, but looks forward to acting and directing locally. Favorite productions are The Diviners, Raisin In The Sun, The Laramie Project, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Oklahoma. He will direct Blithe Spirit for JC Little Theatre this fall. Thompson is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University as a theatre major. His daughter and son-in-law work in the professional theatre community of Kansas City. His son is a planning commissioner for Southeast Missouri’s Planning Commission.
Introducing Monica Senecal Palmer, the Playwright! She has graced our Scene One stage a time or two but now it is her “words” that make their Scene One debut! Monica, thank you for embracing Scene One and thank you for doing some creative dabbling with us every once in awhile. We are so excited that you have written something for SAST 14! It is wonderful to have you involved in this capacity.
Monica is delighted to have a play featured in this summer SAST. Monica may be better known for her work as an actor as she has had the joy of performing on many mid-Missouri stages including a few appearances at Scene One. Most recently, Monica played the Witch in Shrek the Musical at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. When not on stage or writing, Monica is generally spending time with her fantastic family or teaching Speech and Theatre at John Warner Middle School in Columbia. Monica would like to give a special shout to Russ, Gabe, and Anna for all their love and support!
Keenan McMahon calls him THE MAILMAN because he always delivers! He always delivers a dedicated, top notch performance. He might just hold a record for the most appearances in a Keenan McMahon SAST play. I am sure Keenan will now do that math and get back to us, right Keenan? Now they are working together again. You don’t want to miss Matt Connor in SAST 14 performing in Hero Tryouts by Keenan McMahon. Matt has been with us since season one and has been our “hero” on more than one occasion…always helping out and often moving mountains while no one is looking. We thank him for all his hard work and dedication over the years!
Born and raised in Jefferson City, Matt Connor has performed and directed on several local stages. However, he feels truly at home at Scene One. No stranger to SAST, you may recall him as one of the Jameses in the 007 spoofs. “He also directed Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Looking for Normal. He and his wife, Gina, recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Ireland.
Deborah Tragasz has been writing for Scene One for quite some time now. For the longest time she was our youngest playwright! She caught the writing bug at a very young age and she honed and polished her craft during her college years and now she has emerged as one of Scene One’s most accomplished playwrights. Deborah, we are so glad that you have embraced Scene One and have chosen our venue as a place to showcase your work! Your work is always superbly crafted and stellar on many levels.
Everybody, Deborah is currently gearing up for her own evening of original works to perform sometime in the future at Scene One, so look for it. For now, don’t miss SAST 14 to see her play, A Trip To Walgreens.
Deborah Tragasz’s career in theatre as writer, actor, and technician spans over 90 productions and 19 years. Her writing has been performed at Scene One Theatre in Jefferson City, her alma mater, Drury University, in Springfield, Talking Horse Productions in Columbia, and Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center in New Jersey.
Brian Bray has now written a handful of pieces for Scene One since his debut a few years ago. He could probably get an award for most diversity in his writing. Some of his pieces are comedic and some are absurd while others are serious, poignant and very moving. He often draws from his own life experiences. He will then embellish and take it up a notch for his absurd pieces while simultaneously creating a serious piece that is true, honest and something that we all can relate to. Brian, we so appreciate your interest and involvement in Scene One. Thank you for embracing us and keep up the creative work!
Greetings, My name is Brian Bray and I’m a writer for Scene One Theatre. I also have a blog called The
Strange and Weird, which can be found on Facebook or at thestrangeandweird.com. I do book reviews for an independent website and have written reviews for the local paper. You’ll find me doing paranormal
investigations with my wife during our free time.
Lainie Vansant is our Mizzou Theatre connection and we love this! Lainie, thank you for embracing Scene One and for creatively dabbling with us every once in awhile as an actor or director or by submitting a plethora of plays for our consideration…all written by you! It is always a pleasure and an honor! Thank you for sharing with us the knowledge and creativity you gained during your collegiate career. We are so excited you have a play, once again, being featured in SAST. Everybody, you don’t want to miss The Landlord by Lainie Vansant.
Lainie Vansant holds a PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from Mizzou and is currently serving as the Outreach and Development Coordinator for the University Concert Series. Other hobbies include books, movies, and Pokemon Go. She is excited to have a piece in this year’s Short Attention Span Theatre! She would like to thank her current landlords for living out of state and sending over
professionals to do maintenance when it’s needed!
Good friend Barry Beach is definitely a theatre veteran in our JC/Mid MO area. We have known Barry for many years. Quite often Barry is participating as a playwright for SAST but this time he is lending his talents to us as an actor and sound effects guru! Barry, your writing is stellar! Your scripts are flawless with a variety of successful components from beginning to middle to end. You are one of Scene One’s most accomplished playwrights. Thank you so much for embracing Scene One with your talents as playwright, director, actor and sound effects/sound technician. Everybody, you don’t want to miss Barry on stage in SAST 14!
Barry grew up with community theatre and has appeared in many, many local productions with TLT. Scene One Theatre, Stained Glass Theatre, and Capital City Productions. He most recently appeared on the CCP stage with In the Heat of the Night as Mr. Endicott and will soon be appearing on the Miller Center stage as Cinderella’s Father in Into the Woods for TLT. Barry works as an Services Technical Support Specialist at Scholastic in Jefferson City, and free-lances as a Web Designer/Developer. He also enjoys writing, directing and D&D
Meet new face Beth Vossen! Beth, we are so excited that you have joined the Scene One SAST 14 gang and will be performing on the Scene One stage for the very first time! Welcome! Everybody, don’t miss Beth in SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE 14.
Beth has loved theatre since her first production of Cinderella at age five. After touring in college and with a professional company, she returned to Jeff City and dove into the theatre scene. She has directed multiple shows and loves every aspect. Favorite shows include Twilight of the Gods, The Play that Goes Wrong, and The Hiding Place. When not on stage you can find Beth singing in the worship band or working with the youth group at Freshwater.
Rich Burdge has pretty much been with Scene One since day one! Rich, thank you so much for your many stellar performances on the Scene One stage with a few directing gigs thrown in over the years! Your presence at Scene One is so appreciated. Thank you for embracing us regularly with your top notch talent! Everybody, Rich has many feathers in his hat but now he has finally made it after all…(see his bio)! Congrats Rich for making it into the club!
Rich Budge is a long-time actor and director at Scene One and in Jefferson City’s theatre community. He was last seen on the Scene One stage as Barney Cashman in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers”, and directed
“Constellations” there in 2020. He is proud to finally join the cool kids and be in a Keenan McMahon show
during Short Attention Span Theatre.
Doug “Dough” Richardson, (we affectionately call him Dough at Scene One ever since his name was misspelled in a publication promoting one of our shows…hence, they accidentally added an “h” to the end of his name), has been involved in many a SAST beginning with our second installment, SAST The Shoes, back in 2009. He has been a dedicated Scene One volunteer over the years both on stage, with various stage appearances, as well as behind the scenes doing whatever it is he can do to help out. He is also, usually, the first actor to have his lines memorized. He is a director’s dream! Dough, thank you so much for embracing Scene One as your theatrical stomping ground! You add so much to our organization. Everybody, don’t miss Doug Richardson in SAST 14! He is in 3 of the shows!
Doug is glad to be a part of another round of SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE. He has been a part of a
number of Scene One shows including Barefoot in the Park, Picasso at the Lapine Agile, Life x 3, and Wonder of the World. When not on stage, Doug is Purchasing Manager at Wren Solutions. In his free time he can often be found keeping track of the latest Cardinals or Illini game. He would like to give a huge shout out to Melle Richardson for running lines and offering her great input!
Maggie DeChant Eggen is performing in two of the plays for SAST 14!! Maggie, thank you for embracing Scene One much the same way you have embraced TLT (The Little Theatre of Jefferson City) over the past few years. Your presence at Scene One sort of feels like you are there on a regular basis. You certainly fit right in and we hope to see more of you! We are excited you are back with us performing in another SAST! Everybody, you don’t want to miss Maggie so reserve your seats today.
Maggie Eggen has been doing theatre since she was a youngster. She is excited to be back at Scene One for another round of SAST. Maggie most recently has been seen on the TLT stage in various performances and has worked backstage and behind the scenes. Her day job working with dementia patients takes her whole Heart, but theatre fills her up. Maggie would like to take the opportunity to thank her husband, Tom, for all his support and wish him a Happy Anniversary!! (You might have to spend it helping backstage. She volunteered you again)