Cole Butcher is in his eighth season with The Naples Players. Favorite shows he’s stage managed include Footloose, She Loves Me, Mamma Mia!, Chicago, Legally Blonde, Sister Act, Moon Over Buffalo, and The Rocky Horror Show. He received his BA in Stage Management from Western Michigan University.

Kellie Cullinan is a classically-trained singer, actress and voice teacher, is known for her “million dollar high notes” and bubbly approach to teaching.  Based in NYC the past 7 years, some of her favorite performances include Carnegie Hall & Fenway.  She served as a NY PopsEd Teaching Artist, directing/music directing rising youth in the tri-state area as well as performing through the nonprofit Concerts in Motion.  Kellie holds a B.M. & M.M. in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, and is a proud member of AEA, NATS & FMEA.  She is currently developing the Musical Theatre program Grades 4-12 at The Village School of Naples.  Kellie is grateful to be part of The Naples Players teaching staff!

Diane Davis has taught adult acting workshops with showcases at The Naples Players for many years. She has directed and produced, is a veteran actor who has performed in every venue from dinner theater, TV commercials, Kodak demo films, mystery theater, on stages in Boston, NY, and Naples, FL. She has led several theater boards and co-founded a summer theatre camp for kids in upstate NY. She has coached for TNP KidzAct, directed TNP Reader’s Theatre Classics, Assistant Directed shows at TNP, and performed with TNP in Broadway Bound, Enchanted April, Six Dance Lessons, Crazy Mary, Rumors, Barefoot in the Park, Other Desert Cities, and Bell, Book, and Candle as well as performing with other local theaters. She spent 20 years playing leading roles in musicals in New York and has been a guest speaker on “The Magic of Theater” for local Naples groups. She coaches a Naples TV commercial and offers private coaching for auditions and other public presentations.

James Duggan has been a volunteer with the Naples Players since 2014. James has studied acting with the New Theatre Conservatory in Boston and Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. BA degree in Communication Arts. TNP directing credits includes The Game’s Afoot , Boeing Boeing, and various Reader’s Theatre. His Assistant Directing credits includes These Shining Lives. Instructing credits include storytelling techniques, sound and movement, clown, and mask work with various age levels of students.

Kat Ebaugh has been singing and dancing around Florida for the last 8 years with different vaudeville and cabaret groups in Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and the occasional out-of-state festival. Most recently, Kat performed in the ensemble of The Wedding Singer at TNP and did a virtual show with the Lab Theater as the Little Mermaid in Disenchanted and an outdoor performance of Projekt Grotesquerie as The Matriarchy. You might also recognize her as one of the members of Stage 2 Improv, and TNP productions Gypsy (Tessie Tura), The Drowsy Chaperone (Kitty), The Producers (Ulla), and Leading Ladies (Audrey).

Sean Effinger-Dean is an actor, singer, and pianist living in Naples. Chicago area credits include Willy Wonka, Murder For Two, Road Show (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Sweeney Todd, Young Frankenstein (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Hair, Grease, The Music Man (Paramount Theatre); Candide, The Fantasticks, Meet John Doe (Porchlight Music Theatre); The Music Man (Marriott Theatre); Bitter Sweet (Light Opera Works); Cabaret (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); and Jerry Springer: The Opera (Bailiwick Chicago).  Other credits include My Fair Lady (Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota) directed by Frank Galati.  Sean graduated from Princeton University, where he studied mathematics and vocal performance. Many thanks to Eli, the fam, and the kitties.

Dawn Lebrecht Fornara is a native of New York and has served as director and choreographer for TNP’s The Wedding Singer, Footloose, She Loves Me, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Sister Act, The Rocky Horror Show, Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde, The Spitfire Grill and 42nd Street, among others, and with KidzAct for many productions, including Joseph…Dreamcoat, Hairspray, Disney’s Camp Rock, Les Misérables and Cats. She has choreographed many shows for TNP, including All Shook Up, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Cabaret, and, as a performer, she has been seen in the National Tours of 42nd Street, Seussical the Musical, Anything Goes and Grease. A proud member of Actors’ Equity, she has been seen here in Naples in TheatreZone’s Sweeney Todd (Beggar Woman), Jekyll & Hyde (Lucy), Stepping Out with Donna McKechnie, Legs Diamond (Kiki) and Hair, among others. Other recent roles include Sheila/A Chorus Line, Sally Bowles, Velma Kelly, Bombalurina/Cats and Ulla/The Producers. Love to husband Chas and her family.

Jillian Keith is a BA graduate from the University of Westminster and recent Naples resident. During her time in London, she was a teaching assistant at West End Musical Theatre and the president and assistant choreographer of her university’s theatre society. She is an experienced improv performer, previously dedicating four years to ComedySportz in Minneapolis, MN. She also spent three years as a Theatre for All ambassador and aided in bringing unified programming to the International Thespian Festival and local schools. Jillian is now a wellness instructor here at TNP as well as a dance assistant for Newsies Jr. 

Jennifer Mance was last seen as one of our summer KidzAct Instructors teaching grades 3rd through 5th! After a recent move from Toronto, Canada, and early retirement from teaching, she is grateful to have found The Naples Players Theater. Recent Canadian roles include Muriel in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Truvy in Steel Magnolias and Virginia Noyes in It’s Only A Play. Many thanks to her supportive husband and daughter for allowing the theater to be her second home!

Summer Pliskow received her BFA in Acting and her Certification in Arts in Medicine from the University of Florida; and her Master of Arts in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She then worked with the National Healthcare System (NHS), held different workshops in care facilities and hospitals, and worked with schools in underdeveloped communities to help students who needed additional support in the school environment.

Summer joined The Naples Players earlier this year, building on an established wellness program that had grown significantly in only a few short years. Summer has since been able to take her experience and build new programs with new partners, new approaches, and new students. Her passion lies in utilizing theatre to promote personal, social, and cultural wellbeing within the greater community through storytelling, devising, and the performing arts – and The Naples Players has been the perfect place to do just that.

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Having moved to Florida in 2016, Bret quickly became a member of the TNP family. He has appeared in Footloose, Sister Act, Miracle on 34th Street and Chicago.  He spent nearly two seasons with TheatreZone having performed in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Aida, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, Wonderful Town and Gypsy.  Most recently he had the pleasure of performing in The Nutcracker with Naples Ballet.  Bret has also choreographed for TNP KidzAct, including The Descendants and Sound of Music.

Craig Price trained and performed with The Second City in Chicago and with ImprovOlympic (now The IO Theater) where he trained with the legendary Del Close. Craig then spent five years performing with ComedySportz of Denver and five years on the road as a stand-up comedian. When Craig landed in Naples he was immediately drawn to The Naples Players, where he performed in Oliver!, Beauty and the Beast, and taught kids and adults Improv. He formed Bonita City Improv and directed the Youth Improv Program. Craig is proud to be back with The Naples Players as Director of Community Education and Wellness. Craig Price designs and teaches classes for students of all abilities where they learn valuable communication skills through the practice of Improv and Acting exercises. Many of Craig’s students from CCPS and STARability Foundation have used what they have learned in his classes to transition into jobs, living facilities, and universities.