Our Company
Commonweal Resident Ensemble
LIZZY ANDRETTA (she/her)
Actor/Development Associate/Dixon House Artist Residence Manager
THIS SEASON: Marley (Lone Star Spirits)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Rumors, She Loves Me, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Leading Ladies, Dancing Lessons, Sanders Family Christmas, Boeing Boeing, Dracula: Prince of Blood, The Elephant Man. Choreographer for A Christmas Carol (2021), Stones in His Pockets, and Peter & the Starcatcher.
EDUCATION: MFA in Acting from the East 15 Acting School; BS from Skidmore College
“I’m proud to call Lanesboro home alongside my beloved cat Henry.”
CODY BEYER (he/him)
Actor/Technical Director & Facilities Manager
THIS SEASON: Director (True West, Apprentice Capstone), Lighting Designer (Angel Next Door), Drew (Lone Star Spirits), Kent (King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Mr. Darcy (Christmas at Pemberley); Stevie (Ugly Lies the Bone); Edmond Rostand (Bernhardt/Hamlet); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Scenic Design); Deathtrap (Props Design)
OTHER CREDITS: Chicago credits include: Banquo in Macbeth for Theatre-Y; and Technical Director for several Hell in a Handbag Production
EDUCATION: BA Honors Theatre, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
“Here’s to another year of sharing stories with this wonderful community!”
STELA BURDT (she/her)
Actor/Music Director/Director of Administration
THIS SEASON: Hertha Ayrton (The Half-Life of Marie Curie)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Ugly Lies the Bone, Women in Jeopardy, She Loves Me, Good People, Souvenir, Woody Guthrie’s American Song, Crimes of the Heart, Zombies from the Beyond, A Midnight Dreary, Harvey, Man of La Mancha, Sanders Family Christmas; sound design and music direction for various productions
EDUCATION: BA Luther College with studies in music and theatre
“Continued gratitude to our community. Thank you for being here!” #TeamScottyForever
HAROLD CROPP (he/they)
Producing Artistic Director
THIS SEASON: Arthur (The Angel Next Door), Lear (King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Ernie Cusack (Rumors), Arthur Vance (The Outsider), Borkman (John Gabriel Borkman), Shylock (The Merchant of Venice), Groucho (Groucho:A Life in the Theater), Matt Friedman (Talley’s Folly), Scrooge (A Christmas Carol), Einstein (Picasso at the Lapin Agile). Director for 29 productions and playwright of 3 world premieres
OTHER CREDITS: Managing Director, VITA Shakespeare Festival; actor with San Jose Stage Company, Magic Theater, San Jose Civic Light Opera; playwright of 4 additional published plays
EDUCATION: MFA National Theatre Conservatory; MBA Santa Clara University; BA Brown University
“My work honors my wife, Adrienne, and my family, and ancestors.”
SARA HUESER (she/her)
Prop Designer/Prop Manager/IT Technician
THIS SEASON: Prop Designer (The Half-Life of Marie Curie, Lone Star Spirits, King Lear, Sherlock Carol)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Prop Designer (Doubt: A Parable, Rumors, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Bernhardt/Hamlet), Co-Prop Designer (Ugly Lies the Bone), Sound Designer (The Outsider)
OTHER CREDITS: Stage Manager for Centre Stage SC; Stage Manager and Deck Stage Manager for Savannah College of Art and Design. Sara is also an editor for Movie and TV Scripts.
EDUCATION: BCompSc, Pennsylvania College of Technology; BFA in Dramatic Writing at Savannah College of Art and Design
JOSIAH LAUBENSTEIN (he/him)
Actor/Marketing Associate/Literary Manager
THIS SEASON: Sound Designer (Lone Star Spirits), Edgar/Cornwall (King Lear), Sound Designer (A Sherlock Carol)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Dave (The Outsider), Georg (She Loves Me), Jack/Stephanie (Leading Ladies)
OTHER CREDITS: Worked and directed at Rochester Community & Technical College (2024-2025)
EDUCATION: MFA in Acting, University of South Carolina; BA in Theatre, Concordia University, St. Paul
“Love to my wife, Rachel (without whom I would not be in Lanesboro) and my two truly remarkable children, Franny & Jude.”
ISABELLA ANASTASIA LEIGH (she/her)
Production Stage Manager/Administrative Team Associate
THIS SEASON: Rehearsal Stage Manager (The Half-Life of Marie Curie), Production Stage Manager (The Angel Next Door, King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Rehearsal Stage Manager (Doubt: A Parable, The Outsider, Ugly Lies the Bone, She Loves Me, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde); Rehearsal/Performance Stage Manager (Rumors, Deathtrap)
OTHER CREDITS: Stage Management and Directing with: Austin Shakespeare, Jarrott Productions, ScriptWorks (Austin, TX); Broom Street Theatre, Children’s Theatre of Madison, Forward Theater, Music Theatre of Madison, and StageQ (Madison, WI)
EDUCATION: BA in Gender & Women’s Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Much love to my kitties: Rosalind, Beatrice, Mercutio, and Tybalt.”
SYNTH MANUEL (they/them)
Designer/Dramaturg/Assistant to the Technical Director
THIS SEASON: Sound Designer, Intimacy Coach (The Half-Life of Marie Curie), Assistant Stage Manager, Props Designer (The Angel Next Door), Scenic Designer, Intimacy Coach (King Lear), Stage Manager (A Sherlock Carol)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Stage Manager (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), Scenic Designer/Intimacy Coach (Rumors), Scenic Designer/Stage Manager/Intimacy Director (The Effect)
OTHER CREDITS: Quad City Area Credits include: director (The God of Vengeance); stage manager (Cabaret, Ride the Cyclone); assistant director (The Threepenny Opera, The Mountaintop); dramaturg at The Spotlight Theatre
EDUCATION: BA in Theatre History and Tech & Design, Augustana College
“Be a voice. Not an echo.”
JOHN B. NICOL (he/him)
Actor/Scenic Painter/Assistant to the Dir. of Administration
THIS SEASON: Actor in A Sherlock Carol
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Arthur de Bourgh (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), A.C. Peterson (The Outsider), Arpad Laszlo (She Loves Me), Michal (The Pillowman), Deputy (The Mystery of Edwin Drood)
EDUCATION: BS in Theatre Arts, Minnesota State University, Mankato
“Listen to your life. It’s showing you everything you need to know about who you can become.” – Richard Bach
MATTHEW JAMES RALPH (he/him)
Stage Manager/Marketing Associate
THIS SEASON: Rehearsal Stage Manager (Lone Star Spirits)
OTHER CREDITS: Stage Manager: Skylight Music Theatre (Milwaukee, WI), Stagedoor Manor (Loch Sheldrake New York), Theatre Wit and About Face Theatre (Chicago, IL), Thin Air Theatre Company (Cripple Creek, CO), and The Clarence Brown Theatre (Knoxville, TN). Direction: Hattiesburg, MS: The Bear, Stop Kiss, The Seagull or How to Eat It, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Big Fish Elsewhere: Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, Homebound: A Play for Nobody, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Matthew also works as a fight choreographer, intimacy director, and educator.
EDUCATION: MFA in theatre, University of Southern Mississippi; BA in theatre & marketing, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
“…Thank you all for coming. A man is as rich as his friends. I am a tycoon.”
LAURIE ROBERTS (she/her)
Actor/Development Associate/Apprentice Advisor
THIS SEASON: Marie (The Half-Life of Marie Curie), Regan (King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Lizzy Darcy (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), Chris (Rumors), Jess (Ugly Lies the Bone), 8 Shoppers (She Loves Me), Myra (Deathtrap), Duchess (Alice in Winter Wonderland), assistant director (Bernhardt/Hamlet), choreographer (The Mystery of Edwin Drood)
OTHER CREDITS: In Chicago: A Red Orchid Theatre, Hell in a Handbag, Facility Theatre, Theatre Y, and Red Tape Theatre. Elsewhere: Know Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Cincinnati Fringe Festival (recipient of the 2015 Producer’s Pick.), and at On the Boards in Seattle. Some of her favorite work has been devised and performed internationally in Pontlevoy, France, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Laurie also works as a teacher, movement director, and choreographer.
EDUCATION: MFA, University of South Carolina
“…for there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.” – The Hill We Climb, Amanda Gorman
JODI RUSHING (they/she)
Performance Stage Manager/Assistant to Costume Designer/Front of House Supervisor
THIS SEASON: Assistant to Costume Designer (The Half-Life of Marie Curie), Performance Stage Manager (Lone Star Spirits), Assistant to the Costume Designer (King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: The Outsider, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Good People, Leading Ladies, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised], I Love to Eat, On the Verge
OTHER CREDITS: Makeup Artist (The Wonder of the World…currently in post production), Stage Manager (Doniphan Dance Project)
EDUCATION: BA in Theatre & Film, University of Mississippi
TIM SAILER (he/him)
Actor/Assistant Director of Marketing
THIS SEASON: Oliver (The Angel Next Door), Edmund/King of France (King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Rumors, Ugly Lies the Bone, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, She Loves Me, Leading Ladies, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
OTHER CREDITS: More than 50 roles across 35 plays at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA; Utah, Houston, and Texas Shakespeare Festivals; Park Square Theatre; Theater L’Homme Dieu; audiobook narrator
EDUCATION: MFA in Acting, University of Houston
“We must risk delight.” – poet Jack Gilbert
ALEX SCHLESINGER (they/them)
Actor/Designer/Assistant Technical Director
THIS SEASON: Projections Designer & Performance Stage Manager (The Half-Life of Marie Curie), Ben (Lone Star Spirits), Lighting Designer (King Lear)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Bingley (Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley), Glenn (Rumors), Projections Design (Ugly Lies the Bone), Sound Design (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde), Clifford (Deathtrap), Stevie (Good People)
OTHER CREDITS: Riff Raff (The Rocky Horror Show) at New Minowa Players in Decorah; Amos Hart (Chicago) at Luther College
EDUCATION: BA in Theatre, Luther College
“Thank you to my mentor, professor, and good friend Jeff Dintaman for his years of support and sharing of knowledge that has gotten me to where I am today.”
ADRIENNE SWEENEY (she/her)
Actor/Director of External Communications/Associate Artistic Director
THIS SEASON: Charlotte (Angel Next Door), Director (Lone Star Spirits)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Lulu Peakes (The Outsider), Sarah Bernhardt (Bernhardt/Hamlet), Sylvia (Sylvia)
OTHER CREDITS: Commercial voice over artist
EDUCATION: MFA in Acting, University of Arizona, Tucson
“I believe that sharing stories is an act of humanity and healing. Thank you for being here.”
JEREMY van METER (he/him)
Actor/Director of Development
THIS SEASON: Walter (Lone Star Spirits); Sherlock Holmes (A Sherlock Carol)
COMMONWEAL HIGHLIGHTS: Doubt: A Parable; I Ought to Be in Pictures; Come Back; Dracula: Prince of Blood; Brand; The Philadelphia Story
OTHER CREDITS: Caffeine Theatre (Chicago) Artistic Associate (2009-2011); Great River Shakespeare Festival (2009); Illinois Shakespeare Festival (2007); Riverside Theatre/Shakespeare Festival Actor in Residence (2000-03); Barter Theatre Actor in Residence (1991-95)
EDUCATION: MFA in Acting, University of Iowa
“Your support of professional, live theatre anywhere and everywhere means the world to me; tons of love to my heart and soul Catherine Glynn; and GO Hawkeyes!”
In Memoriam
SCOTT R. DIXON (he/him) as a member of the Commonweal family from his first arrival, as a seasonal actor in 2001. He passed away in November, 2018, after a battle with cancer. He spent the last 17 years of his life at the Commonweal in Lanesboro, where he was an actor, playwright, director and served the company administratively in several capacities, last as Director of Development. He met and married his wife, Stela Burdt, here and they had a son, Kieran. Scott’s wit and capacity for understanding made him a friend to all. We will miss him and remember him with love. To read more about our friend Scott, CLICK HERE.
