Chet Wollan

(HOST: Cowboy Chet) Cowboy Chet is thrilled to be back in the saddle again in his fourth season as the Host of the "Greatest Show in the West". He could not be more excited to get back to one of the most beautiful places on earth. Over the past year, he has been seen as a male vocalist at Dolly Parton's Deammore Resort, and on the national tour of LIVE From Nashville. Some of his other favorite credits include: Ring of Fire, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Miracle on 34th Street, and performing in various shows at Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood. Chet is so excited to be sharing the stage with his wife Candice, and some of his closest friends. Enjoy the show!

Candice Lively Wollan

(BHS/Princess of the Prairie) Back for her 9th season, Candice is excited to be back out in one of her favorite places! Since last summer, she has been seen as the lead vocalist at the County Tonite Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN. She has also had the opportunity to take on a new endeavor, as a casting director for Jupiter Entertainment Television!  National tour credits include: Pump, Boys and Dinettes, Ring of Fire, Miracle on 34th Street, and LIVE: From Nashville. Candice is always happy to sing with her husband, Cowboy Chet!

Bill Sorensen

(Co-host) Bill Sorensen and his family have been involved in Medora for the past thirty years. During those years, he has been a versatile variety performer, acting as a host, magician and producer for the popular 4M Revue, where he has produced at least two thousand shows.

When he’s not involved in Medora, Sorensen enjoys a varied career as a successful businessman, venture capitalist, boxing manager for renowned champion Virgil Hill, athletic promoter, public speaker/entertainer and public official. Sorensen served 12 years as the mayor of Bismarck; prior to that he served two terms as a state legislator and two terms as a Bismarck City Commissioner.

Misti Koop

(BHS) Originally from Grand Forks, ND... Misti is thrilled to return for her 7th season with "The Greatest Show in the West!" She earned her degree in music education from Gustavus Adolphus College and her master's in theater arts from the University of North Dakota. Her credits in North Dakota are from Frost Fire Summer Theatre, Fort Totten Little Theater, Fire Hall Community Theatre, Summer Performing Arts Company (SPA), Summer Arts Stages/Safari, and Empire Theatre Company. Her performing has taken her all over the country on two national tours. Favorite credits include, Maria in Sound of Music, Eponine in Les Mis, Percy in Spitfire Grill, Annie in Annie, Get Your Gun, and Disciple/Soul Sister in the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Misti dedicates her performance in the Medora Musical to "Mr. D" (Larry Damico), a forever theatre director, mentor and friend. Also, check out Misti's Kids Show in Medora this summer, Come and "Get Misti-fied!"

Ken Quiricone

(BHS) Ken Quiricone is over the buffalo moon excited to be back in Medora for his 8th summer performing under the beautiful stars of the Badlands. Thumbs up to the amazing audiences that continually fill the Burning Hills Amphitheater. So much love to his supportive family and fellow cast members. And a huge thanks to the musical’s Producing Director Curt Wollan for welcoming him into this Magical Medora Family many moons ago. Bully!!

Tryton Landsiedel

(BHS) Tryton Landsiedel is a hometown boy from Bismarck, ND debuting in his first ever Medora Musical! Tryton is a recent graduate of Bismarck High School and is now attending North Dakota State University in Fargo pursuing a degree in nursing. Tryton attended Kat Perkins Rising Star Camp in Medora the past 3 years - as a Rising Star Camper and most recently as a Junior Counselor. Through his experience, Tryton realized the importance of surrounding oneself with people who believe in you!

Jessica Bradish

(BHS) Jessica is thrilled to be returning to perform in the Medora Musical! She’s performed in shows everywhere from Alaska to Florida and always loves coming back to North Dakota. She’s originally from Des Moines, IA, and is now based out of New York City where she earned her BA in Musical Theater performance at Wagner College. She sends love and thanks to her family, Babba, and Ryan.

Gerry Williams

(BHS) Gerry is back again after a 4-year hiatus and is thrilled to be returning to the Medora Musical.  Originally from Durham, NC he has called Pigeon Forge, TN home for the last 16 years. Since leaving the Medora Musical in 2014, he has directed the Great Smoky Mt Murder Mystery. He'd like to thank his Mom, Dad, Chance, and Charley Pride!

Ben Massouras

(BHS) Ben is very excited to be returning for his 2nd year in the Medora Musical! Recent credits: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas at Dollywood, Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia, Bullets Over Broadway, Sherk the Musical, and Grease (Doody). Ben would like to thank StageWest Entertainment for bringing him along on this new adventure, as well as his parents for their love and support! 

Taylor Leet

(BHS) Taylor is elated to be returning for her 3rd season in the Medora Musical! Raised in her beautiful hometown of Bismarck, she grew up with a love for singing and dancing.  Following her dreams of music to Chicago, Taylor earned a BA in Vocal Performance/Contemporary Urban Popular from Columbia College Chicago.  She has performed with gospel ensembles for senators, mayors, and other Chicago elites.  Most recently, she has been fortunate to be a community ambassador for the arts in Bismarck performing for several conferences and events.  Growing up, she attended the Medora Musical each summer and is thrilled to be a Burning Hills Singer!  Taylor is grateful for the love and support from her family, friends, hometown, and the state of North Dakota!

Andrea Devriendt

(BHS) Andrea is so excited to be spending her first summer in Medora! She was recently seen in Ring of Fire at Broadway Palm Theater, FL and Dutch Apple Theater, PA. The winter she made her Chicago debut in The Full Monty at Theo Ubique Theatre and has been seen on regional stages across the USA. She is sending her love and thanks to her parents and her best friends Adri and Maya for always supporting her dreams.

Kevin Korczynski

(BHS) Kevin is grateful to return to this beautiful part of the world, and “The Greatest Show in the West!"  An east coast native, Kevin has performed regionally and toured stages across the country.  Many thanks to Curt, Lexie, and the entire StageWest team for another bully-licious opportunity & seven incredible seasons.  Much love to Mom, Dad, and Medora friends old & new.  Enjoy the show, the Badlands, and the blue skies of the shining West!

Johnathan Woodruff

(BHS) Jonathan is extremely excited to be involved with this production! He recently graduated with his BFA in Music Theatre from Viterbo University. He would like to thank his family and friends for all their continued support.

Rachael Endrizzi

(BHS) Could not be more excited to join the Medora Musical! Originally from Ohio, Rachael is a graduate of the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in NYC and has spent the last decade acting and directing throughout the US. She would like to thank Curt Wollan, Ken Quiricone, and the entire Medora cast and crew for welcoming her with open arms!

Junior Mercer

(Steel Guitar/Dobro/Guitar) Returning for his second year, Junior Mercer comes to the Medora Musical from Sevierville, Tennessee. He has worked with many country artists over the years including Con Hunley, Lorrie Morgan, and Johnny Paycheck. Theater shows include five years with Opryland Productions at the Alabama Theater in Myrtle Beach, SC, Nashville to Broadway at the Ronnie Milsap Theater also in Myrtle Beach, and five years with Country Tonight!  at the Country Tonight Theater in Pigeon Forge TN. Junior is proud to be a part of The Medora Musical!

Andrew Crowe

(Fiddle/Mandolin, Bandleader) Andrew Crowe is an actor, singer, and musician who has spent the last seventeen years performing all over the country. As an actor he has been seen in the national tours of Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and Stand by Your Man, and over 70 regional productions. As a musician, he tours with The Grand Tour - paying tribute to the music of George Jones and the Highwaymen. He is also a singer-songwriter and his original music can be found at www.andrewcrowe.net.

Carson Hooley

(Drums) Carson Hooley is excited to experience his inaugural summer performing with the Medora Musical! Originally for Waco, Texas he currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. For the past 14 years in Chicago, Carson has performed with numerous ensembles including Chicago Bears Drumline, Chicago International Film Festival, Willy Dynomite, City of Chicago Pipe Band, and Nighthawks Percussion. Carson is excited to bring his experience to the Medora Musical stage!

Travis Smith

(Keyboards and Vocal Captain) Travis hails all the way from Columbus, Ohio and is ecstatic to be part of this year's Medora Musical! Along with being a pianist and multi-instrumentalist, he has directed music in nearly 100 professional productions. He is also the composer/lyricist for Steeple People: A Southern Gospel Comedy, a musical about a gospel quartet from Stinking Creek Tennessee! 

Perry Orfanella

(Bassist) Enjoying his second season in Medora, Perry has shared the stage with Tony award winner Bernadette Peters, Emmy winner Bob Newhart, Grammy winner Peter Cetera and Oscar winner Rita Moreno. While not expecting to win any of these awards himself, his goal on stage is to not embarrass his children, who actually have most of the talent in the family.

Adam Vogel

(Guitar) Adam grew up in Melrose, a rural farming community in central Minnesota. He was introduced to music at a young age by his father and uncles. They had a local band and some of Adam’s earliest memories are of watching his dad’s family band rehearse and perform. Adam quickly gravitated to his dad's electric guitar. Since then, Adam has played in cover bands throughout high school and college. More recently Adam has played lead guitar for Andy Calhoun & The Outlaws, a country cover band that plays throughout the Minnesota area, Adam is extremely excited to be a part of the Medora Musical for the second time. "I'm overjoyed to be back in Medora to see family, the great friends I made last year, and to be performing for an amazing audience." He currently resides in Nashville Tennessee where he records and plays out as much as possible.

Curt Wollan | Executive Producer/Director

Curt Wollan is the Executive Producer and Director of StageWest Entertainment and Troupe America Inc., a Minneapolis based theatrical production company operating The Plymouth Playhouse in the Twin Cities area, and providing traveling productions for the National Tour Circuit. Curt has directed many National Tours including Steel Magnolias, Driving Miss Daisy, The 1940’S Radio Hour, Hank Williams-Lost Highway starring Jason Petty, and Stephen King’s Ghost Stories.  He has also co-produced three National Tours of Forbidden Broadway, directed M*A*S*H*’s Jamie Farr and William Christopher in the National Tour of The Odd Couple, and directed the National Tours of Moon Over Buffalo starring Gavin MacLeod, The Sunshine Boys starring Dick Van Patten and Frank Gorshin, and Same Time Next Year, starring Mackenzie Phillips and Adrian Zmed.  Curt has been based at the Plymouth Playhouse in Minneapolis since 1979 and has directed most of its productions, notably How To Talk Minnesotan, The Musical, Church Basement Ladies, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Ring Of Fire, and Diamond Studs which won the Twin Cities “Kudos” Award for Best Direction, Choreography, and Best Musical.  As a free-lance director, his work has been seen at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium with Cotton Patch Gospel starring Gary Sandy, at Dollywood in Tennessee with Dolly Parton, Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, and at Kansas City’s New Theatre Restaurant.  Curt makes his home in Minneapolis and Fort Myers, Florida with his beautiful wife Jane, who he met right here in Medora when he was a Burning Hills Singer many years ago. 

Sandy Tipping | Musical Director/ Musical Arranger

Sandy Tipping (Music Director) was born and raised in a small town north of Toronto, Ontario (in Canada!).  He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating summa cum laude (B.Mus), and moved to Nashville where he has frittered away the last 16 years as a busy recording engineer, music director, elementary music teacher, hired-gun keyboard player, producer, arranger, and bagel enthusiast.

In Nashville, he has been the music director for the popular night show on the General Jackson Showboat and is currently MD for touring jazz artist Jaimee Paul. He has also produced award-winning records for Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Daniel Lee Martin and Jaimee Paul, toured with acts such as the Platters, the Temptations and Martha Reeves, engineered albums for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bobby Osborne and Andrea Stolpe, and orchestrated or arranged custom music for numerous churches, show bands, theme parks and publications, as well as shows for a variety of national and international acts.

With his business partner, he operates Advantage Music Production, a Dove award-winning one-stop shop for custom music production, recording, and arranging. (www.advantagemusicproduction.com) 

See also:  http://www.advantagemusicproduction.com/about-us/sandy-tipping/

Lexie Wollan-Swenson | Asst. Director/Choreographer

Lexie Wollan-Swenson (Choreographer) has loved Medora and the Medora Musical since she was born.  She has been “Sheriff Bear”, a BHS for ten years, the Assistant Choreographer for three years and the Choreographer for two seasons.  As a performer she has been seen on National Tours and Dinner Theatres across the country.  She now resides in the Twin Cities with her daughters and her husband, Jeremiah, who she met in Medora. 

Greta Grosch | Writer

A member of the Musical team since 2005, Greta is also an actress, director and producer whose work has been seen on stages around the country. She works regularly as a voice over and commercial artist, travels the country as a motivational speaker and corporate entertainer, and has written the last 5 installments of the highly successful Church Basement Ladies’ musicals. For more information visit gretagrosch.com

Erica Zaffarano | Set Designer

Erica Zaffarano (Set & Props Designer) feels fortunate to be involved in this, her 6th year with the Medora Musical. Originally from Iowa, she has designed east of the Mississippi in Indiana, Maine, Vermont, the US Virgin Islands and west of Washington, California, Utah, Nevada, Iowa and her newest home, Minnesota.  Coincidentally, while working in Los Angeles many years ago, she worked as a scenic artist for Rene´ Lagler, designer of The Burning Hills Amphitheater.  She feels lucky and grateful to be surrounded by the community of so many inspirational, unique, eccentric, delightful people in her work and loves coming “home to Medora!”

Alan Hanson | Lighting Designer

Alan Hanson is excited to be back for his 6th season as the Lighting Designer for The Medora Musical! Alan holds an MFA in Theatrical Lighting Design from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He has designed productions throughout the country and including the National Tours of Lost in Yonkers and Leading Ladies for Montana Repertory Theatre and Miracle on 34th Street for Troupe America. He has toured nationally with the Montana Repertory Theatre (Miracle Worker, Steel Magnolias, The Trip to Bountiful, Lost in Yonkers, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, To Kill a Mockingbird), Chamber Theatre of Boston (Classics!), Troupe America Inc. (Babes in Toyland, Church Basement Ladies), and the Moscow Ballet (The Great Russian Nutcracker) as well as town Montana state educational outreach tours. For more information please visit www.alanmhanson.com

Katrina Benedict | Costume Designer

Katrina Benedict is thrilled to have the opportunity to costume design this year’s Medora Musical.  Katrina works as a free-lance Draper for the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN and as a Costume Designer for various theatres in the Twin Cities area.  Her design work includes:  Kirby, at the History Theatre, Sherlock’s Last Case at the Minnesota centennial showboat, and various productions at the Normandale Community College.  Her most recent designs include: Ring of Fire, and four of the Church Basement Ladies musicals –Church Basement Ladies: A Second Helping, Away in the Basement, A Mighty Fortress is our Basement, and The Last Potluck Supper.

Jason Lee Resler | Co-Costume Designer

Jason is very happy to return to the Medora Musical for his third season. Previously Jason has designed for theatre companies in Minnesota and around the country, including Idaho Shakespeare and Great Lakes Theatre Festivals, Phoenix Theatre, Commonweal Theatre, Park Square Theatre, Illusion Theatre, History Theatre, Hope Summer Repertory, Cortland Repertory, Citadel Theatre, and Minneapolis Musical Theatre. Jason has also worked in the costume shops of Barrington Stage Company, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice. During the year Jason is Assistant Professor of Costume Design at Indiana UniversitySouth Bend- www.claponcue.com

Deborah Kennedy | Production Stage Manager

Deborah Kennedy is thrilled to be returning to the charming, picturesque town of Medora! Originally from Florida, Deborah has been working in the Midwest for the past 17 years onstage, backstage, on screen, and has also recently added directing to her resume. Some of Deborah’s favorite stage credits include: Sister Amnesia in Nunsense, Carlotta in Phantom, The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Annabella/Margaret/Pamela in The 39 Steps, Rita in Educating Rita, and Louise Segar in Always…Patsy Cline to name a few. Deborah has also had a blast portraying various scream queens for numerous independent thrillers. Deborah would like to thank her husband and creative partner, Tom, for all of his support and encouragement throughout the years. “Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.” –Gandhi