The Originals

Biographies

Co-founder of Honey Tree Films and The Originals theatre company, Jennifer Porter is equally at home screenwriting, acting, singing, composing, music-directing / arranging, set-designing, and choreographing. She starred in, and composed the film score for THE BALLAD OF IDA AND DOOB, and wrote, starred in, and composed the film score for MR. BARRINGTON. Jennifer’s many critically acclaimed stage credits include Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Rose in The Woolgatherer, Scarlett in Coyote Ugly, Celeste in Little Egypt, Beth in A Lie of the Mind, Babe in Crimes of the Heart, Mary Warren in The Crucible, May in Fool For Love, and Marjorie in Extremities. Her additional screenwriting credits include Cassandra Speaks, Condolences, Prairie Dogs, and the comedy LITTLE EGYPT, now in development, adapted from the play by Lynn Siefert. Originally trained as an Opera singer, Jennifer’s remarkable musical pallet ranges from singing with orchestras as a Classical soloist to leading Jazz, Blues, Country and Folk bands, to producing Hyacinth Boy Blue, a CD of original songs.  Jennifer is the recipient of multiple awards, and was the first vocalist in Maine inducted into the prestigious music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda. She is a member of Screen Actors Guild, and Actors Equity Association, and is an accomplished martial artist, with a 2nd degree Black Belt in Tai Jutsu, and advanced skills in Jeet Kun Do and Kali.

       DANA PACKARD                            

Dana has directed over fifty plays with The Originals, the resident theatre company at the Saco River Grange Hall in Bar Mills, Maine, which he founded in 1988 with Jennifer Porter. His notable acting roles include Betty / Gerry in Cloud Nine, for which he was nominated for the Irene Ryan Award, Eddie in Fool for Love, Jake in A Lie of the Mind, Watson in Little Egypt, Raul in Extremities, and Proctor in The Crucible.  In 1998, Dana founded Honey Tree Films with Jennifer Porter, and began work on THE BALLAD OF IDA AND DOOB, which he wrote, produced, directed, and edited. The 16mm short screened at various festivals, including The New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, The Rhode Island International Film Festival (finalist), The Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, and The Saguaro International Film Festival, and was nominated for the Kathadin Award at The Portland Festival of World Cinema. It received an Honorable Mention award at The Columbus Film Festival, and aired twice on Maine PBS. Dana’s next film project with Jennifer was the 35mm feature film, MR. BARRINGTON, which he produced, directed, and edited. The film was shot in eighteen days in June, 2002, and premiered at the Independent Film Festival of Boston in 2003. It was released domestically on DVD in April, 2006 through Honey Tree Films and Pro-Active Entertainment, with international rights handled by Koan, Inc. Dana’s diverse background includes periods as a professional ski instructor and freestyle competitor, karate instructor, juggler, and unicyclist. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and Actors Equity Association.

 

        C. JAMES ROBERTS                        

Jim has been working with The Originals for a little over seventeen years.  Some of his favorite roles include Victor Mulkey Hood in Little Egypt, Cliff in The Woolgatherer, Julien in Communicating Doors, Sancho in Man of La Mancha, Claude in Hair, and Rob Bob Silverado in Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage.  In 1998 he made his film debut with Honey Tree Films in THE BALLAD OF IDA AND DOOB, as the Taxi Driver.  This lead to his next feature film role with HTF as Richard in MR. BARRINGTON.  In 2007 he starred as David Keen in 2, an independent zombie movie by Emptyhouse Films shot on High Definition Digital Video. Jim is currently starring as the male lead, Jacob Lazar, in WILLOWS WAY, a new Sci-Fi Feature now in distribution with Dibacco Films.  When Jim isn't acting, he can be found playing guitar and singing with his rock band The Roberts Street Band.  

 

 

        Bill Cook

Bill is very proud to say that he is (nearly) an original, Original. In 1990, Bill went to see The Originals’ production of “Godspell”, and was blown away. The talent and passion on the stage was something that Bill wanted to be a part of. After the show, Bill hung around to congratulate the cast, and speak to Dana. Dana & Bill knew each other from attending the same High School, where they were involved in the theater program and graduated together. (Their work together in “The Hobbit”, as Bilbo Baggins (Dana) and Thorin, King of the Dwarves (Bill) is still spoken of in hushed reverent tones at the school.) Bill asked that Dana & Jen contact him for their next production, should they need someone to carry a spear on in the last scene... whatever they needed. Well they did, and Bill joined them onstage for “The Mousetrap”. That was in 1990. Since then, he has appeared in over 20 shows and designed lights for more than a dozen shows. Some of Bill’s favorite roles have included; Stanley in “A Streetcar Named Desire (1998), Mike in “A Lie of the Mind” (1993), The Old Man in “Fool for Love” (1995), Red Pewsey in “Coyote Ugly” (1996), and Seymore in “Little Shop of Horrors” (1995) to name just a few. Aside from The Originals, Bill has worked with City Theater, Portland Players, Lyric Music Theater, and currently, The Stage at Spring Point.

       William H. McDonough III

Bill has been a member of The Originals since 1992 and thanks his lucky stars that he bumped into both Jenn and Dana that one summer day. Some of Bill's favorite roles have been Orin Scrivello, DDS in "Little Shop of Horrors", Ray in "The Beauty Queen of Leenane", Wally Fergusson in "1940's Radio Hour", and Kip in "Wonder of the World". Bill has also been involved in both motion pictures by Honey Tree Films. He played Doob in THE BALLAD OF IDA AND DOOB and Lila's father in MR. BARRINGTON. SILENCE is Bill's 22nd play with The Originals. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

       Jessica Peck

Jessica Peck has been performing with The Originals since the early days of the company and their newly established residency at The Saco River Grange Hall. For Jessica's first show with the company, Godspell, she recalls asking the directors while still in the rehearsal process, if she could miss two of the three performances so that she could celebrate her Great-Grandmother's hundredth birthday. That was in 1991, (we all know what their answer to that question would be today), and she has gone on to perform in 11 productions with The Originals since that time. Jessica has performed on stages in 12 U.S. states and in Europe. She has been in several commercials and films including Mercury Rising with Bruce Willis and Empire Falls. Jessica has also produced a few short films through Saco River Community Television in Hollis and was a co-founder and host of the annual Cookies in the Mill Independent Short Film Festival held in Biddeford, Maine. Jessica's interests include hiking, skijoring, martial arts training, (Jessica earned her Black Belt in Tae-Kwon-Do), cooking and sharing time with her family.

       Lanna Lee Maheux

Lanna has worked with the Originals off-and-on since 1992 when she appeared as Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Other roles include "Margaret Meade"/Tribe in the 1998 production of Hair; Chick Boyle in Crimes of the Heart (1993); and the Governor in Man of La Mancha (2005). While living in New York City, Lanna performed improv with several troupes, most notably Mmm Comedy, which had a weekly Improv/Sketch/Variety show in Hell's Kitchen. Lanna is also an award-winning balloon twister and clown who has twisted balloon animals since 1990. Her balloons have been seen in Maxim Magazine and she taught at Twist & Shout 2004, The Best Balloon Twister's and Entertainer's Convention.

        Molly W.B. Roberts

Molly has been performing on stage since the age of 4.  Bitten by the acting bug at an early age, she has never looked back.  Some of her favorite roles have been as Juror #3 in Twelve Angry Women, Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web, Mama in I Never Saw Another Butterfly, Sr. Robert Ann in Nunsense, Louise in Always Patsy Cline, and Gertie in Fuddy Meers.  Molly has been performing with The Originals since 1999, and is thrilled to have found a home there.  When not on stage, Molly enjoys acting for the silver screen as well.  She recently completed 2, an independent film with Empty House Films, as the lead female, Sarah.  Molly’s other film credits include a nun in Mr. Barrington, and as Vintage Face Dancer in Move Your Face, a film by Topper Carew that premiered at the Maine Film Festival in 2007.  Molly also enjoys costuming and makeup application.  She was a founding member and Costume Director for the ParSem Players.  Some of her costuming credits include Director & Builder for Twelfth Night and I Never Saw Another Butterfly; Costume Assistant & Builder for Dracula, Pippin, and Mr. Barrington.

 

 

       Rob Cameron

Rob couldn’t be happier to have found the Originals, a small professional company who produces truly unique and amazing work in southern Maine. A Mainer by choice but not birth, Rob hails from New York City where he has worked off Broadway at UBU Rep, La Mama, The Mint Theatre and the Flea Theater. Off-off Broadway, he has been seen with American Globe Theatre, Black Moon Theatre Co, Abingdon Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Source and twice in the NY International Fringe Festival. He is also the founder and executive director of the Riverside Shakespeare Theatre where he was seen in Much Ado About Nothing, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night. Regionally, Rob has worked at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Berkshire Theater Festival, Hartford Stage Co, Asolo Theatre Company, Peterborough Players and Lost Nation Theatre. When not acting, Rob has been a bartender in Times Square, a stilt walker at Foxwoods Casino, a grounds keeper at the Quaker cemetery in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and the toy soldier who stands in front of F.A.O Shwarz. Some of his quick highlights are selling roller skates to Salmon Rushdie and having Philip Seymour Hoffman come to his dressing room to congratulate him after a show. Rob is a member of Actor’s Equity Association.

        Elisabeth Hardcastle

Elisabeth is thrilled to be making her debut with the Originals. Elisabeth grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York state, and moved to Maine after receiving her BA in Theatre Arts from SUNY Buffalo. You may have seen her in the role of Mandy in the American Irish Repertory Ensemble’s production of Eclipsed this past January, or as Helena in Doc Faust during last summer’s Maine Performing Arts Festival. She has also enjoyed working with Theater Project in Brunswick in such plays as Macbeth, Servant of Two Masters and Pentecost, as well as the Theatre at Monmouth in the children’s play The Odyssey. Elisabeth lives in New Gloucester with her husband Nate, their black lab Benny and their fat cat Mia. Her passions include cooking, gardening and silversmithing.

       Lowell McCurtis Jeffers (Jeff)

Jeff began working with The Originals in 1991, when he took on the role of Lovin' Al in WORKING. He has since appeared in fifteen other Originals productions, including THE 1940's RADIO HOUR, HAIR, THE LUCKY SPOT, FOOL FOR LOVE, TWO ROOMS and LITTLE EGYPT. He also appeared in both THE BALLAD OF IDA AND DOOB and MR. BARRINGTION. Jeff has worked with various regional companies, in productions of THE FULL MONTY, OF MICE AND MEN, WILHELM REICH IN HELL, THE RESPECTFUL PROSTITUTE, WOMEN OF MANHATTAN, and many others.

 

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