AUGUST 16 & 17, 2024 | DOGWOOD DELL

ANY VIDEO AND/OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

DIRECTION by Josh Polk

MUSICAL DIRECTION by Betsy Podsiadlo

STAGE MANAGEMENT by Courtney Thompson

SCENIC/PROP DESIGN by Amy Almond

COSTUME DESIGN by Kasey Brown

AUGUST 16 & 17, 2024 | DOGWOOD DELL

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN is presented by arrangement with

Concord Theatricals Corp. www.concordtheatricals.com

presents

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Welcome to Dogwood Dell and the Festival of the Arts

sponsored by the Richmond City Parks and Recreation

Department. For many years, SPARC’s summer show at

Dogwood Dell was highly anticipated by Richmonders.

It’s been 30 years since SPARC has performed at the Dell

and we are thrilled to be back. We hope for those of you

that remember, this show will invoke fond memories, and for those

of you new to the SPARC community, we hope our young artists

will inspire you. We are so proud of our extraordinary cast of actors

and are grateful for the leadership of our artistic and production

teams that have made this evening possible!

SPARC profoundly inﬂuences the lives of young people through-

out our community. Through productions like this one, classes,

and summer camps, SPARC is enriching their lives through excep-

tional performing arts education. We serve 1,200 young people in

the Richmond community between the ages of 4 to 18, annually.

Our dedicated team of full-time faculty members focus on helping

young people gain conﬁdence, expand their creativity, and foster

self-expression in a safe environment that stresses belonging and

healthy forms of risk-taking. We have a generous scholarship pro-

gram and, since our inception over 43 years ago, never let a ﬁnan-

cial barrier prevent someone from participating.

Our fall classes start soon and have already begun to ﬁll up. If you

would like to learn more about our oerings, please visit our web-

site, www.sparcrichmond.org. If you know someone who would

thrive in SPARC’s programs, please encourage them to register

for an upcoming fall class. And as you consider which charitable

causes you are the most passionate about, please think of SPARC

and the thousands of lives we transform each year. Thank you and

enjoy the show!

Thank you!

John Tong

Executive Director

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT I

Opening ...................................................................................Company

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown .................................... Company

Schroeder ......................................................................................... Lucy

Snoopy .........................................................................................Snoopy

My Blanket and Me ........................................................................ Linus

The Kite ............................................................................ Charlie Brown

The Doctor is In ................................................ Charlie Brown & Lucy

Beethoven Day ............................................... Schroeder & Company

ACT II

My New Philosophy ............................................Sally with Schroeder

The Baseball Game ................................. Charlie Brown & Company

Glee Club Rehearsal .............................................................. Company

Little Known Facts ........................Lucy with Linus & Charlie Brown

Suppertime ..................................................................................Snoopy

Happiness ................................................................................Company

SPARC programs are made possible in part by:

SPECIAL THANKS TO

CAST LIST

Sally Brown ............................................................................... Brigid Graham

Lucy Van Pelt .................................................................................Jamya Luck

Snoopy .......................................................................................... Finn Koehler

Schroeder ....................................................................Caleb Brown McWhite

Charlie Brown ............................................................................... Rhys Haskin

Linus Van Pelt ...................................................................... Holden Reynolds

Ensemble & Charlie Brown Understudy .............................Mannie Francis

Ensemble & Snoopy Understudy .....................................Nicolette Harville

Ensemble & Sally Brown Understudy ......................................Claire Brown

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION TEAM

Production Manager ....................................................... Amy Almond

Assistant Production Manager ........................Courtney Thompson

Technical Director .................................................Sheamus Coleman

Sound Playback ........................................................... Cayden Bivens*

Spotlight Operator ....................................................... Theo Mattera*

Backstage Crew ............................................................Rhodes Lifsey*

Paint Crew .................................................... El Markee & Abram Clear

Build Crew .........................................Rhodes Lifsey*, Theo Mattera*,

& Brendan Hallstrom*

*Denotes SPARC Student

DOGWOOD DELL TEAM

Recreation Services Supervisor ............................... Cameron Booth

Production Manager ............................................Molly Montgomery

Technical Director ................................................................ Ben Burke

Assistant Technical Director ................Sophie Solomon Resplandy

Master Electrician ...................................................... Tristan Ketcham

Costumes .......................................................................... Kasey Brown

Sound Engineer ............................................................. Bryan Walthall

Assistant Sound Engineer .............................................Tristan O’Shea

Stage Technicians ............Erin Little, Melanie Kiser, & Brigid Tamas

BRIGID GRAHAM (SALLY BROWN) is thrilled to be a part

of her 9th show with SPARC. A rising high school soph-

omore, some of Brigid’s past credits include Patricia

Foder in Crazy For You (ArtsToALL), Lady of the Lake in

Spamalot (SPARC), Louisa in The Sound of Music (JFT),

Hot Blades Harry/Penny U/S in Urinetown (SPARC) and

Joanne in Rent (JFT). She has a love for dancing and is a proud

student of Passion Academy Dance. Her favorite styles are tap and

ballet. Brigid would like to thank Josh, Betsy, Courtney and the

amazing cast of talented people for making this show happen. She

hopes you enjoy the show! And remember that life is free and easy

when you are more philosophyzy!

CALEB BROWN MCWHITE (SCHROEDER) is truly grate-

ful to be part of this show. He is a rising sophomore and

Theatre II student at Henrico High School. Caleb has

been taking SPARC classes/camps since he was 4 years

old. He has been in other SPARC productions such as

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and

Once on This Island Jr. When not performing, he can be found

singing, writing, and hanging out with his friends.

CLAIRE BROWN (ENSEMBLE/SALLY BROWN US) is a

rising junior at J.R. Tucker High School, where she is

a member of the chorus and theater programs. She is

also in the Center For Spanish Language and Global

Citizenship at Tucker, where she is studying to be ﬂuent

in Spanish. Her favorite roles include Annie in Annie Jr.

and the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. She would like to thank

her friends and family and hopes you enjoy the show!

FINN KOEHLER (SNOOPY) has been in many perfor-

mances and classes throughout their life. Some of their

favorite shows they’ve done include Annie (Annie), The

Prom (Ensemble/Emma Understudy), Men on Boats

(OG), and Once Upon a Mattress (Jester). Finn has par-

ticipated in the Cadence/VaRep TRAIN Pre-Professional

Acting - Musical Theatre Technique class for both the 2020-2021

CAST BIOS

and the 2021-2022 school years. They also took part in A Cadence

Cabaret in the 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 summer seasons.

HOLDEN REYNOLDS (LINUS VAN PELT) is excited for

his favorite blanket’s debut at Dogwood Dell! Favorite

credits include Urinetown (Bobby Strong) and The Cu-

rious Incident… (Voice 4; Christopher U/S) with SPARC,

Peter Pan Jr. (Peter Pan) and The Prom (Ensemble) with

the JFT, and Carrie: The Musical (Ensemble) with Ca-

dence. A rising sophomore, he also performs with SPARC’s Touring

Ensemble and the Cadence Cabaret. Special thanks to family and

friends! Instagram: hahareynolds

JAMYA LUCK (LUCY VAN PELT) is so grateful to be part

of such a great show. She is a rising sophomore and

will be a musical theatre level 2 at Henrico High School.

Jamya has been taking classes at SPARC since she was

9 and has been in The Curious Incident of the Dog in

the Night-Time, All Together Now, James and the Giant

Peach, Help Desk and Spamalot. When she’s not performing, she

enjoys singing, dancing, acting, and cheerleading.

MANNIE FRANCIS (ENSEMBLE/CHARLIE BROWN US)

is a Senior. Mannie was seen in Once Upon a Mattress

(King Sextimus) and SPARC’s production of Urinetown

(Barrel). Mannie was part of The Page to Stage Sum-

mer Camp, where she was in Peter and the Starcatcher

(Molly). She is the Producer of Video Announcements

and the National Thespian Society. Mannie is the Co-Captain of

her school’s improv team. During her free time, she likes to play

video games and watch movies. Mannie would like to thank her

family, friends, and all the rest of the people that came out to see

her.

NICOLETTE HARVILLE (ENSEMBLE/SNOOPY US) is

participating in her ﬁrst show at SPARC. She is currently

a senior at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for

the Arts. She has recently been in Once Upon a Mattress

(Lady Lucille) and Men on Boats (Seneca). Recently, she

was awarded her gold award in Girl Scouts. At school,

Nicolette is the President of the International Thespian Society and

is the Co-captain of the skETCh improv team. Nicolette thanks her

parents as well as her grandparents for their support.

RHYS HASKIN (CHARLIE BROWN) welcomes you to

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Dogwood Dell!

Some of his past productions with SPARC have been as

Robin in Spamalot in 2022 and the production intern on

Urinetown last winter! When he’s not performing, you

can catch Rhys with his family, reading, watching Glee,

or rotting in bed. Enjoy the show!

Headshots by Tom Topinka

PRODUCTION BIOS

JOSH POLK (Director/Choreographer - He/Him) SPARC directo-

rial debut! Josh is a multi-passionate artist and experienced direc-

tor, choreographer, and performer. Recent creative credits include

Matilda Jr. (Music Director, SPARC), Mad Libs, Live! (Choreogra-

pher, Mill Mountain Theatre), Charlotte’s Web (Assoc. Director/

Choreographer, Mill Mountain Theatre), and The Best of Broadway

(Vocalist, Mill Mountain Theatre). JMU MT ‘22.

BETSY PODSIADLO Music Director) is a producer, performer,

composer, and educator based in Richmond, VA. After spending a

year touring with Beth Morrison Projects as the 2023 Mellon Pro-

ducing Fellow, Betsy chose to focus her energy on community

art-making in the Mid Atlantic region and researching artistic prac-

tices for long careers. She now leads Classical Revolution RVA as

their Executive Artistic Director, conducts the Progressing Choir

with City Singers Youth Choirs,music directs with SPARC, and Cre-

ative Directs for Art Grove Newsletter with her partner and co-

founder Tom Jakob. Betsy also teaches private voice and violin les-

sons as part of her private voice studio and with The Music School

at Salisbury Presbyterian Church. She can also be seen around

town performing with local indie band, Brookhouse and walking

her dog Otter.

COURTNEY THOMPSON (Stage Manager - They/Them) is excited

to be a part of this production. Originally from Mississippi, they’ve

been at SPARC for 3 years now and have worked as a stage man-

ager since 2018. Favorite credits include As You Like It, Dancing at

Lughnasa, and Texas the Outdoor Musical.

AMY ALMOND (Scenic/Props Designer - She/Her) wears many

hats at SPARC, the main two being Associate Director of Programs

and Production Manager. Outside of SPARC she stage manages

professionally. Favorite productions include The Curious Incident

of the Dog in the Night-Time (SPARC), Romeo & Juliet (Saratoga

Shakespeare Company) and Time Stands Still (Theatrix). Amy holds

a degree in Theatre Management and Performance from the Uni-

versity of Nebraska-Lincoln.

SHEAMUS COLEMAN (Technical Director) is proud to be working

with SPARC again after having done Hamlet for Richmond Shake-

speare. She has previously been a Technical Director for The Santa

Closet at Richmond Triangle Players, and for Matilda at Dogwood

Dell.

SPARC’s programs support youth ages 4-18 in

building experience and conﬁdence in the world

of performing arts. From classes to shows to

summer camps and more, SPARC oers year-

round theatrical training that promotes creativity,

community, and life skills.

Explore our full catalog of oerings for the fall and

learn more about SPARC at sparcrichmond.org!

Photo by Chuck Rudisill

Photo by Jack Ziegler

Fal Fun at

All SPARC programs are made possible, in part, by the generous support of:

sparcrichmond.org

SPARC STAFF

Administration

Executive Director ...................................................................John Tong

Bookkeeper ........................................................................ Aaron Roland

Payroll Manager .................................................................. Bonnie Grow

Development

Director of Development ......................................... Juanita Ashburne

Assistant Director of Development ........................... Amanda Mullins

Programs

Director of Programs ............................................................. Liz Earnest

Associate Director of Programs .......................................Amy Almond

Programs Coordinator ........................................Courtney Thompson

Programs Assistant ........................................................ Megan Rudman

Senior Faculty ........................................... Heather Falks, Paul S. Major

Associate Faculty ... Josh Polk, Katrinah Carol Lewis, Laine Wagner

Touring Ensemble Director ...........................................Allison Beckett

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President.....................................................................Marc A. Greenberg

Immediate Past President .............................................. Pam Belleman

Secretary ............................................................................Matt Reynolds

Treasurer ...................................................................... Terrance F Wilson

Christie-Jo Carter Adams, Brad Armstrong, Diane Carnohan,

Lynn Greer, Jason Hatcher, Anne-Marie Irani M.D.,

Susan Craven Johnson, Shawn Moore, Clara Pettus,

Ann Ramage, Lisa Sims, Linda Warren,

Sam Warren, Cindy Williams

Up next at SPARC

2024-2025 Seasons