No Way Back

Fran is a graduate of The Actors Studio Drama School at the New School for Social Research. In 2001, Gercke co-founded New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad and served as the artistic director until 2008. He co-founded Backyard Renaissance in 2015 and is the artistic director.  Recent roles include:  The Dazzle, American Buffalo, An Experiment with an Air Pump, The Zoo Story, Abundance, Parlour Song, The Elephant Man (Backyard Renaissance); Noises Off, Camping with Henry and Tom, The Explorers Club, Equivocation, Freud’s Last Session (Lamb's Players Theatre); Stupid F***ing Bird, True West, Fool for Love (Cygnet Theatre);  The Behavior of Broadus (Capital Stage Company); In the Next Room, Honky (San Diego Rep);  Accomplice, Suzette Who Set to Sea (La Jolla Playhouse WOW and POP Tour); A Life in the Theatre, Time Stands Still (NCRT); Hurlyburly, Grace, Shining City (ion theatre); The Pride (Diversionary Theatre); Orphans, Playboy of the Western World (New Village Arts); Oleanna, Macbeth, I Hate Hamlet (Intrepid Theatre Company). He is a resident artist with Lamb's Players Theatre and Cygnet Theatre and recipient of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award as an actor and a director, as well as a faculty member at Palomar College, University of San Diego, and California State University San Marcos and teaches privately through ActorsApproach.

Sher Krieger is a San Diego-based producer, presenter, and consultant. She is well-known for productions presented by SMGO Productions, Schroeder’s Club and Cabaret, and Martinis Above Fourth Table + Stage. In addition to working with The Roustabouts and other clients, Sher manages/books A Jewish Joke and Roosevelt: Charge the Bear, both by playwrights Phil Johnson and Marni Freedman.

Jessamyn Foster is thrilled to be stage managing for The Roustabouts. Her local stage manager credits include MOXIE Theatre’s Fade, The Diary of Anne Frank, Ironbound, The Kid Thing, Crumbs from the Table of Joy and The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, Innermission Productions’ Gidion’s Knot, Southwestern College’s Bring it On! and  The Arsonists, Leigh Scarritt Productions’ Brooklyn: The Musical, and California Youth Conservatory’s Into the Woods, Billy Elliott, and The Wiz. She has worked with the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre & Actors and Playwrights Initiative (Kalamazoo, MI), Huntington Theatre & Boston Lyric Opera (Boston, MA), the Big Apple Circus (touring division), Harbor Playhouse (Corpus Christi, TX), Little Theatre of Norfolk, Generic Theatre & Virginia Opera (Norfolk, VA) and Yokosuka International Players (Yokosuka, Japan).  She has a BFA in Stage Management from Boston University an MA in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky. She is also the Production and Operations Manager for the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. 

Tony is happy to be back working with The Roustabouts. He is the Technical Director for the Performing Arts Department at Palomar College. He is a veteran of over 300 set designs around San Diego for such theatres as Backyard Renaissance/La Jolla Playhouse, The Welk, Diversionary, San Diego Comic Opera, J-Company, and San Diego Junior Theatre. Next up is A Christmas Carol at Palomar College in December.

Jessica is the co-founder and executive director of Backyard Renaissance. She has performed as an actor in Backyard Renaissance’s The Dazzle, An Experiment with an Air Pump (SD Critics Circle - Outstanding Featured Performance), Smokefall, Abundance, The Elephant Man, and Parlour Song. Other select work includes North Coast Rep: Gabriel, School for Lies, A Shana Maidel; Lamb's Players Theatre: Noises Off, The Explorer’s Club; Cygnet Theatre: Private Lives, Desire Under the Elms, Mauritius, Communicating Doors, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (SD Playbill - Best Actress), Burn This (SD Critics Circle - Outstanding Lead Performance); ion theatre: Angels in America; New Fortune: Dangerous Liaisons; New Village Arts: The Playboy of the Western World (Patte - Best Actress); and Renaissance Theatre: A View from the Bridge (SD Critics Circle - Outstanding Lead Performance).

Ross  is delighted to be the assistant costume designer for this production. They are a student at San Diego Mesa College studying Fashion Design, concentrating in Theatrical Costuming. This is their first stage production. With eight years background in sewing and design, Ross also regularly receives commissions to recreate costumes for people who part-take in cosplay. In conjunction with completing their studies and working with The Roustabouts, Ross is also currently involved in creating their own fashion line. 

Selected San Diego Design work includes The Dazzle, American Buffalo, Experiment With an Airpump, and Mr. & Mrs. Fitch (Backyard Renaissance), A Kind of Weather and Significant Other (Diversionary), A Raisin in the Sun, Taming of the Shrew(d), Strange Men, Vieux Carré, and Angels in America (UCSD), The Who’s Tommy Benefit Concert and South of the 8 (La Jolla Playhouse), Heaven on Earth (Sledgehammer_), Little Women and Peter and the Starcatcher (The Barn Stage Company). Selected Assistant and Associate work includes Summer, The Donna Summer Musical (La Jolla, Broadway, National Tour), Hamilton (National Tour), Come From Away (National Tour), The Band’s Visit (National Tour), Freaky Friday, Squirrels (La Jolla Playhouse), The Lorax (The Old Globe), The Tales of Hoffman (LA Opera), Christmas Carol (Zachary Scott, Austin). Joel earned an MFA from UCSD and is a proud member of Local USA829 and IATSE 122. joelbritt.com

Matt  is excited to be back with The Roustabouts. Previous credits include A Jewish Joke (The Roustabouts);  Eurydice [2010 San Diego Critics Circle Nominee], Dead Man's Cell Phone, Hickorydickory, ENRON, Eternally Bad, The Kid Thing, Bliss, Voyeurs de Venus, Yoga Play (MOXIE); Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, A Behanding In Spokane, Man of La Mancha, Assassins, Company, Spring Awakening, Pageant, Sons of the Prophet, My Fair Lady, Shockheaded Peter, Spamalot, The Last Five Years (Cygnet); Lizard Boy; The Moors, The Loneliest Girl Alive, This Beautiful City, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Diversionary); Evita; Roz and Ray [2017 San Diego Critics Circle Nominee], Hand To God; Black Pearl Sings, Beachtown, Fun Home, A Doll's House Part 2, Sweat, 33 1/3: House of Dreams, Bad Hombres (San Diego REP); Henry V [2014 San Diego Critics Circle Nominee] (New Fortune). Matt has a degree in Theatrical Design and Technology from SDSU.

Michael is a seven-time EMMY recipient in the Pacific Southwest region. He’s an accomplished Director. His films have won Best Film in 48 Hour Film Project events in six out of twelve attempts, including three films which were selected in the top 20 worldwide, out of over 3000 films. He makes his living doing corporate projects, usually working as a one-man band, doing lighting, sound, camera, and sometimes makeup. Both his writing and editing have won awards. A former Director of Photography in IATSE Local 600, Mike has taught seminars on AfterEffects compositing, lighting for green screen, acting for the camera, and the business of the film business.