CAST & CREATIVE: “Runaway Rue: Reduced!”
BECCA RUSSELL (RUE) is thrilled to return to this show and creative team! She first met Rue on the East Coast during her Off-Broadway debut where she was the female swing for Rescue Rue before hopping coasts for the LA reading of Runaway Rue. This bi-coastal actor is grateful for the ability to shift from coast to coast as opportunities arise. Her favorite live theatre experiences, other than with Rue, include Sesame Street the Musical - Puppeteer/Special Guest Cover (Off-Broadway), Ragtime - Kathleen (Theatre Under the Stars), Shrek - Gingy (Arrow Rock), Little Mermaid - Flounder (Arrow Rock), and Madagascar - Maurice (Crane River). IG: @rebecca.lynn.russell WB: rebeccalynnrussell.com
MARY KATE PETSKY (ALEX & OTHERS) Mary Kate Petsky is a Los Angeles and New York based Actor, Singer, Impressionist, and Voice Actor. Mary Kate performed with Kate Baldwin and Bob Stillman in "Intimate Broadway" at Fabbri Concert Hall and starred in "Who's Paying?" at the 13th Street Repertory Theater. Mary Kate provided the English Dub voices in "The Forest" on Netflix and voiced Sister Cera in "Boxtown", the animated series. Most recently, Mary Kate was in the LA premiere of the new musical "Ink & Paint" at the She L.A. Arts Festival, performed at BroadwayCon for the “Impressions of Broadway” panel, and sang on the Original Cast Recording of “Chasing the Sky”.
ANDREW CANO (MISHKA, MIKEY, & OTHERS) Andrew A Cano is a puppeteer born and raised in Southern California. His most recent puppetry credits including performing for The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Walt Disney Company. Andrew has also performed for over 10+ years at the Happiest Place on Earth in various shows, parades, and special events. His work has taken him to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center for the National Puppetry Conference where he debuted as an Emerging Artist in 2024 with a project spotlighting immigration and deportation. He hopes to continue working on projects that bring the world compassion and empathy.
KELSEY BRADY (SQUISH, MOO, & OTHERS) After years of putting on shows in her bedroom, she has honed her skills as a stage and screen performer. She’s been able to showcase her puppetry at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando, on Amazon and Pluto TV, and on TikTok for her 1 million+ followers. From Blippi to Mystery Science Theater 3000, she’s had the opportunity to originate new characters as well as take over for a legacy robot. She’s very excited to play with Rue and her friends again!!!
ANNA MICHELLE WANG (MISS GLADYS, GRACE, & OTHERS) Anna Michelle Wang is a multifaceted artist and entrepreneur. She has trained with The Jim Henson Company, was an Emerging Artist at the 2019 National Puppetry Conference (Eugene O’Neill Theater Center), and is a co-producer, puppeteer and lyricist for the RADICAL CRAM SCHOOL web series by award winning performance artist Kristina Wong. She is currently rewriting her musical Sandwiched, inspired by her life of caregiving for both her three young children and two ill aging parents.
RUDY MARTINEZ (JACK, ARTEMIS, & OTHERS) Rudy Martinez is a television, stage, and film actor known for his recurring roles on The CW's "Jane The Virgin” and the Netflix series “Dear White People.” He got his start in TV as a host on "Disney 365," a beloved interstitial program on The Disney Channel, and he has had roles on "Grace and Frankie",“The Lincoln Lawer,” “Family Reunion,” "Speechless," “Veronica Mars,” and many more. Rudy earned his BFA from UC Santa Barbara where he received a grant to study puppetry. This allowed him to create a found-object puppetry play called “Beginnings.” Apropos to the title, that was the start of a decade filled with puppetry commissions for several theater companies. In 2018 Rudy starred as Pinocchio in “Wood Boy Dog Fish” produced by Rogue Artist Ensemble. He made his directorial debut in 2020 receiving a grant to create a puppet film for Heather Henson’s “Handmade Puppet Dreams” film series. Rudy’s film, HAM, tells the story of the first chimp in space and is currently being featured at several film festivals nationwide and internationally.
YANNIV FRANK (STEFEN & OTHERS) Yanniv Frank is an artistic creative with a focus on telling uplifting stories through puppetry. Yanniv holds an MFA in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut and a BA in Performing and Visual Arts from CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies. Favorite performance credits include Off-B’way: Sesame Street The Musical, The Pocket Park Kids. Nat’l Tour: AJR The Maybe Man Tour, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. Yanniv has built puppets for stage and screen including Boyish Charms, his film that challenges and expands young audiences’ understanding of masculinity. Yanniv created the original stories and characters for Feel Your Best Self which took home the 2023 Kidscreen Award for Best Original Web/App Series. Yanniv is on the board of the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York, and he is an alumnus of The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Puppetry Conference and Sesame Workshop’s Puppeteer Training.
RUE (Production Consultant) is thrilled to be the inspirawtion for her very own musical, and hopes her journey helps doggies, kitties, and many others find their own furever families! Originally from somewhere in West Virginia, Rue was found on the streets and brought to a high-kill shelter, and then rescued by the Badass Animal Rescue and brought to New York City where she met her mom on what they now call Rue-perbowl Sunday (not a National Howliday, but it should be!). Rue's favorite pastimes are eating snackies, napping, sleeping, and eating more snackies. She also likes a good squeaky toy, and loves her human grandma and step-brother Jack Jack, even if he can be annoying sometimes. She understands why her mom wrote a sequel.
STACEY WEINGARTEN (Director, Book, Lyrics; Producer) is an Emmy-winning artist who specializes in writing, directing, and producing musical and puppet works. She develops projects for both stage and screen, often with an agenda of social awareness and understanding through entertainment. Other kids and family works include: Monica’s Mixing Bowl, a digital series that helps families “make friends with food”; Runaway Rue, the second in the ‘Rescue Rue’ series; short films Cone of Shame (A Handmade Puppet Dreams Commission) and Beach Day (48 Hour Puppet Film Project - Award Winner). A former Dramatist Guild Fellow, her favorite projects not-quite-for-kiddos include 5th Republic (DG Fellowship), Madame (NYMF), spirits – the bar plays (Players Theatre NY; Skylight Theater LA), and LUDO’s Broken Bride (Ars Nova; The Cutting Room; NYMF). As a self-described 'puppet person', Stacey's consulted on projects including Blippi’s Treehouse (Amazon) and Reading Buddies (PBS), which includes producing and directing for Seasons 2 and 3! In her life as a puppet wrangler she’s worked everywhere from Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) and Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix) to Crank Yankers (Comedy Central), and Avenue Q (Original Production). She’s also a trained puppeteer, and teaches it, too! Please visit saweingarten.com or follow her @sayetc.
ANGELA PARRISH (Music & Lyrics) As a toddler, Angela Parrish used to eat kibble straight from the food bowl of her poodle, Brandy Doodle. This precocious display of complete commitment to the authentic canine experience paved the way for Angela to meet Stacey, and the two have been writing about pups (and more) ever since!
Angela is a songwriter, composer, record producer, artist, and multi-instrumentalist. She is a joyful collaborator and a musical Swiss Army Knife who thrives in multiple genres. Angela has sung alongside The Weeknd, Jimmy Kimmel, Florence + the Machine, and Mickey Mouse. Millions of cinema devotees heard her buoyant vocals on “Another Day of Sun,” the song that opens the Academy Award-winning film musical La La Land.
Angela most recently wrote the mini-musical “Frankly, Franklin!” for writer/director Rian Johnson’s hit detective series, Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne. She co-wrote songs for the 2020 film Chance, and composed the score for the webseries GLOP! - The Glorious Ladies of Puppetry. She had her Off-Broadway debut as a composer in 2021 with additional music for Rescue Rue. She is the vocal producer for the TV series Batwheels and Slumberkins, both of which feature her songwriting in several episodes. Her songwriting can also be heard in the Disney series Hamster and Gretel.
Angela lives in Los Angeles with her husband in a house owned by their dog, Frank Zappa, who allows them to pay the mortgage. For anyone in LA who needs a great vet recommendation, Angela would love to shout out Dr. Christian Sharp and his team, who have given Zappa excellent care. Twitter, IG, Tik Tok: @songsbyangela
TBD (Musical Director) COMING SOON.
MARGOT LE DUY (Costume Associate) Credits.
RHONDA MILLER (Choreographer) is a highly acclaimed choreographer. Her work has been seen in countless venues nationally and abroad. She has vast experience choreographing for Stage, TV, Film and Commercials. Rhonda is an extremely popular and sought after master teacher of various styles of dance around the world and is proud to have written the highly respected, BFA Commercial dance program for Pace University in New York City. She is thrilled to add the world of puppet choreography to her list of accomplishments. www.rhondamillerdance.com
PETER HODGSON (Music Dept. Consultant) hails from Sacramento, California, but now lives in New York City working as a composer and music director. He holds a BM and an MFA from NYU. Since graduating, he’s been working regionally as a music director, orchestrator, and writing his own shows. Selected: A Christmas Story: LIVE! (FOX), Pippin (B-way revival), West Side Story (Tisch New Theatre) Thanks to the cast and crew, my family, and Bethany. www.peterhodgsonmusic.com
Jack (Production Consultant) COMING SOON.
Moo Kitty (Consultant) COMING SOON.
DAVID GOLDSTEIN (Scenic Design Consultant) loves dogs, puppets, and musicals, and this show checks all boxes! Currently represented Off Broadway by Winnie the Pooh, his other credits include Emojiland, Church and State, Stalking the Bogeymaan, That Golden Girls Show, The Portal, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, Soul Doctor. Regional Credits Include: Timberlake Playhouse, Tibbets Opera House, Cohoes Music Hall, Des Moines Playhouse, Grand Theatre Salt Lake, NC Stage Co, JAG Productions, Luna Stage, WV Public Theatre, Allenberry Playhouse. www.davidgoldsteindesigns.com
VANESSA LEUCK (Costume Design) is a New York City based designer who is thrilled to be collaborating with the team and bringing Runaway Rue to the Hollywood Fringe! Vanessa designed Rescue Rue Off-Broadway and finds the characters a joy to design. She’s currently deigning The Great Gatsby Immersive NYC opening in June. Some other favorite designs: Broadway: True Crime Obsessed Live! (Hayes), Off-Broadway: Emojiland (The Duke on 42nd Street); Outer Critics Circle Honoree, Drama Desk Nominee; Disenchanted! (Westside Theater); Henry Hewes Award Nominee. National Tours: Disney on Ice: Let’s Celebrate!, Disenchanted! (Starvox) Disney on Ice: Frozen, Ringling Brothers’ Barnum and Bailey Circus, and Disney Live! Select Regional Designs: Portland Stage, Capital Repertory Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre, American Music Theatre. Vanessa serves as an assistant professor of costume design at Marymount Manhattan College and is a member of USA 829. Love to Ethan, Aldrin and our fur babies Emmett and DeLorean. vanessaleuckcostumes.com
EMMETT GEORGE (Assistant Director) may be new at this whole ‘life’ thing but he’s figuring it out! He loves dogs, and going to theater, and being near mama so this whole ‘AD’ thing is a pretty sweet gig.
ANDY HAYWARD (Puppet Design) Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Apple TV / Henson), Waffles + Mochi (Netflix / Higher Ground), Come Play (Amblin), Super Simple Songs (Skyship Entertainment). Puppet Design: Miss Persona (Daytime Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Preschool Series), Chuck E. Cheese Entertainment, Sesame Street Live, Bear In the Big Blue House Live. The puppets of Rescue Rue are dedicated to Andy's rescued Shiba Inus, Jeff and Gus. Adopt; don't shop! www.andyhayward.me
GEORGIA WESTWOOD (Props/Run Crew) Georgia Westwood is a prop maker and stop motion animator. She has worked as an art department PA on "Sesame Street" and "Super Pumped" and as a set decoration PA on "The L Word: Generation Q", and has her own stop motion children's web series: "Humphrey's Holiday on Earth". She is pursuing a career in prop and miniature set fabrication as well as development in children's television.
BRIE MANN-HERNANDEZ (Stage Manager) COMING SOON.
ADDITIONAL CREDITS & SPECIAL THANKS
Elise and Harvey Weingarten, Ann Hu, Randy Overland, Sierra Schoening, Former Casts/Creatives/Crews of Rescue Rue, Badass Animal Rescue, Purrs and Purrs Animal Rescue, the Pixie Project, Bree Perry for the design of Fairy Dogmother's Dress.