Rover Dramawerks Searching for treasures, new and rediscovered, for theatre "off the beaten path." Our Wonderful and Amazing Board of Directors (Who the heck is this "Rover" anyway?) Carol M. Rice, Artistic Director, has been involved in theatre for over twenty-five years. She is a co-founder of Rover Dramawerks and served as President of the board for eight years and continues to serve as artistic director. Carol was a member of the charter company of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park and has also been a company member with the Gryphon Players and has worked with many other regional theatres in Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. She co-founded Bucket Productions and served as President/Artistic Director for two years and served as Artistic Director for Mesquite Theatre for four years. Carol has directed and acted throughout the metroplex and has received awards in directing, playwriting, and design and was a Column Award nominee for acting in both 2006 and 2007. She has directed her own adaptation of The Three Musketeers, and her award-winning melodrama The Belle of West Texas was included in the Mesquite Theatre's 1994 season. Her one-act play, The Dancer, was given a staged reading by Audacity Productions and was subsequently produced at Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre's New Plays Festival. Carol received her Bachelor of Science in Education in Speech Communications/Theatre from Oklahoma Christian University, where she was named Thalian of the Year in 1986. She has taught high school drama, speech, and English, as well as teaching theatre at Dallas Children's Theater, Theatre on the Hill, Rover Dramawerks, and privately. Outside of theatre and teaching, Carol has been an office manager, a systems administrator, a trainer, and a technical writer. She and her husband Jason have two sons, ages 4 and 6. Jenifer Balch is honored to serve as the President of the Board of Directors for Rover Dramawerks. Jenifer is an attorney with the Dallas firm of Curran Tomko Tarski LLP, where she practices in the area of commercial litigation. Before joining her current firm, Jenifer was an attorney with a litigation boutique, where she tried cases involving products and premises liability, as well as professional negligence. Immediately following graduation from Southern Methodist University's law school, Jenifer served as briefing attorney for the Honorable Justice Martin Richter at the Fifth District of Texas Court of Appeals. Jenifer brings a unique insight, having been a small business owner and who has a passion for organization. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, Dallas Women Lawyer's Association, Plano Chamber of Commerce, and Texas and Dallas Associations of Young Lawyers. In 2007, Jenifer was selected as a 2007 Texas Rising Star in the area of Appellate Practice by Texas Monthly. Ron Eubanks serves as Vice President, Business Manager and Chair of the Rover Dramawerks Fund Raising Committee. He is the president of Admissions Consulting Services, which provides guidance to families seeking residential treatment programs for young people at risk. He holds a Business Administration degree from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Education from The University of North Texas. He is a volunteer with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and CITY House, a shelter for teens. He sang in the Austin College a Cappella and Centenary College choirs and was active in theater in college. He has acted and produced for Rover. He has travelled extensively in Europe as well as Asia and South America. As a long-time resident of Plano, he brings community familiarity, a business perspective and arts experience to Rover. Jason Rice, Vice President of Production, has served on the boards of N.M. Productions, StageRight Theatre Company, and Bucket Productions, of which he was also a co-founder. Jason also served as a member of the Artists' Advisory Council of S.T.A.G.E. for a year. He has worked with many regional theatres in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, including Deep Ellum Opera Theatre, Bucket Productions, Plano Repertory Theatre, and Audacity Productions. Jason has acted, directed, written and designed sound for area theaters and has had several of his short plays produced including Every Now and Then at Fourth and Main and The Pitch. He has composed music for both live theatre and video, receiving the Aegis Award for his original composition for Matt Kaufman's film short Willoughby. Jason received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a Physics minor from Texas Tech University, where he did graduate work in music composition. He has worked as a software engineer, specializing in real-time graphics and simulation for commercial and military applications, and has worked on several games for the Nintendo 64™, Playstation2 and Microsoft Xbox™. He holds two patents in the area of real-time and interactive graphics, receiving the nationwide Hughes Electronics Patent Award for one of these patents. Together with Carol, Jason has two theater fanatic sons that are 4 and 6. Charisse McLorren joined Rover Dramawerks in October 2008 and currently serves as the Treasurer on the board of directors. In the recent past she has served as a volunteer for the Metroplex Economic Development Corp in Dallas, a non-profit organization that focuses on entrepreneurial development programs. Charisse has an established career in corporate finance and has worked for companies such as American Express and Lehman Brothers. She's currently a business manager with Raytheon Company in Dallas. She holds two bachelor's degrees from United Christian College in Theology and Religious Education. She is passionate about assisting Rover Dramawerks to grow and continue to positively affect the surrounding communities in North Texas, both culturally and fiscally. Lisa Devine is proud to call Rover her artistic home as a resident director, a member of the artistic committee and a member of the board of directors. She holds an MFA in Directing New Works from the University of Oklahoma. Some highlights of her professional theater career include world premieres of several new scripts; working with Tony Award winner John Cullum; modernizing a musical in conjunction with the Leonard Bernstein Estate; having a show run for 6 months in Chicago; and hosting playwrights Steven Dietz and Stephen Massicotte when Rover produced their respective plays. Some of the shows that she is the proudest of are the ones that she has directed for Rover are Private Eyes, An Infinite Ache, Mary's Wedding and Veronica's Room. As an educator she has coached actors at the college/university level at some of the country's top acting conservatories, including DePaul University, Rutgers University and University of the Arts. She teaches across three academic disciplines: Theater, Communication, and Film. In 2001, the world-premiere production of Cheating Death received 22 awards, including Judge's Choice and Directing at the national play competition KC/ACTF. In 2006, Lisa was nominated for Leading Educator of Higher Education in Philadelphia, PA. Her research areas include the Holocaust, Theater of the Oppressed, and Censorship in the Arts. She is currently on faculty at Collin College Theater Department and is the coordinator for Rover Adult Education. Lisa also sits on the Artistic Advisory Board for the Off-Broadway company Theater East. Next summer, after she directs Rover's production of Days of Wine and Roses, she will travel to NYC to direct Theater East's New York premiere of Tim Blake Nelson's Eye of God. Terrie Justus is a fifth-generation Dallasite who knew, when she performed in her first ballet recital, at the tender age of four, that she belonged on the stage. She studied ballet for ten years under Phillip Johnson, and at the Edith James School of Dance. In high school, she acted, performed in musicals, and won awards in UIL One-Act Play competitions. She majored in Theater Arts at Austin College, Sherman, Texas, where she met her future husband, Bill. Marriage, and children, put the brakes on her theatrical pursuits, but she kept busy as a PTA board member and president. She also served for several years on the board of the Tuzer Ballet Company, of Richardson, where her daughter, Joslyn, was a student. In 1996 she returned to the stage, along with her daughter, in a production of Steel Magnolias. She has since appeared on stage at Rockwall Community Playhouse and Garland Civic Theatre. Her first performance with Rover Dramawerks was in Lady Windermere's Fan, in 2003. That same year she joined their board of directors. She has since appeared in numerous Rover productions, and served as properties designer, crew, and general flunky for many others. Her most recent performance was in the critically-acclaimed production of Veronica's Room, which opened Rover's ninth season in 2008. Martha Kosel serves on the board of directors, as well as on several committees for Rover Dramawerks. Most recently she held the office of Treasurer. Martha is a software architect and has worked for such companies as Frito-Lay, Allegiance Telecom, Q4i, Inc. She currently leads projects for Infor Global Technologies Solutions. She holds bachelor degrees from Texas A&M in Marketing and Computer Programming, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. Martha brings a great deal of drive, initiative and business acumen to the board. She is excited to assist in the continued growth and success of Rover Dramawerks and the growth of theatre in North Texas. Michael Rathbun has served as a member of the Rover Dramawerks Board since November 2007, but has been involved with various Rover productions since 2004. He has served as a member and officer of the Board of Frisco Community Theatre here in Texas, and on the Board of Management of Geelong Radio 3YYR in Australia. Passion for all things theatrical began in elementary school, and he has acted in productions of two professional companies in Australia. His professional career has involved various technology systems since 1972 and has ranged from designing fuel injection control software for automobile engines to designing and leading technical support teams. He is currently managing Standards and Practices for an on-line advertising firm. Barry M. Schneider has served on theatre and other non-profit arts boards for over 15 years, including the Odyssey Theatre Board of Directors in Los Angeles, a Hollywood Bowl/LA Philharmonic Board and the Business & Professional Committee of the LA Opera. He is a principal and co-founder of SAGE PDI, Inc., a marketing consulting firm that guides professionals and their firms in growing their business. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MA in English Literature from the Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree from Harvard College. A recent arrival to North Texas, he started with Rover Dramawerks as a playwright for One Day Only 11. He brings to Rover broad marketing expertise, diverse board experience, and a passion for live theatre that has encompassed productions around the world, from London to Moscow, Beijing to Chicago, Los Angeles to Paris, as well as regular visits to New York. Mark-Brian Sonna grew up in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. At 15 he moved to the United States and began pursuing acting and dance. He holds a BA in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University and a BA in Spanish, with an emphasis on Drama and Poetry from California State University Fullerton. He did master studies with a concentration in Medieval Spanish Literature. He was a company member of Richardson Ballet, now known as Tuzer Ballet, and was accepted into the world- renowned Harness Ballet. He has appeared in such ballets as Don Quixote, Swan Lake, and he became most known for his 90 leaps and jumps in 65 seconds in the Russian variation of The Nutcracker. Trained in all areas of dance he has also been in charge of re-creating original the choreography of Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Michael Bennett, and Fred Astaire for various ceremonies and award shows. ......more, lots more In 2004 he founded MBS Productions, with the purpose of exclusively presenting world premiers, new translations, or new adaptations of classic works. His translations have been unanimously praised by audiences, critics and scholars for their accuracy and being able to capture the essence of the original author. Mark-Brian Sonna is represented by the Linda McAlister agency. On a personal note, he enjoys eating enchiladas Rick Tuman is a director, actor, educator and manager. Active in theatre since age 8, he works as a program manager in Corporate and Continuing Education at Brookhaven College and is associate theatre faculty at Collin College's Spring Creek Campus. He is also been faculty at Tarrant County College and the University of North Texas. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Rick considers himself a well-rounded individual who prides himself on using common sense and humor in both theatre and business, be it on the stage, class or boardroom. He earned a BA in Communications from Queens College in New York and an MFA in Drama from Syracuse University, where he majored in directing, with a minor in business. He is on the board of directors for Rover Dramawerks and Mesquite Community Theatre and works seasonally as a UIL One-Act Play Adjudicator. Some plays Rick has directed are Last Monday, Hideaway, Pitching to the Star, Cat's-Paw, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, The Dining Room, I Left a Dead Man in a Bathtub in England, The Housekeeper, The Foreigner, and several staged readings. Plays he has acted include South Pacific, Grease, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Apple Tree, The Man Who Came to Dinner, All My Sons, The Diary of Anne Frank, Betty's Summer Vacation, and several musical revues. Rick and his wife Nichelle have two children, Samuel and Cassidi, and two grandchildren.   *webmaster's note: This is truly an amazing board (except maybe this guy). You would not believe what these people are able to do in a room together. If this "theatre thing" doesn't work out, we ought to put them in charge of something really big, like the UN or Nasdaq or something (Imagine a day on the Dow Jones being really FUN). They are also some of the sweetest most fun folks we have ever ever met. Yeah, websites are supposed to stay kind of agnostic, especially in the arts, but these people are such a flat out blessing, that ya just gotta call it by name. Anyway, back to "the attitude" - So what, you should ask, is so special about Rover? Actually, that is easy. Every show, every script, every actor, every director that works with Rover is a discovery. Our discovery made yours. Many high minded artistic mission statements tout the need to elicit questions from an audience. Questions about Existence. Questions about Art. Questions about Life. We only want you to ask yourself one: Why doesn't everyone? ...Do this script ? ...Use this space ? ...Hire this director ? ...Cast this actor / actress ? ...Offer childcare ?

Off the beaten path.
We mean it.

And if you have a second - - Z

The calmer more casual spiel:

Rover Dramawerks

Searching for treasures, new and rediscovered, for theatre "off the beaten path."

Rover Dramawerks produces lost or forgotten works of well-known authors,
revives excellent scripts that have suffered from lack of exposure,
and discovers unknown gems of the stage.

As a resident theater company in Plano's Cox Building Playhouse, we support a diverse group of artists and production talent in presenting theatre that engages the imagination. Founded by women, Rover Dramawerks is a response to the cultural needs of the community and is dedicated to its enrichment.

We are a Plano-based theatre company, and our goal is to draw on the community for our audience base, artistic talent, and production staff. We are working to develop a strong performing arts community in North Dallas by nurturing the large number of unfocused artists, performers, and unserved patrons of the arts in the area.

Despite significant achievements in the public high schools and other educational institutions, there exist few local opportunities for students of theatre and performing arts. We are changing that through outreach and cooperative development and by recruiting local students when possible. We strive to offer study guides to local schools for appropriate productions.

Our children's program includes classes in acting and improvisation, tools for the stage and confidence for life. Our children's productions are usually cast using a mix of children and adults and are often students' first foray into the complexities of interdependent teamwork, personal discipline, growth and acknowledgment, and a unified singular goal larger than one's self.

Our adult classes provide local artists an opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best talent in the area and network with their peers.

To build adult audiences, we are developing options of childcare for young families that would be excluded from the arts. Our pioneering efforts to collaborate with area businesses are beneficial both to our patrons and our partners, addressing the single most neglected issue of a modern theater audience.

Rover Dramawerks provides a professional experience for our patrons, actors, directors, designers, and technicians, relying upon area resources whenever possible, preferring to cultivate local talent over transient "guest artists."

Rover Dramawerks
...theatre off the beaten path.

Join us for the adventure.

Past Productions

Everything in the Garden by Edward Albee
(July 2001) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

Mrs. California by Doris Baizley
(October 2001) at the Trinity River Arts Center

The one-act play The Whole Shebang by Rich Orloff
(March 2002) as a part of WaterTower Theatre's Out of the Loop Festival
(also performed in the classroom theatre at the Bath House Cultural Center)

The short plays festival One (More) Day Only!
(August 2002) as a co-production with Audacity Productions
at the ArtCentre Theatre of Plano

The Ride Down Mt. Morgan by Arthur Miller
(September 2002) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde
(January 2003) at the ArtCentre Theatre of Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only 3!
(February 2003) as a co-production
with Audacity Productions at the Mesquite Arts Center

The one act plays Bags by Anne V. McGravie,
The Dancer by Carol M. Rice, and
Invisible Ticket by Lief Woods
(May 2003) as a part of Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre's
New Plays Festival
(Bags was also presented at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano
as a part of the Texas Nonprofit Theatres AACT Fest)

Romanoff and Juliet by Peter Ustinov
(August/September 2003) at the ArtCentre Theatre of Plano

Morphic Resonance (regional premiere) by Katherine Burger
(October 2003) at the Stone Cottage at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

War of the Worlds by Howard Koch
(October/November 2003) at the ArtCentre Theatre of Plano

A staged reading of Fraudart by Lloyd Birdwell
(November 2003) at Ozona Restaurant

Right Around Here, three one-act plays by local playwrights
Greasy Spork by Marc Rouse,
Every Now and Then at Fourth and Main by Jason Rice, and
The Pitch by Matthew J. Edwards
(March 2004) as a part of WaterTower Theatre's Out of the Loop Festival.

The short plays festival One Day Only 4!
(March 2004) as a co-production
with Audacity Productions at the Plaza Theatre in Garland

Claptrap by Ken Friedman
(April/May 2004) at the Mesquite Arts Center

Spider's Web by Agatha Christie
(July/August 2004) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

The short plays festival One Day Only 5!
(September 2004) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

War of the Worlds by Howard Koch
(October 2004) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

Private Lives by Noel Coward
(January/February 2005) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

Staged readings of Love and Understanding by Joe Penhall and
Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn
(April 2005) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann-Marie MacDonald
(April 2005) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre,
with a two-week extension at Frisco Community Theatre (May 2005)

The Best of One Day Only!
(June 2005), featuring highlights of the past five
One Day Only! play festivals at Frisco Community Theatre

Little Footsteps by Ted Tally
(July/August 2005) at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre

The short plays festival One Day Only 6!
(August 2005) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus by Andrew J. Fenady
(December 2005) as a co-production with Frisco Community Theatre

Agatha Christie's Love From a Stranger adapted by Frank Vosper
(February/March 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The Near-Sighted Knight and the Far-Sighted Dragon by Eleanor and Ray Harder
(March/April 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only 7
(April 2006) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

Our Voices, a staged reading sharing the stories
of our fellow North Texans who are living or dealing in some form with HIV/AIDS
(June 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The Baltimore Waltz, by Paula Vogel
(June/July 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

Sideways Stories From Wayside School,
a play by John Olive adapted from Louis Sachar's Wayside School novels
(July 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only 8
(August 2006) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

A workshop production of Hecate Hill by Bill Fountain
(September 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in cooperation with Write Around Here

Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn
(September/October 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

A staged reading of First Kiss by Rick A. Elina
(October 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in cooperation with Write Around Here

A staged reading of A Medal for Murder by Ken Freehill and Darryl Allara
(October 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in cooperation with Write Around Here

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Tom McCabe
(November 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

“Conversation with the Artist” – Steven Dietz
(January 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in association with the Dallas Theatre League

Private Eyes by Steven Dietz
(January/February 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only 9
(February 2007) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

A one-act version of Two Rooms by Lee Blessing
(February 2007) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano
as a part of the Texas Nonprofit Theatres AACT Fest

A staged reading of Kierkegaard’s Gambit by Lon Rogers
(October 2006) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in cooperation with Write Around Here

Frame 312 by Keith Reddin
(March 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

A staged reading of Evening Star Rising by Lon Rogers
(May 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in cooperation with Write Around Here

Surviving Grace by Trish Vradenburg
(May/June 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only X
(June 2007) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by John Bishop
(August/September 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

A staged reading of Murder at the Orient Burlesque by Carol M. Rice
(September 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano
in cooperation with Write Around Here

Two Rooms by Lee Blessing
(November 2007) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

An Infinite Ache by David Schulner
(January/February 2008) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only 11
(March 2008) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

Upcoming Productions

The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt
(April 2008) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

Gilligan's Island: The Musical
Book by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz
Music and Lyrics by Hope Juber and Laurence Juber
(June 2008) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

Mary's Wedding by Stephen Massicotte
(July/August 2008) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

The short plays festival One Day Only 12
(August 2008) at the Courtyard Theatre of Plano

Shakespeare in Hollywood by Ken Ludwig
(September/October 2008) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

Veronicas' Room by Ira Levin
(October/November 2008) at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano