ELLIOT WHITE (Lysander / Others) is co-Artistic Director of Foster Cat Productions. Select credits: Alan Arkin and Elaine May’s Power Plays (Groundlings), It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman! the Musical (Long Beach Playhouse). Currently developing an original feature with Academy Award-winning producer Jonathan Sanger (Mel Brooks’ The Producers, David Lynch’s The Elephant Man). Other recent successes include a perfect soft scramble, a really nice penne alla vodka with an alright side salad, and he once even used an entire bag of avocados before they went bad! Training: Atlantic Theater Company and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. @elliotwhite_k
WILL FULGINITI (Puck) Usually actor bios are full of previous works done by the artist. Not here and not I. You missed out those creative endeavors but you won’t miss this one- because you are here…now. Pay close attention and you just might find yourself ‘in the moment’. 1, two, 3, four. I declare that I am an actor. One that prefers to have the depths of humanity’s deepest and darkest secrets revealed. Let the magic begin.
RAPHAEL BERGLAS (Francis Flute / Others) is a 2022 BFA in Acting graduate from SUNY Purchase. Some past roles include Mercutio/Bottom in Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s LIVE Tour and Bigfoot in Foster Cat’s Desire Caught by the Tail. Currently, he’s collaborating with Dr. Seuss Enterprises on an exciting new live-action project…
The Cast
HARRY WHITE (Nick Bottom / Demetrius / Director / Others) is Co-Artistic Director of LA based independent theatre company Foster Cat Productions. His production of It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman! garnered attention from the Saturn Awards and had a segment on KTLA. Other select directing/acting credits include performing Off-Broadway with the 24 hour plays, Tosca and Turandot with LA Opera, and LA regional productions of An Evening of One-Acts by Ethan Coen, “archy & mehitabel”, and Moby Dick-Rehearsed.
TREY NICHOLS (Egeus / Others) is an actor, playwright, director, and longtime member of Moving Arts, a Los Angeles theatre company dedicated to developing and producing new plays. He has been a part of LA’s vibrant theatre scene for over 30 years, and has performed in many productions at theatres throughout Southern California. His original solo show A Lesson in Proper Bow-Fluffing Technique (Storey Productions/Moving Arts) was nominated for an LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Best Solo Performance. He most recently appeared in the West Coast premiere of Convention, an immersive play by Danny Rocco. Trey is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, the Dramatists Guild, and is the Board President of The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights. He received a B.S. in Theatre from Northwestern University. Trey also moderates a popular playwriting workshop on Zoom. Trey is thrilled to be part of Foster Cat’s A Midsummer Night’s Musical Comedy!
CAT HEINEN (Hermia / Others) (they/them) is a genderqueer actor, dancer, choreographer, and singer who grew up loving musicals, movie musicals, and Glee. They moved to Santa Monica after studying acting and directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where it was too cold; they currently train with TV director Katie Locke O’Brien and tap with the vintage troupe The Satin Dollz, in much more comfortable temperatures. Recent performance credits include “Mamma Mia! But Different” (Dynasty Typewriter), “Heartbreak Hospital: The Musical” (Hollywood Fringe Festival), and “Covid! The Musical” (Comedy Central). Cat’s favorite choreography project to date is “Hadestown: Teen Edition” produced by PUSD and Pasadena Playhouse.
COOPER MCADOO (Peter Quince / Others) started studying ballet at the age of 6, but transitioned to ice-skating after a harsh comment from a top performer in an unrelated field. Meet him after the show for a tarot reading!
JENA ZIOMEK (Helena / Others) is thrilled to be making her return to musical theater after rumors of her being trapped in a well for the past seven years. You can find more of her work on the show “Manhunt” on AppleTV+, specifically the third episode. She’s done other stuff too, but she has recently found out she gets royalty checks from that one so she’s pushing it hard. Anyways, Jena is currently seeking representation, and she hopes you enjoy the show.
MAX DOWNS (Oberon / Theseus) Recently he performed as "Ernie Cusack" in Rumors and "Richard Greatham" in Hay Fever. He moved here from Chicago where some of his favorite credits include: "Jed Kessler" in Rocket City Alabam', "Richie" in Bleacher Bums, "Barnette Lloyd" in Crimes of the Heart, and "Sheldon Potts" in Junie B. Jones, The Musical. He’d like to thank his parents, Dave and Kris Downs for all of their support over the years. He also wants to thank his wife and best friend Spring Ferrara for all of her love and support.
SPRING FERRARA (Titania / Hippolyta)
Spring is an actress
She hates writing bios
Thanks, Max & Dora
JOHNNY ELKINS(Book, Music, and Lyrics by) Johnny Elkins is a composer, lyricist and writer. He has had over 300 of his songs in film, tv, video, and on streaming platforms and CDs, by a variety of artists including Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ben Vereen. Johnny’s first stage musical, Watch Your Mouth, was written for the American Dental Association and performed in schools. Next, he was commissioned to co-write Leap for the Access Theater in Santa Barbara. He then sold an animated musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet for which he wrote the screenplay, music and lyrics. It takes place between the feuding cat and dog families: the Catulets and the Doguccis.
Some of the films his songs have appeared in include Passengers (Jennifer Lawrence & Chris Pratt), 21 Jump Street (Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum) and Begin Again (Keira Knightly & Mark Ruffalo). Among his TV song placements: CSI, Ray Donovan, Criminal Minds, Shameless, The Unit, Sons of Anarchy, and King of the Hill.
Johnny is currently working on two animated musical projects and recently finished a music video he directed for one of them.
After having 4 readings of Midsummer, (including 2 with the Los Angeles Musical Theater Guild, and 1 at Coachella Valley Rep.), Johnny had the World Premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Musical Comedy this January in Hollywood, Produced by Foster Cat Productions. Harry White returns to direct, along with most of the original cast.
creative team
HARRY WHITE (Director)
CRAIG SHARMAT (Arranger / Orchestrations)
(Adapted from the Shakespeare play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”)
FOSTER CAT PRODUCTIONS (Producer) is a Los Angeles based theatre company, founded by alumni of Atlantic Theater Company's conservatory program. Our mission is to shine a light on lesser known works from great artists. FCP is dedicated to exploring pieces of theatre that join the actors and audience together, striving to challenge the status quo.
The name Foster Cat Productions is inspired by the artistic team's love for fostering sick and stray cats and finding them forever homes (~30 so far)!
The Foster Cats have enjoyed a diverse slate of productions from a sold-out run of Power Plays by Elaine May and Alan Arkin at the iconic Groundlings theatre, to Stephen Sondheim’s Putting It Together which was staged as a benefit for Best Friends Animal Society. Most recently, they brought back the forgotten Superman musical written by the Academy Award-winning writers of the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve.
Other notable works include An Evening of One-Acts by Ethan Coen which was mentioned in the LA Times, the world premiere of a new translation of Pablo Picasso’s Desire Caught by the Tail, and a successful 6-week run of their Festival of Jewish Playwrights, where they spotlighted more work by Shel Silverstein, Wendy Wasserstein and Ethan Coen.
Upcoming: In October, catch the horrifying musical penned by the one and only Stephen King, with music by John Mellencamp. Even sooner we have Zach Braff’s All New People going up at the Broadwater theatre in August. Stay up to date by following us on Instagram! @fostercatproductions
KIM IOSUE (Tech)
Jonathan and Carla Sanger, MacPac Entertainment Productions, Joseph Markovitz, Rachel Kramer, Nancy Kramer, and Gordon Pogoda!
a special thanks to:
