Jill Whitney-Birk

Widow, Choreographer

Jill is thrilled to be back on the stage after an absence of many years where she spent her time directing shows and raising her family. Now as an empty nester, she finds more time to devote to making mixed media art (jillwhitneybirk.com), traveling, learning French and hanging with her always supportive husband, Dave. Returning to do another show with Lynn and Tom (after nearly 30 years) is a dream come true! Favorite roles in the past include Rhetta in Pump Boys and Dinettes, Audrey in Little Shop, Polly in Crazy for You, and Corinne in History Theatre's Last Hooch at the Hollyhocks. Hopefully acting is like riding a bike...

Eric Peltoniemi

Composer, Music Director, Old Guitarist

Eric has since the 1970s worked multiple sides of the music industry (in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, the Twin Cities, and Finland) as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, co-producer of a Grammy-winning album, and record label executive. He got his break as a lyricist and composer in the theater after his discovery in a coffeehouse by his soon-to-be-friends, playwright Lance Belville and artistic director Lynn Lohr of Saint Paul’s History Theater. Beginning in 1983 the trio collaborated on three hit musicals: Plain Hearts (winner of a Twin Cities Drama Critics Circle Kudos Award for Musical Score as well as one for overall Production ), Down to Earth, and Tubal & the Yankee. He later went on to score the musicals, Ten November, with playwright Steven Dietz (nominated for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award [The Jeff] for Best Music) and Heart of Spain, with playwright Peter Glazer (underwritten with a grant from the Opera-Music Theater Program of The National Endowment for the Arts). Several American and Finnish performing artists have recorded his songs over the years. In 2017 he had the pleasure to appear as a singer/actor in the multiple award-winning Finnish film, Ikitie (the Eternal Road), singing a song written for the production. It is an indescribable and emotional honor for him to collaborate on this, Lance Belville’s final work, completing a circle that the two began nearly four decades ago.

Lance S. Belville

Playwright

Lance has had more than 100 productions of 50 plays (six off-and off-off-Broadway). His plays have toured to 30 states. In January 2020, his Qaddafi’s Cook was featured in the Latin American Season of Actors Centre in London’s West End. The recording of Qaddafi’s Cook appeared in 2021’s Orlando DigiFringe, KC Fringe, and the Minnesota Fringe. Lance received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Playwriting, travel awards from the British Council and the Croatian National Theatre, and a Kudos Award for Best New Play from the Twin Cities Drama Critic Circle. He was the founding playwright of History Theatre and became its artistic director. Holding a degree in Cinema from the University of Southern California, Belville won a Silver Medal Award for a documentary from the New York City International Film Festival. He began his writing career as a foreign correspondent in Rio de Janiero for United Press International and then for ABC News.

Tom Berger

Co-Producer, Production Manager, Designer

Tom served in the roles of Managing Director, General Manager, Production Manager, Stage Manager, Tour Director, Educational Project Director and Designer for over 60 world premiere productions by 45 playwrights/composers and took 12 of those shows on tour to 25 states for St. Paul’s History Theatre. Since 2018, he has been a key part of Belville Productions’ Qaddafi’s Cook and Atlanta Burning, Sherman’s Shadows. Tom also recently served as a panel member reviewing artist applications for the Central Minnesota Arts Board. In addition to pursuing artistic endeavors Berger is a small business owner in St. Cloud, MN operating a 24/7courier service focusing primarily on the medical industry.

Wayne Hamilton

Composer

Wayne’s showbiz career includes an MFA in Theatre, 15+ years as an actor/singer in multiple musical productions, 15+ more years as a director and professor of theatre at the U of MN, Concordia, St. Paul and three other schools in Maryland and Virginia, membership in ASCAP, non-profit board service with Minnesota’s Association of Songwriters, Blues Society and Bluegrass & Old-time Music Association, release of more than 70 free songs (available at waynehamilton.com and twotoneduo.com) and authorship of several historical “web books,” including firstonstage.com and burnbraelegacy.com. He met and befriended Lynn Lohr and Lance Belville in 2017 at the 40th anniversary celebration of History Theatre’s founding. But he knew their work, having just finished researching and writing historytheatre-first40.com. A year later, he appeared onstage with Lynn and Jay Nickerson in Lance’s Atlanta Burning, Sherman’s Shadows. He is proud that Lance selected one of his songs for inclusion in Cowboy and Widow, and grateful for the friendships, old and new, that have grown from his small contribution to this play.

Dolan Ellis

Composer

Dolan has been Arizona’s official state balladeer since 1966. Dolan has written more than 300 songs and performed them in most U.S. states, as well as in twenty foreign countries. He specializes in songs of Arizona and the American Southwest, but often goes back to his roots as a jazz musician. He was an original member of The New Christy Minstrels and was with them for their first five albums, several Gold Records, their Grammy for Best Group, major concert appearances, and a full season as regulars on the nationally televised Andy Williams Show. Dolan collaborated with Lance on History Theatre’s Cowgirls, a St. Paul hit and a favorite on the Western touring circuit directed by Lohr.