About the Play
Jane has been accused of shoplifting and finds herself in the holding cell of a local amusement park. There, she meets Michael, who is also being detained - and you won't believe why.
MICHAEL AND JANE had a staged reading on January 18, 2024, as part of the 10-Minute Connection Studio Series at Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati. Along with the other five plays read that night, MICHAEL AND JANE then continued with a workshop performance on the mainstage of ETC on Saturday, August 3rd.
WORKSHOP CREATIVE TEAM
Jared D. Doren*
DIRECTOR
JARED D. DOREN is a local actor, director, and alumni of the 1995-1996 Ensemble Theatre Professional Acting Intern Program. His local directing credits include Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune and Bus Stop, New Edgecliff Theatre; Small Engine Repair and All New People, Untethered Theatre; Assassins, And Then There Were None, and The Elephant Man, Falcon Theatre; and Pump Boys and Dinettes, Carnegie Arts Center. His acting credits include First Date, Around the World in 80 Days, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, The Frog Princess, A Question of Mercy, and Two Weeks with the Queen, Ensemble Theatre. As ETC’s programming and events manager, Jared manages the Studio Series and 1125 Bar Series content, including PLAY/write: The Jackie Demaline Regional Collegiate Playwriting Competition.
Danitza was born in Chicago, Illinois and was raised in Northern Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. She fell in love with stage management during her freshman year of high school. She spent the next four years making the most of the artistic city of Cincinnati by exposing herself to as much theatre as possible. During her time in college, she proudly raised and trained 8 service dogs. Pictured is her personal dog (and fellow Aries), Spitzer. Danitza graduated from the University of Kentucky with her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre in May of 2023. She recently served as the Assistant Stage Management Apprentice for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati for the 2023-2024 season. Danitza is a member of the Stage Managers’ Association. She is also CPR certified and BBP certified.
Danitza Piper
STAGE MANAGER
WORKSHOP CAST
Kate Wilford*
JANE
KATE WILFORD (she/her) was last seen in Hands on a Hardbody at ETC. Some of her favorite ETC credits include Good People, Becky’s New Car, Hands on A Hardbody (2014), and Women of Lockerbie. She has worked at every professional theater in Cincinnati, such as Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Kate has taught theater arts for over thirty years and is now working on her yoga teaching certificate. She loves gardening and kayaking, and her talented painter husband, Jay, She has been a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association for over forty years and hopes for forty more!
Jordan Whittaker
MICHAEL
JORDAN WHITTAKER (he/him) is originally from Morehead, Kentucky, and moved to the Greater Cincinnati region to pursue his passion for theatre. He recently completed the Professional Apprentice Program at ETC after graduating with a BFA in musical theatre and a BA in public relations from Northern Kentucky University. Some of his credits include Cris in Fiona at Ensemble Theatre, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Gabriel Utterson/Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde, Jimmy in New Year’s Eve at the Stop N’ Go, Ensemble in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Ferapont in Three Sisters. Other recent credits include understudying Antipholus of Syracuse forComedy of Errors at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and appearing in Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig’s Holiday Party and Ersatz Express for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s “Off the Grid” productions. He is immensely excited to be working with the fabulous people at ETC!
Jared Joplin*
STEVE
*Proud Member of Actor’s Equity Association
JARED JOPLIN (he/him) is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has worked locally and regionally in New York and Canada. His favorite musical roles include The Sound of Music, The Carnegie; Don’t Cross the Streams, Falcon Theatre; Booty: A Pirate Musical, Cincinnati Fringe Festival; Smoke on the Mountain, The New Theatre STL; and Another Brick in the Wall, Cincinnati Opera, as well as the numerous roles he has performed in his car during his commute on I-75 from Dayton. Jared is thankful to his family, friends, and lovely wife Erin.
A photo from our tech rehearsal
Kirk Sheppard
PLAYWRIGHT
KIRK SHEPPARD is a playwright, professional counselor, theatre blogger, and former professional wrestling personality. His first play, “Chase the Dragon,” was workshopped in 2016. Since then, the rights have been optioned to an Indian-based Hindi language film company. He recently produced his original script, “Webcam” as part of the Development arm of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Kirk is thrilled to finally see and hear his work come to life, thanks to the support and fantastic work of Jared Doren and this generous cast. @kirk.sheppard.writer on Insta.