Redneck Tenors Cast

The Boys

	Matthew Lord Tenor A native of California, tenor Matthew Lord is recognized as a versatile performing artist with a voice capable of encompassing repertoire from the 18th Century to works by composers of today. His stage work is consistently praised for its naturalness, intensity, and commitment. His engagements include the San Francisco Opera production of Peter Grimes, A Streetcar Named Desire and Turandot. Mr. Lord also has performed in The Crucilbe (Washington Opera), Mice and Men (Cleveland Opera), L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Utah Opera), The Love for Three Oranges (Portland Opera). Other companies Lord has performed with include: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, Tulsa Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berkshire Opera Company, Opera Delaware, Dallas Opera. Prolific in all kinds of music, Mr. Lord also performed in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera as Piangi in the Hamburg Germany production. Lord’s concert appearances include engagements with the Detroit Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra and Santa Fe Symphony. Mr. Lord was also a member of the prestigious Juilliard Opera Center. In January 2004, Mr. Lord made his Metropolitan debut in Boris Godunov.
	Jonathan Frugé Tenor and Actor Jonathan Frugé has been hailed as “always funny”, “always good for a smile”, and “gripping” in his vocal performances. A native of Lubbock, Texas, by way of Southern Louisiana, Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance and his Masters of Music in Vocal Performance from Texas Tech University. His credits while studying at Texas Tech include choral performances and soloist appearances at Carnegie Hall with the New York City Chamber Orchestra, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Meyerson Center, the Texas State Capitol, two appearances at the Texas Music Educators Association convention in San Antonio, 2004 Southwest American Choral Directors Association in Little Rock, the 2005 American Choral Directors Association National Convention in Los Angeles, the 2007 American Choral Masterpieces festival in Austin, the 2009 Texoma NATS featured performance in Lubbock, over 20 featured solos with Texas Tech University Choir, Texas Tech Madrigal Singers, the Texas Tech Matador Singers and the Lubbock Chorale. Jonathan is also a highly sought-after stage performer on the West Texas Plains, having performed in nearly 30 different productions in the past 5 years, holding nearly 20 leading roles including Col. Hugh Pickering in My Fair Lady, Jinx in Forever Plaid, 3 original premiers, 4 regional tours, his first concert appearance with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, and Billy Bob in the first licensed production of 3 Redneck Tenors. Jonathan recently accepted an appointment to perform with the original cast of the 3 Redneck Tenors in Branson, Missouri.
	Blake Davidson Baritone and Actor Blake Davidson is an award-winning singer who has performed all over the world, and whose range of experience includes opera, symphony, and musical theatre. He has been presented in solo concerts at NYU, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Tokyo Opera House. He has sung with the Anchorage Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony (on whose Christmas CD he is the featured soloist), the Fort Worth Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. Performances outside the US include New Zealand's Auckland Philharmonia and the Filharmonico de Jalisco (Guadalajara, Mexico). Early in his career he was seen off-Broadway at 2nd Stage, and as the ringmaster for the Shrine circus. Awards and nominations include the American Repertoire Award at the Bellini Competition in Sicily, and a nomination for the prestigious Leon Rabin Award as Best Actor in a musical for his portrayal of Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me, Kate.
	Steven Sanders Tenor Grammy nominated tenor Steven Sanders has performed with many prestigious opera companies including New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Chautauqua Opera, Austin Lyric Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera. Mr. Sanders has also performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. A native of Ninnekah, OK, Mr. Sanders holds degrees in Music Education from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma from which he received the 2004 Distinguished Young Alumni Award. He received his Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University and a Certificate of Performance from Boston University.
	Dinny McGuire Bass In the earliest years of his illustrious career, Mr. McGuire found employment is such varied positions as choir director, music teacher on the Alaskan tundra, TV talk show host, sit-com warm-up guy, and Vaudeville director and MC at the nationally renowned Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville Theatre. He has spent the last quarter of a century as ringmaster for circuses around the world including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and most recently, New York City's Big Apple Circus.
	Michael Barnard Producing Artistic Director Michael Barnard enters his 15th season as Phoenix Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, concentrating his efforts on continued growth of the theatre in production, education and new work development. Michael is an adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s School of Music and was named 2009’s Artist of the Year by the Governor’s Arts Awards. This past year he received Leadership in Arts Award from the YWCA and in 2011 the National Arts and Letters Award for outstanding contribution to the field of Musical Theatre. Michael received his Masters in Theatre with an emphasis in directing at Northwestern University. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Arizona State University. Native born, Michael grew up in Glendale and returned to Phoenix after receiving his degree. Michael was the creator and director of the 100th Anniversary Calgary Stampede Arena Show, July 2012. He was the director of the Donny and Marie Christmas Show in 2011 (Chicago and Detroit). In addition Michael is currently the director for The Redneck Tenors. Formally Director of Theatre for the City of Phoenix and Associate Producer of Musical Theatre of Arizona, Michael has directed over 560 productions from New York to Los Angeles, working for such prestigious companies as The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios Japan, Ashland Cabaret, Utah Shakespeare, San Jose Rep, Florida Stages, Santa Barbara CLO, Webster University, Forestburgh Playhouse, NY, The Barrows Group NYC, ST, Louis Playhouse, and PCPA Rep. Here in Arizona, Michael has directed and/or choreographed for Actor’s Theatre of Arizona, Arizona Jewish Theatre, The Phoenix Symphony, Black Theatre Troupe, Herberger Theatre Center, Valley Youth Theatre and Childsplay. Michael’s history with Phoenix Theatre dates back to the early 80’s when he was the organization’s first production manager from 1979 to 1982. He then continued on as a resident director/choreographer until 1985. Prior to arriving back in the Valley in 1999, Michael was a senior show director for the Disney Corporation in Anaheim. He worked for Disney for six and half years directing over 300 corporate events and the highly noted stage shows Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Festival of Fools and Animazement. In addition, he directed multiple studio film openings, industrials and the California Governor's Arts Awards. Most recently, he was the director of the remount of their parade Parade de carnival, in addition he created their Snapshots Show, The Laugh Makers , Toto and Friends, The Emoticons (atmosphere show) and Snoopy Action Stage Show for Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan. He was also the creative and stage director for Veggie Tales Live national tour for Clear Channel. As Artistic Director at Phoenix Theatre he has directed and choreographed such hits including: Gypsy (with Kathy Fitzgerald),Nine, Hairspray, The Redneck Tenors: Broadway Bound, The Producers, Crazy For You, Dream a Little Dream, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Guys and Dolls, Man of LaMancha, Sophisticated Ladies, Into the Woods, Children of Eden, The Quiltmaker’s Gift, Chicago, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Cabaret, The Will Rogers Follies, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Curtains, All the More to Love, Always…Patsy Cline, and Unbeatable to name but a few. He has the pleasure of working with such notables as John Cullum, Ray Walston, Donna McKechnie, Teri Ralston, Kathy Fitzgerald, Jenn Colella, Eden Espinoza, and Donny and Marie Osmond. He has directed over 1000 special events for the Boys and Girls Club to Herberger Headliners, Phoenix Symphony’s Yuletide, Body Positive, The Governor’s Arts Awards, ASU Public Events, Heart Ball, Valley Leadership, March of Dimes, American Jewish League, Arizona Highways, SARCC breakfast, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix Follies, Women Who Care, The Jewish Historical Society, Ryan House, The Arthritis Foundation, Fresh Start, American Breast Cancer Society, and Kidney Foundation. He has been the show director for IMTA, the International Models Talent Association, for 25 years. With Cookie Company’s touring productions, including Something in My Kitchen, Taking the Wrath out of Math and Professor Flabberflaps, Michael helped to create Lucky Star, which closed Phoenix Theatre’s 2007/2008 season. Michael is continuing work on a new musical revue of the Rogers and Hammerstein works, is co- author of Unstoppable Me ( a children's musical based on the Wayne Dyer book), he has written a children's book entitled The Red Ornament and working on two new musicals entitled Cadets, and Waiting for Y. In addition Michael wrote and directed a state wide musical tour called The Empower Pact, which is an anti-tobacco, nutrition and fitness musical targeted at 8 to 12 year olds. Michael owes much of his success at Phoenix Theatre to the dedicated staff, board and artists who believe in and are dedicated to the best work possible.