Players

Please click on the name of one of our performers to read his or her bio.

Monkey Tales Theatre Players

Nate Bassman, actor
Tracy Bono, actress
Melissa Boyer, actress
Kirk Dulin, actor
Sami Haase, actor
Craig Jones, actor
Brian Kappler, actor
David Kloeckener, dancer
Tom Lehmann, actor
Sean Michael, actor
Ken Moore, actor
Joel Reinitz, actor
Jamie Roberts, actress
Le’Anne Schlotzhauer, actress
Aubrey Wiggs, actress
Jordyn Wofford, actress

Nate Bassman is a Junior at Pattonville High School.  Nate started acting with Young People’s Theater at age 12 and has been on the stage ever since. Nate has performed with St. Charles Community College’s Centerstage Productions, Act II in St. Peters, Maryland Heights Community Theater, The History Theater at SCC and at Dana College as well as his high school.  Currently he is a member of the Patt Holt Singers and, of course Monkey Tales Theatre. He looks forward to many more productions with MTT.

Tracy Bono is going bananas over Monkey Tales Theatre! She has combined two of her favorite passions: theater and children. She holds a BS from Missouri State University and a MS from Lindenwood University. Theater has been an important part of her life since the age of three when she started taking dance lessons. Since then, Tracy has participated in various theatrical endeavors as a performer and working in many stage crews. She has also worked in television, radio and film documentaries. In 2008, she had the opportunity to direct an original one-act play she wrote for the History Theatre Festival at St. Charles Community College. Her favorite role of all time is starring as “Mommy” to her three talented children and “Wife” to her rock-star husband.

Melissa Boyer , mother of two little monkey’s herself, is passionate about theater and children, so she has found her home with Monkey Tales Theatre. She is finishing her Master of Fine Arts in Theater Directing at Lindenwood. She has directed “Never Swim Alone”, “Shakespeare’s Women”, and acted in “Who’s Afriaid of Virginia Woolf?” While directing is her passion, she has acted in many roles, including portraying Lydia Roosevelt in “Women of Strength in a New Nation” at the 2008 History Theatre Festival.

Kirk Dulin has been in love with acting ever since his sister forced him to audition for a play in fifth grade, just so he’d make some friends! Since then, he hasn’t been able to stay away from the theatre. Kirk studied Theatre Arts at Eastern Illinois University for two years, and now is finishing up his B.A. at Southeastern Illinois University Edwardsville. His favorite roles include Prospero (The Tempest), Fyedka (Fiddler on the Roof), Prince Handsomely (Past Imagination), and Nick Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Kirk is thrilled to be a part of MTT!

Craig Jones relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, hoping to attend Lindenwood University’s Theatre Department soon, continuing his focus on a degree in Costume Design. He recently constructed costumes for the lavish production of Crazy for You at Columbus State University, in Columbus Georgia, and worked on such shows as The Diary of Anne Frank, Machinal, Cinderella: Confidential, Waiting for Godot, and Dracula: The Undead.
When not constructing costumes behind stage, he performs on-stage. He recently played various parts at SCCC’s Center Stage productions of Guys and Dolls. Past acting credits include Billy Crocker (Anything Goes!) Hugo/ “Dad” (Breakfast for Three), Fred (OKLAHOMA!), Juror Five (Twelve Angry Men), and Danny “Nan” in the workshop production of Slice.

David Kloeckener is in college and going for a degree in Fine Arts/Photography. He is of Cherokee descent and has been participating in powwows throughout the Midwest since he was a child. He sits at a few Native American drums and competes as a dancer. He has performed in the St. Charles Community College Center Stage Theatre production of “Black Elk Speaks” playing drum, dancing and acting. He is working as a staff photographer for the school paper and enjoying that very much. He works He is very active in sports, Native American dance, and photography.

Brian Kappler is thrilled to be a part of the Monkey Tales team. He received his BFA and is expecting his MFA both in Theater and both from Lindenwood University. He has also performed shows at/with SCCC, ACT II, St. Louis Shakespeare, and can be found most Saturdays performing with or helping out the sketch comedy show Bye Bye Liver: St. Louis.

Sean Michael is excited to join the very talented ranks of Monkey Tales Theatre. He enjoys performing in its every facet and can’t imagine what his life would be like without being near the stage. Currently, he attends St. Charles Community College as a music major and plans on beginning theater studies sometime soon.  Sean’s past credits include Greetings! (Mickey) and Arsenic and Old Lace (Officer Brophy) with Act II, the 2008 St. Charles Christmas Traditions (Train Conductor), and Once Upon A Mattress (Chorus) with SCC Center Stage Theatre.

Ken Moore is extremely excited to be a part of Monkey Tales. He has acted in several shows with Central Stage Theater, and other community theaters. His favorite role has been in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Ken is a Lindenwood student with dreams of being a Secondary English teacher and making kids everywhere enjoy reading.

Joel Reinitz is always excited for a chance to be creative. Whether that be writing, singing, drawing or acting like a monkey for MonkeyTales, it’s all good. He tries to maintain a balanced life of physical and mental activities with wife Stephanie. A great booming hurrah for all those kind and creative souls in the world. Like the great Ed Wood, he encourages all to never give up on their dreams with nothing but love.

Jamie Roberts most recently starred as Amelia Earhardt in Amelia Lives! during The History Theatre Festival. During the festival, Jamie also was featured in Fascinating Rhythm: The Age of American Song. Jamie’s past performances include Black Elk Speaks, Sandy in Grease, Lily in The Secret Garden, Tuptim in The King and I, Antigone in Antigone, and Samantha in Frank’s: A New Musical.

Le’Anne Schlotzhauer is a wife and mother of two boys, Taylor age 12 and George age 9. She currently works full time at Emmaus Homes teaching and coaching staff that support individuals with disabilities. She has a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri. Her first taste of life of stage came at age 5 during a dance recital. She has toured with a musical production called “His Love Endures Forever” from Harvester Christian Church. She has done various sketches and introduction entertainment for women’s events. She gets to fulfill her passion for teaching children through being a Sunday School teacher, Student Ministries sponsor and now with Monkey Tales Theater.

Aubrey Wiggs is a recent graduate of Eastern Illinois University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts. While at Eastern she performed in 9 shows and also directed a one act. Favorite roles include Philia in A Funny Thing…Forum, Celia in As You Like It, Elaine in Arsenic and Old Lace, Ellie Murphy in Step on a Crack, and Mrs. Smith in The Bald Soprano for which she received an Irene Ryan Award nomination. Aubrey was also a recipient of the Excellence in Fine Arts Award and the Gerald E Sullivan Memorial Scholarship at Eastern. Aubrey is so happy and thankful to be a part of Monkey Tales Theatre and she couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with. Go Bananas!

Jordyn Wofford is a newcomer to Monkey Tales. She is a student at St. Charles Community College working for her associate’s degree, before she transfers to a four year university to focus all her energy on Musical Theatre. Theatre is a huge part of her life and she is so excited to be part of such a great organization where actors perform for children, showing them the joy of theatre. Jordyn has always be a part of the theatre world, whether she is choreographing a show or being a part of one. She has been taking dance lessons since she was five; she has also performed with the Young Peoples Theatre at St. Charles Community College, and now center stage. Her resent show was “A piece of My Heart” at St. Charles Community College, as actor and choreographer.