Ensemble

This note of thanks is long overdue! I so enjoyed my first experience of Theatre B, and the performance of "The Year of Magical Thinking". From the greeting at the door to the goodbyes and come-again at the end of the evening, it was a relaxing, exciting, positive experience! ...and what can I say about Mary Cochran's performance — Masterfully done — true to the text. Five minutes into it I saw and heard only Joan Didion and her story. Blessings on all of you and the work that you do.

- Sandy

Theatre B enjoys a unique organizational model, with a small resident ensemble responsible for much of the production and operational work of the company.  


Matthew P. Burkholder is a North Dakota native and Trollwood alumnus with theatre credits throughout the area, as well as numerous professional credits from his ten years on the East Coast where he worked as an actor, director and playwright in Boston and New York City. He has served as an acting coach for the Fargo Theatre’s Summer Film Institute; a prop, puppet and sound designer for Theatre B; and has performed in many shows locally and regionally. Recent directing credits include Shipwrecked!,  Rabbit Hole, The Dead Guy, Tales of the Lost Formicans, The Violet Hour and the shadow puppetry for a production of Medea. Matthew holds a BFA in Theatre from NDSU and a MFA in Directing at the University of Alabama. 

Emily Clemenson is excited to be the newest member of the Theatre B ensemble, joining in 2011.  She is a 2010 graduate of Concordia College and was seen in a few plays, musicals, and one acts in college.  At Theatre B, she appeared in Almost, Maine and has been behind the scenes for Kuwait, The Underpants, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Next Fall, and will be again for The 39 Steps.  Emily serves as chair of the Audience Development Committee at Theatre B.  She currently works at Valley News Live doing digital sales promotion.

Mary Cochran moved to the FM area in 2004 and has been a member of the Theatre B company since the 2006-2007 season. At Theatre B she has appeared in Joined at the Head, Wintertime, Rabbit Hole, Murderers, Zara Spook and Other Lures, and Dead Man's Cell Phone. In the spring of 2010, Mary brought the one-woman production of Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking to the B stage and other sites in North Dakota and Minnesota. Her backstage credits include working as a dresser and props handler for Romantic Fools and Tuna Christmas. She also assists with managing the front of house duties for Theatre B. Mary chairs the governance and nominating committee. 

Brad Delzer has been a member of the Ensemble since 2007. For Theatre B has directed The Pillowman, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Tuna Christmas, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Third, The Year of Magical Thinking, Sylvia, Kuwait, Ellis Island: The Dream of America, and Body & Sold. He was onstage for Fat Pig (Carter) and The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. He holds a B.F.A. Degree in Theatre Arts with a minor in English from North Dakota State University. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and a member of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology.

Alexandra Farren is a member of the Theatre B ensemble (since 2009) and works mostly in the area of stage management but has also served in various other roles backstage. Alie is a 2009 graduate of North Dakota State University and holds a degree in Theatre Arts with a minor in Business Administration. While at NDSU, she was a founding member of the newfangled theatre company and served as Production Manager for their inaugural season.

Stacy Harfield is a 2004 graduate of Concordia College, where she majored in Theatre Arts and Communication Studies, and minored in English Literature. While at Concordia, she worked as Properties Master and House Management Coordinator. On stage she appeared in Sweet Charity, Pippin, and Go-Go Beach. Since leaving college, she has been actively working with Theatre B, serving as Stage Manager for Joined at the Head, Brilliant Traces, Romantic Fools, Rabbit Hole and Zara Spook, and as Box Office staff for several shows. You can also occasionally find her running the light board. In her spare time Stacy works at US Bank where she is a banker.

Lori Horvik is a founding member of Theatre B.  She is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at North Dakota State University, where she is most recently directed The Comedy of Errors.  Lori has directed the Theatre B productions of Zara Spook and Other Lures, Brilliant Traces, The Guys, Two Rooms, and Parallel Lives, and appeared on stage in Vino Veritas (Lauren), Rabbit Hole (Becca), Bright Ideas (Genevra), Quake (That Woman), and Dinner with Friends (Karen).  She is a site evaluator for the National Association for Schools of Theatre and a regional respondent for Region 5 of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Scott Horvik is a Fargo native and local actor who has worked in many different areas with Theatre B Marketing Director, Board Member, Director, Lighting Designer and Actor. Scott is also a founding member and has appeared numerous Theatre B productions including:   The Seafarer (Sharkey), Vino Veritas (Phil), Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol (Scrooge), Rabbit Hole (Howie), Sylvia (Greg), The Santaland Diaries (David) and The Guys (Nick). Scott has also appeared in the Penny & Pals video series as the kooky investigative reporter, Trace Hunter. Scott is also a local voice-over and on-camera talent who has appeared in commercials for Montana-Dakota Utilities, The North Dakota DOT, and the Redhawks. Scott earned his B.F.A. in Theatre from NDSU, and now works in Marketing and Promotions at Rust Sales.

Tucker Lucas is an independent filmmaker and performer who works in many capacities at Theatre B since 2007, performing in Joined at the Head, Brilliant Traces, Rabbit Hole, Kuwait, and The Pillowman. Tucker made his theatrical directorial debut with The Underpants in the spring of 2011, and has designed several of Theatre B's posters. He currently works as the Post-Production Director for the Heartland Poker Tour television show.

Laura Pieri is a 2008 graduate of Concordia College with a B.A. in Theatre Arts and minors in Business and Communication Studies. Theatre B credits since joining in 2009, include stage managing for Fat Pig, The Dead Guy, and Kuwait, costume designer for The Seafarer, costume assistant for Vino Veritas and set design for Zara Spook and Other Lures.

Pam Strait has been a member of the ensemble since 2008. She holds a BA in Theatre from Henderson University, attended New York’s National Shakespeare Conservatory and has been acting, writing and directing for more than 30 years. Pam’s Theatre B acting credits include The Dead Guy, Kuwait, Zara Spook and Other Lures, and Third and she directed Vino Veritas and Next Fall. She has also worked locally with Ursa Major Productions and Harwood Prairie Playhouse.

Michael Sunram holds a B.F.A. in Theatre from NDSU. He has been involved with Theatre B since its start. He has run sound and lights for past Theatre B shows such as Parallel Lives, Quake, The Santaland Diaries, Rabbit Hole and others. He has also designed lights for Bright Ideas, Sylvia and Kuwait as well as acting in Theatre B's productions of Boy's Life and Almost, Maine. Outside of Theatre B, Michael is a member of the Harwood Prairie Playhouse in West Fargo

Missy Teeters is a graduate of Concordia College where she studied Theatre Art and English Literature. At THEATRE B, Missy has performed as Ariel in Wintertime, Jeannie in Fat Pig, Catherine in Kuwait, Evelyn in Zara Spook & Other Lures, as well as the title role of Sylvia. She has served as props mistress for Rabbit Hole and Tuna Christmas, Dead Man's Cell Phone, and The Seafarer. She designed sound for The Guys, assistant stage managed 
The Pillowman, stage managed for Vino Veritas and was production manager for The Dead Guy; she also co-directed Almost, Maine. Missy has been an ensemble member since the fall of 2006.

Carolyn Wintersteen is a founding member of Theatre B and has performed in many productions, including Murderers, Sylvia, The Guys, Joined at the Head, Quake, Parallel Lives, Two Rooms, and Dinner with Friends. She earned an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Pittsburgh and has been a freelance performer around the country.  In addition to performing, she has worked as an adjunct instructor at MSUM and NDSU, Executive Assistant at Prairie Public Broadcasting, and the Program Coordinator at Trollwood Performing Arts School.  Carrie is the Executive Director of Theatre B.

David Wintersteen is a founding member of Theatre B and is an associate professor in the Theatre program at Concordia College, where he teaches Theatre History, Literature, Acting, Directing, and the Theatre May Seminar to Europe. His Concordia directing credits include What the Butler Saw, Ah, Wilderness!, Slasher, The Elephant Man, She Stoops to Conquer, Picnic, Medea, Equus, and Measure for Measure. At Theatre B his directing credits include Wintertime and Joined at the Head and he performed in Vino Veritas, Joined at the Head and Sylvia. He has directed The Strange Misadventures of Patty, Good 'N' Plenty, Our Country's Good, Autobahn, Summer Shorts and All in the Timing for Second Stage in conjunction with TPAS. David has a BA from Luther College, an M.F.A. in Directing from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Oregon.

Inactive Ensemble Members:

Amber Rae Bernhardt holds a BFA in performance from North Dakota State University and is a co-founder of Theatre B.  She was formerly employed with Trollwood Performing Arts School in Fargo and later at the marketing and public relations firm of Carol Fox & Associates in Chicago.  Additionally, she served on the Associate Board of Directors of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and on the Marketing Committee for the award winning Chicago Chapter of the National Concierge Association.  She continues to follow her creative aspirations as an independent producer and publicist for local theatres, musicians and comics, as well as contracting freelance film and commercial work.  She is currently the Executive Director of Dakota Stage Ltd. in Bismarck and serves on the Board of Directors of the Downtowners Association.    

Erin Solemsaas joined Theatre B Ensemble in 2010.  She graduated from North Dakota State University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts.  Her favorite work with Theatre B has included stage managing Almost, Maine and The Pillowman.  She has also served as production manager for the 2010-2011 season and designed lights for Jacob Marley, Zara Spook, and Vino Veritas.  Erin is pursuing her MFA in Florida.