The Chance Theater - About The Chance: Staff

Oanh Nguyen (Founder, Artistic Director)

In 1999, Oanh co-founded The Chance Theater, where he is currently Artistic Director. He was recently awarded the 2007 Outstanding Artist Award by Arts Orange County and is proud to be a new board member of the national organization, Network of Ensemble Theaters. His most cherished projects as a director are Undeclared..., Is Pepperoni a Vegetable?..., The Stroop Report, But I Don't Feel Grown Up, Three Days of Rain (O.C. Register's Top Ten of 2002 and Best Directors of 2002), Bash, Lee Miller: The Angel and The Fiend (commissioned by and performed at the Getty Museum), The Fantasticks, Lord of the Screen (O.C. Weekly Nominee - Best New Play), Goodnight Children Everywhere (Nominated for 6 O.C. Weekly Awards, including Best Production and Best Director), Tape, Closer Than Ever (L.A. Times Critic's Choice), Porcelain (2006 GLAAD Media Award Nomination - Outstanding L.A. Production, Back Stage West Critic's Pick, O.C. Register's Top Ten of 2005, Nominated for 3 O.C. Weekly Awards, including Best Production and Best Director), Cabaret (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), The Laramie Project (Recipient of 2005 Arts Orange County Grant), The Last Five Years, Into The Woods (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), Inventing Van Gogh, Frozen, and Sunday in the Park with George. Among a number of national commercials, Oanh's television and film credits include "American Dreams", "Party of Five", "The Beast", "Andy Richter Controls the Universe", "The Closer", Jonathan Frakes' "Clockstoppers", "All In" starring Michael Madsen, third billing in Jean Jacques Annaud's "Two Brothers" starring Guy Pearce, and "Rush Hour 3" starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. [top]

Casey Long (Founder, Managing Director)

Casey has been a part of The Chance Theater since 1999, where he first appeared onstage in the world premiere of Memories on the Wind. Casey founded the Incarnation Theatre Company and has directed The Odd Couple, as well as the world premieres of I am Santa Clause and Ripe Peach. Casey's Chance acting credits include Porcelain (2006 GLAAD Media Award Nomination - Outstanding Los Angeles Theater, Back Stage West Critic's Pick, OC Weekly Theater Award Nominee - Best Production), Cabaret (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), Stephen Belber's Tape (OC Weekly Theater Award Nominee - Best Actor), The Laramie Project (OC Register's Noteworthy Ensembles of 2005), with their eyes: September 11th - The View from a High School at Ground Zero (LA Times Critic's Choice), Coyote On A Fence (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), Inventing Van Gogh, and three years as Dasher in The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (2005 OC Weekly Award Winner - Best Ensemble and Nominee for Best Production). Casey is a proud Company Member of The Chance Theater, as well as its resident Sound Designer. Previous sound design credits include with their eyes: September 11th - The View from a High School at Ground Zero (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), Never In My Lifetime (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), Coyote On A Fence (Back Stage West Critic's Pick), and The Lying Kind. Casey is also currently enrolled in the Leadership Anaheim program, so that he may become more involved in the city of Anaheim, which he has grown to call home. [top]

Erika C. Miller (Founder, Outreach Director)

Erika Ceporius Miller is a proud member and co-founder of The Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills alongside her talented husband, actor/director Oanh Nguyen. She has studied with Anne Reinking at The Broadway Theatre Project, the Boston Conservatory, the University of Southern California, and in London with the British American Dramatic Academy and the Royal Shakespeare Company through Skidmore College in New York. At an early age she was a professional singer with The Los Angeles Children's Chorus where she was privileged to perform with such talents as Peabo Bryson, Barry Manilow, Andre Previn, Yo-yo Ma, Doc Severinsen and Luther Vandross to name a few. She can be heard singing on the soundtracks of "Hero", "The Dark Half" and "Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Orchestra". Her opera credits include "Die Frau Ohnne Schatten" and "El Gato Montez" with Placido Domingo at The Music Center, "Carmina Burana" at the Hollywood Bowl, and "The Magic Flute" at UCLA's Royce Hall. In recent years she has started performing Ragtime locally with Eric Marchese and has performed at Steamers Jazz Club in Fullerton, Old Town Music Hall in Long Beach and at "RagFest" in Fullerton. Her favorite theater roles include (starting with most recent) Rodger's & Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing, Cabaret (Garland Award Honorable Mention- Best Actress and Back Stage West Critic's Pick), Closer than Ever (LA Times Critic's Pick), Goodnight Children Everywhere (OC Weekly Award Nominee - Best Ensemble and Best Production), Company (OC Weekly Award Nominee - Best Musical and Best Ensemble), The Fantasticks, Lee Miller: The Angel and the Fiend (OC Weekly Award winner), and As You Like It (OC Register Best Performances of 2002). Erika would like to send her love to her family and to her husband for their unending support and love. [top]

Masako Tobaru (Production and Facilities Manager)

Masako received her BA in Theater and Communications from Concordia University, Irvine in 2005. While a student at Concordia she worked on over 23 productions including Cabaret, Medea, Seussical, Ruthless, Patient A, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. After graduation in 2005 Masako was hired as the Assistant Technical Director and Administrative Assistant for the Theater Department.

Masako became involved with the Chance when she was the Stage Manager for the First Chance Fest in 2003. After taking a year away from the Chance she returned in 2004 to design lighting for The Second Annual First Chance Fest and A Grand Night for Singing and she hasn't left since. Masako was thrilled when she was approached to join the staff as the Technical Director in late 2005. In her time with the Chance Masako has designed lighting for A Christmas Story, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, Closer Than Ever, The Rover, and It's a Wonderful Life. She has also Stage Managed Cabaret, The Eight, and The Last Five Years. She is grateful for the encouragement and support she finds everyday with The Chance.

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Jonathan Josephson (Literary Director)

Jonathan joined the staff of The Chance in 2007 when he served as a Literary Director for the collaborative project Variations on a Theme: The Best. He has worked with the literary offices of the La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, and Moving Arts and has dramaturged numerous theatrical productions including the Chance productions of Assassins, Talk About the Passion, The Brain from Planet X, and Rabbit Hole. As a playwright, Jonathan's works have been read and produced at The Chance Theater (Bitches and Cocks), Pasadena Playhouse Balcony/Carrie Hamilton Theatre, The Syzygy Theatre Group, The Great Plains Theatre Conference, Fusionworks, The Dana Point Theatre Company, and The Westchester Playhouse. His play The Giant and the Pixie was named a finalist for the 2008 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and his short play Beluga Room is published by Original Works Publishing. Select producing credits include Dias y Flores by Oliver Mayer at the Black Dahlia Theatre and Our New Play Spectacular, the world premiere one-act festival at the University of California at San Diego (currently running its fifth year). Jonathan graduated from UCSD with a Theatre: Playwriting degree and is a member of The Dramatists' Guild of America, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America.

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Jeff Hellebrand (Founder, Box Office Manager)

Jeff is a founding member of The Chance Theater and previously Spare Change Productions, the artistic think tank that merged into the The Chance. He received his degree from Cal State Fullerton and additional training at California State University at Chico, and The Professional Actors Conservatory. He has worked on both sides of the curtain in venues throughout California. Chance Theater acting credits include Ten Little Indians, The Stroop Report, Therese Raquin, The Pirates of Penzance, and Memories on the Wind. He has also been seen locally in Skin of our Teeth, West Side Story, 1776, Uncle Vanya, Little Shop of Horrors, in addition to the original productions of The Pier, and Undeclared. Script writing credits dear to his heart are Is Pepperoni a Vegetable? And Other Mysteries of Love, But I Don't Feel Grown up, and The Beach... Without Leo. [top]

Tanae Beyer (Education Director)

Tanae is glad to have found such an artistic, collaborative and fun group of people here at The Chance where she is a proud Staff and Company member. A graduate of Concordia University, Irvine with a double major in Theater and Communications, she was bit by the theater bug at the tender age of seven. Various elementary, high school and community theater projects led her to college where she participated in over 24 productions in her four years there. Whether it was on stage, stage-managing, building sets, or just teaching what she knows, Tanae could always be found in the theater. Some of her favorite productions at Concordia include, Romeo and Juliet, Cabaret, Medea (a Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) Nominee and Regional Participant), Suddenly Last Summer, and her directorial debut, The Last Night of Ballyhoo. She was roped into The Chance Theater (after swearing off theater for a while), by an old roommate. A while turned out to be only four months as she became the Stage Manager for A Christmas Story. Tanae went on to run lights for Last Five Years, assistant stage-manage Into the Woods, stage-manage Biloxi Blues and run lights and projections for Sunday in the Park with George. During the day, she works for a lawyer in Santa Ana and is also the Production Associate at The Chance. Tanae is currently pursuing her MA in Theater at California State University, San Bernardino. [top]

Courtny Greenough (Associate Education Director)

Courtny is a recent graduate of Concordia University Irvine, with a B.A. in Business Administration Management and Theater minor. She is trhilled to be a part of the Chance Company. Past shows include: Anaheim Home Companion (Stage Manager) at The Chance Theater, Skin of Our Teeth (Kennedy Center's Meritorious Achievement Award Stage Management, American College Theater Festival), Seussical the Musical (Stage Manager), The Good Doctor (Dramaturge) at Concordia, and Brigadoon (Production Stage Manager), with Christian Arts and Theatre, Corona. Courtny has also interned at the Tony Award winning La Jolla Playhouse in General and Production Management and currently works for the Education Department at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. [top]

Kelly Todd (Associate Education Director)

Kelly Todd, a long-time performer, graduated from UCLA’s school of Theatre, Film, and Television and went on to complete her Master’s of Education in Teaching at UCLA. She was the resident choreographer for the Children’s Civic Light Opera for 14 years, and choreographed over 20 productions including Crazy For You, Damn Yankees, Grease, and 42nd Street. She taught dance, and drama at Washington Preparatory High School in South Central Los Angeles for three years where she choreographed nearly 200 pieces including Guys and Dolls, and Dreamgirls and was the technical director of numerous productions. She has also been teaching dance privately throughout Los Angeles studios since 1994. Kelly was the lighting designer for A Shrine to Junior at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood for which she received a 2002 NAACP theatre award nomination. She co-founded the Young Adult Civic Light Opera and directed/choreographed Chicago and A Chorus Line. In New York City, she has performed in and choreographed Off-Broadway productions and had the opportunity to train at the Broadway Dance Center for two years. [top]

Jocelyn A. Brown (Artistic Associate)

Dedicated to The Chance since 2001, Jocelyn is thoroughly fulfilled and challenged collaborating with artists of such vision, integrity, talent, and drive. She earned a double major with a BA in Theatre and a BS in General Biology from the UC San Diego with Provost’s Honors. She pursued further theatre studies in England at the University of East Anglia and then furthered her directing skills assisting on several productions at South Coast Repertory and Laguna Playhouse. Jocelyn earned her California teaching credential at Vanguard University and she teaches at Laguna Hills High School. A majority of Jocelyn’s free time has been spent as a staff member, board member, company member, and theatre artist at The Chance. However, quite a bit of that time is now snatched up by her new adorable son, Kyden. Recent highlights include portraying the Witch in Into The Woods (Back Stage West Critic’s Pick, Best Female Actor Chancie Award) and Cathy in The Last 5 Years (Back Stage West Honorable Mention for Musical Actor) as well as directing Never In My Lifetime (Back Stage West Critic's Pick). Jocelyn received the OC Weekly award for “Best Female Lead Performance” for her portrayal of Ann in Goodnight Children Everywhere, a nomination for “Outstanding Individual Artist” for 2003 by Arts Orange County, and a nomination for “Best Direction” by the OC Weekly for The Cherry Orchard. Other acting credits include Closer Than Ever (Nancy), That Which Remains (Woman 2), Bash (Woman), Little Women (Jo), The Hostage (Teresa), and The Affected Ladies (Cathos). Directing credits include 365 Days / 386 Plays: Week 7, Never In My Lifetime, A Christmas Story, Big Love, The Cherry Orchard, The Fantasticks, Spring's Awakening, The Worthy Master of the Law, As You Like It, Confirmation, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, and Facing East. [top]