The Glass Menagerie

Operatic soprano Dana Crabtree’s performances have been well received, both in America and in Europe. She has performed in numerous genres, from Broadway favorites such as Laurey in Oklahoma!, and the title role in Kiss Me, Kate, to operatic repertoire including Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte and the title role in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. She has appeared locally in LTGI’s Cinderella (Queen), Hairspray (Female Authority Figure), God of Carnage (Veronica), and Beauty and the Beast (Madame de la Grande Bouche) as well as LLT’s Noises Off (Belinda/Flavia), and LCC Opera Workshop’s Once Upon a Mattress (Lady Larkin) and Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife). Dana serves on the music faculty at TAMIU in the areas of voice, choir, and opera, and is mom to Nicholas and Lena Belle. She loves the mission of LTGI's Class On Stage, and is delighted to be a part of The Glass Menagerie.

Jaime Pablo Felix Torres Gonzales (Tom) is a 23-year-old Junior attending TAMIU. This is his first LTGI show, and he is grateful and excited for having been given the chance to receive a different theatre experience. He has been in many productions since high school. His most recent plays have been TAMIU’s productions such as God’s Favorite, where he was the stage manager and the booming voice of The Almighty, The Sleeper, where he had a steamy affair with a married woman, and No Exit, where he was stuck in Hell with two other unpleasantly unlucky people. He has a passion for theatre that has driven him in his life and he feels if he can take people out of their lives and have them forget their problems and just focus on the story and characters for even a moment he has done his job as an actor. The two quotes he sees fit him best are -
“Make them laugh, make them cry, and hack to laughter. What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise. I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that.” Mary Pickford
“Every scene you will ever act begins in the middle, and it is up to you, the actor, to provide what comes before,” Michael Shurtleff

Stephanie Solis Schnyder, a veteran in Laredo’s theatre community having worked for over 10 years, both as an actor and in production, with LTGI, LCC’s opera workshop, LLT. She is the Choir Director at Lamar Middle School and One Act Play UIL. Stephanie’s latest role was Camila Rosario (In The Heights) other roles include Claire Ganz (Rumors) and Mrs. Simpson (The Who’s Tommy) led by her roles such as Edith Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank), Wicked Witch and multiple chorus roles (Shrek The Musical), Maria (Bless Me Ultima) and Marty (Grease), Ann Putnam (The Crucible) as part of Class on Stage, La Mujer de Leonardo (Bodas de Sangre), Antonia (Man of la Mancha), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), Bobbi (Some Girls), Elaine (Arsenic and Old Lace), Lucy (Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Lily St. Regis (Annie), Sharpay Evans (High School Musical), as well as being part of both productions of Beauty and the Beast done by LTGI among many others. Stephanie has also done backstage work as Stage Manager for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and previously costumer for Little Shop of Horrors for LCC’s Opera Workshop and others. Stephanie is excited to bring Laura Wingfield as part of this Class on Stage production.

Gregorio J. Lopez is a food lover, amateur Dungeon Master, frat boy, appreciator of comedy, and occasionally is referred to as a thespian. He is currently a senior at Texas A&M International University where he is majoring in Management Information Systems.
He has some experience as an actor in several smaller productions, but the drama gets to him sometimes. Goyo - as he is commonly called - is a thorough enjoyer of cinnamon rolls and hopes you enjoy this show. LB 86!

Vernon Carroll is a founder and President Emeritus of Laredo Theater Guild International. He has an undergraduate and master’s degree in theatre from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University). Mr. Carroll began his teaching career at Oliver Wendell Holmes High School in San Antonio, then went to Louisiana State University. While studying at LSU, he joined the faculty as scenic designer and technical director for two years. During this time, he received an award from the American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC for the set of Juno and the Paycock, the LSU entry in the competition. Mr. Carroll then went to Appalachian State University as director of Technical Theatre and Producing Director of the Appalachian Young People’s Theatre, and spent five seasons as a scenic and lighting designer at Theatre Charlotte, Charlotte, NC. He then moved to Northwestern State University of Louisiana, at Natchitoches, where he was director of design for five years. In 1994, Mr. Carroll came home to Texas, where he is Dean of Theatre at the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts. At VMT, in addition to teaching theatre classes, Mr. Carroll directed You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Little Shop of Horrors and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the VMT Summer Theatre Project. Shows he directed for LMTI and LTGI summer musicals include: Fame, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, Oliver, The Wiz, The Sound of Music, Annie, Doubt, Steel Magnolias, Agnes of God, Hairspray, and Shrek. He directed the following Class On Stage productions: The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Crucible, Bless Me, Ultima, and now, The Glass Menagerie. When not directing, he serves as the Advisory Director for LTGI and can sometimes be found onstage, playing such roles as: President Hochstader in The Best Man, President Roosevelt in Annie or Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady. He has worked on three hundred or more shows, and when asked which his favorite was; he will answer: “The one I’m working on now!” Vernon is married to Dr. Mary Grace Carroll, Director of Piano Studies at VMT. They have two children: Patrick and Kathryn.

Karen Estes Mejia (Producer) is the Financial Director of The Blue Top Companies, providing land surveying and printing services in South Texas. She serves as Vice President of the LTGI Board. The Glass Menagerie marks the fourth time she has served as Producer for the Guild’s acclaimed Class on Stage series along with The Crucible, The Diary of Anne Frank, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also produced Real Women Have Curves and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, served as Assistant Producer for Steel Magnolias and Hairspray, was Costumer for Shrek: The Musical. Her stage credits include LTGI’s The Sound of Music and Cinderella. A lifelong Texan, she was graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a major in History and minors in German and Government. Karen moved to Laredo 25 years ago and married the wonderfully incredible Deacon Henry Mejia, aka MacGyver. The recent Empty Nesters have three talented children: Sarah, a Freshman studying Architecture at the University of Houston; Miguel, a Communications student at Blinn College in College Station; and Alejandro, a graduate student studying Physics at The Graduate Center, City University New York.

Daniel Castillo is the theatre director at Martin High School. The Glass Menagerie marks his 5th Class on stage Production. Daniel's stage managing credits date back to LMTI’s production of Oliver! and also include LTGI’s inaugural production of Man of La Mancha here on the TAMIU stage. His other stage credits include directing along-side his theatrical mentor, Vernon Carroll, for LTGI’s productions of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Broadway Musical. Daniel would like to thank his family for their boundless support and his students for their endless inspiration to continue educating through theatre year after year.

John Maxstadt is a familiar figure in Laredo theater, having played many roles in LTGI, LLT, LITE, LCC, and TAMIU productions over the past twenty-three years, most recently Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (LTGI) and Officer Welch in Rumors (LLT). He directed The Taming of the Shrew and The Importance of Being Earnest for LTGI and Arsenic and Old Lace for LLT, and produced Bless Me, Ultima for LTGI. John serves as parliamentarian on the LTGI Board of Directors.

A Native of Corpus Christi, Mary Grace Galvan-Carroll is a founding member of Laredo Musical Theater International, together with Sammy Johnson and her husband Vernon H. Carroll. Dr. Carroll has assisted in all theatrical capacities, and is grateful for the opportunity to meet and share enthusiastic collaborations with students, fellow artists and community members. Director of Piano Studies at The Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts. Dr. Carroll composed original incidental music for two Shakespeare plays, The Tempest (Corpus Christi Harbor Playhouse, 1985) and Midsummer’s Night Dream (LTGI, 2016). At the state level, Dr. Carroll also advocates for the arts community as a Board member of Texans for the Arts. Her children, Patrick and Kathryn are veteran performers.

Telissa Lueckenotte Molano (Set Designer) born and raised outside of Kansas City Missouri, is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design with studies in both Rouen and Paris, France. After working in two major architectural firms and have migrated South down Interstate 35, she met her husband, Juan, in Dallas. She is a partner in the architectural firm, Redline Architecture. Seventeen years of drinking Laredo water and seven seasons of collaborating with LTGI, she has helped create over 17 sets including In the Heights, Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Cinderella, The Diary of Anne Frank, My Fair Lady, Hairspray, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Who’s Tommy, Bodas de Sangre, God of Carnage, The Crucible, Macbeth, The 39 Steps, Bless Me Ultima, Yerma, and The House on Mango Street. She played Marlene in Daddy’s Dyin’ Who’s Got the Will. She also collaborated with the Society of Martha Washington to produce the 2016-2019 Colonial Ball sets. She is blessed to be a board member for Casa de Misericordia and LTGI.

Henry is proud to be working his wife Karen, the Producer, and stage production mentor, Vernon, the director on this production. Henry’s inner “little kid” gadgetry gets ignited when taking on the role of props master, he learned to solder for some custom props for this show and has burn scars to prove it. He has been involved in many of LTGI’s productions and Class on Stage holds a special place in his heart, since he has been there for every production in some capacity.

Mia Gomez-Reyes (Assistant Stage Manager) is a 17-year-old senior at Martin High School and Vidal M. Trevino Magnet School. This is her third LTGI show, although this is her first being behind the curtain. She has participated in numerous shows, most recently Cinderella Waltz (Rosey Snow) for Martin OAP and The House on Mango Street (Nenny/Ensemble) with LTGI. She would like to give thanks to Mr. Carroll & Mr. Castillo for giving her this opportunity, her mother, her sister, and her friends for being supportive, and to the wonderful cast for giving her a reason to ‘Rise n’ Shine!’