THE INVENTION
OF LIGHTNING
by Colin Healy & Bradley Rohlf
OCTOBER 22-NOVEMBER 1
WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT! In this new western-horror set at the dawn of the transcontinental telegraph, two men stationed deep in the remote Nevada desert relay the messages of a newly-connected nation through the miracle power of electricity! As they try to make sense of this new technology, they realize that not all is as it seems and that something may be lurking in the wires.
CAST
CREATIVE TEAM
DIRECTOR &
CO-PLAYWRIGHT
Bradley Rohlf
Bradley Rohlf is a multi-hyphenate theater artist and musician, and is the Managing Director of Fly North Theatricals. As a songwriter and recording artist, he has released two EPs under the moniker Another White Suburbanite, "AWS" (2011), and "Counter Culture" (2012). He began acting in plays and musicals across the metro region in 2013, and garnered a Best Performance Award nomination from Arts For Life for his portrayal of Mr. Bungee in "A New Brain" with Hawthorne Players in 2019. He has worked as a production manager and stage manager for most of FNT’s productions, including “The Gringo” (2018), “Madam” (2020), and “Caroline, Or Change” (2023). He directed FNT’s production of “Assassins” (2022) for which he was awarded “Outstanding Director of A Musical” by the St. Louis Theater Circle. He is a co-host of Overarching, and co-owner of Greenfinch Theatre & Dive.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Dizzy Funke
Dizzy Funke is a local stage manager and performer, as well as a Fly North Student. Some of their favorite credits at Fly North include Big Machine, Madam, and Sweeney Todd (Stage Manager) as well as on-stage in She Kills Monsters at COCA (Tilly Evans). They are elated to be a part of bringing this show to life here at the Finch! Stay weird!
CO-PLAYWRIGHT,
ORIGINAL SCORE COMPOSER
& SFX DESIGNER
Colin Healy
Colin Healy (he/him) is a dog-owner based in the city of St. Louis who is also a composer, music director, artistic director of Fly North Theatricals, co-host of the podcast Overarching and co-owner of Greenfinch Theater and Dive. Starting at age 15, as a touring singer/songwriter, Colin's work as a recording artist has received radio play nationwide and spans five full-length studio albums including We Are The Wild Things (2012), produced by Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls) and recorded by The Republik at Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne, Crybaby: The Musical) and James Iha's (Smashing Pumpkins) legendary Stratosphere Studios in NYC. His work as a composer includes 4 works of musical theatre: Forgottonia, The Gringo, Madam, and Big Machine. Madam has been nominated for a total of eight St. Louis Theatre Circle Awards and The Gringo was one of the headlining acts at the 2018 St. Louis Fringe and set the record for best-selling show in festival history. Healy has also served as the Artist-In-Residence at both St. Louis University (2020-21) and the Center Of Creative Arts (2022).
COSTUME DESIGN
Jen Blum-Tatara
Jen Blum-Tatara (she/her) is a professional costumer who has been working in the St. Louis area for nearly a decade. She has met and worked with many talented performers and artists throughout the years, and loves to work with this theatre community. Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Theater and English Literature from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and she has returned annually to her alma mater to design costumes for the Cougar Theater Camp each summer. Jen holds several nominations and one win from the Ken Page Awards (formerly St. Louis High School Musical Theater Awards) for her work on costumes at Edwardsville High School, where she has been a collaborator with fellow SIUE alumni for nearly a decade. Recent costume design projects include Roméo et Juliette (Winter Opera St. Louis), Holes (Edwardsville High School), and Professor House (Contraband Theater). When not working, Jen prefers to spend her time at home reading alongside her loving husband and three adorable pets.