Sandy Sahar Gooen, he/him (Voice and Music Director – Rehearsal) (MD/Perc.) is a current BoCo MFA student, hailing from NJ/NYC. He runs @theetempo, an organization dedicated to getting trans people involved in music teams. He is grateful to Jo/Lee/CST for the opportunity to put that work into practice for Rocky Horror while he calls greater Boston home base, and to his mentors and teachers for getting him into fighting shape for the floor show.
A Short History
Richard, who was born in 1942, began his life in the world of entertainment in 1965, when, at the age of 23, he rode horses in British-made movies. He had no desire to become a full-time stuntman and, wisely, took himself off to an evening drama school which claimed to adhere to the teaching principles of Stanislavski, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler and anyone else that had decided to embrace the more ‘naturalistic’ approach to acting, commonly known as The Method. In 1967, Richard became an ASM and understudy in a musical touring version of The Barretts of Wimpole Street, retitled as Robert and Elizabeth. He worked backstage in many West End theatres, most notably the Cambridge Theatre at Seven Dials, where, among other duties, he shone a Lime Light upon John Hanson, who at the age of forty-six, may well have been the oldest Student Prince that the world had ever laid eyes upon.
In 1969, Richard joined an ensemble group in a joyous production of Gulliver’s Travels at the Mermaid Theatre. This show was designed and directed by Sean Kenny. The choreographer was a young Japanese Canadian called David Toguri and the following year, Richard auditioned for him once again and joined the cast of the British touring production of the American ‘hippie’ musical Hair. After Hair came Jesus Christ Superstar, which was directed by Jim Sharman. The following year, 1973, Jim cast Richard in a Sam Shepard play at the Royal Court Theatre’s Theatre Upstairs. It was here that he met Richard Hartley, his music partner of more than 40 years. The Rocky Horror Show opened in July of the same year and, slowly but surely, became the biggest cult musical of all time.
Other highlights of Richard’s career are, of course, The Crystal Maze, a game show that warmed the autumn nights for Channel 4. The Child Catcher in the first stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Performing for the Queen in the gardens of Buckingham Palace upon Her Majesty’s 80th birthday and playing Fagin in a New Zealand production of Oliver!. In a career that has spanned 50 years, Richard has acted with some of the biggest and best known names in the industry and, lately, he has won over a new and younger crowd of fans as the voice of Lawrence Fletcher, the father of Phineas and Ferb, in the Disney cartoon series of the same name. Although now in his late seventies, Richard still refuses to make eye contact with the grim reaper.
Dr. JO MICHAEL REZES, they/them is a theatremaker, scholar, actor (AEA), and educator in Greater Boston dedicated to the development of new works featuring fabulously grotesque aesthetics. Acting credits: Rocky Horror Show (Entropy Theatre); Nosferatu, The Vampyr (Sparkhaven Theatre); The Inheritance (SpeakEasy Stage Co. — US Regional Premiere; Elliot Norton Award, Outstanding Ensemble); Things I Know to Be True (Great Barrington Public Theater — Berkshire Theater Critics Award Nominee, Outstanding Supporting Actor). Directing: Trans [Plays] of Remembrance (HowlRound.TV); Cloud 9 (AD, The Nora — Elliot Norton Award, Outstanding Direction); The Interrobangers (Tufts University); The Rocky Horror Show (Central Square Theater), Let’s Misbehave (Pansy Rampant Productions). Jo instructs gender and performance courses across the country (Yale Dramatic Association, UMass Law, The Theater Offensive) and a TEDTalk, A Playful Exploration of Gender Performance, available online. Jo is developing a monograph called Fractals: Nonbinary Acting Methods and facilitates workshops on the subject. Rezes is dedicated to inclusive performance pedagogy beyond binary constructions and embraces queer aesthetics, sensation, and experience over final product. Having held teaching appointments at Boston College, Emerson College, and Harvard University, Rezes currently serves as the Associate Director of Education at The Theater Offensive—leading their nationally recognized True Colors programs for LGTBQIA+ youth. Rezes is proud Vassar College alum and holds a Ph.D. in Theatre & Performance Studies from Tufts University.
Zoë Ravenwood, she/her (Usherette, Narrator & Band) grew up on and around the stages of the Washington, DC area; performing in shows with The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Ford’s Theater, Consenting Adults Theater Company, Olney Theater Center, and Washington Shakespeare Company, among others. She is happy to be returning to live theater after many years of focusing on performing as a musician and singer; and is excited to be working on a show with her brother Max Jackson for the first time. Her new album Welcome To The World will be released in the Spring of 2024. Visit ZoeRavenwood.com for show / tour date announcements and new releases.
Jacques Matellus, he/his (Dr. Joshua Dorsey) is a quadriplegic actor, singer and model from Brockton MA. Most recent credits include Dr. Scott/Eddie in The Rocky Horror Show at Central Square Theater, George/Roger in Interior of the artist without her sister at Huntington Theatre, Boy 5 in Blue boys and Balloons at Emerson Stage, Dave/Lucas in Voting Writes at Company One and Mike in Boston University’s production of Colossal . Jacques has received acting training from Williamstown Theatre Festival, Austin Pendleton, and the University of Florida at the graduate level.