At a toasted subs franchise in the local strip mall, three up-and-coming “sandwich artists”—a teenager, a single mom, and a downsized refugee from corporate banking—are perfecting the mustard-to-cheese ratio according to the company manual. But when their shot at the American dream is interrupted by a series of strange events, they become unlikely allies in a post-recession world.
American Hero
Oct 30 - Nov 22, 2015
American Hero is a supersized dark comedy about life, liberty, and the pursuit of sandwiches.
Meet The Cast
Milan Malisic
Ted
Milan recently finished playing at the Michigan Shakespeare Festival and has performed in numerous productions north of the border, including an award winning Taming of the Shrew at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and Finer Noble Gases at the historic Factory Theatre. After graduating from The Academy for Classical Acting at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., Milan has appeared in several television shows (Nikita/Combat Hospital/Rookie Blue), films such as The Boy Who Smells Like Fish with Carrie-Anne Moss, and, most recently, co-starred opposite Dylan McDermott and Peter Facinelli in Freezer.
Maggie Meyer
Jamie
Maggie Meyer last appeared in American Hero at Detroit Public Theatre, and is so pleased and honored to be back and a part of Dot. Meyer studied Musical Theatre at AMDA in New York City, apprenticed at the Purple Rose Theatre Company, and has gone on to appear in many productions in and around Metro Detroit. Some favorite roles being Babe in Crimes of the Heart, Izzy in Rabbit Hole, and Vanda in Venus In Fur, for which she won the Oscar Wilde Award for Best Actress in a Comedy.
Lisa Michaels
Sheri
Lisa is a Detroit based actor who was born and raised in Michigan. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia, and an MA in Acting from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – where she and Marta studied together.
Some of her favourite performance credits include: Sheri in Detroit Public Theatre’s inaugural production of American Hero, Danielle in the world premiere UK tour of The Tinderbox (Glasgow, London, Edinburgh), and Cordelia in the world premier of As Flies to Wanton Boys (The Arches, Glasgow). Lisa has also acted around the United States and Canada with CubeCity Entertainment, The Berman Centre, Missoula Children’s Theatre, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, and the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village.
In addition to acting, Lisa is a trained classical opera singer, fencer, and avid traveler, She is also a core member of the Greenfield Singers. with whom she regularly sings turn of the 19th century trio repertoire.
Sarah Nealis
Caroline
Off Broadway—SoHo Playhouse: Bill W. & Dr. Bob. Regional— Contemporary American Theater Festival: We Are Pussy Riot, Everything You Touch; Alley Theatre: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Asolo Rep: Venus in Fur; Magic Theater: What We’re Up Against; Denver Center, Huntington Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Rep, Syracuse Stage, Cal Shakes, NJ Rep. Film/TV—Keep In Touch (Best First Feature – Calgary Int’l Film Festival), I Love You But I Lied (LMN). Education—BA from UC Berkeley; ACT (SF); Caymichael Patten Studios (NYC).
Lynch R. Travis
Bob/Gregory/Customer/Sandwich
Lynch works as a director, actor, teacher, and stage manager. He is an Associate Artist at the Purple Rose Theatre and served as Resident Director for the Blackbird Theatre for eight seasons. He is a recipient of awards from the Ann Arbor News for A View From The Bridge (Best Director/Best Play) and as Top Male Performer for Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, a Best Ensemble Award from the Oakland Press for Orphan Train, a Subscriber Award from Performance Network Theatre for his portrayal of Troy Maxon in Fences, as well as a Subscribers’ Award from the Detroit Repertory Theatre for the role of James Mxenges in Burying the Bones. He will return to The Rep this spring to direct Homeless and How We Got There. His many screen credits include Chicago Fire and Superman v. Batman.
Meet The Creative Team
Courtney Burkett
Director
Courtney’s DPT directing credits include Cry It Out, Marie and Rosetta, Murder Ballad (Wilde Award Nomination: Best Musical; It’s All Theatre: Best of Season), American Hero, and the touring production of Detroit ‘67. Courtney played Laurie in DPT’s production of Pipeline. Prior to co-founding DPT, Courtney spent five years as Director of Theatre Programs at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, where she trained and mentored hundreds of young actors. Directing credits at Mosaic include The Tempest, Candide, Hastings Street, Lil Ham, and The Crucible. Before Mosaic, Courtney was a founding artistic partner with Breathe Art Theatre Project, where she directed and produced many productions and appeared in boom (Winner: The Rogue Critic Best Supporting Actress). Courtney spent two years working at the University of Michigan as the managing director of the CRLT Players. In that position, she oversaw 50 applied theatre performances annually on campuses throughout the country. Courtney also served as the business manager for the University of Detroit Mercy Theatre Company. While at UDM, Courtney taught in the Department of Theatre and directed and performed in Theatre Company productions. Courtney is a fourth generation native Detroiter. She received her BFA from Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts and her MFA from Wayne State’s Hilberry Theatre program.
Moníka Essen
Scenic, Costume, & Props Designer
Moníka Essen is an award-winning, nationally recognized artist and designer. The recipient of the prestigious Lawrence DeVine Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre, she studied interior architecture and Environmental Design at Parsons School of Design NYC and received her MFA in scenography from the renowned Hilberry Repertory Co. Ms. Essen has designed countless productions in theatre, opera and film, and is currently the Resident Designer at the Michigan Opera Theatre, where she has just recently designed their highly acclaimed productions of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and “Frida”, which also just made its debut at the Florida Grand Opera, and will be traveling to The Atlanta Opera in October. Other local favorites include “The Foursome,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, and “The Impossibilty of Now” at Tipping Point Theatre, and “Murder Ballad” and “American Hero” here at Detroit Public Theatre. Additionally, she creates furniture, museum exhibits, interiors and full sensory, multimedia environments for residential and commercial clients, including the Detroit Zoo. All her design work can be viewed at www.studioepoque.com
Neil Koivu
Lighting Designer
Neil’s recent lighting designs include performances by Ben Vereen, Chita Rivera, Patti LuPone, Charles Strouse, Bebe Neuwirth, Barbara Cook, and Eric Gutman’s From Broadway to Obscurity at The Berman Performing Arts Center; 1300 Lafayette East, The Scullery Maid, 4000 Miles, and The Diary of Anne Frank for the Jewish Ensemble Theatre; Collected Stories, Visiting Mr. Green, and No Child… for Matrix Theatre Company; The Public Theatre’s Tempest and Now That I Can Dance for Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit; The Altruists and Play it Again, Sam for Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company; Invasion, Henrietta Hermaline’s Fall From Great Heights, and The Lonesome West at The Planet Ant. Neil will be designing Mosaic Singers in Concert in March at Detroit’s Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts.
Sonja Marquis
Sound Designer
Sonja’s previous production credits are with Tipping Point Theatre, where she designed sound for Love, Loss, and What I Wore; The Outgoing Tide; and the upcoming Stella and Lou. When not designing, Sonja is an actor, singer, and improviser who has performed in numerous theaters in the Metro Detroit area. Her credits include performances at Performance Network Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, The Purple Rose Theatre Company, Planet Ant Theatre, The Dio, Two Muses Theatre, The Ringwald, ComedySportz Detroit, and Detroit Music Hall. Sonja also teaches theater camps, directs, and is a former mentor for Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.
