The Cast
Chokey Jim ~ Noah Hunt
Noah Hunt commenced his acting career at age 7 in local theatre productions in the Tri-City area of Eastern Washington. From the role of Gavroche in Les Miserables at Hanford High School, to the lead in Peter Pan at the Academy of Children's Theatre, Noah's participation in these productions and numerous others was the catalyst for his love of acting.
He recently completed filming Shadow of the Salmon, portraying the lead role of Cody Ohitika, a Lakota Sioux teen, on a summer journey to the Pacific Northwest to participate in the traditions of his Mother's coastal tribe. Along the way, he learns of environmental nightmares that threaten Salmon runs, from climate change to oil spills.
He has also appeared in print ad campaigns for Nintendo.
Noah is an accomplished guitarist, drummer, singer, actor, song writer and dancer. He also loves snowboarding and baseball. He is a junior at Southridge High School in Kennewick, WA.
Noah, whose tribal affiliation is Lumbee, is very proud and honored to be a part of this production representing the memory of Nathan "8 ball" Jim. He dedicates his performance to Nathan's memory and the memory of his missing uncle, Kent Jacobs.
Mary ~ Chenoa Egawa
Chenoa Egawa is a member of the Lummi and S'Kallam nations of Washington State and a multifaceted performance artist. As a vocalist, she has released three CDs - Heartbeat of Life (Swan Clan Productions, 2006), Road of Life (Swan Clan Productions, 2002) and Sacred Fire (Sound of America Records, 1997). Her experience as an actor includes performing in the lead role of Sacagawea, staged as part of the New Visions, New Voices series at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center in May 2002, and a guest appearance on television's Northern Exposure. She is also host of the Native news television program, Northwest Indian News, and hosted the one-hour documentary, Inside Passage, for PBS currently showing nationwide. She has performed as guest singer and storyteller at a variety of Native cultural events.
Egawa has long been active in international work for Indigenous peoples. In 1991, she worked as an intern at the United Nations Center for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, serving as a member of the Secretariat during the 10th Session of the Working Group of Indigenous Peoples. In 1996, she was part of an international Native delegation that traveled to Chile to support Indian communities there in efforts to halt construction of dams on their homelands. In 1997, she received a fellowship from the Institute of Current World Affairs to study, write and publish on issues concerning Indigenous peoples of Mexico and Guatemala.
For the past six years, Egawa has worked with the University of Washington in Seattle to develop curriculum and workshops that celebrate Native American culture, values and spirituality and foster self-empowerment among Native youth.
Train ~ Colton Lasater
Colton Lasater is thrilled to be a part of this incredible production!
Colton has enjoyed being on stage and in film since the age of 6 and continues to pursue his love for musical theater. He was last seen as Nathan Lukowski in the production of The Full Monty and recently won a Drammy Award for his role as Wilbur in Charlotte's Web (Oregon Children's Theater).
Movie/TV credits include the role of Addison in the film Addison's Wall and you may have seen him in national commercials such as Cartoon Network's Home For Imaginary Friends, Sunbeam, Sprint & Intel. Over the years, Colton has enjoyed other great theater roles such as Piglet in Winnie the Pooh (OCT), The Boy in The Velveteen Rabbit (OCT), Michael in Peter Pan (Pixie Dust Productions), Freddy Rogers in The Will Roger Follies (Broadway Rose Theatre), Benny in The Box Car Children (OCT), Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (Portland Center Stage), Justin in No Mercy (Profile Theater) and has loved working with the Portland Opera in the productions of Macbeth, Werther and The Cunning Little Vixen. Colton attends Camas High School in Camas Washington and enjoys singing, soccer, gymnastics & competitive wakeboarding!
Big Eddie ~ Thomas Morning Owl Jr.
Thomas Morning Owl Jr. is a tribal leader, linguist, teacher, and musician. He has served as the Chairman of the General Council of the Umatilla Reservation of Oregon. In 1981, he was the youngest individual to be elected to the Tribes Governing Body at the age of 18. Thomas founded the traditional language program for the Umatillas and has supervised the tribe's preservation of Columbia plateau language, culture, and song. Thomas is an accomplished traditional singer and Powwow producer and announcer. His knowledge of traditional songs - both religious and secular spans many years. His efforts to revive the relatively unknown songs of the plateau lends an invaluable weight to the creation of The Ghosts of Celilo.
Inky ~ Kevin-Michael Moore
Kevin-Michael Moore has performed in Portland for decades. Artists Rep credits include Dr. Fleets in They Came from Way Out There, Samuel Byck in Assassins, Jimmy in The Weir and Ig the Pigeon in Birdsend. Other local credits include JAW/West Playwrights Festival at Portland Center Stage; The Paranormal Review at Phoenix Theatre; The Mystery of Irma Vep at both Storefront and Lakewood Theatre; W! The Musical and The Rocky Horror Show at triangle! Productions. Kevin hosted bad sci-fi movies on late-night television for KGW's Saturday Night Dead. Currently he travels nationwide as a writer/performer with both the 3rd Floor Sketch Comedy Troupe and the Gunhappy Theatrical Ensemble.
The Colonel ~ Corey Brunish
Corey Brunish's recent appearances include Billy in Chicago at the Broadway Rose, Sky in Guys and Dolls and Pickering in My Fair Lady, both with the Oregon Symphony, and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast for NW Children's Theatre. Corey has also been seen at Lakewood Theatre, Stumptown Stages, The Portland Opera, and Mt. Hood Repertory. He holds a degree from Occidental College where he studied Shakespeare, Molliere, Shaw, Brecht and Gilbert and Sullivan extensively. Corey recently directed One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at Theater Theatre. He wrote a musical review with Kim Bogus about the life of Frank Sinatra called Write Myself A Letter. Corey's CDs of standards can be heard at cdbaby.com. Corey has acted in films with Julianne Moore, Madonna, Willem Dafoe and Heather Locklear. He sends his love to his family and to Kim.
Mrs. Lyle ~ Amy Jo Arrington
National Tours: Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera. Regional Favorites: Josephine in Arizona Theatre Company's production of H.M.S. Pinafore (for which she won an AriZoni award), Marion Paroo in The Music Man and Guenevere in Camelot, both with the Oregon Symphony, Ruthie/Ned in BATBOY at Portland Center Stage, Nursemaid in Street Scene and Melanto in The Return of Ulysses with Portland Opera. Amy Jo has been a guest soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Music and the Spoken Word), Phoenix Symphony, Oregon Symphony and Columbia Symphony. She has been heard on national television as the singing voice for a Mountain Dew commercial. Amy Jo has a Bachelors degree from Arizona State University and a Masters Degree from Portland State University.
Irene ~ Marissa Ryder
Marissa Ryder is a student and vocal performance major at the University of Puget Sound. She was most recently seen as Belle in Northwest Children's Theater's production of Beauty and the Beast and Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes at Lake Oswego High School. Marissa has been a soloist for Portland Chamber Orchestra's performance of Mendelssohn's Midsummer's Night Dream, Michael Allen Harrison's 10 Grands concert in 2006, Pride of Portland's Stars Among Us show, Oregon Bach Festival's Strangeland Youth Choral Academy, and Pacific Youth Choir. She has won many vocal competitions including the NATS musical theater award and 3rd place in the Oregon state solo/ensemble competition. She would like to thank her family and music teachers for always supporting her passion for performing and musical dreams.
Narrator ~ Karen Kitchen
Karen Kitchen is a vocalist and educator dedicated to honoring her Osage-Cherokee heritage. Oklahoma roots and love for melody and lyric have led Karen to explore a variety of musical styles including international folk and jazz, blues, traditional country, and Native American. She studied vocal performance at Le Petit Conservatoire de Mireille in Paris and at the University of Oklahoma. As a founding member of the musical group Border Crossing, she performs with guitarist Peter Dammann, bassist Fred Hard, and percussionist Israel Annoh.
Karen has worked on a variety of projects with Marv Ross, Dave Carter, Arlie Neskahi, Nico Wind, and Sean StandingBear. She is featured in the soundtrack to Gus Van Sant's film Mala Noche. Musical theater credits include Sacagawea, a production of Oregon Children's Theater (2003) and Ghosts of Celilo (2005-06). During the Lewis and Clark bicentennial observance, she was honored to perform with the Trail Band and convey Native perspectives on the Expedition.
Karen also works with Painted Sky, a non-profit group whose mission is to honor Native American culture by building awareness of traditional and contemporary musical expressions through education and performance, and to provide opportunities for youth to study performing arts. Having recently completed the Tribal Administrator's Program at Lewis & Clark College, Karen works with Portland Public Schools Title VII Indian Education Program, connecting American Indian youth with opportunities and supports that nurture academic and cultural enrichment and growth.