Eddie and Dave

-strong language

-adult humor and content

-depictions of drugs/alcohol/substance use

-depictions of sexual situations

-use of theatrical blood

Sensory Content: This play contains briefly flashing (not strobe) lights and loud noises.

Eddie - Braden JP Rood
Dave - Caroline Price
Alex - Katie Starks
Valerie - Bryant Duffy
MTV VJ - Cindy Shadrick

Playwright - Amy Staats
Director - Cavan Hallman
Stage Manager - Chelsea White
Assistant Stage Manager - Kathleen Weiss
Set Designer - CJ Mobberley
Props Designer - Ashlee Mooney
Lighting Designer - Jim Vogt
Sound Designer - Julia Corbett
Costume Designer - Zhen E Rammelsberg
Music Supervisor/Guitar - Jason Shadrick
Guitar - Andy Wood

Braden JP Rood

Braden JP Rood (EDDIE) is thrilled to be in her first Mirrorbox production with such an amazing cast and crew!  From Mount Vernon, Braden is excited for her first foray "out of town' in quite awhile.   When she isn't rockin' on the MbT stage, she is rockin' with her bands Leah Woosley and the Mother Chuckers and Balderdash Ditty.  She has had the honor of playing many a character on various stages in Iowa and New York.  Favorite roles include:  Daria in The Game's Afoot, Dionysis in The Frogs, Feste in Twelfth Night and Loganne in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  Her favorite role, though, is mother to her stellar boys, Jasper, Atticus and Chester and wife to her super supportive husband, Anton.  She would like to thank them and her mom and dad for always having her back.  And to all of you: Thank you for supporting the local arts!  Enjoy the show!

Caroline Price

Caroline Price (DAVID) is an Associate Professor of Theater at Cornell College where she directs and teaches acting. This is her first onstage role with Mirrorbox and she is thrilled to be working with such a kick ass bunch of artists.   She has performed locally with Crooked Path Theater, MVLCT,, City Circle theater, The Old Creamery, and Riverside Theater.  Caroline holds an MFA in acting from Wayne State University. Much love to Mom and Dad, Jameson, and Jersey. www.carolineleaprice.com

Katie Starks

Katie Starks (ALEX) has been a super fan of Mirrorbox theatre for almost 5 years and is stoked to be making her on stage debut in this historic building where her dogs were once groomed and her grandpa took his car to get repaired decades before she was born. A native of Iowa, Katie returned to the area 5 years ago to care for her ailing parents after 15 years in Minneapolis. Katie received her BA in theatre from Metropolitan State University and participated in hundreds of shows during her years in the Twin Cities. She is still an “at large” company member of Freshwater Theatre in Minneapolis and despite the pandemic, has kept in close communication with the Twin Cities theatre community, including working on 2 Fringe Festival shows and soon a third, since returning to Iowa. During her time back in the corridor, Katie directed Closer with RHCR,worked on costume crew for TCR and Revival theatres and performed in Tiny Beautiful Things at Giving Tree Theatre, Dracula at TCR and The House of Blue Leaves at MVLCT. Katie spends most days creating and serving delicious food and coffee at Café St Pio in Czech Village. Katie would like to dedicate this performance to her Mama Cindy and Brother Shannon who both loved Van Halen and would have JUMPED for joy to see this show.

Bryant Duffy

Bryant Duffy (VALERIE) is making his debut performance with Mirrorbox! He was most recently seen as Ernst Ludwig in Theatre Cedar Rapids production of Cabaret. Bryant has performed in a variety of theatres across the area including City Circle Theater Company, Revival Theatre Company, Dreamwell Theatre, Giving Tree Theatre, RHCR  and Theatre Cedar Rapids.

Bryant studied theatre performance at the University of Northern Iowa. When not on stage Bryant enjoys spending time with his 2 dogs Henry and Daphne and traveling with his husband Joshua.

Cindy Shadrick

(MTV VJ) Spending her teenage years obsessively watching MTV, Cindy Shadrick is ready to rock her Mirrorbox debut. Cindy, having most recently portrayed Elsa Schraeder in Theatre Cedar Rapids production of The Sound of Music, is excited to JUMP (pun intended) into the role of MTV VJ. Cindy is a sought after voice instructor, music director, clinician, and performer in the Cedar Rapids area. She holds her MM in Vocal Performance from University of Northern Iowa. Big love to her family, friends, and students.

Amy Staats

(Playwright) is an actor, writer, director, producer, and 2018-2019 Tow Playwright in Residence with the Atlantic Theater Company. The world premiere of Amy’s most recent play EDDIE AND DAVE, directed by Margot Bordelon, had an extended run off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company and co-starred Amy in the role of “Eddie Van Halen.” She is a resident artist at Berkeley Rep’s GroundFloor and SPACE on Ryder Farm, and a finalist at Sundance Theater Lab, and a semi-finalist at O’Neill Playwrights Festival. TV/Film work includes multiple roles on FBI Most Wanted, Bull (recurring), and Late Night With Stephen Colbert. Her Russian spy/gymnastics sports dramedy DEFECTED is currently in development with Olivia Wingate (MO Studios) and Wren Arthur (Olive Productions). She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Jeffrey and their cats James Carlos and Orlando.

Cavan Hallman

(Director) Cavan Hallman has had plays performed at the National WWII Museum, Strawdog Theatre, Donny’s Skybox, The Artistic Home, RhinoFest, KAPOOT, The Elm, Seattle Fringe, and Columbia College Chicago. His writing has also been featured in Iowa at Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Playtime Poppy Children’s Theatre, The National Czech and Slovak Museum, SPT Theatre, and The Hook. His plays for young audiences have received over 15,000 performances in elementary schools across the country for an audience of over 5 million students and teachers. He has performed Off-Broadway, along with other roles in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Cedar Rapids, and Cork, Ireland, where he presented his solo show Not Easily Forgotten. Cavan is the founder and Producing Artistic Director for Mirrorbox Theatre, currently in its fifth season as the only company in Iowa that exclusively presents contemporary plays in their Iowa premieres. For Mirrorbox he has directed the Iowa premieres of Exit Strategy, Red Speedo, Luna Gale, There Is A Happiness That Morning Is, Sender, Orange Julius, The Parking Lot, Love & Other Destinations, Private, the wish, DRIVE, Batman Returns Returns, and OPEN, along with dozens of readings, leading casts that included the stars of over a dozen Broadway shows, and an Emmy-nominee.

Recently, he wrote the Book & Lyrics for The Suffragist, a musical collaboration with Nancy Hill Cobb dramatizing the passage of the 19th Amendment. The premiere featured Tony-nominee Nancy Opel and selections from the production aired on Iowa Public Radio in 2023.

Cavan Hallman is a Resident Artist with The CRY HAVOC Company in NYC. He holds a BA from Columbia College Chicago and an MFA in Playwriting from the University of New Orleans, for whom he has also taught acting and scriptwriting.

Chelsea White

(Stage Manager) Chelsea was in. Then they were out. Then they were in. That’s the easiest way to describe Chelsea’s relationship with theatre over the years. Despite having a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History with a minor in Theatre Arts from Coe College, Chelsea was out of theatre from 2012 until 2018 when their play, Theodosia was included in the Underground New Play Festival in the Grandon Studio at Theatre Cedar Rapids. Since 2018, memorable experiences have included being the Assistant Director/Stage Manager for The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson at Giving Tree, being a playwright for Code Red Playwrights: #ENOUGH which has resulted in their short plays and monologues being performed in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Jersey, and stage managing for Mirrorbox Theatre everywhere from a parking lot to their new permanent home on Ellis Blvd. Chelsea used to only do theatre “after work hours” but they also recently made the transition to being the full-time Audience Services Manager here at Mirrorbox Theatre. Even with learning a new full-time role, they decided to JUMP head on into stage managing this production and they could not be more appreciative of this team of collaborators that are bringing this one to the stage. They hope you enjoy the show!

Zhen E Rammelsberg

(Costume Designer) Zhen E Rammelsberg has been involved in the local theatre scene for years as a member of boards, someone trodding the boards, as a published playwright, and every other job involving theatre.  This is her first time to be asked "officially" to costume a show, so she thought she "might as well jump" at the chance since most of her wardrobe is still from the 80s and she is a long time lover of Van Halen.

Zhen E "Ain't Talking About Love '' only when she sends it out to her son Jordan, DIL Skyler,  granddaughter Jasmine, 5 cats and to Robert, the Eddie to her Dave.  Robert, "only time will tell if we stand the test of time."

Jason Shadrick

(Music Supervisor/Lead Guitar) Jason Shadrick loves great guitar tones—analog or otherwise. Since 2010 he has served as Associate Editor at Premier Guitar, where he’s commissioned and edited over 500 lessons, written dozens of reviews, interviewed over 75 guitarists, and produced several podcasts. Shadrick received an M.M. in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Northern Iowa and previously served as a director for the National Guitar Workshop where he organized clinics with Buddy Guy, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, and many more. He also produces several podcasts including Wong Notes hosted by Cory Wong, Runnin’ with the Dweezil hosted by Dweezil Zappa, and Dipped in Tone with Rhett Shull and Zach Broyles. Recently, Jason has served on the faculty of Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience and edited the best-selling instructional book, The Subversive Guitarist by Joe Gore.

Local pop-rocker, Alisabeth Von Presley is one of our talented collaborators on EDDIE AND DAVE by Amy Staats. This Pink Haired rocker pop-rocker was raised on a well balanced diet of Michael Jackson, Joan Jett, and a closet full of sequins. Alisabeth has left a memorable impact on stages from Los Angeles to New York -- with her latest step being on the hit NBC TV show "American Song Contest". Her last single"Wonder"was released by Atlantic Records and is the embodiment of what this pop rock singer stands for - Self Acceptance and Rock n Roll. Von Presley travels with two backup dancers and a fully choreographed production. She offers several styles - ranging from a Kid-Friendly set to a full blown, fully choreographed, 6 backup dancer pop-rock production. Think Lady Gaga meets Pat Benatar with a bit of P!nk sprinkled on top! Alisabeth Von Presley will join Mirrorbox for a post-show talkback on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

EDDIE AND DAVE'S all-local cast and creative team includes Music Supervisor Jason Shadrick, a Van Halen expert and Associate Editor of Premier Guitar Magazine. Shadrick has worked with Brian May (Queen), Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), and served as co-host, along with guitar legend Dweezil Zappa, of the podcast Runnin’ with the Dweezil, billed as “the most in-depth van Halen podcast ever.” Jason Shadrick will join Mirrorbox for a post-show talkback on Saturday, April 22, 2023.