TAL BASS (Louis Leonowens) is 15 years old and was born and raised in Israel, but his extended family lives in the U.S. He has played the violin since first grade and the piano since third grade. His hobbies are: acting, playing football, putting together big puzzles, watching movies, raising animals and annoying his older brother.
MYRA BENNETT (Lady Thiang) has performed in numerous LOGON productions since 1983. She played Tzeitl in Fiddler on the Roof, the title roles in Iolanthe and Patience, Pitti Sing in The Mikado, Marion in The Music Man, Erma in Anything Goes and last year she played the Dolly in Hello, Dolly!. She has also sung in various choirs, a rock 'n roll band and a jazz ensemble.
YISHAI GILRON (Prince Chululongkorn) is 17 years old and in 11th grade at Eshel Hanassi High School, where his main subjects are biology and chemistry. This is his first production with LOGON. He enjoys playing and listening to music, and taking long hikes.
LEORA LANDZBAUM (Narrator). Leora is sixteen going on seventeen. This is her 4th LOGON show. She was Ermengarde in last years Hello, Dolly! She has also appeared in The Music Man and Anything Goes.
MAAYAN LEEPER (Eliza/royal wife) is a third year student at Sapir College in Digital Communication and Computer Graphics. She is a trained dancer and is happy to sing and act as well. This is her 5th production with LOGON after playing Louise in Carousel, Mimmie-Fay in Hello, Dolly!, and dancing in other shows. She is glad to help bring Uncle Toms Cabin to life as Eliza and was also assistant to the Choreographer.
RICHARD LEUNG (Lun Tha) This is Richard's debut performance in musical theater. He originates from New York City and currently lives in Beer Sheva, pursuing a career in international medicine. He is an avid reader of literature, a student of the guitar, and an insatiable traveler. Richard dedicates his performance to Barbara J. Brown (1943-2007), a grand southern dame whose tremendous voice could shake the walls of all the world's opera houses.
ODED MESNER (Interpreter & Simon Legree) was born in Haifa, 1967. In his youth, danced with the "Noar Haoved" folk dancing group. During his medical studies belonged to the Jerusalem "Mehola" dance group. A pediatrician by profession. Works as a senior neonatologist in the division of neonatology at the Soroka Medical Center. Married to Lilach and father to Tidhar (2), Inbar (8) and Shanee (11), who also participates in this show.
TAMAR NAGGAN (Anna Leonowens). Tamar's last Logon show was Annie Get your Gun and since then she's been "doin uwhat comes nachurly" with the happy result of two feisty little bundles of joy, as well as studying choir conducting. This season, she is teaching English at Sapir College and is especially thrilled to return to the playful silliness of rehearsals with her LOGON friends.
ED SPITZ (The King). Ed, an allergist at Soroka Medical Center, has played many leading roles in past LOGON productions, including Fred in Kiss Me, Kate, Tony, in The Most Happy Fella, Koko, in both productions of The Mikado, the Judge in Trial by Jury and Hello, Dolly!, Danilo in The Merry Widow and Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes.
GABI WACHSPRESS (Tuptim). Gabi is a 15-year old tenth-grader at the Ulpana Amit in Beer Sheva. She has studied acting both in Beer Sheva and New York. Tuptim is her first major role in a LOGON production. She loves the creative process of acting, putting myself into the character and knowing when it all clicks is a tremendously exciting sensation.
ENGLISH GENTLEMEN
RICHARD BENNETT (Captain Orton) This is Richards second role in a LOGON show. His first was as the tree in the Mikado.
BEN SOMMER (Sir Edward Ramsay) was in the first LOGON show 27 years ago. After a 26 year break, he is delighted to be back. An ex-Australian, would be bon viveur, and current-English teacher, (lucky fellow), he once wrote ed.TVs Debbie in Hospital.
ERIC ISAACSON (British Ambassador/servant) Married to Carol who is working with props. Has 4 grown children and is a translator, film narrator and copy writer. Inept dancer but loud bass with a penchant for character roles.
THE KRALAHOMES
ARNOLD GROSS Ph.D. Arnie, a founding member of LOGON is a non-retired pensioner. He has lived in the Negev since 1969 after making aliyah from Buffalo N.Y.in 1969. His professional interests have included academia, rehabilitation and education. He has appeared in all our LOGON productions except for two over the last 38 years. For this production Arnie is joined in LOGON by his granddaughter- a LOGON first.
DOV LANDZBAUM. This is Dovs 12th LOGON show. Hes had various major roles, including an Italian chef, a Prussian headwaiter and an all-American cowboy. K&I marks his debut as a Siamese Rosh Memshala.
ALAN COHEN. Alan has been with Logon since 1987 in various roles and enjoying every minute. It has been a pleasure to reunite the trio from "A Most Happy Fella" for this production although he admits learning Siamese has been tough.
PRINCIPAL WIVES
YAMIMA OSHER, PhD, clinical psychologist and Lecturer (Psychiatry) at BGU. Veteran of 12 LOGON shows, has played a variety of minor roles, often characters named "Poopsie". Her two grown children, both LOGON veterans, hate to hear her sing. Her cats don't seem to mind.
ALEXANDRA BEYTENBRAT A Ph.D student and teaching assistant of linguistics at BGU. This is my 5th consecutive LOGON production.
DEBBIE LAMDAN, a native Chicagoan, lives on Kibbutz Urim. Since joining LOGON in 2000, she has enjoyed acting, singing, dancing, dressing up in outlandish and exotic costumes and generally having a good time. How one becomes a meek and docile wife after playing the imperious Dolly Tate in Annie Get Your Gun and the obtrusive Ernestina Money in Hello Dolly!, this is a puzzlement!
PRODUCTION & MANAGEMENT
YAACOV AMSELLEM (Director) Since 1985 Yaacov has directed more than 60 productions. His most recent is Ma Pitom Haifa with the Negev Theatre, which has the novel device of having two separate audiences watching the same show one from one side, and one from the other. Born in 1960, Yaacov was brought up in France and made Aliyah in 1978, after studying pantomime in Marseilles. He completed the Directors Course at the Seminar HaKibbutzim and a course for professional performers at Theatron Hagouf. Today he directs several theatre groups, both amateur and professional, but has carved out a niche in working with community theatres. These include community groups in the Eshkol Region, Yavneh, Arad, Akim (the organization of the disabled) and the Ben Gurion University student theatre group Barvaz. He both directs and acts in the Negev Theatre where he played the lead role in Samys Place and acted in The Last Israeli. Yaacov has appeared in many films, stage plays, TV productions and commercials. He also does voiceovers in French, including for Spielbergs film Munich. Yaacov also founded and directs Teatron Kol Adam, a theatrical company with which he can put on shows that I couldnt do anywhere else. Over the years he has directed several productions in various theatre festivals, including the Israel, Acco and Haifa festivals. LOGON is not his first English-language show. His group in Yavne appeared in English productions in the Leeds and London festivals in the UK. With a knack for working with youngsters, Yaacov has taught courses in theatre for gifted pupils at the Negev College and Midrasha Sde Boker and worked in theatrical projects with Ethiopian pupils. He directs two ongoing projects for young people: one at AKIM-Beersheva for children with special needs, and at the second at the Amal schools in Beersheva and Dimona to prevent violence and drugs abuse via theatre. Yaacov lives in Moshav Yevul with his wife Orly. His has four children: Eynat 23, Lital 21, Offir, 19 and Tom, 7.
Ya'acov and our veteran musical director David Waldmann have worked together on numerous productions. Hes the most professional person in the area, declares Yaacov. Whenever I have a say in who will be the musical director, I always choose David.
OSNAT KASHI (Choreographer) is a graduate of the School for the Art of Dance within the Kibbutzim College of Education, and a graduate of the Rina Schenfeld School of Dance. As dance-troupe instructor at the Ma'ale HaBasor High School, Osnat choreographed the musicals put on by the graduating classes. Osnat worked as a choreographer for the Negev Theater and choreographed community events for kibbutzim and moshavim throughout Israel as they celebrated their Jubilee year. Osnat has also choreographed for the Barvaz Theater a Community Action Unit of Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
DAVID WALDMANN (Musical Director & Conductor) is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, London. He lives in Arad and hwas worked extensively with choirs and singing groups, mainly in the Negev. David runs his own recording studio and also composes and arranges music for several theatre groups, combining live music with computerized sound tracks. This is the 12th consecutive year that he has been Musical Director for LOGON.
KARA AHARON (Deputy Musical Director) has played in 8 previous LOGON shows. During the day she teaches English enrichment programs for children based on songs and games, and has released several CDs of original songs. In addition to raising four children (one of whom is on stage) she keeps busy in a wide variety of projects that include composing, theatre groups and sing-alongs.
LISA RUBINOVICH (Stage Manager), from George, South Africa, originally came to spend a year in Israel in 1977, met her future husband at the Ulpan and is still here 30 years later! She lives in Beer Sheva and has two daughters. Between visits to her family in Perth, Australia, she works as a free-lancer for the Public Affairs department at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. This is Lisa`s 7th consecutive season with LOGON. She loves helping to build and paint the sets as well as doing various other back-stage activities.
FRIEDA GILMOUR (Co-producer). After retiring from producing with her husband, Bob, after Anything Goes Frieda couldnt stay away and is once again dealing with most of the production management off stage. She has been involved in LOGON since 1991.
PAUL HARE (Co-producer) has attended LOGON performances since 1980 when he made aliya with his family and June was a chorus member of the first production, Trial by Jury. He took part in Fiddler on the Roof and 8 subsequent productions. His specialty has been the crossover and noises off. On several occasions, including the present, he has been a member of the Board and a Producer.
FRIEDA GILMOUR
MYRA & RICHARD BENNETT (Set Design and Set Construction & management). Apart from performing in many of LOGON's productions since 1983, the Bennetts were Stage Managers for several past LOGON productions. Myra was LOGON Chairman for 2 years and Richard was Co-Producer for Patience and Fiddler on the Roof and they both produced last years Hello, Dolly! Along with other family members, they have worked on building sets for many of the LOGON shows in the past 19 years. In their spare time, Richard runs the Beer Sheva Veterinary Hospital and Myra is a computer systems designer.
JUDY FRANK (Props Mistress) is a computer systems analyst when she is not working on props. She came to Israel from Washington, DC, in 1984 and to Be'er Sheva very soon afterwards. This is her 6th year with LOGON. She is looking forward her upcoming retirement so that she can devote even more time to making, buying, finding, organizing, unpacking, placing, counting, packing and fixing props.
RAZELLE WEISS (Assistant to the Director & LOGON Chairperson) has studied thearre and performing arts at university in the States. She is a qualified Arthur Murray dance teacher. Razelle has taught English at BGU and the Air Force Technological College in Beer Sheva. She is the proud mother of Maayan and Shalev, who appear in this seasons show.
MELANIE LOMBARD (Costumes). During her 24 years in Israel Melanie has worked for almost all the theatrical companies, including the Israel Opera, Cameri and Habima. She is now working as a freelance costume designer and maker.
LISBETH KRESSEL (Ticket Sales). Lisbeth plays guitar and violin and is a qualified music teacher. This is the 6th year she has been doing the thankless job of ticket management. She is playing 2nd violin in this LOGON production instead of the bass guitar.
ALBERT JACOB (Orchestra Steward) was an award winning family practitioner in Scotland. He made aliyah in 1991 to work a further five years in the Clalit clinic in Niveh Noy. He has played the violin for 70 years and the viola for 37, and has orchestral and palm court experience. He has played viola for L.O.G.O.N.since 1991, and was appointed orchestral steward in 1995.
