Emily Haack
Emily Haack is excited to be back onstage for this exciting opportunity to perform some of the best songs in musical theatre. She earned a bachelor of music in voice and opera performance from Northwestern University and previously appeared at The TADA Theatre in The World Goes ‘Round: The Songs of Kander and Ebb and Some Enchanted Evening. Emily also enjoys working backstage and spent nearly ten years as an internationally-touring theater technician. Employed by the TeamMates Mentoring Program, Emily alternates singing on the stage with singing Taylor Swift cover songs with her daughter and lullabies to her seven-month-old son.
Scott Hegenbart
Scott Hegenbart is returning to TADA after last appearing in “Forever Plaid” (2004, 2006). Now living in Omaha, Scott most recently appeared this Summer in “Hello, Dolly!” at the Omaha Community Playhouse and has played various roles in the Playhouse’s production of “A Christmas Carol” (2022, 2023). In the Summer of 2023, Scott played The Black Knight/Swamp Castle Guard in Ralston Community Theatre’s production of “Spamalot.” Other favorite performances include “Ragtime,” “The Laramie Project” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Lincoln Community Playhouse. Scott earned degrees in Chemistry and Speech Communication/Theatre from Iowa State University and is Manager of Regulatory Affairs at Conagra Brands, Inc.
Kevin Paul Hofeditz
Kevin Paul Hofeditz has acted professionally in regional theatre, summer stock, and Off-Broadway since 1978. Over the years, he has acted in dozens of professional theatre productions, largely in lead roles in musicals. Mr. Hofeditz retired from his “day job” just last year, having spent 40 years as a university professor and administrator. After fifteen years on the Theatre faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he performed in over 25 productions for Nebraska Rep and where he served as Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance and Associate Dean in the Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, he joined the SMU faculty in 1998 as Professor and Chair of the Division of Theatre. Over the next 25 years, Kevin served SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts in a variety of leadership positions and as a member of the teaching faculty. He retired from SMU as Professor and Executive Associate Dean Emeritus and was honored to receive the Meadows School’s 2023-2024 Distinguished Teaching Professorship. This fall he can be seen at The TADA Theatre in A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play and in his one-man cabaret When All The Songs Make Sense.
Shari Myers
Shari Myers is an accomplished vocalist who was last seen at The TADA Theatre in Sondheim’s Company. The assistant manager at Barnes and Nobel, anything Sondheim will bring Shari back to the stage and she is delighted to be part of this talented group of artists. A mother of two, several of her previous roles include Cinderella in Into The Woods, Fiona in Brigadoon and Hodel in Fiddler On The Roof.
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Cris Rook
Cris Rook has appeared extensively on stage including a tour of Side by Side by Sondheim, the regional premieres of Forbidden Broadway, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Gilligan’s Island the Musical. She also appeared as Lucy in the Midwest premiere of Jekyll & Hyde the musical and as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd featuring the Nebraska Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Mrs. Rook has been a guest vocalist with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra and received a Master’s degree in music performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While at UNL she performed in several operas and musical theatre productions and was a company member of The Nebraska Repertory Theatre. Mrs. Rook premiered the song “A Place Like Home” for Broadway writer and lyricist Lynn Ahrens and performed “Moon Over Nebraska” with permission from Broadway’s Todd Almond. Her other favorite musical theatre roles include Dot in Sunday In The Park with George, The Witch in Into The Woods, Helen in Fun Home, Dulcinea in Man Of La Mancha and Joanne in Company. A proud mother and wife, Cris is also a talented musical director having overseen the music to more than two hundred productions and has worked alongside several national composers on regional musical premieres.
William Shomos
William Shomos is the Richard H. Larson Distinguished Professor of Music (Voice) and Director of Opera at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There he has staged a wide variety of productions ranging from traditional fare (The Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème) to world premieres and new works such as O Pioneers! (White), Dead Man Walking (Heggie), and A Wedding (Bolcom). His staging of Tyler White's O Pioneers! received regional and national acclaim and was aired on Nebraska Public Media. As a singer, Shomos has performed numerous leading baritone roles including Marcello in La Bohème, Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore, and the title role in Sweeney Todd with TADA Productions and the Nebraska Symphony Chamber Orchestra. In 2006, he appeared as a faculty artist with UNL Opera's production of The Most Happy Fella featured at the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera in Waterford, Ireland, where he was awarded "Best Male Singer" for his portrayal of Tony Esposito. In 2013, Shomos was blessed with the unlikely opportunity to sing the role of Wolfram in Wagner's Tannhäuser in Tirana, Albania--the land of his heritage. In 2016, Shomos had the good fortune to perform another of his dream roles, Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, with Lincoln's own TADA Theatre.