Head Over Heels at Ashland Productions

Robert Kowalewski

Robert grew up in Crucible, Pennsylvania and attended college at Robert Morris University. Robert has been involved in numerous theatrical performances, in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Local highlights include: All Night Strut, Gift of the Magi (Jim), and It's a Wonderful LIfe (Clarence) at Theatre in the Circle; West Side Story (Riff) with the Akron Symphony; Next to Normal (Henry) at French Creek; Bright Ideas (Josh) and Newsies (Crutchie) at Brecksville Theatre; Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Einstein) and Sweeney Todd (Anthony) with Blank Canvas Theatre; and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Phoebus), Chess (Molokov), and Spring Awakening (Melchior) at Near West Theatre. Robert thanks Dave, Kevin and all others who made this endeavor possible. He also thanks his parents, grandparents, and partners Braelin and Patrick for supporting him both onstage and off. Enjoy the show!

Gregory Violand (AEA)

Performance venues include: The Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theatre, Playhouse Square, Cain Park, Dobama, Beck Center, Lakeland Summer Theater, Actor’s Summit, Ensemble Theatre, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Lyric Opera, JCC Halle, CSU Summer Stages, The Eldrid Theater, Virginia Musical Theater in Virginia Beach, VA and Metro Stage in Washington DC. Film and TV: Dark Water, Batman v Superman (Dawn of Justice), Carol, The Assassins Code, The Toybox, My Blind Brother, Jenny’s Wedding, Miracle Dog, Take Shelter, Clowntown, Love Finds You In Sugarcreek (UP Network), Chicago Fire (NBC), Dodge & Miles (Quibi). SAG-AFTRA, AEA, Kent State (MFA) Adjunct Professor Lakeland CC.

Brian Altman

Is excited to be a part of this world premier musical! He's been involved in community theater for many years all over PA and OH. Some of his most loved shows include Something Rotten (Brother Jeremiah), Forever Plaid (Smudge), Bent (Greta) and She Loves Me (Steven Kodaly). Other favorites over the years include Shrek the Musical (Lord Farqaad), Ragtime (Tateh), Silence the Musical (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and Little Miss Sunshine (Uncle Frank). He and his partner of 22 years share their Fairview Park home with their beloved cat and very old turtle. He thanks you all for supporting live theater and the arts!

Natalie Green (AEA)

Natalie Green is thrilled to appear onstage with Infamous the Musical written by David Michaels. She is a graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts and member of Actors’ Equity Association. Regionally, Natalie has worked with Dobama Theatre, Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Public Theatre, EJ Thomas Hall, Cleveland Play House, Pittsburgh Repertory Company, Mamai Theatre Company, Beck Center for the Arts, and many more. She is lead singer & amp; manager for Grand Avenue Band, a voiceover artist with American Greetings and a soloist with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

Sandra Montevideo

Sandra has been performing in NEOhio in more than 50 productions including Porthouse productions of Anything Goes (Reno), 9 to 5 (Roz), Chicago (Velma), Sweet Charity (Nickie), Hairspray (Velma Von Tussel), West Side Story (Anita), Bye Bye Birdie (Rose), Spelling Bee (Rona) and Godspell. Othercredits include Kiss Me Kate (Kate), Evita (Eva Peron), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Gypsy (Mama Rose), and All Night Strut at the Hanna Theatre. Sandra serves as Senior Executive Director of Academic Affairs at the Northeast Ohio Medical University and sings with thebands, Ovation (ovationband.net) and ParkPlace (parkplaceband.com). Sandra lives in Hudson with her son Evan, dog Kip and cat Freddy.

David Owen Michaels

Is a Cleveland born playwright, musician and teacher. He studied Musical Theater at Ohio Northern University under Directors Nils Reiss, Katriona McPhee and Robert Behrens from 2003-2005. David is currently the Choir and Orchestra Director of St. Edward High School. Additionally, he serves as the Music Director for the St. Edward Theater troupe, The Edwardian Players. He has served as Director for such shows as Grease, All Shook Up, The Jungle Book and Aladdin Jr. He has also served as the Orchestra Director for several local shows including most recently, John and Jen. David lives in Fairview Park, Ohio with his wife, Adriana, and daughter, Madeline. David can be found playing solo piano in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood on Friday and Saturday nights.

Scott Spence

Scott Spence is excited to do something he rarely gets to do---Work on a brand new musical! The journey to a world premiere has seemingly a thousand different steps, and Scott is thrilled to join Dave and his team on even one of those. Scott recently entered his 33rd year as Artistic Director of Beck Center. In that time he has directed over 100 titles and produced well over 250 at Beck Center alone, and his work has also been seen at Baldwin-Wallace University, Cleveland Summer Stages, Cleveland State University, Case-Western Reserve University, Weathervane Playhouse, and Berea Summer Theatre. Among the many musicals he's helmed, he counts quite a few as favorites! Among them are: "A Man of No Importance", "Billy Elliot", "Urinetown", "Sweeney Todd", "Spamalot" and his most recent Beck Center offering..."Something Rotten". Love as always to the leading ladies in his life... Rachel and Carleigh.

John Max McFarland

John received his degrees in Composition (B.M.) and Percussion Performance (B.M., M.M.) from Western Michigan University. He studied percussion under Judy Moonert. John has performed as the principal percussionist and Principal Timpanist for the University Concert and Symphonic Bands, as well as the University Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Kalamazoo Symphony and Battlecreek Symphony as a substitute percussionist. His compositions and arrangements have received international recognition with performances all over the United States as well as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. John is also the owner and founder of Six to Five Productions, LLC a marching arts music publishing company where many of his original shows for marching band, winter percussion, and concert percussion can be purchased. John resides in Medina, Ohio with his wife Sydney, his son, Camden, his daughter Cadence and his two Greyhounds (Tippy and Ozark).

Maria DiDonato

Maria DiDonato (soprano) is a multi-talented Cleveland based artist. She specializes in classical, musical theatre, jazz, rock, and pop music. She is an award winning songwriter, music director, actress, pianist, vocalist, band leader, teacher, and church music ministry leader. She has obtained a Bachelor of Music Education with a Minor in Theatre and a Master of Music (Vocal Performance) from Cleveland State University. Maria is a professor at Cleveland State and Cuyahoga Community College, and has her own private voice/piano studio. Maria is the manager and lead vocalist of local jazz group Hip to That, and plays all throughout northeast Ohio. Some of her favorite engagements include music directing at Playhouse Square, recording an album/performing with renowned hip hop violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, opening for the rapper Common at the Wolstein Center, and performing the National Anthem for President Barack Obama.

Bob Abelman

A Professor Emeritus at Cleveland State University, having earned a Ph.D. at the University of Texas-Austin after studying musical theatre at the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. He was the long-time, award-winning theatre critic for the Cleveland Jewish News before taking on the post at the Austin Chronicle. Bob has served as a Fellow with the National Endowment for the Arts, written for American Theatre magazine, and authored two theatre-based fictional novellas – All the World’s a Stage Fright and Murder, Center Stage – the latter of which has been turned into a play that got its 2022 premiere in Cleveland.

Bill Shaffer

Bill C. Shaffer is proud to be a Cleveland native. He is an organist, pianist, accompanist and music director in the greater Cleveland area. Bill has enjoyed an extensive performing career and has played for most of the major Broadway tours that have come through Cleveland, including Wicked, The Addams Family, Pippin, Cinderella, Grease, West Side Story, Finding Neverland, Hello Dolly, A Bronx Tale, Book of Mormon, Mean Girls, Jersey Boys, Anastasia, Pretty Woman, Jesus Christ Superstar, and My Fair Lady. Bill recently served as the associate conductor and keyboardist for the National Tour of Something Rotten. Bill is thrilled to be conducting “Infamous” right here in his home town. Thank you to the orchestra, who have done a stellar job in preparing this new musical. Bill is happily married to his wife Michelle, and they enjoy their three furry “kids”, Oliver, Hally and Sherlock.