Marvin’s Rescue Bios
Cast & Creative Team
In alphabetical order by last name
Gretchen Corbett
Assistant Director, Props, Acting Coach and Friend
Gretchen Corbett is a Portland native and veteran of stage and screen. Best known for her role as attorney Beth Davenport on NBC’s The Rockford Files, Gretchen trained in drama at Carnegie Mellon University and made her stage debut as Desdemona in Othello at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She went on to appear on Broadway in After the Rain and Forty Carats, and off-Broadway in the title role of Iphigenia in Aulis. Her television credits span decades, including appearances on Portlandia and Shrill. In Portland, Gretchen has been a beloved presence on stage at Portland Center Stage and Third Rail Repertory, and she directed Will Eno’s Wakey, Wakey at Portland Playhouse. She served as Artistic Director of the Haven Project, a theater program for underserved children in Portland. Whether acting, directing, or mentoring, Gretchen remains a vital force in the Pacific Northwest theater community.
Delphon “DJ” Curtis Jr.
MARVIN
DJ is thrilled to be part of Marvin’s Rescue. Most recently seen as Hud in Hair and in the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Portland Center Stage, DJ has also appeared as Tom Collins in Rent and David Heard in Choir Boy at PCS. DJ attended William Peace University and received a BFA in Musical Theatre. They were an acting apprentice at Portland Playhouse, where credits include A Christmas Carol, Crowns, and Mr. Franklin/Venus. Other favorite roles include the title role in The Wiz with Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, Turk in Tarzan with Red Barn Theatre, and Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages at Egyptian Theater in Park City, UT. DJ is the Gold Medalist for best overall singer in the Ultimate Modeling and Talent Competition and has also had the opportunity to sing at New York Fashion Week.
Dani
U/S JACKIE/SHELTER WORKER
Dani moved to Portland in 2015 to pursue a career in jazz music. She started her journey at Portland State University and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Performance. Shortly after arriving, Dani appeared alongside Portland’s very own MJ New Quartet, was a featured artist at the Portland Jazz Festival, and has obtained experience as a talent and stage manager for the Portland Night Market. In 2021, Dani debuted in her first theatre performance as the lead in Portland Playhouse’s 12-week run of Bella: An American Tall Tale and made her return in 2024 as Miss Honey in Matilda. In 2023, Dani joined Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe band as a featured vocalist and tours throughout the year. Dani joined Portland Playhouse for her third theatre performance and her first casting in A Christmas Carol directed by Charles Grant. @danidangerzone
Doug Fraser
Bass Guitar
Doug has been a professional musician since high school, playing guitar, bass, drums, and flute. He spent years in NW recording studios as a session player, as well as performing in bands in the Portland music scene. Doug joined Marv and Rindy Ross in Quarterflash in 1989 as lead guitarist, and co-engineered and co-produced with Marv the two Koonce-Ross-Fraser albums, including “New American Blues,” the 2021 Oregon Music Hall of Fame Album of the Year. During the song demo sessions for “Marvin’s Rescue” in Doug’s recording studio, Marv asked Doug to be the bass player in the house band, joining Marv, Mel Kubik and Dan Steuber. Working with these amazing musicians, and witnessing these incredible actors, director, choreographer, and crew bring “Marvin’s Rescue” to life is something he is very proud to be a part of.
Jimmy Garcia
CHICO/DAD
Jimmy Garcia is a Portland-based actor known for his versatile stage and screen performances. On stage, he has appeared in A Christmas Carol and Amélie at Portland Playhouse, An Octoroon and The Hombres at Artists Repertory Theatre, and other productions with Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Milagro, CoHo Productions, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he performed for five seasons. On screen, Jimmy can be seen as Sal in the feature film Luz, as well as in Love in Dangerous Times, The Librarians, and most recently in Motives. An Actors’ Equity Association member, Jimmy brings depth, empathy, and presence to every role, whether on stage or in front of the camera.
Derek Gregerson
U/S MARVIN
Derek is dog-gone thrilled to be part of this paw-mazing show! New to the Portland area, he’s been itching to break into the Portland theater scene and is grateful for this opportunity. Derek was recently seen as Rocky, in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, at Funhouse Lounge. Some of his favorite roles include Eddie, in Sister Act, at the Las Vegas Super Summer Theater, and Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages, at the Egyptian Theater in Park City, UT. This show, celebrating second chances and finding your furever home feels especially close to his heart. He sends endless love to his pups, Gatsby and Daisy, his naked cat Trixie, and Luna the bearded dragon.
Mary Chomenko Hinckley
Contributing Artist
Voni Kengla
Choreographer
Voni (she/her) is paws-itively thrilled to be the “chore-dog-rapher” for Marvin’s Rescue. Some favorite roles on stage include Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and Henrietta Leavitt in Silent Sky. Voni earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School and trained as part of the Acting Apprentice Company at Portland Playhouse. Voni is the Conservatory Drama teacher at Spotlight Musical Theater Academy. Follow her theatrical journey at vonikengla.com. Voni owes endless gratitude to her dog Juno, the true movement consultant behind most of the choreography.
Mel Kubik
Music Director
Mel (she/her) is a singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, composer, arranger, and saxophonist from Salina, Kansas, and Denver, Colorado, who chose Portland as her permanent home in the mid-1980’s. She spent 30 years as a member of Portland’s beloved Quarterflash, and in addition was Music Director and co-conspirator for the award-winning “Ghosts of Celilo” (also written by Marv Ross). She performs as a solo artist and also as one half of the duo “The Prairie Blossoms” (with Karen Kitchen), sharing Native American music and stories with national and international audiences. Mel is a private voice, piano, and saxophone instructor, and serves as Music Director at Zoar Lutheran Church in Canby, OR.
Tia Lempert
U/S RUBY/COCO
Tia is an actor and classically trained soprano with a Bachelors in Music from Oregon State University. She has a background in both musical theatre and opera and has been performing around Portland for many years. Tia has competed at the national level in musical theatre performance several times and consistently receives top ranks. Most notably, she won second place at the CS Music national competition in the University/Pre-Professional division. Recent credits include Groundhog Day at the Lakewood Center for the Arts, The Lightning Thief at Northwest Children’s Theatre, and Oliver at Stumptown Stages. This is her second time working on Marvin’s Rescue this year, and she is thrilled to be a part of this show again. Tia would like to thank her rescue mutt Brandy for being her muse.
David Levine
Stage Manager
David Levine is a lifelong Portlander and former teacher who comes from a long line of educators-turned-actors, dating back to 1950’s summer camp in the Catskills. Recent stage manager credits include: Evolve with The Red Door Project; Samsara at Profile Theatre; and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Paradise Blue at Portland Playhouse. He dedicates this show to his childhood dog, Charlie, a smelly but regal hound.
Dayna Lucas
Costume Designer
Dayna Lucas is a costume designer and assistant from Detroit, MI, now based in Portland, OR. Dayna received her degree in Communications/Film Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and eventually received a degree in Fashion Design from FIDM in Los Angeles. She has worked in costume design for both film and theater over the past ten years. Her most recent theater work includes Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Portland Playhouse, 2025), A Christmas Carol (Portland Playhouse, 2022–2025), and Primary Trust (Portland Center Stage, 2025). For her portfolio and more information, please visit her website www.designbydayna.com.
Caitlin Lushington
Intimacy Choreographer
Caitlin Lushington (she/they) is elated to be part of the brilliant and thoughtful Marvin’s Rescue team! Caitlin is a queer theatre practitioner and teacher whose local intimacy choreographer credits include Lewis & Clark College, Tigard High School, Enso Theatre, Star Society, Pacific University, and Portland State University. She trained with Theatrical Intimacy Education and received her MFA in Actor Training and Coaching from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Caitlin teaches Applied Theatre at Pacific University and offers creative resiliency coaching to actors and arts educators locally and abroad. Learn more: www.caitlinlushington.com
Susannah Mars
DAISY/MARILYN/MOM
A lifelong performing artist, Susannah Mars has appeared in a wide variety of productions including those at Portland Opera, Portland Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater. She is the proud recipient of six Portland Drama Critics awards and two Regional Arts and Culture Council Grants. She played psychiatrist Dr. Richet on NBC’s Grimm, and her recording Susannah Mars, Call It Home: The Music of Richard Gray is available, along with the MAC-nominated Take Me To The World, on all your favorite platforms. She has been a proud arts envoy to Cairo with the U.S. State Department. Grateful to continue to grow as an artist and member of the Pacific Northwest arts ecosystem, she is happy to be a part of the audio description community and an access ally. Susannah lives with her husband, Gary in Damascus, with their queen and Pixie Project adoptee, Shyla. Learn more at www.susannahmars.com, where you can even sign up for her E blast.
Daniel Meeker
Set & Lighting Designer
A self-described cat person (who adores his giant dog Danish), based in Portland since 2009. Dan has designed scenery and/or lighting for numerous shows locally at Portland Playhouse, Portland Center Stage, Portland Opera, Profile Theater Company, COHO, and Oregon Children’s Theater. Outside of the theater, Dan was the lighting director for the Pickathon Festival from 2012–2019 and is currently the Lead Set Designer at Laika, where for the past six years, he has been working on the production of their next feature film Wildwood, which is scheduled to be released in October.
Zoe Alexis Piliafas
Producer
Zoe Alexis Piliafas is an award-winning producer whose work centers art as a catalyst for cultural conversation and community storytelling. Her projects span film, public art, and multimedia experiences that highlight voices often left out of traditional narratives. She produced the award-winning project Where We Goin, and has developed and supported a range of creative works including Super: Women in Tech, the Black Heritage Art Markers on Alberta Street in Portland, the Portland queer mural project Never Look Away, and the Black Friday Hollywood series. Her work often lives at the intersection of visual art, film, and community engagement, collaborating with artists, activists, and cultural institutions to create projects that live both on screen and in public space.
Victor Polanco
SAM THE DOG
Victor (he/him) is from Sherwood, Oregon. He works as a brunch server, a theater educator, and a performer, working for companies like Stumptown Stages, Bridgetown Conservatory, Motive Theatrics, and Broadway Rose. Victor had the pleasure of playing Sam in the first staged reading of Marvin’s Rescue. Originating a role had always been a dream of his; originating a dog? Not necessarily, but who doesn’t love dogs? Victor sure does. He’d like to express his sincere gratitude to Brian Weaver, Marv, and Rindy Ross for bringing him along on this insane, beautiful, creative endeavor. He sends love to his friends and his family, without whom he’d be an even bigger wreck! Finally, he sends a big doggy-kiss to his family’s rottweiler, Mila, whose spirited and quirky personality inspired so much of who Sam the Dog came to be.
Marv Ross
Writer/Composer
Marv is a songwriter, musician, producer, and playwright. Best known for his five top-40 songs sung by his wife, Rindy, in Quarterflash, Marv has written with Burt Bacharach, Diane Warren, and Carol Bayer Sager. A number of films and TV shows feature Marv’s work including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Nightshift, Gremlins, King of the Hill, The Americans, Physical, and Rock of Ages. In 1993, Ross’s first musical, Voices From the Oregon Trail, garnered an ASCAP Award and his second musical, The Ghosts of Celilo, won 11 Portland Musical Theater Awards. In 2019 Marv wrote and co-produced the album, New American Blues with Jon Koonce and Doug Fraser which was awarded ‘Oregon Album of the Year’. The Rosses were inducted into The Oregon Music Hall of Fame, and received the Alumni Award of Excellence from their alma mater, Western Oregon University.
Rindy Ross
Dramaturg
Always a singer, Rindy Ross married high school sweetheart, Marv, who early on began writing the songs they performed together – enabling a lifetime of creative endeavors for the couple. Together they have been blessed to work with amazing musicians in Seafood Mama, Quarterflash, and The Trail Band and have been able to perform internationally, including in North Korea. Rindy started her working life as an educator and continued that later as a mental health counselor, where working with clients furthered her belief in the power of story – both personal and fictional. The Ross story took a turn when they adopted a rescue dog, Izzy, in 2021 that led to this musical. Rindy has enjoyed being Marv’s script editor, melody wrangler, and demo singer and is in awe of the musical theater talent assembled for Marvin’s Rescue.
Elizabeth Stock
Producer
Elizabeth is a storyteller, community builder, and producer who believes in the power of creative projects to bring people together. By day, she serves as Executive Director of Oregon MESA, leading statewide efforts to expand opportunity in STEM education. With a background in film and event production, Elizabeth loves helping bold ideas find their audience. She is delighted to be part of the team behind Marvin’s Rescue.
Dan Stueber
Drums & Percussion
Dan (he/him) is an alumnus of Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he specialized in jazz and classical percussion. Dan has toured with the Rio Clemente jazz trio, Jim Nabbie’s “Ink Spots”, the Hager Brothers, and The Flying Karamazov Brothers, including their show on Broadway. Locally, he played with The Trail Band, and Marv Ross’ previous musical productions Voices of the Oregon Trail, and Ghosts of Celilo. For further information please visit: www.thunderstones.com.
Jessica Tidd
JACKIE/SHELTER WORKER/DOG ENSEMBLE
U/S DAISY/MARILYN/MOM
Jessica has been performing in the Portland area for over ten years, devoting her efforts to improving as a well-rounded performer in musical theatre, devised work, classical music, Shakespeare, clown, sketch comedy, and really anything she can get her hands on. She is a former company member of Post5 Theatre, sketch team Spectravagasm, and is newly a member of Fuse, where she was recently seen in Assassins and A New Brain. Other recent credits include Witch with Profile Theatre and Till Death Deux We Art with sketch comedy duo JK Squared. She is proud to have worked with Shaking the Tree, Badass Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Anonymous, Lakewood, Staged! and Defunkt, among others. She can be found on streaming platforms on the original cast albums for Ablaze! and The Rape of Lucrece, the latter of which she helped music devise and performed as a solo show at multiple venues. She is thrilled to be joining this project with so many wonderful two-legged talents with four-legged spirits!
Brian Weaver
Director
Brian co-founded Portland Playhouse in 2008 with his wife Nikki and brother Michael, and has directed productions of Amélie; Titus; Scarlet; Peter and the Starcatcher; A Christmas Carol; Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play; Radio Golf; Gem of the Ocean; Angels in America; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; Dying City; Detroit; The Light in the Piazza; After Ashley; and bobrauschenbergamerica. Regional credits include Third Rail Repertory, Intiman Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, The Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and Seattle Public Theatre. Brian also founded New World Players in Goshen, IN where he directed the U.S. premiere of the Spanish translation of Jose Rivera’s play, Marisol. Brian loves being a working dad – sharing time between the theatre and parenting Margot and Elliette. When not in Portland, you can find him on any stream, mountain, or forest trail.
Tabitha Wells-Benitez
Assistant Stage Manager/Wardrobe/Assistant Costumer
Tabitha is excited to join the cast of Marvin’s Rescue. She has worked on and off stage at Portland Playhouse, Motive Theatrics, Lakewood Theatre Company, Elsinore Theatrical Productions, and Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Company. She works as the Education and Communications Director at Motive Theatrics, where she also teaches theatre. She enjoys producing theatre and has a passion for exploring all the elements that make a show come alive.
Matt Wiens
Sound Designer
Matt is a Portland-based composer and sound designer. His theater credits include Crowns and Wakey, Wakey at Portland Playhouse; The Baltimore Waltz, Well, and Let Me Down Easy with Profile Theater; The Bakkhai and Escaped Alone with Shaking the Tree Theater; and MALA with CoHo Theater. Matt also creates interstitial music and sound effects for podcasts and film. He composes original scores and designs immersive soundscapes that deepen storytelling across a wide range of productions in the Portland theater community.
