Dawn Sniadak-Yamokoski (Executive Artistic Director) is thrilled to now call her job the Executive Artistic Director of Western Reserve Playhouse. Past directing credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, It’s a Wonderful Life, It’s a Wonderful Life – A live radio play, Forbidden Broadway, Dogfight, It’s a Wonderful Life, Lion King Jr., LittleWomen: The Musical, Assassins, Songs for a New World, Godspell, Beauty and the Beast, Dummies Guide to High School, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Just Killing Time in Vegas, AllShook Up, and the regional premiere of the opera, Game of Chance. When not directing. Dawn sings and acts her way on stage. Some of her favorites to date are Bridges of Madison County (Francesca), Spamalot (Lady in the Lake), Next to Normal (Diana), Evita (Evita), Children of Eden (Eve/Momma Noah), My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding (Jane), and Hairspray (Velma von Tussle). She has also performed at Aurora Community Theater, The BeckCenter, The Player’s Guild, Huntington Playhouse, Stow Players, Olde Towne Theater, BTOTS, and Weathervane Playhouse. Dawn lives in Peninsula with her hubby Jeff and her sons Drew and Colin, and her daughter, Nadia, and a house full of animals. Thank you all for the love and support of live theater!

Braelin Andrzejewski is a multipassionate, neurodivergent artist, educator, podcaster, and social justice advocate. She has many years of entrepreneurial experience, with focuses on content marketing, video production, graphic design, and the creation of educational materials for institutions such as Affinity Realty Group, Foundations for Glory, Under the Hood Sex Education, and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. She’s thrilled to be utilizing her skills at Western Reserve Playhouse as the new part-time Content Coordinator. Be on the lookout for more video, photo, and digital content from WRP, as we strive to expand our reach and promote life long learning (and unlearning) to theatre patrons in all walks of life.

August Scarpelli (Education Director) is a graduate of Hiram College (‘16 B.A. Theatre Arts, magna cum laude) and has been working in and around Northeast Ohio theatre since 2012. He has been: a Carpenter, House Manager/Volunteer Coordinator, and Assistant Operations Manager at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights; a Technical Director/Set Designer, Artistic Associate, and Actor at Ensemble Theatre; a Set Designer and Actor at Convergence Continuum; a Production/Stage Manager for the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival; Technical Director/Set Designer and Adjunct Professor of Theatre History at Hiram College; a co-founder of the Shahrazad Theatre Company based in Cleveland Heights; and has been seen at Western Reserve Playhouse in their production of Lost in Yonkers as Uncle Louie, and It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play as George Bailey. He has directed Tartuffe, and Blithe Spirit for the WRP stage and King Lear, The Seagull, and The Witch of Edmonton for the WRP Connect virtual platform. He is also a proud member of the board of trustees at WRP. August is honored to be able to communicate his experience and passion for this, the most human of arts, to the next generous of storytellers and the WRP community. His mission for the WRP Education Department is to enrich our community by guiding students of all ages in the art of the theatre as it is essential to society. We are committed to both introducing our students to the fundamental techniques that permeate all facets of public presentation/ theatrical performance and elevating our students to a better understanding of advanced communication skills, group creativity, and the significant role of art in everyday life. August misses John Prine very much and does love Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Jim Fippin ($5 Bucks Series Coordinator) has been seen on stage at Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Weathervane, Coach House, Porthouse, Magical Theatre Company, and The Players Guild. His resume includes roles in Saint Joan, And Then There Were None, Hamlet, 1776, Shakespeare in Love, Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, The Wild Goose, Kimberly Akimbo, The Mousetrap,  Four Dogs and a Bone, Bus Stop, Uncle Vanya, August: Osage County, The Rainmaker, Custer, The Real Thing, The Odd Couple, The Lion in Winter, Jesus Christ Superstar, Noises Off, Twelfth Night, Another Antigone, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear. At Western Reserve, He has appeared in Blithe Spirit and Tartuffe and is the Coordinator for the $5 Play Reading Series. Jim holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Otterbein, where he met his wife, Elaine, and where their daughter Emelie graduated (Magna Cum Laude) with the class of 2020. About the $5 Series, he says, “The $5 Play Reading Series offers WRP audiences an opportunity to hear both new and classic plays, as well as serving as a vehicle for “auditioning” plays under consideration for future production on the main stage. Since its debut in 2019, audiences for the series has grown steadily. Before being curtailed by the theatre’s enforced closing during the current pandemic, Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw set a series attendance record. Funded in part by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council, the $5 Series is an important component of WRP’s stated mission to (this is where you could drop in your stated to engage, inspire, and entertain.

Patrick Hanlon (CaBARet Coordinator) graduated from Robert Morris University with his Bachelors in Theatre Communications. He moved to Cleveland in 2016 to put his degree to use and was not slow about it. He started with working part time for French Creek Theatre, Playhouse Square, St. Igantius’s Breen Center, and Karamu House. He is ecstatic to be taking on the role of Cabaret Coordinator at Western Reserve Playhouse where he will share pieces of theatre that audiences know and love/will know to love. He remembers back in 9th grade when he stumbled upon a Youtube gem (Titus Burgess, singing “‘Quiet) and knew from then on out that he needed to share with world genuine pieces that truly captured the human experience. 

Julia is thrilled to take on her new role as Box Office Manager/Office Assistant at the WRP! She grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and is a graduate of Baldwin Wallace University. Currently, she is happy to be living and working in the greater Cleveland area. A multi-faceted theatre artist, she has worked at several theaters in Northeast Ohio including Cleveland Public Theatre, Cain Park, and Talespinner Children’s Theatre. While at Talespinner, she helped to develop their Exceptional Inclusion programming and strives to continue promoting accessibility within the theatre community and beyond.

James Gremba (Shop Manager) was originally bitten by the theater bug at Huntington in Bay Village, and has been a part of our WRP family for 5 years. He made the mistake one day of asking Sue, “What can I do to help?” His talents were quickly put to use with our sound, lights, and now set building. Local community theater work includes building sets and running lights and sound during performances for Western Reserve Playhouse, Stow Players, Theater 8:15, and Weathervane Playhouse. Jim also enjoys photography and is an avid IndyCar and sports car racing fan, where he was an IndyCar technical inspector and a race official. He currently is a Senior Project Manager with Karpinski Engineering. When you don’t see Jim in our tech booth, you may catch him on his Harley, or just relaxing with his very energetic dog, Springer.

Sue Snyder (Resident Prop Mistress) was on stage one time, forgot her lines, and has never been seen on stage again! But you do see her as Stage Manager, Prop Mistress, and so much more! Sue has even sweated a copper pipe when needed. She’s been seen at Weathervane Playhouse, Wolf Creek Players, Stow Players, and Theatre 8:15. Sue has been on the Board of WRP for 12 years. When not busy with theatre, you may see her volunteering at The Humane Society of Summit County or Habitat for Humanity Restore or Green Friends of the Library. When not volunteering, she works at Allstate Insurance as a Storage Administrator. Sue wants to thank her parents for taking care of her 5 pets (Callie, CoCo, Carly, Kaitie, and Cloe) when she isn’t home!