October 7–November 7, 2026 | Isaac Studio Theatre
In This Program
- About The Play
- Director’s Note
- Song List
- Company
- Flavors of the Stage
- Up Next at Taproot
- Join us at Uncorked 2026!
- Supporting the Storytellers of Tomorrow!
- In memory of Glenna Kendall, 1925–2026
- Print Edition
- More About Taproot Theatre
About The Play
Playing in the Isaac Studio Theatre
Smoke on the Mountain
Book by Connie Ray
Conceived by Alan Bailey
Musical arrangements by Mike Craver and Mark Hardwick
Director
Scott Nolte*
Creative Team
Music Director
Sam Vance
Scenic Designer
Richard Lorig
Costume Designer
Sarah Burch Gordon
Lighting Designer
Tim Wratten
Sound Designer
Mark Lund
Dialect Coach
Rowan Gallagher
Props Master
Jaiden Clark
Stage Manager
Cassie Fitzgerald
Assistant Stage Manager
Aly Lubiens
Music Consultant
Edd Key
ASL Coach
Rhonda Cochran
Cast
(in order of appearance)
Mervin Oglethorpe
Joel Barkman
June Sanders
Audrey Herold
Vera Sanders
Candace Vance
Burl Sanders
Sam Vance
Denise Sanders
Echo Joy Vance
Dennis Sanders
Jeremy Steckler
Stanley Sanders
Mike Oliver
Setting
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in North Carolina on a Saturday night in June 1938.
Smoke on the Mountain is approximately two hours including a 15-minute intermission.
SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
*The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
Director’s Note
Dear Friends,
Way back in 1991, I was in a conference call with other directors and managers when a producer from New York said, “All of you need to look at Smoke on the Mountain.” It was a runaway hit at her Off-Broadway theatre, and it might be for us too. There was no internet search engine (yet), so I called the publisher in New York and ordered a physical script to be mailed to me. As they say, the rest is history. Smoke became a big hit and a milestone in Taproot Theatre’s history of productions.
Smoke is disarmingly simple: a family of musicians that travel to churches with their program of song and celebration. They sing and play a dizzying array of instruments and testify to their understanding of God’s faithfulness and grace. But like the best of families, things don’t always go as planned and differences cause friction and calamities. But grace abides.
In addition to the entertainment value of the Sanders’ musical talents, there is a profound demonstration of forgiveness, love, and celebration. Their vulnerability and reconciliation are shown, and we—the congregation—are invited into a community of new friends who leave transformed.
Smoke on the Mountain is part of Taproot Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Season for its role in growing our audience while garnering positive, game-changing critical response. Smoke was also key to generating the momentum needed to renovate a derelict Greenwood movie theater into the theatres we enjoy today.
Welcome to Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, y’all. We hope you enjoy our show.
Scott Nolte
Director
Song List
I’ll Never Die (I’ll Just Change My Address)
Whispering Hope
Smoke on the Mountain
Rock of Ages
Angel Band
Meet Mother in the Skies
A Wonderful Time Up There
No Tears in Heaven
Blood Medley
I Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now
Christian Cowboy
Transportation Medley
The Church in the Wildwood
The Filling Station
I’ll Fly Away
Jesus Is Mine
I’ll Live A Million Years
Everyone Home But Me
Company
Cast
Joel Barkman
Mervin Oglethorpe
Joel is excited to be making his Taproot debut in this production of Smoke on the Mountain! Some of his recent credits include Jean-Michel in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Connection Street Theatre) and Barry Glickman in The Prom (Pacific Lutheran University). He is currently the music director of his church and Connection Street Theatre in Shelton, WA. Joel would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support!
Audrey Herold
June Sanders
Audrey’s favorite credits include Murder on the Orient Express (Harlequin Productions), Scandalton (Dacha Theatre), Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Tacoma Arts Live), Always Winter and A Woman of No Importance (Taproot Theatre), and any time she plays with 14/48. She is a proud Dacha Theatre company member and former Taproot Road Company member, and she regularly tours with Taproot’s Improv Team. Audrey earned her BFA from Trinity Western University and MFA from Seattle University. She adores site-specific theatre, stage combat, and anything pickled. audreyherold.com
Mike Oliver
Stanley Sanders
Mikel is grateful to return to Taproot having last appeared in Man of La Mancha. His previous Seattle productions include Big River and As You Like It (Taproot Theatre); Night Flight, Moby-Dick, and My Antonia (Book-It Repertory Theatre); and Proof (Second Story Repertory). Mike sends a big hug to Emily, Kaia, and Beckett!
Jeremy Steckler
Dennis Sanders
Jeremy is excited to return to Taproot’s stage for this fun-filled musical. Previous credits at Taproot include Pvt. Matterson in The Hello Girls, Algernon/Rev. u/s Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Thomas O’Brien in Georgiana and Kitty. Jeremy can also be seen in the film Cora Bora with Meg Stalter, The Comedown, and as Scott in The Grove. Much love to his family and his partner for supporting him.
Candace Vance
Vera Sanders
Candace loves nothing more than performing with Sam, so she is beyond grateful for this opportunity. After playing Denise four times, what a treat it is to pass the torch to Echo! All the love to Edd, Theresa, and other former Sanders family members. Favorite Taproot credits include Orual in Till We Have Faces, Rachel in A Woman of No Importance, Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha. Other Seattle credits include work at UAC, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, and Book-It Repertory Theatre, among others. Thanks, Scott, for all the fun! candacevance.com
Echo Joy Vance
Denise Sanders
Echo is delighted to make her Taproot debut! Recent credits include Ensemble/Featured Musician in The Old Man and the Old Moon, Odette in Anastasia, Bella in Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, or the Sugarplum Fairy, and Jenna in a selection from Waitress in the Styles Showcase (Seattle Pacific University). An accomplished dancer, internationally touring violinist/vocalist, and award-winning classical pianist, Echo will finish her degree in Piano Performance under Dr. Dainius Vaičekonis in Spring 2028. Love to the Fiascos!
Sam Vance
Burl Sanders & Music Director
Sam is an interdisciplinary artist with over 30 years of experience as an actor, musician, music director, and composer. Recent performances include The Old Man and the Old Moon, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Cotton Patch Gospel. Music direction credits include Tartuffe, The Odyssey, The Fantasticks, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables, and Jane Eyre, among others. He holds degrees from the Art Institute, Seattle Pacific University, and Goddard College. Much love to A Total Fiasco!
Creative Team
Jaiden Clark (he/him)
Props Master
Jaiden is a prop, scenic, and sound designer and a proud Production Associate at Taproot Theatre. His recent design credits include prop design for Taproot’s Road Company productions, Barefoot in the Park, Till We Have Faces, and Murder on the Links, as well as scenic design for Ingvar! A Musical Furniture Saga at Latitude Theatre and Hall of Horror at Dark Council Production.
Cassie Fitzgerald
Stage Manager
Cassie is ecstatic to return for this special production during Taproot’s 50th Anniversary Season. She is an SPU graduate and former Taproot intern. Locally, she’s worked with The Phoenix Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, Second Story Rep, Studio East, and more. Recent Taproot credits include A Charlie Brown Christmas and Always… Patsy Cline, as well as crew swing and Acting Studio projects. Cassie would like to thank Karen, Bretteney, Michelle, and the fabulous team, and dedicate this show to her beloved professor George Scranton. “Grace happens.”
Rowan Gallagher
Dialect Coach
Rowan is a Seattle-based director, actor, dramaturg, and dialect coach in. They were an early founding ensemble member of Magpie Artists Ensemble and an original core ensemble member of Latitude Theatre. Rowan has worked with Taproot as an understudy for a variety of roles in Till We Have Faces, as dramaturg for Black Coffee and The Hello Girls, and as dialect coach for The Wickhams and Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position. Other local projects include Latitude Theatre’s Framing Device festival and A Klingon Christmas Carol.
Sarah Burch Gordon
Costume Designer
Sarah is delighted to be dressing the Sanders family once again! After returning to Seattle after her work with The Atlanta Opera, she recently designed Till We Have Faces at Taproot. Other Taproot credits include Smoke on the Mountain, Persuasion, Big Fish, Big River, Illyria, Jane Eyre, and Dracula. She has also designed Red Riding Hood, Balloonacy, and The Best Summer Ever at Seattle Children’s Theatre.
Edd Key
Music Consultant
Edd first appeared at Taproot as Burl Sanders in Smoke on the Mountain (1992), and has continued to act, music direct, and teach at Taproot since. Favorite Taproot roles include Daddy Murphy in Bright Star, Tom in Appalachian Christmas Homecoming, Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy, and HC Curry in The Rainmaker. Edd has performed locally with Book-It Repertory Theatre, The Empty Space, Intiman Theatre, and Strawberry Theatre Workshop, as well as with Actor's Theatre of Louisville and the Mark Taper Forum in LA.
Aly Lubiens
Assistant Stage Manager
Aly is excited to return to Taproot, having last been here for an internship in the summer of 2024. They recently graduated from the University of Washington where they majored in Drama: Design and Political Science, and were involved in the theatre scene as a stage manager, choreographer, actor, and director. Aly would like to thank their friends and family for always being so supportive.
Richard Lorig
Scenic Designer
Richard is pleased to continue a long creative partnership with Taproot and to be back in church with his third Smoke on the Mountain collaboration with Scott. Some favorite designs for Taproot include Jeeves Takes A Bow, The Spitfire Grill, and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Richard is a freelance scenic designer and an Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at Utah Valley University. You can see his work at richardlorigdesign.com. Much love to Gina!
Mark Lund
Sound Designer
Mark's favorite recent designs include Murder on the Links, The Book of Will, and The Hello Girls at Taproot. He also recently adapted Barefoot in the Park for Harlequin Productions. Other design work includes Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and multiple award-winning short films. He has voiced many regional and national projects for T-Mobile, The North Face, the NHL, and FedEx, as well as Falco Lombardi in Starfox and Super Smash Bros. Love to Karen, Hannah, and Jake.
Scott Nolte
Director
Scott is a Taproot co-founder and was Producing Artistic Director for 45 years, directing touring and Jewell Mainstage productions from The Odyssey to Kim’s Convenience. Recently he directed Jeeves Takes A Bow at Taproot, The Voice of the Prairie at Seattle Pacific University, and Murder on the Orient Express at Harlequin Productions. Scott is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. Much love and gratitude to Pam and their kids Peter and Lisa.
Tim Wratten
Lighting Designer
Tim last worked at Taproot as lighting designer for Lewis & Tolkien. He has been playing with light for almost as long as he can remember. Light, and how and what we see, is a lasting fascination of his, and playing with it is great fun. He lives in Shoreline with a potter wife and two cats, and has a daughter who is busy as a geologist.
Authors
Connie Ray is a playwright and actress who divides her time between LA and NYC. She wrote the musicals Smoke on the Mountain, Sanders Family Christmas and Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming, three of Samuel French’s most popular titles. Her musicals and plays have been produced off-off-Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally and around the world.
On Broadway, she appeared in Hands on a Hardbody, Next Fall and The Heidi Chronicles. Films include Flags of Our Fathers, Thank You For Smoking, About Schmidt and Hope Floats, among others. TV: Star of The Torkelsons, recurring guests on The Big C, Justified and Entourage, among many others.
Alan Bailey co-authored one of the country’s most frequently produced musicals, Smoke on the Mountain, which ran more than 500 performances at the Lamb's Theatre in New York, garnering award nominations from the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation. It was named one of the ten best plays of the year by Time magazine, The New York Times, and the Associated Press. Smoke on the Mountain and its sequels Sanders Family Christmas and Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming are among Samuel French’s most frequently produced plays.
Additionally, Mr. Bailey has written eight plays that have been produced regionally; he contributed to the musical scores of six of these shows, including the cult favorite Henry the 8th at the Grand Ole Opry. His play Wedding Belles was a semi-finalist for the American Theatre Critics Association’s Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Award, recognizing the best plays of the year that premiered professionally outside New York City.
Alan, a Macon, Georgia native, is a five-time undefeated Jeopardy champion and multi-tournament Jeopardy veteran. Additionally, he is not only one of the few humans to defeat IBM’s computer Watson in a Jeopardy match, he holds the record for having beat that fearsome son-of-a-bitch computer by the biggest margin of any player who lived to tell it.
Mike Craver is a North Carolina-based songwriter, actor, and composer. Off-Broadway credits include The Oil City Symphony (co-author and original cast member, cast recording, Drama Desk award), Smoke on the Mountain (arrangements, published by Samuel French), Radio Gals (co-author and original cast member, cast recording, LA Ovation award, published by Samuel French), Wilder (co-author and original cast), original music for Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind, and Bland Simpson and Jim Wann's Diamond Studs (cast recording and band). Mike also arranged and wrote original material for Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming (published by Samuel French).
He has worked in theatres across the country, including the Pasadena Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, MA. Commissioned work includes three musicals (Bosh and Moonshine, The Belle of Wabash, Sarah Bernhardt in Texas, and Oklahoma Hale and Damnation) based on a troupe of actors and musicians touring the American West during the 19th century. Mike collaborated with southern novelist Clyde Edgerton on a musicalization of Edgerton's novel Lunch at the Piccadilly.
Mike graduated from the University of North Carolina and was a member of the Red Clay Ramblers for many years. Recorded work includes nine Red Clay Ramblers albums. Craver has released three solo albums – Fishing for Amour, Wagoner's Lad and Shining Down – and recordings of two musical projects with Clyde Edgerton – Lunch at the Piccadilly and The Bible Salesman. He currently plays with the old time string band Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry.
Mark Hardwick composed the music for the 1975 Broadway production of Of Mice and Men and co-wrote the musical Oil City Symphony.
Production Crew
Directing Observer – Echo Joy Vance
Casting
Casting Director – Bretteney Beverly
Casting Associate – Pilar O’Connell
Costume Staff
Dressers – Savy Gerhard
Draper – Martha Mitchell
Sticher – Scían Hayes
Scenic & Lighting Staff
Master Electrician – Aiyana Stephens
Scenic Carpenter – Garrett Dill, Jaime Tapia
Scenic Charge Artist – Mark Lund
Scenic Artist – Jaiden Clark
Lighting Programmer – Matthew Ray
Light Board Operator – Eva Nguyen
Sound Board Operator – Cassie Fitzgerald
Electricians – Morgan Poirier, Matthew Ray, Madeleine Rush
Scenic Strike/Load-In – Elisabeth Chapman†, Sean Mcmullen†, Kayla Peterson†
† All stage work performed by employees represented by I.A.T.S.E., Local No. 15.
Flavors of the Stage
Stop by concessions before the show to pre-order your intermission refreshments.
Taproot’s concessions menu features Pacific Northwest wine and beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and a variety of snacks, including specialty items chosen for each show.
Your Favorites from our 50th Anniversary Season
Celebrate our 50th Anniversary Season and Smoke on the Mountain with your favorite cocktails from this year!
- Wine of the Gods
red wine sangria with fruit juices and an orange, from Till We Have Faces - The Big Apple-Tini
midori, apple schnapps, soda water, lemon, from Barefoot in the Park - Handful of Keys Huckleberry Mule
huckleberry vodka, ginger beer, mint, lime, from Ain’t Misbehavin’ - Canaan Cosmo
vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry, pomegranate, and lime, from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Red, White, & Blue Italian Sodas
your choice of strawberry, vanilla, or blue raspberry with soda water and cream
Plus a Smoke on the Mountain mocktail:
- Sanders Family Recipe Fall Lemonade
peach syrup, lemonade, and chai tea (no alcohol, some caffeine)
Up Next at Taproot
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women
By Lauren Gunderson
What if the woman who wrote Little Women could step inside it? In this inventive yet faithful adaptation, Louisa May Alcott is part of the March sisters’ charming coming-of-age story. Dreaming of brighter days while their father is away, the girls generously gift their Christmas breakfast to another family and are rewarded by a kind neighbor. Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy each chart their own path through first loves, exciting passions, family hardships, and new beginnings.
November 18–December 26, 2026
Charlie Brown Christmas
By Charles M. Schulz
Based on the television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson
Stage Adaptation by Eric Schaeffer
By Special Arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson
The all-ages holiday tradition is back! Charlie Brown is depressed by the never-ending commercialism surrounding the holidays. Thankfully, Linus is there to help him find the true meaning of Christmas in this musical adaptation of the cartoon classic.
December 3–26, 2026
Join us at Uncorked 2026!
Our 50th Anniversary Celebration!
Friday, October 30, 2026
5:00 PM-9:00 PM at the Sunset Bay Lodge in Ballard
6411 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
$50/person | 21+ event
Join us Friday, October 30 from 5:00 PM–9:00 PM at the Sunset Bay Lodge for this year’s Uncorked, Taproot Theatre Company’s annual auction fundraiser. This event helps power all our programs—from our Jewell Mainstage productions to our Re-Ignite the Mind classes, Acting Studio camps, and Road Company. This is a 21+ event.
Support Taproot and celebrate our 50th Anniversary with amazing views, great food, and fantastic drinks. We will have a variety of food stations to choose from along with specialty cocktails and mocktails at the bar. Learn about what goes on behind the scenes at Taproot by talking with costumers, stage managers, road company actors, and more! Complete our mini scavenger hunt and earn a free raffle ticket.
Bid on a variety of silent, live, and online auction items like original artwork by local artists, dinner with Karen & Mark Lund, front-row opening night tickets, and more! If you can't attend the event, a small selection of items will be available to bid online.
Uncorked 2026 is sponsored by:
Patricia Raun Craig
Don Meyers
Greenwood Shopping Center
The John & Lisa Steckler Family
Supporting the Storytellers of Tomorrow!
Celebrate the future by supporting Taproot's educational programs like the Road Company's bullying-prevention plays across the state and Acting Studio's programming for all ages. Your support keeps this great work going all year long!
In memory of Glenna Kendall, 1925–2026
Glenna Kendall and her late husband Robert “Bob” Kendall were an integral part of the Taproot Theatre story. Their love for theatre, and for the plays produced by Taproot in particular, inspired years of philanthropic support, including the largest donation to the capital campaign to construct the Kendall Center, which houses our Isaac Studio Theatre, shop, and office spaces.
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