Playbill
Thank you to all our amazing artists for helping us put this together!
The Sound of [Improvised] Music
The "Golden Age" of musicals produced some of the most beloved stories the stage has ever known. From Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music to Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady and Camelot, we find unforgettable characters and songs that still bring audiences together 75+ years later. But can we still create musicals worthy of the Golden Age? Better yet - could some overly ambitious improvisers create one on the spot? There's only one way to find out!
an improvised golden age musical
by Interlude Music's Intermission Players
Ella McGaunn Geiger
Ella McGaunn Geiger is a singer, actress and improviser from Billerica, MA. Her unique style of improvisational comedy seamlessly combines her knack for creating memorable characters, her love for all things silly and absurd, and her extensive training as a vocalist.
Ella has trained and performed in a wide variety of vocal styles, ranging from classical to jazz to high-production pop. She loves reading and performing Shakespeare, and recently performed in NYC’s Improvised Shakespeare Festival.
She is also a playwright and multi-hyphen theater artist. Her play “No Evil Greater” was a finalist for the 2026 Boston New Works Festival, and she has enjoyed success self-producing her original plays and adaptations since 2018. In 2025, Ella studied at Shakespeare & Company in their intensive for theater professionals. Her collaborative work as a director and sound designer is consistently praised and has been nominated for several awards in MA.
Ella is a highly trained vocal health specialist/vocologist with experience across several fields of voice work. In 2022 she earned her vocology certificate from the Summer Vocology Institute (SVI) at the University of Utah.
In 2020 Ella co-founded Interlude Music with her husband Devereux in Maynard, MA. Through their business, Ella and Devereux enjoy vibrant careers writing, performing, recording, teaching and producing music and theater.
*To contact Ella or learn more about what she does, visit: interludemus.com/about
Devereux Geiger
Devereux Geiger is a composer, pianist and educator living in Billerica, MA. He is a skilled theater music director who feels equally comfortable directing vocalists and instrumentalists. Devereux plays piano for special events of all kinds and enjoys giving private concerts to select clients in Boston and the surrounding area. He loves playing in bands and is an experienced church music director and worship leader. He is a devoted educator who specializes in teaching through improvisation and helping pianists become more well-rounded.
His improvised performance credits include many years of short and long-form improv comedy shows and live-scoring silent films and radio plays. From 2018-2019, Devereux played for ImprovBoston’s Family Show, winner of the Nickelodeon Award for Best Children’s Theater.
In 2020 Devereux co-founded Interlude Music with his wife Ella McGaunn Geiger in Maynard, MA. Through their business, Devereux and Ella enjoy vibrant careers writing, performing, recording, teaching and producing music and theater.
*To contact Devereux or learn more about what he does, visit their website: interludemus.com
Popcorn Falls
Popcorn Falls is a 90‑minute, no‑intermission comedy where two actors play the entire, increasingly desperate population of a tiny town that’s about to be turned into a sewage treatment plant. Their only way out is to open a theatre and produce a play in a week—with no playhouse, no script, and no company—so the night becomes a fast, high‑energy sprint through more than twenty characters, small‑town schemes, and the kind of “let’s just put on a show” chaos that insists art really can save a place on the brink.
Playwright: James Hindman
Michael Gravante (Director)
Michael Gravante is beyond thrilled to be given this opportunity to direct Popcorn Falls! Michael holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Merrimack College where, for his senior capstone project, he directed Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation. Since graduating, he has served as an assistant director for many productions, most notably The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals (Yorick Ensemble) and Ada and the Engine (Burlington Players). This show marks his full directorial debut in the eastern MA/Greater Boston theatre scene.
Michael is perhaps best known for his work as an actor. Select area credits include Brigadoon (Angus MacGuffie), She Kills Monsters (Steve), and Urinetown (Robby the Stockfish) with The Concord Players; The Book of Will (Crier/Marcellus) with Burlington Players; and Twelfth Night: The Musical (Antonio) with Arlington Friends of the Drama. Special thanks to Maria for going on this new and rewarding journey with him.
Maria Aliberti (Stage Manager)
Maria Aliberti is very excited to be working on Popcorn Falls and making her stage management debut! Theatre has been a part of Maria’s life in various capacities since first grade! Maria has previously worked on the props team for various productions such as Beauty and the Beast (Actorsingers) and throughout her undergraduate years at Merrimack College. Though Maria has not participated in a production for a while, she is excited to dive-headfirst into the wonderful world of Popcorn Falls!
Shout out to the Beverly Fringe Fest team for making this all possible and Wilmington Community Television for allowing the team to rehearse in the studio. Maria would like to give special thanks to her mom for always supporting and believing in her. Last, but certainly not least, Maria would like to give the greatest of thanks to Michael for trusting her with this project and has enjoyed working together with the rest of the group to make Popcorn Falls a reality!
Kellie Tropeano (Mr. Trundle/Others)
Kellie Tropeano is thrilled to be playing the role of Mr. Trundle in Popcorn Falls. Kellie is an established theater director, choral director, pianist, vocalist, and worship leader, and during the day she is the Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody. At Fenwick, she directs all of the theatre performances, and directs three choirs.
Outside of school, she also finds time to direct and perform, most recently performing as Sylvie in Black Dog’s production of The Odd Couple (Female Version). She also is on the board of Colonial Chorus Players in Reading, MA, hosts local Broadway Sing-a-longs, and performs at local theatres such as The Firehouse in Newburyport and Theatre III in Acton, MA. S
he is so excited to be making her debut at the Beverly Fringe Festival and is happy to be a part of the thriving arts scene on the North Shore. She hopes you enjoy the show! Insta: @fenwickperformingarts & Tik-Tok: @dr.kelliet
Ally Lewis (Joe/Others)
Ally Lewis is delighted to be making her way back onto the stage for the first time in forever! By day, Ally serves as Senior Admin for the Department of Creative Arts, Design and Architecture at Merrimack College. In her spare time, she can often be found crafting, stage managing, or supporting the arts in as many ways as possible. Favorite stage management credits include The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less (Rogers Center for the Arts), Sister Act (Colonial Chorus Players), and Ride the Cyclone and The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals with TCS.
She is also involved with several boards, including EMACT, TCS, and Western Avenue Studios | Lofts in Lowell, MA. Ally sends kisses to her husband, Nicholas, for his endless love and support throughout this process, and a big heartfelt thanks to Michael and the team for this wonderful opportunity.
Dedicated to Mama Lewis.
Breanna Raehse (Sound Designer)
Breana Raehse is overjoyed to be designing sound for the wonderful, wacky world of Popcorn Falls! A recent graduate from Northeastern University with her B.S. in Biochemistry, Breana is currently an analytical scientist at Orna Therapeutics in Watertown, MA. She’ll be heading off to Dublin this September to pursue her MSc in Molecular Microbiology, and though she’s sad to be leaving Boston for a time, she’s grateful to be spending her last few months here with the people of Popcorn Falls.
Breana has sound designed previously for Northeastern Shakespeare Society’s Spring 2023 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Other acting and production staff credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro), King Lear (Cordelia), As You Like It (Director), and Twelfth Night (Assistant Director). Breana would like to thank Will Kibel for encouraging her to join the Popcorn Falls production team. Now… get ready to watch the little town of Popcorn Falls come to life in this warmhearted production!
Instagram: @breanastefanie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breana-raehse-126b13253/
(Breana hopes you connect with her on LinkedIn, as she is just 73 connections away from obtaining LinkedIn Premium status.)