Bios
MOUSE RIVER PLAYERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John Fishpaw, President, is one of the members who has been with the group the longest, having been involved since 1978 and having served on the Board intermittently for about 20 of those years. He has been onstage in a dozen or more (probably more) productions, most recently in the Christmas Revue last year. Since 1977 John has been a dentist in private practice in Minot and prior that for two years at MAFB. John is married to Kim Krohn, M.D. (UND Center For Family Medicine in Minot); they have three sons: John, Jr., an electrical engineer in California; Turner, pursuing pre-medicine at Loyola of Chicago; and Chase, a recent graduate of the University of Delaware.
Matt Murphy, Vice-President, came to Minot for college in the fall of 03 from the town of Manvel, ND, north of Grand Forks. Now graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Matt has performed extensively in theatrical venues at Minot State as well as Mouse River Players. Always an audience favorite, he was most recently seen in MRP’s Same Time, Next Year and MSU Summer Theatre’s All Shook Up. He is married to Desiree Murphy, and their first child is due in November.
Lin Knickerbocker, Secretary, since arriving in Minot via the Air Force with her husband Tim, has become a valuable member of the MRP community with extensive activity in costuming, sets, and performance (most recently in last season’s Broadway Breaks). She and Tim have three children—Danny, Brittany, and Courtney—who have also been very active with MRP over the years.
Nancy Pearson, Treasurer, began her tenure on the Board of Directors in 2001 and has put in countless hours working backstage and in MRP’s office, where she is usually the voice on the phone and the email respondent. Finally drafted onto the stage, she has appeared in Orphan Train, Dining Room, and Pollyanna. A member of the Minot State Communication Arts Department since 1995, she also enjoys MSU’s sports and drama. Nancy and her husband Paul have two sons.
David Bradley came to Minot in 1989 from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (where he taught music) to join the Humanities Faculty at Minot State. He retired from full-time teaching three years ago. Active in music and theatre, he has performed with the Minot Chamber Chorale, the Western Plains Opera, and the MSU Summer Theatre. Mouse River audiences last saw him last year in Willy Wonka this season.
Jennifer Brandt has been in the Minot area since late 2008 when she relocated here with her family. Her husband is active duty Air Force, and she also has two wonderful daughters. Jennifer comes with a strong background in visual arts and started her theatrical career working in costume departments. Within weeks of moving to Minot she quickly became involved with Minot’s theatre community. She has been the assistant director/ stage manager for several MRP productions, she was the costume coordinator for the 2009 MSU summer theatre season, and most recently led MRP's 2010 children's workshops and annual production. She is actively working towards expanding MRP's current children's program.
Kelly Dillon has served on the Board of Directors since August of 2002, including two years as President. Her stage repertoire includes roles in Spoon River Anthology and Sunshine Boys with MRP and Hedda Gabler and Crimes of the Heart (among others) at Minot State. She has been a member of the Prairie Women Songs cast off and on for about ten years. Kelly is married to Rick Miller and has three dogs. She serves as an Assistant State's Attorney for Ward County and adjunct faculty member in the MSU Criminal Justice Department. In her spare time she enjoys gardening and promoting wind energy.
Ken Haarstad,, another of the old-timers with MRP and its Board, has been there through thick and thin. He has given MRP years of blood, sweat, and tears in set construction and lighting as well as renovations in the new building. In addition he has appeared on stage in a wide variety of roles, including roles in Dining Room and Last of the Minot Flappers, and directed. Ken is married to Cathy Haarstad, and they have two daughters, Monica and Sara.
Jane Hirst, a recent addition to the Board, has been a theatre-goer for many years but became more involved with Mouse River Players when her son Andrew decided to audition for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In addition to her role as theatre mom, Jane is a Consulting Dietitian and teacher. She contracts with Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch and teaches Nutrition courses at Minot State University. Jane is married to Dr. Stanley Hirst and has two daughters, a son, and two sons-in-law. She has recently taken on the role of grandmother and is loving every minute of it.
Tim Knickerbocker arrived in Minot with the Air Force in 1999 and became involved with MRP in 2004. Like his wife Lin, Tim has many talents which he contributes to MRP, having built numerous sets, helped with the new construction at the theater, and appeared in many productions, including Broadway Breaks last season. Now retired from the Air Force, Tim is looking forward to continuing his theatrical pursuits with MRP.
Erv Lee is a Minot Attorney and entrepreneur. He is married to Kari Conrad, a North Dakota State Legislator. He has been active in backstage work, box office, theater improvements, and legal consultation.
Paula Lindekugel-Willis, an Associate Professor at MSU, has either been directing or on the Board of Directors since the mid-1990's and performed in MRP’s first season, appearing in Diary of Anne Frank. Last season she appeared in Orphan Train. She directed Shakespeare in Hollywood for MSU Summer Theatre and will direct The Pillowman at MSU. Paula is married to Board Member Tom Willis, and has a daughter Lynnae and two granddaughters. Her activities outside of theatre include being on the Board of Directors for the Minot Domestic Violence Crisis Center and serving on various campus committees.
Deb Sandvold, an editorial assistant for the Minot Daily News, had her first theater role as Rosie Montefalco in Opal's Husband in the early 1980s at the former Sawmill Playhouse at Lake Metigoshe near Bottineau. She also had roles in Mouse River Players' productions as Vera in the female version of The Odd Couple in the late 1980s and as Widder Douglas in Tom Sawyer in 2003. She has served on the MRP Board for several years. She and her husband Jeff, a machinist at Minot Sash and Door Inc., have a son Jared and daughter MaKayla.
Margaret Sherve, an English faculty member at MSU, was born in Minot but never lived here until 2001. An indefatigable traveler, Margaret has spent summers in Israel, Norway, and Ukraine, and two years in Liberia. Her most recent travels were to China in May, 2007, with a group from MSU. She has been involved with theatre and quickly joined MRP’s Board when she arrived. She helped clean the new building as we moved in and has sold tickets and goodies at shows here and at St. Leo’s.
Arlene Saugstad needs no introduction to anyone interested in the artistic scene in Minot, as she has been involved in many capacities with every arts organization in the city for decades. Since joining MRP’s Board, she has been an immense help in organization and community outreach, to mention only two areas. There is no more fitting honoree for the naming of our new theatre—THE ARLENE! Her most recent stage appearance was in our production of Last of the Minot Flappers.
Aisha Vadell, another extremely valuable community member, is one of our most visible offstage people. Her ability to raise awareness for the group and provide real-estate and business advice to each project we take on is irreplaceable. She was instrumental in helping us find our new home. In addition, you can always find Aisha working the box office and concessions at MRP productions.
