2023 Artistic Team and Staff
Our team of professional designers, directors, and choreographers have successful careers in the industry and are dedicated to mentoring the next generation of musical theatre artists. Our staff is committed to making your time in Mitchell County, IA comfortable, safe, and enjoyable.
Founding Executive Artistic Director
Director-The Wizard of Oz
Nancy Nickerson Lee
Nancy has been a performing arts educator for over thirty years, which includes award winning performing arts program at Minneapolis-Washburn and Southwest High Schools and as an adjunct professor at St. Olaf College. She has been honored by the Tony Awards for Excellence in Theatre Education (2016, 2017, 2018,-2019); Hennepin Theater Trust SpotLight 2018 Educator of the Year Award; the WCCO 2017 Excellent Educator Award; Grammy Community Engagement Award (2010). Nancy is committed to bringing exceptional theatrical experiences to rural communities. Mitchell County, Iowa is Nancy's childhood home and a perfect location for Cedar Summerstock Theatre.
Guest Director-Spamalot
Craig Johnson
Craig is an actor and director based in Minneapolis with over 200 production credits at many area theaters including Park Square, History Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Latte Da, Torch, Gremlin, Minnesota Jewish Theatre, Yellow Tree, Commonweal (Lanesboro), and Paul Bunyan Playhouse (Bemidji). As a theater educator he has worked at St. Catherine University, Shakespearean Youth Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, and Minneapolis Public Schools. Recognition includes Ivey Awards for acting (2013, Gross Indecency, Walking Shadow) and directing (2011, Street Scene, Girl Friday Productions) and Theatre Artist of the Year (City Pages 2014, Lavender magazine 2011 and 2015). Craig is also the former director of the James J. Hill House in St. Paul.
Guest Choreographer-Spamalot
Heidi Spesard-Noble
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Guest Director/Choreographer-
Church Basement Ladies
Greta Grosch
Greta is one of the original church basement ladies! She has been with this show since the beginning and also written most of the sequels.
Guest Director/Choreographer-
Forever Plaid
Joey Miller
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Guest Choreographer-The Wizard of Oz
Nickie Kromminga Hill
Nickie received her BA in Theatre and Dance from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and her K-12 Theatre and Dance teaching license from Hamline University. Nickie taught Theatre and Dance at Anoka Middle School for the Arts. She is also a freelance choreographer and has enjoyed working at the Guthrie, Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, and Shell Lake Arts Center in Wisconsin. As a performer she has performed at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre where she has been seen in 18 mainstage productions.
Tech Director/Set Designer
Robin McIntyre
Since 1991 Robin has designed for a variety of theaters including Lakeshore Players, Park Square Theatre,
The History Theatre, The Flying
Foot Forum, North Star Opera. For ten seasons Robin created sets for productions at Bloomington Civic Theatre and Art Center. He is currently a freelance designer in the Twin Cities; working with The University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Benilde-
St. Margaret, Jefferson, Mound-Westonka, and Lakeville North High School and DalekoArts in New Prague. Robin holds a BFA and an MFA in
Theatre Design and Stage Technology from The University of North Carolina
at Greensboro.
Production Coordinator/Light Designer
Sue Ellen Berger
Sue works out of the Twin Cities where she is one of the country’s busiest lighting designers. She is Production Coordinator/Resident LD at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres with nearly 200 shows there to her credit. Her work has been seen with The Finnish National Opera, The Palace Theatre - WI Dells, Historic Pantages Theatre, Ordway Center, North Star Opera, Park Square Theatre, Yellow Tree Theatre, and the acclaimed Fireside Concert Series among many others. Sue is currently teaching Lighting and Sound Design at Concordia University in St. Paul. She has loved her work as a guest artist with several universities and high schools. Sue’s also enjoys spending her summers designing lighting and scenery for Valleyfair Amusement Parks while also teaching at Chan DT Musical Theatre Camp.
Costume Designer
Barb Portinga
Barb hails from Minneapolis where she has been making her living via her varied costume skills since graduating from Augsburg College in 1990. With an emphasis on education, she is resident costume designer for Anoka Ramsey Community College, and Roseville Area High School, and Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera company. She had her on-the-job training at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre where she is a cutter/draper for each main stage show. Her design work has been seenat over forty theaters throughout the county from California to Door County, Wisconsin. Barb is the proprietor of Portable Costumes and has recently partnered with Costume Collective.
Wardrober
Angie Klaes
This will be Angie’s fourth year with Cedar
Summerstock. She is the mother of four girls; two are involved with the productions. While she is not making, altering or mending costumes she is working at L.R Falk Construction as the Parts Manager. Angie is excited for this new season and working with her fellow theater enthusiasts.
She also loves meeting all the new college actors and crew. They bring so much talent and culture to our small town.
Camp Director
Megan Joy Borgerding
Megan graduated from the University of
Minnesota Duluth in December 2020 with a
major in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing in
Theater and Community. Her passion is directing with a focus on community and youth. This is Megan’s third year of running our youth education program.
Equipment & Location Manager
Anthony Walk
Anthony enjoys organizing equipment, being a year-round go-to guy, helping with transportation, working with the tech crew and getting to know the actors. He went to high school in St. Ansgar , IA and currently lives in Grafton, IA. He owns a DJ Service and when Cedar Summerstock needs a prop, equipment, transportation, a trailer, or help moving equipment or sets, Anthony is the ‘go-to’ guy.