The Theatre Group at SBCC continues its 80th season with the hilarious comedy, “A Small Family Business” by Alan Ayckbourn, March 4-21 in the Garvin Theatre on SBCC’s West Campus.
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 805.965.5935 or online at www.theatregroupsbcc.com.
The author: A playwright and theatre director, Alan Ayckbourn has written numerous plays – his 92nd, The Trial of Romeo Oscar – will premiere in 2026 at his home venue, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.
His plays have been regularly revived around the world over the past six decades and won numerous awards. Major success include Relatively Speaking, How the Other Half Loves, The Norman Conquests, Season’s Greetings, Absurd Person Singular, Way Upstream, A Chorus of Disapproval, House & Garden and Woman in Mind; the latter
recently revived in the West End in a major production starring Sheridan Smith.
As a director, he had directed almost 400 professional productions including the vast majority of world and West End premieres of his work. He has notably directed for the National Theatre – where he was also resident for several years – and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has been associated with the Stephen Joseph Theatre since 1957 where, under the guidance of Stephen Joseph, he made his writing and directing debuts. In 1972, he was appointed the company’s Artistic Director and held the role for 37 years. In 2018 he was appointed Director Emeritus of the company. His work has been frequently adapted for film, television and radio – most notably by the late French cinema auteur, Alain Resnais.
More than 75 of his plays have been published and are currently in print alongside his best-selling guide to writing and directing, The Crafty Art of Playmaking, first published in 2002. His first novel, The Divide, was published in 2019.
The recipient of more than 40 awards recognizing his plays and career, he was the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and has notably been inducted into the American Theatre’s Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Critics’ Circle Award for Services to the Arts. He was knighted in 1997 for ‘services to the theatre’.
The Cast
Directed by Katie Laris, A Small Family Business will feature Adrian Arias, Anikka Abbott, Paul Canter, Tyler Gilbert, Felicia Hall, Kyra Maal-King, Lynn Robinson, Justin Stark, Jenna Scanlon, Nicholis Sheley, Raymond Wallenthin, Isabel Watson and Nick Woolf.
Anikka Abbott (Poppy) is a local TV personality and performer with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance. She has appeared with the Theatre Group at SBCC as Jane Fairfax (Emma) and Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls). Her opera credits include Papagena and Queen of the Night (The Magic Flute), Morgana (Alcina), Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and Mary in the world premiere of Kyr’s Christmas Oratorio. Musical theatre roles include Sandy (Grease), Lilli Vanessi/Kate (Kiss Me, Kate), and Cinderella (Into the Woods). She has also been a featured soloist with the Santa Barbara Symphony and Prime Time Band.
Adrian Arias (Roy Ruston) is an acting student in the SBCC Theatre Department and has been in a plethora of productions here, most recently Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood and Young Frankenstein. He plans to transfer to a four-year university after this semester and hopefully continue to pursue acting long term!
Paul Canter (Jack McCracken) originated the role of Charlie in the premiere of George and Emily Get Married (Theatre Group at SBCC). He also originated the dual roles of Jules Manford/Mrs. Cratchit in the premiere of Everybody’s Favorite Mothers (UCSB Launch Pad). Other productions: Lobby Hero (Ensemble Theatre; Independent Award), The Father (Producing Unit), Beau Jest (Actor Circle), Dinner With Friends (Alcazar Theatre), and Sod Wars (NYC). Paul has directed for Ensemble Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival, and SMHS One-Act Festival, including his own short play, Before We Begin. He studied acting at CalArts, and Meisner technique with John Parkinson. He plays music with his old timey band The Rusty Mucket Boys and is a resident artist with Actor Circle.
Kyra Elán (Samantha) is an actor and singer with an extensive musical and physical range, currently in her final year at SBCC. She is completing an associate degree in Music and Theatre before transferring to pursue her bachelor’s. Recent highlights include Eurydice in Hadestown (Living Theatre Company) and performing with Opera Santa Barbara in The Marriage of Figaro (Flower Girl) and Tosca (Soloist). She works across genres and is drawn to characters who reveal more than they intend—much like Samantha.
Felicia Hall (Anita) is happy to be back on the Garvin stage, after playing Paulette in Legally Blonde. Other Garvin credits: Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), A Comedy of Tenors (Maria), and Communicating Doors (Poopay). Felicia has trained professionally with Louis Colaianni, Anne Bogart, and others. She has worked alongside multiple Tony Award winners, including Audra McDonald and Dick Van Dyke. Felicia runs Hall Studio, where she teaches performers of all ages. She is also the Artistic Director of the local theatre group: Actor Circle.
Tyler Gilbert (Rivetti Brothers) is best known for recently playing Dracula in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at Ojai Art Center. His past notable The Theatre Group at SBCC roles include Rodya Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, A Comedy, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood and Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls. Tyler is proud to honor the memory of his great grandmother with his Italian language skills as the Rivetti Brothers in A Small Family Business. Ti voglio bene, bisnonna!
Jenna Scanlon (Harriet) is so grateful to be part of this project, with its brilliant cast, crew and creative team. She has trained at SBCC, Utah Shakespeare Festival & ACT. In addition to shows here at SBCC, Jenna has performed with UCSB’s Launch Pad, On the Verge Theater Festival, Out of the Box, California Shakespeare Co., Thousand Oaks Rep., Elements Theatre Collective, & theatres throughout the central Coast.
Nicholis Sheley (Clifford) is a proud SBCC graduate who has been performing with The Theatre Group for the past 6 years. Favorite roles include Dave Riley in The Outsider, Dennis/Perkins in The Play That Goes Wrong, Nick Bottom in Something Rotten! —which earned him the 2022 Broadway World Santa Barbara Award for Best Performer in a Musical—and Jonathan Harker in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at the Ojai Art Center. Originally from Santa Maria, Nicholis trained in the two-year acting program at The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, with additional credits including Donalbain in Macbeth and Edmund in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Justin Stark (Benedict) has been involved in theatre since the age of 14 and studied at The University of Colorado as well as Santa Barbara City College and more recently with The Peter Frisch Studio. In the past few years, he could be seen at The Theatre Group at SBCC as Ned Newley in The Outsider, Alan Dangle in One Man, Two Guvnors, Trip in Other Desert Cities and as multiple characters in Ripcord. You may have also seen him as one of the Venticelli in Amadeus at Ensemble Theatre Company. He has worked with Elements Theatre Collective as Doug in Gruesome Playground Injuries and with On The Verge Theatre festival in many roles. In addition, he played the dramatic role C.S. Lewis in Freud’s Last Session, the impeccable David Frost in Frost/Nixon at the Center Stage Theatre. He has an extensive history of performing with The Theatre Group at Santa Barbara City College as Dwight in Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Little Charles in August Osage County and Froggie in The Foreigner to name a few.
Lynn Robinson (Yvonne Doggett) is thrilled to be part of another Theatre Group at SBCC cast and work alongside a highly regarded cast and crew. Lynn’s Theatre Group at SBCC credits include Harvey, Sense and Sensibility, as well as The Theatre Departments Mere Mortals (One Act Festival). Other recent credits include Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women, Burton Bumgartner’s Nobody Like Jimmy as well as several turns in the director’s chair.
Raymond Wallenthin (Desmond Ayres) was last seen as Steve Healy in Jagged Little Pill with Out of Box Theater Company. SBCCTG appearances: Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, Murder on the Orient Express, Communicating Doors, Light up the Sky, Noises Off, Bus Stop, Rumors and Born Yesterday. The Alcazar Theater: Now and Then and No Body Like Jimmy. Circle Bar-B: Boeing Boeing, Regrets Only, The Butler Did it Singing and title role in Bullshot Crummond. Center Stage Bill W. and Dr. Bob. New York appearances: Murder in the Cathedral, Landscape of the Body, Sand Mountain, Othello and the NY Premier of Life Happens. Raymond studied with Terry Schrieber in NYC and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
Isabel Watson (Tina) is in her fourth production with The Theatre Group at SBCC. Past productions have been Vivienne Kensington in Legally Blonde, ensemble in Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Louka in Arms and the Man. In London, she was a part of South London Youth Theatre for seven years where she was in multiple productions including The Crucible, Edward Scissorhands and The Little Mermaid.
Nick Woolf (Ken) was last seen in A Dark and Stormy Night, a dinner theatre murder mystery at Opal Restaurant. Nick has performed in Speaking of Stories at Center Stage, in The 39 Steps for Ontare Readers Theatre, and in Devising America for SBCC School of Extended Learning. Before moving to Santa Barbara, Nick was a founding member of the acting ensemble Odyssey Stage in Fairfield, Iowa.
Production Staff
Katie Laris (Director) is Co-Chair, stage director and an associate professor of acting for The Theatre Arts Department at SBCC. Recent productions include Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Legally Blonde, The Outsider, Emma, Guys & Dolls, Comedy of Tenors, Something Rotten!, Murder on the Orient Express, Ripcord, Here We Go Again, The Thin Man, Looking Back, Looking Forward, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Sense and Sensibility, Significant Other, The Game’s Afoot, Grease, Communicating Doors, It’s a Wonderful Life, Rabbit Hole, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Katie received her B.A. in Theatre/Literature from Reed College and her M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from Columbia University.
Patricia L. Frank (Scenic Designer) serves as the Co-Chair and Director of Design and Technology for the Theatre Arts Department. She is also the resident scenic and lighting designer for The Theatre Group at SBCC. Over her tenure, Pat has designed numerous productions at SBCC and is thrilled to return for this spring’s production of A Small Family Business. This production marks Pat’s final design for the Theatre Group. After 41 years she has come to the end of her tenure at SBCC. Pat is retiring at the at the end of the school year. In preparation for her retirement, she is excited to embark on a new venture, launching PLF Studios in partnership with Pat Costello. Through this new business, she will utilize her extensive design skills to assist anyone in need of design support for their home.
Jackie H. Tonkin (Costume Designer) has over 15 years of experience in costume design and technology. She launched her career with Universal Studios Singapore and later joined DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular world tour. After earning her MFA in Costume Technology at the University of Texas at Austin, Jackie worked with the Old Globe Theatre, Ireland’s Macnas, and Western Costume Company in Los Angeles. Now based on California’s Central Coast, her costume design highlights include Cabaret and Elf the Musical at PCPA and Xanadu at SLO Rep. Jackie is delighted to be working with The Theatre Group at SBCC!
Barbara Hirsch (Sound Designer) owns Opus 1 mobile recording, recording much of Santa Barbara’s rich musical scene. Working in theatre has included writing music for theatre, playing in the pit, running sound for shows. She won a Dramalogue Sound Design award for SBCLO’s Singin’ in the Rain, a show whose rain on stage helped to end a years’ long drought. In more recent years, Ensemble Theatre Company’s productions of Amadeus and Christmas at Pemberley and The Wickhams featured her sound design, and she has been fortunate to work with Katie Laris on the college’s excellent productions, including The Outsider, Emma, Ripcord, Sense and Sensibility, A Comedy of Tenors and many more. In another realm she owns the wonderful Santa Barbara Yoga Center.
Tiffany Underwood (Production Stage Manager) is a student at SBCC. This is her second production as stage manager with The Theatre Group at SBCC. She has worked as assistant stage manager and several other technical positions in previous productions such as, Little Women, The Wizard of OZ, Mean Girls and Stage Managed for the Theatre Arts Department’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.