The Cast
(in order of appearance)
Frankie ...........................................................................................Dick Baker
Jinx ............................................................................................. Nick Endsley
Sparky ......................................................................................Matty Colonna
Smudge ................................................................................Joseph Strickland
Understudy
Kurt Barger for Smudge and Sparky
Dedication
Forever Plaid is dedicated to the “good guys;”
To the guys who carried an extra handkerchief;
To the guys who saved their allowances to give their parents an extra special night on the town for their anniversary;
To the guys who wheeled the projector carts for the driver education fi lms;
To the guys who didn’t go beyond fi rst base, and if, by some miracle, they did, they didn’t tell anyone.
We salute you!
Who’s Who
TICKETS: 813.229.STAR (7827) • STRAZCENTER.ORG 26
DICK BAKER (Frankie) is
thrilled to be back in Tampa
performing in Forever Plaid! Some
past Florida credits include The
Normal Heart at freeFall Theatre
and Hair at American Stage. He
hopes the cast and crew break
their legs, and gives special thanks to Steven Flaa.
Love to Jillian.
NICK ENDSLEY (Jinx) Nick is
thrilled to make his debut at The
Straz and to be returning to ‘Plaid
Land’ for the fi fth time! Some past
credits include: Tobias in Sweeney
Todd (TheatreWorks Fla),
Beleaguered Geek in Heathers
The Musical (Gen Y Productions), The Boy in
Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (Orlando Rep) and
Peter Cratchit in the National Tour of A Christmas
Carol. He is a graduate of the University of
Central Florida with a BFA in Musical Theatre
and currently resides in NYC. He thanks his
family, friends, Steven and this wonderful team
for all their support! NickEndsley.com
MATTY COLONNA (Sparky)
Matty is thrilled to be here at
The Straz. This is his fourth
time returning to Plaid Land. He
attended Stetson University for
Music Education. Recent credits:
Melchior (Spring Awakening),
Rocky (The Rocky Horror Show), Paul (A Chorus
Line), Mark (Rent). He’s a private voice and piano
teacher, music director, composer and piano player
in multiple bands around Florida. Thanks to Steven,
Ziz, Angie, Maria, Mom and Heather for all the
love and support.
JOSEPH STRICKLAND (Smudge)
comes from small town life
in Georgia. He’s worked with
American Stage and Theatre Zone
in Florida before moving to New
York. He’s excited to return to
the south to revisit Plaid! Special
thanks to Steven Flaa and everyone
at The Straz, Richard Sabellico, Adolpho Blaire,
and Peggy Lewis. This one is for Edith, Marshall,
and Vera.
KURT BARGER (u/s for
Smudge, Sparky), originally from
Columbus, Ohio, has had the
pleasure of performing with Odd-
O-Ts’ Entertainment and Timeless
Tales Theatre as full-time work,
and appearing in a handful of
stage performances and theme parks. Favorite
roles include Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, Sky
Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Ruben in Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The
Voice of The Plant in Little Shop of Horrors, and
a pirate in Peter Pan, the show where he met his
wife Christianne. He and his wife have directed
and produced multiple shows. He would like to
thank his family and his in-laws for believing in
his talent and encouraging him to be an individual.
A special thank you to his wife and his future
daughter, “Poppyseed,” who will be making her
debut in April.
STEVEN FLAA (Director) is very happy to be
returning to The Straz to direct Forever Plaid here
for the fourth time, having previously directed it
in 1999, 2001 and 2006. He also played Sparky
here in the original production, as well as in 1996
and 2001–as well as the Chicago production and