The Cast
Chokey Jim ~ Noah Hunt
Noah Hunt commenced his acting career at age 7 in local theatre productions in the Tri-City area of Eastern Washington. From the role of Gavroche in Les Miserables at Hanford High School, to the lead in Peter Pan at the Academy of Children’s Theatre, Noah’s participation in these productions and numerous others was the catalyst for his love of acting.
He recently completed filming Shadow of the Salmon, portraying the lead role of Cody Ohitika, a Lakota Sioux teen, on a summer journey to the Pacific Northwest to participate in the traditions of his Mother’s coastal tribe. Along the way, he learns of environmental nightmares that threaten Salmon runs, from climate change to oil spills.
He has also appeared in print ad campaigns for Nintendo.
Noah is an accomplished guitarist, drummer, singer, actor, song writer and dancer. He also loves snowboarding and baseball. He is a junior at Southridge High School in Kennewick, WA.
Noah, whose tribal affiliation is Lumbee, is very proud and honored to be a part of this production representing the memory of Nathan “8 ball” Jim. He dedicates his performance to Nathan’s memory and the memory of his missing uncle, Kent Jacobs.
Mary ~ Chenoa Egawa
Chenoa Egawa is a member of the Lummi and S’Kallam nations of Washington State and a multifaceted performance artist. As a vocalist, she has released four CDs - Spirit of Salishan (Swan Clan Productions, 2007), Heartbeat of Life (Swan Clan Productions, 2006), Road of Life (Swan Clan Productions, 2002) and Sacred Fire (Sound of America Records, 1997). Her experience as an actor includes performing in the lead role of Sacagawea, staged as part of the New Visions, New Voices series at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center in May 2002, and a guest appearance on television’s Northern Exposure. She is also host of the Native news television program, Northwest Indian News, and hosted the one-hour documentary, Inside Passage, for PBS currently showing nationwide. She has performed as guest singer and storyteller at a variety of Native cultural events.
Egawa has long been active in international work for Indigenous peoples. In 1991, she worked as an intern at the United Nations Center for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, serving as a member of the Secretariat during the 10th Session of the Working Group of Indigenous Peoples. In 1996, she was part of an international Native delegation that traveled to Chile to support Indian communities there in efforts to halt construction of dams on their homelands. In 1997, she received a fellowship from the Institute of Current World Affairs to study, write and publish on issues concerning Indigenous peoples of Mexico and Guatemala.
For the past six years, Egawa has worked with the University of Washington in Seattle to develop curriculum and workshops that celebrate Native American culture, values and spirituality and foster self-empowerment among Native youth.
Train ~ Alex Thede
Alex Thede is honored to be making his JANE a theater company debut playing the part of Train in Ghosts of Celilo. He was most recently seen in the area as Louis in The King and I at Broadway Rose Theater. Some other favorite roles include playing the part of the little boy in Ragtime at Portland Center Stage, Gavroche in Les Miserables at Broadway Rose Theater, Wils in Holidazed at Artists Repertory Theater, Fleance in MacBeth at Northwest Classical Theater and James in James and the Giant Peach at Oregon Children’s Theater. When not onstage, Alex enjoys memorizing stand-up comedy routines (Jerry Seinfeld is a favorite) and playing sports.
Inky ~ Kevin-Michael Moore
Kevin-Michael Moore has performed in Portland for decades. Artists Rep credits include Dr. Fleets in They Came from Way Out There, Samuel Byck in Assassins, Jimmy in The Weir and Ig the Pigeon in Birdsend. Other local credits include JAW/West Playwrights Festival at Portland Center Stage; The Paranormal Review at Phoenix Theatre; The Mystery of Irma Vep at both Storefront and Lakewood Theatre; W! The Musical and The Rocky Horror Show at triangle! Productions. Kevin hosted bad sci-fi movies on late-night television for KGW’s Saturday Night Dead. Currently he travels nationwide as a writer/performer with both the 3rd Floor Sketch Comedy Troupe and the Gunhappy Theatrical Ensemble.
The Colonel ~ Corey Brunish
Corey Brunish’s recent appearances include Billy in Chicago at the Broadway Rose, Sky in Guys and Dolls and Pickering in My Fair Lady, both with the Oregon Symphony, and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast for NW Children’s Theatre. Corey has also been seen at Lakewood Theatre, Stumptown Stages, The Portland Opera, and Mt. Hood Repertory. He holds a degree from Occidental College where he studied Shakespeare, Molliere, Shaw, Brecht and Gilbert and Sullivan extensively. Corey recently directed One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest at Theater Theatre. He wrote a musical review with Kim Bogus about the life of Frank Sinatra called Write Myself A Letter. Corey’s CDs of standards can be heard in iTunes. Corey has acted in films with Julianne Moore, Madonna, Willem Dafoe and Heather Locklear. He sends his love to his family and to Kim.
Mrs. Lyle ~ Amy Jo Arrington
National Tours: Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera. Regional Favorites: Josephine in Arizona Theatre Company’s production of H.M.S. Pinafore (for which she won an AriZoni award), Marion Paroo in The Music Man and Guenevere in Camelot, both with the Oregon Symphony, Ruthie/Ned in BATBOY at Portland Center Stage, Nursemaid in Street Scene and Melanto in The Return of Ulysses with Portland Opera. Amy Jo has been a guest soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Music and the Spoken Word), Phoenix Symphony, Oregon Symphony and Columbia Symphony. She has been heard on national television as the singing voice for a Mountain Dew commercial. Amy Jo has a Bachelors degree from Arizona State University and a Masters Degree from Portland State University.
Irene Lyle ~ Rebecca McDade
Rebecca McDade, originally from Scotland, has been performing since the age of eight. While living in Ireland, her roles included Jane Banks in Mary Poppins and Jemima Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Within the Portland area, Rebecca has worked with companies such as Northwest Children’s Theater, Broadway Rose, Oregon Children’s Theater, and Staged! Her most notable performance was as the spunky Gavroche in Les Miserables with Staged!, for which she was awarded a Portland Area Musical Theater Award for Best Young Performer. Most recently, Rebecca was Young Violet in Staged!’s production of Violet. Along with musical theater, Rebecca is also plays piano and guitar, as well as writing her own songs. Her song “Tidal Wave” is featured in the soundtrack of the documentary The Shepherds of Helmand, that premiered in Portland in February, 2011.
Big Eddie ~ Thomas Morning Owl Jr.
Thomas Morning Owl Jr. is a tribal leader, linguist, teacher, and musician. He has served as the Chairman of the General Council of the Umatilla Reservation of Oregon. In 1981, he was the youngest individual to be elected to the Tribes Governing Body at the age of 18. Thomas founded the traditional language program for the Umatillas and has supervised the tribe’s preservation of Columbia plateau language, culture, and song. Thomas is an accomplished traditional singer and Powwow producer and announcer. His knowledge of traditional songs - both religious and secular spans many years. His efforts to revive the relatively unknown songs of the plateau lends an invaluable weight to the creation of The Ghosts of Celilo.