This page features information about the Rocklin Roundhouse Project, from its development and performance to support received from friend-organizations.

NEW BEGINNINGS: a new work about the historic Placer County Roundhouses

Sponsored by Armrod Charitable Foundation

  • July 31, 2021
  • Two shows: 4 p.m.  and 7 p.m.
  • @ William Jessup University in Rocklin CA (socially distanced)
  • TICKETS via EVENTBRITE (or Facebook – click Find Tickets)

Featuring live music from The Rockstar Music Academy of Lincoln

NAME THAT PLAY!

Photo of the Rocklin Roundhouse in operation from 1867-1908.

About the Play:

New Beginnings is a love-letter to Placer County history, and features a work-in-development about the historic Rocklin Roundhouses and Roseville Roundhouses. Placer Repertory Theater commissioned this play by Rocklin local Ryan Gerberding, a graduate of the Placer Repertory Theater mentorship program. Audiences are invited to provide feedback, and to NAME THAT PLAY!
The Rocklin Roundhouse was an economic engine and cultural touchstone for the surrounding town for over forty years, until all that changed. Based on true events, this play follows Master Mechanic L.L. Timmins and the citizens of Rocklin as they deal with the removal of the Rocklin Roundhouse and the construction of the new roundhouse in Roseville.
Taking place from 1905 to 1908, this story chronicles the town’s struggle to maintain its prominence in the face of the never-ending march of progress. The actors perform a variety of characters from a script rich with local historical references, to bring this love-letter to life.
Live music will be provided by the educators from Rockstar Music Academy, the Rocklin and Roseville Historical Societies will host outreach stations at the event, and audiences are invited to a post-show Q&A where they may share family history and NAME THAT PLAY!

Ensemble Cast

ANTHONY M. PERSON (Track 1)

Anthony is “wayyyy juiced” to be joining Placer Repertory Theater for his first adventure with the company. He has been extremely blessed to portray many outstanding characters in the Sacramento area during the last 15 years, such as Scapino in Scapino at Sacramento City Theatre, Tommy in Tommy J & Sally at Celebration Arts, Feste the Fool in Sacramento Shakespeare Festival’s  Twelfth Night, Lysander in Sacramento Theatre Company’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Paul in Six Degrees of Separation at Falcon’s Eye Theatre.

Anthony also performed in A Few Good Men, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Woody Guthrie’s An American Song; with City Theatre.

KEVIN FOSTER (Track 2)

Kevin Foster is an area local excited to work at Placer Repertory as Outreach Director and in various other capacities. He began training in acting at UC Davis whilst earning his B.A. in Music Performance. After graduating, he performed at Davis Musical Theater Company in Peter Pan, The King and I, Damn Yankees, and the Elly Award winning production of Chicago.

His other credits include The Importance of Being Earnest at Chautauqua Playhouse and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Sacramento Theatre Company, where he taught youth performing arts classes. He currently teaches for Rockstar Music Academy in Lincoln. Currently, you may see him in Placer Rep’s digital short series Sherlock Holmes: Domestic Mysteries on YouTube and Facebook, as he works on his solo show for Placer Rep, to premiere in the 2022 season.

ERIC PIOTROWSKI (Track 3)

Eric Piotrowski is an actor and Bass-Baritone with the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, where he has performed in Rigoletto, Tosca, and as a Chorus Member. He has appeared in TV and film, and his other theatre credits include The Rose Gala with Roseville Theatre Arts Academy, performances in Green Valley Theater Company cabarets, and he was seen in “A Jane Austen Holiday,” the December 2020 Placer Repertory Theater live digital stage reading of the new work Persuasion, which anticipates a world premiere in Placer County in November/Decmber 2021.

Currently you may see Eric in Placer Rep’s digital short series Sherlock Holmes: Domestic Mysteries on YouTube and Facebook as “Burke” the Baker Street Irregular in episode 3, and as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes in episode 6.

 

TADJA ENOS (Track 4)

Raised in Grass Valley, CA, Tadja lives in Auburn, CA. She attended Ghidotti Early College High School and performed in Nevada County community theatre. She then went to UC Santa Barbara, where she earned a BFA in Acting. A few of her favorite roles were Hamlet, Catherine in A View From the Bridge, and Goneril in King Lear.

She trained for a summer with Prague Shakespeare Company, where she performed Cassius in Julius Caesar. She also has a background in dance, devised movement, and crocheting. She received a Santa Barbara Indy Award for her performance as Hamlet. This will be her first opportunity to work with Placer Repertory, and she’s excited to re-enter the theatre scene. She plays several characters as a member of the ensemble cast for New Beginnings.

 

JODI SERRANO (Track 5, Understudy Track 4)

An Actor, singer, VO artist, private coach, as well as Music Teacher and Director at various public and private schools, Jodi Serrano holds a B.M. in Choral Performance from CSU Northridge and an M.A. in Education from Brandman University. She received the Chelsey Award for Best Supporting Actress at Woodland Opera House and a Lifetime Membership with the International Thespian Society. Her credits include Beauty And The Beast at Woodland Opera House, Flowers for Algernon, and her performances as Mary Magdalene with Best of Broadway, and Vocalist for the Camellia Symphony Orchestra of Sacramento.

Jodi has performed and arranged for the professional vocal ensemble RSVP throughout since 2012. Jodi also played the role of Jensen, one of the Baker Street Irregulars in Placer Rep’s digital short series Sherlock Holmes: Domestic Mysteries on YouTube. She also performed the roles of Mrs. Clay and Henrietta in the December 2020 livestreamed event “A Jane Austen Holiday,” which featured a live stage reading of the new work, Persuasion, based on the Jane Austen novel and slated for its World Premiere in Placer County in November/December 2021.

SPENCER T GAYDEN (Track 6, Understudy Track 3)

Spencer T Gayden moved to Placer County at the age of seven, where he discovered his love of theatre while attending Horizon Charter School. For five years, Spencer has been an instructor and director with Royal Stage Christian Performing Arts; he also manages social and digital media for local education non-profit IntelliBricks, and has worked for the character company Sevilla Magic FX. Recently, audiences saw Spencer in an original musical with Curious Theatre Works, a small local experimental theatre group.

While at William Jessup University, he enjoyed performing roles such as Howard Bevans in Picnic, Professor Plum in Clue, and Ben Gunn in Treasure Island. Upon graduation with his BA in Theatre in May 2021, Spencer joined the Mentorship program at Placer Repertory Theater, and as of June 1, became a company member appointed to the position of Digital & Social Media Director. His first major role with PRT is as a member of the ensemble cast for New Beginnings.

MARLEY BAUER (Silent Bob, Understudy Tracks 1,2,5,6)

Marley Bauer is Rocklin born and raised.  Currently, he lives with his parents following an earth-shattering plague, as he awaits his final semester at CSU Long Beach, where he majors in Theatre with an emphasis in performance, and minors in Journalism. Marley is “known” for his work at Sierra College in the Theatre department production of The Addams Family, which happens to be his favorite production experience to-date.

Marley also has experience with several community theatres in the Placer and Sacramento areas, including Green Valley Theatre Company. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and writing (if he can drum up the attention span for either). This is Marley’s second production with Placer Repertory Theater, his first performance being the client, Mr. Chiltern, in Sherlock Holmes: Domestic Mysteries, episode 2, currently available for streaming on YouTube and Facebook.

 

Quick Facts: Development of the Roundhouse play

  • Ryan Gerberding’s final project of his mentorship program, was as playwright for a new work about the history of the Rocklin Roundhouse. A Rocklin local, the topic was his choice.
  • Research began by Ryan Gerberding, playwright, and T.S. Forsyth, dramaturg and mentor, in 2020, and culminated in a completed script, written by Ryan, in May of 2021.
  • Callback auditions were held in May of 2021, and the cast is listed above.
  • Audiences are invited to “NAME THAT PLAY” when viewing the work, and a Q&A session with Placer Repertory Theater will be held after the performance.

Special Thanks to our Friends

and all the wonderful people affiliated with these organizations, for their help with the research

May 2021: Ryan Gerberding, Rocklin Roundhouse playwright, graduates from Placer Rep Mentorship Program

Rocklin Roundhouse – gone but not forgotten.

Rocklin Roundhouse, Roseville Roundhouse.