Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaper reporter who wrote during the years of Prohibition and the Great Depression. Runyan covered everything from sports and general news to political and international op-eds. However he is most remembered for his short stories that comically fictionalized the colorful characters populating New York City during the Prohibition era. His humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters became so popular that the term "Runyonesque" quickly became a favorite adjective applied to anything that resembled the situations and dialogue he spun into his stories. His character’s distinctive vernacular style, known as "Runyonese" is a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions. Runyon rarely gave his characters traditional names, instead bestowing on them illustrative monikers such as “Nathan Detroit”, “Benny Southstreet”, “Harry The Horse”, “Big Jule”, “Angie the Ox”, “Rusty Charlie” and “Nicely Nicely Johnson” to name a few.

Though Runyan died in 1946, his fantastical world of scoundrels became canonized in the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls. Based on two of his short stories, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and "Blood Pressure", Guys and Dolls also borrows characters and story elements from a few other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick The Winner”. 

Guys and Dolls tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and the lovably yoked Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club. It all begins with a bet. Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson that he cannot persuade Save-A-Soul Missionary Sister Sarah Brown to accompany him on a trip to Cuba. While the worldly Sky works his charms on a wary Sarah, Nathan is doing his best to stay outside the matrimonial clutches of his long-suffering fiancée, Miss Adelaide. 

With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Joe Swerling and Abe Burrows, the original production opened on Broadway November 24, 1950 and ran for 1,200 performances, winning 8 Tony Awards (including music & lyrics) and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.  It was also selected as the winner for the Pulitzer Prize in Letters. Unfortunately, because of Burrows' troubles with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), no Pulitzer for Letters was awarded in 1951.

The film version, starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra & Vivian Blaine (recreating her role as Adelaide), had the highest box-office gross of 1955.

A 1976 revival, featuring Robert Guillaume and an all-black cast, ran for 239 performances. 

The 1992 revival with Peter Gallagher, Nathan Lane and Faith Prince ran almost as long as the original production and won a Tony for Best Revival, as well as a Grammy for the cast album.

In 2009 it was again brought to the Broadway stage and received a Tony nomination for best revival of a musical. 

Guys and Dolls is a fable about what happens to gambling men and the women who long to tame them. 

While some of the themes and outcomes of this fable may seem a bit antiquated to a modern audience, 70 years after its premier Guys and Dolls is still considered to be one of the greatest, most perfectly constructed musical comedies in the history of the American theatre. Guys and Dolls is still so popular with theatres and audiences alike, at any given time you could likely find the crazy characters of Damon Runyon’s imagination singing and dancing across a stage almost anywhere in the world. In fact, I would bet on it. 

— Dave Tinney 

Derek is appearing in his 33rd production with Hale Centre Theatre. Favorite credits include: Les Misérables, Tarzan, Cinderella, Oklahoma!, The Pirate Queen, She Loves Me, The Wedding Singer, and Zorro: The Musical.

Thrilled to be back after playing Javert in Les Miserables. Preston’s favorite credits include: HCT: Javert (Les Misérables), Kerchak (Tarzan), Prince Topher (Cinderella), Tin Man (The Wizard of Oz), and Jack Kelly (Newsies); BYU: Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing), Orin (Little Shop of Horrors), Cinderella’s Prince/The Wolf  (Into the Woods); Sundance Summer Theatre: Joseph (Joseph…Dreamcoat); 

Rachel is pleased to be back on the HCT stage. Her favorite credits include: HCT - The Music Man (Marian Paroo), She Loves Me (Amalia), and Les Misérables (Cosette); Sundance - The Music Man (Marian Paroo); HCTO - The Secret Garden (Lily) and The Addams Family (Wednesday Addams). She studied English at UVU, and when not on stage, she is a film and television actor and full-time mom of two toddlers. “For my favorite humans: Greg, Sawyer, and Pearl.”

Megan Lynn Heaps is honored to be joining the cast of Guys and Dolls. She was recently seen as Alice Murphy in our production of Bright Star. Other notable performing credits include Donna in Mamma Mia (LyricRep) as well performing with Holland America Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. 

Josh is a familiar face to our HCT audiences; his credits include: Les Misérables (Thernardier) in both our 2014 & 2021 productions, Bright Star (Daddy Cane), The Addams Family (Gomez Addams), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Dom Claude Frollo), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Elton), The Heart of Robin Hood (Robert Summers), and To Kill A Mockingbird (Bob Ewell).

Blake is excited to return to the HCT stage! Other stage credits include: Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Doug Hastings) with Hale Centre Theatre and Million Dollar Quartet (Sam Phillips) at HCTO and HCT. He has acted in theaters from California to New York, such as: Kate Crackernuts, Flea Theater, Off-Broadway. 

Kristi’s favorite credits include: HCT - Mary Poppins (Mrs. Brill), Cinderella (Charlotte), and The Wizard of Oz (Ensemble); Harman Hall - The Odd Couple (Olive Madison); Centerpoint Theatre - The Crucible (Elizabeth Proctor) and Fiddler on the Roof (Chava). 

Kelly is thrilled to be returning to the HCT stage! Other memorable roles include: AIDA (Amneris) and Newsies (Katherine) with HCT; and Macbeth (Lady Macbeth) with Utah Shakespearean Festival Tour. She has also worked with Norwegian Cruise Lines (Sketch/Studio Vocalist), Walt Disney Company (Dancer/Entertainment), as well as various commercials and animation voice overs projects for Disney and Netflix. 

A familiar face to Hale Centre audiences, Mark is excited to be playing on our Centre Stage again. Credits include: A Tale of Two Cities (Mr. Jarvis Lorry), Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot), My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins), 1776 (John Adams), The Sound of Music (Captain Von Trapp), Hello, Dolly! (Horace Vandergelder) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lawrence Jameson) with HCT and Camelot (King Arthur), The King and I (The King of Siam) with CenterPoint Legacy Theatre. “Thanks to Wendy, the love and light of my life.”

Zac was last seen in Bright Star as Daddy Murphy on our Jewel Box Stage. Favorite HCT credits include: Seussical (General Gengus Khan Schmitz), Wait Until Dark (Sargent Carlino), The Music Man (Mayor Shinn), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth), Peter and the Starcatcher (Alf), She Loves Me (Mr. Marachek), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Goran the Spy), and Born Yesterday (Harry Brock). 

Alec was last seen on the HCT stage in Cinderella. Other credits include: A writer on Seaview Productions - Ratatouille the TikTok Musical; HCT - My Son Pinocchio (Ringleader), To Kill a Mockingbird (Tom Robinson), Sister Act (TJ), and Big River; HCTO - Sebastian (The Little Mermaid) and Big Jule (Guys and Dolls); Lehi Arts Council - Horton (Seussical); 

Dustin’s last appearance at HCT was as Darryl Ames in Bright Star. Favorite roles include: HCT - Seussical (Horton the Elephant), The Wizard of Oz (Cowardly Lion); HCTO - Betty Blue Eyes (Henry Allerdyce); and MMST - Chicago (Amos Hart). 

Most recently seen as Marius in our production of Les Miserables, Matthew’s HCT credits include: Big River (Huck Finn), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Gideon), and Joseph...Dreamcoat (Simeon). Other credits include: University of Michigan - Passing Strange (Mr. Venus), A New Brain (Mr. Bungee), and My One and Only (Billy); Summerstock.  

Trevor is thrilled to be returning to the HCT stage! He was recently seen in our production of Les Misérables. He has graced the Hale stage previously at the West Valley theater and has also appeared with The Grand Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Company, Wasatch Theatre Company, and Four Seasons Theatre. He attended Weber State for Musical Theatre and, when not on stage, he enjoys spending time with his dog.

Joseph was most recently seen in our production of Mary Poppins as Robertson Ay. Other favorite stage credits include: HCT - Matilda and A Christmas Carol; Salt Lake Acting Company - Pete the Cat (Jimmy), Saturday’s Voyeur (DeLay), and Diary of a Worm (Ant); 

Kenichi’s favorite credits include: HCT - Disney’s Tarzan, An American in Paris, Newsies (Finch), The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; and West Valley Arts - West Side Story (Pepe). Kenichi works as a dance teacher at Miss Margene’s Creative Classroom and as Team Lead for new hires with Mountain America Credit Union. 

Wyatt is excited to be back on the HCT stage after last season’s Mary Poppins. Other credits include: HCT - Cinderella; The Grand Theatre - Curtains (Bobby); Lagoon - Verano; University of Utah - Chess and And the World Goes ‘Round; and Weber State University - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Hero). 

Appearing on the HCT Sandy stage for the first time, TJ’s other credits include Spot Conlon (Newsies) with HCTO; Evan Hansen (Suicide & Mental Health Awareness Charity Concert), Issachar/Canaan Days soloist (Joseph...Dreamcoat), and Tinman (Wizard of Oz) with SCERA; and Paul Bratter (Barefoot in the Park) with the Covey Center.  TJ holds a Master's degree in Social Work from USC and works as a therapist full time.

Returning to the HCT stage after his most recent performance in last season's production of Disney’s Tarzan. Other credits include: Joseph...Dreamcoat (Benjamin) with SGMT; Hairspray (Seaweed) with HVTC; Rumors (Glen Cooper), Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter), and The Tempest (Stephano) with DSU; 

Dave is thrilled to be back on the HCT stage after last season’s production of Disney’s Tarzan.  Other favorite credits include: HCT - Mary Poppins and Phantom; Mountain West Ballet - Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Copelia; Utah Opera (Capitol Theater) - Yenufa; Ballet West (Capitol Theater) - The Nutcracker and Swan Lake; 

Dale is excited to make his second appearance on the HCT stage.  His credits include: HCT - Mary Poppins; Brigham’s Playhouse in Southern Utah - Crazy For You (Bobby Child ), Daddy Long Legs (Jervis Pendleton), She Loves Me (Georg Nowack), and Murder for Two (The Suspects). 

Abrin was last seen on the HCT stage in Les Miserables. Previous HCT credits include: Disney’s Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Seussical, Freaky Friday (Adam), American in Paris, The Wizard of Oz, Newsies (Albert/Bill), Tuck Everlasting, AIDA, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Joel), Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, and Oliver! 

Noah is thrilled to be back on the HCT stage. Other favorite credits include: HCT - Disney’s Tarzan, Mary Poppins (Neleus), Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Scott Hastings), Matilda (Rudolpho), Cinderella, An American In Paris, and Newsies; Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts- Catch Me If You Can, Guys and Dolls, and A Chorus Line (Mike Costa), which earned him a Best Actor Nomination with the 2018 Utah High School Musical Theater Awards; and Roots of the Rock Dance Festival - Fire Staff Spinner. Noah is currently a student in the MTP at the University of Utah. “Waste your time wisely.”

Gunnar is thrilled to be back on the HCT Centre Stage. Previous HCT credits include: Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Freaky Friday, Newsies (Crutchie), Zorro: The Musical (Young Diego), A Tale of Two Cities (Little Gaspard). Other favorite credits include: BYU-Rump (Rump); Jordan High School- Fredric (The Pirates of Penzance), Gomez Addams (The Addams Family). Gunnar is currently a Sophomore in the BYU MDT program.

Returning to the HCT stage after appearing in last season’s Mary Poppins. Other credits include: HCT -  Newsies (Oscar Delancey/Ike), Joseph...Dreamcoat, Sister Act, and The Pirate Queen; CenterPoint Legacy Theatre - AIDA; and High Valley Arts Midway - Oklahoma!. Dave earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University and his BS from BYU; he is a Physical Therapist at Legacy Village Transitional Rehabilitation.“Much love to my family and friends, who are always there. Life is precious...make the most of it!”

Patrick was last seen in our productions of A Tale of Two Cities and Disney’s Tarzan. Other HCT credits include Mary Poppins, Seussical, Freaky Friday, The Wizard of Oz, and Tuck Everlasting. Other credits include Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Pirate Queen, The Addams Family, and AIDA on stages, including CenterPoint Legacy Theatre and the Zigfield Theatre. “Art is just another form of screaming.”

Zac is pleased to be back on the HCT stage.  His favorite credits include: HCT - Phantom, Freaky Friday,  The Wizard of Oz, Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Heart of Robin Hood , Joseph…Dreamcoat, and The Pirate Queen (Sir Richard Bingham); Cottonwood Heights - Shrek; and Payson High - Footloose;  Xanadu (Sonny Malone) and The Drowsy Chaperone (Robert Martin). 

Recent HCT credits include The Play That Goes Wrong (Jonathan/Charles Haversham), Bright Star (Daddy Murphy),  Seussical The Musical (General Gengus Khan Schmitz), The Wizard of Oz (Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz), Cash on Delivery! (Dr. Chapman). 

Making her HCT debut! Genesis’ other credits include: Midvale Main Street Theatre - Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett ); American Shakespeare Center - Hamlet (Polonius); Murray Amphitheater - Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Madame de La Grande Bouche); The Empress - The Mystery of Edwin Drood (The Chairman); The Egyptian - Reefer Madness (Mae); and Maryland Shakespeare Festival - A Winter’s Tale (Hermione). 

Lori is honored to be playing the boards once again in this production of Guys and Dolls. Favorite credits include: HCT - Les Misérables (both our 2021 and 2014 productions), A Christmas Carol (Mrs. Fezziwig/Charwoman), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Miss Shingle), To Kill a Mockingbird (Aunt Alexandra); 

Making her HCT debut!  Her favorite credits include Rusty in Footloose, Paulette in Legally Blonde, and Salome in Savior of the World.  She has studied Musical Dance Theatre at BYU.

Katie is pleased to return to HCT’s Centre Stage in this production of Guys & Dolls. Previous Hale Centre credits include: An American In Paris, Catch Me If You Can, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Brigadoon, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Katie is a graduate of Utah Valley University with a BFA in Ballet. Currently, she teaches ballet and is the mother to the adorable Axel. 

Whitney was most recently seen on the HCT stage in last season’s production of Mary Poppins. Her other credits include Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sister Act, and Oklahoma! with HCT; The national tour of Spamalot; Singer/Dancer with Holland America Line; and Juanito Bandito’s Christmas Carol with Pickleville Playhouse. Whitney graduated from BYU with a BFA in Music Dance Theatre. 

Claire is pleased to be returning to the HCT stage after appearing in last season’s production of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical. Some of Claire’s favorite performances include The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen); HCT - Phantom, An American In Paris, and The Music Man; and HCTO - Tuck Everlasting and Tarzan.

Thrilled to be making her HCT debut!  Ileah’s other credits include: Once Upon a Mattress, The Addams Family, Comedy of Errors, Pirates of Penzance, and Parfumerie with Jordan High School. She is currently a sophomore at Utah Valley University, where she is working towards a BFA in Ballet. 

Emma is pleased to be making her Hale Centre Theatre debut!  She holds a Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University.

Selena is making her HCT debut! Her other credits include performances with Tuacahn, Lagoon, and Provo Theater Company. She has a BFA from BYU and works as a mother of four and as a fitness instructor at Brick Canvas Fitness and Lehi Legacy Center. “I hope you uncover what it is that makes you feel alive, and even more so, I hope you find the courage to chase after it.” - Gerardo Perez, Jr.

Returning to our stage, Larissa is honored to be back at Hale Centre Theatre. Credits include: Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz at HCT; She Loves Me (IIona) at Hopebox; Holiday Inn, Crazy For You (Sheila), and A Christmas Carol (Emily) at CPT; The Last Five Years (Cathy) at OPPA; and Anything Goes (Hope) at Outlaw Trail Theatre. “Special thank you to my parents, for my dance classes, love, and always encouraging me to go after my dream with a smile and a joke.”

For Hale Centre Theatre, Dave has previously directed Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Bright Star, Seussical, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Matilda, An American in Paris, The Wizard of Oz, Wait Until Dark, Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, AIDA, The Heart of Robin Hood, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sister Act, The Pirate Queen, Peter and the Starcatcher, She Loves Me, Hello, Dolly!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Zorro the Musical, and Oliver!. 

Lindsey D. Smith is thrilled to be back in Utah and working at Hale Centre Theatre. She spent 5 years as a Radio City Rockette where she toured to over 50 cities and kicked at Radio City Music Hall. At Walt Disney World, she is a choreographer for Disney Event Group and a teaching artist for the Disney Performing Arts Dance Program. As a performer, she danced in Beauty and the Beast Live Onstage, the seasonal Halloween production of Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and other special events. 

Alex is a versatile scholar having completed several degrees from the University of Utah – a B.M. in Piano Performance and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering as well as a M.M. in Instrumental Conducting. Alex can be found throughout Salt Lake as an active member of the professional musical community performing in classical, rock, jazz, and musical theatre styles, playing with the premier musical groups and institutions of Salt Lake City including the University of Utah and the Utah Symphony. 

Along with Guys and Dolls, Chantel has served as Stage Manager for  A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Seussical, Cinderella, Matilda, The Wizard of Oz, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder here at HCT. She holds a BA in Theatre from UVU. Other credits include Utah Shakespeare Festival: The Foreigner and Big River. Another Theatre Company: Next Fall and Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike. For UVU: Anything Goes, The Rez Sisters, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. "Stand tall and the world will look up to you."

Kacey is the Creative Director and Resident Scenic Designer at Hale Centre Theatre. He has designed over 100 productions at HCT and loves the challenge of working on our unique stages. Kacey oversaw many of the design aspects of the new building in Sandy and feels fortunate to be able to design on the stages that he helped create. 

As an accomplished artist and associate Designer, Madeline’s work was recently seen in our productions of Les Misérables, A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Murder on the Orient Express, Million Dollar Quartet, Baz Lurhman’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Bright Star, Seussical, Matilda, and Cinderella. Other scenic design credits include: Daddy Long Legs, Murder on the Orient Express (HCT); Oklahoma! (Sundance); Distance of the Moon (Sackerson); and Let The Right One In, and Angels in America (An Other Theatre). Madeline earned a Bachelor Of Fine Arts in Scenic Design from Utah Valley University.

Jenn’s work was most recently seen as the Scenic Designer for The Play That Goes Wrong, Bright Star, The Addams Family, Freaky Friday, and Steel Magnolias. Recent costume design credits for HCT: Tarzan, The Wizard of Oz, AIDA, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. Other Scenic Designs for HCT include The Nerd, A Bundle of Trouble, Big River, Beau Jest, Over the River and Through the Woods, Is He Dead?, The Foreigner, The 39 Steps, and The Game’s Afoot. 

Michael is the Lighting Supervisor and Lighting Designer at Hale Centre Theatre. He lists as some of his favorite lighting designs: Next to Normal for Utah Valley University and the Los Angeles Theater Center, which won Outstanding Lighting Design as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, as well as Big Fish the Musical, The Heart of Robin Hood, AIDA, Newsies, Cinderella, Phantom, Seussical, and Tarzan for HCT. "I have the best dogs in the world. Change my mind."

Dan loves the challenge of theatrical sound and is very excited for the opportunity to work in such a marvelous place. Some of his favorite sound designs have been The Three Musketeers, The Wedding Singer, and A Tale of Two Cities. He feels blessed to have worked on a variety of other projects, which include The Savior of the World, The Nauvoo Pageant, A Brand New Year, and various concerts and television programs for the LDS Church. 

Michelle is extremely passionate about details, research, beautiful and interesting “things,” anything to do with flowers, and opening packages. She recently designed her 75th show with our A Tale of Two Cities; some of her other favorite designs have included The Drowsy Chaperone, Over The River..., Les Misérables, Tarzan, Tuck Everlasting, My Fair Lady, AIDA, and She Loves Me. 

Some of Trisha’s favorite designs for HCT: Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Matilda, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Sister Act, The Pirate Queen, Big Fish, Is He Dead?, Brigadoon, The 39 Steps, Zorro the Musical, A Tale of Two Cities and Hello, Dolly!. Trisha holds a BA in Theatre Studies from the U of U and has worked at Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Utah Opera, Ballet West, Utah Festival Opera, as well as touring productions of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Edward Scissorhands, and Rat Pack Live at the Sands. “Thank you to our amazing wig crew, you make it all happen! Love and thanks to Krissa, Candice and Marnee' you are a million!"

Previous HCT credits include Projection Designer for A Tale of Two Cities, Disney’s Tarzan, Murder on the Orient Express, Million Dollar Quartet, Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Bright Star, Seussical, The Addams Family, Cinderella, Freaky Friday, Matilda and video content for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

Nick is delighted to be joining the talented team at Hale Centre Theatre! Over the last decade, Nick had worked for Disney Parks Live Entertainment where he had the privilege of designing and/or programming complex show control and automation systems for major productions and attractions such as Frozen, Live at the Hyperion, Fantasmic!, Disneyland Firework Spectaculars, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, & Star Wars Rise of the Resistance just to name a few.