KAROLE FOREMAN
In 1992 Don Shirley of the Los Angeles Times singled her out as “…one of the most versatile and accomplished stage actors in Los Angeles”.  Born into a military family, she relocated every two years until she was 14 years old, when the family finally settled in San Diego, California.  There Karole immersed herself in student government, community activities, drama and creative writing.  She took over the school’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Program, writing and directing the productions and was active in her high schools voluntary integration program and organizing various cultural events.

Karole appeared in numerous plays in high school and wrote and directed three musicals which toured the high schools and community colleges in the district.  She received numerous awards for scholastic achievement, community service,  and received a Bank of America Achievement Award for the Arts. 

Upon graduation, Karole was selected to participate in the California Chicano News Media Association’s Summer Intensive.  It was a program designed by prominent newspapers across the country to nurture and encourage promising young writers.  Karole’s writing career, however, was sidetracked momentarily by her desire to perform. 

After graduation, Karole traveled with the international performing troupe Up With People.  While on the road a talent scout from a college in San Diego saw her in the show and offered her a scholarship.  She returned home and enrolled at United States International University’s School of Performing and Visual Arts. 

After studying, Ms. Foreman relocated to Los Angeles where she was an original cast member in the Mark Taper Forum’s premier of JELLY’S LAST JAM.  She also appeared in Tony Kushner’s adaptation of THE ILLUSION, and numerous production at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and productions around town.  She was also an original member of the Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare. 

She has worked at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Northshore Music Theater, The Goodspeed Opera House, The Pasadena Playhouse, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, California Music Theater, The Odyssey Theatre, San Jose Rep, American Music Theater of San Jose,  North Coast Rep, and San Diego Rep Theaters.  Among her regional credits, Karole worked for two seasons with the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 

Karole recently received a Suzi Bass Award for her performance as Anita in the Alliance Theatre’s revival of JELLY’S LAST JAM.  She has also received numerous Drama Logue Awards and a Garland Award for her role as Alexa Vere de Vere in AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN.  She has had the pleasure of co-staring and working with Armin Shimerman, Billy Zane, Heather Graham, Grace Jones, Elizabeth Shue, Lea Thompson, Nell Carter, Dom DeLuise,  David Selby, Jonathan Silverman, John Raitt, to name a few.  Karole also  co-stared as Tanya in the Las Vegas premiere of MAMMA MIA! at the Mandalay Bay  2003-2004.

Karole’s television credits include numerous commercials and guest appearances on LAW& ORDER, Third Watch, The Bold & the Beautiful, Strong Medicine, Becker, and MacGyver

She is the librettist and lyricist of the PRINCESS AND THE BLACK-EYED PEA, which has garnered the 1999 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, the 1996 Richard Rodgers Award, as well as being selected for presentation in the National Alliance for Musical Theater’s 1999 Fall Festival  in New York.  The show will have a concert presentation at the prestigious Ravinia Festival in Chicago fall of 2006.

She is presently at work on an urban opera entitled RULE MY WORLD, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra and an experimental musical called THE VENUS HOTTENTOT’S EXTREME MAKEOVER.    In addition to performing, Karole is interested in creating innovative, contemporary musical theater.

Candace Ludlow Trotter

Candace is a fifth generation San Diegan and
a theatre veteran. She has appeared on stage in Four Queens--No Trump, Pearlie, Steale Away,
Spooks, Native Son, Combination Skin,
Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery, Blues For a
Gospel Queen, Guys and Dolls, One Monkey
Don't Stop The Show, The Cat and the Canary, Fences, Little Foxes, Joe Turner's Come &
Gone, and Miss Ever's Boys.

She won the Aubrey Award for best actress in a
major drama support role for her portrayal of Big
Mama in “Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery.” Her
screen credits include Retiring Tatiana. She has
performed with Starlight Opera: Finian's Rainbow
and Sound of Music; New York Metropolitan Opera: Madame Butterfly; and San Francisco Opera: Aida.

She honors her friend and mentor the late Essie Lee Smart; teachers Helen Nelson and Naomi Pryor; and Dr. Floyd Gaffney for nearly 30 years of stage direction and guidance.

Ida L. Rhem

Ida is a native to San Diego. She graduated
from San Diego High School and went on to San Diego State University, majoring in business administration. Ida is a mother of three and grandmother to a beautiful granddaughter.

She does accounting by day and performs by night. In the span of eight years, Ida has performed in several plays at the community actors theatre in San Diego.

She was presented with an Aubrey Nomination for“Best Leading Actress” for her outstanding role as Mahalia Jackson, and was awarded the Aubrey for
best actress for her role as Clemma Diggins in The Neil Simon play,“Proposals” at the Patio
Playhouse in Escondido.

Most recent plays are “Ma Rainey Black Bottom,” “7 Guitars” with the Black Ensemble Theater and“Ain't You Heard,” with the Ira Aldridge Repertory Theatre. She has been in
six commercials and five films one of which she was awarded best supporting actress for her role in “The Diner.” Her passion is in theater, film and singing.

ANDREW CHUKERMAN (music director) - Andrew is delighted to be music directing
Josephine Tonight. He, along with tonight’s lead actress and personal writing partner,
Karole Foreman, won the Richard Rodgers Award and the Jonathan Larson Foundation
Award as composer/co-lyricist of the musical, The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea,
presented most recently at the 2006 Ravinia Festival in Chicago, and starring Tonywinner,
Lillias White. Having worked with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder to LeAnn
Rimes, Andrew can be heard on Rod Stewart's Grammy-winning, The Great American
Songbook, as well as Carly Simon's Grammy-nominated Moonlight Serenade. He made
his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 for his and Ms. Foreman’s work, My Only Son, and the
Atlanta Symphony commissioned his orchestral arrangement of Hallelujah: A Soulful
Celebration, broadcast nationally on PBS. Andrew’s composed and performed on such
TV series as Frasier, Murphy Brown, Charmed, Even Stevens, and The Wonder Years.
He recently received the 2006 “Best Score” Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International
Film Festival for Le Chase, and his original soundtrack is available at
http://cdbaby.com/cd/andrewmchukerman.