MAIN STAGE
COLLECTING MYSELF
7:30pm
APRIL 10-19, 2025 Thursday-Saturday
The Roaming Gnome Theater
10522 E. 25th Street, Aurora CO
Seating is General Admission
The Roaming Gnome has accessible seating please let us know when purchasing
a ticket about needed accomodations.
COLLECTING MYSELF
Book & Lyrics by Paula Jayne Friedland
Music by Paula Jayne Friedland, Thorald and Isaac Koren, and Aldo Allgoode
Directed by Nicolette Vajtay
In this intimate and inspiring one-woman show, Paula Jayne Friedland takes the audience on a heartfelt journey through original songs, personal stories, and poignant reflections, as she navigates the universal quest for meaning and purpose. Through humor, vulnerability, and soulful melodies, she unpacks the highs and lows of her search for direction, asking: "What does it really mean to find your purpose?" Funny and uplifting, Collecting Myself celebrates the courage to follow your passions and the beauty of finding your own way.
PLAYWRIGHT
BOOK,LYRICS AND MUSIC
PAULA JAYNE FRIEDLAND
Paula earned her degree in music from CSU, and received her acting training at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where she spent 13 years working in professional theatre. She played Sheila in three European tours of the Broadway musical HAIR, and played leading roles in regional productions of A CHORUS LINE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, HELLO DOLLY and SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM.
After returning to Colorado, she co-wrote and performed three original Sondheim revues, ART ISN’T EASY; OUR TIME; and LOVE,MARRIAGE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS. She received wide acclaim for her first one-woman show, AGING, THE MUSICAL, which she performed to sold out crowds at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret,
Paula is also a licensed counselor and certified life coach and has had a successful private practice for 22 years. In addition, she teaches a transformative approach to getting over the fear of public speaking called, Soul Speaks, and has helped hundreds of people become more authentic, powerful speakers in all areas of life.
DIRECTOR
NICOLETTE VAJTAY
After receiving her BFA from Montclair State University in New Jersey, Nicolette apprenticed at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, then pursued her graduate studies in Advanced Theatre Training for the Performing Arts at Harvard. She performed for decades and then had a stark realization: she loved the rehearsal process, the script analysis, the joy of discovering the motivations and intentions of the characters, how the blocking revealed just as much about the play as the dialogue, and the arduous technical rehearsals where everything came together into a beautiful story! However, she didn't enjoy the 60+ nights of performing the same show repeatedly. Often, after opening night, she felt "complete" and was ready for the next project. She began directing in 2003 and enjoys it immensely. She is also an award-winning playwright and novelist. nicolettevajtay.com
PIANIST
ALDO ALLGOODE
SET& SOUND DESIGN
DARREN SMITH (HE/HIM)
Darren Smith serves as vice-president as well as technical director for And Toto too, he is responsible for the technical operations of the theater, determining technical staffing and equipment requirements for productions, and acts as the central coordinating point for the designers, the stage management team, the craftspeople, etc. – throughout each production. With more than 30 years of experience both on-stage and in almost every capacity behind the scenes, he brings a wealth of ideas and best practices to And Toto too. Mr. Smith is not, despite what a 'vanity search' on the internet may lead you to believe, an editor and writer specializing in travel directories and feature magazine stories, an Australian rugby league player, the 1997 World Irish Dancing Champion, a football player for the Grand Valley State University Lakers, a new age composer living in Texas, or a Christian comedian and illusionist. He lives in Denver with his wife, and their dog, and is also the co-founder of the leading B2B customer reference company Point of Reference.
LIGHT DESIGN
ADAM KUHN - Adam is currently the Technical Director at Roaming Gnome Theatre in Colorado. This position finds him designing and building sets as well as doing props and lighting with the kids of The Gnome. He received his degree in technical theatre from the University of Wisconsin, Madison many moons ago. After graduating he moved to New York City and worked in the lighting industry professionally for Vari*Lite Production Services. This position found him lighting just about anything from theatre, to television, film, concerts and lots of other things that didn’t want to be in the dark. Some notable productions include The Producers Film remake in 2005,The Opening and Closing ceremonies at the Athens Olympics in 2004, The 2002 Grammy Awards, countless episodes of Comedy Central Presents, national tours with Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Chris Isaak and John Mayer, as well as a host of other shows. Adam is happy to be back where it all began in a community theatre working with kids again and helping them learn what is possible, and lending his skills to visiting productions.
SOUND BOARD MIXER
ALEXANDER PALMER (He/Him) - Alexander Palmer has been working in Theater as an Audio Engineer for over a decade. First starting out with local black box theaters, Alex has cultivated a wealth of knowledge on everything from Sound Design to Mixing. His other work includes being a Recording Engineer at CCM Recording Studios where he records, edits, mixes and masters work for Music Production, Audiobooks and Voiceover. Previous clients include NPR, 20th Century Fox and Asics. Alex has also taught at the Colorado Film School, one of the top ten in the US for Film Production. His education includes Shenandoah University and the University of Colorado Denver. Alex brings all of these skills to bear in every production and loves every part of the process. Working with creatives to bring their work to the highest level of quality is what keeps him going.
