MEET THE CAST: Jen Morris

24 hours from now, the van pulls out and we hit the open road! But ONE of our cast has already hit the road - this morning - and will be meeting us in Dayton tomorrow night. So as she is driving, let me introduce you to the shows ORIGINAL Oompa Loompa...the cabbage-cooking, ladder-spinning, sucker-licking, teeth-chomping Queen of every scene (and I think I might be King....) - JEN MORRIS!

Jen comes to the DC Theater Scene from the great state of Ohio - The Heart Of It All. She is a proud graduate of American University here in DC. (She has never TOLD me she was a 'proud graduate' - but I figure if you went to the trouble to buy the long sleeve t-shirt and you wear it around, you must have SOME sort of fond memories from your time there!) She plays both Charlie's Mother and Wonka's Assistant in our show - along with about 432 other smaller roles - compared to my other 430 other small roles. But what's important is that we have FUN with them. And we don't sweat.

Previous to this show, Jen was ALSO a server/singer at Mimi's American Bistro. So if you are keeping score, we are now at Mimi's: 3. Toby's Dinner Theater (Counting Gillian - 2nd half Veruca): 3. Washington Speakers Bureau: 1. Jen also has been busy doing shows around the area - and I want to take a chance on this forum to say that I am SORRY I missed her playing Queenie in The Wild Party this past winter. I mean - I didn't really know Jen, and I didn't know anyone was doing the show - but I love the show and I would've LOVED to see her play Queenie. I'm confident in saying that I'm sure she ROCKED...or raised the roof, as it may be.

If you're looking for a health food nut in the cast, look no further than Jen. She is the go-to-source for flax-seed chips and chocolate-covered soy nuts and all things fun like that! I have found her fun to talk theater with, because she has such a vast knowledge of it - and if I may say this without sounding like I'm picking up on her on-line, she has a KILLER smile! She is driven and a very hard worker, and is a fun addition to our crazy cast of friends. And she hates squirrels.

So give her a huge shout out, so she can hear us from the road...JEN MORRIS!