TOM
HOFBAUER is a writer / producer with an acting and comedy background. He spent nine years on the stand-up comedy circuit, traveling to 30 states and working in over 300 clubs. He also performed improv on stage with The Improvables and with Those Guys From Toledo. He spent four years in Los Angeles where he and his partner wrote three feature length screenplays, all currently in various forms of development, as well as a number of unproduced sit com scripts.
Tom is the founder of Behind the Lines Productions and the producer / director of The Around the Bend Players. He and his partner, Mark Zink, recently finished a re-edit of an independent sketch comedy program (working title - "Around the Bend") for which they hope to find an interested buyer.
Tom wrote, produced and directed an independent film entitled In the Company of Strangers. This first feature has won the top award at several film festivals and has garnered critical praise. He also directed and co-produced a documentary called ADDICT which has also been critically praised.
He also worked as a camera operator and provided location production expertise in the Academy Award nominated documentary film Twist of Faith. This film was produced by Eddie Schmidt and directed by Kirby Dick.
Tom has also done a great deal of stage work and appeared on television in an episode of "Saved By The Bell: The College Years".
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ELIZABETH COTTLE began her theatre career in the Toledo area as a student at Central Catholic High School, where she had lead roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia), Once Upon a Mattress (Winnifred), and Brigadoon (Fiona). She then studied theatre at Ohio Northern University in Ada. Some of her favorite roles as a student there include Nellie in Jekyll & Hyde, Yonah in Children of Eden, Kate Keller in All My Sons, and Meg Brockie in Brigadoon. Since graduating from ONU, Elizabeth has performed in two Harvest Theatre of Toledo productions, the One Page International Play Festival and The Country Girl. Replacing Derek Hansen as the youngest member of The Around the Bend Players, Elizabeth is excited about the opportunity to keep her elder troupe-mates on their toes.
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DEREK HANSEN is the youngest member of The Around the Bend Players and he is pickled tink to be a part of the gang. Aside from doing improv and selling his body for food, he has done various shows at the Toledo Rep and the Village Players including the show Greetings for which he received an Excellence in Acting Award at the OCTA Fest. He directed Much Ado About Nothing for the Village Players and was the Assistant Director on the independent film In the Company of Strangers.
Derek earned his BFA degree at the University of Toledo and plans to use it to land a comfy fast food job.
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JOHN JENNENS was raised by sober Quakers and learned early on that comedy was not to be taken lightly. Diagnosed at age 10 as being "Silence Intolerant", his parents were forced to quit punishing him for reading aloud. Home schooling proved to be beneficial to John as he graduated as both Valedictorian and Class Clown. Unfortunately, he didn't adapt well going off to college in the real world - he dropped out after a year and a half to build grain bins for the Amish.
In defiance of his parents' wishes that he follow in their footsteps and become an accountant, he now earns a living by reading aloud in commercials and voice overs. Finally, after years of therapy, John has been able to throw off the shackles of his pious upbringing. However, the shackles he's wearing now are real and he must be returned to the institution at the end of every performance. Let's pray that his medication doesn't wear off before then.
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TOM KLEINERT is no stranger to the stage, having been acting for the past 20 years. He is thrilled to finally be able to work without a script (none of that painful memorization to worry about - HOORAH!!) Some of Tom's most enjoyable roles have included Glouchester in King Lear, Bottom in A Midsummer Nights' Dream, Van Helsing in The Passion of Dracula, The Girl's Father in The Fantastiks, Samuel Chase in 1776 and King Henry VIII in A Man for all Seasons just to name a few.
Tom is also the company manager for the Young Playgoers, a traveling theatre company that performs for elementary school children. Tom considers The Around the Bend Players a perfect venue for him since people have considered him a little "around the bend" for years
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MARY SOBECKI is an original member of The Around the Bend Players. Mary had a promising stand-up career until motherhood took the place of smoky clubs, spilled drinks and comedy condos from Hell. Now that her daughter has gotten older, Mary is back on the stage.
She has a knack for creating memorable characters and has delighted audiences with her specialized and tailored performance.
Mary appeared in the TV Pilot Around the Bend and also had a brief but memorable appearance at the waitress in In the Company of Strangers. She is currently introducing audiences to her newest character, Dr. Phyllis, who talks to womens groups about the BREATHE technique to success - a very funny single character production.
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BLAINE (-EL) WASHINGTON was rocketed to Earth as an infant when it was discovered that his home planet Krypton was entirely fictional and thus not a suitable place to raise a child. His ability to absorb the humorous rays of Earth's sun soon gifted young Blaine with comedy powers far beyond those of mortal men; able to pun faster than a speeding bullet, funnier than a trained monkey, able to make up tall tales in a single breath. Disguised as a mild mannered citizen, Blaine sometimes performs for the Toledo Rep Young Playgoers. He has been the Creative Arts Director for Camp Big Silver and he teaches improv workshops for young kids every chance he gets. Blaine-El is excited and proud to band together with the Justice Friends of Comedy!!! Or is it the Super Comedians League? The X-Comics? Spiderguy and his funny friends....?
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MARK EDWARD ZINK is filmmaker and former stand-up comedian. He spent five years working comedy club stages before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his film career. While on the West Coast, Mark and his partner, Tom Hofbauer, wrote three feature length screenplays and numerous sit com scripts.
Mark has directed a number of award-winning, animated short films and has directed a live, traveling road show which plays in hospitals, nursing homes and selected charity organizations. Mark was also a member of The Improvables and a part-time member of Those Guys From Toledo.
His most recent project was working as a writer / director with Tom Hofbauer and Thick Slice Entertainment on a sketch comedy program tentatively titled "Around the Bend" which is currently being re-editing prior to being shopped to distributors in Los Angeles.
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