Mom! The Musical features Inver Hills campus community members
In May 2023, Chameleon Theater Circle partnered with Inver Hills Community College to present Mom! The Musical in the Black Box Theatre in the Fine Arts building on the college’s campus in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Two members of the campus community took part in the production.
Marlo Teal, a project manager in the Strategic Marketing and Communications department at Inver Hills and Dakota County Technical College, portrayed an assortment of “moms and mothers.” Marlo also worked as a choreographer on the musical.
Nissa Frederikson, a Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student, served as a stagehand and also appeared onstage. Nissa was 5 years old when they played “Young Tommy” in the Chameleon production of The Who’s: TOMMY.
Mom! The Musical
Mom! celebrates the twists and turns, delights and dilemmas, rewards and regrets of parenting. From losing control with a tantruming toddler to panicking at the prospect of a parent-teacher conference—from staving off unwanted child-rearing advice to struggling to accept the choices of grown children – from trying to rekindle marital passion to trying to shield kids from the heartbreak of divorce—this musical celebrates the humor and the terror of parenting.¹
Book: Judy Freed
Music and Additional Lyrics: Sari Miller
Lyrics: Randi Wolfe
Director: Bradley Donaldson
Stage Manager: Mike Evans
Cast: Anna Olson, Lisa Diesslin, Marissa Noe, Christine Killian, Marlo Teal, Jessica Lynn
Stagehand: Nissa Frederikson
Marlo Teal
Strategic Marketing & Communications Project Manager
Age: 54
Hometown: Wheatland, Wyoming
Current residence: Burnsville, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Wheatland, Class of 1987
Education: B.A. in Journalism, University of Wyoming; two classes away from completing M.S. in Technical Communication with Design of User Experience Graduate Certificate, Metropolitan State University
Career: Started at DCTC in 2012 as customized training coordinator focused on manufacturing and technology programs
Roles in Mom! The Musical: Variety of “moms”
Other productions with Chameleon Theatre Circle:
Mom — Cast and choreography, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022
Return to the Forbidden Planet — Choreography and ensemble
Completely Hollywood (abridged) — Cast member
Blood Brothers — Choreography
Rocky Horror Show — Choreography and ensemble
Chess — Choreography
Little Shop of Horrors — Choreography
Pastimes and hobbies: Camping, biking, swimming
Family (including pets): Husband, Aaron; two cats, Claire and Henry Hobbs
Marlo’s Mom! The Musical gallery
“Mom! The Musical is full of wonderful material for women. I never get tired of performing this musical. The cast, musicians, and crew are so talented, and they create a wonderfully supportive environment to create theater.”
Marlo Teal
Project Manager
Strategic Marketing and Communications
Inver Hills Community College
Dakota County Technical College
Marlo Teal • Q & A
What do you love most about acting and singing?
My soul lights up.
What’s your favorite role you’ve played so far?
A “mom,” “Mrs. Potts” in Beauty and the Beast, and “Mama Morton” in Chicago.
Three words that describe you as an actor:
JOYFUL. OPEN. ENCOURAGING.
What advice would you give students thinking about pursuing careers in marketing?
Learn about many different things, it will all help you.
What are the most challenging aspects of acting in a live performance?
You can’t stop and start again if there’s a mistake, or something happens with an audience member or the tech. You gotta keep on going.
What are your highest aspirations as an actor?
To connect emotionally with the material and the audience.
Three words that describe you as a marketing professional:
COLLABORATIVE. CREATIVE. ORGANIZED.
What person has influenced your life the most and why?
My mother. She was a survivor and she always believed in me.
Where do you hope to find yourself in 20 years?
Living somewhere beautiful with people I love, and still singing and dancing.
One word that best describes your experience working at Inver Hills and DCTC:
FUFULLING
Marlo Teal • 12 Answers
- Favorite sport or physical activity: Dance
Place you would most like to visit: Must I choose just one? The world is magnificent.- Most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Scuba-diving
- Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Donate to antipoverty efforts 2) Donate to cancer research 3) Help my family and friends
- Best book or movie you’ve read or seen lately: Fairy Tale by Stephen King
- Time period (past or future) you would explore if you could time travel: The future when we finally figure out how to live in peace without destroying the planet
- One thing you most want to accomplish in your life: To love well and be loved
Your national bird if you were your own country: Meadowlark- Dream occupation: Performer
- Person you would most like to meet: My mother’s dad, my grandfather, Kim Pitts
- Skill you would most like to learn and master: Guitar
- Most important issue or problem facing humankind: Climate change
Nissa Frederikson
PSEO Student
Age: 17
Hometown: Burnsville, Minnesota
Current residence: Burnsville, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Burnsville, Class 2023
Courses taken at Inver Hills: Introduction to Ceramics, Foundation Drawing 1,Theatre makeup, Acting 1
Extracurricular activities and clubs at Inver Hills: LGBT+ Club
Education plans (after high school and Inver Hills): Not sure yet; taking a gap year to figure things out
Career plans: Hoping to get into the film industry as a makeup and practical effects artist
Job title and chief duties on the Mom! The Musical production: Stagehand; moved props and set pieces; coordinated backstage; helped actors with costume changes
Pastimes and hobbies: Painting, reading, baking
Family (including pets): Dad, Andrew, works as a pipefitter, mom, Jessica Lynn, is a Mom! cast member, three siblings Isaac, 20, Elin, 9, Avi, 5, and two cats, Archimedes and Persephone
Nissa’s acting creds at Inver Hills
In April 2023, Nissa portrayed “Valere” in the Inver Hills Theatre production of The Doctor in Spite of Himself, directed by George Roesler and performed in the Black Box Theatre. Written by French playwright Molière in 1666, the comedy features Sganarelle, a woodcutter who in the past was an assistant to a physician and loves to brag about it. His wife, Martine, decides to get a little revenge after an argument. Valere is a central figure in carrying out that revenge
Nissa also appeared during Creative Crash Spring 2023, delivering a monologue and performing a scene from The Doctor in Spite of Himself. When asked what they like best about acting in the Inver Hills production, Nissa said, “Working as a team with the rest of the cast.”
The Doctor in Spite of Himself album on Inver Flickr
Creative Crash Spring 2023 album on Inver Flickr
Nissa’s Mom!, The Doctor in Spite of Himself, and Creative Crash Spring 2023 gallery
“Mom! The Musical is a fun and fast-paced show, and it’s been an absolute pleasure to work with this cast and Chameleon Circle Theatre.”
Nissa Frederikson
PSEO Student
Inver Hills Community College
Nissa Frederikson • Q & A
What inspired you to take courses as a PSEO student at Inver Hills?
I had finished all my other classes early and only needed elective credits to graduate. There were more fun opportunities at Inver than at my high school.
What do you love most about acting?
My favorite part of acting is getting to perform in front of people.
Three words that describe you as a college student:
CAPABLE. FASTIDIOUS. IMAGINATIVE.
What advice would you give students thinking about getting involved in theater at Inver Hills?
Don’t take it too seriously; make sure to have fun.
What are the most challenging aspects of acting in a live performance?
Probably the stage fright—anxiety before a show starts.
Three words that describe you as an actor:
CONFIDENT. INTUITIVE. COHERENT.
What are your highest aspirations as an actor?
Community theater, haha, I’m not really looking to go far with acting.
What person has influenced your life the most and why?
My mother, she does theater and she inspired me to get involved as well. She has always been fiercely supportive of me.
Where do you hope to find yourself in 20 years?
I don’t know—I’d like to own a house.
One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:
PROMISING
Nissa Frederikson • 12 Answers
- Favorite sport or physical activity: Roller-skating
Place you would most like to visit: Italy- Most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Went on a trip to New York City
- Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Move out 2) Take a trip around the world 3) Probably donate the rest
- Best book or movie you’ve read or seen lately: I Lost My Body, 2019 animated film directed by Jérémy Clapin
- Time period (past or future) you would explore if you could time travel: If I could time travel, I would visit 100 years in the future
- One thing you most want to accomplish in your life: I want to do practical effects for a horror movie
Your national bird if you were your own country: Black-hooded oriole- Dream occupation: SFX artist
- Person you would most like to meet: Filmmaker and actor Mark Fischbach (Markiplier)
- Skill you would most like to learn and master: Video game coding
- Most important issue or problem facing humankind: Oh, I could not possibly pick just one
View more performance photos by opening the album on Inver Hills Flickr:
Mom! The Musical at Inver Hills
Learn more about the Theatre department at Inver Hills by contacting:
Admissions
Inver Hills Community College
651-450-3902
admissions@inverhills.edu
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