Expecting Isabel
Expecting Isabel is a dramedy play by Lisa Loomer about a New York couple's "Alice in Wonderland"-esque journey through the fertility and adoption industries to have a baby, exploring the public and private aspects of creating a family.
Saturday, May 2, 8 & 9, 2026 @ 7:00 PM
Sunday, May 3 & 10, 2026 2:00 PM
@ The Bothwell Arts Center
2466 8th Street, Livermore, CA 94550
Cast
Heidi Amstrup as Tina, Heather & Isabel:
“Expecting Isabel” is Heidi’s return to the Encore stage. She previously performed as Miss Willie in “The Curious Savage”. She has performed on stages all across the Bay Area, including Tri Valley Theater, TVRT, TMC, San Leandro Players, WVLO, Woodside Theater, South Valley, and Gaslighter. You can catch her this summer skating and tapping in “The SpongeBob Musical” with Tri Valley Theater at the Bankhead. Outside of theatre, she is a fitness instructor and lives with her family in Pleasanton.
Ron Correll-Feichtner as The Junkie, The Nurse & Adoption Group Leader
Ron Correll-Feichtner lives in Livermore with his husband, Mike, and their dog, Boots. Since catching the acting bug in high school, Ron has appeared in Godspell, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Peter Pan. A familiar face at Encore Players, he appeared in Lysistrata and recently served as both an actor and one of the directors for Encore’s one-act showcase 10 by 10. Other credits include Asbury Players’ I Hate Shakespeare!When not on stage in Nurse’s scrubs, Ron enjoys playing D&D, board games, and binge-watching Netflix. Ron works as a Special Education teacher at Castro Valley High School.
Amanda Farmer as Miranda:
Amanda is thrilled to take the stage as Miranda in Expecting Isabel, a lead role marking an exciting milestone. Her favorite recent credits include Fairy May in The Curious Savage with Encore Players, plus Gretchen in Stealing Home and Lady Macbeth in I Hate Shakespeare with Asbury Players. Beyond acting, Amanda recently directed Always a Bridesmaid for Encore Players. She is also incredibly proud of her two years performing with the Pan Theater Improv Troupe in Oakland. Amanda is grateful to the cast for this profound experience and thanks her patient husband for supporting her and their two performing children.
Nancy Grover as The Clerk:
Nancy has been involved with both Encore Players and Asbury Players doing props and set design for many years. She spends most of her time behind the scenes but on occasion has a small part on stage. She is thrilled to be playing the clerk from Barnes and Noble in this production, supplying Nick and Maranda all the books required when having a child! In her spare time, she enjoys being with her two grandsons and decorating sugar cookies. Two things that work well together! Nancy admires all the talent of the Encore payers, they quite are amazing!
Marsha Howard as Lila, & Judy:
Marsha is pleased to return to an Encore Players stage once again where she has appeared in previous productions, among them Jake’s Women, (Karen), The Last Romance (Carol) and Three Viewings (Virginia). Favorite roles include Myra Bruhl in Deathtrap, Barbara in Social Security, Aunt Geneva in Redwood Curtain, and all-time favorite Fräulein Schneider in Cabaret.
Christopher Hurst as Sal, Cabbie, Dr John Wilde, & Val:
Among his fellow actors, Christopher is known as a man of few words. Mostly because he has difficulty remembering his lines. Still, having played roles in several Encore Players and Asbury Players productions, Christopher says he’s found a warm and wonderful home here among our theater family. Which is quite fitting, since being adopted by the people you’ve come to love is a theme you’ll find in Expecting Isabel.
Geoffrey Lane as Dominic, Gary, The Boss, & Eugene:
In his day job, Geoffrey Lane is psychologist at the VA, but spent his high school years as a confirmed theater nerd, performing in various Molière and Shakespeare productions and landing limited roles in professional runs before hanging things up to get a “real job.”
After years away from the stage, he’s thrilled to be back doing what he loved most as a teenager. Geoffrey lives in Livermore with his three kids, who are probably wondering why Dad keeps rehearsing lines at breakfast.”
Martha McDowell as Yolanda & Paula
Martha has performed for decades in numerous theatre musical productions all over the Bay Area. With the Encore Players she has acted in Thornton Wilder’s The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, The Long Christmas Dinner, Lysistrata and has also participated in Encore’s Livermore Library programs. Her 10-minute play, “The Cake” was chosen to be presented at Encore’s 10x10 production where she played the role of her blind mother to her four daughters. She was involved in various drama projects at Crosswinds Church as well and her most recent production was Stealing Home with the Asbury’s Players. Her greatest pleasure is presenting music to seniors through piano, ukelele and song in her Sweet Serenade ministry.
Justin Nilsen as Nick:
Justin is a Livermore native who recently returned to the Bay Area after graduating with an M.S. in Computer Science from UC Santa Barbara. This is his first production with Encore, and he’s enjoyed diving into the wacky world of family planning, adoption, and parenthood with such a talented cast. When he's not pretending to be someone else, Justin enjoys cooking, writing, hosting Murder Mysteries, and playing chess with his cat.
Desty Olson as The Mom, Group Therapist & Taylor:
This is Desty’s 5th show with Encore Players. She previously played Lysistrata in Lysistrata, Sheila in Jake’s Women, Lily Belle in The Curious Savage and co-directed Always a Bridesmaid. She loves working with this group of talented and fun people.
Kelsey Tresemer as Pat, The Kid, Lisa & Lupe:
Kelsey is an engineer and actor, sometimes all at the same time. This is her first full-length production with Encore and her first on-stage sandwich ever, so she's delighted to be here. Kewpie is the superior mayo, btw. Enjoy the show!
Mainstage Shows
