Star-studded spooky: The Addams Family

Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre's production of "The Addams Family" is the first professional regional production of this new musical.

The story focuses on Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, who has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. A man her parents have never met.

And if that weren't upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's "normal" boyfriend and his parents.

Lead bios

Steve Czarnecki plays Gomez Addams.

Czarnecki has performed in New York City and throughout the United States. His credits include Beast in the national tour of "Beauty and the Beast," and Enjolras in "Les Miserables" at The Village Theatre and the Fulton Opera House, as well as performing as Louie in "On Your Toes" in New York City Center's acclaimed ENCORES! series.

The role of Morticia Addams is played by Christina Riipi. Riipi has performed at many theaters in Seattle, including Village Theatre, StageRIGHT, Seattle Musical Theatre and SecondStory Repertory. Recently, she played Calliope in Village Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company's co-production of "Xanadu." Other notable credits include Pseudolus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Reno in "Anything Goes," Velma VonTussle in "Hairspray" and Kristine in "A Chorus Line."

Jessi Little plays Wednesday Addams. Little was first seen at CST in 2005 as Wendy in "Peter Pan." She has continued to perform with CST for six seasons. She graduated from Texas Christian University with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater. Little began working professionally in the Dallas-Fort Worth area at Casa Manana, Circle Theatre in "Too Many Cooks," and WaterTower Theatre in "Xanadu." She has performed professionally in the northwest at Fort Peck Summer Theatre in Montana, Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in Seattle, and most recently at Interplayers ("Wait Until Dark" and "World Goes Round") and Opera Coeur d'Alene.

Director bio

Makaela Pollock is a director and a teacher, specializing in stylized plays and new play development. Her work has been seen on the stages of New Century Theatre Company, Book-It Repertory, Wooden O/Seattle Shakespeare, Village Theatre, 5th Avenue Theatre, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Trinity Repertory, Intiman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Seattle Public Theatre and Cornish College of the Arts.

Her extensive credits include "Twelfth Night," "Legally Blonde," "Sense & Sensibility," "Figaro," "Godspell," "Love Horse," "Eclipsed" and more.

Pollock is an affiliate of New Century Theatre Company, an adjunct faculty member of Cornish College of the Arts, and a graduate of the Trinity Rep/Brown University's Master of Fine Arts Program in Directing. She currently is the New Works Associate at the 5th Avenue Theatre.