The Second-to-Last Exit consists of six short plays that deal with a variety of people who have just passed away and are led to a waiting room by secretive hosts. As they reflect on their lives and ponder what may come next, they interact with others they meet in a mixture of drama and comedy. The production is appropriate for PG-13 audiences due to language and content. The plays in the production are And Then What?, Maternally Yours, Competitive Purgatory, The Final High School Reunion, Solitaire for Two, and Eternal Coffee Break.
Read the collection of short stories adapted from the play
Director's note
This production has been a long time coming. I wrote the first play And Then What? over a decade ago. It was first produced at GreenMan Theatre Troupe as part of their May 2013 production of After the End of the World. I greatly appreciate them choosing my script and allowing me to direct it. I want to acknowledge Renata Allelujka, Tammy Job, and Erick Sosa for originating those roles. The script was also performed at various playwright festivals in Chicagoland and was part of Reflections and Perspectives, which I directed as Elgin Theatre Company's entry into the Elgin Fringe Fest in September 2016. That ETC production also consisted of two other short plays I wrote. Throughout the years, I wanted to write additional short plays with the same premise and setting but different characters. I had completed them by 2021. I had a couple opportunities to possibly get the show produced that fell through in recent years. I thank Village Theatre Guild for granting me this opportunity. And Then What? was part of VTG's Kick Off Show for last season back in September 2022, so it feels like a full circle process. This cast is an exciting and talented mix of people that I've worked with several times before and actors that I'm working with for the first time. Thank you to Renata, Maureen, Paul, Dan, Maggie, David, Todd, Matt, Angela, and the rest of the crew for all their hard work and excellence. Thank you to Debbi for her support in having WT Productions also promote the show, as it goes along with our mission. I dedicate this production to all those who have touched my soul in ways I cannot measure, whether they have passed away before me or are still alive. I hope you embrace inspiration wherever and however you encounter it.
Carl Zeitler
Carl Zeitler
SPECIAL THANKS
Abigail Guerrero & Komensky School for the loan of two walkie-talkies
Cake Frosted for the donation of handcrafted cupcakes
Abigail Guerrero & Komensky School for the loan of two walkie-talkies
Cake Frosted for the donation of handcrafted cupcakes
Who's who in the show
Kelly Belmont (Laura) Kelly Belmont is excited to be appearing in The Second-to-Last Exit, her first Village Theatre Guild production. Most recently, she was in the cast of Murder on the DeLorean Express with GreenMan Theatre Troupe. She has previously appeared in several Chicago productions, including Stop Kiss (Black Dove Theatre), Detective Story (Chicago Actors Studio), Hamlet (Chase Park) and Throwing Heat (Athenaeum Theatre). When not acting, Kelly spends her days teaching 7th grade Social Studies in Oak Park.
Jen Connon (Rachel) Jen began doing theatre, outside of school plays, at the ripe old age of 12 when she portrayed the promiscuous Cherie from Bus Stop in an adapted monologue. Since then she has played a wide variety of roles ranging from a love-sick simpleton to an elderly detective. Today she gets to pull out some wacky sarcasm which will hopefully amuse. Thank you for coming and enjoy the show!
Danny Glenn (Host #1) Danny is happy to be part of this production playing Host # 1. In the past he has played a variety of characters in WT Production’s Seasonal holiday shows and murder mystery shows. He is also a SAG-AFTRA film actor; demo reels and resume can be found online at www.dannyglenn.com. There are many beliefs about what happens to us after our earthly lives end and he hopes that these short plays are entertaining and also encourage us to further explore our own beliefs and to also be respectful of everyone else’s as well.
Kim Green (Christine) Kim is delighted to portray Christine in her debut with the Village Theatre Guild. Some of her recent/favorite roles were Velma in Chicago (non-musical play), Chelsea in On Golden Pond, and Louise in The Fox on the Fairway. Kim lives in South Elgin with her supportive husband and two dogs. She hopes you all enjoy the show.
Beth Goncher (Diana) It has been a while since Beth Goncher last appeared at the Village Theatre Guild. Eight years to be exact. And, she could not be more excited to work with Carl again as well as a number of folks she's had the privilege of performing with over the years. The one thing about theater-you never stop making new friends, are constantly blown away and inspired by the talent around you, and grateful for the friendships made (the ones where you pick up right where you left off, regardless of how much time has gone by). Beth's last performance was a few years ago at the Riverfront Playhouse in Between Riverside and Crazy. She has also appeared in Drowning Girls, Boeing Boeing, and a few other shows she can't remember because it's been a minute. But she's so happy to be here and hopes you enjoy the show.
Jamie Lee (Host #3) Jamie Lee’s performed with Eclectic Full Contact Theatre, Corn Productions, Six Flags, Volo Museum, Theatre 121, PM&L Theatre, and more. You can see her in films like Evil Everywhere, Hey Dad, and the upcoming EATS 2 and The Gray Girl. Some of her favorite roles so far include Elizabeth (Young Frankenstein), Nina (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), and Brooke (Noises Off). Jamie wrote a musical: hear the album of select songs, Brides (World Premiere Sneak Peek), everywhere you stream or buy music online! Follow Jamie on Twitter @JackalopeJamie and hear her radio show, Jammin’ with Jamie, on WNUR Saturdays at 6am CT!
Stephen Pickering (Charles) Stephen Pickering is thrilled to make his VTG debut! Some favorite area credits include: MCC Black Box - Present Laughter (Morris); Parker Players - Spider’s Web (Rowland), 12 Angry Men (Juror 4), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Cheswick, Broadway World nomination); WT Productions – Cupid Must Die, Seasonal Gifts, Murder’s Day, Seasonal Bags, Seasonal Tags, Seasonal Ties; GreenMan Theatre - Shooby Doo, and That’s the Way the Cookie Murders (Don Knotts); Theatre 121 - Puffs (Narrator), Noises Off (Selsdon, Lou Award winner); Elgin Theatre Company – The Crane (Antonio, Lewis), Pygmalion (Higgins), The Importance of Being Earnest (Chasuble, Broadway World nomination); Theatre Lab – You Can’t Take It With You (Ed, Broadway World nomination); Fremont Street Theater Company - Anything Goes (Evelyn), Crazy for You (Zangler), How to Succeed (Biggley), Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth); Top Banana Productions – Fasting Cougars Redux (Broadway World Award winner, Best Ensemble). Film: She’s Having a Baby, The Grey Girl. TV: Greatest Prison Escapes. Stephen would like to thank Carl, Maureen, and his incredible castmates; Amy, Kyleen, Will, and Simon; Madeline, Julie, Jennifer, and the Effervescence of Elizabeths.
Debbie Roberts (Helen 1) Debbie is thrilled to be working with Carl again, having worked on two of his (and Debbi Dennison's) Seasonal shows. It is always great fun to be the first to interpret a script. As a bonus, she gets to work with her daughter....all around win. Other shows you may have seen Debbie in are Good People, Beyond Therapy, Dancing at Lughnasa, Luna Gale, Romance in D, and Snakebit.
Kate Roberts (Helen 2) When Carl begged Kate on his hands and knees to be a part of this, she of course said yes. And was thrilled to do so after being a part of Seasonal Bags, Seasonal Tags, and Seasonal Gifts. Other roles include Sarah in Any Given Monday, Karlie in Luna Gale, Tilly in She Kills Monsters, and Carnelle in The Miss Firecracker Contest. She is also looking forward, as always, to again be acting with her mom, who happens to be the best mom to exist in this fine nation, according to the National Geographic. Kate's middle name is Chunk. Enjoy the show!
Guy Sullivan (Host #2) Guy Sullivan is thrilled to be back on the VTG stage with all the talented folks dedicated to bringing this production to life. A huge shout out to everyone working behind the scenes to whom I am forever grateful. Guy appeared in VTG's productions of A Doll’s House, Part 2, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marjorie Prime, Country House, Wonder of the World, and Snakebit just to name a few. Other favorite roles include Scratch in Witch, McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Juror #3 in 12 Angry Men, Charles in November and Merrick in The Elephant Man. A special thank you to Joe Morrissey for his unlimited support, encouragement, and for being my human version of the LineLearner app, when he's not fired.
Julia Thompson (Alex) Julia is thrilled to be participating in her first show at Village Theatre Guild! Her favorite past roles include Ela Delahay in Charley's Aunt with GreenMan Theatre Troupe, and singing as Eliza Doolittle in the My Fair Lady solo from the Broadway revue Timelapse. Her dream is to become a professional musical theater actor. Hopefully you will be able to catch her as Christine Daae on Broadway one day! When not acting she adores watching Star Trek, cosplaying, keeping up with news from the Disney Parks, and playing electric guitar and violin. She would like to thank her mom and dad for supporting her aspirations!
Tammy White (Irene) Following the recently completed The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, Tammy returns for her second VTG show, but she is no stranger to the stage. She had roles in Brighton Beach Memoirs at Theatre of Western Springs, The Odd Couple at STC Theater, Couples at Elgin Fringe Fest, and Unnecessary Farce at TWS and Jedlicka Performing Arts. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Illinois State and a Master of Science in Communications from Governor's State University, Tammy is the Utilities Coordinator at Argonne National Laboratory. She thanks her family and friends for their support and new audience members Russel, Lennon, and Robin.
Carl Zeitler (Playwright, Director, Co-Producer, James) Carl is so grateful to VTG for this opportunity. He previously wrote and directed Relationships in Progress, appeared in Boy Gets Girl (Tony), directed Becky's New Car, and stage managed $38,000 for a Friendly Face and The Sweet Delilah Swim Club for them. Carl is a co-founder of WT Productions (with Debbi Dennison) and has co-written, produced, and directed six Seasonal productions and several murder mystery dinner theater shows. Carl and Debbi are the authors of The Seasonal Plays: Volume One. He has performed with numerous theater groups in the Chicagoland area since 2003. Some notable roles include The House of Yes (Anthony), The Shadow Box (Joe), The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio), Closer (Dan), The Matchmaker (Cornelius), The Odd Couple (Felix), Over the River and Through the Woods (Nick), Of Mice and Men (Lennie), Sabrina Fair (Linus), Rumors (Lenny), Death by Chocolate (Dick Simmering), Ravenscroft (Ruffing), and the title characters in Macbeth and Dracula. Enjoy the show!
Production Staff
Renata Allelujka (Co-Producer) is thrilled to be working on her sixth production with Director Carl Zeitler, which
includes two productions with the GreenMan Theatre Troupe of Elmhurst, one with the former Gallery Theatre of
West Chicago, and three Village Theatre Guild productions: Relationships in Progress (2016), Becky's New Car
(2019) and The Sweet Delilah Swim Club (2024). Renata has produced ten other productions at Village Theatre
Guild and worked backstage on numerous others over her 15-year involvement with VTG. In addition, her partnership with Stage Manager Maureen Corcoran spans a Gallery Theatre production and three VTG shows. With the combined talents of Maureen and Carl plus those of this excellent cast, you just can't go wrong on this production. Enjoy these efforts as an audience member and return to Glen Ellyn for our upcoming season.
Maureen Corcoran (Stage Manager) Maureen Corcoran is only writing this bio so she doesn’t get fined by the league. I mean really, if you made it this far into bios then I guess you should be thanked for showing up early and not making us hold the curtain for your arrival, you’re her favorite kind of audience member. Maureen has been involved in theatre since she was five years old and Richard Nixon was president. Pick a show, she’s probably done it, unless it’s Shakespeare, she can’t abide the barb. A special thanks to Carl and Renata for asking her to join them in this adventure and is glad to be the representative of the Velvet Tigers this show. Maureen thanks her family for their support during this show even though she “promised” to take the summer off this year, but also you know she can’t say no to Carl or Renata.
Angela Bend (Fight Choreographer) Angela Bend is a SAG-AFTRA stunt performer. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in theatre and performed in shows in the Chicagoland area and after a few years she was hired to perform in live stunt shows abroad in China, Germany, and Indonesia. Angela joined SAG as a stunt performer in 2014 doubling for actresses as well as performing various stunt acting roles in television and film. Some notable roles as a double have been for Neve Campbell in Scream 5, Eva Longoria in Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Road Trip, Courteney Cox and Emma Rossum on Shameless, Marina Squerciati on Chicago PD, Torrey Devitto on Chicago Med, Hanako Greensmith and Miranda Rae Mayo on Chicago Fire among others. She has also been a tracheotomy victim on Chicago Med, kidnapped on Chicago PD, an underwater creature on Vampire Diaries, and a zombie on The Walking Dead. She is happy to be working again with the director, Carl, whom she met while working on a live dinner theatre show for GreenMan Theatre called Speakeasy or Die Hard that was set in the 1920s. A memorable show that was the bees knees! Angela truly enjoyed working with this talented group of performers and is honored to be part of this great show!
includes two productions with the GreenMan Theatre Troupe of Elmhurst, one with the former Gallery Theatre of
West Chicago, and three Village Theatre Guild productions: Relationships in Progress (2016), Becky's New Car
(2019) and The Sweet Delilah Swim Club (2024). Renata has produced ten other productions at Village Theatre
Guild and worked backstage on numerous others over her 15-year involvement with VTG. In addition, her partnership with Stage Manager Maureen Corcoran spans a Gallery Theatre production and three VTG shows. With the combined talents of Maureen and Carl plus those of this excellent cast, you just can't go wrong on this production. Enjoy these efforts as an audience member and return to Glen Ellyn for our upcoming season.
Maureen Corcoran (Stage Manager) Maureen Corcoran is only writing this bio so she doesn’t get fined by the league. I mean really, if you made it this far into bios then I guess you should be thanked for showing up early and not making us hold the curtain for your arrival, you’re her favorite kind of audience member. Maureen has been involved in theatre since she was five years old and Richard Nixon was president. Pick a show, she’s probably done it, unless it’s Shakespeare, she can’t abide the barb. A special thanks to Carl and Renata for asking her to join them in this adventure and is glad to be the representative of the Velvet Tigers this show. Maureen thanks her family for their support during this show even though she “promised” to take the summer off this year, but also you know she can’t say no to Carl or Renata.
Angela Bend (Fight Choreographer) Angela Bend is a SAG-AFTRA stunt performer. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in theatre and performed in shows in the Chicagoland area and after a few years she was hired to perform in live stunt shows abroad in China, Germany, and Indonesia. Angela joined SAG as a stunt performer in 2014 doubling for actresses as well as performing various stunt acting roles in television and film. Some notable roles as a double have been for Neve Campbell in Scream 5, Eva Longoria in Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Road Trip, Courteney Cox and Emma Rossum on Shameless, Marina Squerciati on Chicago PD, Torrey Devitto on Chicago Med, Hanako Greensmith and Miranda Rae Mayo on Chicago Fire among others. She has also been a tracheotomy victim on Chicago Med, kidnapped on Chicago PD, an underwater creature on Vampire Diaries, and a zombie on The Walking Dead. She is happy to be working again with the director, Carl, whom she met while working on a live dinner theatre show for GreenMan Theatre called Speakeasy or Die Hard that was set in the 1920s. A memorable show that was the bees knees! Angela truly enjoyed working with this talented group of performers and is honored to be part of this great show!
