Kristi Demers-Crowell, plays the role of Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance. She is thrilled to be working once again with her high school voice teacher, Dawne Eubanks, our music director. Ruth was a dream role for Kristi after having seen her mother, Susan Demers, play the part numerous times over the years with Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Tarpon Springs, also directed by Jamie Bierchen.
Kristi was first on stage at St. Petersburg "Little" Theatre in our children's drama education program. She spent many hours at the theatre watching her mom rehearse and perform in leading lady roles such as Anna in The King And I, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Queen Elizabeth I in Vivat! Vivat Regina!, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and many more. Kristi's father, David Demers, also performed on our stage as Jack Manningham in Angel Street and Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind. Kristi last appeared on our stage as Sister Robert Anne in our 1993 production of Nunsense.
Kristi and Susan re-engaged with St. Petersburg City Theatre in 2014 when Kristi's now 13-year-old daughter, Katie Crowell, began attending our youth musical theater workshops. Katie is also performing in Pirates as one of Major General Stanley's daughters and is slated to play the role of Isabel in two shows.
Kristi's 9-year-old daughter, Maddie Crowell, also performs in our musical theater workshops. Being too young for this mainstage production, Maddie took on set painting and learning the lightboard!
The family affair doesn't end there! Kristi's husband, Kevin Crowell, devotes hundreds of volunteer hours to SPCT building sets, and this production was no exception. He was previously involved in SPCT when his late boss, Michael Schwartzberg, former President of our board, roped him into being a stage hand for Webb City.
Theater is not the only thing this family has in common. Kristi and Kevin met at Stetson University College of Law. Kristi has her own practice, Insurance Recovery Law, in St. Pete. Susan is also an attorney and serves as Dean of the Public Policy, Law, and Ethics programs at St. Petersburg College. David Demers is a retired Judge who served on the bench in Pinellas for over 31 years and continues to serve as a Senior Judge and teach at Stetson.
Kristi volunteers as the theatre's Back of House, Second Vice President, and Susan volunteers as a Director on our board. Susan Demers also served as producer for this show and many others since she came onto the board.
While the Demers-Crowell bench runs deep, the family looks forward to continuing the theater tradition with new friends and volunteers in the coming year.
Come on down to SPCT and see their hard work in The Pirates of Penzance! . . . . maybe you too might get the theater bug!
