Meet the Players

KEVIN RICHARD WOODALL* has been a performing member of The Paper Bag Players for twenty-eight seasons. Kevin, an Illinois State University graduate, is also proud to be the company’s Director, Co-Writer and Choreographer. His memorable and fan-making roles include the Bully in Big Bully, the Baby in Baby Mayhem, Cowboy K in Cowboy K and the Cowgirls, Spring in When Winter Stayed Too Long and Boom in Boom Surprise! Regionally, Kevin has had featured roles in BIG RIVER, INTO THE WOODS, THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, THE FANTASTICKS, and THE MUSIC MAN. Kevin has toured as Sam The Postman in SESAME STREET LIVE 1…2…3… IMAGINE!
*Appears through the courtesy of Actors Equity Association

JOHN STONE has been Composer and Music Director of The Paper Bag Players since 2003, and Executive Director since 2023. He has also co-written material for the shows since the founding of the new creative ensemble in 2009. John’s chamber works have toured nationally and internationally, appearing most recently in the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. His Langston Hughes song-cycle, Daybreak in Alabama, has received numerous performances in the USA and France and was featured in the nationally broadcast radio series, Song of America, hosted by Thomas Hampson. In 2017, Met opera soloist Molly Fillmore sang the Daybreak cycle at the University of North Texas. Theater and film credits include the scores for Vanessa Redgrave’s production of Antony and Cleopatra, and the film I LIKE IT HERE by Ralph Arlyck. For more info, please visit johnkstone.com

ABBY HUFF is a singer, actor, and songwriter based in NYC. After receiving a B.A. in Music in her home state of Utah, Abby has had so much fun performing in and exploring the city. Favorite credits include Jo March (Little Women), Eve (Children of Eden), Lucy Van Pelt (You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown), and Man in the Yellow Suit (Tuck Everlasting). Abby plays piano and guitar and enjoys writing music, hoping to write an album or musical someday. She teaches private piano and vocal lessons and loves sharing her passion for performance with her students.

JOHN STILLWAGGON is thrilled to be making his Paper Bag Debut! Off-Broadway: Yellow Rose; Swan Lake Rock Opera; Symphony for Portland; Once Upon a Mattress; Deciders; Last One Left. National Tour: As You Like It; Tartuffe; Treasure Island; Jungle Book; Gingerbread Man. NYC Equity Showcase: Hamlet (title); Romeo & Juliet (Mercutio); Othello (Iago); The Tempest (Ariel); One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (McMurphy); Guys & Dolls (Sky). Regional Favorites include The Emcee in Cabaret, title roles in Macbeth and Willy Wonka! TV: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Billions,” “Severance,” “Life & Beth,” “Law & Order,” “The Gilded Age,” “Gossip Girl.” Received six ATAC Globe Awards. M.F.A: CUNY Brooklyn. Love to Carolyn.

ERIKA MESA s an actress and singer professionally trained at the American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA). Born and raised in Miami, she is a fun-loving individual who is excited to return to The Paper Bag Players! Some of her most recent credits include BROADWAY RISING STARS, BROADWAY BY THE YEAR, and 54 Below’s BROADWAY’S GREATEST HITS.

JAMES HUGGANS is returning for his 24th season as Production Supervisor for The Paper Bag Players. James is a Rutgers University graduate who has worked in the NY area for over 30 years. During his time with The Bags, they have traveled extensively to places like Boston, Providence, Chicago, Maine, Alabama, and the Festival Internacional in Chihuahua, Mexico. James is a performer as well, with some of his favorite credits being Petruchio in THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, Tybalt in ROMEO AND JULIET, and Roy in LONE STAR. James thanks his wife Mary for all her love and support.

FLORENCIA ESCUDERO is the scenic artist behind The Paper Bag Player’s props, sets and costumes. Florencia, a sculptor, studied at the School of Visual Arts and received an MFA from the Yale School of Art. She exhibits her artwork in various galleries and is currently included in the Aldrich Museum’s group exhibition, 52 WOMEN. She enjoys the challenges of designing objects and has a lot of fun making them as well!

ARIANE ANTHONY became Managing Director of The Paper Bag Players in 2023. Before that, she served as Office Manager since 2019 and workshop teacher since 2015. With a background in choreography, dance, commedia dell’arte and mask & clown, she performed with the Bags as an understudy in several productions. Prior to her work with the company, she served in administrative roles for several non-profit organizations, including Articulate Digital. A lover of nature, science and animals, she received her B.A. from Harvard in anthropology.

JUDITH MARTIN (1917–2012) was a founding member of The Paper Bag Players in 1958 and Artistic Director from 1963 through 2009. Judith devoted herself to developing a contemporary theater for children. She wrote, designed, choreographed, directed and performed in 35 Paper Bag Players shows and co-authored five children’s books. Her awards include Parents Magazine’s “As They Grow” Award for having “truly made this world a better place for all children” and an American Theater Wing Design Award for her “sustained contribution to theatrical design,” the Children’s Theater Foundation Medallion for 2003 and a “Playful People Award” from Nick Jr. Magazine.

JUDITH LISS (Founding Managing Director) joined The Paper Bag Players in 1962. She took The Paper Bag Players from a company that gave 20 shows a year for approximately 6,000 children to a company gave 130 shows for approximately 65,000 children annually, including performances in 37 of the United States and internationally in Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Israel, Iran, Egypt, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.

Under her stewardship, “The Bags” were awarded with an Obie, six American Theater Wing Awards, three awards for excellence from the American Association for Theater and Education, The Broadway Theater Institute Award for Theater and Education, and the Children’s Theater Foundation Medallion. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which houses the company’s archives, held an exhibition in 2008, The Paper Bag Players: 50 Years of Theater Art.