“One Wonderful Day” Musical & Dinner

Kristin Underhill

Director • Set Designer

Kristin Underhill is a caffeinated artist and theatre rat. She’s over the moon to be part of One Wonderful Day.

Kristin has worked in various community theatre groups in West Michigan and helped facilitate artists during ArtPrize and SiTE:LAB events. She’s had collaborative interactive exhibitions at Purdue Polytechnic University and her work has been exhibited in regional West Michigan art shows. When she’s not in the theatre or making art, you can find her skating with her local roller derby team.

Kristin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and Art History from Hope College. After graduating from Hope in 1995, Kristin worked a variety of jobs ranging from scenic carpenter to scenic painter and costumer. For the past 19 years, she’s served as the office manager and assistant to the gallery director in the Department of Art and Art History.

Above all, the favorite title Kristin holds is mom. Her daughter, Jade, heads to college in the fall and will begin a new chapter for herself. Kristin will also begin her new position at the historic Crystal Theatre as their manager this summer and will be living out of boxes for a while after she relocates.

Charlotte Strom

Writer • Assistant Director

Charlotte is a joke-telling, song-playing, art-making human being with many connections to Fortune Lake. While she currently serves as Fortune Lake’s Guest Services Coordinator, she was also a camper and volunteer for many years and worked as summer staff as soon as she was able. Charlotte’s affinity for Fortune Lake stems from her love of community, connection, and spending time with the beauty of God’s creation.

After graduating from Gladstone High School, Charlotte attended school through Bay College and Northern Michigan University in pursuit of an English Writing Degree. However, God works in mysterious ways, and she
felt the call back to Fortune Lake. Now Charlotte is pursuing a degree in Outdoor Recreation with intentions of continuing her work in outdoor ministry. She is lucky enough to live at Fortune Lake where she gets to realize her dreams of working at camp and writing for special projects such as One Wonderful Day.

Charlotte’s main priority is to ensure that everyone feels welcomed in, both at camp and in the world. While sharing the show, she would like to remind everyone that this is not just a musical written by a small group, but rather a story that is written every week on the grounds of Fortune Lake.

Liz Grenke Leach

Writer • Score Concept Collaborator • Assistant Director

Liz is a creative child of God who lives in gratitude for uncountable gifts. Her Fortune Lake connections span over 40 years. Liz was first a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Marquette. She gives thanks for various campus ministry connections including Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Houghton, Michigan. Liz has spent her life valuing and participating in the arts. From singing, writing, painting, strumming on a campfire guitar, and putting herself in piano lessons again at age (shhh!), she craves creative outlets.

As a public school teacher, Liz also endorses the importance of the arts in Education. She is currently the drama coach at Washington Middle School in Calumet and has directed numerous elementary school, church and community plays and programs that invite young people to shine. Liz’s professional passion folds around teaching reading and literacy. She incorporates her spark for creativity within the way she teaches and encourages students to become active, engaged, creative and critical thinkers. She believes all students deserve the opportunity to be seen, supported and celebrated.

Liz is married to her husband, Bill, also a public school educator. They have two children, Everest (age 17) and Charlotte (age 13), both of whom plan to participate in One Wonderful Day.

Christopher Warmanen

Writer • Producer

Christopher has Carbotrol in his veins. He’s the oldest son of Pastor Cy Warmanen, Fortune Lake’s first full-time executive director and current board member Ruth Warmanen. He managed the Fortune Lake Camp Store — where you’ll always save a fortune™ — as early as age 12 and served on summer staff through 1994.

After attending Wartburg College, a liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Waverly, Iowa and earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing and public relations, Christopher completed graduate studies at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta. He is a copywriter and creative director at the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago. He works remotely and lives in San Diego with his fiancé, Ryan.

Christopher has written and produced integrated marketing campaigns for clients including UnitedHealthcare, UScellular, Bank of America, Allstate, Hallmark and Kellogg’s. He’s won Clio, Effie and GLAAD Amplifier awards for his work.

A recreational oboist in his spare time, Christopher is a huge fan of Broadway musicals and is thrilled to help bring One Wonderful Day to life at Fortune Lake this summer!

Connie Lindblom

Music Director

Connie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Northern Michigan University and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Kansas State University. Connie worked at Negaunee Public Schools for 30 years teaching middle and high school choir, general music education and guitar class. Connie believed in helping her students apply their music education to real-world experiences.

During her career, she restarted the Negaunee High School Musical Theater program after a 40-year absence and on various occasions traveled to Detroit with her middle school ensemble to sing the national anthem at Detroit Tigers games.

In addition to her career at Negaunee Public Schools, Connie remains active at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Negaunee where she has served as the choir director for 30 years. She has also been involved in more than 25 productions of the Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council (Vista Theater in Negaunee), taking roles on the stage, in the pit orchestra and as a director.

Connie grew up as a camper at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp and was also a staff member for four years. She lives in Negaunee with her husband, Dan. She has three children and one grandchild.

Eliisa Herman

Choreographer

Eliisa Herman has been involved with more than 50 theatrical performances, spanning across the Upper Peninsula. She began performing at age 5, and some of her favorite roles include: Laurey in Oklahoma, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Sandy in Grease. Eliisa can also be found behind the scenes, both directing and choreographing (which may be her favorite role of all time!).

Eliisa began dancing at age 3 and has been involved with various dance studios in the Marquette area. She was the Negaunee High School and Middle School coach for 2 years and has experience with tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical and hip-hop. Offstage, Eliisa works for UPHP, coaches the Negaunee High School cheerleading team and enjoys spending time with her loving husband and 4-year-old son, Easton.

Evan Premo

Arranger • Orchestrator

Composer and Double Bassist, Evan Premo, creates heart-centered music that connects audiences and performers. His music has been commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Orchestra, River Town Duo, A Far Cry, The International Society of Bassists, Diana Gannett, The Pine Mountain Music Festival, Capital City Concerts and the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra. In November 2018 Aizuri Quartet premiered his String Quartet no. 1: “Deeply Known.”

Evan holds degrees in performance and composition from the University of Michigan where he studied with Michael Daugherty, Susan Botti and Evan Chambers. As a performer, Evan is a member of New York City based chamber music collective, DeCoda, with whom he performs in residencies around the world including four he led in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Evan is artistic director and founder of Beethoven and Banjos, a festival that brings together folk and classical musicians for cross-genre concerts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Evan lives in Marshfield, Vermont with his wife, soprano Mary Bontag. Together they are the founders and artistic directors of Scrag Mountain Music, dedicated to presenting innovative, interactive and affordable performances of chamber music. When he’s not composing and performing, Evan enjoys woodworking, hiking, skiing, fishing and Deeply Listening in Nature.

J. D. Uponen

Arranger • Orchestrator

J. D. Uponen is a graduate of Northern Michigan University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and later went on to earn a Master’s Degree in the same field.

Shortly after J. D. graduated from NMU, Cy Warmanen received a call from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in Alaska about a job applicant named J. D. Uponen who had worked at Fortune Lake as a counselor for four summers. Cy told them that they would be silly not to hire J. D. as a music teacher. Thirty-three years later, J. D. and his wife, Lori, retired from that very district.

While in Alaska, J. D. and Lori raised two children and recorded two CDs of J. D.’s original children’s songs about the state. Now they live in Chassell, Michigan, where JD enjoys kayaking, painting and performing at various events around the Keweenaw Peninsula.