Playbill

Sam Shovel, Private Eye

Jim and Jane Jeffries

Presented by New River Stage & Proclamation Theatre. Actors, creators, technicians. From all walks of life, pulled together by a shared love of performing arts.

Meet the Cast

Elsie McCombs as Sam Shovel

A few months back, Elsie portrayed Martha Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace. Also in 2025, During the Heritage Day Play Festival, she played Caroline Martin, the notorious lead character in Anna Bond's Three Sisters Dressed in Black.

Elsie has a lenghty acting resume. Favorite roles include Lucillle in Cemetery Club (performed multiple times) and Mother in Alone Together with Playmakers & Company.

Steve Blake as the Announcer

Actor, singer, broadcast voice. Steve Blake, aka Scott Stevens has performed in numerous plays and musicals over the years. Favorite roles include Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Coward Lion in The Wizard of Oz and Papa Ogre in Shrek the Musical. Played John Snider in Young Davy Crockett at Proclamation Theatre.

Professionally, a well-known voice on radio stations WROV, WJJS, WYYD and Steve-FM

Kate Walker as Bella Bossypants / Big Al

With New River Stage, Kate portrayed Meip Gies in The Diary of Anne Frank. With Proclamation Theatre she was Betsy in Young Davy Crockett. Other performance highlights include theatre intensives at Kevin Jones Performing Arts and channeling Ocie Snead in Three Sisters

A student at East Tennessee State and Virginia Tech, Kate is studying for a career in sports medicine.

David Ratcliffe as Sergeant Sullivan

With an impressive, forty year acting resume, David has performed in many venues. Every from the Greenville Playhouse in Michigan to the Giles Theatre in Pearisburg, Virginia. In his spare time, David enjoys making historical videos and short films.

Favorite roles include Harry Lambert in New Too Late, Billy Ray in On Golden Pond and Mike Talman in Wait Until Dark. Recently, David performed as Elder Reed in The Tragedy of Lewis & McHenry.

Jordan Tinsely as Dan Devine / Joe

This is Jordan's third show with Proclamation Theatre, previously appearing in A Deadly Sunrise: The Tragedy of Lewis & McHenry as John Bowyer. He also played Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd and Orin Scrivello in Little Shop of Horrors.

He was recently an apprentice artist with Opera Roanoke, singing "Una Furtiva Lagrima' from L'elisir D'amore and "Make Our Garden Grow' from Candide.

Dan Leary as Sven Svengali

Dan is Artistic Director of New River Stage and Technical Director for Heather Massie's HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr. As a performer, Dan fondly recalls the roles as Frantz the Mushroom Scientist, The Ghost of Christmas Present and Bottom in A Midsummers Nights Dream. Many of us remember Dan from The Long Way Home outdoor drama, having performed many summers on the Ingles Farm stage.

Dan is an accomplished musician and owner of NRV Rent-All in Radford.

Susie Wynn-Pitts as Buffy Hardcastle

Susie has a long acting history so we're delighted to have her onboard with Proclamation Theatre as Buffy Hardcastle in Sam Shovel, Private Eye. Her debut role was as Madame Monique in Anna Bonds, Three Sister's Dressed in Black.

Favorite roles with other theatre companies include Helga Tendorp in Deathtrap and Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.

Nico Anderson is the Saxophone Player

Fall of 2025, Nico treaded the boards as Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic & Old Lace. Other notable roles include Lysander in A Midsummer Nights Dream.

Nico is a senior at Floyd County High School, is member of the marching and concert bands. After Sam Shovel, Nico begins full scale rehearsal for the spring musical,

Betty Haley as Mom / Doris and Helen

Betty was recently seen as Esther Fraction in Stories of Virginia, October 2025 at Historic Smithfield. A few months prior, Betty portrayed a Courtroom Member in Three Sisters Dressed in Black. While new to stage acting, Betty plans to continue developing the craft, eventually seeking out opportunities in film and television.

Jane Rorrer as Spokesperson

Jane is a familiar face and voice in the Roanoke and New River Valleys. From live events to local radio. From television commercials to business presentations, it's a professional background spanning all media forms.

Jane performs as commercial spokesperson in Sam Shovel, proving sometimes life does imitate art.

Steve Shockley as Hotel Clerk and Billy

This is the third time Steve has graced local stages in recent months. First, as Reece in Last Word on Jesse James, followed by Robert Preston in Stories of Virginia.

Professionally, Steve is Service Manager for Meade Tractor in Blacksburg.

Randy Kirchner as Helen, Mary and Irate Customer

Randy is board member of New River Stage with specialty in costumes and stage makeup. As an actor, Randy recalls with affection playing The Inspector in Holmes for the Holidays, Joan the Goat and a pirate in Treasure Island, and the Alien in Gilligan's Island

Rob Chafin as Stan

Robert Chafin is an internationally acclaimed tenor born and raised in Christiansburg, Virginia. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Covent Garden and the Vienna Staatsoper. Career highlights including favorite roles of Midas (Die Liebe der Danae), Enée (Les Troyens), Rodolfo (La Bohème), and Tamino (Die Zauberflöte).

A former professor at WVU, VT, RU and UCLA, Mr. Chafin currently serves as the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Opera Roanoke, where he continues to inspire and mentor the next generations of singers.

Chris Pitts as the Cabbie & Johnny

In addition to acting, Chris is a talented set designer and production expert. Skills much appreciated as we prepared stages for Sam Shovel and last years Heritage Day New Play Festival. Chris' long and diverse acting history includes Puck from A Midsummer Nights Dream and Hades from Hades & Persephone.

Chris met his future wife Susie during a New River Theatre Guild production at the June Bug Center in Floyd.

Rachel Hubble, Technical Director

Rachel is an accomplished director, technical director and lighting engineer. A graduate of Emory & Henry Theatre Department, Rachel has utilized her talents with various theatre groups in Southwest Virginia. While principally a director, Rachel has added several acting credits to her portfolio. Most notably, stepping in with two weeks notice to play Catherine "Kitty' Lewis KIng in A Deadly Sunrise: The Tragedy of Lewis & McHenry.

Stephanie Curtis, House Manager

Stephanie has served as House Manager for all Proclamation Theatre audiences since our first show iback in 2024. Mystery shows are a favorite, will Sam Shovel solve the case?

Professionally, Stephanie is a paralegal and serves on Bridgewater, VA town council.

Anna Dalton, Props Manager

Anna is a board member of New River Stage with an extensive resume of producing and directing. For example, Anna has brought Three Sisters Dressed in Black to local stage nine different times in the past twenty-five years. As an actor, Anna has performed for in Christiansburg theatre for nearly forty years.

Favorite roles include Caroline Martin in Three Sisters Dressed in Black, as Maid in The Sound of Music. Anna's favorite musical is Fiddler on the Roof, favorite play is The Diary of Anne Frank.

Mark 'Hiram' Curtis, Director

Hiram is playwright and artistic director for Proclamation Theatre. Plays include Young Davy Crockett and The Story of Lewis & McHenry.

Upcoming shows include Gunner Page, the story of WWll army airman Wilbert Page. This play and others are slated for the Heritage Day New Play festival August | 21-23 | 2026

Hiram studied under Todd Ristau at the Hollins University MFA Playwrights Lab.

Our Story

Roots of Proclamation Theatre go back to 2017 when I began writing about Virginia history. Took the next step, entering a top 10 MFA theatre program to study playwriting. Ultimately bringing a new type of theatre to the New River Valley. To band together a group of creators focusing primarily on local history stories. Of, uniquely American tall tales and legends. Stories about regular people in extroardinary circumstances. We appreciate your support as we try to develop something long lasting and meaningful.

Mark 'Hiram' Curtis

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