G. Quinley & Friends
G. Quinley & Friends Story
G. Quinley and Friends focus on shows that are typically not done elsewhere in the Tri-Cities.
Often using smaller or unlikely venues, they produce magic with theatre, in spite of the limitations.
Dinner theatre, wine theatre, regular theatre – whatever serves the venue and the play title – they do it all.
The dynamic team of Justin Raffa (music director), John Tuttle (choreographer/co-director), and Ginny Quinley (co-director/producer) collaborate to bring the best experience possible to both the artists with whom they work, and the audiences for whom they perform.
Meet The Production Team
Ginny has been doing theatre most of her life, first as an actor, and then finding her calling, as a director. She has directed for nearly all the Community groups including Mid Columbia Musical Theatre, Richland Players, Academy of Children’s Theatre, and both of the (now defunct) dinner theatres. She transitioned out of the Columbia Basin College theatre department after 37 years, and started to carve a new niche in the theatre community with G. Quinley & Friends. The birth of this company, started with good friends and close colleagues John Tuttle and Justin Raffa, has brought excitement and joy as we explore new boundaries of theatre arts. The result has been magical. A highlight of Ginny’s career was being selected to travel for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, watching the best of college theatre and making selections to appear at the Kennedy Center. Other favorite projects included helping start Visions and Voices Teen Theatre with community outreach groups like SARC, the Health Department, and Planned Parenthood. They created a troupe made up of teens who wrote original scripts on sensitive, critical topics that were then presented in all different venues including schools, churches, and even jails. Ginny was also one of the trio who started The Academy of Children’s Theatre, and she is so proud (and grateful) for that experience. And finally, perhaps the achievement closest to her heart, was the creation of The Blue Ladder Players in 1983, a CBC children’s theatre troupe that toured annually to local schools, performing 30 minutes of children’s stories with only a blue ladder as a prop. They reached over 8000 people a year, and for some, this was the only theatre they would ever see.
For nearly 30 years, John has been contributing to the vibrant fabric of the theatre community in the Tri-Cities. This new endeavor with G. Quinley & Friends, in Choreography and Directing capacities, allows his creativity to shine while bringing the best out of so many talented individuals. John has shared his wealth of talents with countless organizations in the performing arts, and looks forward to creating new works—and re-imagining classic works—in his role with G. Quinley & Friends.
Justin has been continuously involved in the world of Musical Theatre since High School. He has conducted productions of Into the Woods, Titanic, White Christmas, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Cabaret, Miss Saigon and Jekyll and Hyde. Justin holds a B.M. in Music Education from Westminster Choir College and an M.M. in Choral Conducting from the University of Arizona. Beginning his 16th season in the Tri-Cities, Justin is Artistic Director of the Mid-Columbia Master Singers and is Chorusmaster of the Yakima Symphony Chorus.