Focus on Man of La Mancha Cast and Crew:

Anne Dickert – Aldonza / Dulcinea - Anne is the 3rd youngest member of the cast of MOLM (can you guess who on the cast is younger?). Her first 1st stage production was in Kindergarten and she has been stage struck ever since. She was a theater minor in College at Indiana University at Bloomington, and currently is employed as a client services manager for 360Networks. Anne has performed at Carnegie Hall. She was a member of a college ensemble from IU that performed with the Cincinnati Pops on March 21, 1995. She is a founding member of Aster Women’s Chamber Choir in Broomfield. Her return to the stage after many years was a production of “Quilters” with the Aster Women’s Chamber Choir in 2004.

Anne is the youngest of four children. Her parents currently live in Plainfield, IN, but Anne grew up in Pleasanton, CA and Plymouth, Massachusetts. Her 1st show with the Chorale was “Oklahoma!” where she portrayed Ado Annie. The role of Aldonza is one that she has always wanted to play.

Robert Dickert – Barber / Anselmo – Robert started his music career in 4th grade band at Bergen Elementary.  His main experience of live choral music and musicals growing up was watching the Chorale - he went to most of the concerts and shows because his mom, Nancy, is a long-time member. In high school he took some piano lessons (with Kathie Davis of the Evergreen Players), but he didn't begin singing until college, where sing-alongs around the piano piqued his interest. Singing with the Stanford Glee Club, he was befriended by the director, a graduate student, who gave him some free voice lessons at a time when those lessons would have been unaffordable. That fortuitous circumstance changed Robert's musical life and kicked off a real passion for singing.

After college, a 2 year stint in Japan as an English teacher afforded many opportunities. He stumbled into a chance to play keyboard for a local rock band that was notable for its use of hard-rock stage make-up. Although he never tried the Gene Simmons look, he played with that band for his entire tenure in Japan, eventually writing and singing a couple of songs for the band. A couple of incidents stand out. One was at an outdoor gig when the monitors didn't work well. Unable to hear his instrument, Robert looked down at his hands to see that they were one key to the left of where he intended. Luckily, he could not hear the result, although the crowd surely could. At another show, he saw a bluegrass band whose singer, though he spoke no English, sang in a perfect West Virginia drawl.

After a one-season stint with the Chorale in 1994-5, Robert continued with music at the University of Colorado, where it literally introduced him to his wife, Anne. They spent many days walking from the Engineering Center to Macky Auditorium to sing in the University Singers. Their friendship quickly blossomed into romance, and the rest is history. It only took Robert 5 years to propose, which seemed pretty quick. They were married in 2002. In this time he also formed another band, Stylus (with Chris Hahn, a Chorale alum), which performed all original music, including "Don't Mess with my Manatee."

Band gigs in smoky bars were superceded by his work. During a busy career in consulting, telecom, and then trading securities, Robert has taken voice lessons, jazz piano lessons, and returned to the Chorale. After trying a few solos in concerts, he and Anne took the plunge and tried out for Oklahoma! Aside from a Shriner cameo in Bye Bye Birdie, this was Robert's first foray into musical theater. It was such a rewarding experience that he came back, performing in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief last spring (with Aster Women's Chamber Choir), then in Most Happy Fella this past fall. He lives with Anne in Lafayette.