PETER DAVISON (IN PERSON)

PETER DAVISON is known for playing the Fifth Doctor during what has now been labelled the Classic era, although he has also popped up in the newer Doctor Who in the “Time Crash” special and “The Power of the Doctor”, as well as writing and directing “The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot” in 2013.  He also continues with Big Finish audios whenever Janet fielding insists on it.

Prior to being the Doctor, he appeared in the BBC series of All Creatures Great and Small, Love for Lydia, as well as The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. He later played the leads in Campion, A Very Peculiar Practice, The Last Detective; Fear, Stress and Anger; and At Home with the Braithwaite’s.  More recently he has been seen in Gentleman Jack, Life, ITV’s The Larkins, and two series of The Gold. He is mindful that few, if any of these shows will have reached Minnesota, but thinks you are the kind people who love a challenge. He also thinks he appeared in Good Omens 2, although he sadly didn’t recognize himself.

GAELYNN LEA (IN PERSON)

Violinist, composer, and disability rights activist Gaelynn Lea has captivated audiences since winning NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert in 2016. In 2022, Gaelynn Lea composed the original score for Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. She is a sought-after public speaker about accessibility in the arts and was awarded the Disability Futures Fellowship in 2024. Most recently, she co-wrote and performed in a new musical fable for the stage, Invisible Fences, with disabled storyteller Kevin Kling. She now co-directs the Music Inclusion Ensemble with fellow disabled musicians Adrian Anantawan and Molly Joyce. Her new book about touring adventures and disability advocacy will be published in late 2025.  (Read her full Bio here.)

JEFF THOLE (IN PERSON)

Jeff Thole is the Geology Laboratory Supervisor at Macalester College. He arrived at Macalester in 1996 after spending 5 years as an environmental consultant. Jeff was also a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia, prior to graduate school. Currently, his primary duties include teaching introductory geology labs and maintaining, running, and user instruction for the instrumentation housed in the Macalester Science Division’s Keck Laboratory. Jeff received Master of Science in Geology (Volcanology) from Washington State University in 1991 and Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Minnesota – Duluth in 1987.