BARB POLK
Barb Polk first sang in public at the age of six, when she toured with the USO. Her professional singing career began in studios where she performed lead and back-up vocals on jingles for clients such as La-Z-Boy, KFC and many others. Along with her vocals, she is a well-established commercial voice over artist. Barbara created the voices on the Discovery Channel’s nationally distributed CD-Rom for children, "Big Job", and “Chatterbuddies”, winner of the Omni Award for Children’s Interactive Programming.
A freelance writer/producer since 1978, Barb has won over 100 local and regional ad awards, including a CLIO for television. She has written and produced numerous stage shows for both of Kentucky’s international championship barbershop choruses, The Thoroughbreds and The Derby City Chorus. Barb was a 1995 grant recipient from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and in 2001, she wrote and produced the script and songs for a one woman musical, “Lydia and the Miracle of Work” which was performed on the Whitney Stage at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.
In April of 1997, Barb teamed with saxophonist/flutist Eddie Humphries to create the duo, Barb & Eddie. Since then they have performed weekly at John E's Restaurant in Louisville, performing everything from jazz and standards to pop, rock and R&B. Barb also performs with The Don Krekel Orchestra and her most recent credits include guest back up vocalist for Johnny Rivers at The Palace in Louisville and featured vocalist at The Comedy Caravan in a “Tribute to Rosemary Clooney”.
In 2005, Barb teamed with Diane Wasnak to create “Divas and Dogs”, a wild and wacky show with songs, comedy, zany characters and amazing animal tricks that appeals to all ages.
DIANE WASNAK
Diane Wasnak is a physical comedienne, mime, actress, musician and dog trainer. In her life long career Diane toured for ten years as Principal Comedienne with San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus and enjoys the distinction of being part of the first leading female clown duo in an American Circus along with Joan Mankin.
Diane’s list of credits is very impressive. She was featured in Cirque du Soleil’s “Mystere”; principal female comedienne in the Russian Circus “Taganai”; toured extensively portraying Columbina in “Viaggio”; guest entertainer with her dog, Bonzer on 2 tours with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; and she has performed nationally and internationally with various theatrical groups. In film and on television, Diane Wasnak was MoCap stunt double for Jada Pinkett Smith in the “Matrix 2” and “Matrix 3” movies; she was featured in the PBS Lonesome Pine Special, “One Woman Band”, Lorimar Pictures “Midnight Caller”, and she appeared with her dog, Bonzer, on “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”. On the theatrical stage, Diane performed the role of Peter Pan and received major acclaim for her portrayal of “Puck” in Marin Shakespeare Company’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
In 2006, Diane made her Broadway stage debut acting, singing, dancing and playing accordion, baritone sax, spoons and the saw, in “Busker Alley”, where she appeared with Jim Dale (the acclaimed Broadway actor and narrator of the Harry Potter novels) and film and stage star, Glenn Close. And more recently Diane portrayed not one but eleven characters in Actor’s Theatre of Louisville’s wacky holiday production, “A Tuna Christmas”.
Diane trained at the Antic Arts Academy, received her acrobatic training from Lu Yi, Master Trainer of the Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe, and apprenticed with her mentor, Master Mime, Tony Montanaro.
Diane is a Licensed Animal Exhibitor with the USDA, a graduate of the prestigious San Francisco SPCA Dog Trainer’s Academy and a highly accomplished dog trainer, having performed for eleven years with her canine partner, Bonzer.
