Announcing our newest cast for our next show Hands on a Hardbody! This winning musical will begin rehearsals next week and will run on our Mainstage for four weekends in June! Which character will win a new Nissan “hardbody” truck? Make sure you come to the show and find out!
Congratulations to all who auditioned! Here’s the cast:
Benny … Paul Gerber*
J.D. … Dan Baechtold
Virginia … Audrey Wells
Jesus … Aaron Ybarra*
Norma … Lauren Mata*
Don … Bob Kelso
Janis … Linda Pannullo
Frank … Jay Mitchell*
Cindy … Tiffanie Boone
Mike … Dillon Giles
Heather … Stephanie Marzoula
Greg … Andy Thompson
Kelli … Sara Terry
Chris … Adam Lentini
Ronald … Jay Allen Ponton*
* Denotes actor is making their ACT Mainstage debut
You don’t have to be a teacher or student to enjoy the study guide we created for Alice in Wonderland! Get the scoop on who does what to create the show, read an exclusive interview with Director Candice Burchill, and see two of the beautiful costume vision boards created by Costume Designer Carina Lopez! Plus, who doesn’t love a maze?
Congratulations to our newest cast! We had 89 people audition for Alice in Wonderland, and it was a very hard decision to choose a cast. There is so much talent in this area!
Thank you to everyone who auditioned!
Alice … Sadie Medlock
White Rabbit … Evan Oldenburg
Queen of Hearts … Heather Rudzenski
Red Queen … Myra McCoury
White Queen … Sophie Stanley
Cheshire Cat … Frank Salvo
Mad Hatter/ Gentleman in White Paper … Bradshaw Call
March Hare/Guard … Mark Jones
TweedleDee/7 of Spades … Jacob Dickson
TweedleDum/5 of Spades/Voice … Kaidan Miller
Duchess/Hoarse Voice … Kathy O’Connor
King of Hearts/Gentle Voice … Jack Heinen
White Knight … Robert Prevatt Jr.
Humpty Dumpty/Caterpillar … John Hall
Mock Turtle … Javon Brown
Mouse/Dormouse/Clerk … Baylor Prevatt
Crab/Card … Ruby Jo Whitehurst
Fish Footman … Anita DiNovo
Dodo/Card … Riley Oswald
Sheep/Cook … Robin Oswald
Goat/Clerk … Mary Ann Heinen
Gryphon … Denise Lockett
Frog Footman/Beetle … Nick Chamberlain
2 of Spades/Voice … Sara Terry
Lory/Knave … Kaitlin Rose Jencks
Eaglet/Card … Ellsworth Sullivan
Duck/Card … Ruby Lane
We are SO excited to announce our 74th Mainstage season! Tickets and subscriptions will go on sale later in the spring, but we wanted you to have the first look at what’s coming up next!
We’ll also be announcing Mainstage directors and audition dates, Tanglewood Youth Theatre classes, student matinees, 35below shows, the Readers Theatre Showcase season and more a little later – so keep your eyes peeled for all the ways you can plug in at Asheville Community Theatre!
The Wizard of Oz
RSC Version * Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg
October 4-27, 2019
This beloved tale, in which a Kansas farm girl travels over the rainbow to discover the magical power of home, has been entertaining audiences for generations. A faithful adaptation of the film, it recreates the dialogue and structure of the MGM classic, though it is adapted for live stage performance. All the songs we’ve loved for years are here including “Over The Rainbow,” “Munchkinland (Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead),” “If I Only Had A Brain/A Heart/The Nerve,” “We’re Off To See The Wizard (Follow The Yellow Brick Road),” “The Merry Old Land of Oz” and “If I Were King Of The Forest.” This production also commemorates the 60th anniversary of Tanglewood Youth Theatre, which began in the fall of 1959.
Miracle on 34th Street
Adapted by Mountain Community Theater from the novel by Valentine Davies. Based upon the Twentieth Century Fox motion picture Miracle on 34th Street.
December 5-20, 2019
Kris Kringle is an old man in a retirement home who gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris committed to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is Susan, a little girl who has a wavering belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy …
We are so excited to share our newest cast list! So many new faces – and so many old friends! Thank you to everyone who came out and auditioned. It is truly an act of courage to put yourself out there and we appreciate that you shared your talent with us!
*denotes ACT Mainstage debut
The Teens
Ren McCormack………….…………..……Dillon Giles*
Ariel Moore…………..…..………….…….Anne Lowell*
Willard Hewitt.…..……..……….……..…..Adam Lentini
Rusty………..……………….Heather Nicole Bronson
Chuck Cranston…..………………..…Ryan Miller
Urleen…….…….…………………….….…Emily McCurry
Wendy Jo………..……………………..………Karyn Panek
Lyle……………….…..………………..…… Stephanie Marzuola
Travis……….….………….………….….…..…Javon Brown*
Jeter……………..………….…………..…..Jack Anderson
Bickle………….…………….…………………… John O’Neil
Garvin…………….……….….…….……………… Jan Dixon
Teen Chorus
Sam Collett, Henry Callahan*, Will Cowan, Jacob Walas, , Archer Kenney, Emma-Leigh Brookshire*, Ann Licharew*, Eidela Foor*, Rose Pillmore*, Sara Terry*, Holly Jackson*, Matthew Harper, Kerry Nolan*
The Adults
Rev. Shaw Moore……………….………..…Jeff Stone
Vi Moore……………………..….….……Melissa Stone
Ethel McCormack.…….………………. Ashlee Reep*
Cowboy Bob……………..………….……….Mark Jones
Betty Blast…………….….…………….Marisa Noelle
Lulu Warnicker…….………..…..……. Audrey Wells
Wes Warnicker………………………Dan Baechtold*
Principal Clark.…………….…. Rotating Weekends: McRae Hilliard, Rick Manheim*, Craig Justus
Coach Dunbar……………..……..……William Ezzell
Eleanor Dunbar……………………..Tiffanie Boone
Adult Chorus
Kyrstin Proctor, Andrea Knight*, Kathleen Riddle*, Christine Eide*, Morgan Shuler
Wow! We are pleased to announce the cast for Snowbound! Thank you to EVERYONE who came out for the auditions – we had an amazing turnout of so many talented people! We hope that if your name isn’t on this list, it will be on a future one.
Harry … Doug Denton*
Anne … Tara Theodossis
James … Anderson Bowman*
Cathy … Paige Gorczynksi
Conductor … Jack Heinen
Betty … Denise Lockett
Gregory … Henry Cowan
Jackie … Valarie Shoulta*
Otto … Jefferson Haynes*
Bob … Dean Fowler*
Vernie … Emily Sansbury*
Pete … Robert Prevatt*
Jeter … Lupe Perez
Theresa … Heather Rudzenski
Jack … John (Tim) Ross*
Sarah … Audrey Wells*
Mr. Gable … Chris Short*
Norma … Sophie Lewis*
Ethel … Mary Ann Heinen
Beth … Eleanor Gorczynski
Carol … Fern Sieberg*
Dale … Quinn Love*
Joyce … Julia Callahan*
Lottie … Stella Bunn
Phoebe … Nova Dutton
Jeffery … Joseph Miller-Bailey
Lilly … Lisa Steffen
Lewis … Roman Hunt
Margaret … Daphne Phillips Sprague*
Iris … Rebecca Bond*
*Denotes actor is making their ACT Mainstage debut
Kelsey Simmons is not only making her ACT debut, she’s making her theatrical debut! She’s a rising senior at UNCC, an accomplished model, and an incredibly hard worker. She plays Ally, a student who’s hoping to transfer to Hofstra, but is spending the last days of summer tackling 5 different parts in Bob’s play. Ally is smart, gets inspiration from the world around her, and is a lot of fun. Which also sounds a lot like Kelsey to us!
Name: Kelsey Simmons
Occupation: Waitress
Age: 20
Hometown: Asheville
Little known fact about you: I also like to do hair.
Years involved in theatre: 1. This is my first show!
We’re so excited that this is your ACT debut. What was it about this play that made you come out to audition? I’m really interested in acting and I was looking for a place where I could get more experience – a place where someone wasn’t expecting me to already be a professional. I wanted the full experience of being in a play; having set rehearsal schedules, getting notes from the director. I thought this would be a place where I could learn.
Person or people you gain inspiration from: My grandma, Michelle Obama, and Barbara Jordan
Would you be friends with your character in real life? Yes
* * *
Kelsey, we hope we’ll keep seeing you on our stages and on other stages around town in the future! If you’d like to catch Kelsey’s debut in The Groundling, get tickets here.
Another actor making his ACT Mainstage debut is Haven Volpe. He just finished starring in Robin Hood at Montford Park Players, where more than 6,000 people enjoyed him in the role of Will Scarlett, one of Robin’s Merry Men. In The Groundling, Haven plays Pete, a neighbor who’s been hired by Bob to answer phones and compose music for his office phone system. Pete has never been in a play before (though he would take you to Phantom of the Opera RIGHT NOW he loves it so much), but he’s playing Bob in the play Bob has written.
Name: Haven Volpe
Occupation: Part-Time Student/Salesman/Professional Actor
Age: 16
Hometown: Asheville, Land of the Sky
Years involved in theatre: 14. Been acting since my debut role in preschool: Chicken Little, y’all!
You’ve been involved in theatre for your entire life, basically! What was your first experience at ACT? I was a student at ArtSpace Charter School throughout most of elementary and middle school. I actually received the Rinnie Rocks Scholarship in seventh grade there. It was a full scholarship to Tanglewood Youth Theatre’s Summer Camp and so my first ACT experience was as a youth summer camper.
Oh my gosh! That scholarship is named in memory of Rinnie Hopkins, who was also an ArtSpace student, and who came to summer camp for years. How thrilling that you’ve continued to be involved in theatre, not just at ACT, but all over town. I can’t complain. I love the theatre. I’d do every show in town if I could!
You work with Montford Park Players quite a bit. How different is Pete from some of the past characters you’ve played? Has playing this role been a stretch for you? A stretch? Yeah, I guess you could say that. As an actor, I feel considerably more comfortable onstage in a doublet than a t-shirt! I think modern theatre is a little different from what I’m used to, the character of Pete included. It’s a lot different playing what could be a real, current person. It can end up bring much more personal. At Montford, you’re acting Shakespeare outside in front of upwards of 5 or 6 hundred people. It’s a little less personal and definitely …
The fierce, funny, and fabulous Mandy Bean is back onstage at ACT! You’ve seen her as Jeannie in The Great American Trailer Park Musical or perhaps in Snowbound or Nuncrackers. Or, if you’re a Montford Park Players aficionado (and if you’re not, you should be!), you’ve seen her in Othello, Julius Caesar, or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In The Groundling, Mandy plays Victoria, the actress who stuns Bob with her ability to listen and react when he sees her onstage. He hires her to help him put on the play he has written – and though she’s not used to working in a garage in Long Island, she takes the job. (Photo by William Zane Lawrence)
Name: Mandy Bean
Occupation: Stay at home mom
Hometown: Weaverville
Years involved in theatre: 20
How did you become involved in theatre? I started out as a dancer when I was very young, and I fell in love with Mary Martin’s Peter Pan as a toddler. I was always the first to volunteer to read anything out loud in class, and I remember desperately wanting to be in plays, but there was never an opportunity to do so. I didn’t actually find an outlet to start acting until high school, but the drive to be onstage has been there for as long as I can remember.
Who’s the favorite character you’ve played? It’s hard to choose, but the one that comes to mind is Emilia in Othello. She has one of the best monologues of any woman in Shakespeare, and it felt amazing to deliver that.
Can you relate with your character? In some ways, absolutely. I do a lot of Shakespeare, and there are some aspects to Victoria that are really familiar to me. I relate to Victoria’s love of acting, and her frustration over not always being able to find work.
Do you have a favorite moment in the show? It’s hard to pick a favorite, but when she first arrives and interacts with Dodd is a fun one, especially with Scott Keel. We’ve been friends for a decade, and it’s always fun to be onstage with old friends!
Do you have a dream role? There are a few (and I’ve already performed some, …
So excited to share our cast list for next season’s opener of Avenue Q! Thank you to EVERYONE who came out for the auditions – we had an amazing turnout of so many talented people! Drumroll, please:
Ariel Casale – Gary Coleman
Andy Thompson – Rod
Ness Nowik* – Christmas Eve
Chelsey Mirheli – Lucy
William Ezzell* – Trekkie
Matt Edwardsen* – Nicky
Leif Brodersen – Brian
Matthew Harper – Princeton
Lara Hollaway* – Kate
Christy Montesdeoca – Ensemble
Marci Bernstein* – Ensemble
*Denotes actor is making their ACT Mainstage debut
