BIOGRAPHIES

CAST

PAUL AGUIRRE

(Christmas Present/Bert/ Party Guest Flute Player) is thrilled to make his Rep debut in A Christmas Carol! Most recently Paul was honored to finally return to the stage this season in Kismet directed by Lonny Price at the Granada Theatre. National tours include Billy Elliot (Big Davey), Seussical with Cathy Rigby, The Who’s Tommy (Uncle Ernie), H2$ and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Papa Who/ cast recording) at MSG. Off-Broadway work includes The Giant Hoax (PT Barnum), Lyz! (Hector/ Bobby) and A Christmas Carol (Fezziwig/Christmas Present). Regional theatre credits include In the Heights (Kevin and Piragua Guy), Billy Elliot (Mr. Braithwaite), Guys and Dolls, The Music Man (Marcellus), Jesus Christ Superstar (Herod), The Wiz (Lion), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Twist: An American Musical (Mr. Potlatch) directed/choreographed by Debbie Allen at the Alliance Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse. Paul is also the creator/owner of Broadway Dolls & Guys, custom crocheted dolls and gifts. Visit BroadwayDollsandGuys. com and PaulAguirre.com for more.

ALEGRA BATARA

(Belle/Fred’s Wife) (she/they) is incredibly honored to be making her Rep debut in A Christmas Carol. A 2021 graduate of the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, their most recent (and favorite) credits include Romeo and Juliet and Godspell (Festival 56), Love’s Labour’s Lost and Cymbeline (Great River Shakespeare Festival), and Miss You Like Hell (Webster Conservatory). Never-ending gratitude to Hana Sharif and Amelia Acosta Powell for this amazing opportunity, and eternal love to their family and friends. alegrabatara.com @rubies_and_daffodils

J SAMUEL DAVIS

(First Solicitor/ Mr. Fezziwig/ Undertaker) is excited to be a part of A Christmas Carol at The Repertory Theater of St. Louis. He last worked with The Rep as Roy Wilkins/Aaron Henry in All the Way. He was last seen this past summer in the acclaimed production of King Lear with St. Louis Shakespeare Festival as the Earl of Kent. J has played roles from Shakespeare to August Wilson in a career that spans over 20 years. He has worked in major American Repertory theatres, regional and national, as well as appearing in video projects, industry films, and has headlined his

own concerts. Starting out as a company member for the St. Louis Black Rep, J continues to expand his career to include many diverse and challenging roles. Some of his credits include Simon in The Whipping Man, Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun, Oedipus in Oedipus King, Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and Bashir in Bashir Lazhar, a one-man show for which he won a Kevin Kline Award for Best Actor in a Play. He also garnered an award in 2019 from the St. Louis Theater Circle for his role as Antoine DuPre in District Merchants produced by The New Jewish Theater.

CARMEN GARCIA

(Mrs. Fezziwig/ Old Josie/Lead Caroler) is thrilled to return to The Rep stage where she previously performed in Evita and a staged reading of Frida, a new musical. Earlier this year she performed the role of Grandma in COCA’s Billy Elliot–The Musical. In addition she has appeared with regional companies Theatre Nuevo (Luchadora!), Mustard Seed Theatre (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) and R-S Theatrics (In the Heights), among others. During quarantine Carmen participated in several virtual plays, readings and musicals. In early 2022 Carmen is proud to make her debut

with Metro Theatre Company in Last Stop on Market Street. You can read more at www. carmenunscripted.com.

MICHELLE HAND

(Mrs. Cratchit/ Party Guest) is so grateful to return to live performance and to the Loretto-Hilton stage. Since playing Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice at The Rep, she has appeared as Sugar in Tiny, Beautiful Things with Max & Louie Productions and Deb in It Is Magic with the Midnight Company. Other roles at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis include Lady Middleton in Sense and Sensibility, Helen in Born Yesterday and Marianne/ Toril in Oslo. She appeared in the OffBroadway premiere of Day of the Dog (59E59 Theater) and worked locally with many companies, including The New Jewish Theater, The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, St. Louis Actor’s Studio and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, where she won the St. Louis Theater Circle Award for her role as Maggie Dalton in Into The Breeches. This one is for Steve.

MELISSA HARLOW

(Second Solicitor/Party Guest) is overjoyed to return to The Rep after performing in Imaginary Theater Company’s recent production of Puss in

Boots. Favorite credits include Fiona in Shrek (Larry D. Clark Summer Rep), The Final Version (Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe), God of Carnage (Pax Amicus Castle Theater), The Adventures of Perseus (New Jersey Young Audiences & Experiential Theatre Co. Tour), A Comedy Wedding (Gateway Arch Riverboat Shows), cover (a play about trafficking) and This Very Moment (Stomping Ground Theatre Co.). She has also performed with the Hoosier Shakespeare Festival in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, as Juliet’s Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing. Film credits include Star Crossed Lovers and The Writer.

GUIESSEPPE JONES

(Ebenezer Scrooge) is honored to make his Rep debut as Scrooge. Regional theatre credits include Lt. Stokes in American Son at The Pittsburgh Public Theater, Bono in Fences at the California Shakespeare Festival, Henry in Race at The Contemporary Theater Festival, Holloway in Two Trains Running and Sam in Master Harold and the Boys at The Weston Playhouse. New York theater credits include Stott in Public Enemy at The Pearl Theater Company, The Lieutenant in Ariel Dorfman’s NYC premier

of Widows at 59East59th St., and Logger in Eisa Davis’s Pulitzer Prizenominated Bullrusher at Urban Stages. Television and film credits include FBI: Most Wanted, For Life, Prodigal Son, The Black List, Blue Bloods, House of Cards and Julie and Julia. Guiesseppe is an alumnus of The American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

NATHAN KEEN

(Topper/Ghost Dancer/Party Guest) (he/him) has performed in the Broadway productions of Hello, Dolly! (ensemble, vacation swing) and Les Miserables (Gavroche) as well as the national tours of Hello, Dolly! (swing, assistant dance captain), Finding Neverland (ensemble), Chicago (swing), We Will Rock You (ensemble) and West Side Story (Big Deal, fight captain, u/s Riff, u/s Action). Other credits include the international tour of West Side Story (Jet Boy vacation swing), Chicago at PCLO (Harry/ Harrison) and Radio City Spring Spectacular (ensemble). @nateckeen

ARMANDO MCCLAIN

(Bob Cratchit) is thrilled to be making his Rep debut! He recently appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Shanna Cooper’s Julius Caesar (TFANA). Regional credits include Good Person of Schezuan (Cal Shakes); Sense and Sensibility, The Odyssey,

The River Bride, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale and Antony & Cleopatra (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Othello (Perspective Theater); Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew (Livermore Shakes); Good Goods (Crowded Fire); You Know When the Men Are Gone (Word for Word); The Night is a Child (Pasadena Playhouse); The Closet/ Farthest Away (Project Por Amor) and Blue/Orange (Pacific Repertory Company). Armando received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.

LAAKAN MCHARDY

(Christmas Past/ Bettye Pigeon) is deeply grateful to return to the stage, and is thrilled to be making her Rep debut! She has appeared Off-Broadway in The Wolves (Lincoln Center Theater) and regionally in Mac Beth (Seattle Rep), Macbeth (Actors Theatre of Louisville) and The Many Deaths of Nathan Stubblefield (Humana Festival of New American Plays). Television and film credits include Succession (HBO), FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), The Blacklist (NBC), Tommy (CBS), Madam Secretary (CBS) and 16 BARS. She is an alumna of Mount Holyoke College and the Professional Training Company at

Actors Theatre of Louisville. Laakan proudly hails from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

MICHAEL JAMES

REED (Jacob Marley/Mrs. Dilber) is beyond thrilled to return to The Rep after making his last appearance right before the pandemic in Pride and Prejudice (directed by Hana Sharif). He has appeared in 18 Rep shows including Oslo, A Doll’s House Part 2, All the Way and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (St. Louis Theatre Circle Award). Other local credits include numerous appearances with The Muny (last summer’s Sound of Music and Chicago) as well as St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis Actors Studio, The New Jewish Theatre and Upstream. New York theatre credits include La Bête (Broadway), King Lear (Roundabout), Amphitryon (CSC) and A Forest in Arden (NYTW). Regionally, Michael’s favorites include the Old Globe (including Pericles in Pericles, Marc Anthony in Julius Caesar), Alley Theatre (Joe Pitt in Angels in America) and American Conservatory Theatre (Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), as well as productions at Papermill Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Rep, Asolo Theatre Festival, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Great Lakes Theatre Festival and Shakespeare

Santa Cruz. Favorite television appearances include Chicago PD, Numbers, 24, Six Feet Under, The Shield, King of Queens and That ‘70s Show. He is a graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. www. michaeljamesreed.com

RAFFEAL SEARS

(Fred/Young Scrooge) is blessed to be making his Rep debut! He last appeared in Twelfth Night (Yale Repertory Theatre). Regional credits include a staged reading of Master Wilder and the Cabala (Goodman Theatre); Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, The Grapes of Wrath and Henry V Project (Illinois Theatre); Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Illinois Shakespeare Festival); The Play of Adam (The Met Cloisters); Amazing the Change (Atlantic Theatre Company); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nashville Shakespeare Festival); Lost in the Part (Amity Hall); In the Blood (The New School) and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day (The Coterie). Television and film credits include Chicago Fire (NBC), Cornered, Adventure Around the World and What We Used To Have. He is the recipient of the Shozo Sato: Excellence in Performance Award from UIUC. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity

Association and SAGAFTRA. Raffeal received his MFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. www.raffealsears.com @raffealsears

ERIC DEAN WHITE

(Christmas Future/ Watchworks/ Party Guest) is very excited to be returning to The Rep after last appearing in Pride and Prejudice at the end of 2019! He has worked at numerous theatres around St. Louis and regionally. Favorite roles include Salt, Root & Roe (Gareth), The Kiss/De Kus (Man), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Satan), Driving Miss Daisy (Boolie), The Fourth Reich (Man), Never the Sinner (Robert Crowe), The Normal Heart (Felix), The Pillowman (Tupolski), King Lear (Kent) and Savage in Limbo (Tony). He has appeared in NBC’s Chicago Fire and trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Love to Wendy, Payton and Cassidy for their neverending patience and support. ericdeanwhite.com

WEBSTER CONSERVATORY CAST

DEANTÉ BRYANT

(Ghost Dancer/ Party Guest/ Urchin) is currently a third-year musical theatre major at the Webster University Conservatory

of Theatre Arts. He is thrilled to make his Rep debut. A few of his other credits include the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Dickens of a Christmas Fox Theatre Tour as well as Reverend Dr. Thomas Vincent in WebCo’s production of The Living by Anthony Clarvoe. He also has a small role in the television series Black Card which is A Travis Production. Aside from acting, DeAnté loves making music. In September, he released his debut single “Breathe,” which is out on all major platforms. He is currently working on the album.

JAALAM DISHON

(Ghost Dancer/ Party Guest/ Urchin) is a junior musical theater major at Webster University. From Winchester, Kentucky, their most recent credits include Canfield Drive (Actor 5) with Webster Conservatory, Newsies (Ensemble) and Mamma Mia! (male swing/ ensemble).

JOSH HOON LEE

(Ghost Dancer/ Dick Wilkins) (he/him) is a proud KoreanAmerican theatre artist currently in his junior year at Webster University. Most recently he was a part of Timber Lake Playhouse’s 2021 season, including Pippin (Theo,

director Paul Stancato), Jesus Christ Superstar (featured ensemble, director Paul Stancato), Putnam County Spelling Bee (Leaf u/s, director Natalie Novacek), The Robber Bridegroom (Goat, director Dan Danielowksi), Dear Edwina (Billy, director Stephen Boyer) and the Conservatory production of Urinetown (Robbie the Stockfish, director Jamie McKittrick).

SYDNEY LEISER

(Ghost Dancer/ Claire Fezziwig/ Rich Lady/ Martha) is currently a senior musical theatre major at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. She is passionate about engaging in action regarding racial equity, inclusion and representation in the American Theatre and beyond. Previously seen as Witch #2 in Macbeth and Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, she is so excited to be a part of The Rep’s production of A Christmas Carol! #StopAsianHate #BlackLivesMatter #WeSeeYouWhite AmericanTheatre

BIANCA SANBORN

(Ghost Dancer/ Nicola Fezziwig/ Begger Woman) (they/ them/theirs) is a junior Acting major at Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts. Their most recent productions include Billy Elliot at COCA (George, director

Nancy Bell) as well as Urinetown (Senator Fipp, director Jamie McKittrick) and The Living (Ensemble, director Jennifer Wintzer), both at Webster Conservatory. During December of 2020, they had the opportunity to perform at the Fox Theatre in the A Dickens of a Christmas tour (directors Lara Teeter and Larry Pry) as The Ghost of Christmas Past. Other credits include Harvey (Veta Louise Simmons, director David Roth), Young Frankenstein (ensemble, director Bob Brunner), and their first film appearance in Killing of a Sacred Deer (choir member, director Yorgos Lanthimos).

JENNA STEINBERG

(Ghost Dancer/ Fred’s Sister-inLaw) is so excited to be making her Rep debut in A Christmas Carol with this incredible cast and crew. She is currently a senior attending the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. Favorite roles include Lady M in Macbeth (Webster University) and Suzanne in Picasso at the Lapine Agile (Crane River Theatre) as well as Mouth in Not I (Nathan Shu Productions).

YOUTH ENSEMBLE

RILEY CARTER

ADAMS (Belinda/ Past Attendant/ Urchin) is a sixth grader at Wydown Middle School and has performed in over 15 community, regional (equity) musical theatre and dance productions. Over the years, Riley has worked on several voice-over projects with Nickelodeon, Disney and local production companies. Her television credits include a recurring role as Melody in the Showtime series On Becoming a God in Central Florida, the PBS short film A New Holiday directed by Brian Owens and several commercials. Her favorite and most notable roles include Kinky Boots and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (The Muny), her portrayal of Little Inez in Hairspray, Jr., Little Ti Moune in Once on this Island, Young Simba in The Lion King Jr., Mowgli in Jungle Book and many more. She is making her Rep debut in A Christmas Carol and could not be more grateful to the entire cast and crew. @its_miss_riley

FIONA BELL

(Schoolboy 1/ Spoiled Child/ Party Guest/ Urchin/Fred’s Daughter) is thrilled to be making her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol! This fifth grader spends her free time dancing, singing, acting

impromptu dance breaks. Rose is appreciative of the support and encouragement of the cast and crew at The Rep.

CAROLINE CAMPBELL

(Fan/Urchin/ Ghost Fan) is delighted to be making her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol. Caroline has performed as Flounder in The Little Mermaid, Freaky Friday, Big Fish, A Christmas Story and Suessical (Shooting Stars Productions); Amaryllis in The Music Man, Wendy in Peter Pan Jr., Matilda and White Christmas (GCPA); Anna in Frozen Kids and The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella Jr. (Westminster Theatre); and with The Arch City Theatre Troupe. She danced for many years at The Dance Center of Kirkwood and recently started at COCA. She takes voice lessons from Lisa Campbell-Albert. She is very thankful for this opportunity from Hana Sharif, Jennifer Wintzer and everyone at The Rep and COCA.

PARKER COLLIER

(Teen Scrooge/ Urchin) is a ninth grader at Webster Groves High School and is excited to make his Rep debut! Some of his most recent roles at COCA were Michael in Billy Elliott, Corny Collins in Hairspray and Stanley in a presentation of Suffer the Children. Two of his

additional favorite roles were James in the East Central College production of James and the Giant Peach and Peter Pan’s Captain Hook with Ignite Theater Company. He is a member of COCA’s senior vocal company, COCAwrites and improv troupe while continuing his acting, dancing and voice education with COCA and Fly North Theatricals.

BLYTHE FUNKE

(Wendy Fezziwig/ Schoolboy 2/ Urchin) is so excited to be making her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol! Blythe is a fifth grader at Maplewood Richmond Heights Elementary. Her favorite subject at school is math. Blythe spends her free time reading and watching YouTube videos, and loves to commandeer the kitchen to bake. She is very thankful to have this opportunity to work with such an incredibly talented cast and crew!

JACKSON LITTLE

(Ignorance/ Cider Kid) is very excited about joining A Christmas Carol. This will be Jackson’s first play. He joins his sister Jada in this production. Jackson’s acting experience consists of “a little spider boy” YouTube videos. Jackson is six years old and enjoys karate.

JADA LITTLE

(Urchin/Past Attendant) is thrilled to be joining A Christmas Carol this year. Jada is 10 years old and enjoys writing, making songs and being goofy. This will be Jada’s second play. When she was seven years old, she appeared in The Annie Malone Story (C2C Theater) at the Missouri History Museum as young Annie.

BRYNN MEYER

(Wendy Fezziwig/ Schoolboy 2/ Urchin/Fred’s Daughter) is delighted to make her Rep debut in A Christmas Carol. She is a nine-year-old fifth grader from Hermann, MO who is training in the musical theatre, ballet (St.Louis Ballet School) voice and piano. She’s currently a member of the Stages Triple Threats and has trained under the direction of Tiffany Haus and Adam Souza (Destination Broadway). Her past credits include Lavender in Matilda, Jr., Gretl in The Study of The Sound of Music, Valley Girl in Rock of Ages Jr. and ensemble in Frozen, Jr. In her free time, Brynn loves soccer, building with Legos and most especially sewing. She aspires to become a fashion designer. She wants to give a shout out to her parents for being her chauffeurs and to her sister Aspen for inspiring her to pursue the performing arts. She is

also very grateful to Miss Hana, Michael, Jenny and the entire company in making this show a memorable experience.

VINCENT EMMANUEL

MEYER (Turkey Boy/Boy Scrooge/Fred’s Son) is thrilled to be making his Rep debut in A Christmas Carol. Vincent is an actor, musician, composer, visual artist, playwright and baker (challah, banana bread and pies are his specialties). Meyer attends the Ladue Fifth Grade Center, has recently been accepted into COCA’s preprofessional division, and has received additional training in interdisciplinary arts at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. His artistic influences include LinManuel Miranda, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stuart Gibbs, Edgar Allen Poe, Ivor Stravinsky’s The Firebird and The Simpsons. This season’s production of A Christmas Carol is Meyer’s first professional stage appearance, and he is grateful for all the help that he has received from his instructors including Michael, Jenny, Tre and Kirven.

GAVIN NOBBE

(Peter/ Schoolboy 3/ Urchin) is thrilled to be making his debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol! No stranger to the

stage, Gavin recently played the part of Kurt Von Trapp in The Sound of Music Jr. and Jack in Into the Woods Jr. at Stages Performing Arts Academy. He is a current member of the Muny Kids Troupe and a member of Stages’ Triple Threat program. Gavin is a sixth grader at Fort Zumwalt North Middle, and in his free time enjoys hanging with his family and friends. He would like to thank his parents for their love and support during this incredible theatre journey. He is forever grateful to The Rep and COCA for allowing him to play Peter in this amazing production.

RIAN AMIRIKAL PAGE

(Tiny Tim/Past Attendant) is making her Rep debut in A Christmas Carol. Rian is a seven-year-old second grader who loves science. She has taken ballet, tap, jazz and dramatic play courses at COCA. Rian loves to sing and is a member of the Kennerly Temple COGIC Children’s Choir. In her spare time Rian is enrolled in gymnastics and enjoys hanging out with her family and friends. Rian plans to pursue her dreams of becoming a professional actress and dancer.

ARDEN RENEE

POWELL (Want/ Cider Kid/Past Attendant) is thrilled to be making her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol! Arden is in the first grade and aspires to see the bright lights of Broadway as she pursues her musical theater career. She’s been inspired by the works Hamilton, Annie and The Sound of Music. In her free time, Arden enjoys spending time with her family and friends, riding her bike, singing and doing lots of reading! She is so grateful for the opportunity to play the role of Want/Cider Kid. Thank you to Hana Sharif, Jenny Wintzer, Michael Tran, the incredible youth ensemble and the amazing “grownup” actors for creating a memorable and treasured experience!

GEORGIA REYNOLDS

(Tiny Tim/Past Attendant) is so excited to be playing the role of Tiny Tim in The Rep’s production of A Christmas Carol! This is Georgia’s first appearance at The Rep, as well as her first ever role in a full-length production. Georgia has taken acting and voice lessons with the GCPA for several years. Georgia lives with her mom and dad and two older brothers, and she attends third grade at North Glendale Elementary School.

Besides acting and singing, Georgia is on team at the St. Louis Gym Center, is coached by her dad on her St. Louis Scott Gallagher soccer team and plays field hockey for St. Louis Field Hockey Club. In her little free time, Georgia loves playing with her friends, singing in the car, doing art projects, watching TV and doing headstands. Georgia would like to thank her mom and dad for their support and rides over the last couple of months and especially her voice teacher, Spencer Milford who helped her get a start on her acting career.

JAROD RHODES

(Peter/ Schoolboy 3/ Urchin) is excited to be performing at The Repertory Theatre St. Louis in A Christmas Carol! Jarod has loved the stage since his first experience at the age of four in Seussical the Musical at Looking Glass Playhouse in Lebanon, IL. Additional experience includes various roles in Madagascar Jr., The Wizard of Oz and Newsies. Most recently, he participated in the Into the Woods youth show at Goshen Theatre Project in Collinsville, IL. During quarantine, Jarod was able to be a part of the very first Zoomusical production of The Big One-Oh! (Looking Glass

Playhouse). Jarod is involved with the annual Christmas children’s play at Faith Baptist Church in Belleville, IL and dances at Studio L Dance Center (O’Fallon, IL) where he is a member of the hip-hop team and involved in musical theatre productions. He recently joined the preprofessional development program at COCA (St. Louis, MO) and is receiving training in voice, improv, dance (tap) and much more! @j_bear827

IMI SCHNEIDER

(Want/Past Attendant/ Cider Kid) is over the moon to make her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol! She is delighted for this chance to play the role of Want. She is grateful to The Rep and COCA for the opportunity to act in her first play!

CHRISTIAN (CJ)

VARNER, JR. (Teen Scrooge/ Urchin) is excited to be in his first professional regional production of A Christmas Carol. CJ’s other credits with The Rep include A Glowy Snowy Day. He is a Baltimore, MD native and is a fifth grader at Jefferson Middle School.

CHRISTOPHER VARNER

(Turkey Boy/ Boy Scrooge/ Fred’s Son) is excited to be in his first

professional regional production. He is originally from Baltimore, MD and is a third grader at Harris Elementary school. He loves football, soccer and dancing.

LAILA VARNER

(Fan/Urchin/ Ghost Fan) is originally from Baltimore, MD and recently moved to the St. Louis region. She is an eighth grader at Hardin Middle School and is excited to be joining The Rep for her first production in St. Louis. She currently trains at COCA in the dance and theatre programs. Her credits include Kaleidoscope Crown (Center of Creative Arts), A Wonder in My Soul (Baltimore Center Stage) and several stage plays at her church including Life: The Gospel According to Us.

LAILA WILLIAMS

(Urchin/Past Attendant) was born and raised in St. Louis. A multi-talented performer with a passion for acting, singing, dance and music, at the age of four, she began praise dancing at church. As she got older, she further explored her passion for dance at The Judy Best Talent Dance Center and COCA. In 2018 Laila, along with her twin sister, recited the Countee Cullen poem “Hey Black Child” for Faith Church’s Love Riot program televised live on the Daystar Network. In 2019, Laila joined COCA’s

2019 production of Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963 as an ensemble member. Laila enjoys anything involving music and theatre. She is currently a member of COCA’s pre-professional vocal company and Jazz St. Louis’ Jazz Academy, where she plays the trumpet.

LENA WILLIAMS

(Belinda/Past Attendant/ Urchin) was born and raised in St. Louis, and has always found a way to express herself through the arts. She began praise dancing at the age of four at church and further explored her passion for dance at The Judy Best Talent Dance Center before coming to COCA. Lena’s first professional theatre performance was in The St. Louis Black Repertory Company’s 2017 production of Fences as Raynelle. In 2018 Lena, along with her twin sister, recited the Countee Cullen poem “Hey Black Child” for Faith Church’s Love Riot program televised live on the Daystar Network. Lena’s other stage credits include The Muny’s 2018 production of The Wiz (munchin) and COCA’s 2019 production of Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963 (Denise McNair). A social activist at heart, Lena was humbled by the opportunity to play Denise McNair in Four Little Girls and spread awareness of the bombing in Birmingham that took the lives of four

innocent children. Lena is currently a participant of Jazz St. Louis’ Jazz Academy and a proud member of COCA’s preprofessional improv troupe. A multi-talented individual, Lena enjoys anime illustration, playing the saxophone and participating in social activism.

DEVYNN YAKEL

(Schoolboy 1/ Spoiled Child/ Urchin/Party Guest), a nine- year-old fifth grader, is excited to make her debut at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in A Christmas Carol. Devynn aspires to someday perform on Broadway. Some of her previous credits include Amanda Thripp in Matilda (LifeLight), Chief Ancestor in Moana (DaySpring) and Marta in The Sound of Music (Stages). She has been a student of the Saint Louis Ballet School since she was four, and has performed with the company in The Nutcracker Ballet. She is currently a member of Triple Threats with Stages St. Louis. This past year she has studied with Joffrey Ballet in NYC, and has attended Destination Broadway, working with Tiffany Haas and Sonny Willis. She enjoys studying science, reading books and playing the piano. Devynn would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support, the entire cast and crew of A Christmas Carol for this wonderful production, and Hana

Sharif for this amazing opportunity.

DIRECTION & DESIGN

KIRVEN DOUTHIT-

BOYD (Choreographer) returns to The Rep after choreographing last season’s production of Mlima’s Tale. The CoArtistic Director of Dance at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis, Missouri, he earned his MFA in Dance from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. He began his formal dance training at the Boston Arts Academy in 1998 and joined Boston Youth Moves in 1999. He has also trained on scholarship at The Boston Conservatory and The Alvin Ailey School prior to performing with Battleworks Dance Company, Ailey II, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2004-2015.

TRE’VON GRIFFITH

(Music Director), better known by stage name Tre G, is an independent artist, creative and music director. He is thrilled to be returning to The Rep after serving as music director for the Imaginary Theater Company’s upcoming season. He has been a part of the creative team of productions at COCA, The Black Rep, Metro Theater Company, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Stages St. Louis, TLT Productions, and

companies in Europe and China. In 2020, Tre G formed WerQFest, St. Louis’ first arts and culture festival celebrating and highlighting black queerness. GO! Magazine by St. Louis Post-Dispatch named Tre G a “2016 Rising Star,” and he has also landed a spot in DELUX Magazine’s Emerging 30 Under 30. Tre G received his master’s degree in Global Entertainment and Music Business from Berklee College of Music campus in Valencia, Spain. @treg_music

TIM MACKABEE

(Scenic Designer) returns to The Rep after designing Angels in America: Parts One and Two in the Mainstage series. Broadway credits include The Elephant Man and Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth. He designed the West End production of The Elephant Man and OffBroadway productions of Heathers The Musical, Seared (Outer Critics Circle Award, MCC Theatre), Guards at the Taj (Lortel Award), Describe the Night, The Penitent, Our New Girl (Atlantic), Darling Grenadine, The Last Match (Roundabout), Vietgone, Important Hats of the Twentieth Century

(MTC), Luce (LCT) and Gigantic (Vineyard). Regional credits include Ford’s Theatre, Seattle Rep, The Old Globe, Baltimore Center Stage, Denver Center, Portland Center Stage, Cleveland Play House, Dallas Theatre Center, Yale Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, South Coast Repertory, Arden Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, The Muny and Williamstown. Television credits include Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo (HBO), Gotham, Smash, The Today Show and Football Night in America. Education: North Carolina School of the Arts, Yale School of Drama. @timmackabeedesign timothymackabeedesign. com

DEDE AYITE

(Costume Designer) is a two-time Tony Awardnominated costume designer whose Broadway credits include Chicken & Biscuits, A Soldier’s Play, Slave Play, American Son and Children of a Lesser God. Select Off-Broadway credits include Merry Wives (The Public Theater); Secret Life of Bees, Marie and Rosetta, (Atlantic); By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Signature); BLKS, School Girls… (MCC); Bella: An American Tall Tale (Playwrights Horizons); The Royale (Lincoln Center) and Toni Stone (Roundabout). Regionally, Ayite’s work has appeared at Oregon Shakespeare

Festival, Steppenwolf, Arena Stage and more. She has worked in television with Netflix, Comedy Central and FOX Shortcoms. Ayite earned her MFA at the Yale School of Drama and has received Obie, Lucille Lortel, Helen Hayes, Theatre Bay Area and Jeff Awards, along with four Drama Desk nominations.

SETH REISER

(Lighting Designer) works in theatre, opera, dance and music. He is pleased to make his Rep debut. New York credits include Somebody’s Daughter, directed by May Adrales at Second Stage; Mike Daisey’s The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs at the Public Theater; The Mysteries at The Flea, directed by Ed Iskandar; Reggie Watts and Tommy Smith’s Radio Play at PS 122, directed by Kip Fagan; and Taylor Mac’s Obie Awardwinning production of The Lily’s Revenge at HERE Arts. Regional highlights include designs for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Theatre DC, Dallas Theatre Center, Two River Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, Trinity Repertory, Berkeley Repertory, Seattle Repertory, The Denver Center Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth, American Repertory Theatre and Playmakers Repertory. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio Wesleyan

University and MFA from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts. www.sethreiserdesign. com

NATHAN A. ROBERTS

(Composer and Sound Designer) is a multiinstrumentalist, composer, instrument-maker and sound designer who specializes in creating original music and soundscapes for plays, often live on stage. Previous Rep credits include Pride and Prejudice and Puss in Boots. Off Broadway credits include Second Stage: Letters of Suresh; WP Theater: Natural Shocks; TFANA: The Servant of Two Masters; The Acting Company: Julius Caesar, Macbeth; and The Playwrights Realm: Crane Story, Dramatis Personae. Regional credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival: The Way the Mountain Moved, Sense and Sensibility; Baltimore Center Stage: Miss You Like Hell, Fun Home, The Christians, Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Milwaukee Rep: Animal Farm; Dallas Theater Center/ Guthrie Theater: Sense and Sensibility; The Old Globe: Tokyo Fish Story; Ford’s Theatre: The Widow Lincoln, Our Town; Yale Repertory Theater: Assassins, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, The Servant of Two Masters; Hartford Stage: Twelfth Night, The Tempest; and Long Wharf Theatre: It’s a Wonderful

Life. Education: MFA, Yale School of Drama. Faculty: Lecturer in Theater and Performance Studies, Yale University.

CHARLES COES (Composer and Sound Designer) returns to The Rep after designing Pride and Prejudice in the Mainstage series. Credits include Letters of Suresh (2ST); The Tempest, Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing (HVSF); Sing Street (NYTW); Jitney (Mark Taper Forum, Music Hall of Detroit, Arena Stage); Miss You Like Hell, Fun Home, Soul, The Christians, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Baltimore Center Stage); The Good Book (Berkeley Rep); The Belle of Amherst, Third (Two River Theater); Natural Shocks (WP Theater); The Way the Mountain Moved, Sense and Sensibility (OSF); Little Black Shadows, The Tempest (South Coast Rep); Animal Farm (Milwaukee Rep); Robber Bridegroom (The Laura Pels); Sense and Sensibility (Dallas Theater Center, The Guthrie); and Tokyo Fish Story (The Old Globe). He has been the associate on more than 20 Broadway shows including Girl from the North Country, To Kill a Mockingbird, Peter and the Starcatcher and Junk. He has toured the world with the Homer’s Coat production of An Iliad.

HANA S. KIM

(Projections Designer) designed the Off Broadway productions of Eve’s Song and The Visitor (The Public Theater). Regional credits include The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona (Geffen Playhouse); The Great Leap (A.C.T.); Eva Trilogy (Magic Theatre); Little Black Shadows (South Coast Rep); and Fun Home, The Christians (Baltimore Center Stage). Opera and concert credits include Sweet Land (The Industry), Magdalene (Prototype Festival), The Anonymous Lover (LA Opera), Wonderful Town (LA Opera) and Oscillations (LA Philharmonic). She is the recipient of Princess Grace Awards, CTG Sherwood Award, Helen Hayes Award and Kinetic Lighting Award by LADCC. She holds a BFA in visual communication at Seoul National University in South Korea and MFA from University of California, Los Angeles. www.hananow.com

ADI CABRAL

(Dialect Coach) is excited to be returning for their second show at The Rep. Their work was recently heard in Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles. Adi has also coached at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities (CO), New Repertory Theatre (MA), the Stella Adler Studio of Acting (NY), Mildred’s

Umbrella Theatre Company (TX), The New Hazlett Theater (PA), The Hangar Theatre Company (NY) and Central Square Theatre (MA). Adi holds their BA in Musical Theatre from Rhode Island College and MFA in Theatre Performance from Arizona State University. Cabral is an actor, dialect coach, intimacy director and a certified teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork and Fitzmaurice Voicework. They currently serve as Assistant Professor of Voice and Movement at the University of Nevada, Reno.

JZ CASTING (Casting) Partners Geoff Josselson, CSA and Katja Zarolinski, CSA are New Yorkbased casting directors, handling productions for Broadway, Off-Broadway and major New York and regional theatre companies, as well as film and television. Previous and current work includes productions for Arena Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Baltimore Center Stage, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Cape Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Denver Center, Merrimack Rep, The Old Globe, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Round House Theatre, Studio Theatre, Theaterworks Hartford, and the Weston Playhouse. For more information, please visit jz-casting.com.

JENNIFER WINTZER

(Youth Ensemble Director) is the Artistic Director of Theatre at COCA – Creative Center of the Arts in St. Louis, MO where she oversees COCAPresents and the COCA pre-professional training program for emerging theatre artists. Jennifer joined COCA’s team in 2019 from St. Louis Shakespeare Festival where she served as Director of Education/ Associate Artistic Director. Before relocating to St. Louis in 2014 from New York City, Jennifer worked with Lincoln Center Theater, Second Stage Theatre and MCC Theater. She is a graduate of UPenn’s Executive Program in Arts and Cultural Strategy, holds an MFA from The George Washington University and a BFA in Musical Theatre from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University where she has served as a guest director and lecturer. Jennifer is a recipient of the Actor’s Fund Scholarship for the Marymount Manhattan College Arts Ed Program, and is a proud member of AEA and a RAC CAT Fellow.

ALEXIS K. WOODARD

(Assistant Director) is an Atlanta-based director and producer, proud Spelman College alumna, current Spelman Leadership Fellow at the Alliance Theatre, and is thrilled to

to be here at The Rep! Her directing credits include Romeo and Juliet, Eurydice (Spelman College); Finished What We Started (Morehouse College); Hamlet (The Tiny Theatre Company); Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments (Alliance Theatre) and From the Ashes (Alliance Theatre Anywhere) as well as assistant directing for the Suzi Award-winning play, Hands of Color (Synchronicity Theatre) and A Kids Play About Racism (Bay Area Children’s Theatre). Associate directing credits include A Christmas Carol: The Live Radio Play and Working (Alliance Theatre). Up next, she will direct Do You Love the Dark? for young audiences and associate direct DREAM HOU$E (Alliance Theatre). She has also worked backstage on several productions including Holler If You Hear Me (True Colors Theatre) and Hospice and Pointing at the Moon (Alliance Theatre).

NATHAN SHU

(Webster Conservatory Assistant Director) is thrilled to be working at The Rep for the first time as an assistant director. He is currently a junior studying directing at the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. His previous credits include Not I (director) and The Living (assistant director).

HEATHER STANLEY

(Assistant Costume Designer) is a New York-based costume designer whose credits include As You Like It, The Tempest (HPCSE AT The Public Theater), Forum, The Idiot (Fairleigh Dickinson University), Thicker Than Water (Terry and the Cuz Production), Macbeth (Bronx SOC), and Exposure (The Gene Frankel Theater). Associate credits include I Dream (Toledo Opera), Motown (second and third national tours), On Your Feet (first national tour), Miss You Like Hell, Father Comes Home from the Wars, Old Fashioned Prostitutes (The Public Theater), A Soldier’s Play (The Roundabout) and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes.

JONAH SCHNELL

(Assistant Lighting Designer) recently graduated from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University with a BFA in lighting design. Jonah is a St. Louis native and has been attending Rep shows his entire life. Jonah is excited to return to The Rep as an assistant lighting designer. His previous experience here includes Angels in America: Parts One and Two, The Play That Goes Wrong and Heisenberg. Other experience includes the 2021 opera season (Santa Fe Opera);

Peace on Your Wings (Ohana Arts); and Brigadoon, Fahrenheit 451, Men on Boats (Webster University). Selected lighting design credits include Such Sweet Thunder (Shakespeare St. Louis/ Big Muddy Dance Co.); Songs for a New World, Oklahoma, Odd Couple, West Side Story, The Addams Family, Meet Me in St. Louis (Thunder Bay Theatre); Edges, girls in boys pants (Fontbonne University); and Three Sisters (Webster University). www.jonahschnell.com.

MICHAEL COSTAGLIOLA

(Assistant Sound Designer) is a New Yorkbased sound designer and composer, returning to The Rep after working on Pride and Prejudice in 2019. His work has been heard in New York in productions by The Public, New York Theatre Workshop, La MaMa, Rattlestick and Ars Nova among others, as well as regionally at Two River Theater, Yale Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Festival and at various other theaters across the US, Europe and India. He holds a BA in Music from Brown University and MFA in Sound Design from Yale School of Drama. michaelcostagliola.com

ERIN TEACHMAN

(Assistant Projections Designer) has been freelancing as a digital artist, projection programmer and engineer since 2014, working across disciplines to bring digital media to stages across the United States, including working with the Atlanta Opera, Ford’s Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, the Alley, Dallas Theatre Center, Arena Stage, Florida Grand Opera, the Washington Ballet and the Kansas City Ballet, among others. Erin is excited to make his Rep debut with this extraordinary production of a holiday classic. MAGGIE MANZANO (Stage Manager) is excited to be at The Rep for the first time and joining this incredible company of talent. Favorite regional credits include The Chinese Lady (Long Wharf Theatre), Men on Boats (American Conservatory Theatre) and Rhinoceros (American Conservatory Theatre). All Art Should Be Free.

SARAH LUEDLOFF

(Assistant Stage Manager) is a St. Louis native and is very happy to return to The Rep for the first time as a Stage Manager, having worked on numerous backstage crews in years past! She has just completed her seventh

season at Stages St. Louis with Always… Patsy Cline and Jersey Boys. Other work includes The Sound of Music at the Asolo Repertory Theatre, Avenue Q and Menopause The Musical at the Playhouse at Westport Plaza and King Lear at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. Sarah has also worked with The New Jewish Theatre, Variety Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Musicals, COCA, The Muny and several national tours. She holds a BFA from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

LUKE ESOLA

(Production Assistant) is a senior stage management major at Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts. Prior to Webster he was an apprentice at the Omaha Community Playhouse and has worked in productions around the Omaha area, including the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and Opera Omaha. He is so happy to be working on his first Rep show and would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas!

MICHAEL WILSON (Playwright) adapted A Christmas Carol, A Ghost Story of Christmas, which enjoyed its 22nd holiday season at Hartford Stage, where Wilson was Artistic Director from 1998 to 2011. Published by Dramatists Play Service, his adaptation premiered in 1990 at Houston’s Alley Theatre, where it celebrated 24 years in December 2019. In 2020, with theatres closed around the world due to the pandemic, Washington DC’s Ford’s Theatre commissioned Wilson to adapt and direct an all new radio version of the Dickens classic. This new aural production featuring music and sound by Wilson’s longtime collaborator John Gromada will be broadcast Christmas Day by Ford’s presenting partner, WMAU 88.5 American University Public Radio. On Broadway, Wilson directed the revival (as well as the 2014 Emmy and DGA Awardsnominated and NAACP Image Award-winning) Lifetime/Ostar film adaptation of Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful, for which Cicely Tyson received the Tony Award for Best Actress. He received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his direction of Foote’s nine-hour, three-part epic, The Orphans’ Home Cycle, which premiered at Hartford Stage in 2009 before moving to New York and winning every major new play award

that season (sans the Tony, for which as an OffBroadway production it was not eligible). On Broadway, he directed the Tony-nominated revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man and the Tonynominated new plays, Dividing the Estate and Enchanted April, among others. Off-Broadway, he has directed premieres by Eve Ensler, Marcus Gardley, Rebecca Gilman, John Guare, Beth Henley, Tina Howe and Christopher Shinn, among others, as well as revivals of Arthur Miller (Incident at Vichy at Signature Theater Company, subsequently filmed for television by WNET 13 and Broadway HD), Tennessee Williams and Lanford Wilson. His other screen work includes the award-winning film Showing Roots by Susan Batten, starring Uzo Aduba, Maggie Grace and Elizabeth McGovern. A recipient of the Princess Grace Fellowship and Statue Awards, the Daryl Roth Creative Spirit Award, the 2017 Bay Street Theater Visionary Award and, along with Ben Brantley and Howell Binkley, an inaugural inductee into the R. J. Reynolds Arts Magnet High School Hall of Fame, Wilson recently directed the acclaimed American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana starring Elizabeth Ashley, Dana Delaney, Bill Heck, James Earl Jones and Amanda

Plummer, and the 2018 premiere of Fellow Travelers by Jack Canfora. Wilson, a Morehead Scholar of UNC Chapel Hill, serves as Treasurer of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). Current projects include Bryan Batt’s new play Dear Mr. Williams, Daisy Foote and Steve Earle’s new musical Tender Mercies, and the live stream benefit captures of The Best Man (Broadway’s Best for The Actors Fund) and Stan Zimmerman’s Right Before I Go (La Vie Productions/Quick Center for the Performing Arts at Fairfield University for Jed and American Foundations to Prevent Suicide). Wilson lives with his longtime collaborator and life partner, scenic designer and visual artist Jeff Cowie.