CAST BIOS

LEO BENANDERM c KAY

(Ensemble) is a young Renaissance man with a wide variety of talents and interests. He is a soccer and tennis player; a retired competitive gymnast; he plays many instruments including the French horn, flute, oboe, clarinet, Native American flute, and piano; he is studying 3 languages; enjoys traveling and has had the privilege of visiting many amazing countries; and has a passion for art and fashion; all while successfully balancing his studies at Seacrest Country Day School. He loves the stage and has acted in several productions including TNP’s Into the Woods JR, Newsies JR , and Peter Pan. Leo is honored to join the amazing cast of Beauty and the Beast JR!

Solei Bourgeois

(Ensemble) is so proud to be at TNP. She loves the stage and at the age of 5 was cast as Lulu in the tour of Waitress at Artis Naples. From there, she couldn’t get enough of the stage and has been cast as Annie/Annie , Gretl/The Sound Of Music, Young Anna/Frozen JR , and much more. Solei dances with her mom at Hit The Floor Dance Company, takes vocal lessons with Miss Laura from The Vocal Ring Studio, studies acting with Jessica Walck, and loves ballet at Naples Dance Conservatory.

Samantha Calero

(Cogsworth) is very excited to be a part of TNP KidzAct’s Beauty & the Beast JR . This is her second production outside of school and she feels honored to be a part of this beautiful show. She is 13 years old and attends Corkscrew Middle in the 7th grade. Samantha is also a first chair, three year violist in Advanced Orchestra. Getting to be a part of this journey could not be done without her family. Samantha is so excited for the connections and bonds she’s about to build.

Olivia Dooney

(Babette) is 15 years old and attends The Village School. This is her third production with TNP and she is thrilled to be back and in the cast of Beauty and the Beast JR . Recent credits include Princess Fiona/Shrek JR , Edwina/ Dear Edwina JR , Ada/Newsies JR , Marcy/ School of Rock , and Moana/Moana JR . When not on stage, Olivia is a cheerleader, soccer player, and loves hanging out with her sisters and friends. She wants to thank Katie and Bret and the entire cast and crew for all their hard work on this production, and she is grateful to all her teachers who support her along the way. Enjoy the show!

Samantha Dooney

(Madame de la Grande Bouche) is 15 years old and attends The Village School. This is her third production with TNP and she is so excited to be in the cast of Beauty and the Beast JR . Past credits include: Ensemble/Godspell JR , Ensemble/ Thirteen The Musical , Ada/Seitz/Newsies

JR , Oaken/Frozen JR , Dorothy/The Wizard of Oz , and Marta/The Sound of Music.

When not on stage, Samantha runs varsity cross country, plays soccer, and loves hanging out with her sisters and friends. She wants to thank Katie, Bret, Grace, Mary Anne and the entire cast and crew for being so great and fun! Thanks for coming and enjoy the show!

CONNER FOLEY (Prince/Beast)

is a 9th grader at Seacrest Country Day School. This is his 3rd show at The Naples Players. His most recent roles include Jack Kelly in Newsies JR and Ryan in High School Musical . When not on stage, Conner plays varsity soccer and is involved in student government. He wants to thank everyone involved in the production of Beauty and the Beast JR! Enjoy the show!