The Yeomen of the Guard Cast

The Principals

Jacob Wellington – Jack Point

Jacob Wellington is a local actor / director, recently graduated from the University of Minnesota.  He has been acting for over ten years and directing for four, having worked on projects such as Othello, Nickel and Dimed, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Winter’s Tale, Yesengrimus, and A Flea in Her Ear.  Soon after The Yeoman of the Guard closes he will be taking a plane to Europe with his girlfriend, Katrina, where they will embark on a three month tour of Italy, France, and England by bicycle.  When not performing or gallivanting around Europe, he enjoys web development (which he does for a living), biking, StarCraft II, camping, and running.

 

Quinn Shadko – Elsie Maynard

Quinn is thrilled to be making her GSVLOC debut in The Yeomen of the Guard.  Born and raised in Minneapolis, she studied classical voice and linguistics at Rice University before earning her master’s degree in vocal performance – music theatre from New York University.  Favorite roles include Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Despina in Così fan tutte.  She also teaches early childhood music, loves the color purple, and enjoys spending quality time with her cockapoo, Riley.  Her upcoming projects include The Fantasticks with Skylark Opera in June, and She Loves Me with Paul Bunyan Playhouse in August.  Many thanks to Lesley and Marina for this opportunity, and much love to Mom and Leigh.

 

Josh Kowitz – Colonel Fairfax

Josh graduated this past June with his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Lawrence University.  Josh sang with the Minnesota Opera chorus in their production of Verdi’s opera Nabucco.  He is thrilled to get out of the opera world and to try something new.  This is his first GSVLOC production as well as his first time singing anything by Gilbert and Sullivan.  He will be moving to New York City in August to attend the Jewish Theological Seminary where he will study being a cantor.  If you want to see him this summer, head on down to Stillwater and take a gondola ride.  (Gondola Romantica.com, ask for Josh)  He will sing Italian art songs to you as you venture down the Saint Croix River in an authentic gondola.

 

Lara Trujillo – Phoebe Meryll

Lara’s first experience on the stage was performing in G&S productions in her hometown of Colorado Springs, along with her mother.  She continued to do so until the day she learned that there were other composers too!  More recently, Lara has appeared in My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, at the Ordway Center, Snapshots: Life in the City, with J.D. Steele, at the History Theater, HAIR, at The Pantages, as well as in productions with Theater Latte Da, Mu Performing Arts, New Breath Productions, Teatro del Pueblo, and the Bloomington Civic Theatre.  Some of Lara’s favorite performances include Anita in West Side Story and Eva Peron in Evita.  Lara also performs regularly with Minnesota Opera and looks forward to appearing in this spring’s production of Turandot.  This is Lara’s sixth appearance with the GSVLOC, having appeared previously as Iolanthe, in Iolanthe, Katisha in The Mikado, Lady Sophy in Utopia, Limited, Lady Sangazure in The Sorcerer and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore. She has also performed with the GSVLOC and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, appearing as Buttercup in HMS Pinafore, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and Katisha in The Mikado.  Lara is immensely grateful to her husband, Stephen, and to her family and friends who continually offer their love, support, and encouragement.

 

Stephen Mumbert – Wilfred Shadbolt

Stephen is extremely excited to be singing his first show with the GSVLOC.  Stephen is a graduate of Stetson University where he holds a B.M. in Voice Performance, and he also holds an M.M. in Opera from The Boston Conservatory.  He has participated in the young-artist programs of Bay View Music Festival (Marcello / La Boheme), Seagle Music Colony (Aaron Greenspan / Morning Star), Britten-Pears (Don Giovanni / Don Giovanni, Junius / The Rape of Lucretia), Fort Worth Opera (Slim / Of Mice and Men, King Melchior / Amahl and the Night Visitors), and Opera Naples (King Melchior / Amahl and the Night Visitors, Professor Baehr / Little Women, Morales / Carmen).  This past fall, Stephen accepted the Emma Walter fellowship at the University of Minnesota and began his doctoral studies in voice where he currently studies with Adriana Zabala.  Recent performances in the Twin Cities area have included Rodrigo in Bellini’s I Puritani with Minnesota Concert Opera, Mozart’s Requiem with the Dakota Valley Symphony (which was broadcast on Twin Cities Public Television), and Handel’s Messiah with the Oratorio Society.  This summer he will be joining Mill City Summer Opera for his second season to sing Fiorello and cover Bartolo in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

 

Deb Haas – Dame Carruthers

Cast as a pirate (and understudy to Ruth) in The Pirates of Penzance at the tender age of twelve (her voice was lower than most of the males her age), Deb Haas was bitten by the G&S bug too early to deny its siren song.  With “cat-like tread” she sought opportunities to express her inner battle-axe and was rewarded with the role of Katisha in the Saint Olaf College production of The Mikado.  The die was cast and Deb spent the following years pursuing her noble ambition, portraying spinsterish longing and desperation on stages from Oxford University, England, to Minneapolis, to Houston, Texas and back to Minnesota.

 

Waldyn Benbenek – Sergeant Meryll

Waldyn has been doing this for a really long time.  His children believe he came ashore with the Pilgrims singing patter songs.  In fact, he did spend much of his youth memorizing Gilbert and Sullivan, though his parents refer to those as the “lost years,” and his siblings refuse to talk about it.  He managed to suppress his tendency to “patter-chorus” during his younger theatrical life.  Upon arriving in the Twin Cities during the second half of the 20th century, he discerned the signals of an underground subculture with operetta tendencies.  They met secretly in a Kenwood basement to form the GSVLOC.  Over the decades, Waldyn has served the company in many capacities, and played in many roles, mostly scoundrels and father figures.  He has also appeared around town with many fly-by-night companies in several questionable venues.  His secret identity is mild mannered computer programmer and husband of Dr. Mary Mescher Benbenek with whom he gets to dance on stage this year.  They have three children who went through a traumatic period when they learned that to “sing choruses in public” is not normal.

 

Jim Ahrens – Sir Richard Cholomondely, Lieutenant of the Tower

Jim is happy to be in his first production of The Yeomen of the Guard, as at his age there are very few “firsts” left to him.  Jim made his debut with GSVLOC in 1997’s production of The Sorcerer, and last appeared with the company in last year’s production of Patience.  Along the way, he has had the honor of playing several roles, including Lord Tolloller in Iolanthe, Major General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance, and Dick Dauntless in Ruddigore.  Jim was last seen on the Minnesota Centennial Showboat during the Christmas season, and played the title role in last summer’s Picnic Operetta production of Idomeneo.  Jim has appeared on Twin Cities stages sporadically since 1977.  He has played principal roles with many organizations, including Skylark Opera, Theatre Latte Da, Cerulean Productions, and Theatre Coup d’Etat.  He has appeared as a soloist with The Minnesota Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of Minnesota, the Des Moines Symphony, and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra. Jim is also the tenor soloist at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.  He can next be seen on the evening of May 19 as the cantor soloist in a rare performance of Dave Brubeck’s sacred oratorio The Gates of Justice at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.  In addition to singing and acting, Jim is a dialect coach and photographer, and spends his days as the very model of a modern minor bureaucrat for Hennepin County Corrections.

 

Missy Griffin – Kate

Missy is very excited to be playing the role of Kate in her first performance with the GSVLOC.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Belmont University, and a Master’s degree in vocal performance from Valdosta State University.  While at Belmont University, she participated in the premier touring choir, and played the roles of the first spirit in The Magic Flute, and Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow.  She also played the role of Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium and Adele in Die Fledermaus, in opera scenes.  Also, while living in Nashville, she had the opportunity to sing with the Nashville Opera in the chorus of The Student Prince. While getting her Master’s degree at Valdosta State, she was able to sing along side tenor, Stanford Olsen, in an opera concert production, sing the “Pie Jesu” in the VSU choral production of Faure’s Requiem, play the roles of Just Janette in Too Many Sopranos and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and also was able to perform in an original opera composed for children called The Frog, where she played the princess … not the frog!

 

Michael Burton – Leonard Meryll

This is Michael’s second show with the GSVLOC after playing the role of Bunthorne in last year’s Patience.  Having finished his undergraduate studies almost two years ago, he finally is getting a vague idea of what he wants to be when he grows up.  In addition to singing in operas, he spends his time writing and arranging music, doing crossword puzzles, and wrangling pop singers.

 

Tom Berg – First Yeoman

By day, Tom teaches constitutional law and intellectual property law as a professor and former dean at the University of Saint Thomas School of Law.  Like many other lawyers over the decades, he has an affinity for the absurdly logical mind of the failed barrister W.S. Gilbert.  Tom’s thirst for attention has been unquenched by performing in front of students in the classroom, and he joined the GSVLOC in 2008, appearing since then in several full productions and summer concerts, including a turn as the Boatswain in H.M.S. Pinafore.  He is married to Maureen Kane Berg, who he met in the cast of a student musical comedy production in law school.  He and Maureen co-directed an all-lawyer musical comedy troupe, the Public Offenders, in Chicago; and he co-composed the music for Maureen’s musical comedy, Got It Made, which has had two successful Twin Cities runs.  Their other major collaborative productions are two teenage sons, Brendan and Aidan.

 

Wric Larsen – Second Yeoman

This very company provided Wric with his first theatre experiences growing up and now he is delighted to be a part of it.  Very active in singing and acting in high school, Wric became a soloist in All-State Choir and won several competitions including Thursday Musical and Shubert Club. He made the extremely wise decision to not go to college after high school.  Due to this: in the subsequent decade he managed to find just about every possible way to not only mess up his life, but lose it along the way.  A year ago that changed.  He made some progress in becoming human once again and rewarded himself by auditioning for a production and was cast in Mixed Precipitation’s Picnic Operetta last summer.  Now, a year later, he finds himself in the GSVLOC which opened his ears and eyes to opera and theatre to begin with.  Enjoy this wonderful show!

 

Christopher Michela – The Headsman

Christopher shows up in music and theater around the Twin Cities now and then, and this is his seventh or possibly eighth appearance with the GSVLOC.  It’s getting hard to keep track.  He has been seen in A Dark and Stormy Night at Patrick’s Cabaret, Radio Traffic at the Center for Independent Artists, Angels at Precarious Audio Theater, and as the MC of the Sassy Pants Burlesque review, among other “unique” productions.  His goal in this show is to maneuver his axe through a crowded back stage area without causing anyone grievous bodily harm (Oh, and by the way, the Yeomen are soooooo jealous that he gets a big scary metal axe and they are stuck with those puny halberds).  He gives immense thanks for once again working with a great cast, director and crew, and wants you to know that Laura Bidgood is Funk Queen of the United States.

 

The Chorus

Mary Mescher Benbenek

Mary has been with the company in recurring chorus roles for many years.  This is her third production of The Yeomen of the Guard.  She is married to Waldyn Benbenk, another senior member of the company, and they have three charming teenager / young adult children.  Oh rapture!

 

Jim Brooks

Jim has had the pleasure and privilege of performing with the GSVLOC chorus for the past twenty years.  This is his second time through The Yeomen of the Guard and he has performed in all of the G&S collaborations, except Trial by Jury (it is just too short for a spring show).  When not doing G&S, Jim is the director of the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers and coordinates and calls for the First Saturday Contra Dance.  He also teaches mathematics and education at Concordia University – St. Paul.

 

L. Peter Erickson

Longer ago than he wants to remember, L. Peter once dabbled in speech and theatre.  He left the stage in 1970, thereafter performing only limited engagements in the various showers of his house and occasionally singing to himself in noisy engineering laboratories.  In 1998, he was lured back into the world of theatre, as an angel puppet for the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.  Since then, he has studied voice with Craig Fields, and Thaxter Cunio of MacPhail Center for Music.  While the sound of his voice has been compared to that of an inexpensive mandolin, he has nevertheless performed with Minnesota Opera, the Bloomington Civic Theatre, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Duluth Festival Opera, Opera on the James, Sonomento, Minnesota Concert Opera, and now for the seventh time, with the GSVLOC.

 

Jonathan Flory

Jonathan welcomes you to his Minneapolis stop on his unofficially named Twin Cities Theater and Choir Tour, now in its fourth year.  It began in Minneapolis with Ruddigore (Chorus, Robin understudy) with the GSVLOC.  Another favorite stop was 1940’s Radio Hour (Wally) with the Chameleon Theater Circle in Burnsville.  He can also be found in the pit orchestra on the violin, or even both at the same time such as his most recent tour stop in The Return of King Idomeneo (Chorus, Violin) with Mixed Precipitation. Most recently, the exotic city of Woodbury sponsored the tour where he played the Steward for Into the Woods.  Coming this October, just in time for Halloween, he will come to a home theater system near you in the film adaptation of Vampires! Horror! (Vocals) with Table Salt Productions. Having now come full circle, he is excited to be back to sing with this wonderful gang of people.  It appears touring in Des Moines (where he toured for many years before arriving in the Twin Cities) is not in the cards any time soon.  In his spare time, he works as a web developer.  Thank you for stopping by!

 

Noelle French

Noelle is thrilled to be a Townswoman in her first production with the GSVLOC.  She was most recently seen as a member of the Ensemble in the Guthrie’s 2012 production of A Christmas Carol.  Also recently, she played a favorite role, Belinda Blair, in Noises Off! at Lyric Arts Theater of Anoka. Other favorite roles include “Rhoda” in White Christmas, for which she learned to tap dance, Mammy Yokum in Li’l Abner, for which she developed a hitch in her giddyup, and as a Live Entertainment Performer for two summers at Valleyfair Amusement Park, singing Southern-Rock and Classic Country as Barbara Mandrell.  She sincerely hopes that you enjoy the show!

 

Zachary D. Garcia

Zach is pleased to be making his Minneapolis debut with the GSVLOC!  Zach’s most recent performance credit includes Bed, Bath, and Beyond (Rob) at the Apollo Theatre in Chicago.  Zach has had the opportunity to perform with the College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, Massachusetts where he held roles in Kismet (Wazir) and Guys and Dolls (Harry the Horse).  Zach graduated from Lawrence University with a BA in Music (Voice) and Theatre (Acting) and is a member of the Actor’s Workout with Raye Birk through the Guthrie Theater.  He would like to thank the entire cast and crew, teachers, friends, and his amazing family.

 

Mary Gregory

This is the second time that Mary is performing The Yoemen of the Guard with the GSVLOC, and yet she is just now realizing that she has spelled “Yeoman” incorrectly every single time she wrote it!  Mary is a naturalist at Tamarack Nature Center in White Bear Township, a position that apparently has no need for a spelling genious, because again, she found out that she has been spelling the word “genius” incorrectly, too!  “So life’s year begins and closes; Days though shortening still can shine; What though youth gave love and roses; Age still leaves us friends and wine.” … Sir Thomas More.

 

Stephen Hage

In what some might consider “the autumn of his life,” Stephen is actually happily reliving his “impetuous May and June” … in love with his beautiful bride, sharing with her their bouncing baby boy, and enjoying an entirely new experience in the theater, regularly appearing as a supernumerary with Minnesota Opera … where he carried a spear as a Babylonian Warrior in last fall’s production of Nabucco and looks forward to appearing as the assistant to a Chinese Minister in this spring’s production of Turandot.  As for his lifelong passion for Gilbert and Sullivan … it began in the eighth grade, when Stephen was cast as Sir Joseph Porter in a production of H.M.S. Pinafore and has carried him through the intervening years to this staging of The Yeomen of the Guard, which is his thirty-second appearance in a G&S production … but then, who’s counting!  Stephen has been with the GSVLOC since the distant days when he had to use lots of make-up to make himself look older … not really necessary anymore!  Stephen dedicates this, and all that he does, to his daughters, Lyndsay, Madeleine and Maya … to his son, Liam … and to his lovely and loving wife, Lara.

 

Amanda Holt

This is Amanda’s debut with the GSVLOC.  She is in the Fourth Grade at Island Lake Elementary School.  She plays violin, piano, hand bells, and recorder.  She has acted in Where the Side Walk Ends in summer theater camp at Lake Shore Players in White Bear Lake.  She lives in Shoreview with her mom, dad, and cat, Shadow.  Amanda is very excited to be in The Yeomen of the Guard because it’s her first show in which she gets to wear a costume.

 

Shawn Holt

This is Shawn’s seventh show with the GSVLOC.  She is very sorry that she doesn’t have anything funny or clever to say, but she does enjoy cooking, crocheting and knitting when not performing on stage.  Shawn lives in Shoreview with her husband Phil, daughter Amanda and cat Shadow, and is looking forward to spring if it ever comes.  She hopes you enjoy the show.

 

Kelly Houlehan

Kelly is thrilled to be making her GSVLOC debut in The Yeomen of the Guard!  A B.F.A. graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Kelly has recently performed in Urban Samurai’s Les Liasions Dangeruses (Cecile) and the Guthrie’s A Christmas Carol for the second season.  When she’s not playing on the stage, Kelly works for a youth ministry support non-profit, helping youth ministers take their programming to the next level.  Next up, you can catch Kelly in Freshwater Theatre’s (Brenda).  She hopes you enjoy your time on Tower Green and that you don’t lose your head! www.kellyhoulehan.com.

 

Julia Knoll

Julia is thrilled to be performing again with the GSVLOC.  Her love of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas was born while singing patter songs with her father on long road trips. Previous roles with the GSVLOC include Lady Angela in Patience and Ruth in Ruddigore.  Julia has performed in various other musical theater productions with the Northfield Arts Guild and the Chameleon Theatre.  When she isn’t publically berating men in uniform, she works in the department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.

 

Dean Laurance

Dean has been a bass in the men’s chorus and set builder since the company was founded in 1979.  He is the oldest member of the company by quite a margin.  How old is he? Don’t bother asking him.  Besides other problems with growing old, his memory is failing and he’s not really sure.

 

Keith Liuzzi

Keith has lots of experience in musical theater, directing the pit orchestras at Southwest High School for the last seventeen years.  Surprisingly, he has not been on stage for any theater productions.  This year, while the new Band Director directs the Southwest Musical, Tommy, Keith has his chance to make his stage debut with the GSVLOC.  As a trombonist, he played in the Ulysses Brass Quintet for eight years and continues to freelance on occasion.  As a music educator and conductor, his music groups have earned numerous awards (Outstanding Pit Orchestra for Hairspray, Les Miserables and South Pacific and Superior ratings at Large Group Contest for Wind Ensemble and Orchestra performances).  In 2012, Keith was recognized as Outstanding Jazz Educator of the Year by the Dakota Foundation (DFJE).  His jazz combos can regularly be heard on KBEM Jazz88 on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM.  The Southwest Big Band recently released a CD, “Something’s Cooking”.  As a vocalist, he solos at the Saint Paul Christian Science Church and sings tenor in the cappella groups, Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers and Gadabouts.

 

Holly MacDonald

Due to her longevity in this company, Holly is going part-time this year, sharing her chorus role with Mary Mescher Benbenek.  This is Holly’s third time doing The Yeomen of the Guard, so she was ready for a break and is enjoying the fact that she only needs to remember the words five times rather than thirteen!

 

Johna Miller

Heighdy!  This is Johna’ s first production with the GSVLOC! Johna earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Minnesota School of Music.  Two weeks after graduation, she married her exceedingly supportive husband, Nathan.  Since moving from their first apartment into a house (so that Johna could practice her above-the-staff coloratura passages without disturbing the neighbors– or their dogs), she has become actively involved in the Twin Cities’ musical theater and opera scene.  This summer Johna sang her favorite role to date: Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance.  Come see Johna in April at Eat Street Players’ production of Into the Woods as Rapunzel!

 

Charlotte Morrison

Charlotte has been with the GSVLOC since its second rehearsal – ever!  During her tenure as a member of the chorus, she has given birth to a child, raised four children (all now married), and become a grandparent (six and counting!).  She has served on the Company’s Board and now has the dubious honour of managing the box office (now you know whom to blame!).  Charlotte’s original introduction to G&S was in high school as a member of the jury in Trial by Jury.  She has performed with the GSVLOC in all of the operettas written by Gilbert and Sullivan.  During the off-season, she enjoys singing with the Saint Mark’s Cathedral Choral Society and is gradually working her way through the list of “One Thousand Places to See Before You Die.”

 

John Orbison

John has now sung in the chorus for GSVLOC stage productions of half the G&S repertoire, as well as numerous summer shows at the bandshell.  This is his second time in a title role, in case you’re wondering why he seems so proud. He is grateful to his wife, the lovely and talented GSVLOC alto, Holly MacDonald, his wonderful kids Tom and Ann, and his sister, GSVLOC accompanist Jean Van Heel, for their support and encouragement.

 

Eric Pasternack

In real life, Eric is a peripatetic petrophysicist.  Nobody knows what a petrophysicist is, so he does other more recognizable things for fun, such as singing the second tenor part in the GSVLOC chorus and doing whatever the director tells him to do on stage.  Eric’s first G&S experience was in 1963 (50 years ago!!!), as Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard.  Despite that auspicious start, he stayed off the stage for thirty years before joining the chorus of the (late) Texas Gilbert and Sullivan Company from 1994 to 1998.  He joined the GSVLOC in 2000 after moving to the great state of Minnesota.  (Note for the curious: a petrophysicist evaluates data from oil and gas wells in order to determine how much oil and gas is really down there.  Most petrophysicists live in Texas.  Eric is the only one he knows of in Minnesota.  If only we could find some oil and gas here, he wouldn’t have to be so peripatetic).

 

Wendell Peck

This is Wendell’s fourth full stage production with the GSVLOC … evidence that he has some ability to count correctly.  He has sung both baritone and tenor while with the company and currently sings tenor.  Therefore, some describe him as flexible, others as … perplexed.  Wendell has also performed with Lessismore Productions, Carpe Diem Vocal Ensemble, Got It Made Productions, the GSVLOC summer concerts, Saint Stephen’s Church and Edina choirs. When Wendell is not singing, or evading law enforcement officials, he is a business management trainer, facilitator and coach.  (I wonder if there is a website that bears his name?)  He enjoys attempting guitar and piano, international travel, golf, reading, movies, hunting, skiing, biking, motorcycles … well … this could go on and on …

 

Richard Rames

Richard enjoys “singing choruses in public” and has appeared in the chorus of every performance of the GSVLOC at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center since the first production of Patience in 1980 (more than three hundred seventy-five performances!).  He also sings regularly in other groups, including the Saint Mark’s Cathedral Choral Society and the Heinrich Schütz Winetasting Homeschool, as well as singing along with his player piano.  This is his third production of The Yeomen of the Guard and the beard called for by the director obligingly grew in with enough grey to look properly “in the autumn of our life,” as the song says.

 

Anthony Rohr

The Yeomen of the Guard marks Anthony’s second production outside of the academic realm, having graduated from Luther College in May 2011.  Consequently, this also happens to be his second show with the GSVLOC and he is very excited to be working again with this great cast!  While at Luther College, Anthony appeared as Antonio in Le Nozze de Figaro and George Jones in Street Scene.

 

Noah Ross

Noah is excited to be performing in his first GSVLOC production.  Noah’s credits include the Guthrie Theater, playing Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol the past three years (2010-2012), and Sonny Pollitt (aka No-Neck monster) in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2012).  He also performed in a 2012 Minnesota Fringe Festival production of Under A Midsummer Moon, Lyric Arts Theater’s Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Ashland Productions Willy Wonka, Lakeshore Players Stuart Little, as well as commercial / film work for ChiroCare, Best Buy, Eagle Brook Church, MNKINO Film Festival, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College.  Noah is currently a Sixth Grader at Oak Hill Montessori School in Shoreview, and lives in Hugo with his parents, younger brother Sam and the world’s best dog, Oliver.

 

Isaac Sommerfeldt

Aye Mateys!  Isaac recently stepped off the ship from his first musical experience as Coda in Pirates! The Musical with Ashland Productions.  In addition to his role as a chorus member for The Yeomen of the Guard, Isaac is a featured singer and dancer in Da Vinci Academy’s production of School House Rock.  In his free time, Isaac enjoys playing baseball and exploring new apps on his Generation 5 IPOD Touch.

 

Sierra Sommerfeldt

This is Sierra’s first production with the GSVLOC.  Sierra is fresh off of her role as Black Beat in Pirates! The Musical with Ashland Productions and thoroughly enjoying her current role of Dori in Da Vinci Academy’s production of School House Rock.  Previously, she’s been seen in Pinkalicious! The Musical and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lyric Arts.  When she’s not singing, dancing or acting her way across the stage, Sierra enjoys playing piano and doing gymnastics.

 

Rhea Sullivan

The first time Rhea performed in a production of The Yeomen of The Guard, she had recently given birth to her daughter, Brianna.  If you look closely at the 1987 cast photo of Yeomen, you will see a baby.  That’s Brianna.  In the 26 years since then, Brianna has been a faithful audience member, an understudy, an usher, a dresser and Assistant Stage Manager with the company (which she is again this year).  Rhea would like to dedicate her performance this year to Brianna, who has never outgrown her love for the GSVLOC and for Gilbert & Sullivan’s operettas.

 

Holly Windle

Oh, please don’t send her back to the farm;
In the chorus, she’s doing no harm.
Twice before she’s sung Yeomen,
So perhaps it’s an omen
That the third time around is the charm.