Fiddler on the Roof

Dylan Arredondo (Avram) Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER/National Players credits include: Beauty & the Beast, The Great Gatsby, Alice in Wonderland, Othello. DC AREA: The Kennedy Center: The Mortification of Fovea Munson; Round House Theatre: Quixote Nuevo; Signature Theatre: Daphne’s Dive; Rep Stage: The Glass Menagerie; Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing; Constellation Theatre Company: School for Lies, White Snake; Synetic Theater: Decameron, Phantom of the Opera, Snow Queen; Rorschach Theatre: Reykjavik; Spooky Action Theater: Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers.

Janine Baumgardner (Russian Soldier) is thrilled to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! DC AREA: Netflix/Shondaland/Fever: The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience; Flying V Theatre: Monstress; GALA Hispanic Theater: Jardín Salvaje; Synetic Theater: Twelfth Night [Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble], The Phantom of the Opera, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet…the rest is silence, Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Midsummer Mexico Tour, Alice in Wonderland, Shhhakespeare Revue, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Mark of Cain, and The Taming of the Shrew; Rorschach Theatre: Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea; The Welders: Hello, my name is…; Convergence Theatre: A New Nation; Pointless Theatre Co.: The Rite of Spring; Through the 4th Wall: A Dream within a Dream: Madness. EDUCATION: B.F.A. in Dance from George Mason University. Janine is a passionate health coach, choreographer, and member of the DC theater community. Instagram: @janinebaumgardner

Naomi Biel (Shprintze) is thrilled to be making her professional debut at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous credits include Imagination Stage: Aladdin (Genie), Freaky Friday (Mrs. Time), Guys and Dolls (Nicely Nicely Johnson), Newsies (Medda Larkin); Speak out on Stage Ensemble: Hero Zone, The End of the World; Maret School Production: Madagascar Junior. Naomi is in the Imagination Stage Acting Conservatory, and is currently a 7th grader at Maret School in Washington, DC. 

Ariana Caldwell (Chava) is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits include: Beauty and the Beast (Chip). DC AREA: Constellation Theatre Company: Once on this Island (Little Ti Moune); Adventure Theatre MTC: Fantastagirl and the Math Monster (Fantastagirl) [Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble in a Play]; Imagination Stage: Corduroy (Lisa). EDUCATION: BA in Theatre and Communications from the University of Maryland. Instagram: @arisymonex 

Cheryl J. Campo (Yente) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: South Pacific (Bloody Mary). Maryland credits include Damascus Theatre Company: Musical of Musicals, the Musical (Abby) [WATCH Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical]; Silhouette Stages: Calendar Girls (Cora) [Leta Hall Outstanding Ensemble in a Play]; Arts Collective: Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Director); and Baltimore Shakespeare Factory: Knight of the Burning Pestle (Old Merrythought). Cheryl is the Director of Honors and Undergraduate Research at Howard Community College. EDUCATION: PhD in Macromolecular Science from Case Western Reserve University; JD from University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Tsaitami Duchicela (Grandma Tzeitel) is overjoyed to be performing for the first time at Olney Theatre Center! DC credits: The Kennedy Center: Trans-formada (Sam); The GALA Hispanic Theatre: Rigoberta,¿Donde Estás? (Quetzal). MD credits: Roundhouse Theatre: On The Far End (Understudy Jean Chaudhuri); Adventure Theatre: Luchadora! (Liesl); Convergence Theatre: El Rostro de la Luna (Viracocha). FILM: WILL Interactive: Facing Change, Saving Springville, and Common Ground 2. DC Drag: Fabulosé: Boi Esponjoso; TransAgenda: Lonely Cat Anthem; Half&Half: Wrath of Pachamama; Cafecito: El General Mariposo; WeTheKingz: Espooky Love Story. B.S. Business & Entertainment - Multidisciplinary Arts from American University. Instagram: @Thunderboi.Tsai Youtube: @ThunderboiTsai

Olivia Michelle Fegler (Bielke) is thrilled to be making her professional debut at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! Olivia has previously performed at Arena Stage in school productions of Newsies Jr. (Spot Conlon) and Lion King Jr. (Ed) which were produced by Rise Up Theater Co. Olivia is a fifth grader at Churchill Road Elementary School.

Jay Frisby (Fyedka) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: The Music Man, Matilda, The Royale, Miss You Like Hell, South Pacific, Annie, Mary Poppins. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TOURS: South Pacific; Hong Kong Disneyland: Festival of the Lion King (Simba); Click Clack Moo; The Whiffenpoofs of Yale. REGIONAL: Connecticut Repertory Theatre: Smokey Joe’s Café; Ogunquit Playhouse: South Pacific; Papermill Theatre: West Side Story, Seussical. DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: Shout Sister Shout!, Grace; Imagination Stage: Cinderella, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Signature Theatre: The Color Purple, The Scottsboro Boys; Labor Heritage Foundation: Working; Rep Stage: Dorian’s Closet; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: The Buddy Holly Story, Miss Saigon. EDUCATION: BA in Theatre Studies from Yale University.

Caroline Graham (Swing) is thrilled to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER Debut! REGIONAL: Great Lakes Center for the Arts: Godspell (Turn Back O’ Man). DC AREA: Adventure Theatre MTC: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Lucy); Keegan Theatre: Seussical (Mayzie); NextStop Theatre: Little Women (Beth, Helen Hayes Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor); Monumental Theatre Co.: Tick…Tick…Boom! (Susan u/s). EDUCATIONAL: Carrie (Carrie); Next to Normal (Natalie). EDUCATION: Catholic University of America, BM Musical Theatre. Instagram: @grahamcare

Megan Hasse (Swing) is honored to join this cast and crew to make her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. Regional credits include: SHENANDOAH MUSIC THEATRE: Mamma Mia! (Sophie), Young Frankenstein (Elizabeth Benning), The Sound of Music (Sister Margaretta); MAC-HAYDN THEATRE: Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt), Damn Yankees (Gloria Thorpe); NEW PARADIGM THEATRE: Footloose (Ariel Moore); BEEF & BOARDS DINNER THEATRE: Saturday Night Fever (Pauline); ARGYLE THEATRE: West Side Story (Minnie, Somewhere Soloist). Education: BFA in Musical Theatre from Montclair State University. All my love to family and friends. Big thanks to Irene, John, and Daniel.

CHESS JAKOBS (Lazar Wolf) Regional: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre, and Olney Theatre. TV: Bravo, NBC, and BET. University of Michigan Alum. Love to Cody, Mom, Dad, and My Village. Thanks to Peter, Hallie, Jason, AEA, and SDC. For Rabbi Grossman and every Jewish ancestor. L'chaim!  chessjakobs.com. 

Howard Kaye (Tevye) is happy to be making his debut at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. BROADWAY: Miss Saigon. OFF-BROADWAY: Skittles Commercial, Silence! The Musical, Pip’s Island. NATIONAL TOUR: Mamma Mia! REGIONAL: Ogunquit Playhouse: The Da Vinci Code (Jacques Sauniere) ; Gulfshore Playhouse : Barefoot In The Park (Victor Velasco) ; Pioneer Theatre : Something Rotten (Shylock) ; Pioneer Theatre : The Prom (Sheldon) ; Goodspeed: Oklahoma (Ike Skidmore); Pioneer Theatre : Elf (Greenway) ; Actors Theatre of Louisville : Dracula (Dracula) ; Pioneer Theatre: Oliver (Bill Sykes); Florida Studios Theatre: Tom Jones (Western/Dowling); Signature Theatre : The Visit (Lenny). EDUCATION : Juilliard. 

Noah Keyishian (Perchik) is excited to work on his first production at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. REGIONAL: La Jolla Playhouse: Love All; Here There Are Blueberries; Humana Festival of New American Plays: Are You There?; Actors Theatre of Louisville: Tell the Truth, A Christmas Carol, Dracula, The Brief History of Francois Le Chou Chou; Manhattan Repertory Theatre: Favors. EDUCATION: MFA in Acting from UC San Diego. Website: www.noahkeyishian.com

Ariel Messeca (Mendel) is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATER CENTER where he performed in Beauty and the Beast and Singing in the Rain. Favorite credits include: Toby’s Dinner Theater: Spongebob..., Spamalot, The Addams Family, Something Rotten, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia!, Kinky Boots and Young Frankenstein; The World Stage: Amazing Grace (Einhorn/Whitley); Columbia Immersive Theater: Spamalot (Sir Lancelot); Way Off Broadway DT: Anything Goes (Billy Crocker), Into the Woods (Cinderella's Prince); Muhlenberg SMT Godspell (Judas); and Shenandoah SMT: Oklahoma! (Ike). Instagram: @arimesseca @SMTgraphicnovel

Robert Mintz (Innkeeper/Nachum) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: On The Town, Mary Poppins, Evita, The Producers (Carmen Ghia), The Little Mermaid (Jetsam).  NEW YORK: Actors Fund: Miracle on 34th Street; NYMF: Seeing Stars, Shine! REGIONAL: Riverside Theatre: 42nd Street; The Fulton: The Nutcracker; Gateway Playhouse: West Side Story.  DC AREA: The Kennedy Center: Children of Eden, Broadway: Three Generations (Girl Crazy, Bye Bye Birdie, Sideshow); Arena Stage: My Fair Lady; Signature Theatre: Crazy For You, The Visit; NextStop Theatre Company: Singin' in the Rain; Toby's Dinner Theatre: High School Musical, Kiss Me, Kate; Adventure Theatre: What's a Wolf to Do?  EDUCATION: BM from CUA. Instagram: @mintzterpiecetheater

Sasha Olinick (Rabbi) is excited to return OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous Olney Theatre credits: Beauty and the Beast (Maurice); Other DC area credits include: Hub Theatre (company member), Arena Stage, ExPats Theatre, First Stage, Folger Shakespeare Library, Imagination Stage, Kennedy Center, MetroStage, Mosaic Theater Company, Rep Stage, Round House Theatre, Spooky Action, Solas Nua, Studio Theatre, and Theater J. Regional Credits: American Shakespeare Center, Bald Mountain Theater, Merry Go Round Playhouse, Ocean State Lyric Opera, Trinity Rep Company, and Vermont Stage. Film and Television Credits: Enemy of The Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story, Minyan Duty, VEEP. Sasha holds an MFA in acting from The Trinity Rep Conservatory and teaches acting at Montgomery College, the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art and through the Educational Theatre Company.

Pepin they/he/she (Fruma-Sarah) is so happy to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER where you may have caught them in the Applause Series' West Side Story, as Chip in Beauty & the Beast, or as a National Player on Tour 71. NATIONAL TOUR: On Your Feet!. REGIONAL: Nashville Shakespeare Festival: Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale; Birmingham Children’s Theatre: Alice in Wonderland. DC AREA: GALA Hispanic Theatre: On Your Feet! En Español [Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production in a Musical]; Adventure Theatre: Fantastagirl and the Math Monster. Pan Underground: Red Bike. Instagram: @mirandapepin

Maisie Posner (Bielke) is very pleased to make her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. Previous professional credits are Rebecca Gibbs in Our Town at the Shakespeare Theatre, and a developmental reading of The Story of Walter by Audrey Cefaly at Signature Theatre. At Friends Community School, where Maisie is in the 7th grade, she appeared as The Trunchbull in Matilda.

Daniel Powers (Russian Soldier/Dance Captain) is happy to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER Credits include: Kinky Boots (Angel); Select Regional: West Side Story (The MUNY); She Loves Me, A Chorus Line, Billy Elliot (Signature Theatre); A Chorus Line (Paul, Phoenix Theatre Company); West Side Story (Chino, Flat Rock Playhouse) Special thanks to my support system of family, friends and coaches. Love you all. Instagram: @Daniel.powers_  Website: daniel-powers.com

Graciela Rey (Fiddler) is grateful to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits include: West Side Story in Concert (Francisca) and Beauty and the Beast (Swing). DC Area : GALA Hispanic Theatre: On Your Feet! ¡En español! (Ensemble/ U/S Gloria Estefan); NextStop Theatre: In The Heights (Vanessa); Adventure Theatre: Make Way For Ducklings (Mrs. Mallard) [Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical]; Imagination Stage: Paper Dreams and The Snow Queen; Arts on the Horizon: Fitting In. REGIONAL: Athena (Athena) Gloucester Stage Company. Instagram: @graci_rey

Russell Rinker (Constable) Russell is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! Previous Olney credits—Concert Series productions of Pippin (Charlemagne) and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Russell was a Blue Man in the world-famous Blue Man Group for several years including Off-Broadway, Las Vegas (5 yrs), and two North American Tours. NATIONAL TOUR—Amazing Grace. REGIONAL—Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Tybalt), Goodspeed Opera House, Los Angeles Opera. DC AREA—Toby’s: South Pacific (Emile), Show Boat! (Ravenal), 1st Stage: A Civil War Christmas (Lincoln), NextStop Theatre: Catch Me If You Can (Hanratty), Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre—The Music Man (Harold Hill), Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), Riverside CPA—A Christmas Story (The Old Man). TV—Arrested Development, Shake It Up! (feat. Zendaya), The Tonight Show. Russell is an experienced musician and fight choreographer, and a graduate of The College of William and Mary. Instagram: @russellrinker

Cristian Rodriguez (Swing) is beyond excited to be a part of this story. He gives all thanks and glory to his Lord Jesus Christ, who he is nothing without. Credits include: How To break (Village Theatre), A Chorus Line, In The Heights (STAGES St. Louis). Film: I Married Nora, Shame. Much love to all my support. Romans 10:9

Sophie Schulman (Tzeitel) is thrilled to join her first cast at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous credits include: OFF-BROADWAY: Piggy Nation. NATIONAL TOUR: A Little Princess. REGIONAL: Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble: Anne Frank, The Merchant of Venice, Manuscript. DC AREA: Mosaic Theater: Private. Toby's Dinner Theater: Hairspray, Into the Woods. Imagination Stage: Davy Copperfield, Anatole. 1st Stage: A Civil War Christmas. NextStop Theatre Company: Bad Jews. Adventure Theater: Blueberries for Sal, Alexander and the Terrible..., Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook, Winterfest. Prologue Theatre: Dog Sees G-d, as well as developmental work with The Kennedy Center, Theater J, Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Jewish Plays Project, and Flying V. EDUCATION: BA in Musical Theatre, American University.

DeMone Seraphin (Lazar Wolf) is an actor, director, artistic director and educator. As an actor, DeMone has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regionally, and Internationally as a principal or featured performer in such shows as Ragtime, Miss Saigon, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Memphis, and Sideshow (Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actor In A Musical) among others. On-screen DeMone has appeared in Person of Interest, Law and Order SVU, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, and Hush, among others. Recent directing credits include Stick Fly at Omaha Playhouse, Five Guys Named Moe at Fulton Theatre, the Regional Premiere of Chicken and Biscuits at Virginia Rep, and Topdog Underdog (Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play), at Avant Bard where he served as a Lead Producing Partner. DeMone has been a guest lecturer, artist in residence, or visiting professor/director at Harvard University, Princeton University, Ryder University, NYU Steinhardt, University of Virginia, and the University of Utah. DeMone is a member of the Tony Award honored Broadway Inspirational Voices.

Rachel Stern (Golde) is thrilled to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. BROADWAY: Girl From The North Country, Shrek The Musical, High Fidelity, Tarzan. T.V. CREDITS: The Deuce, Blacklist, Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, Louie, The Big C, Unforgettable, and lead singer in the movie My Depression. A graduate of NYU Tisch (Lee Strasberg Studio,) Rachel has voiced many characters in animation, video games, and commercials, is a proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA. Instagram: @juststern Website: therachelstern.com

Daphne Wheeler (Shprintze) is delighted and proud for her first performance at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous credits: Sandy Spring Theater Group: Alice in Wonderland (Five of Hearts/Dormouse/Loreena/Alice Understudy); Damascus Theatre Company: Aladdin (Kassim); Maryland Ensemble Theatre: Finding Nemo (Bruce); Spotlight Theatre: Frozen (Sven), Lion King, Into the Woods. She is studying in a pre-professional musical theater program at Imagination Stage. Outside of theater, this 9th grade homeschooler loves to cook her family meals, walk her two dogs, read, and sing with her little sister.

Michael Wood (Motel) Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits: Disney's Beauty and the Beast ('21, '22), Dance Nation, Miss You Like Hell, Singin’ in the Rain; Applause Series: Dessa Rose, Pippin. REGIONAL: Ford’s Theatre: Shout, Sister, Shout!. DC AREA: Imagination Stage: Cinderella; Rep Stage: The 39 Steps; Her Majesty & Sons: Twelfth Night; ACA/Shakespeare Theatre: Coriolanus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. BOSTON: Gloucester Stage: Gloria; Lyric Stage Co.: Follies; The Gold Dust Orphans: Peter Pansy, All About Christmas Eve, The Phantom of the Oprah, Whizzin’; Charles Playhouse: Shear Madness. Wheelock Family Theatre: The Phantom Tollbooth, Peter Pan. MAINE: Theater at Monmouth: As You Like It, Richard II, The Importance of Being Earnest. Good Theater: Shear Madness, Act One. Company member with Only Make Believe. EDUCATION: M.F.A. in Classical Acting from Shakespeare Theatre/GW; B.A. in French and English/Theatre from Bowdoin College; Ecole Jacques Lecoq; Théâtre du Soleil. Instagram: @theonlymichaelwood

Sumié Yotsukura (Hodel) is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits include: Beauty & the Beast and Okuni (workshop). REGIONAL: Transcendence Theatre Company: The Full Monty. DC AREA: Signature Theatre: King of the Yees; The Kennedy Center TYA: The Mortification of Fovea Munson (u/s Fovea); Round House Theatre: Jennifer, Who Is Leaving; Free Range Humans: Triangle. EDUCATION: BA in Theatre and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies from William & Mary; British American Drama Academy. Instagram: @sumie.yotsukura

James Zannelli is thrilled to be making his Olney Theatre debut as Tevye! Select credits: Ensemble/Bishop of Digne/Thenardier u/s in Les Misérables (25th Anniversary National Tour), Javert in Les Misérables (Phoenix Theatre), Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (White Plains PAC), Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar (Pittsburgh CLO) Simon Stride in Jekyll & Hyde (North Carolina Theatre). James has also worked with NY City Center Encores, Fulton Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House, Ogunquit Playhouse, Arizona Theater Company, Sacramento Music Circus and Arizona Opera. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcomed. www.jameszannelli.com

Peter Flynn (Director) is grateful to be returning to the OLNEY THEATRE CENTER where he directed Matilda in 2019. He most recently directed the world premiere of the new musical, Calling Us Home by Alice Gillham in Cape Town, South Africa. The show will tour Europe in the spring of 2024. His New York credits include the premiere of Smart Blonde by Willy Holtzman starring Andréa Burns; Curvy Widow at the Westside Theatre; & Rhapsody in Seth starring Seth Rudetsky at the Actors’ Playhouse. Chess with Josh Grobin and Sutton Foster; Funny Girl with Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Krakowski, & Bebe Neuwirth; and On the Twentieth Century with Douglas Sills, and Marin Mazzie.Other credits include Eyes of the World, a multi-media symphonic performance at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Sweeney Todd starring Terrence Mann; Into the Woods for Ford’s Theatre; Born Yesterday for the Maltz-Jupiter Theatre; Andrea Martin’s one woman show, Andrea Martin: Final Days Everything Must Go; and Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop. Peter is proud to serve as Board President for Live And In Color a not-for-profit theatre organization dedicated to the development of plays and musicals by and for BIPOC Artists. He is an Associate Professor in Musical Theatre at Montclair State University, and a graduate of Northwestern University.

Lorna Ventura (Choreographer) Lorna’s exceptional career includes work on the Original Broadway productions of shows such as Wicked, Grease, All Shook Up, Harlem Song, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and The Life, as an Original Cast Member or Associate Choreographer —alongside elite directors such as George C. Wolfe (Harlem Song), Joe Mantello (Wicked), Charles Randolph Wright (American Prophet), Jerry Mitchell (Grease), and Kathleen Marshall (Nice Work if you Can Get It). These collaborations allowed her to hone her craft and transition with grace into the Director/Choreographer’s seat. This season: Nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for outstanding choreography for American Prophet at Arena Stage, The Life at Encores alongside Billy Porter as the Associate Choreographer, Director/Choreographer, Christmas in Hell, Las Vegas Premiere, Reinkus Heinz Theater and Destiny of Desire, directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson, premiered at The Old Globe this past summer. Thrilled to be working with Peter Flynn again and premiering at Olney Theatre. 

Chris Youstra (Music Director) As the past resident music director, Mr. Youstra has music directed and conducted over 45 musicals at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER, including Kinky Boots, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, A.D. 16, Cabaret, Matilda, Once, On the Town, In the Heights, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical, Carousel, Godspell, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and has also music directed at many of the other local theaters including Ford’s Theatre: Ragtime, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Studio Theatre 2nd Stage: Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Passing Strange; Studio Theatre: Adding Machine: A Musical; Round House Theatre: Once on This Island, A Murder A Mystery A Marriage, The Summer of ‘42, and The World Goes ‘Round; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Les Misérables, The Color Purple, Titanic, Beauty and the Beast; Imagination Stage; The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences; Arena Stage; Burn Brae Dinner Theatre; Montgomery College; American University; Musical Theatre Center; Signature Theatre; and Columbia Center for the Theatrical Arts. Mr. Youstra has been nominated for twelve Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Music Direction and received the award for Titanic. He was director of music at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Columbia for 29 years, has worked with both Phoenix Productions and Troika Entertainment national touring companies and toured both Europe and Korea with Smokey Joe’s Café. As a composer, Mr. Youstra’s music has been heard throughout the area, including The Dancing Princesses at Imagination Stage, Big Nate: The Musical (with Jason Loewith), the Helen Hayes Awards, the 2014 Summer Hummer, and the opening gala of the ATLAS center.

Milagros Ponce de León (Set Designer) Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits include: Kinky Boots, The Thanksgiving Play, Matilda the Musical, In the Heights, Carousel, and Once on this Island. Recent regional credits include Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard by Pearl Cleage at Ford’s Theatre, Kumanana at Gala Hispanic Theatre, and Silent Sky at Asolo Rep. Additional D.C Area include Silent Sky, Into the Woods, Jefferson’s Garden, and Ragtime at Ford’s Theatre. Regional Credits include work at Cincinnati Playhouse, Signature, Round House, Everyman Theatre, Imagination Stage, The Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre in NYC, and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte among others. Milagros Heads the B.F.A. Program in Theatre Design & Technology at Penn State. She holds MFA degrees in Studio Arts and Scenic Design from University of Maryland and a B.F.A. in Painting from Catholic University of Peru. Milagros is a five-time Helen Hayes Nominee for Scenic Design in the Washington, D.C. area, she is a member of USA-829, and an Associate Artist at Ford’s Theatre.

Pei Lee (Costume Designer) was born in Taiwan but has also called home to Spain, Chile, Brazil, and USA where she has worked professionally for the past 20 years and is delighted to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Her design credits include–Artscape Theatre (Cape Town, South Africa): Calling Us Home - The Musical; OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: The Amateurs, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical [Helen Hayes Award Nomination- Best Costume Design for a Musical], My Fair Lady, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Tempest, Cinderella, The 39 Steps, Triumph of Love, The Call of the Wild, Peter Pan, Big River, Democracy, Miracle Worker, Carousel, Copenhagen, and Monster; National Players: Macbeth, Comedy of Errors, Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, Animal Farm, Twelfth Night, The Call of the Wild; Forum Theatre: Skriker, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot [Helen Hayes Award Nomination- Outstanding Ensemble]; Rorschach Theatre: References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot; Catalyst Theatre: 1984; Adventure Theatre MTC: Ugly Duckling, The Jungle Book; Potomac Theatre Project: No End of Blame; Loyola College: Dimly Perceived Threats to the System; UMBC: Gum. Education: MFA from University of Connecticut. For Jeanne Bland.

Max Doolittle (Lighting Designer) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: Kinky Boots, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Elf, South Pacific, Every Brilliant Thing, My Fair Lady. DC Area: Ford’s Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Round House Theatre, Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Mosaic Theatre, Theatre Alliance,Theatre J, Rep Stage, Kennedy Center/Second City, Imagination Stage, Forum Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Constellation Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Academy for Classical Acting, Pointless Theatre Co, NextStop Theatre. NYC includes Ars Nova, Juilliard School, New Ohio Theatre, New World Stages. Regional includes Geffen Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Artscentric, Kitchen Theatre Company, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Fulton Theatre. Lighting direction for television includes Anderson Cooper 360, Piers Morgan Live. Aboard Cruise Ships: Wine Lovers, The Musical. BFA: Ithaca College. MFA: University of Maryland.

Matt Rowe (Sound Designer) is proud to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Olney Theatre Center: The World Goes ‘Round, Kinky Boots, The Music Man, Headwig and the Angry Inch, A.D 16, Beauty & the Beast, Miss You Like Hell, Cabaret, Once, In The Heights, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, A Chorus Line; Kennedy Center: Orphie and the Book Of Heroes, First You Dream, Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred!), Nobody’s Perfect. MetroStage: The Last Five Years; Signature Theatre: No Place to Go, Miss Saigon, Company, The Last Five Years, Shakespeare’s R&J, Dreamgirls, Dying City, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Xanadu, God of Carnage, Brother Russia, Really Really, Hairspray (Helen Hayes nomination), A Second Chance, Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, The Boy Detective Fails, The Hollow, Side by Side by Sondheim, Art, And the Curtain Rises, Sunset Boulevard, Walter Cronkite is Dead, A Fox on the Fairway, Chess, Sycamore Trees, [title of show], Sweeney Todd, Show Boat, First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb, Dirty Blonde, Giant, The Little Dog Laughed, Les Miserables, Anyone Can Whistle in Concert, The Visit, The Happy Time, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Glory Days, Merrily We Roll Along, The Witches of Eastwick. Norwegian Cruise Lines: Million Dollar Quartet, Rock Of Ages.

Ali Pohanka (Wig Designer) is excited to return to the OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous Olney Theatre Center credits include: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady, Annie, On the Town, South Pacific, Labour of Love, Mary Stuart, Matilda, Cabaret, The Royale, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. NATIONAL TOUR: Disney’s Frozen (Associate Makeup Designer). REGIONAL: Palm Beach Opera: La boheme, Pagliacci, Die Zauberflöte; Opera Orlando: Carmen (Makeup Designer); Quintessence Theatre: The Skin of Our Teeth; Atlanta Opera: Sweeney Todd (Associate Designer); Annapolis Opera: Faust, South Pacific, Little Women, Barber of Seville; Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma: Big Fish. DC AREA: Round House Theatre: Caroline, or Change; Signature Theater: Which Way to the Stage, Sweeney Todd (Makeup Designer, Assistant Wig Designer), Passion (assistant), Billy Elliot (assistant). Wolf Trap Opera; Don Giovanni (Assistant Wig Designer). FILM: Servant (Key Makeup Artist), The Cosmos Sisters (Key Hair and Makeup). UPCOMING: Palm Beach Opera Tosca, Norma, Tales of Hoffmann (Makeup Designer) EDUCATION: B.A. in Art History from Oberlin College.

Chess Jakobs any pronouns (Assistant Director) Broadway: Heart of Rock and Roll (AD). Off-Broadway: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (AD/Dramaturg). Regional: Olney Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Alliance Theatre. TV: Bravo, NBC, BET. Philanthropy: People Over Plastic, Girl Plus Environment, Black in Environment. Chess is the Advisory Chair of Broadway Dreams Foundation and on the Voting Committee for the DC Environmental Film Festival. University of Michigan Alum. Love to Cody, Mom, Dad, and My Village. For Rabbi Grossman. L'chaim! Instagram: @chessjakobs

John Keith Hall (Stage Manager) Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits include: Beauty and the Beast, Singin’ In The Rain, Cabaret, Matilda, Elf the Musical, On The Town, The Crucible, Annie, Sweeney Todd, Mary Poppins, and The Producers. Studio Theatre: many productions including Fun Home, Espejos:Clean, Bad Jews, Choir Boy, Torch Song Trilogy, 4000 Miles, History Boys, Adding Machine: A Musical. Signature Theatre: Passing Strange, Ain’t Misbehavin’, West Side Story. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Where We Belong, Hi, Are You Single, Shipwreck, The Peculiar Patriot, Gloria, Familiar, Hir, An Octoroon, and The Nether. Regional credits include CATF, Virginia Musical Theatre, Shadowland Stages, and the Barter Theatre. John is a graduate of Longwood University and a proud member of Actors Equity Association.

Rebecca Talisman she/they (Assistant Stage Manager) makes their Olney Theatre debut! 1st Stage: columbinus, How the Light Gets In; Kennedy Center: Acoustic Rooster…Starring Indigo Blume (tour), All That You Touch (workshop), Super Cello!, Mosaic Theater: The Vagrant Trilogy,  Paper Dolls, Queens Girl in Africa; The Second City: The Revolution Will Be Improvised!; Theater J:  Love Sick, Occupant, Talley’s Folly, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, The Wanderers; UrbanArias: Glory Denied; The Juliet Letters, Why I Live at the P.O.; Williamstown Theatre Festival: Paris, ACTORS! (dir. Jack O’Brien), The Pillowman (dir. Lila Neugebauer), Three Sisters.  BFA, Music Composition, Carnegie Mellon University.