What do space aliens, breakfast foods, and the president of the United States have in common? This is a question that only the Creative Stage Spectacular can answer. Join us for a night of fabulous music by internationally acclaimed musicians set alongside the quirky sketches devised by our multigenerational troupe! This year we’ve got an evil tooth fairy, an Airbnb in the Amazon Jungle, Gen Z slang, and much more!

PROGRAM
*all song arrangements are parodies with newly devised lyrics created by our writing team
California Cavern
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 by J.S.Bach
Missing Items Anonymous
“Sit Down Your Rockin’ The Boat” from Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser
Used McDonald’s Cup
Evil Tooth Fairy
Act I Trio from Die Zauberflöte by W.A.Mozart
Duo Lingo Gen Z
Forgotten Birthday
“Una vela, una vela” from Otello by Verdi
Pet Store
“If they could see me now” from Sweet Charity by Cy Coleman
Ninja Princess
“Je veux vivre” from Roméo and Juliette by Gounod
Jungle AirBnb
Hello Wall
“Smooth Operator” by Sade Adu
Out of Time Funeral Home
Naughty School
“America” from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
Coffee Mate
“Single Ladies”, by Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart,
The New Yorkinator
Oatmeal in the Oval Office
Boil Them Cabbages Down - Folk Song

ARTISTS

Madeline Bender - Director

Madeline is the Founder and Director of Creative Stage Collective. She has had a rich career as an international opera singer, writer, director and producer and educator. She specializes in devising original work with multi-generational, multidisciplinary groups.

Madeline has created numerous devised performances for CSC including Instrumental Storytellers at Symphony Space, in collaboration with Concert Artists Guild, the annual Creative Stage Spectacular performances at Symphony Space (2018, 2019, 2020 via Zoom, 2022, 2023), Creative Stage Uptown at the Alvin Ailey Room at the Harry Belafonte Branch of the NYPL; and Musical Madlibs, performed for Carnegie Hall Fall Family Day (2018), and again in Auckland New Zealand with the renown NZTrio (2021).

Originally an operatic soprano, Madeline has worked with notable opera directors such as Sir Peter Hall, Robert Wilson, David McVicar, Paul Curran, and Sir Jonathan Miller. She has appeared as Euridice in Orphée at Le Theatre du Chatelet, with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting; Helene in A Midsummer Night's Dream (La Monnaie, Brussels, Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Konstanza in Mozart's Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Baden Baden, Aix en Provence); Violetta in La Traviata (Santa Fe Opera); Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (New York Philharmonic), and Handel's Messiah (Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with Sir Andrew Davis conducting).

Also a passionate performing arts educator, Madeline founded Creative Stage in 2012. Her innovative arts curricula in the fields of music, theater, dance, and filmmaking are taught across Manhattan in esteemed private and public schools, alike.

Madeline, along with partner, CSC Advisory Board member, Timothy Long, is the Founder and Director of Voices of Hope, an annual opera gala event which raised over $250,000 to provide life-changing education to severely underprivileged children around the globe. This gala has hosted esteemed international artists such as: Samantha Hanky, Anna Christy, Erin Morley, Meagan Miller, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Gordon Geitz, John Belemer, Bryan Register, Jonathan Boyd, Christopher Herbert, to name just a few

Madeline received her Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She lives in NYC with her husband, operatic bass Paul Whelan, and their fifteen-year-old son, Zachary.

Madeline is the producer and director of the Creative Stage Spectacular. She also contributes as chief lyricist, and part of the script writing team.

Katelyn candiello

Katelyn Candiello (actor/singer) is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She just finished touring with the international company of the Wizard of Oz as the dance captain and the understudy for Glinda and the Wicked Witch. She is now the associate choreographer for the production as it travels to China, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. She has performed multiple times with CSC in the Creative Stage Spectacular, the Zoom-tacular, and Summer Shebang!

Jim Conroy

Jim Conroy (SAG-AFTRA) is an Actor/Writer/Producer. His 20+ years in the industry runs the gamut from Voice Overs featured in commercials, cartoons, animated film and video games, to OnCamera work in film, television, commercials and interactive gaming. His work for “Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman” on PBS has garnered Jim five Emmy Nominations over the 100-episode series. Currently, Jim can be seen as the spokesperson for TD Ameritrade’s Green Room campaign, heard as the Animated Spokescreature for Xiidra, and is featured in the new HBO MAX Animated Series, JELLYSTONE, where he plays the roles of Huckleberry Hound and Captain Caveman. Other recent credits include The Casagrandes (Nickelodeon), The Cuphead Show (Netflix) and the Marvel audio epic, Wastelanders: Hawkeye. He’s currently working on two animated series for a major network and awaiting the release of two others this year.

andrew Dolan

Andrew Dolan’s acting credits include American Daughter (Broadway), Strictly Dishonorable (Vineyard), Pink, Ted Kaczynski (SPF), What Then (Clubbed Thumb), Tree House (NY Stage & Film), Measure for Measure (Target Margin) UK: Edmond (National Theatre). The Woods (National Studio), Boy from the Book (English Touring Theatre). Regional: Mamba’s Daughters (Spoleto Festival), Burn This, Marco Millions, Cyrano, 12th Night, Hapgood (ACT), Substance of Fire. Savage/Love (Magic Theatre), Loot, Amadeus (Arizona Theatre Co.), Road to Nirvana, Down the Road, Boy’s Life, Coming Attractions (Encore Theatre). TV/Film: “Chicago Med”, “Your Honor”, “Search Party”, “The Good Cop”, “The Americans”, “The Good Cop”, “Elementary”, “Blue Bloods”, “The Tick”, “Bull”, “Good Wife”, “Black List”, “House of Cards”, “Person of Interest”, “Conviction”, all “Law & Orders”, “Madoff”, “Jezebel James”, Handsome Harry (Tribeca ’09) Unstoppable, Partners in Crime, 28 Days, Ash Tuesday. Deal Breakers (Sundance ’07), Training: Bowdoin College, American Conservatory Theatre. Andrew is a former SAG Board Member and former Artistic Director of Encore Theatre Company. As a writer he has written and produced several award winning short films and optioned several film scripts. His play The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King won the Ovation Award for Best Play in Los Angeles. His play That Good Night won the David Calicchio Award at Marin Theatre Company. His work has been developed with Playwrights Horizons, Clubbed Thumb, EST West, NY Stage & Film, Berkshire Playwrights’ Lab, Intar, Road Theatre, Mile Square Theatre, and Barrington Stage Company. In addition to the Stella Adler Studio, Andrew Dolan has taught at ACT, AMDA and the American Academy of Dramatic Art.

victoria gibbs

Victoria grew up dancing classical ballet from the age of four years old. She trained at a pre-professional level at the Princeton Ballet School, directly under The American Repertory Ballet, the professional company of New Jersey. She attended summer intensive programs with American Ballet Theatre, as well as trained in the South of France with students from the Paris Opera Ballet. After an unfortunate knee injury, her focus shifted, and inevitably decided to attend Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, she participated in the dance ensemble. After college, she stopped dancing completely and turned her love of movement into a passion for yoga. She is now a yoga instructor, model for Alo Yoga, fitness influencer, and health and wellness entrepreneur. This is her first time dancing in any capacity since college and hopefully a new beginning to pursue her former passion.

samantha greenlund - choreographer

Samantha Greenlund is a graduate of Oklahoma City University, specializing in Dance. Her performance career ranges from large scale residency shows in Las Vegas and Paris, to dancing for names such as Jennifer Lopez and Olivia Newton-John in Los Angeles and New York and everything in-between. Dance has given her the opportunity to both travel and live all over the world! Her Passion is choreographing and has done so for musicals, as well as individual projects and showcases. Along with performing here in NYC, she teaches youth throughout the boroughs. She loves sharing the joy of dance!

Nicole Greevy

Audioverse award-winning actress, Nicole Greevy has performed around the country, and is best known as the voice of Sheriff Rowland in the hit podcast Uncanny County. As a writer, she has worked in TV, film and theater, including Living in Captivity (Official Selection, NY and LA Independent Television Festivals and 28 Years Later (Finalist, Sam French OOB Short Play Festival).

Nicole Greevy is also an invaluable member of the Creative Stage Collective script writing team, and frequently participates in devising sessions with the youth troupe.

sheri graubert

Sheri Graubert is an accomplished Anglo-American actress, who has performed all over the world. Her portrayal of Isabella in Measure for Measure, was described as ‘immaculate,’ by the New York Times.

She has worked extensively, in a wide variety of styles, from the classics to the very new, and with a range of companies and directors on both sides of the Atlantic. Sheri has toured the world performing Shakespeare with Cheek by Jowl, worked on the oldest story known to man (Gilgamesh) with the National Theatre in London, performed at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York City, and originated parts in numerous modern plays with companies such as Clubbed Thumb in NYC and Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London.

Sheri Graubert is also an award-winning, published playwright. Her plays have been produced in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., London, Tokyo, the Philippines, Australia as well as many other countries and cities.

Sheri’s debut middle grade, historical fiction novel, Molly Shipton, Secret Actress, was published by Clear Fork Publishing on September 27th, 2022. It has already won a LitPick 5-Star Award, a 5-Star review from Author’s Reading Weekly and several 5-Star Amazon reviews. Sheri’s children’s play, Rick Spacey & the Space Cadets continues its eleven year run in New York City children’s hospitals. The company approached Sheri to write the sequel.

Sheri is also a vital contributor to the CSC writing team, and frequently helps in devising sessions with the youth troupe.

britt hewitt

Britt Hewitt is a New York City based soprano. Her work as a performer has been described as “poignant,” “brilliant,” (OperaWire), “vocal alchemy” (Parterre Box), and “charismatic” (New York Classical Review). A devoted experimentalist, she is often working with composers on new pieces, or writing herself. She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, and is a staff chamber choir singer at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. Hewitt is fortunate to have performed numerous roles, including Pamina in The Magic Flute, the Spirit in Dido and Aeneas, Miles in The Turn of the Screw, the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Chrissy in the musical Hair, Blanche de la Force in a devised work entitled There's Blood Between Us, based on Dialogues of the Carmelites. She has created many roles as well, such as Dawn in Everything for Dawn, written for television, and Fatuus/Paulus in Gracchus. Hewitt has performed with many organizations across the world, including National Sawdust, Le Château de Versailles, Opera Holland Park, The American Opera Project, Opera Harmony, Artpark, The Stone, BeComEnsemble, and Experiments in Opera. She was the first vocalist to be a young artist at the historic Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, which she attended in 2020 and 2021.

Hewitt is also an accomplished singer/songwriter, composer, and music producer. For more information, and for inquiries, please visit www.britthewitt.com

Tiffany Iris

Tiffany Iris is a versatile artist with credits ranging from puppetry (Riddles of the Trilobites at the New Victory Theater and The Wildlife Witches Super Scary Halloween Show at the Bronx Zoo) to Shakespeare (Island Shakespeare Festival).

Tiffany received training from Alan Langdon at Circle in the Square Theatre School, with theatrical projects ranging from straight plays to short films. Also a singer, Tiffany played the role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors for which she was nominated for an Irene Ryan acting scholarship. As a proud Latina, proving to the world that you can create beautiful, meaningful and fun content without having to be stereotyped drives Tiffany to continue in this unpredictable yet rewarding career path.

david lutken - oatmeal band leader

David is a versatile actor and musician. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, The 92nd St Y, at Cooper Union, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, with the North Carolina Symphony and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, on NPR, the BBC, Pol- skie Radio Troika, ORF Austria, Voice Of America, and The Louisiana Hayride.

With Woody Sez, he and his company have toured Europe, the British Isles, China, the Middle East and The United States. David won the Helen Hayes and the Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie.

Broadway performances include: Inherit the Wind; Ring of Fire; and The Civil War; The Will Rogers Follies. He has also performed with New York City Opera as Paul Bunyan.

Other performances include: Our Town; Man of La Mancha; Big River; Elmer Gantry; Finian’s Rainbow; The Will Rogers Follies; Fire On The Mountain; Lost Highway; Buddy; Pump Boys and Dinettes; The Love List; The Man Who Came to Dinner; On Golden Pond; Mark Twain’s River of Song; Almost Heaven, and most recently, a ‘play-with-music’ from an original story by his wife, Director/Choreographer Sherry Lutken: The Porch on Windy Hill (nominated for four 2021 Connecticut Critics’ Circle Awards).

Tonna miller

Hailed by the New York Times as “fresh” and “sweet-toned,” and described in Opera News as having a “sugar-tipped soprano,” Tonna Miller is equally at home in the major opera houses of America and on Broadway, Ms. Miller has been heard at the Metropolitan Opera as Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and as the fiery Carlotta Giudicelli in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera for her Broadway debut. With New York City Opera, she has been heard as Johanna in Sweeney Todd, as Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in Carmen, Helen Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra.

Ms. Miller has been heard as Marilyn Monroe in Do Not Go Gentle with Phoenicia Festival of the Voice, Fortuna in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Los Angeles Opera; Jano in Jenufa and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Houston Grand Opera; Nannetta in Falstaff with Glimmerglass Opera, Naïade in Ariadne auf Naxos with Santa Fe Opera; and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier with Michigan Opera Theatre. She made her debut at 54 Below, singing Music of the Marx Brothers. Ms. Miller was a finalist at the Birgit Nilsson Competition; winner of the Fred Mathias Award and finalist at the MacAllister Awards for Opera Singers; grant winner at the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation competition; and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Sierra nelson

Sierra Nelson is an innovative singer, dancer and actress with an extensive range and repertoire. She enjoys singing all genres and telling as many stories as possible. In addition to tonight’s performance, she was thrilled to join CSC in the 2023 Summer Shebang!

Sierra also has a growing following on YouTube. She has released 150+ music videos since 2014. Learn more about her body of work at this link.

ty norris

Ty Norris is originally from Yorktown, Virginia and is a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a BA in Musical Theater. He moved to New York to pursue Acting and is happy to say he just closed his first Off-Broadway show, All Because of Infidelity, with Hanging Cow Productions. His favorite roles include Man in Chair from The Drowsy Chaperone and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. Before moving to the city, he directed and taught acting classes to kids 10-15 for two years.

joel oramas

Joel Oramas is an actor/singer/dancer based in New York City with credits including the tour of the critically acclaimed show The Prisoner's Dilemma (London), Oliver Twist, and The Princess and the Pea (Northeast and Canada). His NYC credit include Twelfth Night (Duende Productions) and The Rape of Lucrece (New York Shakespeare Exchange). Selected Regional Credits: Ashe in Johannesburg and Romeo and Juliet (Burning Coal Theatre); Pippin and Man of La Mancha (Jean's Playhouse); Taming of the Shrew (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre); Avenue Q (Hippodrome Theatre); and Striking 12 (Company of Fools). Joel has an MFA from the University of Florida.

Joel also plays an invaluable role as our percussionist, on the cajón.

John panninar - drummer

Jon Panninar: musician/singer/songwriter. Jon is originally from Arkansas and graduated from New York City College with a degree in jazz percussion. He has performed nationally and internationally in all styles of music. He currently co-leads and performs with the Shrine Big Band (jazz) and Johnny Arkansas and Blackout Diamond (country/blue grass). He also performs regularly with Erick Plaks, Ayumi Ishito, and Daniel Carter.

ISAIAH RICHARDSON, JR.

Isaiah Richardson Jr plays clarinet, saxophone, and harmonica. Isaiah’s group Brown Rice Family was awarded #1 NYC band by NPR/WNYC's “Battle of the Boroughs" competition defeating 524 NYC bands. Isaiah studied classical clarinet at Juilliard School of Music, attended LaGuardia High School for Music and Art, and performed before 6 current and former US Presidents, including President Bill Clinton for a second time in 2018, as well as the Prime Minister of Japan and the President of South Korea as a member of the United States Marine Corps Band. At age 18 Isaiah won the NAACP'S ACT-SO Competition for jazz.

As a musician often performs at Lincoln Center, Blue Note, BAM, Carnegie Hall, has performed at venues such as Mets Citifield Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Kings Theatre, Kennedy Center, NPR Tiny Desk at NPR Headquarters with Grammy Award winning band Monsieur Perine, and performs at festivals such as Summerstage and Celebrate Brooklyn. Isaiah was also a long time member of the band Maku Soundsystem previously signed with Glitterbeat Records whose 2016 album "Mezcla' was voted #1 in World Music Charts Europe for 3 months in a row.

Isaiah has performed extensively internationally, including performances with Billboard Live Tokyo. He often performs with multi-grammy award winning and Billboard 100 artists such as Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Donald Lawrence, Myron Butler, Kim Burrell, Kelly Price, Tye Tribbett, and Meli’sa Morgan to name a few. Isaiah has also been featured in Season 4 of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, HBO’s Vinyl, and Hulu’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. He currently plays in the pit with the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra at Lincoln Center as an extra musician on saxophone.

Satish Robertson

Trumpeter/composer Satish Robertson is a fixture on the NY music scene, blowing his horn in a multitude of genres: jazz, gospel, Latin, funk, blues, R&B, and hip-hop. He has performed in prestigious venues such as Blue Note, Rockwood Music Hall, Brooklyn Bowl, and Sony Hall. In addition to leading his own jazz groups, Satish has performed and/or recorded with such names as jazz saxophonist James Carter, jazz pianist Marc Cary, R&B icon Meli’sa Morgan, and hip-hop artist Skyzoo to name a few.

MARISA RYAN

Marisa Ryan is a veteran performer of both stage and screen. Ryan made her screen debut in the 1983 film Without a Trace. From 1989 to 1993, she starred as Elizabeth Cooper-MacGillis in the NBC sitcom Major Dad opposite Gerald McRaney. She later went to star in the Independent films Love Always, Slaves to the Underground, Taylor's Return, and With or Without You. In 1998, Ryan joined the cast of Fox police drama series, New York Undercover as Det. Nell Delaney, during the show's fourth and final season. Her guest-star credits include appearances on The Practice, Sex and the City, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order. Ryan co-starred as Abby Bernstein in the ensemble cast satirical comedy film Wet Hot American Summer. She reprised her role in the Netflix prequel series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp in 2015. She has also appeared in films Don's Plum (2001), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and Brooklyn Lobster (2005). Ryan made her directorial debut with the independent short film Three Women of Pain, which she also co-wrote.

sarah salzberg

Sarah Saltzberg’s career highlights include: a creator and original cast member of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (now in development with Rideback Ranch/Disney Plus for a live-action film), a creator/actor of off-Broadway's Don't Quit Your Night Job; co-author of off-Broadway's Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage, and additional material author on the Broadway musical Gettin’ The Band Back Together. With Sandy Rustin, she adapted I Married an Angel for New York City Center’s Encores series. Sarah has invested in seven commercial shows, five of which went on to Broadway runs with multiple Tony wins including three for Best Musical. In her other life, Sarah co-founded and runs a boutique residential real estate firm, Bohemia Realty Group, focused on sales and rentals in NYC with an emphasis on employing actors and artists.

Byron Singleton

Byron has sung leading and supporting roles in opera and concert in major venues around the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, The Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, and David Geffen Hall. Most recently, Byron was a featured soloist in Tituss Burgess’s “Take Me to the World,” a tribute to Sondheim at Carnegie Hall.

Career highlights include Cavaradossi in “Tosca,” conducted by Maestro Anton Coppola; the title role in "The Tales of Hoffmann”; and Der Steuermann in "Der Fliegende Hollander" with the United Nations Orchestra. Other roles include Rodolfo in La Boheme and Riccardo in "Un Ballo in Maschera" at Symphony Space.

An oratorio and concert enthusiast, Byron performed in and co-produced Dichterliebe at the Mile Square Theater in Hoboken in a fresh exploration of music and poetry through the added mediums of dance and visual art. He has been heard as the tenor soloist in numerous oratorios, including Judas Maccabaeus, Mozart Requiem, The Verdi Requiem, The Messiah, and Beethoven Symphony #9, among others.

Byron made his off-Broadway acting debut as The First Guard/Private Jonas in Jean Anouilh’s “Antigone” on Theater Row with Fusion Theater, and was guest performer with the NY City Slickers’ Bluegrass to Broadway concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Byron is proud to be on the Executive Board of Directors for Creative Stage Collective.

irley vallejo

Irley Vallejo is excited to join the Creative Stage Collective for this super fun Spectacular!!! With degrees in mathematics and musical theatre she is also a graduate of IAMT. Her most recent credits include Carmela - Carmela Full of Wishes (The Growing Stage), Butterfly-Something like a Fairytale (Aurway Reparatory Theatre), Yolanda - In the Heights (Pheonix at The Count Basie). She is grateful to her family for their support.

Seth Weinstein - Pianist

Seth Weinstein graduated from Harvard College with honors in music and has been a classical and theatre pianist in New York for more than 20 years. He was the musical director and composer of the Off-Broadway musical How to Save the World and Find True Love in 90 Minutes (New World Stages, 2006). He has toured internationally with Fosse and Ivan Jacobs’s The Phantom of the Opera and in the USA with Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver. He has been the musical director of Black House (Zagreb, Croatia), Do I Hear a Waltz? (Arvada Center), and Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), among other shows, and he has played for Holland America Line and Hapag-Lloyd cruises. Seth wrote and recorded “The Chagall Suite” (eight piano movements inspired by Marc Chagall’s artworks) and “Conversations” (a musical meeting between Chagall and Elvis Presley) and has performed them in France, Germany, and the USA. He plays regularly in a burlesque opera show and is the pianist for the MAC and Bistro Award–winning Screen Gems: Songs of Old Hollywood (featuring Sarah Rice) and Operation Opera (baritone Adelmo Guidarelli’s amusing tribute to opera, a participant in the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe). For more information, visit sethweinstein.com.

catalina walsh

Catalina R. Walsh is a triple threat, MELT Method Instructor, New Jersey native who creatively works in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Beginning her dance training at age three, she is a classically trained Ballet dancer who studied under the direction of Barbara Sandonato and The School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, performing in the Pennsylvania Ballet’s The Nutcracker from 2004-2011. She is a 2020 graduate from The Institute for American Musical Theatre (IAMT) where she studied under the direction of Michael Minarik. In May of 2018, Catalina graduated with a BFA in Dance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. There is where she had honor and privilege of preforming in many of Christina Castro-Tauser’s works who she has been dancing for since 2014. In 2021 Catalina joined The International Ballet Exchange as a dancer, costume/head piece/ prop designer and constructor and a board member under the direction of Christina Castro-Tauser. Additional work includes performing in the Philly Fringe Festival and dancing with the Willington Ballet’s Nutcracker in 2011, 2016 and 2017. As a part of the inaugural class, she trained with the Joffrey Ballet School Musical Theater Summer Intensive NYC throughout her entire college career. During her time at Temple University, Catalina interned for BalletX (Spring 2015) and the Disney College Program in Walt Disney World (Spring 2017). Catalina is a Lifetime and Gold Award Girl Scout who currently works for the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey as their Girl Champion Coordinator who cultivates relationships with women professionals who desire to share their story, time, and talents with aspiring young future leaders. She loves working creatively with other artist and her creative mind pours into every aspect of her life including her newfound love of running Disney World half marathons in carefully curated Disney inspired race outfits.

Paul Whelan

Lyric Bass Paul Whelan has performed all over the world in numerous bass roles ranging from Wotan in Das Rheingold (Auckland Philharmonic) to Collatinus The Rape of Lucretia for Opera Norway to Seneca L’Incoronazione di Poppea in Lille and Dijon. He has performed leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera House, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Ópera Nacional De Chile, and Grand Theatre Geneve, to name just a few. Paul is a winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World Lieder Prize. Conductors with whom he has collaborated include Sir Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Richard Hickox, Yehudi Menuhin, Valery Gergiev, Gary Bertini, and Vassily Sinaisky. Recordings include A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis (Philips), Kurt Weill’s Silber See under Markus Stenz (BMG), recordings with the BBC Philharmonic for Chandos and with the BBC Scottish Symphony for Hyperion.

More recently, Paul spent time in his native New Zealand, where he performed in Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem in his hometown of Christchurch with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra; as Rocco Fidelio with Wellington Opera; the roles of Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Captain James Cook in Ihitai ‘Avei’a —Star Navigator; and the roles of Cadmus and Somnus Semele for Opera New Zealand.

madeleine witmer

Madeleine Witmer is a singer, actor, dancer and songwriter from Broadway, Virginia. She graduated with a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance from Christopher Newport University, and then went on to tour multiple productions, including children’s theatre, with Virginia Repertory Theatre. She spent the last two summers at The Ferguson Center for the Arts as part of the company of the “New Musicals Lab,” workshopping multiple productions, as well as the world premiere of Drew Gasparini’s We Aren’t Kids Anymore. Since moving to the city, you may have caught her singing at The Green Room 42, Feinstein’s/54 Below, or as a featured songwriter in Gasparini’s “New Voices” series—which you can find on YouTube along with more of Mads’s original music.

The Oatmeal Band (AKA the Gloop Group) members:

Mimi Bessette, Raquel Chavez, Liz Davito, Nyssa Grant, Michael Hicks, Maggie Hollinbeck, Steve McIntyre, Rob Morrison, Michael Toperzer.

CSC youth troupe

Tavi Brown, Ariella Natalya Plaks Bonilla, Bradley Cabrera, Brandon Cabrera, Logan Cabrera, Madeline Christian, Natalia Nuñez Carrero, Greta Davis, Griffin Robert Faulkner, Cara Finucane, Nica Russel Gallagher, Sofia Gluck, Lila Graubert-Dolan, Sasha Graubert-Dolan, Mena Hassouna, Tate Holden, Ruby Jennino, Emily Lu, Meherr Mahajan, Q Nimetz, Marlie-Ongania Opa, Miles-Katele Opa, Lyla Pompili, Noa Ramadge, Autumn Redd, Beatrice Silvernell, Wesley Singer, Scarlett Tsiropinas, Zachary Whelan, Liv Williams, Kyrie Winters

CSC TECHNICAL TEAM

Kyle Ronyecs - Lighting Designer

Zoe Rullman - Lighting Designer (CSC Youth Troupe)

Christina Burke - Costume Design and Wardrobe

Angela Huff - Costume Design Assistant and Wardrobe

Miranda Tejada - Head Stage Manager

Greta Davis - Assistant Stage Manager (CSC Youth Troupe)

Marlee Bradley - Assistant Director

Taliah Wasserman - Assistant Director (CSC Youth Troupe)

Isaac Miliband - Stage Crew

Nathalie Gendron - Stage Crew (CSC Youth Troupe)

spectacular writing team

Ella Smith, Nicole Greevy, Sheri Graubert, Francisco Alvidrez, Madeline Bender

specIAL THANKS To

Cate Smit and Jessica Svenson, for their invaluable consulting and assistance with fundraising and development

Seena Hassouna and Alan Davis, for helping hang mics on performance day

Brandi Hassouna, for invaluable help as parent communications coordinator, and work on the quarterly newsletters, and online program

Nicole Greevy, for offering individual coaching to our CSC Youth Troupe members

Karen Arsham Tsiropinas, Caitlin Keryc & Olin Williams, Chelsea Silvernell, and Patrick Pompili, for their generous help transporting and storing the Spectcular props and costumes

Orlando Deluna Mendez, for creating the fabulous ballon rocket ship for our Noisy Parrot Scene

Loren Christian, for leading our heroic Parents Collective, and creating another vital layer of community for the families of our CSC Youth Troupe

Eric Plaks, for connecting us with the extraordinary Jazz artists performing in tonight’s show

Nikki Jennino, for much appreciated assistance with Spectacular marketing and publicity