Cast

Abbi Rye is so excited to be portraying the role of Kira at AET’s production of Xanadu! You may have recently seen her in the ensemble at AET in Kinky Boots, Fiddler on the Roof, Beauty and the Beast, 9 to 5 and Rock of Ages. She was also recently seen as a Harem Girl in Side Show and Sandy in Grease. Abbi has always had a passion for fine arts, as she participated in both of the top two choirs at Cienega High School and was also active in theater as well. She would like to thank her mom, friends and family for always supporting her.

This marks Noah Embry’s seventh production with Arts Express Theatre. A lifelong roller skater, he’s thrilled to bring that passion to the stage as Sonny Malone. Noah currently serves as the resident music director at Old Tucson Studios and teaches voice at Ensemble Music and Dance Academy. His past Arts Express credits include Something Rotten!, Rent, The Full Monty, and Bandstand. He thanks his acting coach, Aaron Cammack, his vocal coach, Chach Snook, and the entire cast and crew for their support and inspiration. He also dedicates this performance to Skate Country for putting up with him as a kid.

Ben Anderson is thrilled to join Arts Express for the season opener of Xanadu. Recent credits include Side Show: (The Geek), Rock of Ages (Hertz), Damn Yankees (Joe Boyd) and Catch Me If You Can (Roger Strong). Training: Acting (Aaron Cammack) Voice (Diane Bertrand-Goldsmith) and bassoon studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. When not on stage, Ben is a high school math teacher at Catalina Foothills High School. Special thanks to Katie Anderson for her constant love and support!

Caroline Murphy is thrilled to be returning to the AET stage. Recent credits: Side Show (Fortune Teller), 9 to 5 (Judy Bernly) with AET and Guenevere (Camelot) with SFCT. Other favorite roles: Mrs. Banks (Mary Poppins), Carol Strong (Catch Me if You Can), Mother/Evelyn/Ensemble (Ragtime), Lady Beaconsfield (Jekyll & Hyde), Caroline Neville (Titanic: The Musical), & Rose (The Secret Garden). She has performed in several off-off Broadway productions, but her favorite NY moment was getting to be onstage with the cast of 42nd Street for the Gypsy of the Year Awards at the Palace Theatre. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the UofA and studied with Professors Hirst, Roe and Swensen, and with Hilda Hirst at the Manhattan School. She wishes to thank her main "Muses," her husband, children, and family and friends for their support and love, our amazing cast and crew, and AET for all their amazing productions and programs!

Alicia Green is thrilled to be returning to AET after debuting last season in Damn Yankees! Recent roles include Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown: The Musical at Theatre South Playhouse and Mabel in The Pajama Game at The Shedd Institute. Alicia has performed at regional theaters throughout the country including Syracuse Stage, The Powerhouse Theater at Vassar, and the Richmond Theatre for Children. Favorite roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Jackie-O in The House of Yes and Lys in the world premiere musical, Ars Amandi. Special thanks to her family and to her many muses for their continued inspiration.

Christina is so excited to be a part of this show! Previous credits include Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), Side Show (Snake Lady), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Shy), The Addams Family (Alice), Shrek the Musical (Gingy), etc. Up next at AET she will be in Sister Act (Sister Mary Robert) and The Rocky Horror Show (Usherette). Outside of performing, Christina is a student at the University of Arizona and works as a taekwondo instructor. She wants to thank her family and friends for all their support!

Savana is a currently at the University of Arizona studying Music Education. She has participated in many Arts Express Theatre shows such as ANASTASIA, GREASE, ROCK OF AGES, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Her favorite projects she's worked on was playing Catherine Parr in SIX as well as Julia in THE WEDDING SINGER She would like to thank her Mom, Dad, Danae, and David for all their support.

Stephen Norton (Thalia) is ready to pronounce his excitement to world as he gets plays a muse in Xanadu! Perhaps you could've see him as Doody in Grease, or Billy Flynn in his highschool's senior musical. Traditionally he has usually worked with amateur short film artists making movies for competitions, writing/directing/acting a few films. He would like to address the many comments and confirm that he is in fact, 6 foot 4 inches tall.

Andrew Ayon (they/them) is delighted to return to Arts Express for the 2025-2026 season. A Tucson native, Andrew has performed professionally with a number of local companies including Arts Express (Sideshow, Rock of Ages), and Arizona Rose Theatre (Lend Me a Tenor). Andrew’s training includes opera performance at the Fred Fox School of Music, as well as experience in ballet and tap. Additionally, they currently dance with the Lajkonik Polish Folk Ensemble. Outside performing, Andrew is completing a Master’s of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. They are especially thankful for their spouse, Alison, for their steadfast support.

Olivia is so excited to return to the stage in Xanadu! She was most recently seen in the 2025 Monte Awards as a finalist, Anything Goes as Reno Sweeney, Alice By Heart (Tabitha/Cheshire Cat), Six: Teen Edition (Jane Seymour), The Lightning Thief Musical (Annabeth Chase), and Arts Express' summer camp and Mainstage of Grease as Sandy and Female Swing. A recent graduate from Ironwood Ridge High School, Olivia plans to attend NAU in the fall as a part of their honors college, as well as perusing a degree in Vocal Performance. She would like to thank her mother, father, sister, close family and friends for their never ending support, along with her voice teacher Michael Chaffin for all of his guidance in growing her voice.

Howdy! Ivan is so excited to be part of another AET production as the Male Swing for Xanadu! After most recently finishing this school year at PCC and their spring musical The Wedding Singer, he’s excited to hop to it and get to work. He would like to thank this amazing cast for welcoming him so late in the process and being extremely helpful with choreo and blocking, his wonderful family that supports him no matter what and his class act friends that hold him to a higher standard! ¡Ahuevo!