Pastor Preston Bayless came to BCS in the fall of 1991 teaching a number of classes including high school speech class. His first production with BCS, The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie, was in the spring of 1999. He chose this show because it was one he was a part of while in high school (playing the part of Christopher Wren). That experience fostered in him a love for theater that he desires to pass on to students whether they work on stage or behind the scenes. Over the years, he has directed several other plays including Black Coffee (Christie), And Then There Were None (Christie), Arsenic & Old Lace (Kesselring), Murder on the Nile (Christie) and Wait Until Dark (Knott). The Butler Did It is his tenth production with BCS.

Candace is a graduate of our school whose love for drama began in 7th grade when her English teacher, who at that time was Preston Bayless, asked her to do a speech for a state competition. Once she started acting, she never stopped. She was in our school’s first ever stage production her senior year. She played the role of Molly in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. She studied acting in college and is now living her dream of being our school’s speech/drama teacher! She loves working with students on developing their acting skills and watching them grow in their confidence before an audience! After graduating from college, she has helped direct most of the productions here at Bethany. This production marks the eighth production she has been a part of at BCS.

Evie is a sophomore and serves as the stage manager for this production. She plays on the school’s volleyball team and is involved in band (clarinet), handbell choir, choir, and vocal ensemble. Evie has also participated in Readers Theater at the state competition level. After graduation, she hopes to attend a Christian college to pursue a math degree and possibly earn her pilot’s license. Her favorite time of year is winter, when she can cozy up by the fireplace with a good book. She is excited to be part of this production for the friendships formed and to see the final result of everyone’s hard work come together.

Katelyn was born in Michigan while her parents were on staff at FBC and BCS, and later lived in Maine and Arizona before returning to Michigan. She completed her student teaching at BCS while earning her education degree and has been teaching there since 2019. Now in her seventh year at BCS, she teaches sixth grade. Katelyn was involved in theater production during her freshman year of college, assisting with stage and lighting crews for productions including Cyrano de Bergerac and Twelfth Night, and running supertitles for Aida. This is her third time assisting with a play at BCS and her second time serving as house manager.