Sandra Dietel has been teaching theater and directing plays at BHS for the past 12 years and has been a Thespian since her high school days. She holds degrees from the University of Florida (BS, Psychology) and the University of USC (MAT, Theatre concentration). In her time at BHS, Ms. Dietel has directed four plays that placed in the top two at the SC Association’s High School Theatre One-Act Play Festival with A Midsummer Night's Dream (2nd, 2015), Scenes from Metamorphoses (1st, 2016), Growing Up Wonderland (1st, 2017), and Elephant’s Graveyard (1st, 2018). These plays were chosen to represent South Carolina at the Southeastern Theatre Conference High School One-Act play, a competition that includes the top two plays from ten states in the southeastern United States. Four of the plays she has directed, The Worker (2020), Girl in the Clouds (2021), Almost, Maine (2022) and Anon(ymous) (2023) received Superior ratings at the Palmetto Dramatic Association’s One-Act Play Festival. Ms. Dietel is honored to have been named the 2018 High School Theatre Teacher of the Year by the South Carolina Theatre Association (SCTA) and the recipient of the F. Loren Winship Award by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (2021). Ms. Dietel is excited to bring back You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown to the BHS stage. Ms. Dietel would like to thank Matt Sherman for his strong support of the arts programs at BHS and she is especially grateful for the work of her faculty collaborators: Music Director, Kristin Claiborne and Choreographer, Kendra Gandy, who she has had the privilege and good fortune to create musical theatre alongside for the last several years of BHS’ musicals. Enjoy the show!

Kristin M. Claiborne, a Valparaiso, Indiana native, is in her first year as an Assistant Administrator at Blythewood High. Claiborne is a two-time graduate of the University of South Carolina, having earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree & a Master of Education in Educational Administration. Currently, she is in the dissertation writing process for her Doctorate of Education in Teacher Leadership. Prior to her administration appointment, Claiborne served as the choral director at BHS for ten years. During her tenure, she directed four levels of choir as well as the acaBengals, a premier pop/jazz a cappella group while serving as the secondary choral lead teacher for Richland School District Two. Outside of BHS, Claiborne continues to serve as a clinician & adjudicator for choral events around the Southern Region while also serving as a university supervisor & teacher mentor throughout the Midlands with the USC College of Education & School of Music. As a performer, Claiborne is a member of Limited Time Only, a professional chamber choir based in Columbia, SC. In April 2019, she performed as the featured soprano soloist at Lincoln Center in New York City for Will Todd’s world-renowned jazz mass, “Mass in Blue.” She reprised a performance of this work in June 2022 at Southwark Cathedral (London, UK) & St. George’s Cathedral (Bristol, UK). Coming soon, Claiborne will take on the role of Crystal in Trustus Theatre’s summer 2023 production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” A huge shout out goes to her incredible team - Dietel & Gandy - the bomb.com! In her final musical direction on the BHS stage, Claiborne is wishing many broken legs to this fantastic cast & crew - “There is no team… like the best team… which is our team… right here!” If ya know, ya know!

Kendra Gandy is the Dance Education Specialist and National Honor Society for Dance Arts sponsor at Blythewood High. She graduated summa cum laude from Columbia College in 2014 with her B.A. in Dance Education and this is her eighth year teaching at a Blythewood. She has been lucky enough to choreograph five Bengal musicals and is excited for you to see the latest production tonight. She would especially like to thank Ms. Dietel and Ms. Claiborne for being the BEST collaborators in the biz! Working together on these musical productions has been so much fun! Mrs. Gandy has also greatly enjoyed working with the awesome cast and crew of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! To all the performers: break legs and enjoy the show!!

Heather Hawfield has her MFA in Scenic Design from the University of South Carolina. Currently does freelance design work, model building, and exhibit design and fabrication in the Columbia area. Past credits include scenic design for: Misery is Optional: Recollections of Recovery at Harbison Theater, Dance Nation, Barbeque, Appropriate, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, House of Blue Leaves, Venus in Fur, and I Am My Own Wife at Trustus Theatre; Hieronymus at La Mama Theatre NYC; Les Sylphides at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors, Our Country’s Good, and The Arabian Nights at the University of South Carolina.

Taylor Edwards is a Junior at Blyhewood High School. She got her start in tech during The Wizard of Oz and A Christmas Carol and is stage manager for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. She’s very excited to be a part of (Anon)ymous and hopes that you enjoy the show!

Julia Allen is a sophomore at BHS. While this is the first production she has had a part in, she is nonetheless excited to continue working in the production of future BHS performances.

Cayden Cox (Junior) relocated to Blythewood High School from East Tennessee/Alabama. This will be her first time participating in a play at the school. When she was in middle school she was in 3 shows including Scrooge, Humbug High, and Fairy Tale Misfits. Her favorite role was Bonnie Crowley in Scrooge. Cayden loves to perform, as she is also a member of the Blythewood Varsity Cheer team. She is very excited to be in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. She can’t wait for the audience to enjoy the show and the actors' performances. Cayden would like to send a heartwarming thank you to Ms. Dietel and Mrs. Claiborne for their patience, time, and understanding.

Roselyn Cruz is a Junior and this is her first year in Blythewood Theater tech.

Calla Friedman (Freshman) will be playing the ensemble member Frieda Rich. Her first production was a mini show of "Clue" at Columbia Children's Theater, where she went on to do many other productions. Calla's favorite roles include Alice from Matilda and Tomika from School of Rock. She also went to the Tri-District Arts Consortium for theater where she played Maria from The Sound of Music.

After having enjoyed working on The Wizard of Oz production the previous year, Katherine Gilk ( Senior ) didn’t think twice about returning to work alongside others to produce yet another show. Her interest in returning to technical theater came from her love of movies that involved puppetry and live action animatronics ( Mostly those that have been created by Amalgamated Dynamics ), such as the first four Tremors movies. She thanks Ms. Dietel for allowing an opportunity for another year of technical theater to be possible.

Kailyn Goodwin Kailyn Goodwin is a sophomore and this is her first time participating in the theater program. She has a fond memory of going to blythewood high when she was young to see her sister’s work on the set for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This sparked her interest in wanting to do theater production when she got to high school. She has always been creative all her life and a love for the arts and drawing. She has an admiration for the behind the scenes crew and their work and hopes that her skills show in her own work on this show.

Claire Hammond is a junior with an affinity for everything art related. Although this is the first Bengals On Stage production she has worked on, Claire has seen four shows. Her interest in theatre greatly stems from her love of musicals and she is glad to have the opportunity to work on one. She hopes that her love of the arts is shown in her work and that the creativity of the tech is appreciated. Claire thanks Ms. Dietel for her guidance and authenticity and the crew for being so welcoming.

Sophia Hammond is a junior. She was homeschooled from 3rd grade through 9th grade. When her love for theatre was awakened when she took Theatre 1 in fall semester of 2021, she discovered theatre was what she wanted to pursue. Her previous theatre experiences include acting in A Christmas Carol and The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza. Last year, Sophia discovered her love for tech theatre and looks forward to broadening her experience in backstage and creative theatre. She would like to thank Ms. Dietel for her kindness and every opportunity she’s been given to be a part of the theatre program at Blythewood.

Dee Hughes (Senior) was first introduced to the art of theatre when she was 6 years old, and played in a Christmas play at her church. Her interest in theatre peaked when she was 13 years old. She was accepted into a performing arts high school where she helped write an original play, When the World Ends. After transferring to Blythewood High School, she decided to take Theatre 2 again, where she ended up landing the role of ‘Purple’ in Dystopia! The Hungry Maze of Divergent Death and worked behind the scenes on The Wizard of Oz. Dee was seen as Belle and Old Woman in A Christmas Carol last December at The Farm at Ridgeway and this past February as Pascal in Anon(ymous), a role that earned her an Excellent in Acting at the Palmetto Dramatic Association’s One-Act Play Festival. She would like to thank Ms. Dietel for giving her the chance to not only be on stage, but help backstage as well!

Ella Humphries (Senior) has been a part of the Blythewood Theatre Program since her Freshman year. You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown will be her second musical with Blythewood High School. She has been in other productions such as Thirty Under Ninety, Almost, Maine, Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol, and Anon(ymous). She also serves on the leadership team for Blythewood's International Thespian Society Troupe. She is beyond excited for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown and cannot wait to put on an amazing show. She would like to thank her classmates, family, and director, Ms. Dietel for helping her become a better person and actor.

Zoey Mickles (Senior) has been with the Blythewood Theatre Program since her freshman year. Ever since moving from Germany to the U.S. she has been involved in several theatrical plays dating back to her elementary school years at Lonnie Bee Nelson. Several of these shows include Monsters inc., The Wizard of Oz, Peter of Neverland, Dystopia and her most recent work in (Anon)ymous. During the production of Dystopia and (Anon)ymous, Zoey was given the ability to help with designing different set pieces incorporating theme and mood in her work. She’s excited to continue her work in the new Blythewood High School musical and the vast world of theatre and owes her thank you’s to everyone in Musical Theatre, Theatre Production, and Ms. Dietel for all their kindness.

Sanders Pitts is enjoying his final year at Blythewood High School. He’s been extensively involved since Freshman year, starting off as William Barfeé in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Sanders has explored many elements of theatre throughout the past 4 years, performing in T&G both his Sophomore and Junior years as well as serving as Assistant Stage Manager and Design Team member for the past musical, The Wizard of Oz. Sanders made his directorial debut this year in The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza and was most recently seen as Ebeneezer Scrooge in the Bengals On Stage annual tradition, A Christmas Carol. Outside of school, Sanders explores theatre-making with 15 Ukrainian high school students as the International Theatre Club Moderator for Engin Program, using the craft of theatre to teach English. Sanders would like to welcome you to You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and thanks the cast, crew, and director.

Corey is a junior at Blythewood High whose first taste of theatre was in Theatre 1 in freshman year, but the official debut of this techie/actor combo began in the T&G 2021 production, Almost, Maine as Assistant Stage Manager. After getting a taste for acting in Theatre 2's 2022 production of Dystopia! The Hungry Maze of Divergent Death and comparing experiences as techie and actor (and therefore becoming more involved in the dramatic arts), work continued in the tech department for Musical Theatre's 2022 The Wizard of Oz. After working in tech, the actor decided to continue in A Christmas Carol and then Anon(ymous), which was the 2023 T&G production taken to state competition. Now, the calling for tech is clear and work begins again in tech for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Special thanks to Ms. Dietel for providing the opportunities to become more involved and for encouraging auditions for T&G, Christmas Carol, and more! Enjoy the show!

Lizi Slagsvol (Senior) has been in the theatre program since their freshman year, and served as an Assistant Stage Manager for A Christmas Carol. They have done backstage tech for The Wizard of Oz as well as working as Sound Designer on Anon(ymous). They are on tech for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown as the mic tech and are very excited to share these productions with you. They hope you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed creating them.

Gavin Smith is a Sophomore, this is his first year in theater and would like to stay in tech theater.

EJ Washington (Sophomore) is in his first year of theatre at BHS. Earlier this year, EJ was seen as Mr. Fezziwig and Peter Cratchit in A Christmas Carol. EJ has been singing since he was in the 4th grade. He is also on the cross country and track teams and makes time for everything. He enjoys singing, acting, and running. He knew he wanted to start acting in middle school but didn't get the chance to until he was in high school. He loves the program so far and plans on doing it until his senior year. He would like to thank Ms. Dietel and Ms. Claiborne for putting him on this amazing show! He would also like to thank his family for supporting him and doing everything they can so he can be successful.