Bye Bye Birdie Cast

Ethan Wood is thrilled to be performing as Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie! He is a third-year member of Sound System, where he is currently serving as one of the assistant dance captains, and a second-year member of CG Singers. Bye Bye Birdie is his twentieth musical, and his second at Center Grove High School. Last year, he was Chip Tolentino in Spelling Bee, and he most recently performed in the dance ensemble for The Music Man at Summer Stock Stage! Thank you for coming to the show!

Senior Nora Bowman is thrilled to be portraying Rose Alvarez in the CGHS production of Bye Bye Birdie. She has previously been in the cast of CGHS productions Freaky Friday and Little Shop of Horrors. Outside of theatre, Nora is a member of Debtones and CG Singers, as well as the vocalist for Center Grove’s marching band. After she graduates, Nora plans to go to college to pursue a bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre. She loves this show and hopes that you love it as well!

Claire, a junior, is playing Kim MacAfee. This is her second high school production; her most recent role was Olive Ostrovsky in CGHS’s production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Claire is active in the CGHS choir program, performing in both Sound System and CG Singers. Claire is also a studio dancer, training and competing with The Dance Refinery. She is very thankful for this opportunity to share her love of performing. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Paige is playing Doris MacAfee in this production of Bye Bye Birdie, she also did crew for this show! She is so excited to have you all watch this show and see out students perform! She has been in 3 shows here at CGHS and this will be 4th. She is also in Best Buddies, Debtones, and plays softball! She hopes you all enjoy the show and the work of the cast and crew!

Elijah James Spurgeon(aka, Splurge), son of Lindsey and Kyle Spurgeon. He has 2 brothers and 3 step-sisters in his rodeo of a home. He was in the Crew for Freaky Friday, and had a featured character in Little Shop of Horrors the year after. His favorite things to do outside of theater are hanging out with friends, as well as play volleyball and pickleball. Eli hopes to go on to become a vocal performer, whether that be a voice-acting career, or an acting career on Broadway.

Elijah Wright is a Sophomore and is playing as Randolph Macafee, the younger brother of Kim. This is their fourth year of theater and has been their favorite role so far. Elijah also enjoys choir, video games, and hiking. They are so happy that you decided to come to the show and are really hoping you enjoy it!

Brandon Keith, a senior, is playing Conrad Birdie in this year’s CGHS production of Bye Bye Birdie! I am in Sound System, CG Singers, and many arts classes. I plan to study graphic design, studio painting, and business in college. I have been in a few past shows including Peter and the Star Catcher, Little Shop of Horrors, and Trap. I am thankful for all of the memories and friends I have made throughout the years, and I can’t wait to come back to see future productions! I hope you love and most importantly enjoy the show! P.S. You can find me after the show for an official Conrad Birdie signature…don’t tell Albert!!

Belle Iseminger, freshman, is playing Ursula Merkle! This is the first show at Center Grove she has been in. Currently, she participates in show choir, The Debtones and hopes for more years in show choir to come. She feels very blessed that she was able to be in this production, and she cannot wait to have many more performances to come!

Chace Casper is a new Freshman at CGHS this year. He has a passion for music and has been in 3 shows before Bye Bye Birdie. He is in 2 varsity choirs this year at CGHS being Sound System, and CG Singers. He plays guitar, loves hanging out with friends, loves using his voice, loves God, and loves living his life to the fullest he can.

Lilli is a hardworking, engaging student. She is involved in many clubs and extracurriculars such as Bye Bye Birdie!, German, ASL, and Spanish club, Counterpoints, and more. This will be her 3rd musical, but 6th production. She makes sure she is always prepared and has been taking vocal lessons for 5 consecutive years with her vocal coach, Eric DeForest. She hopes you enjoy and admire the show! :)

Olivia, a senior, is playing Suzie, one of the many Sweet Apple, Ohio teenage girls who is obsessed with Conrad Birdie. Her participation in the theatre department includes Little Shop of Horrors and Trap. Olivia is also involved in Debtones at Center Grove. Singing, dancing, and acting are some of her favorite activities and she is super excited to show off these talents in Bye Bye Birdie. She hopes you enjoy the show and thanks you for watching!

Casey Kuzel, a junior this year at Center Grove High School, is participating as a part of the ensemble. Her participation during high school included This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing. Casey is also involved in the Publications Department. She loves to act, especially with her friends, and plans to continue acting in the future. She hopes you enjoy the show!!

Isabel is a freshman in this musical. She plays ensemble, featured in the Teen girl chorus and as an Adult. Her participation in theater includes her in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ as Columbia and in the middle school ‘Mean Girls’ as Mrs.Heron/ensemble. She’s currently in orchestra, but enjoys singing/acting/costumes/and makeup a little more than playing the violin. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Landon is a very kind young boy who only wants to make his peers laugh and smile. He loves thinking and loves to talk about philosophical questions.He hopes that someday he’ll make a big impact in people’s lives as an actor, songwriter, artist, or even a therapist. Some hobbies of his are Guitar, Dancing, Acting, Sketching, Designing, and many more.

Kylie is a sophomore at CGHS and is playing the role of Penelope Ann. This is her second production at the high school and her fourth production overall. In the past, Kylie has been in Legally Blonde, Beauty and the Beast, and This Girl. She did gymnastics for 12 years and enjoys reading in her free time. Kylie also loves singing, dancing, and acting and wants to possibly make a career out of this in the future. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Alexander is a Senior at Center Grove High School. He recently moved to CG from his small school in Caldwell, Idaho, where he was active in his school’s theatre department. Alexander loves theatre and is grateful for the experience of participating in Center Grove’s larger drama department and working with the wonderful cast, crew, and directors. He has played parts from Oliver!, Mary Poppins, A Christmas Carol, and Schoolhouse Rock Live! He is excited to be playing the part of Harvey Johnson in this year’s production of Bye Bye, Birdie and hopes you enjoy the show!

Aiden is 16 years old and currently a junior at Center Grove High School. This is Aiden’s first musical with the school, but he has participated in many musicals outside of school, most of them with Creative Grounds Fine Arts Academy. In his free time, Aiden enjoys show choir and is part of both CG Sound System and CG Singers. He is very excited to perform in Bye Bye Birdie and can’t wait to share the stage with his fellow cast members.

Eva Spall, a senior in high school, is playing Helen in this year’s production of Bye Bye Birdie. Her participation in high school includesFreaky Friday, Peter and the Starcatcher, Little Shop of Horrors, Trap, and Bye Bye Birdie. Eva is also involved with Sound System and CG Singers at Center Grove. She loves to sing and dance and hopes to do something similar in college! She hopes you love the show!

Aava is a senior at Center Grove High School and plays the role of Debora Sue as well as sad girl. This is Aava’s second production with the high school and her third production overall. Previous productions she has participated in include Freaky Friday and Annie Jr. She was also a part of Fiddler on the Roof Jr., which got cut short due to COVID-19. Aava also participates in Sound System at Center Grove High School. Singing, dancing, and acting are some of her favorite activities. She is excited to be playing the role of Debora Sue in this year’s production, Bye Bye Birdie, and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Sawyer is a Freshman who is very excited to start high school. He’s an extroverted Scorpio, and he’s in Slytherin. He enjoys reading YA murder mystery novels and any form of competition.

Kierston Taylor is a junior at CGHS. She plays a role in ensemble. This will be her nineteenth theatrical production overall, but her fourth at CG. In her free time, she loves to sing, dance, act, and spend time with her friends. She wants to thank her friends and family for always being there to support her in her dreams. Curtains up!

Kenzie, a sophomore, is a member of the ensemble in Bye Bye Birdie, which is her first performance with the Center Grove High School Theatre Department. Kenzie is also involved in Surround Sound and Film Club at Center Grove. She loves singing, dancing, and the art of acting. She wishes you enjoy the show as much as she does!

Amy is finally in her senior year! She’s so excited to be a part of the Bye Bye Birdie cast playing both Alice and Gloria Rasputin! She has been a part of theater throughout high school, but this will be her first show in the cast. Amy is also in the Center Grove Debtones. Singing and dancing has been a huge part of her life, and she’s so excited to share it with everyone! Enjoy the show!

Kelsey Williams is excited to be playing as Margie in this year’s musical production of Bye Bye Birdie. Kelsey is involved in Center Grove’s show choirs, Sound System and CG Singers. She loves to perform onstage and would also like to be able to continue musical theatre in her future as well. She is very thankful for all of her friends and family who come and support her in every way possible.