The Odd Couple Cast

Kaya is a senior at East Leyden, and she is so excited to play Olive in the female production of “The Odd Couple!” Some of her other Leyden credits include: Mrs. Van Daan in “Anne Frank,” Judy Boone in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” and proudly was the Cheshire Cat in the improv “Alice in Wonderland.” She is also a giant band geek, and was in the pit orchestra for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” Kaya would like to thank her parents for always being there when she needed them and for always encouraging her creative pursuits. Live, laugh, love.

Jairo is a Senior at West Leyden High School and is excited to portray the role of "Oscar". Though his experience may be lacking he is grateful for the opportunity that Teatro Leyden and everyone involved have given him. His past shows are Blood Wedding as "Novio" and Wave as "Macario". Jairo is happy that his last year in Leyden can be spent with such amazing people who all work very hard and are passionate about what they do. He hopes that all enjoy the show.

Mari is a sophomore at West Leyden, and as her first lead the character “Florence Unger” really resonates with her. She loves making a character her own as she did with “The Duchess of Wesleton” In “Frozen Jr.” She also loves when a character reminds her of herself and makes her reflect like “Harry” from “Jenny Kissed Me” But Florence is her to an exact. A newly divorced woman in her 30s with two kids, who finds cleaning and being passive-aggressive towards her friends a good way to distract herself from having a breakdown, Mari is Florence. She can’t wait to prove herself with this role. She would like to thank Mr. Bavone for giving her this opportunity, Her family for supporting her no matter what, and her friends for pushing her to do better. She would also like to shout out all the seniors from last year who have inspired her to do anything she puts her mind to.

Armani is a Senior at West Leyden High School and is so happy and grateful to be playing “Felix Unger” in the Male cast of “The Odd Couple”. He can’t believe that this is his last fall play in Leyden Theatre. It feels as if only yesterday he was a freshman Assistant Directing “The Diary of Anne Frank”. This role for Armani has been challenging as Felix is not a character he would normally play yet Armani feels that he and Felix are very similar which has made this process more interesting. Past Leyden theatre credits include “The Mad Hatter” in “Alice in Wonderland”, “Diego” in “Wave”, “Boy” in “Blood Wedding”, “Chip Tolentino” in “The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee” etc. Armani would like to thank the people around him for always being supportive.

Dylan is a junior at East Leyden and thinks acting is fun, especially when you have a funny, talented cast. Dylan was previously in Leyden's production of Little Shop of Horrors, as the dentist. Dylan is grateful to work on the Leyden stage and he always wants to be better than the last time. Theater can be a serious commitment at times, but overall just have fun and bringing a character alive!

While Luna is a senior at East Leyden, this is her first high school show. Woo! She auditioned for “The Odd Couple” to check it off her high school bucket list, and she has no regrets about it! Luna feels comfortable with her cast and crew, and loves to be able to express her creativity in a silly, goofy way (i.e. playing a silly, goofy character like Mickey). The whole experience has been so fun and rewarding; something to be grateful for. She suggests to anyone remotely thinking about auditioning for a show: DO IT! The worst that can happen is you make a fool of yourself, but even that can be fun, you know? YOLO!

Oliver is excited to be back on the Leyden stage after the successful summer show. His past production credits include Anne Frank, Wave 2020 and 2021, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Frozen jr, and jenny kissed me as well as 4 other shows. He is very glad for this role and the possibility to work with a classic American show like this and is glad to be trusted to be part of this production, he wants to thank his friends and family for supporting his passion for 4 years and allowing him to grow as an actor and person. Oliver also greatly appreciates the audience for giving up their time to come to see this classic piece of American theater.

Kathy is delighted to return to the Leyden stage as Junior. Last year she was Nena in the World Premiere of Wave and also Jenny in the student directed production of Jenny Kissed Me. During her middle school theater career, she has been on the tech team for Aladdin Jr. and has been a part of the cast for Annie Jr, Peter Pan jr, and Alice in Wonderland Jr. She hopes to pursue her love for theatre for the remainder of her Leyden career.

Korneliusz is so excited to share the stage with his fellow castmates once again on the Ledyen stage. Korneliusz has done previous shows like The Curious Incident of The Dog at Nighttime, Jenny Kissed Me, and Alice in Wonderland. He is very grateful to his directors, especially Mrs.Sadowski for creating such a beautiful set for us actors to perform on.

This is Des’s third year with Leyden Theater and she is very excited to return to the stage. She is a part of Leyden’s Spanish acting program, Teatro Leyden. Her past credits include Ah, Wilderness as a Commercial Announcer, Blood Wedding’s ‘Wife/Mujer’ (both English and Spanish cast), and WAVE as ‘Juana’ in the Spanish Cast. She is very excited to show what she can bring to the stage playing ‘Vera’ in the female cast of Odd Couple. She would like to thank Mr. Bavone for taking a chance on her once again, her friends and family for being supportive, and the cast and crew for making this show possible.

Alexander is excited to return to the Leyden stage after a three-month hiatus. His past credits have been WAVE, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, and most recently, FROZEN JR. When Alexander was presented the role, Mr. Bavone (Director) described VINNIE as a quiet, nervous guy who thinks everyone is making fun of him. Alexander’s first reaction to this was, “That's literally me.” and ever since then, he has fallen in love with the role. He wants to thank his friends and family for always encouraging him and being there at his highs and lows, and hopes that you enjoy the show!

Daniela is excited to be back on the Leyden Stage as “Gwendolyn” in the Odd Couple. Gwendolyn is very different than any character Daniela has played she was diglighted to be able to try something new. She is also trying something else new by being Prop Master for the Female show. As a Senior she is trying to do as much as she can to enjoy her last year here. Other shows she been involved included: Alice in Wonderland as King of Hearts, ___ in Jenny Kissed Me, Dahlia in Wave, and more. Finally, Daniela would like to thank all the cast and crew for making this production a even more fun experience.

Rodolfo is a Senior at West Leyden High School and is beyond excited to portray the role of “Manolo”. Since his first show 4 years ago Rodolfo has participated in Leyden’s theatre whether he was acting or a part of the tech crew. Rodolfo also has the incredible opportunity of working in this year's All-State production of Shrek The Musical as the main rail operator. He now serves as President of Leyden’s Thespian Society Troupe and would like to thank everyone for entrusting this responsibility to him. He would also like to thank Ms. Sadowski for always trusting him, believing in his capabilities, and expanding his knowledge in scenic design and carpentry.

Although this is Sonya’s first year as a freshman, it is not her first show on the Leyden stage. Sonya had the opportunity to be cast in 2 shows at Leyden while she was a student at Lincoln Middle School “Wave” and “A Pair of Christmas Carols”. She loves acting so very much and is SO excited to begin challenging herself! Although this isn’t her first rodeo she is so hyped about officially starting off her journey at Leyden and getting better and better with every show she takes on! Sonya is very grateful to have worked with Mr. Bavone already and feels that those extra years of experience will help her with the remainder of her high school journey. She is so excited for opening night and to let everyone know who she can be. Sonya would like to thank all of the cast and crew for being so welcoming. Theatre really is the place to meet the bestest of friends you will ever find!

Gianna is a freshman at East Leyden who is all too enthusiastic about the role of "Jesus" as a debut on the Leyden Stage. After this experience Gianna can see how different theatre is in high school compared to middle school and is eager to take on the challenge of working in a much more professional setting. There is still much to learn, but Gianna has no regrets and would like to sincerely thank the crew and cast for making this experience the best.