Something Rotten Cast

Dane Bower (Nick Bottom) is thrilled to be back at PTPA for a second time, following his PTPA debut in Catch Me If You Can back in 2017. A veteran of the local theater scene for over twenty years, Dane has contributed his time as an actor, director, writer, pit musician, lighting and sound designer/operator, set designer/builder, and prop designer/builder to just about every community theater from Scranton to Hazelton. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors at Gaslight Theatre Company. When not performing onstage, Dane can be found teaching others how to perform onstage as the short form improv instructor at ImagineNEPA in Clarks Summit, PA, and director of theater at Keystone College in La Plume, PA. A previous NEPTA award winner*, he is overjoyed to be working on his bucket list role of Nick Bottom in Something Rotten! and to be debuting this show locally with such an incredibly talented cast and crew. Notable previous musical theater roles include Dan Goodman (Next to Normal), Jean Valjean (Les Miserables), Shrek (Shrek the Musical), Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls), Billy Flynn (Chicago), Princeton (Avenue Q), both Lawrence and Freddy (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), and Psuedolus (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum). *2019 Best Actor in a Musical (Next to Normal); 2018 Best One Act Production (Horse Play); 2018 Best Director of a Musical (The Producers); 2017 Best Writing, One Act (Brothers in Arms); 2014 Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (Monty Python’s Spamalot)

Mike Wawrzynek (Shakespeare/Technical Director) is a NEPTA award-winning actor and designer, and co-founder of FlashMilk Productions. He is thrilled to be returning to the PTPA stage with such a talented cast as everyone’s favorite bard, William Shakespeare! Selected theatrical credits: Music Box Dinner Playhouse: Company (Bobby), The Producers (Roger DeBris), Oklahoma! (Curly McLain); Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre: The Rocky Horror Show (Dr. Frank n’ Furter), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Cabaret (Ernst Ludwig); PTPA: A Chorus Line (Zach), The Glass Menagerie (Jim O’Connor), Assassins (Charles Guiteau), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Phoebus); Gaslight: Taming of the Shrew (Lucentio); Theatrical Gems: She Loves Me (Steven Kodaly), As You Wish It, or The Bride Princess (Inigo Montoya); Ovation Playhouse: Little Women (Professor Bhaer). He can also be seen in the locally-produced films, F-Word, which he co-wrote, and Blackhole. Mike is forever grateful to his girlfriend, Eyanna, his family, and his friends for their continued love and support of his artistic pursuits!

Karl Kleist (Nigel Bottom) is an actor from Hanover Township who has enjoyed acting at many of out local theaters. Some of the favorite roles he has portrayed are The D'ysquith Family in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Boy/Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher, Rooster in Annie, Duke in The Great American Trailer Park Musical, and Jack in Into The Woods for which he won a Nepta Award for Best Supporting Actor. Karl is very excited to be working with such an amazing cast in such a fantastic show!

Cate McDonald (Bea) is thrilled to be back on the PTPA stage after a ten year hiatus as part of this powerhouse cast. Some favorite roles at PTPA include *Natalie (All Shook Up- 2011), **Lina Lamont (Singin in the Rain- 2011), and *Velma Kelly (Chicago- 2010). Cate has also been seen on stage at other local theaters such as The Music Box Dinner Playhouse in roles including Lucy Harris (Jekyll and Hyde- 2009), Linoleum/Pickles (The Great American Trailer Park Musical-2009/2012), Doralee (9 to 5- 2013), Sibella (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder- 2019) and The Little Theater of Wilkes Barre as **Sally Bowles (Cabaret- 2017). Cate has also spent much time backstage working as a stage manager and director, as well as props, costumes, sound, lights, sets, and even (laughably) choreography. *NEPTA nominated **NEPTA win

Jimmy Williams+ (Nostradamus) is a Dunmore native and is grateful to be returning to the stage after the craziness of the past 18 MONTHS!!!! He is happy to finally make his PTPA main stage debut in one of his dream roles as Nostradamus. Favorite roles include Max Bialystock*(The Producers),Teveye (Fiddler on the Roof), Horton (Suessical), Norbert (Great American Trailer Park Musical), William Barfee (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Monsieur Thénardier (Les Misérables), The Baker(Into the Woods), Edna Turnblad (Hairspray), Nathan Detroit (Guys and Dolls), Mr. Mushnik (Little Shop of Horrors). NEPTA Awards for actor in a Musical (Max/The Producers), Costumes(Cabaret),Sound Design (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum),Supporting Actor(Dr. Parker/ BatBoy The Musical)

Eyanna Gruver (Portia/Costume Designer) is happy to be returning to the PTPA stage with this amazing cast and crew! Eyanna is recipient of the 2018 NEPTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her portrayal of Bianca in Taming of the Shrew (Gaslight Theatre Company). Other selected stage credits include: Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (PTPA); Jo March, Little Women (Ovation Playhouse); Sarah, Ragtime (King’s College); Lucy, Jekyll and Hyde (Theatre at the Grove); Marta, Company (Stage Directions Studio Theater); Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors (Music Box Dinner Playhouse). Eyanna enjoys design work and is the recipient of the NEPTA award for Best Set Design (with Michael Wawrzynek, 2017, Cabaret at LTWB) and Best Costume Design (2019, Jekyll & Hyde at LTWB) She would like to thank her friends, family, and boyfriend for their support.

Jahmeel Powers+ (Brother Jeremiah) is an Actor, Director, and Improviser originally hailing from Michigan, is a 2018 graduate of the Master of Fine Arts in Acting Program (concentration Directing) at Regent University. He’s performed in professional productions across the country in places such as: Maine, Michigan, Virginia, New York, and Scotland at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Locally, he has worked with a number of theatre organizations such as: PataSphere (Just a Penny: 2018 Scranton Fringe Festival, F.M. Kirby Center's 80th Anniversary). Gaslight Theatre (Playroom: Home for the Holidays, 2019) , Act Out Theatre (Of Mice and Men 2020,), and Intrepidus Theatre Lab (Medea 2020). He performed most recently with Gaslight Theatre in two zoom readings: TopDog/Underdog, and A Raisin in the Sun (March 2021) As an Improviser, he is affiliated with Scranton Improv Comedy, and his latest Improv show was Gaslight Theatre’s “Leave the Cannoli” as part of the Scranton Fringe Festival’s 2020“Fringe Under Glass”. Most recently, he along with his wife, Beth Guarnieri-Powers are members of the Planet Ant Improv Digital House Team out of Detroit, MI! He is currently the visiting Assistant professor of Theatre at King's College, and a co-Founder of Powers Performance coaching with his wife, Beth Guarnieri-Powers, which was a finalist for 2020 Young Professional Awards for Entrepreneur of the Year! Jahmeel would like to thank all of his family and friends both back home and in PA for always supporting and strengthening me to improve, our at home audiences who continue to support the arts during this uneasy and difficult time, my wife Beth Powers who is the best scene partner I’ve ever had both on and off the stage, and our wonderful 10-month old blessing, Anntoinette Powers, for giving me one of the most rewarding roles of all time: Father! Personal Website: jahmeelpowers.com Powers Performance Coaching Website: Powersperformancecoaching.weebly.com

Elizabeth Powers+ (Lady Clapham/Ensemble) is an international performer whose acting career has taken her all over the East Coast including Baltimore, Shawnee on the Delaware, NYC, Maine, Virginia Beach, Boston, and Scotland after performing at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Regent University and is currently a theatre professor at King’s College. She is also the co-founder and co-owner of Powers Performance Coaching with her husband Jahmeel Powers. Some of her favorite stage roles include Medea (Medea), Beatrice (The Servant of Two Masters), Ms. Ritter (She Loves Me), Kate (Taming of the Shrew), Botard (Rhinoceros), Masha (The Seagull), Curley's Wife (Of Mice and Men), and Ophelia (Hamlet). Elizabeth would like to thank Sam and PTPA for this awesome opportunity. She would also like to thank all her family and friends for their unending love and support, especially her mother who will continue to never miss a show from her seat in Heaven. A very special thanks to Jahmeel Powers, who is the BEST partner both on and off stage, and Anntoinette Powers who gave her the role of a lifetime as her mother. Love You.

Adam Randis (Shylock) is a 20 + year veteran on the stage, behind the scenes, and in the director’s chair for local theatre groups throughout Northeastern and Central PA and is the President of the PTPA Board of Directors. Adam has Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in History and Education from Bloomsburg University and is a professor of History at Luzerne County Community College. He also works with the youth home agency ChildFirst Services based out of Philadelphia, Allentown, and Jim Thorpe. His most recent on-stage roles with the PTPA include Pap (Home for the Holidays), John Adams (1776), Theodore Roosevelt (Disney’s Newsies), and Peter (Zoo Story). Adam is very excited to see the PTPA return and looks forward to the organization providing quality entertainment and enrichment opportunities for the Hazleton area and beyond with the friendship and support of theatre patrons like YOU.

Ian Owens (Minstrel/Ensemble) - Ian is a Hazleton native and current Philadelphia resident making his fifth appearance on the PTPA stage! Past roles at PTPA include Robbie Hart (The Wedding Singer), Frank Jr. (Catch Me If You Can), Dean Hyde (All Shook Up), and Greg (A Chorus Line). He has also made his way around the NEPA theater scene with appearances as Freddie (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and Stormtrooper in the NEPTA-award winning The Producers. He cannot thank his wife, Megan, enough as she continues to support him in all his acting and writing endeavors! Ian is so excited to work with such a talented cast and bring theater back to life after our 18 month hiatus!

Tina Becker (Ensemble) has been involved with numerous shows at PTPA since playing Aunt Eller in Oklahoma in 2013. Some of her favorite roles have been Ms. Hannigan in Annie , Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd and Carmen Berstein in Curtains. When not on stage, she is a payroll administrator for the Faulkner group of car dealerships. She is very excited to be back as part of the PTPA reopening as this theater has created some of her most cherished memories on and off stage.

Ayanna Cherry (Ensemble) is a 7th grade Honor Roll student and National Junior Honor Society member at Freeland Middle School. Ayanna has been an active performer since she began dancing at the age of 4. She has been involved in the theatre since the summer of 2018 in her PTPA debut performance of All Shook Up. Since then Ayanna has performed in multiple shows here at the PTPA and has also volunteered countless hours helping with the renovations of the theatre space. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Nichole Conrad+ (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her PTPA debut in Something Rotten!. Nichole is currently a rising junior at Long Island University(LIU) pursuing her BFA in Musical Theater. In addition to her education at LIU she has also stage managed and production assisted main stage productions and is a member of the Emerging Students Theater Association where she has been a part of film productions, Into the Woods (Sleeping Beauty), Rocky Horror (Ensemble), and many cabaret performances. Locally Nichole has been seen on stage at theaters such as Music Box, Little Theater WB, Act Out Theater, and Wyoming Seminary's theater intensive where she will be a teacher's assistant and choreographer this summer. Some of Nichole’s favorite credits include Leading Player(Pippin!),Bonnie Parker(Bonnie and Clyde) and Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre(25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) . She is so ecstatic to be returning to the stage (in person and live!) with this talented cast and crew.

Alyssa Degosky+ (Ensemble) is so excited to be making her PTPA debut! Alyssa attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she received a M.S degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Dance. In previous years, she performed in musicals at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, Music Box and Theater Harrisburg. Offstage, Alyssa is employed as a school based speech-language pathologist in Harrisburg, Pa. She also spent the past 10 summers working as a seasonal Character Performer at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Alyssa would like to thank the cast and production team of Something Rotten for this fun experience. She would also like to thank her wonderful family and fiancé, Joe for their endless amount of love and support for her passion for dance and the arts!

Madelyn Ebersole+ (Swing) is a theatre and dance student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Locally she has performed as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof (2017), Little Becky Two Shoes in Urinetown (2018), Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (2019), and Velma Kelly in Chicago (2019). At WCUPA she has performed as Christina in Fefu and her Friends (2019) and Farrah in She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms (2020). She has been dancing for 16 years and has been involved in almost 40 theatre productions. Her most recent work at WCUPA has been in virtual stage management and dramaturgy, so she is very excited to be performing on a stage again, and making her PTPA debut!

Michael Ecker (Ensemble) is a rising senior at King’s College where he majors in English: professional writing with minors in political science and history. He, as we speak, is amidst the throws of preparing law school applications for the fall of 2022. Michael was most recently seen on the King’s College stage as Jamie Wellerstein in The Last Five Years. No stranger to the local community theatre scene, Michael won a Northeastern Pennsylvania Theatrical Alliance Award for his performance as Ralphie in A Christmas Story and nabbed another two nominations for this year’s ceremony in the best leading actor and costuming categories. Some notable credits of Michael’s include Younger Brother (Ragtime), The Cat in the Hat (Seussical), Mike Costa (A Chorus Line), Robert Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), and Jesus (Godspell). Over these past years, Michael has studied various genres of dance and vocal technique, and he continues to pick up lessons when he can. Something Rotten holds a special place in Michael’s heart, and he is so very excited to return to his home stage for the first time in 19 months — a separation that has not been so prolonged since his pre-PTPA life, some 12 years ago — for this grand reinstatement of live performance in northeast PA alongside such talented people!

Nelson Ferreira (Ensemble) is no stranger to the PTPA stage. He’s been mildly active since 2009. He is a Penn State Alumni and enjoys activities such as learning guitar, reading, hiking, playing video games, and hammocking. He is excited for his metamorphosis post 2020.

Yeiber Gonzalez (Ensemble) is a recent graduate from Kutztown University where he was an active member of their Theater Club, Actors Creating Theater, in which he appeared as Ernst in their production of Spring Awakening and Harry Bright in Mamma Mia! Additionally, he has been active in the local theater scene over the years as Javert in Les Misérables(DMPW), Pepper in Mamma Mia(DMPW), Rapunzel’s Prince in Into The Woods (Theater at the Grove), and Spot Conlon in Newsies (PTPA). He is very proud to be part of PTPA’s main stage reopening following a historically difficult time for the world and happy to get the opportunity to work with this immensely talented and fun cast.

Amanda Alexa Hall (Ensemble) is so excited to be performing LIVE on stage at PTPA with such an incredible cast and crew! Recent theatre credits include Uzo/Peggy in Godspell (PTPA) Buttons in Newsies (Phoenix PAC) and Judy in A Chorus Line (PTPA and Act Out Theatre). She was nominated Northeast Woman in 2017 and is a proud member of the PTPA Board of Directors. She is so grateful for the opportunity to perform for the community and is passionate about keeping the arts alive!

Rebekah Hoats (Ensemble) is going into 8th grade at Valley Middle School. She has been dancing in the area for the past 8 years and is looking forward to showcasing her skills in this production. She has been performing with the PTPA since 2018 when she caught the theatre bug after performing in All Shook Up. Since then she has performed in Newsies, Home for the Holidays, The Addams Family, and more. Rebekah is also a first year member of both the Hazleton Area Track and Field team and the Valley Eagle Cheerleaders. She would like to thank her mom and dad for their support in following her dreams.

Henry Lorenzi+ (Ensemble) rising actor recently relocated to the Hazleton Area from New York City. Henry has performed in school plays such as The Outsiders, Romeo and Juliet, The Crucible, Lysistrata, and A Christmas Carol. He is excited to be one of the newest members of PTPA, appearing in the musical SOMETHING ROTTEN!

Joseph Maguschak (Ensemble) is a rising senior at Gettysburg College pursuing a degree in English, with a concentration in writing, and just returned from spending a semester studying and exploring the Big Apple at NYU. He has been involved in community theatre since 2009, with his most notable roles including Ren McCormack in Footloose, Lucas Beineke in The Addams Family, Horton the Elephant in Seussical, Vice Principal Douglas Panch in Spelling Bee, Bobby in A Chorus Line, Race in Newsies, and Henry in Next to Normal. In 2015, Joseph had the honor of winning a NEPTA Award for his portrayal of Jesus in Godspell at the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. He is also an award-winning dancer trained in ballet, jazz, and tap, having performed on the Disney Springs stage in Walt Disney World in both 2014 and 2016. Joseph would like to thank his family, friends, and you – the audience; without your generous patronage and support of the arts, none of this would be possible! This performance is dedicated to Fran Fine.

Molly Maguschak (Ensemble) graduated this year from Marian Catholic High School, where she was a member of the Cheerleading Squad, Drama Club, and Chorus. Molly has been involved in community theater since 2009, when she first took to the PTPA stage as Toto in Oz! Some of her favorite roles include: Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird), Pinocchio (Shrek), Scarecrow (The Wizard of Oz), Sebastian (The Little Mermaid), and Lucy (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown). She also performed in Disney Springs with DM Performance Works in September 2016 and November 2014. When Molly is not seen on stage, she is often found helping out behind the scenes. She has choreographed multiple shows such as High School Musical, The Addams Family, and Peter Pan. She was also Assistant Director for this year’s production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Marian Catholic. Molly is so happy to be back on stage again especially with this awesome Something Rotten cast!

Emily Meier (Ensemble) — is pleased to be taking the PTPA stage yet again after last being seen in Newsies in the summer of 2019. Having only performed the first time in her senior class production as JoJo in Seussical the Musical at Marian Catholic, it is safe to say that the “theater bug” has truly bitten her. Before being on the stage, Emily honed the talents that are useful to her today by singing in her parish and school choirs and also in her training as a competitive gymnast for several years. Emily attends Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where she studies biomedical engineering. There, she is also a proud executive member and “sister” of her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. Emily is happy to be back in this wildly fun musical alongside such an amazing cast — which even includes her cousin, Tina Becker! Finally, Emily would like to dedicate this performance to her amazing lifelong high school friends (who appear alongside her in this endeavor) for exposing her to the wonders of the stage.

Chloe Orfanella+ (Ensemble) is a freshman at Wyoming Valley West High School. She has been performing on stage since she was four years old and has over 30 productions under her belt. Some of her feature roles include Sour Kangaroo in Seussical Jr, Susan Waverly in White Christmas, Genie in Aladdin Jr, young Cosette in Les Mis, Chiffon in Little Shop of Horror’s, and most recently Rafiki in The Lion King Jr. She was a part of the studio soundtrack recording of The Happy Elf with Harry Connick Jr. Chloe has trained in dance since 2011 studying jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, and modern at the Joan Harris Centre. She has attended summer theater camps at Oklahoma City University and Wyoming Seminary. Chloe is ecstatic to be making her PTPA debut in this amazing production of Something Rotten.

Sydney Powell (Ensemble/Dance Captain) is a rising senior at Lehigh University where she is studying to receive degrees in both Biology and Public Health upon graduation. She then hopes to complete graduate school to obtain a Master’s degree in public health before attending medical school to become a physician. In past performances, some of her favorite roles have been: Cosette (Les Misérables), Morticia Addams (The Addams Family the Musical), and Mrs. Potts (Beauty and the Beast), in addition to countless ensemble appearances. In 2014, Sydney auditioned and was selected to train with the Radio City Rockettes at their annual summer intensive, which she attended for four years. She has received numerous recognitions for her performances and choreography at regional and national dance competitions, and has held titles within the Miss America Organization. She would like to thank the cast and crew for being such a joy to work with. Enjoy the show!

Shea Quinn+ (Ensemble) is a rising senior at Fordham University pursuing degrees in Communications and Film & Television. This is his debut at the PTPA, and he is excited to be back onstage after a three-year hiatus. Shea has been performing around NEPA since 2012, with his most notable roles including Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Igor in Young Frankenstein, Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Ram in Heathers, and Peter in Bare: A Pop Opera. He would like to thank everyone who has made this experience unforgettable and hopes you enjoy the show.

Scott Rave (Ensemble) is happy to be back on the PTPA stage! He was last seen at PTPA in Disney's Newsies! Some past roles over the past few years have been Centipede (James and the Giant Peach), Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes and the White Chapel Murders), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes and The Curse of the Sign of Four), Gypsy Scotty (Mona Lisa and the Cross), and Harry Bright (Mama Mia). In the spirit of Shakespeare, Scott's favorite past role that was written by the Bard would be Polonius (Hamlet), a character who (spoiler alert!) tragically met his demise while spying in the Queen's chamber. Scott has been carefully avoiding arras ever since.

Jessica Schafer (Ensemble) has been performing in community theatre for over 15 years and first set foot on the PTPA stage in 2013. She also enjoys performing in the murder mystery troupe the Sugarbaker Players. By day, Jessica is a music teacher at West Hazleton Elementary/Middle School. Some of her past roles include: Laurey Williams (Oklahoma!), Marian Paroo (The Music Man), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), Jo March (Little Women), Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes), Bella Manningham (Gaslight), Vera Claythorne (And Then There Were None), and Nora Morton (Brighton Beach Memoirs).

Marianna Fischer Oplinger (Ensemble) Marianna is a graduate of Eastern Michigan U. with a teaching degree in English, Speech/Rhetoric, Theater, and Sociology. She is pleased to be back on the boards at P.T.P.A. Some of her past P.T.P.A. credits include: The Diary of Anne Frank, Steel Magnolias, The Sound of Music, and Annie, along with many backstage hours on crew. She has been the make-up crew moderator at Holy Redeemer H.S. and Bishop Hafey H. S and co-director of the spring comedy at H.R.H.S. Marianna is delighted to be working with the stellar cast that now serves the Hazleton community at P.T.P.A.

Natalee Zambotti (Ensemble) is going into 10th grade this year at Hazleton Area High School. She is looking forward to her first year of cheerleading with the Hazleton Cougars. She has also been a dancer for 12 years at Faberge Follies. Her debut show at the PTPA was All Shook Up; since then she has done A Chorus Line, Newsies, and Home for the Holidays with the PTPA. She is thrilled to return to the stage after 18 months of withdrawal from performing!