Pippin Cast

Jack Engel (Form IV) is delighted to be a part of this year’s extraordinary production of Pippin as Pippin! Jack is filled with joy to be able to be back on the stage in front of a live audience after last year’s production of Now. Here. This, which took place virtually. Jack spends most of his afternoons at Pittsburgh CLO attending musical theatre classes, and is also a part of their PDP program. Jack would like to give a huge thank you to the cast and crew who worked so hard on this production as well as his friends and family who for always showing him constant support!

Braden Crow (Form VI) is very excited to join the cast as one of your Leading Players. Braden has had a passion for theatre since first performing at 6 years old. He has been greatly involved in the theatre program at SSA, being in the winter musical every year at the Middle and Senior Schools. You may remember him from his past roles at the Senior School: as Peter Quince in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"; Orcus in "She Kills Monsters"; Mr. Mushnik in "Little Shop of Horrors"; and The Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He is thankful for the many opportunities he’s had to engage in theatre at SSA, including writing his one-act play “Pride Month” for last year’s Digital Winter Theatre Festival. He would like to thank the cast and crew of the SSA theatre program for making every show so successful and fun, as well as Mr. Ingraham, Mr. Davidheiser, Dr. Brill, and Dr. Olmstead for their immeasurable hard work and steadfast support of the program throughout these uncertain times. He will miss the theatre program and community dearly as he goes off to college, and wishes the next generation of SSA actors great fun and success!

Sydney Demchak (Form VI) is excited to be returning to SSA Theater as a Leading Player (Choreographer) in Pippin! Prior to Pippin, Sydney also played Crystal in Little Shop of Horrors. She sings in Chamber Choir and would like to shout out all of her fellow seniors! Sydney is proud of everyone's hard work in bringing this show to life, and would like to thank Mr. Dek, Dr. O, DH, and Dr. Brill for all of their support.

Gloria Mancilla (Form VI) is thrilled to be playing a third of the role of Leading Player in this year's production of Pippin. Being that this is her second time cast in a Stage Manager role onstage, Glor jokes that she differs from her role, not understanding why everyone thinks she has her act together. In all sincerity, Gloria is very excited to round out her time at Shady Side onstage alongside her friends. She has been performing in the musical since her freshman year and is both delighted and saddened to be coming full-circle. This has been Glor’s first big role in a school production, and she is exhilarated to be performing alongside her Co-Leading Players and cast members, who she would like to thank for making her last show so memorable. Gloria would also like to thank Mr. Dek, Dr. Amanda, DH, Tron, Dr. Brill and the pit for all their hard work in really constructing and pulling together this show. She would also like to thank her mother, sister, uncle, and family for pushing her to use her voice and supporting her in her love of theatre and all she does. Finally, Glor hopes that the audience enjoys the show just as much as she has!

Noah Delisma (Form VI) is delighted to be playing the role of Charles. He grew up in Miami, Florida, but moved to Pittsburgh and joined the SSA community as a sophomore. Pippin will be his third show at SSA and his sixth overall. Noah is proud member of the SSA boys soccer team and is currently serving as the school’s student body president. His favorite color is blue, his favorite food is pasta, and his favorite movie is Frozen. Noah has been doing theatre since 6th grade and is excited to put on a fantastic show for his final high school production.

Aasia Gabbour (Form VI) is very excited to be acting as the role of Catherine in this year’s production of Pippin. This is her third year attending SSA and third year participating in the school’s winter musical. Her sophomore year, she was an ensemble member and featured vocalist in the 2020 production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and participated in the 2021 production of Now. Here. This. Aasia has always loved music and performing since she was young and has been playing the piano and Chinese violin (erhu) since age 7. She has also always loved to sing and is a member of the school’s Chamber Choir. This is her first time in a principal role and is grateful to Mr. Dek for allowing her to have this opportunity. Aasia is also thankful for her parents and other cast members who have been very supportive throughout this entire production. She had a great time working with and getting to know the cast, crew, and pit orchestra and hopes you enjoy the show!

Aaron Little (Form IV) is excited to be participating in Pippin as the Head. Now, when he first saw the title of this role, he quickly scanned over it, expecting it to be the sort of "head" to hold a position of leadership, not a literal human head. It wasn't his first choice, but of course, he decided he was perfect to play head, because of course he possessed such a human head that wasn't too big, wasn't too small, just the right size for this role. He finds this character to fit his type-casting just right. "I think that my roles have two commonalities between them," he says, "So far, both of them have been comedic, and both of them have been dead." Of course, he says this in reference also to his first role, the failure of a wizard that was the Great Mage Steve. Like the head, Aaron seems to believe that every battle is the same, except for the ones where you die. Every day seemed the same, except if you died, or of course, you got to be a goofball after school for an hour and a half. Theatre is his solution to boredom every day. “Theatre is sort of the one thing I look forward to when I come to school. It lets me do things that I’d never do offstage.” He would laugh, and might I add his laugh often sounds like a weasel choking on a brick? “I’m here for the acting, to improve myself, and of course for the people. All my best friends are here, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Marnie McCormick (Form VI) is very excited to be playing Theo. They have participated in the SSA Highschool musical once in the past, but this time has been able to dedicate all of their time to it. They would like to thank everyone involved in the show for making it possible, especially stage manager Georgia Horgan.

Ben Rohr (Form V) is incredibly excited to be portraying Lewis in this years’ performance of Pippin. This is his sixth musical at Shady Side Academy having performed in every musical since sixth grade. This includes The Music Man, Peter Pan, All Shook Up, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Now Here This, and Pippin. He also participated in the Fall Play this year for the first time and really enjoyed it. Pippin has been an incredibly fun experience for Ben, and he has loved getting back to a real musical process. This role is especially exciting for Ben because his dad portrayed Lewis in the Senior School’s 1992 production of Pippin, and Ben has really enjoyed working on this role with him. He would like to thank Mr. Ingraham, Dr. Brill, Dr. Olmstead, and Mr. Davidheiser for this opportunity and for all their work in helping to put the show together. He would also like to thank his fellow cast members and to wish them luck in the performances. Break a leg everyone!

Karina Saba (Form IV) is extremely excited to be performing as Fastrada in her third musical at Shady Side Academy. She has previously performed in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Now. Here. This. during her freshman and sophomore year. She would like to thank Dr. Brill, Dr. Olmstead, and Mr. Ingraham for their guidance and support! She is grateful for the Pippin cast and crew for making the musical a great experience!

Kayla Zhu (Form IV) is so excited to be in this year's production of Pippin! Kayla preformed in SSA's fall season play She Kills Monsters, along with Alice in Wonderland: the Radio Play, and Now. Here. This. in her freshman year. She has attended SSA since the 6th grade, and is thrilled to be in the high school productions that she so admired in the middle school. Kayla formerly trained at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy in theater and took classes for acting, improv, voice, A cappella, ballet, tap, and jazz before Covid-19 hit. She is so happy the theater community is back on its feet, and is so excited for what is yet to come!

Bing Bhakdibhumi (Form VI) is incredibly grateful to be a part of this musical production. After spending most of his time in high school working backstage, he is taking the chance to perform on stage one last time. Special thanks Mr. Dek, DH, Dr. Brill, Dr. O, and Tonya for putting together this amazing production.

Lance Bruno (Form VI) is excited to be making his Shady Side musical debut in this year's production of Pippin. Lance has been in musicals since middle school. Notable roles include Simba in The Lion King and Drake in Annie. A vocalist from the day he was born, Lance has been recording original music and plans to continue as he takes his show on the road to Liberty University where he will be studying music and business this fall. Lance can also be found performing on the lacrosse field and will be a member of the Liberty Flames Lacrosse Team. Lance would like to thank his family and friends for their support and Mr. Ingraham and Dr. Brill for their direction and PATIENCE!

Carson Curley (Form V) is excited to be an ensemble member in Pippin! His previous experience at the Senior School includes; The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Freshmen) and Now Here This (Sophomore), and most recently She Kills Monsters (Junior). As well, in SSA middle school he was enrolled in the theater program, all three years. He is especially thrilled about partaking in this year's production of Pippin, because this is his first ‘normal’ musical since Drood. Carson has watched many theater productions before at the Senior school, dating back to Macbeth. He would like to thank you for coming to the show, as well Mr. Ingraham, DH, his family, and his friends! Carson hopes you enjoy the show!

Riley Doyle (Form VI) is ready to participate in her next Senior School production! She came to the SSA Middle School in 8th grade; there she participated in the fall play A Midsummer’s Night Prom Dream (Mia, who was based off Hermia), and performed in the musical Peter Pan (Pirate). Freshman year, she was a part of Oedipus Rex (Greek Chorus) and Little Shop of Horrors (Ensemble). Sophomore year she choreographed a dance in the show A Midsummer’s Night Dream where she played the role of Snug/Lion. That same year, she was a featured dancer and assistant choreographer for The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Ensemble). Despite COVID, Riley did two more shows her junior year, Alice in Wonderland (White Rabbit) and Now. Here. This. (Ensemble). She has performed in over fifteen musical productions outside of school, making theater a real passion for her. In addition to the theater, Riley has taken dance classes since she was three, making dance one of her main passions. She would like to thank her excellent castmates, Mr. Ingraham, and the amazing crew for all the effort they put into making this show great!

Sophia Gombos (Form III), is very excited to be a part of the cast of Pippin. Sophia has been in the SSA play since 6th grade, the musical since 7th grade, and really enjoys the people and experiences that she gets to encounter. She has been in a TV show and movie before, and loves being a part of a cast and seeing everything come together behind the scenes. Along with acting, Sophia has also been a model since she was 6 years old, and has attended over 300 commercial photo shoots, more than 10 TV commercials, done 5 voice overs, and walked over 40 fashion shows. Sophia’s been dancing since she was four, and started official vocal training when she was eight. Besides dancing, singing, acting, and modeling, Sophia also enjoys drawing, writing, golf, and rock climbing. Sophia is looking forward to working with more people and continuing her acting experiences here at SSA!

Marley Grandizio (Form IV) is very excited to be performing in her first in-person musical of her high school career. This was because of how the past year was a strange one for everyone in the live performing arts world. She is heavily involved in music, whether it be live or from her playlists. She is also a member of the Chamber Choir. She has been a part of the performing arts at Shady Side since middle school. But before that she had done a children's musical theater program. In her free time, she enjoys photography, discovering new music and vinyl, as well as spending time with family, friends and her dog. She is also a member of the Shady Side field hockey team as well as the softball team. She would like to begin by thanking the cast and crew for being friendly as well as Mr Ingraham for being flexible, encouraging, and accommodating. She would like to thank Dr Brill for always having an uplifting attitude and helping her grow as a musician throughout her time so far at the academy. She would finally like to thank her family and friends for their continual support and encouragement throughout the entire process. She hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Andrew Hoe (Form IV) is ecstatically enthused to be performing in Pippin. He enjoys acting, but most of all, storytelling, puns, and egregiously verbose terminology. Pippin is Andrew’s first musical as a member of the ensemble and second on stage performance overall. Andrew has previously done tech for Peter Pan, portrayed Lucas in The Addams Family, and remotely voiced miscellaneous characters in Alice in Wonderland. In his free time he does board games, books, and brushing up on his arts. Pippin is exciting too because he gets a sword in one scene.

After a bumpy 8th grade musical, Jonas (Form III) was excited and nervous to finally be able to do an in person and on stage musical! As a freshman coming from the middle school, The musical allowed Jonas to get to know many new students and staff at SSA. During rehearsal, he has learned lots of new parts that make up the musical. The step up from the middle school has been a large but fulfilling one as he continues to grow his knowledge and ability to sing and act. Jonas continues to work on his passion for the performing arts after the musical as he attends choir class. He already can’t wait to find out, prepare, and perform in the 2023 winter musical.

Philip Huang (Form VI) is a passionate singer. He is currently in chamber choir, the intonations and had experience singing tenor, baritone and bass. He loves songs from musical enjoys the experience of singing them. This is his first time participating in SSA winter musical or any other theater programs. However he has had 2 years of experience singing and acting as vocal ensemble in his middle school musical club. His favorite musical is Man of La Mancha. He's looking forward to the final product and hopes everyone will enjoy the show.

Elizabeth Kamin (Form V) Is so excited to be in PIPPIN this year! Elizabeth was in The Mystery of Edwin Drood her freshman year and the play both her freshman and sophomore year. After a year without a production, she is so excited to perform on the Hillman stage again. Elizabeth would like to thank Mr. Dek, Mr. DH, and the cast and crew for all of their hard work on this show with a special shoutout to Dr. O for her amazing choreography.

Chelsea Kaufmann (Form V) is very excited to be participating in this year's production of Pippin as a featured dancer. Due to covid last year, the musical had to be live streamed, the cast was separated into groups, and there was no tech week. The loss of these things is essentially the loss of a show as the most special part about Shady Side theater is the community. This community is built and fostered through all of the long hours we spend working together and then the ability to perform our hard work to our friends and family. Thankfully, as life slowly returns to "normal" we have the ability to perform together again, and Chelsea is so grateful for that. Chelsea has been a part of theater at Shady Side since her freshman year, with her favorite show being "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" in which she was a part of the ensemble. Outside of doing shows at Shady Side, Chelsea enjoys painting, playing piano, writing, and making films. She is very excited to perform and hopes you enjoy the show!

Ethan Kolek (Form III) is super happy to be part of the cast for this production. This is his first year at Shady Side after moving from Zurich, Switzerland. While living in Zurich, he started doing scripted and improvisational theater and he has been since 6th grade. Ethan has been in 3 live improvisation shows and a large handful of plays, musicals, and other acting endeavors in school and his community. This is his first acting performance in America. He is very excited to continue his acting journey at Shady Side throughout the next 4 years.

Shreya Ranjith Kumar (Form IV) is thrilled to be performing for the first time on stage in front of her peers, family, and teachers. She went to a singing audition outside of her comfort zone and got the part she desired. Although Shreya first felt that being a member of the ensemble was not something to be enthusiastic about, she now recognizes that the ensemble provided life to the performance and that participating in a musical for the first time is absolutely something to be proud of, despite the size of the role. She hopes to push herself even further out of her comfort zone and pursue parts that are even more challenging and complex than this.

Tina Liang (Form IV) can't tell you how happy she is to be part of the SSA community and to be part of Winter Musical, one of the most important events of the year. She thinks that the winters in Pittsburgh are cold and snowy, but every time she steps into Hillman and immerses herself in the friendliness of the community and the joy of dancing and music, she would wipe away the fatigue of a long school day. This year is Tina's first year in SSA, but thanks to Winter Musical, she has made many good friends. In Winter Musical, she first experienced the charm of being in a real theatre and was able to sing boldly. Music is one of the most important parts of her life, and this special piece of musical, which is created by all of the wonderful members of SSA, gives her a sense of belonging and a sense of achievement.

Cassidy Mineo (Form V) is delighted to join the cast of Pippin! This is her second year performing in the Winter Musical at SSA. She has loved being a part of the show, but she’s no stranger to being on stage in other forms. She has studied piano with Katherine Barley for over thirteen years using the Suzuki method. Cassidy has participated in the National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival and the Guild of Piano Teachers of the American College of Musicians for several years and plans on continuing. Cassidy was also an active member of the SSA middle school and senior school jazz band prior to COVID as a saxophonist and has also taken several years of private lessons. She also has several years of choir experience including one year in the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus. Even though she has exposure to other forms of the performing arts, she has enjoyed learning more about acting, theater, tech, and other aspects of putting on a musical. She looks forward to seeing the whole production and performing in her first live show! Cassidy thanks everyone involved for making such a fun new experience possible and continuing to provide music and theater for others in this pandemic.

Tashari Morgan (Form IV) is excited to be performing in her first musical. She has been a part of the theatre department since the fall and plans to continue for the rest of her high school career.

Kelita Nolan (Form III) is excited to be onstage for Pippin, her first show as a student at SSA. While Kelita has been behind the scenes on lights, she loves being on stage the most. Kelita has pursued many other creative talents, such as playing 3 instruments and studying voice. She also has experience with previous athletic pursuits, including various forms of dance. Kelita has previously performed in one musical and two plays, and she has done the lights for two other performances at St. Edmund’s Academy. Kelita has also worked with other creative classes and hobbies. She is currently taking Studio Art 3D, and is enjoying working with metal and glass. Kelita has previously worked with glass at St. Edmund’s Academy. She has also worked with other media such as clay and tempera paint. Aside from creative pursuits, Kelita enjoys academics as well. She has competed in the MathCounts competition from sixth through eighth grade, and competed in the AMC 10 this year. Kelita has also taken part in the Battle of the Books from sixth through eighth grade, and won with a team of 3 in seventh grade. She plans to join Battle of the Books again this year."

Kevin Polke (Form III) is so excited to be in Shady Side Academy's winter production of Pippin! He has done many wonderful musicals, but this one is very special to him, and he is so thrilled to be a part of it. When he first joined the SSA community, the only thing that he was really looking forward to was acting in a musical or play. Now, he has many other things that he loves to do, but the musical is still at the top of his list. Pippin holds a special place in many peoples hearts, including Kevin’s, for it shows many wonderful ideas, including romance, glory, power, and anything that is Extraordinary. It is a wonderful blend of all these ideas, with amazing dances, enchanting songs, and much more! He hopes you enjoy this years production of Pippin!

Aidan Prouty (Form III) is proud to be a part of this musical. He recently moved to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles, California where he enjoyed performing as Iago in Aladdin and Simba in The Lion King. Aidan is thrilled to be on the Shady Side Academy stage. He really likes the musical program and being a part of the theater community at school. In his free time, Aidan likes to: play board games and video games with family and friends, go hiking, and swimming.

Leo Rickard (Form IV) has been a bit of an oddball during the production of Pippin. He just showed up one day in a cloud of blue smoke with the smell of burning incense, and since we haven't been able to get him to leave, we've included him within the musical.

Madeira Semins (Form IV) is thrilled to be participating in this year's production of Pippin as a featured dancer. She is a lifer at SSA and she joins the Senior School theater community after participating in shows at the Middle School, as well as this year’s fall play, She Kills Monsters. She’s excited to do it all again next year!

Tina Xia (Form III) has been thrilled to be one of the dancers in this amazing show. Tina comes from Shanghai, China. She was talented in dancing since she was young. From the age of 4, Tina has been learning ballet. She participated in the RAD in addition performing several ballet shows in Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo. Her passion in dancing leads her toward other types of dances. She said her interest in dancing was aroused when she was watching the ballet performance Swan Lake. Their elegant and beautiful moves quickly fascinated the four-year old Tina and she wanted to be just like them—a beautiful swan. This year she faces the big challenging of studying abroad, that she couldn’t see her family as usual. The brand new environment is surely overwhelming, and this new situation forced her to stop taking dance lessons, but her passion toward dancing brought her into the musical. She was extremely happy when she received the new that she was selected as one of the dancers, because it means that she can finally continue to dance. Although facing new teachers and teammates, Tina accepted the new dance style and cooperated really well with her teammate. She gets to know people who has passion toward different things, and that makes the show together.

Angela (Jiayue) Xue (Form VI) participated in the musical “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” in her sophomore year as a keyboard player in Pit Orchestra. This year, she auditioned as a cast member because she wants to continue participating in musicals but is also eager to explore something different. She has partaken in some theatrical productions since elementary school and has been practicing dance for almost ten years, having foundational dance experience, especially in traditional Chinese folk dances. Being the featured dancer of the play, she is able to perform and dance on stage one more time, an experience she has been yearning for several years. Despite having performed in the Ruah theater some times before, she claims that standing under the spotlight as a pianist is different from being a dancer on stage. Therefore, as “Pippin” is the first musical production Angela participated in as an on-stage performer, she is extremely thrilled to be part of the grand production. She would like to thank all the faculty, crew, Pit, and cast members who made the show possible! Lastly, she wishes everyone to enjoy the show, no matter as an audience or a member of the musical. Have fun!