Urinetown Cast

Abby Ohlau (Caldwell’s Secretary/Pennywise U/S) is a senior in the musical theater program here at SIUC. She is so excited to close out her time here with this beast of a show! Previous roles include Mr. Brunner/Chiron and others in The Lightning Thief (SIUC), Ensemble in Hello, Dolly! (MSP), Jane Doe in Ride The Cyclone (SIUC), Marmee March in Little Women(SIUC), and Gilmer in Godspell (MSP). A special thanks to her family and friends for always supporting her and pushing her to be her best self. She hopes you enjoy the show, and welcome to Urinetown! (@abby.ohlau)

Bailey Warner (Hope Cladwell) is so excited to be taking on this role. This will be her final show here at SIU as she will be graduating with her BFA in August. She is also a Southeastern Illinois College and Marion High School alumnus, where she played roles such as Doralee in 9 to 5, Sandra in The Play That Goes Wrong, Sophie in Mama Mia, Lucy in Brightstar, Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella, and Anabelle in Wedding Band. She wants to show love and appreciation to her family and friends for being such a wonderful support system and always believing in her. She also holds the title of Assistant Choral Director at Marion High School alongside Jamie Dodds and is so excited for her students and Mrs. Dodds to see her on stage! She loves you all!

Bella Morris is so excited to return to the McLeod stage and to be playing Soupy Sue in Urinetown the musical! You may have seen her most recently as Ilona Ritter in the SIU School of Theatre and Dance production of She Loves Me last spring or as Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Show at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center for the last two years! Other notable roles with the SIU School of Theatre and Dance include Amy March in Little Women and Rita La Porta in Lucky Stiff. She would love to thank her friends, family, and the audience for coming out and supporting live theater! Insta: bellarmorris

Bizi Cutherell is a Junior Musical Theatre BFA student at SIU. You may have seen her in past shows at SIU as Dionyzia in Philoten and Her Pattern of Painful Adventures, Mrs.Johnson in a Christmas Carol, and as the Busboy in She Loves Me. You also may have seen her in McLeod Summer Playhouse’s Corduroy. She would like to thank the entire cast and crew of Urinetown for helping to bring this show together. You can find her on social media @bizi.cutherell

Blake Zappa is a senior BA at SIU. This is his second mainstage production at SIU after previously playing the role of Mr. Maraczek in the SIU’s production of, She Loves Me, last school year. He is very excited to be back on stage again and ecstatic to have been involved in the planning, rehearsal process, and finally performance of Urinetown! He has had a blast working alongside all his classmates in his biggest role yet and hopes you enjoy the show even a fraction as much as he has. He would like to thank the director Matt Williams for his wonderful direction and creative process, as well as all the other designers and tech operators, without whom this show would never get close to happening. He would also like to thank all his friends and family, specifically his mother and father, Beth and Jay Zappa who always love and support him in everything he does. He hopes you enjoy the show and asks that you please clap extra hard for Seth Worthington. Thank you!

Israeli Jones she/her (Penelope Pennywise) Israeli Jones is a 20 year old musical theater BFA junior from Cairo, Illinois. You may have seen her in the School of Music’s productions of Old Maid and the Thief and The Little Prince. As Lula Greene in The Wedding Band, as Sally Jackson in The Lightning Thief, as Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol and as an ensemble member in shows such as She Loves Me and last summer in McLeod Summer Playhouse in The Prom, and Hello Dolly. She’s so excited to share this production with everyone and hopes it gets lots of laughs!

Kenzie Losinski (Little Becky Two Shoes) is a junior from NW Indiana double majoring in Musical Theater and Communications. Recent credits of hers include The Mind’s Mirage (Addy), Phoenix: A Dance Concert (New Day), A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim), and The Trail to Oregon (Son). Big love and godspeed to her family and friends for their continuous love and support, and to everyone who worked to make this show possible. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Lilie Lim is a Freshman, Musical Theater Major at Southern Illinois University. This will be her second main stage production, as she previously performed in “Phoenix,” SIU’s first Dance Concert. This is her first musical debut with the university, and she couldn’t be more thrilled, or excited at this amazing opportunity. Lim has always been a dancer first, but that has never stopped her from continuing to learn, and flourish in multiple aspects of the theatre world. Lim would like to give a special “Thank you,” to all of her close friends, and family who are traveling from states away to see her perform. With great gratitude, please enjoy the show!

Lucas Reilly is a senior at SIU, and he’s very excited to be in ‘Urinetown: The Musical!’ You may have seen him earlier this semester in ‘Taming of the Shrew,’ directed by Saina Seraj, and he’s extremely grateful to be in a musical about peeing so soon after performing in ‘Trail to Oregon’ last semester. Lucas hopes you enjoys the show, and is happy to pee here!

Rayden Meyer is a BFA Freshman and recently has done Taming of the Shrew where he played Gremio, Hello Dolly at the Legacy Theater where he was ensemble and a waiter, and Holiday Inn and the HCFTA where he played Ted Hanover. He would like to thank Matt and Angela for the opportunity to be in Urinetown and the help they had provided him throughout the process, and he would also like to thank his mom for all her support.

Sam Deiters (Officer Barrel) is a student in the Biological Sciences program here at SIU, and he will be graduating in December with a Bachelor’s in Biological Science and a minor in Music (Voice). This is his first production with the school of Theater and Dance and his second production at SIUC, having performed in the opera The Little Prince earlier this year. Outside of SIU, he has performed in several local community shows, and he will be performing in the new musical Standard Issue coming up in June. He is exceedingly grateful to the SoTD team and the Urinetown team. He hopes you enjoy the show!

Seth is a Sophomore BFA here at SIU. You might recognize him from last seasons shows; Ride the Cyclone where he played Micha, Wedding Band where he played Herman, She Loves Me where he played Kodaly, or most recently in Fierce Musical Theaters Trail to Oregon. Seth has had a blast working on this show and he is excited for everyone to see the beautiful piece of entertainment that this cast has been working on for the past few months. He would like to thank Director Matt Williams, for giving him the opportunity to play his most exciting role yet. He would also like to thank Music Director Angela Shultz for always believing in him from the very beginning. Special thanks to Stage Manager Faith Smothers for ensuring an enjoyable and smooth experience. Seth is supported by his Parents, Siblings, Aunt, and classmates who always cheer him on and create a positive environment for him to grow in this art. Thank you for coming and clap really loud for Blake Zappa. THANK YOU!

Van Leonard is a Musical Theatre BFA at SIU. He is thrilled to perform in this beautifully crazy show. He is thankful to everyone who has encouraged his growth in his craft. He has grown in so many ways over the past three years while studying at SIU. Van has appreciated working with Matthew Williams as an Actor and Dance Captain to bring such striking moments to the stage. You may have seen him in Hello Dolly (Ambrose), The Prom (Kevin), or as the titular character in Corduroy. Other credits include the Phoenoix: A Dance Concert (Dancer), She Loves Me (Head-Waiter), and Fierce’s production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Leaf Coneybear). Follow his journey @van_leonard_ on Instagram and @leonard_van on TikTok.

Edie Balester is a junior musical theatre BFA here at SIU and is thrilled to be a part of the cast of Urinetown! You may have previously seen her in The Lightning Thief (Annabeth Chase), Philoten, and her pattern of painful adventures (Marina), and She Loves Me (Ensemble). Edie would like to thank Matt, Angela, Faith, and the wonderful cast and crew of Urinetown for this experience, as well as her wonderful family for the endless support.

Lex Lessman is a current senior at SIU double majoring in Musical Theater and Zoology. Her previous roles include Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, Logainne SchwartzandGrypenierre in 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Wilma in The Rainy Afternoon, and Blue Dragon in Dragons Love Tacos. She would like to thank the entire cast and crew of Urinetown for making this show amazing! You can follow her socials @lex_lessman_

Damaurion Clark he/him playing (Robby the stockfish/cop/rebel) you may have seen Him in 2023’s New Faces Performance, The Black Paradox here at SIU’s School of Theatre and Dance, and A Christmas Carol. Away from the spotlight, Damaurion co- leads an Rso as Vice president(The Joyful Noise choir.) He thanks this wonderful cast for the joy and memories they’ve brought in this journey.

Gaige Lage He/Him (Hot Blades Harry) Gaige is a Senior getting his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts Musical Theater. This is Gaige’s Third appearance on the Mcleod Theater Stage, you may have seen him last fall as Scrooge's Nephew in A Christmas Carol or Last Spring as Arpad in She Loves Me. Gaige is a John A Logan College and Trico Highschool Alumni. He is very excited to be working with this cast and crew. He would like to thank everyone for coming and supporting SIU’s School of Theater and Dance. Gaige sends all the thanks to his Mother for her continuous love and support.

Hayden is excited to be in his 7th and final SIU School of Theater and Dance production, before he graduates at the end of the semester! You may have seen Hayden perform most recently as Brad in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or as an ensemble member in Hello, Dolly! and Nick in The Prom as part of McLeod Summer Playhouse’s 2024 season! Hayden would like to thank his family for their endless support and love and his friends for always being there for him! He hopes you enjoy Urinetown!...The Musical!

Sawyer Richman is a junior BFA Musical Theater student at Southern Illinois University. They have always been a big fan of Urinetown the Musical and is thrilled to portraying the role of Tiny Tom in the ensemble. You may have seen them as an ensemble member in She Loves Me or as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. This is their third performance on the mainstage at SIU and they cannot wait for the audience to see this amazing show! He thanks everyone who has supported his theater journey!