Newsies Cast

Elijah began performing when he joined Christian Youth Theater (CYT) at age 8, and has performed in over 25 shows since. His favorite roles have been Davey in Newsies, Don Lockwood in Singing In The Rain (both CYT) and Jean Valjean in Les Mis (Stage Lights). He is absolutely elated to be playing his lifelong dream role! When not performing, 19 year old Elijah loves eating good food, lifting weights, long talks about theology and Star Wars, spending time with family and friends, and singing in the car with the windows down. Elijah finds comfort in Christ's promise of everlasting salvation in John 6:38-40: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." He would like to welcome you to the show, and hopes you thoroughly enjoy it!

Marley is a fun-loving 15 year old with a passion for the arts! She is so thrilled to participate in her second Stage Lights show. Marley also loves doing productions with CPTheatre and this will be her 13th production! This coming school year, she will be attending Freedom Preparatory and will be participating in the Maize High choir as well. When not performing, you may find her hanging out with friends, supporting her brothers at their games, eating mac and cheese, or taking care of her banzai tree, Juni! She would like to thank her parents and grandparents for their endless support, her voice teacher Amy Menas for helping her improve throughout the process, and most importantly, God for guiding her along the way, and giving her the strength, wisdom, courage, and talent to get where she is now.

Tatton is a young man who loves the Lord and wants to do the best in life to serve Him. He loves acting and singing a wide variety of characters, but for some reason he usually finds the villains are the most fun to play! Tatton is currently saving lives everyday while working at Little Caesars, providing the good citizens of this city with pizza, so that they might not starve. He hopes in the coming years he can pursue a career in welding, and to continue to serve the Lord as best he can.

Mia is honored and thrilled to be portraying the role of Crutchie Morris, performing in her third show with Stage Lights Theater Company. Previous roles with Stage Lights include Betsy Foster in Tuck Everlasting and most recently Grandma Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof. Mia is nineteen years old and has loved performing since she was a child, and is currently pursuing a major in Musical Theatre at Friends University with a minor in Communications. She would like to thank her family, Hannah and Sarah, and her voice teacher, Jennifer Marcum for their hard work and support in helping to foster growth in doing what she loves most. In her spare time, you can find her hanging out with friends, as well as writing stories, composing, and producing music. She is excited to portray a character so full of persistence, determination, and hope.

McKayla is excited to perform as Medda Larkin in her first role after recently moving to Wichita from Kansas City. In KC, McKayla has played Sandra Bloom in Big Fish, Elsa in Frozen Jr., Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, Mama Ogre/ featured fairytale creature/ tapper in Shrek, as well as featured ensemble roles in Matilda, King and I, and James and the Giant Peach. McKayla is looking forward to being in more Wichita shows, starting Andover Central (as a sophomore) in the fall, and continuing to help lead worship at Central Community Church. She would like to thank God, her directors and cast mates for welcoming her, her family, and best friend Isabelle.

Braden is a 19 year old junior at Friends University. He is absolutely thrilled to be a part of his second Stage Lights production. He feels blessed to be portraying one of his dream roles, Davey Jacobs! Most recently, Braden was a part of the regional premier of Rent with Crown Arts Collaborative. Previous roles include Motel in Stage Lights production of Fiddler on the Roof, Judas in Godspell Jr. and Simba in Lion King Jr. Braden hopes to continue performing and spreading God’s love in future projects. Bless everyone and remember to always Seize the Day! Jeremiah 29:11

Keaton Mohr is thrilled to be playing the role of Les in Newsies! He has been seen in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" as both David and Claude, and most recently played the role of Benji in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert '' at Roxy's Downtown. Keaton has been dancing since the age of three at Kelcy's Dance Studio and has been a competitive dancer there for seven years on their Platinum Dance Company. He also takes voice lessons with the fabulous Amy Menas. Keaton will be seen again on stage next month, in the production of "Big River" at Roxy's Downtown! He would like to thank his parents, Amy, and Stage Lights for believing in him and giving this opportunity to be in one of his favorite shows!

Raziah is a vivacious, fun-loving 17 year old who is thrilled to be playing Race in her first Stage Lights production! She has also had the opportunity to perform in numerous shows with Christian Youth Theater/ CPTheater and Wichita Children’s Theater. In her free time, she loves crocheting, listening to podcasts, reading, and laughing obnoxiously loud. Her favorite Bible verse is John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” This verse reminds her that, though we may face adversity, we can rest in knowing that our God is still in control! She hopes you will enjoy the show!

Kat is a 19-year-old nursing student at Wichita State who is thrilled to be playing the Manhattan newsie ‘Finch’ in Stage Lights’ Newsies! The show Newsies is very near and dear to her heart, so she is very grateful to have such a fun role! She has been in 9 music theater shows, and her favorite was playing Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. She LOVES dance, and took classes at Paquita Dance Center for 3 years. Her favorite style of dance is ballet, but she’s enjoyed learning to dance like a newsie! She would like to thank her parents and grandparents for supporting her and coming to all of her shows!

Josephine is a 14-year-old entering her freshman year this fall. She has been homeschooled her whole life and she attends two different co-ops. She is currently dancing at MDM, is involved with CP Theater, takes voice lessons with Amy Menas and sews with 4H. "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalms 56:3 is Josephine's favorite verse. She is thrilled to be in her 10th-straight Stagelights' summer performance and is thankful for the opportunities the Lord gives her to be on stage and also for Hannah and Sarah's talented leadership and friendship. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Isabella is thrilled to be in her seventh Stage Lights show as Henry the Newsie! A camper since 2015, she has participated in many Stage Lights shows, most noteable of which was Annie, in which she played Molly. Outside of Stage Lights, one of her favorite roles has been Elsa in Frozen Kids with Foundations Youth Theater. She is a advanced dancer at Midwest Dance Mechanix, and takes ballet, hip hop and jazz classes. When she isn’t onstage, you can usually find her baking, reading, or cleaning. Her favorite Bible verse is Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” She loves this verse because it is a reminder not to be anxious about earthly things, and how life is more than what we think of ourselves.

Gabrielle, “Gabby", is a 14-year-old, soon-to-be freshman at Andover High School. She loves to dance and is excited to be playing the featured dancer “Buttons” in Newsies. When she is not dancing, she loves to spend time with friends, attend church youth group, and paint. Gabby’s favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Gianna is a spunky and creative 16-year-old sophomore girl who attends Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School. She loves dancing, singing, acting, drawing, and hanging out with her friends. She is involved in various different youth groups and values quality time praying and building relationships centered around God. She strives to follow in Our Lord's footsteps and use her God-given talents to praise the Lord and draw others closer to Him. Gianna's favorite Bible verse is Mark 10:25, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Leea is so excited to take part in Stage Light Theater’s Newsies! Leea is going to be a 5 th grader at Discovery Intermediate in Goddard. Her role of Ike in this production marks her second music theatre production. Her very first role was Middle Anna in MTYP/MTW’s Frozen Jr. production this past March. Leea loves the stage and is an avid dancer. As a member of Revival Dance Company, she has won many accolades including titles, apprenticeships and scholarships. She is also a member of The Studio Singers with the Amy Menas Voice Studio. Leea would like to thank her Mom, Dad, Stepmom and Stepdad for always encouraging her and believing in her. She’d also like to thank her dance coaches Miss Emily and Miss Kelci for constantly pushing her and Miss Amy for always helping her to be her best.

Charlie has wanted to dance in Newsies for as long as he can remember! Charlie is a homeschooled senior from Arlington, KS. He has danced with Ballet Salina (Les Sylphide) and Metropolitan Ballet (Alice in Wonderland, Nutcracker), and was last seen onstage dancing the role of Tom in Ballet Wichita's Tom Sawyer. When he's not dancing, Charlie competes in forensics and debate and enjoys singing with his cousins and friends.

Lucy Rose loves to sing! She sings all the time - through car trips, during chores, and of course onstage in this grand show! Lucy Rose is a homeschooled freshman from Arlington, KS and is joined onstage by her older brother Charlie and younger brothers Kip and Jack. She has been onstage most recently in The Sound of Music as Brigitta, Much Ado About Nothing as Balthazar, and Matilda as Lavender. When she's not singing, Lucy Rose enjoys dancing, speech and debate, and reading with her little cat for company.

Sarah is thrilled to be in her first musical production with Stage Lights Theater Company! Newsies has been her dream musical to perform in and so she is especially excited to be a part of this production. She received her Associate in Dance from Butler Community College and is currently a Music Theatre major at Friends University. Sarah loves the Fine Arts and has been doing musical theater since she was a sophomore in high school. Some of her favorite musicals that she’s performed in are Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Little Mermaid, and Little Women. When not performing, she enjoys drinking coffee, eating good food, curling up in a blanket with a book, or spending time with friends, family, and her husband. Sarah would like to thank her Lord and Savior for blessing her with the ability to perform and providing opportunities for her to share her gifts and talents for Christ.

Lillian is a pragmatic 16-year-old who has always homeschooled. She will start her senior year in the fall. Lillian spends most of her time at Paquita Dance Center, where she is entering her sixth year of classes. Lillian likes to sing and dance like nobody's watching, draw, spend time with friends, bake, and play piano. Growing up on a farm has given her a love for nature and for hard work. Lillian also loves to read, and when it’s nice outside can be found in a tree with a Jane Austen novel and a barn cat. She has previously appeared in 11 shows for Christian Performance Theatre (formerly Christian Youth Theater), most recently as the dove in their production of Cinderella. Newsies will be her first Stage Lights experience, and she is especially enjoying the opportunity to make new friends. Lillian is thrilled to be part of the Manhattan Newsies, especially for the opportunity to dance together in “King of New York!” Lillian thanks everyone who has supported and invested in her. John 15:12

For this theatre rookie Brock Saner, there is never a dull moment! He is often cracking jokes, cuttin’ a rug, and encouraging or helping others. Brock will be a sophomore this fall at Valley Center High School. After spending the past seven years training in various styles of dance (tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary) at Kelcy‘s Dance Studio, three years of competing for Platinum Dance Company, performing on the high school dance team, and recently beginning voice lessons with the fabulous Amy Menas, he is venturing a new passion for music theatre and singing. Brock is ecstatic to tap dance on tables and “seize the day” as he debuts in his first music theatre role playing Albert. Not only is he enjoying the new friendships being made with other cast members, Brock absolutely loves learning choreography from Robert Feeney! Brock is extremely enthusiastic and hopeful to pursue future theatre opportunities.

Emma is thrilled for Newsies to be her first musical production. She is 8-years-old and just wrapped up 2nd grade at The Independent School. She loves to sing, dance and play the piano. She has been dancing since the age of 3 with Midwest Dance Mechanix and is also currently taking voice lessons with Amy Menas. A big Thank You to Mrs Amy Menas, Mrs Jana Owen, the entire staff at MDM, Stagelights, the entire cast and her family for guiding her through her first show.