Into the Woods Cast

Senior Emily Derrick is extremely thrilled to be portraying CINDERELLA in this year’s musical! Over the past two years, Emily has starred as Ginnete in Almost, Maine, Lydia in Pride and Prejudice, and Hazel in Baking Spirits Bright. Along with her presence in theater, she loves pursuing choir and visual art! Emily wants to attend Lipscomb University in the fall and major in art therapy to help others; but don't be fooled, she still adores the performing arts and hopes to pursue them casually in a college setting. Despite how excited she is for college, she doesn't yet want to leave this wonderful community and is so thankful for her friends' encouragement. Of course, Emily is thankful for her wonderful directors Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins and their unbroken, uplifting spirits. And finally, her parents deserve a huge thanks for their endless support and inspiration. Love you guys!

Sophomore Cody Mayes is so grateful for the opportunity to portray the role of “Jack” and to share this story with people. He has been performing since middle school and has loved theater ever since. Cody discovered Into the Woods last year and had a dream to participate in it since then. Cody hopes to pursue theater and music as a career. He would like to thank everyone for their support through this incredible journey.

Olive Elston is so happy that you're here to see this marvelous production of Into the Woods! This is one of Olive's favorite musicals ever and her 13th (ish) and final show at Summit. Some favorite roles from years past include “Vi Moore” (Footloose!), “Mother” (The Lost Boy), “Lady Catherine de Bourgh” (Pride & Prejudice), and “Janie Meyers” (Baking Spirits Bright), which she also co-wrote and co-directed. Her four years in this program have been some of the most cherished of her life thus far. While she's not sure what the future holds, Olive hopes to keep theatre and music in her life as much as she can. She would like to extend her gratitude to her friends, family, and Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for helping her grow and nurture her passion for theatre, both onstage and offstage. Much love, and enjoy the show!!

Holy COW! Junior Aiden Lee Johnson cannot believe he gets to share Milky White with you all. This journey has been incredibly MOOving for him (and physically challenging)! Although he’s played several challenging roles such as “Steve” in Almost, Maine or “Teddy” in TEDDY (a one act he wrote!), this is undoubtedly the hardest character Aiden has ever had to step into. Transforming this lug of cardboard into a lovable, sassy creature has been the highlight of his junior year. Be on the lookout for Aiden as “Ponyboy” in The Outsiders this May and as “Ricky” in Ride The Cyclone with Gift of Song this summer! As always, he would like to thank Ms. Rice and Mrs. A for giving him a fun and safe place in high school and the audience for coming to see this fantastic MOOsical! Coming was not a miSTEAK! It’s UDDERly perfect!

Senior Gavin Cox is absolutely thrilled to be playing “The Baker” in this incredible production of Into the Woods! You may have seen him recently as “Willard” (Footloose), “Peter Pan” (The Lost Boy), and “Mr. Wickham” (Pride & Prejudice). He plans to attend MTSU in the fall majoring in journalism and minoring in musical theatre. Catch Gavin in The Outsiders this May as “Dallas.” He will also be appearing this summer as “Warner” in Legally Blonde and “Ricky” in Ride the Cyclone with The Gift of Song. Gavin would like to thank Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for giving him so many wonderful opportunities over the last four years. He would also like to thank his friends and family (Hi Mom and Dad!) for the endless support they have provided. And, last but certainly not least, he would like to thank you all for coming to this phenomenal show! Enjoy!!

Senior Zoe Grimes is so SUPER excited to be the “BAKER’S WIFE”! Previous roles include “Marci” (Almost, Maine), “Urleen” (Footloose), and “Nicki” (Baking Spirits Bright). Zoe joined theatre her junior year and has made such a community and family that she will carry with her throughout the rest of her life! She plans to attend MTSU in the fall majoring in Music Ed and minoring in Musical Theatre. Zoe would like to thank Ms. Rice and Mrs. A for believing in her and giving her a chance, her mom and dad for always supporting her, and last but certainly not least, her friends who have become her family over the past couple of years; thank you for all the memories we’ve made, even the bad ones. Because she’d rather have those than none at all. Love you all, and I hope you enjoy the show.

Caroline Moore is beyond excited to be playing “Cinderella's Stepmother” in her first musical and third production at Summit! She's a current junior and was seen in Pride and Prejudice as “Charlotte” earlier this year. She has been doing theatre since she was little with Bravo Creative Arts Centers and would like to thank her directors Ms. Lissa and Keeley. She would also like to thank Ms. Rice, Mrs. A, and her family for the never ending support! Enjoy Into the Woods!

Sophomore Mia Platt is extremely grateful to be “Florinda” in this show with such an amazing cast, set, director, story, crew, and music, and she cannot wait to perform and share this amazing musical with everyone. She has been a performer since she was three years old when she was put into dance class. Starting competitive dance at 5, Mia was stuck on dance for a long time and had no plans to venture outside dance until she was 12 when she found theatre and choir. Theatre was a completely new and exciting experience that changed her life and what she wanted forever! Mia hopes to pursue this passion for as long as she can.  TBC

Amaya Weakley is so excited to be playing “Lucinda” in Into the Woods! She is a senior this year, and this is her 13th Summit production. Her favorite roles have been “Miss Bingley” in Pride and Prejudice, “Puck” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Watershed Public Theatre), and “Tiny Tim” in Christmas Chaos. She will be attending The University of Alabama in the fall to pursue a degree in journalism. While she is excited for college, she will never forget the friendships she has made at Summit through the theatre program and how much fun she has had. It has been her honor and pleasure to be president of ITS this year! She would like to thank her mom for always pushing her to believe that she can do anything she puts her mind to, no matter what. You can also see her as “Sandy” in The Outsiders this May! Enjoy Into the Woods!

Into the Woods is Gideon Bechtel’s third musical production at Summit as a junior, and he has no better way to share it with the audience than by portraying a drunk, depressed dad. Before this amazing show, Gideon was a “merman” in The Little Mermaid his freshman year the “Cop” in Footloose the following year. Gideon has made so many friends and memories through the art of theater, and he can't wait to create even more. He wants to give a special shoutout to Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for being wonderful teachers and friends, encouraging him to be his best and always stand tall, both metaphorically and literally. Another shoutout goes to Coach Bourdon who has “supported” Gideon in skipping track for two weeks. He still hasn't told her why.

Autumn Shaffer is so honored to be playing “Little Red Riding Hood” in this production of Into The Woods! She is a senior this year and wants to pursue a future in Musical Theatre. You may have recently seen her as “Rusty” in Footloose! and “Tinkerbell” in The Lost Boy. She is currently working with The Franklin Playhouse and The Gift of Song as “Brooke” in Be More Chill and “Catherine of Aragon” in Six. She feels so blessed to have friends and family that have continually supported her and is beyond thankful. She also wants to give a big thanks to Ms. Rice and Mrs. A For always pushing her to be her best. She wants everyone to enjoy the show and have as much fun as she has had!

Kaydence Arora is beyond excited to play THE WITCH in this beautiful rendition of Into the Woods! She is a junior this year and is forever grateful to have the opportunity to create and share alongside her closest friends! Some of her recent performances include “Ariel Moore” in (Footloose!) and “Elizabeth Bennet” (Pride and Prejudice). The Witch is assuredly the most difficult role she has ever gotten to portray. Handling a character with such an extreme range in temperament has been incredibly challenging for Kaydence, but she couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for providing her this opportunity to grow as a performer. Keep an eye out this summer as she steps into the role of “Jane Doe” in Ride the Cyclone with The Gift of Song! As always, Kaydence would love to thank her wonderful parents, Bekah and Brandon, for always encouraging her to pursue her dreams of performing and guiding her through any struggles that may come with it. Enjoy the show!

Zoe Chimanya is so beyond excited to be playing Cinderella’s Mother in Into the Woods! She is a senior this year and this will be her 8th show at Summit. Past roles include “Mayor Matthews”(Baking Spirits Bright) and different ensemble characters in other musicals and plays. Zoe is so thankful and grateful for all the opportunities and experiences that she has made on the stage and would like to thank her mom for putting her in theatre and dance, continuously pushing her to go after her passions, and being her biggest supporter in everything; Ms. Rice and Mrs. A for trusting and pushing her to always do her best, for growing her as a performer, and for believing in her abilities; her friends for creating so many memories on and offstage. She plans to attend MTSU in the fall majoring in Elementary Ed, minoring in Dance, and continuing to act, dance, and sing in the future. She can’t wait for you all to see our show and hopes you enjoy it!

Zach Ariotti is extremely excited to end his senior year by portraying “The Wolf” in Into the Woods! Some of his most recent roles include “Anderson P. Calloway” (Baking Spirits Bright), “Chuck Cranston” (Footloose!), and “Phil” (Almost Maine). He would like to send an IMMENSE amount of love and gratitude to everyone in the cast, Lucy, his parents, his grandparents, and especially Ms. Rice and Mrs. A for guiding him along this journey. After high school, Zach is planning on attending MTSU pursuing a degree in Audio Production and going into the music business. Enjoy the show!

Kylie Tumbleson is thrilled to have such fun roles in this production of Into the Woods. Having been in Summit’s theatre program for three years, Kylie is delighted to have her first named role(s) in such a fabulous show. She wants to thank Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for being amazing directors and helping her to improve and never give up, as well as all of the friends she’s made while participating in this program!

Wyatt Yommer is incredibly excited to be portraying “Cinderella's Prince” this year. In his 13th show at Summit, he is unbelievably happy to be finishing high school with Into the Woods. You might remember him for his roles as “Mr. Darcy” (Pride and Prejudice), “Grimsby” (The Little Mermaid), and “Scrooge” (A Christmas Chaos). Wyatt wants to thank his friends and family for always being so supportive and his amazing directors Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for making this show happen and for giving him this incredible opportunity. Next year, he plans on attending MTSU to study animation and film. He hopes that you’ll come back to see him as “Darry” in The Outsiders in May!

Into the Woods marks Missy Hoggard’s 12th show at Summit, and she couldn’t be happier sharing it with an audience!  Playing Rapunzel her senior year has definitely been a high note of her high school career.  Some of her favorite past roles have been “Marley/Bob/Mrs. Cratchit” (A Christmas Chaos), “Marvalyn” (Almost Maine), and “Jane” (Pride and Prejudice).  She also loved helping write and direct Baking Spirits Bright this year.  Missy is so grateful for all of the opportunities, challenges, and memories that she’s had on the stage.  She would like to thank Ms. Rice and Mrs. A for pushing her to do her best and to grow, her friends for being awesome and for making her smile, and her family for always being there for her through the highs and lows.  Next year, Missy is excited to attend BYU studying English.  She can’t wait for you to see this show, and she hopes you come see her as “Cherry” in The Outsiders this May!

Gabriel Boyd is just ecstatic to be playing “Rapunzel’s Prince” in Into The Woods. He is a senior this year and this will be his 14th high school production and 5th show with Summit. His most notable roles at Summit include “Dave” in Almost, Maine, “Cowboy Bob” in Footloose, and “Mr. Collins” in Pride and Prejudice. He is also poised to play “Bob” in Summit’s spring production of The Outsiders. Gabriel is so thankful for all of the opportunities he has been given at Summit and would like to give a special thanks to his parents for loving and supporting him throughout it all, and his directors Mrs. Atkins - for her guidance in everything vocally and emotionally, and Ms. Rice - for her outstanding direction and the healthy theatre environment she has created for us. He plans to attend MTSU and pursue a career in criminal defence as a lawyer. He hopes he can get plugged into theatre programs in Murfreesboro and continue doing what he loves through college. Ending this show fills him with ‘agony’, and he genuinely hopes you enjoy the show!

Senior Toby Durlin is excited to portray the “Prince’s Steward” in Into the Woods. This is Toby’s 12th show at Summit; some of his notable roles include “Daniel” in Almost, Maine, and “Clayhorn” in And Then There Was One. He is so happy to be ending high school with his first featured role in a musical and hopes you’ll come to see him as “Randy” in The Outsiders this May. Toby is attending Temple University next fall to pursue a degree in Sports Media. He’d like to thank his parents for always supporting him and all of his friends and directors for making every show such an incredible experience.

Titus Shelton is enthusiastic to be playing the “Mysterious Man” in Into the Woods. This is Titus’s 10th production at Summit High School and, as a senior, Into the Woods will be his last musical here. This year, Titus has had several notable roles such as “Mr. Bingley” in Pride and Prejudice, “Chris Stewart” in the world premiere of Baking Spirits Bright, and “Neighbor” in Summit’s original, Teddy. Titus is a very talented dancer and has filled the stage with many comedic and dramatic performances over the past four years. Titus plans to continue pursuing theatre along with music and dance in college at MTSU.  He wanted to extend his thanks to his family, friends and Ms. Rice and Mrs. Atkins for always pouring into him and helping him grow.

Junior Grace Shipley is so excited for this opportunity to play “Sleeping Beauty” in her first show ever! She is grateful for all the cast members making her feel welcomed and creating such an enjoyable experience. In the future, she aspires to attend BYU Idaho and study psychology. But, she also wants to continue acting during her senior year!

Jovirose Taddeo is elated to have been able to be a part of this incredible experience and is thrilled with the results of this show! Jovi is a sophomore this year and this is her fourth production with Summit. This year, she became responsible for choreography and she has had a BLAST being able to share her creativity with her peers. Jovirose is so grateful to Mrs. Atkins and Ms. Rice for taking a shot on her and giving her the amazing opportunity of being choreographer and being cast as “Snow White.” She hopes that all will enjoy the show and that their wishes will always be granted!!!