Mamma Mia! Cast

Hildi Youngblood is the owner of Evolve Clothing & Jewelry in Ellensburg, WA. She graduated with a BM, Vocal Performance from CWU in 2000 where she took part in numerous solo and ensemble productions. She spent time teaching choral music in public schools prior to diving into the small business and travel world in 2003. When she’s not in her shop, she can be found hiking, and palling around with her husband and two kids. She is thrilled to get back to her love of music and theater, and is overwhelmed by the wonderful people she has met doing Mamma Mia!

Carol is so excited to share this fantastic show with the community. She recently played Paulette in Ellensburg High School’s “Legally Blonde”, a role for which she won 5th avenues award for outstanding work by a performer in a supporting role. You also may have seen her as the maid, Yvette, in EHS’s Clue! She has been performing since she was 5 and has loved being a part of community and school theatre opportunities. Carol is going into her senior year at Ellensburg High School and hopes to see everyone in and at future productions!

Patrick is delighted to have a chance to perform alongside so many wonderfully talented people from this community (& his own family as well!) Originally from Connecticut, Patrick has been acting ever since he was 8 years old, when he put on a tutu to sing for his aunts! He performed in plays throughout high school and then studied & performed theater at Pace University in New York City. Life took him away from the stage for the next 30 years, but seeing his own kids perform in the EHS Winter Musical revived his love of theater. Since then, he’s had the joy of performing in several VMT shows — Oliver, Forbidden Broadway, Music Man & Greater Tuna —and is even now a member of the VMT Board. Patrick manages the Cabin Creek Lodge in Easton.

Gabriel is an earthquake scientist with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. He is a cofounder of the Fog City Singers in San Francisco, CA, and previously served as assistant director for the Madrigal Mystery tour choir in Austin, TX. Gabriel is excited to play Bill Austin in Mamma Mia!

Tristan Blaisdell has been doing community theatre since he was four years old, and has been a part of the VMT community since his first year in ellensburg where he took part in the King and I. He has done all four years of the EHS Winter musical and three years of the EHS fall play. Most recently he has been apart of the VMT productions of Your a Good Man Charlie Brown and Forbidden Broadway. He is a huge ABBA fan and is so grateful to be a part of this show.

Jodi has been told by her mother that she was singing before she could even talk. She has always dreamed of taking the stage and pursuing a career in music and entertainment but stage fright and self doubt always got the best of her. She dabbled in drama during her primary school years but that has been the extent of her training and exposure. Through her education to become an Ayurvedic Health Practitioner, which is a holistic form of natural medicine that addresses and tends to the root cause of physical and emotional ailments, she has been able to tackle and transform her fears and anxiety’s into more productive emotions of excitement and anticipation. She is excited to debut her lifelong hidden acting talents for the first time here, live at the Mamma Mia production! She feels so honored and blessed to be a part of the cast and show and to be given this amazing opportunity to conquer her stage fright and unveil the true thespian within her for the first time.

This is Alyssa's first production with Valley Musical Theatre. She moved back to Ellensburg in late 2019 and has been anxiously waiting to return to the stage. During her years living in Seattle she performed with the Woodland Park Players and Twelfth Night Productions. She has her degree in Vocal Performance from Central Washington University. Alyssa is thrilled that Valley Musical Theatre Took a Chance on her to play the role of Rosie!

Dallin is a student at CWU where he's studying music education/vocal performance. He grew up in the small town of Duvall, WA where he participated in baseball, football, and marching band. Dallin's recent projects include; a soprano tenor duet that he composed, his introduction to musical theater, and participating in an opera. On days when he's not in the show, he's a tutor and helps individual with subjects like writing, math, and engineering.

Nick Zimny is a 2021 graduate of Ellensburg High School who just finished his freshman year at Central Washington University as a Musical Theatre BFA student. He plans to earn degrees in Musical Theatre, Theatre Education, and Secondary Education with a History minor. He works in the scene shop at CWU's theater and loves all aspect of theatre. He has been acting since he was 5 years old. He has worked with Ellensburg Children’s Musical Theatre, Missoula Children’s Theatre, Valley Musical Theatre, Leavenworth Summer Theatre, CWU Theatre Ensemble, and Ellensburg High School’s Fall Play and Winter Musical. Nick has also enjoyed acting in several film projects with the CWU film program and through opportunities provided by his agent at Mitchell Artist Management (MAM). Nick is always willing to jump in and help wherever he is needed. For this show he was originally assigned to spot lights, then needed to help backstage to move set pieces, and then was asked to learn the role of Sky in 3 days time to cover for the cast member who fell ill. He will be playing Sky July 8-10 and then be back to helping his stage crew team. He hopes you enjoy Mamma Mia and continue to support the performing arts whenever and wherever you can!

Elin has been participating in musical theater for 8 years and has performed in over 14 shows. She has enjoyed being a part of Mamma Mia, playing one of Sophie’s best friends, Ali. When she’s not performing, you can find her being an active part of Ellensburg High School’s ASB, where she will be serving as the Senior Class President for the upcoming school year. This summer, Elin will be competing in the state Distinguished Young Women competition after winning the title of Distinguished Young Woman of Ellensburg this year. She loves being an active member of her community, and is excited to share what she and this fantastic cast and crew have been working on for the past few months. Enjoy the show!

Shaedyn just recently graduated Ellensburg High School, and immediately decided that having a relaxing summer was a stupid idea. This is Shaedyn’s first VMT show and is so exited to be apart of the production. She has been active in high school theater, and would like to note that adults smell tremendously better than high school students.

Kyle is super stoked to be back on stage with VMT’s production of Mamma Mia. Having acquired an addiction to theatre in his freshman year of high school, his favorite previous roles include Lumiere in Beauty and The Beast as well as Pat Gilbert in State Fair - both while at Ellensburg High School. When he’s not on stage Kyle fills the void of theatre by playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends and family, preferring the role of Dungeon Master so he can play as many characters as possible. He wants to thank his family for their constant love and support and the cast for making this production such a fun and very memorable experience!

Nathaniel graduated from Ellensburg High School in 2022. After playing guitar in the pit orchestra for multiple VMT and High School productions, he took his first stage role as Emmett Forrest in EHS’s production of Legally Blonde. He is the lead singer of local Ellensburg band Wavesons, who have one album released to date, available to stream on all platforms. He plans to pursue music with his band as a career.

Jared Carter is enjoying his roll as Father Alexandrios and being a member of the Ensemble. He has worked with VMT for many years, some of his favorite roles have been George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, Ensemble for Music Man, and Ensemble for Oliver. He is grateful for his family and their support as well as his father for helping him develop his love for theater.

Delayna watched her kids grow up in Valley Musical Theatre and Ellensburg High School productions, marking time with show titles and roles. Performing in Mama Mia was a natural progression as she graduated from the role of 'theater mom' to cast member. Her vigorous training was done in discos and roller rinks of the 90's. This show is a family affair and she is thrilled to be dancing alongside her daughter on a set built in part by her husband, illuminated by her son.

Layla's been apart of many productions with both Ellensburg High School and VMT. This is her first time being on the stage, as typically she's behind the scenes in crew. Layla's always enjoyed musicals and loves to go watch them whenever she gets the opportunity. Layla just graduated from EHS and will be moving to Maine for college in August.

Lisa is thrilled to be back with VMT production of Mama Mia. Lisa has been involved in a few shows with them with the last show being in Gus and Dolls. Lisa studied a bit of theatre performance in college at Central Washington university and did theatre all through high school. Lisa works as the Administrative Assistant to the AVP of Information Services at CWU and when not at work is with her two little boys.

Benjamin Carter is in the Ensemble for Mamma Mia and is happy to be working with VMT again. Ben has been involved in previous VMT shows including Cabernet Cabaret and the Phantom Tollbooth. He has also participated in Missoula Children’s theater. He would like to thank his family for their support and help and especially his father for getting him started in theater.

Emily will be a 6th-grader at Morgan Middle School this fall, and she is excited to be performing for her sixth time in a Valley Musical Theatre production! She began performing at age 3, when she sang her heart out in VMT’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. She has been in A Christmas Carol, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and starred as Gretl in Leavenworth Summer Theater’s Sound of Music. While not performing, Emily loves art, sports, and spending time with her family, which includes her cat, Marie.

Tracie is originally from New Zealand but has called USA her home for over thirty years and proudly became a dual citizen in 2019. She is thoroughly enjoying every aspect of her very first musical which also checks an item off her bucket list. Equal parts Harley Davidson and dog lover, she is grateful for the never-ending support of her (very patient) husband Fred, along with her family and friends on both sides of the globe.

Katie is thrilled to be performing in the ensemble for Mama Mia! Katie loves singing and dancing with her 3 kids and husband but it’s been awhile since she's taken to the stage. Getting to be a part of this production with 2 of her brothers, mom and friends both old and new, has been a blast!

Mia's had a love of theater as long as she can remember. She's been in three different Missoula Children's Theater productions. In middle school she was in five different productions: two of them were in theater camps where she played Maid Marian in Robin Hood and the narrator of the story in another. Mia's been involved in all of the shows throughout high school, the latest being Legally Blonde where she played Enid Hoops. And she looks forward to performing in her senior year as well. (Class of 2023 WOO!!) Mia is so happy to be in this production of Mamma Mia as an ensemble member and has loved it so much. Her favorite scene is probably Gimme Gimme, so keep your eye out on for her in that one!

Olivia is thrilled to be a part of Valley Musical Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia! This being her first show since the pandemic, her most recent work was on the west side with Kitsap Forest Theatre in another production of Mamma Mia. Olivia’s training is centered around dance and she is studying elementary eduction, literacy and dance teaching at CWU. She will be starting her senior year in the fall! She wants to thank her family and friends for the encouragement and support!

This is Shay’s first show. He always watched Mamma Mia and listened to the music as a kid and was very drawn to the show. He’s in 9th grade & looks forward to doing more shows in the future.

Julie grew up here in Washington, taking part in as much theatre as life would permit through school and college. Born in 1960, she lived the disco era full-on, appreciating the whole scene! Julie went on to raise a family and now has grandkids. She retired as a flight attendant in 2014 after 25 years. News of this local production hit her ears two seasons ago, so she'd been on the lookout for auditions. Honestly, she didn’t know how that would turn out after so many years, but returning to the stage, and working with a variety of amazing local talent has been a true highlight! Loving it and this team!!

Haddon started acting in shows when he was nine and he still loves it! He's appeared in many Ellensburg High School productions, most recently in the role of Warner in the musical Legally Blonde. This is the first show he's done where he has 3 other family members that are a part of it and it’s been a blast!

Katie grew up dancing from a young age, and got into musical theatre in high school, participating in The Pajama Game, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, and was cast as Eliza in My Fair Lady. She’s continued to help EHS and VMT with costumes, but this year she’s excited to get back up on stage for Mamma Mia!

Jill has been dancing with the Ellensburg Dance Ensemble in local productions for several years, including multiple cameos in The Nutcracker as the unforgettable Nanny character. In Mamma Mia, her first foray into musical theatre, she joins an awesome group of ‘mature ladies’ bringing the stage to life with their song and dance talents. In non-island life, Jill is the President of the Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN), Vice President of the Ellensburg Dance Ensemble, and works at the Department of Ecology.

Serena will be going into her junior year at Ellensburg High School this year. She has been dancing for about 13 years and has performed in ballets and dance competitions for all that time as well. In freshman year she decided to join the fall play and has performed in the high school shows since then. In her free time she likes to read and choreograph dances. This summer she is working in KEEN’s Windy City Park Rangers program as assistant to the program manager and will be teaching classes this year at The Studio by EDE.

Laurel Weberg is a student at CWU wrapping up her degree in History & Social Studies Teaching. This is her first show with Valley Musical Theatre and she has enjoyed the opportunity to learn new and different aspects of performance. She would like to thank her roommates for being her "hype squad" as she practiced choreography in the living room and for their abundant support and grace in all things.

Zack just completed his sophomore year at Ellensburg High School and has been acting since he was 7. His first show was Les Miserables with the Central Washington University Theatre Ensemble. Since then Zack has acted in Valley Musical Theatre, Leavenworth Summer Theatre, and Central Washington University Theatre and Film department productions. He loves singing and acting and working with his cast mates to create great shows.