Allison Gabert
ROLE: Dorothy Allison is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a B.F.A. in theatre performance and returns after appearing as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Beth in Little Women, Judy Haynes in White Christmas, Babette in Beauty and the Beast, Zaneeta Shinn in The Music Man, and Wendy Jo in Footloose. Some of her other credits include Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda: The Musical, Eponine in Les Misérables and Little Red in Into the Woods. She would like to thank her family, friends, and her Scarecrow for their endless support.
Dylan Jackson
ROLE: Hunk/Scarecrow Dylan is thrilled to be returning to the land of Oz. His first musical role was the Tin Man at the age of 16, but this time he’s trading his heart for a brain. Other roles on our stage include Jetsam in The Little Mermaid, Chuck in Footloose, Marcellus in The Music Man, and Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls. Dylan has been in multiple Kings Island stage shows including Retrospect and Swingin’ Into Christmas. Dylan would like to thank his family, his Dorothy, and his loudest fan Dalton for all their support. @dylanleejackson
Nate Marcum
ROLE: Zeke/Lion Nate is elated to return to the La Comedia stage after appearing as Lt. Brannigan in Guys and Dolls and in Miracle on 34th Street. He has also been seen at the University of Dayton in TheatreLab Dayton’s production of Into the Woods. He’d like to thank the production team for the opportunity and their guidance, the cast for their talent and camaraderie, and his family for their unwavering support.
Jonathan Pendergrass
ROLE: Hickory/Tin Man Jonathan returns to La Comedia having recently appeared as Zach in Just Desserts, Herald in Cinderella, Jamie in Escape to Margaritaville and Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other La Comedia credits include Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Tommy Djilas in The Music Man, Footloose, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mamma Mia!, and Annie, as well as our Lunch and Learn Children’s Theatre productions of A Year with Frog and Toad, Charlotte’s Web, Frederick: The Mouse and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley. He thanks his mom, dad and supportive friends. Dedicated to Kathryn Metz. Phil 4:13
Cheryl Salzman
ROLE: Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch Cheryl is happy to be returning to La Comedia after last appearing as Vi Moore in Footloose. Previous roles here include Karin in Church Basement Ladies, Clairee in Steel Magnolias, Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz, Alice Beineke in The Addams Family, Iowa Housewife in Menopause: The Musical, Sheree Hollinger in The Dixie Swim Club, and Alice Beane in Titanic: The Musical. Some of her other favorite roles include Violet in 9 to 5: The Musical, Kathy in Vanities, Annie Sullivan in Miracle Worker, the Waitress in Working, and Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie. She holds a B.A. in English and drama as well as a Master’s degree in communication arts. Cheryl sincerely appreciates her family and friends’ support during this exciting opportunity. She also thanks the wonderful cast and crew.
Karie-Lee Sutherland
ROLE: Glinda Karie-Lee returns to La Comedia after appearing as Karin in The Church Basement Ladies: Plowin’ Thru, Ariel Truax in Grumpy Old Men, and Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Favorite roles include Tanya in Mamma Mia!, and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family. Karie-Lee has toured the world as a performer for the DOD-USO, and is a veteran of live shows at Kings Island. She has worked as an actor, director, and choreographer at various theaters in Cincinnati including the Covedale Center, Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, the Educational Outreach program at Playhouse in the Park, Showboat Majestic, CCM’s Prep Department, and Miami University’s theatre department. Love to Matthew, William, Aubrie-Lee, and Jeremy. Find her on YouTube at “Still Kicking with Karie-Lee.”
Eli Baranowski
ROLE: Ensemble Eli is thrilled to be making his professional debut at La Comedia. He is currently studying acting at Wright State University. Eli has previously been seen in several Muse Machine productions including Little Mermaid, Addams Family and Mamma Mia!
Colin Cranstoun
ROLE: Ensemble Colin returns to the La Comedia stage after most recently appearing Krupke in West Side Story and in Guys and Dolls. Other La Comedia credits include LeFou in Beauty and the Beast and the operator of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. He has also been seen here in Grumpy Old Men, Just Desserts, Footloose, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, The Little Mermaid, The King and I, Sister Act, Fiddler on the Roof, A Christmas Story, The Addams Family, South Pacific, Miracle on 34th Street, Happy Days, Titanic, and A Christmas Carol.
Catie Cumings
ROLE: Ensemble Catie is delighted to be back on stage for her fourth show at La Comedia. You may have seen her previously in Miracle on 34th Street, as Meg in Little Women, and Sister Berthe/Frau Schmidt in The Sound of Music. Other favorite credits include Usherette in The Producers, and Sue in Carrie: The Musical. Like many actors, Catie’s first role was a Munchkin, and she couldn’t be happier to return to Oz 14 years later. She thanks everyone who has supported her on her journey through those years. “Enjoy the show!”
Alexia Daniels
ROLE: Ensemble Alexia is excited to return to La Comedia after appearing as Shellhammer in Miracle on 34th Street and the Wardrobe in Beauty and the Beast. She is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a B.F.A. in acting. She was recently seen in a production of Rent as a featured ensemble member. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support. She hopes everyone enjoys the show.
Morgan Halstead
ROLE: Ensemble Morgan is so blessed to be performing this summer at La Comedia. She is a graduate from Lakota West High School and now attends Nova Southeastern University in Florida, where she is currently studying elementary education with a minor in theater. Morgan will be entering her junior year, and is looking forward to beginning her student teaching. She wants to thank her family and friends for their support, and for encouraging her to keep performing.
Heather Hilderbrand
ROLE: Ensemble Heather is pleased to be back on stage performing her third show with La Comedia after appearing in Miracle on 34th Street and Cinderella. She has also performed at Townhall Theatre and Children’s Performing Arts of Miamisburg. She recently performed as Dory in Finding Nemo Jr. Other shows include Peter Pan, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. She also works with Paulettes Princess Parties performing as Elsa, Aurora and Ariel.
Garrett Hummel
ROLE: Ensemble Garrett is a newly graduated actor from Heidelberg University with a bachelor in the arts. He has been in musical theatre performances such as Amos Hart in Chicago, Larry the Lobster in SpongeBob SquarePants: the Musical and has been in movies as Walter in The Amorette Hotel and Emerson in The Legend of Holcomb Road.
Ed Iverson
ROLE: Professor Marvel/The Wizard Ed is excited to return for his sixth show here, most recently performing in West Side Story as the cruel, detestable Lt. Schrank. He has also worked as a performance instructor at Centerville’s Town Hall Theater from 2011-2024, and had the honor of playing Uncle Diggory/Father Christmas in the Dare2Defy production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Dayton’s Victoria Theater. “May our production inspire you to realize the magic within!”
Phoebe Kettler
ROLE: Ensemble Phoebe is thrilled to return to the La Comedia stage. Her first acting appearance was in 2019 when she played Young Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical. She has also appeared in The King and I and A Christmas Story, and in Annie at DCC. Aside from acting, Phoebe has spent the last two years with Van Buren’s a cappella group, “Amp’d Out,” and will be continuing her singing journey this fall with KFHS’s, “Fusion.” She is thankful to her family and friends for all their support.
Sheryl Koontz
ROLE: Ensemble Sheryl is grateful to be back on the La Comedia stage after recently appearing as Judge Harper in The Miracle on 34th Street. She is a Brookville, Ohio-based actor and has been seen in many local productions including Mrs. Graves in Enchanted April, Mrs. Savage in The Curious Savage, Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz, and Betty Meeks in The Foreigner. Some of her favorite credits include Nancy in Oliver!, Jane Ashton in Brigadoon, and Donna in The Taffetas. When not on stage, Sheryl enjoys spending time with her many animals and ghost hunting with her family. She is dedicating this performance to her parents, who were always her biggest fans.
Steve Lakes
ROLE: Ensemble Steve is proud to be back on the La Comedia stage after his recent portrayal of Mr. Macy in Miracle on 34th Street. You may remember prior roles that include King Triton in The Little Mermaid, Gerard Carriere in Phantom, and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast just to name a few. Steve loves performing and wants to thank you for supporting the arts at all levels. He would also like to thank his family and friends for their continued love and support.
Addi Mullins
ROLE: Ensemble Addi is very excited to be a part of her first adult show. She was most recently a part of High School Musical Jr. as a Cheerleader. She loves singing and dancing when she’s not doing a show.
Julianna Pyle
ROLE: Mayor of Munchkinland/Ensemble Julianna is excited to be back at La Comedia for her second show. She was previously seen in Miracle on 34th Street. Her education degree has prepared her to supervise all her little Munchkins as the Mayor of Munchkinland. She is so thankful for her family and her dog Charlie for supporting her dreams. She is grateful to God for every opportunity she gets to perform and do what she loves.
Naomi Quigley
ROLE: Dorothy Dbl/Nikko/Ensemble Naomi is excited to be back at La Comedia after most recently being in West Side Story. She recently graduated from Southern State Community College with an Associate of Arts. Some of her credits include: Hot box girl in Guys and Dolls, Mouse/Ensemble in A Year With: Frog and Toad, Cheryl in Miss Nelson is Missing, Rumpleteaser in Cats, Oklahoma, Aladdin Jr, and Urinetown. When offstage, she likes snuggling with her cats. She would like to thank her mom and Meg for always supporting her.
Mark Reuter
ROLE: Uncle Henry/Ensemble Mark returns for his 31st production at La Comedia. He has recently appeared here as Doc in West Side Story, J.D. in Escape to Margaritaville, Jean Shepard (The Narrator) in A Christmas Story, and Santa Claus in Elf: The Musical. Other credits include Rooster in Annie, Max in The Sound of Music, and Fagin in Oliver! He has also portrayed Santa Claus for Fairy Godmother Productions. He also wishes to thank his family and friends for all of their love and support.
Ricky Ricker
ROLE: Ensemble Ricky is a 21-year-old actor from Dayton, Ohio, currently majoring in theatre and vocal performance at Miami University. This will be their first production with La Comedia. They have been acting since the age of 7 and have been with different theatre organizations such as YVT, Dare to Defy, and most recently New Wave Theater Company. Ricky is excited to be a part in what brings this production to life.
Audrey Rowlands
ROLE: Ensemble Springboro-native, Audrey Rowlands, is excited to join La Comedia for her first professional production. Audrey will enter 7th Grade at Springboro Junior High this fall. She’s previously graced this stage in the Broadway Star Academy production of Disney’s Moana Jr. She will also be in Disney’s Descendants: The Musical this summer. Her love of theatre started at La Comedia’s summer camp a few years ago. In addition to acting, Audrey is also a talented athlete. She is a lock down defender for her club soccer team at NWC Alliance.
Meghan Slowik
ROLE: Gulch Dbl/Ensemble Meghan is excited to be returning to La Comedia after appearing as Beverly in The Church Basement Ladies: Plowin’ Thru, and Betty Jean in The Marvelous Wonderettes. She has also been seen here in Miracle on 34th Street, and as Punky Olander in Grumpy Old Men: The Musical, Escape to Margaritaville, Phantom and The Music Man. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, she is a graduate of the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s in piano performance. She was in a professional children’s choir for 10 years, performed at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and was in the Florida Touring Choir for Josh Groban’s “Stages” tour. She has been in several operas, including Turandot, Suor Angelica, and Blind Injustice with the Cincinnati Opera.
Ethan Stewart
ROLE: Ensemble Ethan is excited to be making his La Comedia debut. After performing as Maurice/Ensemble in his high school production of Beauty and the Beast, he decided to pursue a career in theatre. Ethan recently graduated high school and is excited to see what the world has in store.
Jenna Uterstaedt
ROLE: Ensemble Jenna is excited to be making her La Comedia debut. She has recently been seen in Hello Dolly! at The Carnegie and The Music Man at Footlighters Inc. She would like to thank the cast and creative team for making this a stellar show.
Elaine Wilson
ROLE: Auntie Em/Ensemble Elaine is happy to be returning to the La Comedia stage. Past productions here include Fiddler on the Roof, The Addams Family, and Miracle on 34th Street. In 2010, she appeared as Martha in White Christmas, one of her all-time favorite roles in one of her all-time favorite shows. A native Cincinnatian with performing experience across the country, she has danced with the Cincinnati Ballet, the Radio City Music Hall Corps de Ballet, Kings Island, and toured for Walt Disney Productions. She holds an M.F.A. in dance and teaching certificates in dance and special education.
Nara
ROLE: Toto From her standout performance as Bruiser in Legally Blonde: The Musical, to her current role as Toto in The Wizard of Oz, Nara the 9-month old Xoloitzcuintli Queen Diva reigns supreme. With a penchant for all things green, especially her cherished squeaker bone and hotdogs, Nara’s spirit and advocacy for hairless pets light up every scene. Don’t miss her captivating journey, shared with fans on Instagram @naraxolo.
