BLUE'S CLUES LIVE!

Cast Bios

Nate Altena (Shovel, Earth, Jack) is returning to the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre after making his debut as an Oompa Loompa in Willy Wonka. With Missoula Children’s Theatre he has appeared in Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Frog Prince. At Jenison High School he has appeared in Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Nate is currently a 7th grader at the Middle School.

Kimberly Crawford (Mrs. Pepper, Neptune, Mama Bear) is returning to the Civic stage after appearing in last season’s holiday musical Cinderella. She appeared as Mama Noah in Caledonia Community Player’s Children of Eden, and with Marian/Rice Players Kimberly performed in Into The Woods, Kiss Me, Kate, Godspell, and Footloose! Kimberly would like to dedicate this performance to Louis.

Ryan Cupp (Steve) is thrilled to be returning to the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, having made his debut last season in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This past summer Ryan was also featured in Circle Theatre’s Annie and Jesus Christ Superstar: In Concert! Outside of the Grand Rapids area, Ryan has appeared in The Last Five Years, RENT, George M!, The Fantasticks, Godspell, and Damn Yankees. He would like to extend his thanks to Kristen and his family for all of their support!

Tia Hawkes (Bunny Slipper, Mercury, Baby Bear) is thrilled to be making her Civic Theatre debut with Blue’s Clues Live! She has previously appeared in the Kent Theatre’s production of The Big Bad Musical with the Cedar Springs Theatre Association. Tia is also an active member of a competitive dance team in Grand Rapids and continuously performs throughout Michigan. She has been training and dancing in ballet, jazz and tap since three years of age. Tia is currently celebrating her reign as “Little Miss Grand Rapids,” and enjoys making appearances in parades!

Malia Huffman (Blue) is delighted to be returning to the Civic Stage, having made her debut in The Velveteen Rabbit in 1995. Other appearances on the Civic Stage include Annie, The Little Princess, The King and I, Peter Pan, and School House Rock Live! She is a graduate of Point Park University with a BA in Musical Theatre, where her favorite credits include On The Town, King of Hearts, and The Shallow End. Her professional credits include work with the Red Barn Playhouse, Opera Grand Rapids, Cherry County Playhouse, and River City Studios. Malia is a proud past recipient of the Grand Rapids Combined Scholarship, as well as the National Choral Association Director’s Award. In New York City she worked as the Assistant Set Designer for Tomando Café, Theatre for the New City, and as Assistant Stage Manager for the Ice Theatre of New York. For Davis.

Rebekah Karel (Tickety Tock, Uranus, Goldilocks) is excited to be returning to Civic’s stage in Blue’s Clues Live! She made her debut in 2009 as Taylor Mckessie in High School Musical 2, and then sang as the Dove and appeared in the Ensemble for last season’s Cinderella. She has worked with Master Arts Theater, Holland Civic Theatre, and has various credits with Kenowa Hills High School where she is a Senior. She was awarded 3rd place in the state of Michigan for Dramatic Interpretation with the MIFA Forensics Competition. Rebekah would like to extend a special thank you to family, friends, and most importantly Jesus Christ, for continuous support and encouragement!

Michael Kohlenberger (Mr. Salt, Jupiter, Papa Bear) is eager to open the Civic season with Blue’s Clues Live! Michael made his Civic debut in 2005 with To Kill a Mockingbird, and has gone on to Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing, Cinderella, and Sarah, Plain and Tall. Among his other credits are Inherit the Wind and Lone Star with Heritage Theatre, and Children of Eden and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with the Caledonia Community Players. He also worked on STAGE with Grand Valley State University, and currently hosts his own radio show with WPRR called Spotlight on the Grand. “Thanks to Kelsey, you are my star!”

Zoe Meyering (Paprika, Pluto, Little Pig #3) is making her Civic Stage debut with Blue’s Clues Live!, but has also attended GRCT’s School of Theatre Arts. Zoe has danced since the age of two, and currently studies with the School of Grand Rapids Ballet. She performed with the Eisenhauer Dance Company at Calvin College. She also sang a duet at VanAndel Arena for the Christian Reformed Church’s 150th Anniversary celebration and has studied violin. Zoe is the same age that her mom was when she made her Civic debut!

Patrick Nowak (Slippery Soap, Saturn, Giant) attends East Grand Rapids High School. He last appeared in Pirates of Penzance as the Police Sergeant. He has performed at GRCT in The Wizard of Oz, Junie B. Jones, Miss Nelson is Missing, Willy Wonka, the Traveling Troupe production of Nate the Great, and Cinderella. At Circle Theatre he has performed in, Pippin (Theo), The Who’s Tommy (Young Tommy), and Snow White (Dwarf), and the Cabaret series this summer. He was in the production of Carmen with Opera Grand Rapids in 2007 and was also in HONK! at Cornerstone University. Patrick was in three web advertisements for Meijer, inc. He also performed in the planetarium show Crickets and Constellations with the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Patrick also is a company member of the Creative Arts Repertoire Ensemble.

Lorna Powell (Grandma) is thrilled to make her Civic Theatre debut for Blue’s Clues Live! This is her first show since her high school acting career in Strange Borders. Lorna has a great relationship with the theatre, and as owner of Powell Moving and Storage, has generously donated transportation for Traveling Troupe’s The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck.

Carson Wanty (Mailbox, Sun, Wolf) is enjoying his Civic Theatre debut in Blue’s Clues Live!, yet as a student of Civic’s School of Theatre Arts, he is no stranger. An accomplished performer in many high school productions, Carson is excited to begin studies at East Grand Rapids High School this fall. In other local theatres, Carson was a part of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Circle Theatre and performed in A Little Night Music and Working at Stagedoor Manor.

Adam Wright (Bunny Slipper, Mars, Little Pig #1) is excited to return to the Civic Theatre, after his debut in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat last season. He is currently in the 4th grade at St. John Vianny where he also sings in the church choir. “Thank you, Amanda, for inspiring me and encouraging me to audition for this show!”

Amanda Wright (Pail, Venus, Little Pig #2) is returning to the Civic Stage having appeared in last season’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Her various credits with the Civic include Cinderella, The Music Man, Oklahoma!, Junie B Jones, Bunnicula, and Willy Wonka. Amanda has performed with numerous area theatres, highlights including the Grand Award winning ensembles for Cornerstone University’s Wait Until Dark, and Heritage Theatre’s Metamorphosis. She has also performed with Circle Theatre, and is a freelance voice talent within the West Michigan Area. “Thanks to Penny for giving me the push I needed to audition!”