Into the Woods Jr.

Cast Photos and Bios

		Ben Baker (Wolf) is in his first major show at Civic, but his 12th overall. Ben has taken classes with Civic and has been in TADC and Phase II. He has also been in a musical at school. Ben also enjoys playing video games and writing punk rock songs. His favorite bands are Green Day, Blink182, and Fallout Boy. Ben would like to thank God, Jesus, Mom, Dad, Calvin, Zach, Shelby, Alex, Kyle, Sarah, Russ, Matt, Mike, and all his other friends at Northern HS for his success.
		Troy Boone (Steward) is 16 years old and attends Creston High School. He tries his best at everything he does and loves dancing, singing, football, and writing poems. He would like to be an actor. Troy is currently involved with Kappa League and wants to go to college when he graduates. He enjoys life and thanks God for the good and the bad. His mom Katie and his family have inspired him and helped him along the way.
		Jeni Cavanaugh (Rapunzel) is enjoying her first show with SRT. She attends Fruitport High School where she dances, sits on the Student Council, and has appeared in Cinderella and Grease. She has also taken theatre classes at GRCT. She would like to thank her mom and dad as well as her family.
		Dan Christmann (Narrator) is in his second year of SRT. Last year, he played Zig-Zag in Holes. He has also played in many shows at East Grand Rapids HS including chorus roles in Hello Dolly, Beauty and the Beast, and Fiddler on the Roof. He as also played in Comedy of Errors (Dr. Pinch), Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Collins), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Egens), Much Ado About Nothing (Vergies), and Robin Hood (Bishop’s Servant).
		Jacob Dersch (Rapunzel’s Prince), a graduate of East Grand Rapids High School. He is a newcomer to the SRT stage, but he has done many shows at school: Pride and Prejudice, Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly, and many more. Jacob played principle trumpet in the Michigan All-State Band, and enjoys playing piano, drawing, reading, and playing video games.
		Kayleigh Erickson (Cinderella) is making her Civic debut. She has appeared in two shows at Grandville High School: My Fair Lady and Beauty and the Beast. She will be finishing up her high school education at GHS next year and can’t wait to become more involved in theatre. She is so thankful to be involved with such a cool show and such fun people.
		Keenan Foley (Baker) is excited to be a senior at City HS. He has taken many theatre classes including GRCT’s Theatre Wheel and TADC. Previous appearances on the Civic stage were in Really Rosie (The Lion) as well as two years of Traveling Troupe. Keenan has also crewed Oliver, Peter Pan, and The Odd Couple for area theatres. He likes push-pops, realist literature, and TAing at GRCT’s “wonderful School of Theatre Arts programs.”
		Tyler Gotch (Cinderella’s Prince) will be a senior at East Grand Rapids HS. He has played in Comedy of Errors (Antipholus), Fiddler on the Roof (Rabbi), My Sister Eileen (Chic Clark), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lane), and Pride and Prejudice (Sir William Lucas). When not on the stage, Tyler loves drawing, reading, and playing computer games.
		Aaron Guest (Jack) will be a senior at Rockford HS next fall. He has participated in six productions there, and played Pierre in last year’s SRT production of Really Rosie. Upon graduation, Aaron would like to study acting, writing, and music performance at college. He loves to smile, sing, act, dance, and “be a crazy teen.” Aaron has always wanted to play a naïve boy who’s obsessed with a cow. He would like to thank God, his friends and family, and everyone at Civic for this amazing opportunity.
		Allison Hawkins (Florinda) is very excited to be making her debut at the Civic Theatre! Though this is her first Civic production, she has been in numerous productions at East Kentwood HS including A Little Bit of Magic, South Pacific, and most recently Words, Words, Words. In addition to acting, Allison enjoys reading, singing, writing, and card tricks. She hopes to one day write for various media while continuing to perform.
		Kelsey Hill (Jack’s Mother) is going into her junior year at Sparta High School where she is the future president of the drama club. She has completed the Theatre Wheel acting classes at GRCT and enjoys playing drums and having fun.
		Alyssa Karnes (Cinderella’s Mom/Granny) is in her second year with SRT. She is currently a sophomore Vocal Performance major with a minor in Theatre at Cornerstone University where she played in The Tempest and Pirates of Penzance.
		Alayna Plews (Stepmother) is excited to be making her first appearance on the Civic stage. She will be a junior at Rockford High School next fall. She sings with West Michigan Academy of Music for Girls and likes to read and play the drums.
		Chelsea Pummill (Baker’s Wife) has been involved in many shows at West Catholic: The Music Man (Ammaryllis), Oklahoma! (Armina), Stage Door (Mrs. Orcutt), and Bye Bye Birdie (Reporter/Parent). She was also stage manager for West Catholic’s production of See How They Run and assistant stage manager for Once Upon A Mattress. Chelsea also appeared as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jr. at St. Anthony’s. She also takes voice lessons from Sherry Lee Allen.
		Ryan Slagter (Milky White) is excited to be making his GRCT debut. He has, however, been in many plays at Hopkins high school including Oliver, The Music Man, Grease, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. He loves to sing, play piano, and have fun with friends. He would like to be a musical theatre major in college.
		Amy Standel (Witch) has been on the SRT stage in Aladdin, Really Rosie, and No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing Out of Her Head. She has also been a TA for GRCT for three years as well as crew for numerous shows. At school, Amy appeared in Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, and Charlotte’s Web. Amy graduated from Christian High and is attending GVSU as a Choral Music Education major.
		Lauren Tweddale (Little Red) will be a junior at Rogers HS where she is the president of the drama club. This is her second year with SRT; last year, she appeared in Really Rosie. She also performed in Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey) and John Lennon & Me (Star) at RHS. Lauren would like to study musical theatre after high school. She also loves people, laughing, and “acting like a brat.” She would also like to clarify that her favorite color is actually blue, not red.
		Laura Uzarski (Lucinda) has been heavily involved in theatre at West Catholic in the past several years. She has appeared in Taming of the Shrew (The Widow), Once Upon a Mattress (Lady Dixie), See How They Run (Miss Skillon), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Oklahoma! (Aggie), Stage Door (Terry Randall), Merry Wives of Windsor (Mrs. Page), and Bye Bye Birdie (Mrs. Merkle).
		Brian VanVels (Cinderella’s Father) will be a Forest Hills Eastern HS senior next fall. This summer, he was a TA for GRCT’s Theatre Arts Day Camp and Phase II. Recent on-stage appearances include Oklahoma!, The Sting, My Favorite Year, Harvey, and Fright Night. Brian also works at West Michigan Whitecaps and Van Andel Arena. He is an active volunteer and would like to send “a big ‘Thank you’ to everyone who believed in me.”
		John Wier (Mysterious Man) has been in many productions for Kenowa Hills including Get Smart (Maxwell Smart) and Seussical the Musical (Cat in the Hat). He appeared in last year’s GRCT production of Holes. John enjoys playing trumpet and drums.