Little Women Cast

Casey Clennon (Meg March) is a recent Graduate of UNC-Asheville where she received her BA in Drama. While she has helped with Asheville Community Theatre shows backstage, this is her ACT Stage debut, and she couldn't be happier. Before graduating, she worked on multiple productions with TheatreUNCA, both on stage and backstage. Some of her favorite roles with TheatreUNCA include Christina from Fefu and her Friends, and Florinda from Into The Woods. She would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this beautiful story to life. Many thanks to Julie for creating this wonderful theatre family. Finally, she'd like to thank all of the family and friends for their continued support. It is greatly appreciated.

Virginia Riggsbee (Jo March) is excited to be making her Asheville Community Theatre debut! She graduated from Appalachian State with a BA in Theatre Arts, studied at the Atlantic Acting School in New York City, and is a SpringBoardNYC alum. Some of her favorite previous roles include Marianne in Constellations, Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone, Grace Fryer in Radium Girls, and her work as a featured actor in The Laramie Project. She’d like to thank ACT for being such a welcoming environment from night one. She’d also like to thank her family and friends for their constant support and encouragement!“

Ellsworth Sullivan (Amy March) is so excited to be part of Little Women! Ellsworth’s past roles at Asheville Community Theatre include Elf W in Miracle on 34th Street, Eaglet and a card in Alice in Wonderland, and she is currently in rehearsals for Urinetown where she will be playing Little Becky Two Shoes. Ellsworth loves the ACT family and is looking forward to more shows to come! Ellsworth wants to thank her friends and family for sticking with her through it all and always encouraging her to do her best

Justine Gottschalk (Beth March) has been active in the Artspace theater program for over 5 years, playing Flavius in Julius Caesar, as well as various roles in student-written shows. Justine loved her time here at ACT as part of the Tanglewood Summer Camp, and is excited to be performing in her first mainstage show. Justine thanks Julie and all of the staff at ACT for their support and dedication, as well as her many theater teachers throughout her life. She also thanks her family and friends for their unwavering encouragement as she explores her love of theater.

Gabriel Maxwell Roberts (Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence) is thrilled to make his debut at Asheville Community Theatre! Past acting credits include: Narrator in Into the Woods, TheatreUNCA; Biondello in Taming of the Shrew, Montford Park Players; Trace in Lake Street Extension, Alpha Psi Omega at UNC Asheville; Matt in The Fantasticks, East Henderson High School; and Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, East Henderson High School. In addition to acting, he has a passion for lighting design and stage management. He would like to thank his family, friends, the ACT community, and his partner for their support, and he thanks you, dear reader, for supporting local art in the community. He hopes you enjoy the show!

Samantha Gonzalez-Block (Marmee) is thrilled to be stepping into Marmie’s awe-inspiring shoes! This is Samantha’s second ACT production, having played Mrs. Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank. Along with acting at ACT, this Asheville minister enjoys teaching Latin dance and performing with “The Irreverends” (Asheville's only all-clergy Improv group). Theater credits include: multiple roles in A Dream Play directed by Diane Paulus, Charlotte in The Real Thing, and countless original plays (starring her patient family & friends) put on in the living room. Samantha is grateful to the masterful cast and crew, her supportive loved ones and GCPC family, and her New Jersey and Ohio parents and siblings. She appreciates Marmie’s challenge for us to see the good in each person and together create a more compassionate world. This one's for Matt.

Dillon Giles (John Brooke) is very excited to be performing in this production of Little Women. When not enjoying theatre he works at Jennings Builders Supply. Favorite past roles include: El Gallo in The Fantasticks, Mr. Bumble in Oliver!, Ren in Footloose, Mike Ferris in Hands on a Hardbody, Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tony in West Side Story, Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz (twice), Karl in Big Fish, Duke in Nice Work If You Can Get It!, Pepper in Mamma Mia!, Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Gary Lejeune in Noises Off!, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, and Oscar Wilde in Sherlock in Love. Dillon thanks his Mom, Dad, and siblings Jared and Becca. Thanks to Ben, Morgan, Sara and other supportive friends. Thanks to Audrey for putting up with him always being busy.

Tod M. Leaven (Mr. March) is returning to ACT after his stage debut as Finley in Miracle on 34th Street. The role of a father to strong, loving, and brilliantly independent little women and of a husband to an all-around amazing wife is a role he has lived and cherished for years off of the stage. Tod is a Veteran of the U.S. Army and, when not indulging in the theater, he is a Veterans Law attorney and partner at the law firm of Grimes Teich Anderson and an adjunct law professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill. Tod would like to thank his wife, Jessica, and his little women, Eleanor and Abigail, for simply being wonderful!

Susan Yeatman (Aunt March) came out of retirement to play M’Lynn in Front Porch Theatre’s production of Steel Magnolias in Black Mountain. Her early work took place in Portland, OR with leading roles in West Side Story, THe Children’s Hour, and Company. After living and working professionally in New Zealand, Susan moved to Asheville, where she has since worked as a vocalist at the OMNI Grove Park Inn and Biltmore., and has had leading roles at Asheville Community Theatre in their productions of Hello, Dolly!, On Golden Pond, Quilters and The Miracle Worker. SHe has also appeared in SART’s Cole Porter, Last Night at Ballyhoo , and The Secret Garden. Other local venues where Susan has performed include Asheville Light Opera, Parkway Playhouse and Diana Wortham Theatre. Susan is very proud to have directed and performed in the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s productions of MIdday Musicals for thirteen years, which provided free entertainment in downtown Asheville.

Leslie Lang (Mrs. Gardener) is honored to be back on the ACT stage!!! One of her most recent appearances was the role of The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. She obtained a Theatre and Dance Degree from Winthrop University and enjoyed her younger years traveling with a variety of musical theatre groups, singing in bands and dancing in a variety of dance venues throughout the southeast. Leslie loves her daytime job as the Marketing Representative for Givens Estates. During the summer months, she and her husband enjoy living on their houseboat on Lake Hiawassee. Some of her past ACT roles include: Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray, A Dead Ancestor in Adams Family, Fraulein Kost in Cabaret, Go To Hell Kitty in Chicago, and Hattie in Kiss Me Kate.

Morgan Scarborough (Sallie Gardener) is a sophomore at A.C. Reynolds High School. Some of her favorite past roles include Elly May in The Beverly Hillbillies, Bottom from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Taylor McKessie in High School Musical. Other productions Morgan has been a part of include Check Please, Frankenstein, 13 The Musical, and much more. Morgan would like to give a huge thank you to her friends and family for supporting her and hopes you enjoy the show!

Jan Robbins (Hannah) is so excited and honored to be a part of this show as it is the first show she has done at Asheville Community Theater. Previously, she has been very active at Hendersonville Community Theater where she performed in Matters of Choice, A Bad Year for Tomatoes, Oliver, Chalk Garden, Rumors, Man of La Mancha, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Addams Family, NunCrackers, Love Talker, Guys and Dolls, Escanaba in de Moonlight and at Brevard Community Theater where she did A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and In the Workshop since relocating to this area 5 years ago.

Riley Oswald (Belle Moffat) Riley can usually be found on stage with both youth theatre classes and mainstage shows having been in 13 the Musical, The Wizard of Oz, Miracle on 34th Street, and is currently in rehearsals for Urinetown where she is playing Hope. Riley thanks John so much for asking her to be on the stage management staff and being part of O³, and for being such a strong role model in her life. She also thanks her mom, Robin, she’s cool too.

Katie Parsons (Annie Moffat) is an eighth-grade student at North Buncombe Middle School. She is a veteran of ACT in shows such as The Music Man Jr, The Wizard of Oz, and, Urinetown. Some of her favorite past roles include Adelaide; Guys and Dolls Jr., Jo-Jo, Seussical the Musical Jr., and some Disney princesses. Katie enjoys dancing and making music on various instruments. She also holds a 2nd Dan in traditional Taekwon Do. She would love to thank the wonderful team of people that made this show possible. She would love to thank you all for coming and hopes that you enjoy the show.