The Wizard of Oz Cast

Senior Redding Martin is our OCS drama veteran extraordinaire, first appearing in 2013 as a Goatherd in “Sound of Music.” 6th-12th grade, he did “The Lion King,” “Mulan,” “Beauty & the Beast,” “Willy Wonka,” “Frozen,” “The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe,” “The Butler Did it Singing,” the virtual Christmas show & The Tinman in “The Wizard of Oz” concert. He has acted with the Pontiac Theater IV & Broadway MT Workshop. Pumba is his favorite role as “it’s written for my personality. It was the first middle school show & the cast was such a close-knit family. Everything about that show was perfect!” Heading to Calvin University in the fall, he looks back on favorite drama memories as “any time the whole cast hung out, whether at the bonfire or Culver’s after the show. The Cast was so close & so positive!” He sends a thank you “to my family for always supporting me,” & “to my directors for always giving me the chance to do what I love,” & “to my cast for being such amazing friends!"

Senior Olivia Hammond is a veteran of the OCS Drama department. Her performances include Middle School's "Mulan," "Beauty and the Beast," "Willy Wonka," and "Frozen." She joined the High School cast in “The Butler Did It Singing” (2019). Last year she played Glinda in the special Covid-version of “The Wizard of Oz” (summer 2020) and performed in the virtual Christmas show in December 2020. Her favorite part has been “Glinda for sure!” as it is such a fun role and “I love the munchkins!” Her most treasured drama memory is attending the Michigan Thespian Festival in downtown Detroit in December 2019 as it was “truly unforgettable.” This NHS member plans on attending MSU majoring in neuroscience on a pre-med track in the fall. Olivia’s final senior shout out: “I want to thank my parents for providing unconditional support and for funding all my meals for cast trips to Culver’s. I also want to thank my theater family for being amazing and kind. I love you all!"

Junior Finleigh Klein has been in OCS’s “The Butler Did It Singing” (2019) and the virtual Christmas show in December 2020. She played The Wicked Witch in the special Covid-version of “The Wizard of Oz” (summer 2020). Through the Mt. Zion Youth Theater program, she has been in seven productions and a number of Middle School shows. She finds it hard to choose a favorite character or production as she has enjoyed every show so far, but if she must, “being Gabriella in ‘High School Musical’ has to be one of my favorite musical theater experiences so far.” She also loved being in “Flapper” and is “absolutely thrilled” to be Dorothy. She writes, “Thanks to my mom, dad, brothers and sister, as well as my extended family who are always sure to support me throughout every show! Also, a special thanks to all of my wonderful cast mates who have made putting on this production an amazing, fun-filled experience. Even through a world pandemic, the show must go on!”

Senior Max Ulrich has performed in the OCS Middle School productions of “Willy Wonka” and “Frozen.” He played the Scarecrow in the special Covid-version of “The Wizard of Oz” (summer 2020). He has run cross country throughout his high school career at OCS. His favorite drama memory is “giving the person with the least mobile costume the chair that just sinks when you sit in it” last summer.

Junior Bella Spry has been in the OCS Middle School productions of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Willy Wonka,” and “Frozen.” She performed in the virtual Christmas show in December 2020. She has also been in “Anne of Avonlea,” “Snow White,” “Mulan,” “Aristocats,” and “Alice in Wonderland” at Pontiac Theater IV. Her favorite part was Snow White as “the people were amazing and it was a great improvement of my skills.” She writes, “Thank you to my sister Bailey for always being my role model as an actor. Thank you to my family for encouraging me in my acting career. Thank you to my friend Mrs. Allen for encouraging me to be my best and supporting me.”

Junior Arabella Liebler has been in the OCS Middle School productions of “The Lion King,” “Mulan,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Willy Wonka” as well as multiple shows at Mt. Zion Youth Theater. She performed in the virtual Christmas show in December 2020. “Willy Wonka” was her favorite show where she played Veruca Salt which she loved “because she’s very extra and funny.” She thanks mom, pa, grammy, and poppy!

Junior London Nesbitt joined the OCS Drama family this year in the virtual Christmas show in December 2020. And, she’s no stranger to the stage as she has been in “Hansel and Gretel,” “Lady Pirates of Captain Bree,” “The Jungle Book,” “Peter Pan,” “Flapper,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Night at the Wax Museum,” “High School Musical,” and “Mary Poppins” all through the Mt. Zion Youth Theater program. Her favorite show was “Lady Pirates of Captain Bree” as it was one of the first shows she did, and the characters, music, plot, and choreography were so great. She loves comedy and that fit the bill. She writes, “I wanna give a shout out to my friends that are in the OCS drama program with me. They’re amazing. And my parents, of course, because I wouldn’t be here otherwise!”

Junior Mia Nesbitt joins the OCS Drama family for the first time, but she has plenty of theater experience through the Mt. Zion Youth Theatre program. Those show include “Lady Pirates of Captain Bree,” “The Jungle Book,” “Peter Pan,” “Flapper,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Night at the Wax Museum,” “High School Musical,” and “Mary Poppins.” Her favorite show was “Lady Pirates of Captain Bree” as it is a well written musical. She enjoyed playing Cogsworth, a lively old lady, and Molly the pirate. She is involved in choir, dance, and gymnastics as well. She writes, “Thank you to my mom for attending every show I’ve been in and being the best. Also to London for having fun with me in the shows we did together. Finally, to Ricardo for simply being at my theatre class where I could meet him 4 years ago.”

Sophomore Marlena Munch had done talent shows, but when she joined OCS, she embraced theater in these Middle School productions: “Mulan,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Willy Wonka” and “Frozen.” She also performed in the virtual Christmas show in December 2020. Her favorite production was “Willy Wonka” because it was her first time ever to play a lead role. She says, “the cast and friends are the type I want by me for a lifetime!” She also has been involved in robotics and tutoring. Marlena writes, “Mom and Dad, thank you for always enabling me to do my best and supporting me no matter what I do. Thank you to my theater family for never ceasing to put a smile on my face anytime I see you. I love you all with my whole heart.”

Sophomore Jada Huguley performed in “Frozen” in Middle School. She also plays volleyball and basketball and is part of the track team and High School Choir. She writes, “I’d like to thank my parents because without them I would not have been able to grow and expand my horizons with my talent.”

Sophomore Ethan Degner has performed in OCS Middle School productions of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Willy Wonka,” and "Frozen." This is his first High School production. His favorite character to play so far is Hans from “Frozen” because as he writes, “I feel like it’s a character that I really embodied, and it was fun to yell at people and play a prince.” Along with drama, Ethan plays Soccer for OCS and is involved in Robotics. He wants to “thank my friends and my family. My family has always been there for me and has encouraged me throughout. My friends have always encouraged me to do the play.”

Sophomore Tina Kehrig performed in the Middle School production of “Frozen” at OCS as well as a few shows at her former school. Her favorite production has been “Frozen" because “everyone was so fun to be around and the songs and choreography and the stage made everything seem 10 times better.” She writes, “I want to give a shout out to my mom (Katie Kehrig) for supporting me throughout this play and always believing in me!”

Freshman Leah Kroge joins the OCS Drama team for the first time though she also does Track, Cross Country, and Basketball. She really enjoyed singing songs and doing some scenes from “Hamilton” in the OCS Middle School Choir. That has been her favorite performance because she writes, “I was able to rap and ‘Hamilton’ is my favorite Broadway play of all time.” She also writes, “I would like to say thank you to my mother and father for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Without them, I wouldn’t be doing theater.”

Freshman Caitlin Peterson has performed in OCS Middle School productions of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Willy Wonka," and "Frozen." Though only a freshman, this is her second High School production, as she played Jojo in the 2017 OCS “Seussical.” That was her favorite character and production “by far because I got to do it alongside my older sister.” She sends a thank you “to my parents for supporting me during these productions. A big thank you to my older sisters getting me super interested in the drama productions and musicals in general.”

Freshman Isabella Busch has been involved in both Middle School (“Mulan,” “Beauty and the Beast,” "Willy Wonka" and “Frozen”) and High School productions (“Seussical,” “The Butler Did It Singing,” and “The Wizard of Oz”) at OCS. She is an accomplished dancer with many recitals under her belt. Her favorite shows have been “Seussical” and “Frozen” because of the people and the productions themselves. She writes, “I want to say thank you to my mom and the rest of my family. My mom has pushed me so much and has helped me grow.”

Eighth grader Ava Swank performed in the OCS Middle School production of “Frozen,” but she’s also been involved with the Flint Youth Theatre (theatrical “shorts” and “Akeelah and the Bee”) and has taken several acting classes. Her favorite show has been “without a doubt” ‘Frozen' where she doubled the role of Olaf with Caitlin Peterson. She writes, “I loved being surrounded by fun, awesome people who put their hearts and souls into the production. I loved playing Olaf because he is such a bright, happy character who somehow always brings comedic relief into the most stressful situations. Being Olaf also gave me a new and very unique experience of handling a puppet which I found to be super fun.” In addition to drama, Ava is in the Ski Club and NJHS. She writes, “I’d like to thank my family for encouraging me to keep going, and my friends for constantly making me laugh!”

Seventh grader Nick Kehrig performed in OCS’s “Frozen” where he “loved being the butler” and enjoyed singing. His thanks his family and friends as “you’re the best!”

Seventh grader Alexander Favaro performed in OCS’s “Frozen” which he enjoyed. He’s also involved in Robotics and Hockey. He thanks his family and friends.

Seventh grader Jaeden Stokes was in the ensemble of OCS’s “Frozen” which she “absolutely adored!” She plays Solo and Ensemble Band as well. She writes, “My loved ones have helped me so much to get here. They’ve given me so much support and helped me to find my love in drama! Thank you!”

Seventh grader Kaley Doublestein has participated in the OCS Summer Drama Camp and Ensemble and Robotics. She writes, “My friends and family have helped me and encouraged me to do the play.”

We are proud that Wallace (Wally) has chosen to make his acting debut here on the Lancer Performing Arts Stage. Rumor has it he's caught the acting bug and has his sights set on being then next Lassie! His favorite drama memories include all the doggie treats, all the love from his fellow actors, and his sleepovers with various drama families. He sends a bark out to his handlers--especially Kaley and Jaeden! Lastly, he thanks his humans--Noelle and Caleb Richter--they have always believed in him and supported his love of the theatre!

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