The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - The Musical Cast

Leah Archer (Ensemble)
Leah Archer is overly excited to have this opportunity with The Brecksville Theatre. She has played lead roles within her elementary and middle school plays including Mrs. Claus and Chicken Little. Leah was introduced to performing arts through The Dance Step where she participated in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Acro. Leah is delighted to have the chance to improve her acting abilities, refining her stage presence, all while meeting new people.
Justine Blocksom (Betty)
This is Justine's first time with The Brecksville Theatre and she is very excited to be here. She was most recently seen at Cassidy Theatre in Mama Mia, Children of Eden, and Annie. She has truly enjoyed her experience during this show with all of these wonderful people!
Kiley Breslin (Ivy)
Kiley is elated to make her Brecksville Theatre debut in this production. Kiley's past credits include Kate in Annie, and a Storyteller in Children Of Eden both at Cassidy Theatre. Kiley's favorite thing about The Brecksville Theatre is the production team and cast. Kiley loves theatre because she loves building connections with her cast mates, some of her best friends she met through theatre. Kiley wants to thank her family and cousin Poppy for their support.
Owen Brown (Elmer)
Owen is excited to be making his theater debut on the Brecksville stage. Owen is a fourth grader at Hilton Elementary. He loves to learn about dinosaurs and plans to be a paleontologist someday. Owen is a lifelong resident of Broadview Heights where he lives with his mom, 3 brothers, 2 dogs and a cat.
Lauren Campbell (Ensemble)
Lauren is thrilled to perform in The Brecksville Theatre’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, after having participated in the theatre’s camp the past two summers. She first fell in love with acting on stage after playing the role of orphan Kate in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School’s production of Annie . She would like to thank The Brecksville Theatre for giving her the opportunity to grow as a performer while also having fun and making new friends with the cast and crew.
Melanie Cesa (Ensemble/Joy Duet)
Melanie is 11 years old and very interested in theater. Last November, she played Shawanda and an Ensemble member in The Brecksville Theatre production of Elf, Jr . She was also a soloist and chorus member in Schoolhouse Rock, Jr . at 82nd Street Theater. She’s participated in the Broadview Heights Spotlight Summer Theater Camps for the last four years. Melanie really likes the people she’s met at The Brecksville Theatre and the shows this theater produces.
Sofia Ciocca (Sassy Gal)
Sofia is proud to be performing with The Brecksville Theater cast. She is 13 years old and has performed as Gertrude McFuzz in her school production of “Seussical Jr.”. Sofia attends St. Albert the Great at Assumption Academy and enjoys drawing, singing and writing in her spare time!
Tessa Crouch (Ollie)
Tessa is excited to be making her Brecksville Theatre debut as Ollie Herdman! Tessa has been dancing since she was three and has won many awards for her performances as a Scottish Highland dancer. She has several years of experience with ballet, lyrical and theater dance, and her most recent theatrical performances include roles in Willy Wonka Kids and Winnie the Pooh Kids with Spotlights Theater. Tessa loves expressing herself at The Brecksville Theater!
Katie Delahunty (Ralph)
Katie is thrilled to be a part of this year's holiday production at The Brecksville Theatre. Katie loves to perform as a singer, dancer, and actor and has most recently had roles in Annie Jr., Disney's Winnie the Pooh, and The Jungle Book. Katie also loves sports. She plays lacrosse for the Brecksville Lady Bees travel program and runs cross country at her middle school. She has been involved in dance, choir, band, and soccer as well. In Katie' spare time she loves to hang out with her friends, her two sisters, one brother, and her awesome Golden Retriever named Paisley. Katie hopes you enjoy the show and have a memorable holiday season with loved ones!
Alyssa Guardado (Ensemble)
Alyssa is 12 years old and in the 7th grade at Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School. She loves dancing, tumbling, and being on the stage. Alyssa played Molly in the Middle School production of Annie Jr. This past winter she also participated in 9 shows of the Cleveland Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker at the Playhouse Square and plans to try out again this year.
Mason Keller (Teddy)
Mason is a 6th grader who enjoys the friends he has made at the The Brecksville Theatre and being a part of this terrific cast. Mason feels that acting has allowed him to "get out of his comfort zone" and try new challenges. Mason's past roles have included Sam in The Brecksville Theatre's performance of Elf Jr, and Grandpa Joe in Willie Wonka Kids by the Independence Community Theater. Special thanks to everyone who made this performance possible, enjoy the show!
Marko Laszlo (Leroy)
Marko Laszlo, age 11, is excited to be in this production at The Brecksville Theatre. This is Marko’s first ever acting role! He enjoys singing, dancing, and connecting with the other actors. He would like to thank The Brecksville Theatre for introducing him to the world of the performing arts!
Mary Ann Meitin (Luanne: Church Lady)
Mary Ann is thrilled to be playing the role of "Church Lady" Luanne in this fun production. Mary Ann last appeared on The Brecksville Theatre stage a few years ago in Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Past shows include Sweeney Todd, Evita and Little Shop of Horrors, at various community theatres. Her favorite thing about doing shows at The Brecksville Theatre and elsewhere is sharing the stage with friends like Dave and Barb! Special shout out to my family and friends for their support!
Zoey Papanikolaou (Alice)
Zoey is thrilled to be in her first production with The Brecksville Theatre! She has enjoyed being a part of various shows throughout the Cleveland area. Her favorite past shows include ​Aladdin ​ (Caryl Crane Youth Theatre), ​Newsies (​ Near West Theatre), ​Annie ​(French Creek Theatre), and ​All I Really Need to Know I Learned in KIndergarten​ (French Creek Theatre). Zoey is an accomplished dancer and has performed in The Nutcracker ​for the past holiday seasons with North Pointe Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Moscow Ballet. Being a part of ​The Best Christmas Pageant Ever h​as given her a chance to dance​ and sing ​her way into the holidays this year! Thanks to her twin sister Ella, who has always been her biggest fan!
Theresa M. Pedone (Helen)
Theresa is honored to return to The Brecksville Theatre stage alongside this amazing cast! Prior to this, Theresa has performed on the Brecksville stage in productions of Gypsy, Jesus Christ Superstar and the A Piece of My Heart. Additionally, Theresa has performed in several shows throughout Cleveland including The Hunchback of Notre Dame (NWT), Wolves (Convergence Continuum), Sweet Charity (Cassidy Theatre and Urinetown (NWT) among others. While she enjoys performing, her greatest role is being mother to 7 pound “son” and furry co-star, Dexter. Theresa wishes to thank Kimmy and Caron for their dedication and love.
Matthew Piatak (Charlie)
Matthew is in the 7th grade at St. Columbkille school. This is Matthew’s 1st production at The Brecksville Theatre. Past credits include: The Twelve Days of Christmas (Timmy), Pinocchio (Geppetto), Annie (Ensemble), and Children of Eden (Storyteller) at The Cassidy Theater. Matthew is involved in many groups at school. He cantors for church and is a member of the children’s choir. Matthew is overjoyed to be a part of this talented and amazing cast!
Kynli Sarges (Ensemble/Joy Duet)
Kynli is a 9 year old, fourth grader at St. Albert the Great School. She loves to sing, dance, and entertain. Outside of theatre, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, camping, and spending time with her dad in Adventure Princesses. Her acting debut took place at Cassidy Theatre where she played an orphan in the Broadway hit, Annie. She was in Schoolhouse Rock Jr. @ the 82nd Street Theatre. Currently she is a froglet and cowgirl in the show Honk Jr. also at 82nd Street Theatre. She is so excited to be cast in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – The Musical as part of the ensemble group. Kynli is looking forward to many more shows and hopes you enjoy every moment of this show!
Barb Schirch (Lonnie: Church Lady)
Barb is excited to be in her first community theater production, especially as a church lady! She is also an avid guitarist and plays regularly at St Basil the Great and St Thomas More churches. Her favorite thing about The Brecksville Theatre is working with and learning from the very talented cast and crew. Barb thanks her family for their love and support during this theatrical journey.
Erin Shelby (Imogene)
Erin Shelby is thrilled to be back at The Brecksville Theatre. Now 12, Erin first appeared in a production here as Piglet in Winnie the Pooh the Musical in 2016, where she worked with Kim Eskut. This is when she caught the “theater bug”! Erin also appeared on The Brecksville Theatre’s stage as Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Although she has been in productions in other theaters over the past 3 years, she is excited to be back at Brecksville because of the great culture among the cast and crew!
Elya Starek (Grace)
Elya is thrilled to be on the Brecksville stage for the first time, performing opposite her real-life husband of 14 years and along with their two wonderful daughters. Elya was most recently seen in Annie (Connie Boylan/Annette/Grace U/S) at Cassidy Theatre. Prior to that, she hadn’t done any theatre in ten years. Favorite past shows include West Side Story (Shark Girl) and Will Rogers Follies (Zulecki/Ziegfeld Girl). Elya is so grateful to Kim for pulling her out of her comfort zone and believing in her. To Rob, Kaylee, and Mari: “There’s nothing better than doing this together. I love you all so much!”
Kaylee Starek (Sassy Gal)
Kaylee is excited to be performing on The Brecksville Theatre stage for the first time! Local audiences recently saw her in Children of Eden (Young Abel) and Annie (Orphan Ensemble), both at Cassidy Theatre. Kaylee is a cheerleader at her middle school and enjoys playing basketball and softball. She would like to thank her friends and family. Enjoy the show!
Mari Starek (Ensemble)
This is Mari’s first show here at The Brecksville Theatre. She recently performed in Children of Eden (Ensemble) and Annie (Orphan Ensemble) at Cassidy Theatre. Mari enjoys playing soccer, softball, and basketball, but she definitely loves theatre the most! She is happy to be in this show with her friends and family!
Rob Starek (Bob)
Rob is making his Brecksville Theatre debut. Rob has performed numerous roles at the Cassidy Theatre in years past which includes the most recent production of Annie where he played Lt. Ward. Past credits include; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Trevor Graydon), Assassins (Leon Czolgosz), Ebenezer (Fred), and Enchanted April (Anthony Wilding). Rob wants to thank Kim and the staff for allowing our family to join you on this fun adventure. A special shout out to Kaylee & Mari, you both are bright stars. To my Grace (Elya), you are incredibly talented and I'm so proud of you, break a leg!
Brandi Thomas (Ensemble)
Poppy Wadenpfuhl (Claude)
Poppy is excited to be returning to The Brecksville Theatre in this magical show! She was previously seen on the Brecksville stage in Newsies (Les). Her other credits include Little Miss Sunshine (Olive), Annie (Tessie), Titanic (Thayer Child), and Beauty and the Beast (Ensemble). Poppy is in the 5th grade and loves to read, draw, and sing on stage. She would like to thank Kim for this opportunity, and all her family for their support.
Sunny Wadenpfuhl (Gladys)
Sunny is excited to be making her Brecksville Theatre debut. She loves doing musical theater! Previously she appeared in Chess (Young Florence), and Oh, The Places You’ll Go (Ensemble). Sunny is in 2nd grade and likes reading and making friends. She wants to thank Kim and the crew for giving her the chance to be in this show. Much love to Mom, Dad, Poppy, Mara, Ronan, Hazel, Figgy, Bomber, and the duckies.
Alexa Warmuth (Beth)
Alexa is a 10th grader at Strongsville High School. She has a passion for theatre and is thrilled to be playing Beth in this production. Previously Alexa has starred as Mother Abbess in the Sound of Music and King Julien in Madagascar. On top of acting, Alexa is also in the Mustang Express show choir. She would like to thank her family and everyone at The Brecksville Theatre for supporting her through this show.
Dave Williams (Reverend)
Dave is pleased as punch to be back on The Brecksville Theatre stage. Dave played the role of Jacob in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat here in June of 2016. Other of his favorite roles include Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Junior Turpin in Dearly Departed and The Proprietor in Smokey Joe's Cafe. Dave's favorite thing about The Brecksville Theatre is that he gets to renew old friendships and make new ones.
Ava Wolf (Sassy Gal)
Ava is very excited to take part in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at The Brecksville Theatre. She enjoys singing, acting, playing softball and hanging out with her friends and four siblings. She is most known for her role as Annie in Annie Jr. She has also been in Elf Jr. with The Brecksville Theatre, along with Shrek Jr. and Wizard of Oz Jr at the BBH Middle School. Her favorite thing about working with The Brecksville Theatre is meeting so many kind and talented people. Theatre has helped her become the person that she is today.