Cast Bios
KLEA BLACKHURST (Jacqueline) known for her award-winning tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything The Traffic Will Allow, Blackhurst recently starred Off-Broadway opposite Hayley Mills in Party Face. She played the title role in the world premiere of Hazel at Drury Lane in Chicago, Miss Lemon in The Nutty Professor, directed by Jerry Lewis, score by Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes, and as Dolly in Goodspeed Opera’s 50th Anniversary production of Hello, Dolly! Other credits: NY- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bingo, By Jupiter, Radio Gals, Oil City Symphony; Regionally – Ragtime, Gypsy, Call Me Madam and Chicago here at Pioneer Theatre Company. TV: “Onion News Network,” “The Knick,” “Sesame Street” and “Pose.” She’s appeared in legendary halls from The London Palladium to Carnegie Hall, The Royal Albert Hall to Jazz at Lincoln Center. Blackhurst is a charter member of the Jerry Herman Legacy Concerts for the ASCAP Foundation and became a distinguished Alumna of the University of Utah in 2012.
GALYANA CASTILLO (Francis) is thrilled to be making her Pioneer Theatre Company premiere! Previous credits include; National Tour: Elf – The Musical (Deb), Fame (Miss Sherman). Regional: Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal, Fulton Theatre), Seussical (Sour Kangaroo, Stages St. Louis), Mamma Mia! (Ensemble, Stages St. Louis), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Billie Holiday, The Prizery), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Nell Carter, Forestburgh Playhouse), Chicago (Matron Mama Morton, Forestburgh Playhouse), Show Boat (Queenie, Shenandoah Summer Theatre) and Big River (Alice, Sharon Playhouse.) A big thank you to Bob Cline and the Boys at Hoff for always believing in me. S/O to my incredible girl, Maddie, and love to her family back home.
BRANDON CONTRERAS (Jacob) is thrilled to be returning to PTC. He was last seen here in the U.S. Professional Debut of Frank Wildhorn’s The Count of Monte Cristo. Recent Credits: The Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Drury Lane Theatre) and Berger in Hair (Berkshire Theatre Group). New York: Our Lady of 121st Street (Off-Broadway), The Connector (NYTW), The Secret Garden (Developmental Lab), Our Town (Actor’s Fund), 2018 NBCUniversal Upfronts and “The Hamilton Mixtape” (The Public). Tour: In the Heights (1st National). Regional: Treasure Island (The Fulton Theatre), Astoria: Part 1 & Part 2 (Portland Center Stage), The Secret Garden (DCPA) and Cuba Libre (Artists Repertory Theatre). BFA from Pace University. Always for you Ashley, Mom & Dad. Follow: @OhHey_Brandon brandonacontreras.com
LENNY DANIEL (Ensemble/Renaud/Associate Director) has assisted Ms. Azenberg on too many shows to count and for too many years to count. Productions he has choreographed include Mary Poppins (Utah Shakespeare Festival) and Spamalot (both Geva Theatre Center and Arkansas Repertory Theatre). He also directed and choreographed Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical (TexARTS); choreographed The Little Mermaid (Forestburgh Playhouse); assistant directed The Wizard of Oz National Tour starring Mickey Rooney and Eartha Kitt; and assistant choreographed GiGi (Paper Mill Playhouse). Daniel assisted Ann Reinking and performed in Here Lies Jenny starring Bebe Neuwirth (NYC & SF). Performing credits include Broadway: Cats (final original company) and The Wizard of Oz. NYC: Sinatra (Radio City Music Hall), Wonderful Town (NYC Opera). Tours: Spamalot, Chicago, South Pacific, Camelot, Jekyll & Hyde. Regional: Newsies, Chess, Oliver!, The Last Ship, Sweet Charity and A Christmas Carol: The Musical (all at PTC), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Baltimore Center Stage), Mary Poppins, Peter Pan (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), GiGi and Evita (Paper Mill Playhouse). Grammy-nominated cast album The Wizard of Oz.
NICOLAS DE LA VEGA (Cagelle) is thrilled to be making his Pioneer Theatre Company debut! NY Theatre: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Regional: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Gateway/Ogunquit Playhouse), Mame (Riverside Theatre), Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (The Muny), Dream Curly in Oklahoma (Stages St. Louis). National Tour: Saturday Night Fever: The Musical. Dance: North Carolina Dance Theatre, Los Angeles Ballet. Big thank you to Actors Equity and MSA Agency! IG: @nick_delavega
DONOVAN HOFFER (Chantal) is thrilled to be making his Pioneer Theatre Company debut! Hoffer was last seen as Mary Sunshine in Chicago and Clopin in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Fulton Theatre. Broadway: Rocktopia. Regional/ Tour: Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar, Munkustrap in Cats, Angel in Rent, Mark in Altar Boyz, Newsies, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Billy Elliot, Les Misérables, and West Side Story. Hoffer has traveled and performed with Norwegian cruise lines and in Playlist Productions with Carnival cruise lines. Instagram: @donovanhoffer
DAVID GUY HOLMES (Ensemble) Pioneer Theatre Company credits: Mamma Mia!, In the Heights – the Concert Production, Newsies, The Rocky Horror Show, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter and the Starcatcher, Sweet Charity, A Christmas Carol, In the Heights and Rent. Grateful to be doing what I love, with the people I love. Thank you Karen, Patti, Lenny, Helen and the rest of the incredible PTC family!
MARION MARKHAM (Mme. Dindon/Mme. Renaud) PTC Debut! Last fall, Markham appeared as Andrea in SLAC’s production of A Funny Thing Happened… She has appeared Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theatre, Theatre 1010 and The Hudson Guild. Favorite regional roles include The Secret Garden (Mrs. Medlock), Indian Joe (Mama), How to Succeed… (Smitty), It’s a Wonderful Life (Ma Bailey), Anything Goes (Reno), Pajama Game (Gladys), A Little Night Music (Charlotte), West Side Story (Maria) and Peter Pan (Peter.) Marion has appeared on “Law & Order,” “Saturday Night Live,” “All My Children” and in films. This summer, she will be seen as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Colonial Theatre. Markham is the resident cabaret singer at the fivestar, Ocean House Hotel. marionmarkham.com
JAMES PATTERSON (Georges) is excited to make his debut at Pioneer Theater Company. Most recently he was Lumière in the Theater Under the Stars production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He has appeared on the Broadway and in the national touring productions of Gigi (Dufresne), Mary Poppins (Park Keeper), The Drowsy Chaperone, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Beast, Gaston and Lumière understudy), Cats (Munkustrap) and State Fair. Other credits include Treasure Island (Dr. Livesey/Fulton Theatre), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Lumière/Fulton Theatre & MSMT), Le Comte Ory (Metropolitan Opera), Mame (Kennedy Center), Sail Away (Barnaby Slade/Carnegie Hall), Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance (Joshua Chamberlain/MSMT) and Footloose (Rev. Shaw Moore/Fulton Theatre). jamespattersontheactor.com. Patterson is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and Tufts University. Thanks to all friends and family, the great people at CGF and especially my BJH.
ADAM ROGERS (Phaedra) is thrilled to be making his Pioneer Theatre Company debut! Broadway: An American in Paris (OBC), Cinderella and Chaplin (OBC). National Tours: The Phantom of The Opera, Cinderella. Regional: West Side Story (Papermill PlayHouse), Sweet Charity (Marriott Theatre), Chicago (Riverside Theater), Aladdin, Shrek The Musical and Damn Yankees (MUNY). Thanks to CTG.
NICK SILVERIO (Cagelle) is honored to share this beautiful story at PTC! 2018 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, B.S. in Economics. National Tour: Elf – The Musical (Madison Square Garden, 3rd & 4th nat’l). Regional: La Cage aux Folles (Clo-Clo, u/s Hanna at Goodspeed), The Full Monty, A Christmas Carol, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Foothills). New York: DanceBreak (Charissa Barton), Red Bucket Follies (Chaz Wolcott), When Change Comes: A Movement Forward (Mark Stuart), Drama League Gala (Ali Marconi), Broadway Bares: Game Night (Charlie Sutton), The Choreographer’s Canvas. Television: “Saturday Night Live,” “SYTYCD,” “America’s Got Talent.” Live show favorites include Seems Like Forever Ago (Dee Caspary) and 10 seasons with Philadelphia’s Arts House Dance Company (former Artistic Director). Love and thanks to the family, Elite and Clear Talent Group! IG: @nicksilverioo
JAMISON STERN (Albin) Broadway/National Tours: By Jeeves (Bingo), Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Palm Springs Who), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour/Orin) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Lumierè). Regional: Into the Woods (Baker, North Carolina Theatre); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Tracy Mills, Hartford Theaterworks), La Cage aux Folles (Albin, Goodspeed Musicals); Torch Song Trilogy (Arnold Beckoff, The Human Race Theatre Company); Young Frankenstein (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, Fulton Theatre); Fully Committed (Alley Theatre, La Mirada Theatre); Sweet Charity (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); [title of show] (TheatreWorks); Black Comedy, Invention of Love, As Bees in Honey Drown and A Flea in Her Ear (Alley Theatre). Stern currently stars in the Amazon series “After Forever” as Paul, and as Mr. Tweed in “Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket” (now On Demand), as well as “My Bakery in Brooklyn,” “Day Zero,” “The Finger Lakes,” “Law & Order” and “The Entrepreneurs.” Twitter/Instagram @jamisonstern
IZZY ARRIETA (Cagelle) is happy and grateful to return to PTC! His past productions include: Anything Goes (HCTO), In the Heights – Concert Production (PTC) and Newsies (PTC). He is currently performing in An American in Paris (HCT). Arrieta has worked as an assistant choreographer for Tarzan (HCTO) and Aida (HCT). Member of SALT Contemporary Dance. Thanks to family and friends for their support and PTC for welcoming him back with open arms. IG: @arrietaphoto
DEVIN REY BARNEY (Ensemble) PTC debut! Favorite Utah credits include: Moroni in Saturday’s Voyeur ‘18 (SLAC), Lounge Singer in Dogfight and Buddy Becker in Steel Pier (U of U Theatre). In 2018 he received his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Utah. Later this year, Barney will be competing in the Ultimate Drag Pageant in New York City. Much love to my family and friends!
BARBARA CAMARA (Anne) is thrilled to be making her PTC debut! She is finishing her final semester at the University of Utah, where she is double majoring in musical theatre and psychology. Previous University credits include Susan in Company, Florence Vassy in Chess and Hannah Missiano (a.k.a. the “Grizzly Bear couple”) in Steel Pier. Much love to her family, friends, professors and Alex for their unwavering support.
ASHLEY GARDNER CARLSON (Hanna) is excited to be back for her 18th show at PTC, especially something so sparkly. Regional credits: PTC, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Moonlight Amphitheater, Lyric Rep., Starlight Musical Theatre and Holland America Entertainment. Most recently, Carlson was seen in PTC’s Mamma Mia!, In the Heights – Concert Production and The Will Rogers Follies, as well as Hale Centre Theatre’s An American in Paris and Hello Dolly!. ashleygardnercarlson.com
HAYLEY CASSITY (Cagelle) is ecstatic to make her Pioneer Theatre Company debut! After performing at Disneyland for four years, she moved to Utah to pursue her BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of Utah. Recent projects: Joanne in Company (University of Utah Theatre) and Saturday’s Voyeur (Salt Lake Acting Company). Much love to my family, friends, teachers and mentors.
PATRICK RYAN CASTLE (Jean-Michel) is ecstatic to be back at PTC performing in the concert version of his favorite musical! Recent credits: PTC—Newsies (Oscar/Ike), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Ensemble); U of U Theatre –Company (Paul), Chess (Anatoly) and Steel Pier (Happy). Postgraduation, Castle plans to move out to the Big Apple. He thanks his family and friends for their love and support. Now, sit back and enjoy La Cage aux Folles!
JIM DABAKIS (Edouard Dindon) is thrilled to be returning to the hallowed stage of PTC for the third time. He will play the part of a loud-mouthed, opinionated Senator. “That part should not be a stretch for Dabakis, ” said Director Karen Azenberg.
CAMERON HOLZMAN (Cagelle) is a junior in the MTP. He’s a scholarship recipient and has also appeared in the musicals Steel Pier and The Beautiful Game. Most recently, he appeared as Anatoly in Chess (U of U Theatre). He would like to thank his parents for their continued belief in his passion, all of his friends who have supported him along the way, and his voice teacher Dave.
MICKI MARTINEZ (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back for her second concert production here at PTC after appearing as Nina Rosario in In the Heights last year. She is a junior in the MTP at the University of Utah, where she just finished playing Marta in the department’s production of Company. Martinez is overjoyed to help share this show’s fabulous message!