Krishangi Allin graduated from the University of Florida in the spring of 2024 with a degree in theatre performance. She is in the process of transitioning from student to professional and has set her sights on making a meaningful impact in the theatrical world. She has spent the last year traveling, stepping out of her comfort zone, and embracing new perspectives. These experiences have broadened her worldview and reinforced her commitment to telling untold stories and exploring diverse cultures through art. Krishangi’s long-term goals reflect her passion for expanding the representation of the global majority of women in theatre and challenging traditional casting norms. She is determined to showcase the depth and range of what she and other women of color can achieve.

Michael G. Bath was last seen at Ensemble Theatre in Hands on a Hardbody and Fiona: The Musical, as well as The Dancing Princesses, Tiny Beautiful Things, Fly By Night, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and countless others. Michael is a graduate of Wilmington College and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Much love to his wife Tricia and dog Misha.

Troian Butler (he/him) is a Korean American theatre artist who graduated in May of 2024 from Baldwin Wallace University with a BA in theatre with a specialization in acting and directing. He has been fortunate to work with professional theatres in the Greater Cleveland area such as the Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Blank Canvas Theatre, and The Mid-America Theatre Conference Dramatists Play Lab, along with TVC at Caveat Manhattan, NY. Some favorite credits include Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Leonard Irving in In the Next Room, Doc O’Connor/Moises Kauffman in The Laramie Project, Luke in Altar Boyz, Antonio in The Tempest (Abridged), and George Young Bradley in Men on Boats. He would like to thank ETC for their warm welcome, his wonderful family and friends, and, as always, his favorite feline travel buddy Mavis, who has now moved with him for the sixth time.

Grace Caccavari is so grateful for the opportunity to work with Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati as an acting apprentice! She graduated from Xavier University in the spring of 2024 with a BA in theatre with a focus in performance. She has performed primarily in Cincinnati and Kentucky with companies including Southbank Shakes, Cincinnati Landmark Productions, and The Story Collective of Cincinnati. She has also worked in stage management with companies including Cincinnati Opera, Kincaid Regional Theatre, American Legacy Theatre, and Playhouse in the Park. She would like to thank Mom, Dad, Jack, and her beloved family and friends for their constant love and support.

TaShauna Ajoi Jenkins is a performer, writer, and creative born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham earning her BA in general theatre. Blaze on, baby! Her most recent credits include Poppy in Where the Lost Children Play and Bearcat/Wanda in Fiona: The Musical at the lovely Ensemble Theatre, as well as Narrator in The Calling: The Story of Judge U.W. Clemon and Sarah in Pink Clouds at Red Mountain Theater Company. She is extremely proud to be a member of the Ensemble family! She’d like to thank her incredible family, friends, and everyone who has poured into her career and life.

Brandi La ‘Sherrill is thrilled return to Ensemble Theatre this season! Her most recent roles include Margaret in POTUS, Falcon Theater; Zoe in Fiona: The Musical, Ensemble Theatre; and Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, The Carnegie. Brandi is also the visionary behind Artifacts Storytelling Experiences (ASÉ), where she crafts educational and immersive storytelling experiences.

Sara Mackie has had the greatest honors of her life playing Dolly, Helen, and Katherine, and can now retire on a secluded island herding cats—but she loves being in the Cincinnati theatre community too much! Selected credits include Fun Home, Hands on a Hardbody, all three Wonderettes iterations, Mauritius, and Fiona: The Musical, Ensemble Theatre; Rutka: A New Musical, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park;  This is Tom Jones!, An Act of God, Family Ties, Human Race Theatre Compnay; Hello, Dolly! and Pump Boys and Dinettes, The Carnegie; Wrecking Ball, The Taming of the Shrew, and Pride and Prejudice, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, New Edgecliff Theatre. You can also catch her in some of the great feature films shot in Cincinnati, such as The Bikeriders, The Public, and Dark Waters. Thank you for supporting live works!

Maddi O’Connell (they/he), a Cincinnati native, is thrilled to be back in their hometown working as a Professional Acting Apprentice at Ensemble Theatre, a theatre company they have idolized since the age of three! They are a recent summa cum laude graduate and received a BFA in acting and minor in music from Baldwin Wallace University, where their credits include Julius Caesar (Julius Caesar), The Crucible (Mary Warren), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell), Everybody (Usher/God/Understanding), Men on Boats (Hawkins), Boeing Boeing (Berthe), and Uncle Vanya (Marya). Favorite local regional credits include Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Heathers (Heather Chandler), Spring Awakening (Ilse), and Pinkalicious (Peter Pinkerton). As always, much love to Kim, Dan, and the besties for the never-ending support and fun.

KG Rucker (they/them) is so excited to be returning to the Ensemble Theatre stage, where they were last seen as Chrys in Where the Lost Children Play and DJ Red in Fiona: The Musical. KG is a Muhlenberg College graduate with a BA in theatre and dance. Some of their favorite Muhlenberg credits include The Bacchae, A List, Anything Goes, and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. KG also studied physical theatre and commedia dell’arte at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. In their free time, KG loves to photograph birds. KG is so grateful to their friends and family for all their support!

DeAndré Smith makes his mainstage debut at Ensemble Theatre with this production. In addition to performing locally, he has performed both nationally and internationally with companies based in Indiana, Montana, Ohio, and Virginia. DeAndré believes that all around us there are stories to be told, and as an ambassador of theatrical art, it’s his mission to help bring those stories that resonate with him to life. He hopes that you enjoy this story about America’s favorite hippo. His favorite credits include Once on this Island, A Wrinkle in Time, Bat Boy: The Musical, All-One! The Dr. Bronner’s Play, Jerry Springer: The Opera, and I Have a Dream: The Life and Times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Brooke Steele was last seen at Ensemble Theatre in Hands on a Hardbody and Fiona: The Musical. Some of her favorite ETC credits include Cinderella in Cinderella, Vasilisa in The Frog Princess, Miriam in Fly By Night, Violet in Violet, and Suzy in The Marvelous Wonderettes. Brooke lives in Kennedy Heights with her husband, two daughters, one bunny, and their little black dog.

Allyson van Haaren is thrilled to be working with Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati! She is a recent graduate of Northern Kentucky University, where she received a BFA in musical theatre performance. Allyson recently completed a tour with Missoula Children’s Theatre as a tour actor/director. Other credits include Anything Goes and Jesus Christ Superstar at Northern Kentucky University and Sister Act at The Covedale Center for the Performing Arts. She has worked as a choreographer and educator collaborating on Little Women: The Musical at Northern Kentucky University’s Student Theatre, The Little Mermaid Jr. at the Maysville Playhouse, and teaching for camps and studios across Kentucky. Offstage, Allyson is an active alumna of her sorority (Alpha Omicron Pi) and loves to cook and bake whenever she can!

Zina Camlin (she/they) is a playwright and television writer and producer. Her most recent TV writing credits include Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu), Almost Family (FOX), The Right Stuff (Disney+) Big Sky (ABC), and Dear Edward (AppleTV). She has developed original work for HBO Max and I’ll Have Another Productions, founded by Gabrielle Union. She is currently developing a feature film with Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures. Her mission as a queer writer of color is to make sure underrepresented stories are showcased and authentically told through the characters she advocates for and creates. Her play And Her Hair Went with Her, a comedy about black women and hair, has been produced by theaters around the country, including The Horizon Theater in Atlanta and the Fountain Theater in Los Angeles. In 2023, she debuted two major theatrical works: Fiona: The Musical, a world premiere inspired by Fiona, the famous hippo from the Cincinnati Zoo, commissioned and produced by Ensemble Theatre, and Wrecking Ball, a dark comedy set in a television writers’ room, commissioned and produced by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

David Kisor is a songwriter, performer, and producer who splits his time between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Spokane, Washington. He has a master’s degree in composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music but is a songwriter at heart. He has written extensively for musical theater since 1990, including works for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati and The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. His children’s songs, written and recorded for the non-profit music publisher Growing Sound, promote positive social-emotional development in young children. He is proud, humbled, and blessed to be a part of the ETC family.

D. Lynn Meyers has been with Ensemble Theatre for over twenty-five years, having directed more than a hundred world and regional premieres, including Hands on a Hardbody, Fun Home, Morning Sun, The Wolves, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I Am My Own Wife, Next to Normal, Tiny Beautiful Things, and the world premiere of The Dancing Princesses. She began her career as the associate artistic director at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, has directed off-Broadway at the York Theatre, and has directed extensively throughout the US and Canada. As a member of the Casting Society of America, Lynn’s recent feature credits include The Bikeriders, Shirley, and Dark Waters, in addition to serving as the location casting director for The Shawshank Redemption. Lynn recently directed the world premiere of Fierce for the Cincinnati Opera. She was named a finalist for the Zelda Fichandler National Award in 2011, is a past recipient of the YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award, and received the 2019 Rosa F. and Samuel B. Sachs Fund Prize for regional arts impact and leadership.

Brian c. Mehring (he/him) has designed more than 100 productions at Ensemble Theatre. His favorite productions include Thom Pain (based on nothing), Next to Normal, 33 Variations, Freud’s Last Session, and I Am My Own Wife. Mr. Mehring’s regional favorites for set design include The Last 5 Years and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Henry IV, Part 1, The Georgia Shakespeare Festival; and I Am My Own Wife, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Peterborough Players, and Florida Studio Theatre.

Steve Goers is thrilled to return as music director at Ensemble Theatre, where some of his credits include Hands on a Hardbody, Fun Home, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, and Grey Gardens as conductor and keyboardist. He is a member of the musical theatre faculty at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and has worked locally with theatres throughout the region, including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, The Carnegie, Cincinnati Landmark Productions, and NKU. Steve has composed numerous works for a variety of media, including ten feature film scores and twenty internationally produced musicals for young audiences. He has toured the U.S. and Africa with productions of Barnum, Jersey Boys, and Bubbling Brown Sugar and was featured as pianist and session producer on the album Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together, which received a Grammy nomination for best children’s album. When not doing shows, Steve is a keyboardist and vocalist in several local bands including the Clyde Brown Band, the Ultrasonics, Aja: A Tribute to Steely Dan, and Just Strange Brothers. He is a graduate of the DePaul University School of Music and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.

Dee Anne Bryll (she/her) is very pleased to return to Ensemble Theatre, where her credits include The Dancing Princesses, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella: After Ever After, and Cinderella, among others. Additional theatre credits include work as directing and choreographing for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Landmark Productions, Northern Kentucky University, The Carnegie, Xavier University, Commonwealth Theatre Company, and Kings Island Entertainment. Dee Anne has had a long career working in educational theatre and is currently the director of NKU Prep’s Mainstage Musical Theatre Company, the director of CCM’s High School Musical Theatre Summer Workshop, and a mentor for the JumpStart Theatre Program at The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, which brings theatre to underserved middle schools in the tri-state area. She serves on the faculty of Northern Kentucky’s School of the Arts Department of Theatre & Dance.

Maria Fernanda Ortiz Lopez (she/her) returns to Ensemble Theatre having designed costumes for Fiona: The Musical and The Match Game. A native of Mexico City, she studied fashion design in Mexico and earned her MFA in costume design and technology at the University of Cincinnati. Maria worked as a production assistant on Apple TV’s The Afterparty and won best wardrobe at the Tombstone film festival for the short film On Earth as It Is in Heaven, an 1800s western short film. Her latest design jobs include The Witch and tick, tick… BOOM!, The Carnegie; Alice by Heart, Sinclair College; The Latinx Vote, The Studio Theater; and Legally Blonde, Short North Stage.

Jake Tillmann is a percussionist, sound designer, audio engineer, and technician from the Cincinnati area. He has performed in and designed many productions over his twelve-year career including Godspell, The Producers, Next to Normal, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, tick, tick… BOOM!, Ride the Cyclone, and more. Jake found theater during his studies at Valparaiso University, where he obtained a degree in music industry. He has consulted and designed for many theatres, venues, studios, and other organizations across the country. He is excited to return to Ensemble Theatre for The Last Will & Testament of Madison Giles. Outside of music and theater, Jake can often be found traveling with his wife, Ashley, and Goldendoodle, Charlie.

Becca Schall is excited to be part of the Ensemble team to help bring these beautiful plays to the stage! She is a freelance videographer and editor in the Cincinnati area and has called Ensemble Theatre her home base since 2013. Becca works with ETC’s marketing team as the Creative Media Producer to create video content for each season. Alongside the incomparable D. Lynn Meyers, she also has the pleasure of casting for the various movies that film in Cincinnati and surrounding regions. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, but a native Cincinnatian who is just lucky enough to live in a city where the arts are always thriving!

Shannon Rae Lutz  (she/her) earned her Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music in 1996 and became Properties Master at Ensemble Theatre. Trained as a performer, she first appeared on ETC’s stage during the 1988-1989 New Works Festival. In 1991, she was granted an ETC internship. Now the Director of Apprentice Programming, she is honored to guide ETC’s essential ensemble: The Professional Acting Apprentice Company. Shannon would like to thank D. Lynn Meyers, Ruth Sawyer, and the Cincinnati theatre community and patrons for their generous, supportive, and tenacious spirit.

Jacob Dowell (he/him) is thrilled to be in his third season at Ensemble Theatre, this time as technical director. Jacob is a graduate of Morehead State University where he received a BA in theatre. Some previous technical direction credits include Kinky Boots, The Who’s Tommy, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Jacob would like to thank his family, friends, and cat (Ronnie) for their continued support

Margot Whitney (she/her) is thrilled to be back at Ensemble Theatre family! Her previous credits include Sweat on Broadway and the first national tours of Clue, Mean Girls, Come From Away, Bright Star, The King & I, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and War Horse. She has worked with The Public Theatre, Signature Theatre Company, New York Stage and Film, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, La Jolla Playhouse, Virginia Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati during the 2012-2013 Season, and Cincinnati Ballet. Margot received her BFA from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.

Lexi Muller (she/her) is thrilled to return for her seventh season with Ensemble Theatre. Some of her ETC credits include The Wolves, Fun Home, Pipeline, Sweat, Morning Sun, and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Regional work includes Fiddler on the Roof, Sweeney Todd, and The Full Monty at The Human Race Theatre Company. A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and a Wright State University BFA graduate. Lexi lives by spike tape, snacks, and Sharpies. She is especially thankful to her family for always supporting her love of theatre.