Michael G. Bath returns for his 26^th consecutive holiday show with Ensemble Theatre, where he was last seen in The Dancing Princesses and Tiny Beautiful Things, as well as Crabble in Fly By Night, Eddie in The Legend of Georgia McBride, Ian Smithton in The Other Place, and Adam in Next Fall. He also played Duke Salinus and Dr. Pinch in The Comedy of Errors at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Michael is a graduate of Wilmington College and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Beasley (they/them) is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist from Friendswood, Texas. They graduated in May 2022 from the University of Oklahoma with a BFA in Drama, where some of their credits include The Wolves (#25), Intimate Apparel (Esther), The Gap (Lee), and Marisol (Angel), as well as A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Starveling/Moon) at OK Shakespeare in the Park. They are a current member of Ensemble Theatre’s Professional Acting Apprentice Program and they are excited to be making their Cincinnati debut on the ETC stage.

Timothy Belton (he/him) is a recent graduate of NKU’s School of the Arts. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre in the spring of 2022. He was born and raised in Northern Kentucky by his parents Sean and Julie. He loves Ohio State Football and Milwaukee Bucks Basketball with a passion and is ready to give everything he has while at The Ensemble Theatre.

Darnell Pierre Benjamin (he/him)i s a creative, educator, and community builder from Southern Louisiana. He earned his MFA from the University of Houston’s Professional Actor Training Program. Darnell’s work lives at the intersection of art and activism, which is apparent in his  film 13^th & Republic, found at 13thandrepublic.com. He was last seen at Ensemble Theatre in The Dancing Princesses and Cinderella. Some of his other recent credits include Wrecking Ball and The Importance of Being Earnest with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Darnell is also a professor in the arts programs at Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. He is a certified educator and performer in the Michael Chekhov Technique and is also a recipient of Cincinnati’s ArtsWave 2020 and 2021 “Truth & Reconciliation” grants.

Antonio Cruz (he/they) is a Mexican American operatic baritone from Tucson, Arizona. Some of his roles include Silvio in Pagliacci with El Paso Opera, L’horloge Comtoise in L’enfant et les Sortilèges with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and as Jim/Troll #2 in the world premiere of Fierce with Cincinnati Opera. Tony has been an apprentice artist with Kentucky Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival (virtual due to COVID-19), and Des Moines Metro Opera. He holds an Artist Diploma in Opera and a Master’s of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, as well as a Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Arizona. He is also a guitarist, drummer, and singer/songwriter, performing locally and uploading original music as Tony Cruz. 

Kenneth Early is honored to return the Ensemble Theatre stage to be part of this production. He was last seen at ETC as Aldrin in The Dancing Princesses, and some of his other credits include Pipeline, Red Velvet, The Whipping Man, Grey Gardens, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, and Around the World in 80 Days. He has also been seen in productions at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The Human Race Theatre Company, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Shonita Joshi (she/her) is excited to be back with her Ensemble Theatre family after performing in The Dancing Princesses and Queen. She has a degree in Banking, Finance, & Journalism and graduated in 2019 from Stella Adler School of Acting in New York. Some of her credits include Antony & Cleopatra, Pericles, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night with Hip to Hip Theater’s “Shakespeare in the Park” in NYC and A Christmas Carol, Stuart Little, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Sara Mackie is just tickled whenever she’s asked to put a voice to new works! Some of her favorite Ensemble Theatre credits include Fun Home, Hands on a Hardbody, all three Wonderettes iterations, Rabbit Hole, Mauritius, and many holiday offerings with immense joy and gratitude. Some of her regional credits include This is Tom Jones!, An Act of God, and Family Ties, Human Race Theatre; 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 briefly in some of the great feature films shot in Cincinnati, such as The Bikeriders, The Public, and Dark Waters.

Andrew Maloney is thrilled to be returning to the Ensemble Theatre stage this holiday season in this world premiere musical! He was last seen at ETC as Mack in The Dancing Princesses, as well as Radio Singer/Earl in Violet, Man #2/Reggie in First Date, Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland, and many other holiday shows. Internationally, Andrew appeared as Action in the Ecuadorian premiere of West Side Story at the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. Some of his other credits include Steve/Others/Mark Understudy in Rent, Balladeer in Assassins, Scuttle in The Little Mermaid, and Mike Costa in A Chorus Line. When not on stage, Andrew is a licensed real estate agent and helps clients buy and sell real estate all over the tri-state! He has BFA in musical theatre from Northern Kentucky University and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Caroline Marino (she/her) recently graduated from Xavier University, where she earned a BA in Musical Theatre. She is extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity to grow as an artist at ETC!

Malyssa Quinn (she/her) received a BA in Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas in Austin. A year ago, Quinn migrated to Cincinnati to join ETC’s Professional Acting Apprentice Program, where she was seen as Nina in Stupid F**king Bird. Other credits include Kayla in Letters from Camp Shrewd with Shrewd Productions and Gila in La Pastorela with Teatro Vivo. Most recently you can find Quinn at Kings Island as Kid Clever, along with the rest of the Costume Council, searching for the best dressed in the park.

Emmy Rice (she/her) is excited to be back on stage at Ensemble Theatre! She graduated from Xavier University with degrees in theatre performance and English and is a proud alum of ETC’s Professional Apprenticeship Program during the 2022-2023 Season. Some of her recent credits include Jeanie in Leveling Up, Xavier University; Sienna Ross in MLM Is for Murder (Or, Your Side Hustle Is Killing Us) and Natayla/Young Asa in The Dancing Princesses, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati; and various shows in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

Elexis Selmon is a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans where she majored in theatre arts and psychology. Her recent credits include Gidela in The Dancing Princesses, Ensemble Theatre; Maude Lynn in The House That Will Not Stand, Le Petit Theatre; and Mercy in School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, The NOLA Project. Elexis is very excited to be a part of this production!

Brooke Steele (she/her) is a local actress who has been seen in various shows on Ensemble Theatre’s stage, where some of her favorite credits include Violet, Cinderella, and three incarnations of The Marvelous Wonderettes. She studied theatre at Northern Kentucky University and lives in Kennedy Heights with her husband, two daughters, and a fluffy little black dog.

Kate Wilford has been an Ensemble Theatre regular since 1996 and is so happy to be back with this wonderful group of artists. She was last seen in Cinderella at ETC, where some of her favorite credits include Women of Lockerbie, Becky’s New Car, and Hands on a Hardbody. She has been seen at Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s Theatre, Cincinnati Symphony, and many more. Kate has taught acting in the region for over 28 years and been married for over 36 years—she is looking forward to many more of all of it!

Joseph McDonough has collaborated with David Kisor on ETC’s holiday musicals for over twenty seasons. Several of these shows are published by Playscripts and Theatrical Rights Worldwide. His plays have also been produced by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, as well as other theaters around the country. His play Ordinary Americans received its world premiere just before the pandemic in a co-production by Palm Beach Dramaworks and GableStage in Miami. His new musical (with collaborators Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt Yates) about infamous Cincinnati bootlegger George Remus was produced at the Carnegie Theater this summer. Joe teaches playwriting at Miami University and is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.

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 is the Producing Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre, where she has directed over 80 world and regional premieres, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Hands on a Hardbody, Detroit ’67, I Am My Own Wife, Next to Normal, and 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, Ms. Meyers’s recent feature credits include Carol, The Old Man & the Gun, and The Public, in addition to serving as the Location Casting Director for The Shawshank Redemption. 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 recipient of the 2018 Rosa F. and Samuel B. Sachs Fund Prize for her regional arts impact and leadership.

Steve Goers is thrilled to return as music director at Ensemble Theatre, where some of his credits include 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 UC-CCM.

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.

Reba is the Associate Costume Designer at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. She has designed costumes for Ensemble Theatre’s Becky’s New Car, 33 Variations, Mauritius, Grey Gardens, The Seafarer, Rabbit Hole, Souvenir, String of Pearls, I Am My Own Wife, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), among countless others. Some of her CCM credits include Hot Summer Nights, Violet, We Tell the Story, Singin’ in the Rain, The Boys from Syracuse, Oklahoma!, Big River, and Guys and Dolls. She designed Noah’s Flood for the May Festival and is Cincinnati Opera’s Costume Manager. She designed Song from the Uproar, Ainadamar, Cosi Fan Tutti, and Calisto for the Cincinnati Opera.

Matt Callahan (he/him) was the Resident Sound Designer for Actors Theatre of Louisville for seven seasons. Some of his most recent designs for Ensemble Theatre include Queen, Pipeline, Fortune, Fun Home, and Ripcord. He was also a co-creator/designer of Rock n’ Roll: The Reunion Tour. He spent two seasons as the Resident Sound Designer at The Eugene O’Neil Center for their National Playwrights Conference. He was formerly the sound engineer for Steppenwolf Theatre, the Assistant Engineer for Blue Man Chicago, and a member of the disbanded Defiant Theatre. He received a Jeff Citation for Red Dragon, a nomination for Fortinbras, and a Kevin Kline nomination for Sherlock Holmes.

Kelly has been the head of the Wig and Makeup Design program at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music since 2001, where her designs have been seen in several productions including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Xanadu, and The Marriage of Figaro. She has worked on several productions at Ensemble Theatre, including Violet, (all of) The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Whipping Man, Mrs. Mannerly, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and many more. Her work has been seen at Phoenix Theatre, The Wolf Trap Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Wright State University, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Denver Theatre Center, and Ford’s Theatre.

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.

Patti James returns to Ensemble Theatre, where her credits include Fun Home, Fly By Night, Violet, Next to Normal, Marvelous Wonderettes, Grey Gardens, and the role of Lottie in Mack and Mabel. For almost 20 years, she was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at CCM, teaching tap and jazz, as well as choreographing productions of Candide, The Full Monty, Wonderful Town, Little Women, Good News, Anything Goes, Evita, Into The Woods, The Merry Widow, Big River, Lysistrata Jones, and Mack and Mabel. For her involvement in Cincinnati theatre, Patti received the 2009-2010 Acclaim MVP Award. For eight years, she directed and choreographed Home for the Holidays, featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. For the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, she choreographed the 2004 Today’s Tonys, and the 2007 Red, White and Boom at Riverbend. She also choreographed the production of Mariel for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and has worked on a number of productions with The Carnegie in Covington, Kentucky.

Lea Lachey (she/her) is a director and choreographer and is excited to be joining Ensemble Theatre! Lea’s career began at 18 with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes as a dancer and later as assistant choreographer. Some of her credits include the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, MTV, VH1, Miss Teen USA, NBA All-Star Game, NFL Pro Bowl, My2K Tour & Package tour with Boyz ll Men, New Kids On The Block, and 98 Degrees. Lea has worked as a choreographer and dance consultant on multiple films such as Carol, Miles Ahead, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and with Mariah Carey on A Christmas Melody. Lea is the Co-Artistic Director of Lachey Arts, a nonprofit that creates new works and helps inspire the next generation of artists. Their show “label•less” will tour in the spring of 2023.

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.

Jack Murphy (he/him) grew up in the Cincinnati area and studied technical theatre at Hanover College. While there, he spent his summers at several different summer stock theatres including Georgia Shakespeare Company and the Brevard Music Center’s Janiec Opera Company as a carpenter. After graduation, he moved to Bellport, NY to work for The Gateway Playhouse as a carpenter and rigger, and he went on to work for Norwegian Cruise Line. After another summer at the Janiec Opera Company, he came full circle and returned home to Cincinnati. Jack is eager to continue to do the cutting edge work ETC is known for and has enjoyed working on such productions as An Iliad, Grounded, and The Humans.

Margot Whitney (she/her) is thrilled to be a part of the Ensemble Theatre family! Her previous credits include Sweat on Broadway and the first national tours of 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 delighted to be back at Ensemble Theatre, where some of her credits include include Fun Home, The Wolves, Skeleton Crew, and Fly by Night. Other regional credits include Sex with Strangers, The House, Legendale, and 26 Pebbles with the Human Race Theatre. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and a graduate of Wright State University, where she received her BFA in Stage Management.