13
Music & Lyrics Jason Robert Brown
Book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn
Commissioned by Center Theater Group, Los Angeles, CA
Directed & Choreographed
by Nick Ono
Vocal Directed
by Jill Burdick
Stage Managed
by Sarah Skenfild
CAST & CREW BIOGRAPHIES
Caleb Kohler (Evan) is very excited to be in The Empty Space’s production of 13 the musical. Other productions he has been a part of are Beetlejuice Jr at The Ovation (Charles), The Sound of Music at Centennial High School (The Captain), and The Sound of Music at The Ovation (Kurt). He would like to thank his family for being with him throughout everything and he would like to thank his choir teacher Patrick Burzlaff for helping grow him in his musical talent.
Leslie Bertram (Patrice) is so excited to be in her second show at The Empty Space, 13 the musical! Her recent credits include, Roxie in Chicago, Charlotte in Cinderella, and Sophie in Mamma Mia at IHS. Additionally, Leslie has played Kala in Tarzan, an Urchin in Little Shop of Horrors, and Cinderella in Into the Woods with Stage Door Academy. She would like to thank her family, friends, and amazing directors for their support! She would also love to give a special shout out to her vocal coach Amy Adams for all of her help and encouragement!
Ethan Sierra (Brett Sampson) is excited and grateful to be in the musical 13, being his first community theatre experience! The whole reason Ethan got into his first show was because of his uncle and mentor Frank Sierra encouraging Ethan to get on the stage and own it. Ethan has been involved in theater and drama since he was 5 in his first show The Lion King playing baby Simba. After this, Ethan loved it and has developed a passion towards music and dancing wanting to do theater more. He’s been a part of Willy Wonka Jr., Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dream-Coat, Into the Woods, Disney Dazzle, Dare to Dream, and Little Shop of Horrors all through the Boys and Girls Club Stage Door Academy. Performing from the age 5 to 14 makes theater have a special place in his heart and he doesn’t plan on stoping anytime soon especially because of a group called Music Fusion that has helped Ethan improve tremendously. With the support from the lead directors Frank Sierra and Jill Burdick along with Zane Smith, Ethan is grateful for all the incredible opportunities he’s been given through the group and thankful theater has ended up being one of the most important things in his life.
Maxximus Gonzalez (Malcolm) is happy to be back at The Empty Space. He was last seen in Julius Caesar as (Lucius) and his previous shows here at The Empty Space were A Christmas Carol (Child Scrooge) and Tarzan Jr (Snipes). Again, he is happy to be performing here at the The Empty Space. He hopes you have a good time watching 13 The Musical.
Jacob Morley (Eddie) is thrilled to make a debut at The Empty Space. His recent credits include Oilver (Charlie Bates) at BCT, Annie (Mr Warbucks), Jungle book (Baloo), and Frozen (Olaf) with Spotlight. Jacob would like to thank Nick Ono and Jill Burdick for letting him be a part of this wonderful production, and he would also like to thank his parents for all of the support.
Elyssa Walker (Kendra) is thrilled to participate in her second production at The Empty Space! Her recent credits include: Christmas Carol at The Empty Space (ensemble), Chicago (Liz), and Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Cinderella), both at Independence High School, as well as Beetlejuice Jr. (Barbara) at Ovation, and many more! She wants to thank her family and friends for supporting her, as well as this amazing cast and crew for making every rehearsal a memorable experience.
Brayden Dana (Archie) is excited to be back at The Empty Space (TES) for 13, The Musical! His past credits include: Price Charming in Cinderella (Owens), Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka Jr (Owens) and as part of Stage Door Academy; Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonky Jr (Stars), Skip Snip/Ensemble in Little Shop: Teen (TES), Tarzan's Father/Ensemble in Tarzan: Teen (TES), and Rudolph in Rudolph Jr (Stars). This is his first non-affiliated show with TES. He'd like to thank his mom and dad for their unrelenting care for him (as well as always being the best darn parents ever), and the directors (Nick Ono, Jill Burdick) as well for being so patient and flexible during crunch-time. Along with that, he'd like to give a huge thank you to his peers in the show for always being extremely supportive, and always having the energy to turn and bad day into a good one. "This show's been awesome! I can't wait to do another one!"
Addie Haner (Lucy) is honored to participate in The Empty Space production of 13 the musical as a sassy antagonist. Her recent credits include JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Narrator) FOR GOOD - WICKED (Glinda) OUR TOWN (tech crew) and NEWSIES (nun/Bowry beauty). Addie is currently a performing actress and attends North High School. She would like to thank her cast, family, and wonderful directors for their help and service during this musical process. Specifically, she would like to give a huge shout out to her vocal director Jill Burdick for the outstanding work she puts in, and the tremendous help she’s been for this performance.
Gianna Milazzo (Cassie) is super excited to be returning to The Empty Space stage for the second time! You might have seen her most recently as Nigel in Matilda The Musical. She has also been apart of many Stage Door Academy productions! Some of her recent shows have been Dare to Dream Jr. (Annabeth Lane/Player 3) and Willy Wonka Jr. (Violet Beauregarde). Gianna would like to thank her family for encouraging her passion for theater, her friends for keeping up with all her shows and supporting her, and the production team of this show who we wouldn’t be here without!
Ke’ilani Colter (Molly) is so excited to be part of 13 the Musical! She is so happy to participate in this amazing show with this extremely talented cast and directorial team. Recent credits include Ensemble in In the Heights (Stars), Little Inez in Hairspray (Stars), and Lavender in Matilda (Empty Space). She would like to thank her coaches and the Music Fusion Directors for all of their support and helping her to continue to grow as a performer. She would also like to thank her amazing parents for helping and encouraging her in everything.
Breslin Bumgarner (Gracie) is excited to make her debut at The Empty Space in 13! Recent credits include Sarah in Christmas in the Smokies at Dollywood, Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, and Flotsam in The Little Mermaid. She is also looking forward to playing the title role of Annie this summer. Breslin loves performing in musical theater and bringing energy, heart, and a little bit of magic to every role. She trains in voice, dance, and musical theater, and is so grateful to her family, teachers, and directors for their constant support.
Reyna Abdool (Rikki) is excited to return to the Empty Space stage! Previous credits include Matilda (Alice), A Christmas Carol (Fan) and Tarzan (Young Terk) at The Empty Space, School of Rock (Tomika) with Ovation Theatre; High School Musical (Gabriella), Frozen (Anna), Mean Girls (Cady Heron), and Moana (Moana) with Spotlight Academy; and ensemble roles in Once on This Island, The Prom, Billy Elliot, and The Wizard of Oz at Stars Theatre. She is a student at Heartland Charter School, a member of the Boys and Girls Club music group Music Fusion and studies voice with Amy Adams Coaching. Thank you to Nick and Jill for your continued support and for giving me the opportunity to be in this fun show and to all the cast for the best memories. Enjoy the show!
Stella Soelberg ( Simone) is excited to perform in her first ever Empty Space production! Her recent credits include: Aladdin (Jasmine) Alice in Wonderland (The Cheshire Cat) Seussical the Musical (The Cat in the Hat) FOR GOOD- WICKED (Melena Thropp/Ensemble). She wants to thank her family and friends for all the support and love they have for her, as well as the directors and cast members for their dedication and commitment to the show and making this a very impactful experience for her.
Harper Purdy (Sarah) is returning to The Empty Space. She was last seen on stage as Charlie Bucket (Willy Wonka Jr.) and is so excited to be apart of this production! Harper has also been apart of Empty Spaces The Christmas Carol (Martha Cratchit), and Ovation’s Beetlejuice Jr. (Miss Argentina).She would like to send love and thanks to her family, friends, and the people supporting her in this journey.
Yza Morley ( Ensemble / u/s Simone) is excited to be in her first Empty Space production. Her recent credits includes: Oliver (Ensemble) at BCT, Beetlejuice Jr (Otho) at Ovation, High School Musical (Martha), Mean Girls (Caitlyn), Beetlejuice Jr ( Maxine/student director) with Spotlight, and Once on this Island ( Storyteller) at Stars Theater. Yza would like to thank her mom and dad for always supporting her in this journey and her friends for understanding all of the "I can't, I have rehearsal," and her family for coming to as many show as possible. She would also like to thank Nick Ono and Jill Burdick for letting her have this opportunity to be in this wonderful show. Follow her journey at @Yza Morley on Instagram.
Isla Friedman (Emma/Rabbi) is so excited to be back on The Empty Space stage again. Some of her favorite past roles include Matilda in Matilda the Musical with The Empty Space, along with Summer Hathaway in School of Rock and Shprintze in Fiddler on the Roof at Ovation Theatre. She is endlessly grateful to her parents for their constant love and support, her poppa for the fun carpool rides filled with dad rock, her siblings for always cheering her on, her amazing friends for being her people, and her boyfriend for putting up with all the chaos and craziness that comes with Isla. She feels incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so much love and support, and loves all of you dearly.
Marina Gradowitz (Sound Designer/Operator) is pleased to be here pushing buttons on such a colorful show! Her list of mysterious experiments into the audible world grows ever longer, with a few recent projects including co-sound design for Matilda the Musical, sound design for Radium Girls, and sound operator for A Christmas Carol, Dracula, and Company all at TES. When she’s not busy fighting ten thousand vamps kicking and screaming in the booth, she serves on TES’s board of directors as the Technical Director of Sound and Facilities Director. She would like to thank Jesus Fidel for teaching her the fantastic skill of painting leopard and zebra prints.
Sarah Skenfield (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be a part of her first Empty Space production! Her recent credits include 9 TO 5 (Judy), SIX: TEEN EDITION (Anne Boleyn), and HAIRSPRAY (Brenda, Tracy U/S). She is currently a junior at CSUB as an English major and is so thankful for this fun opportunity. She is lucky to work with such a wonderful team of directors, and she is excited to continue her endeavors with The Empty Space in the near future! “Holy Mack-a-roly!”- this cast sure is talented!