Cast & Crew Biographies
Sophia Bertram (Fred’s Wife/Ensemble) is delighted to return to The Empty Space for another magical holiday season! She was last seen as Kitty/Ensemble in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors and is thrilled to now bring warmth and cheer to A Christmas Carol. Previous credits include Professor Porter & Ensemble (Tarzan), Sophie (Country House), Urchin & Ensemble (Little Shop of Horrors), Tanya [lead] and Donna [understudy] (Mamma Mia), and Director (A Christmas Chaos). When not performing, Sophia enjoys writing songs, playing with her band, and gaming. She sends her love and thanks to her family, boyfriend, and friends for their constant support—and as Tiny Tim says, “God bless us, every one!”
David Guillen (Fred/Young Scrooge/Old Joe) is happy to return to the Empty Space for the Christmas Carol! He was last seen in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors as Lord Havemercy/ Ensemble. When not on stage David enjoys hanging out with friends, making punk patches, and the occasional video game or two. He'd like to thank the directors for the opportunity to act again!
Kylee Calvillo (Sister/Second Businessman/ Ensemble. This is Kylee's first performance at The Empty Space, and is very excited to be in her very first play, The Christmas Carol. She previously appeared on Beetlejuice jr. Earler this year at Ovation Theater. Kylee likes to sing, draw, and play music. Kylee would like to thank the directors, her family, and most importantly, her teacher Brittnee George, for inspiring her to reach out of her comfort zone!
Luis Velez (Ebenezer Scrooge) is extremely thankful and humbled to return to the stage as your Scrooge for the Empty Space's A Christmas Carol. He was last seen as Mr. Prism in CSUB's 2018 production of the Importance of Being Earnest. His previous credits include the Empty Space's 2017 production of Urinetown (Officer Barrel/Ensemble) and the Empty Space's 2016 production of Hurry Up, Santa! (Jellybean). Luis can also be heard as a pit musician for productions around Bakersfield, and was last heard as a guitarist for CSUB's 2025 production of 9 to 5, The Ovation's 2025 production of The Toxic Avenger: The Musical, Stars Theatre's 2025 production of Rock of Ages, and the Ovation's 2024 production of School of Rock. Luis would like to thank his wife, brother, parents, and in-laws for their endless love and support. He would also like to dedicate his performance as Scrooge to his mentors in theatre and life that have passed on, Mr. Bob Kempf and Dr. Evamarii Johnson, and Heidi Scott, who always said Luis would have been her perfect Scrooge.
Alex Mitts (Cratchit) has recently joined The Empty Space Board of Directors as the Executive Director as well as the Technical Director of Sound. He is happy to play on The Empty Space stage once again. He would like to thank his director, Ron Warren, for offering this role. Some of Alex's favorite TES roles include Mr. Darcy (Pride & Prejudice), Drew (Rock of Ages), and Cliff Bradshaw (Cabaret).
Reyna Abdool (Fan, Want and Ensemble) is excited to return to the Empty Space stage! Previous credits include 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 and studies voice with Amy Adams Coaching. She’s also performed with BYFA and Theatrix. Thank you to the directors for this opportunity, the cast and crew, and to Spotlight Academy, Theatrix Kids, BYFA, Amy, and Kelsea for inspiring her love of theater. Thank you to her family and friends.
Casey Abdool (Alfie, Starving Boy, Tiny Tim and Ignorance) is excited to return to the stage at The Empty Space! Previous credits include Tarzan (Young Tarzan) and Luchadora! (Newspaper Boy) at The Empty Space, and Willy Wonka (Mike TeeVee), Frozen (Sven), and Moana (Pua) with Spotlight Academy. He is a student at Heartland Charter School and enjoys soccer and all things theater. Casey thanks his directors for this opportunity as well as Spotlight Academy, BYFA, and Theatrix Kids for nurturing his love of theater. Most of all, thank you to his family and friends who are his biggest fans. Thank you for coming and Merry Christmas! May God bless us, everyone.
Victoria Olmos (Mrs. Crachit) is happy to ring in the holidays with another Empty Space Production She has previously been in other shows at The Space such as Company (Susan) understudy, The Rocky Horror Show (Ensemble/Eddie understudy), Head Over Heels (Ensemble), SpongeBob The Musical (Mayor), and The Chavez Ravine (mother). When not on stage or in a classroom, she loves working on her art. Victoria thanks her wonderful and talented cast and crew, her partner, friends, and family for all of their love and support, and of course the Empty Space.
Kayleigh Peaker (Mrs. Fezziwig/Older Belle/Laundress) is a local elementary educator and currently serves on The Empty Space Board of Directors as the Technical Director of Costuming. You may have most recently seen her as Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice and Mistress Quickly in Merry Wives of Windsor at The Empty Space this year. Favorite past performances include Mae (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Marcy (Dog Sees God), and A Company of Wayward Saints all also at The Empty Space. She thanks you for joining us and wishes you a joyful and restful holiday season.
Harper Purdy (Martha/Caroline/Ensemble) is a fresh face at The Empty Space. She was last seen on stage as Miss Argentina (Beetlejuice Jr.) and this spring will be playing the role of Charlie (Willy Wonka Jr.) at her school. Harper enjoys singing and playing bass in her band, photography, and making art. She would like to send love, thanks, and a Merry Christmas to her parents, Ari Garcia, and the people supporting her in this journey.
Skylar West (Dick Wilkins/Peter/3rd Businessman/ensemble) is very excited to be a part of her first show at Empty Space theater, and her third show overall! Her last shows were only in her senior year of high school before she graduated. First it was Sir Bors/ensemble in Spamalot, and she was also last seen in the ensemble in Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella! Outside of acting, Skylar is an artist and likes to draw! She can also play the guitar and she likes to play games sometimes! She would like to thank her friends and family for supporting her, and the directors of A Christmas Carol for allowing her to be part of this production!
Clover Miniard (Belle/Mrs. Dilber) is over the moon to be in their very first show at The Empty Space. They were most recently seen on Independence High School’s stage as Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Some of their most recent IHS credits include Sir Robin (Monty Python’s Spamalot), Sky (Mamma Mia!), Fred (A Christmas Chaos), and Yvette (Clue). Outside of the theatre, Clover is a full-time student at Bakersfield College (majoring in History and Theatre Arts), loves to line dance, and is a movie-watching fanatic. They wish a Merry Christmas and big thanks to their friends and family for all their support on and off stage.
Sianna Beltran (Belinda/Mistreated Girl) is excited to make her Empty Space Theater debut in A Christmas Carol. She has been performing with Spotlight Academy of Arts for the past four productions, including Annie (A Star to Be), Willy Wonka Jr (Veruca Salt), Frozen Jr( Ensemble), and 101 Dalmatian's: Books in Motion(Anita). Before joining Spotlight, Sianna performed in four shows with Theatrix Kids. She is 10 years old and also studies voice and music privately through the Bakersfield School of Arts and Music. Sianna loves acting singing dancing, performing, playing softball, and loving on her cat, Zeus. She would like to thank the directors for this opportunity and also thank her family, friends, & her teachers for always supporting, inspiring, and encouraging her and her passion and love for the Peforming Arts. Merry Christmas to all!
Kelsey “Kelso” Morrow (Co-Director/voice of Christmas Past) is excited to be bringing this classic holiday ghost story to life with longtime collaborator and mentor Ron Warren. She currently serves as the Gallery Director on the Empty Space Board of Directors. Previously, she assistant and vocal directed last year’s Rocky Horror Show with Ron and vocal directed TES’s production of Carrie earlier this year. In our upcoming 2026 season, she will be vocal directing Matilda and making her official directorial debut with the comedy I Want to F___ Like Romeo and Juliet. She would like to thank Ronnie for his support and encouragement, stage manager CJ, her partner Ian for agreeing to audition, and she hopes that you won’t require supernatural means to open up your hearts and give to those who need it during these times.
Elyssa Walker is currently a Junior at Independence High School and an avid part of the Falcon Drama Program. Her most notable roles include Barbara in Beetlejuice Jr. at Ovation and understudy Cinderella in Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at Independence. She’s bursting with excitement at the opportunity to perform in front of her friends, family, and everybody else in the audience who she’s endlessly thankful for.
Matthew Borton (Lead Puppeteer) is happy to be behind the scenes again. He has previously guided Audrey 2, Nicky, and Milky White across the stage and is looking forward to seeing your reactions to these ones. If you blink, you will miss the brief moment he is on stage.
Maxximus Gonzalez (child Scrooge/boy Scrooge/passing boy) is ready to go out on stage and give it his best, he was recently seen at The Empty Space acting in the show Tarzan The Musical. Outside of acting, Maxximus loves to play soccer, and play the cello in orchestra at his school, one of his favorite roles that he played was the Genie in Aladdin Jr. And he is happy to have the opportunity to perform in front of an audience here at The Empty Space theater.
Ian Sharples (Mr. Fezziwig/Ensemble) is happy to return to the Empty Space stage. He most recently played the role of Justice Shallow in Merry Wives of Windsor. His other acting credit is Wagner in Doctor Faustus at the Stars Playhouse last year. Outside of theater he spends most of his time working as a sustainability consultant for affordable housing developments across California. He would like to thank his partner Kelsey Morrow for encouraging him to try new things.
Anton (Peak) Peaker (Topper/Ensemble) loves karaoke and making dance Tiktoks. They were recently seen dancing in the ensemble in Andy, the Creator. They’re super excited to be a part of this show and hope everyone who sees it enjoys it!
Nick Ono (Jacob Marley) is happy to be back for another Empty Space holiday! Other TES holiday shows include: Anastasia [2024] (Gleb), It's A Wonderful Life [2019] (George Bailey), She Loves Me [2018] (Georg), and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus [2020] (Claus). He was last seen as Tarzan here at TES. Happy Hauntings!
Matthew Brown is delighted to dawn the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Present! A lover of big laughs, big heart, and even bigger entrances, Matthew hopes to sprinkle a little joy and wonder over your holiday season. This marks his second production, not only with The Empty Space, but Bakersfield, following the powerful and inspiring Cataract House. He is incredibly grateful to continue growing with this community. He sends his warmest thanks to the cast, crew, and audience for sharing in the magic of theatre.
Leslie Bertram (Fred’s Sister-in-Law/Ensemble) is thrilled to make her Empty Space debut in A Christmas Carol! She is overjoyed to join this festive production and share the magic of the season with such a wonderful cast. Previous credits include Cinderella (Into the Woods), Urchin (Little Shop of Horrors), Patsy (Spamalot), Charlotte (Cinderella), and Kala (Tarzan). Leslie sends heartfelt thanks to her family and friends for their endless encouragement and wishes everyone an amazing holiday season!