Cast and Creative Team Bios

CAST

James Barksdale (Tom Collins) he/him is excited to be back on the SRP stage is this amazing production what a fun journey. He most recently appeared in “Beautiful” as Drifter and “Kinky Booty” as an Angel. A few fun roles Frank-N-Furter in “Rocky Horror” Dr. Madden in “Next to Normal”, and “The Full Monty” as Horse. Donkey in “Shrek”, Richie in “A Chorus Line!!! Stay blessed and thank you for the support.

Jonathan Bartman (Paul) he/him is thrilled to be back on the SRP stage and even more excited to be alongside such an amazing cast in an even more incredible story. He would like to thank Anna for her incredible direction and Nathan for his dedication and grace. I hope everyone leaves with a little more love in their heart, especially for those that may be traveling a path darker than our own. Enjoy!

Cassidy Butler (Ensemble) she/her is very excited to be a part of Rent! Her favorite roles include Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Mary Tilford in The Children’s Hour at DCP theatre, Eva Jackson in Rimers of Eldritch and Agnes Evans in She Kills Monsters at Playcrafters, and Katie in Bang, Bang You’re Dead at Barley Sheaf Players. Cassidy wants to thank the cast and crew for such a wonderful experience and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Mae Burrus (Maureen Johnson) they/she is mad grateful to be working with this beautiful group of people and to be back at Steel River! Selected Performance Credits: The Cover of Life (Cumberland Theatre), The Light in the Piazza (Summer Stories), The Last Five Years (The Gem Speakeasy), Wishling (Philly Fringe), Memphis, Mamma Mia!, (Candlelight Theatre), Heathers (Steel River Playhouse), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (SRP, PGHS), Eurydice (MCCC). Climbing uphill for you, Dad.

Maliah Buxton (Mimi Marquez) she/her is so excited to be a part of RENT! She has had the honor of performing roles such as The Witch in Into the Woods, Danielle in Bring it On!, and Sally in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, but nothing has meant more to her than the opportunity to bring Mimi to life. She can’t wait for you all to see how truly incredible this cast is!

Evan Croxton (Ensemble) he/him is excited to be doing his first show at Steel River, and to be working with this incredible cast and crew. When he’s not playing scummy drug dealers, he enjoys baseball, his own personal music endeavors, and reading. He would also like to thank his family and friends for their constant support.

Justin Damm (Roger Davis) he/him thrilled to have the opportunity to work with all the talented people at Steel River on a dream role. Justin is a graduate of Villanova’s Masters of Theatre program and works as a Physics Teacher for Upper Merion Area High School where he directs the musical for The Underground Players. Favorite roles include Radames in Aida, Johnny in Tick Tick Boom, Shakespeare in Something Rotten, Sky in Guys and Dolls, Frank in Catch Me if You Can, Gabe in Next to Normal, Melchior in Spring Awakening, Bobby Strong in Urinetown, Rueben in The Devon Theatre’s Joseph…Dreamcoat (Barrymore Nomination). Justin would like to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who made this show possible, especially his wife, Kim, and kids who were supportive of getting him back on stage.

Ramona Deluna (Angel Dumott Schunard) she/her/hers is a West Texas native originally from Meadow, TX but now residing in Lubbock, TX. Ramona studied Theatre at Western Texas College in Snyder, TX. Some acting credits for Ramona include “D.A. Joyce Riley/Kiki the Colorist” in LEGALLY BLONDE and recently “Lola” in KINKY BOOTS. Ramona is also a working Drag Queen under the stage name VIctoria Wynter. Ramona hopes to one day merge her Theatre and Drag Careers.

Edwin Diaz (Mark Cohen) he/him is through the roof excited to make his debut at Steel River Playhouse portraying Mark Cohen in RENT. Since he was introduced to the show as a freshman in high school, Edwin and his sister, Edwina made it a goal to be part of a production like this one day. To say they’ve done just that would be an understatement! He thanks his family and high school director for always believing in him and supporting his dreams.

Naysa Felix (Joanne Jefferson) she/her couldn’t be more excited to be in this season’s production of RENT! She is so grateful to be among such a fabulous cast and crew. Some of her favorite past roles include Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (PGHS), the Angel City 4 tenor in City of Angels (The Arts Bubble), Wednesday in The Addams Family and most recently Alyssa Greene in The Prom, here at SRP. Naysa is currently studying vocal performance and hopes to continue performing theatrically in the future. She would like to thank her amazing friends and family for their support and her incredible voice teacher, Lori Ann Strunk, for always being there.

Connor Redmond (Ensemble) he/him is very excited for people to see this amazing show and has loved working with the cast and crew it has been an amazing experience, and he hopes you enjoy the show.

Rae Rosenbayger (Ensemble) she/her is thrilled to be making her Steel River Playhouse debut in Rent! Her most recent credits include Caroline Neville in Titanic the Musical and Ensemble in Jekyll and Hyde (Facetime Theatre). Some favorite past credits include, April in Company, Diana Goodman in Next to Normal, and the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods (Arcadia Theatre). Rae would like to thank the wonderful creative team at Steel River Playhouse for this incredible opportunity.

Angel Soto (Benjamin Coffin III) he/him is so excited to be performing in his first show at Steel River! He cannot wait to put on this fantastic show, with such an amazing group of people. He would like to thank the Steel River family for believing in him, as well as his mom for her continued support.

Edwina Vargas (Ensemble) she/her is beyond excited to tell this story with such a strong cast. Rent has always been one of her favorite shows, and working on it with her brother and her friends has been such a dream. She would like to thank Nathan and Anna for being so helpful and trusting throughout the entire process. As always, she thanks her family for their endless support.

Creative Team

Anna M Hogan (Director) she/her is an award-winning theatrical director and producer, currently the Producing Artistic Director of the Santa Fe Playhouse in New Mexico. A queer, bi-ethnic artist, she specializes in intimate and immersive stagings of both new and classic works. Anna has previously served as Artistic Director of The Wallace Theater in West Texas and Associate Artistic Director of Rising Sun Performance Company in NYC. She’s a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women and a former Resident Artist at the Charles Adams Studio Project. Learn more at annamhogan.com or follow her @annamhogan.

Nathan M. Kendrick (Music Director/Conductor) he/they is a musician and actor based in Chester County. Kendrick has been an active performer and music director at several local theaters over the past couple of years. Favorite productions include Peter and the Starcatcher (Black Stache), The Rocky Horror Show (Dr. Frank-N-Furter), and Assassins (Leon Czolgosz). Nathan serves as Director of Music and Organist at Paoli UMC and is a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (Lambda Beta). Thanks, Ma, for making it possible.

Liz Powell (Choreographer) she/her is so excited to be making her choreographic debut at Steel River Playhouse! She is a recent graduate from West Chester University (WCU) with her B.A. in Theatre: Music Theatre Concentration and B.S. in Business Management. During her time at WCU, Liz was heavily involved in the Theatre & Dance Department through choreographing their Annual AIDS Benefit, filling the role of President and Choreographer for the University Dance Company, creating an annual Benefit Concert to support local underfunded arts programs, and acting in many of their seasonal theatre productions. Liz wants to thank Steel River Playhouse for this opportunity; and break a leg to the cast and crew of Rent!

J Chernesky (Technical Director) they/she has been producing theatre in one capacity or another for 15 years. They are a proliferate designer of lighting, sound, and scenery; a technical theatre educator at the Hill School Center for the Arts; and the owner of a small theatrical production and consultation company, J Chernesky Productions. They are a passionate artist, a lover of the physical catharsis of theatre and proud to be returning to Steel River Playhouse to help present one of their all time favorite musicals.

Olivia DiIorio (Stage Manager) she/they is a theatre artist based in Chester County and Associate Director of Front of House/Accessibility (People’s Light). Recent credits include Nunsense A-Men! (Stage Mgr, SRP), Tommy & Me (Production Mgr, Uptown!), Makeup Artist (Lincoln Mill Haunted House), and Rocky Horror Picture Show (Director, WCU). RENT has been a dream show for Olivia since 7th grade and she would like to thank the entire RENT team for all of their hard work, care, and joy in this process!

Bobby Goodrich (Scenic and Properties Design) he/she/they is so thrilled to be designing at SRP!! A native of Philadelphia, they studied Theatre at Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in Theatre Design and Musical Theatre. While at Clarion, Bobby was the resident costume designer for two seasons of the Summer Musical Theatre Workshop. Following their time at Clarion, they apprenticed at the Walnut St. Theatre in Philadelphia, where they worked in costumes, wardrobe, and makeup. In 2015, Bobby made their off-Broadway debut as “Divine” in the world premiere of DIVINE/ INTERVENTION to rave reviews. In the fall of 2019 Bobby joined the staff at The Hill School As production designer for the Ellis Theatre guild. Bobby continues to work throughout the tri-state area as a cabaret artist, actor, music director, director and designer. Recent projects include Night Mother (Isis productions) Fruma Sarah: waiting in the wings (the cell nyc) hedwig and the angry inch (music mountain theatre),the Rocky horror show (Haddonfield plays and players) and Carrie:The Musical (Haddonfield Plays and Players) Much love to their family and the company of RENT!

Seana Benz (Costume Designer) she/her is a costume designer, seamstress, dresser, supervisor, and consultant across the east coast. Seana currently serves as the Costume Shop Supervisor at Bucks County Playhouse. She has worked in opera, dance, musical theatre, college theatre, high school theatre, and is a proud member of IATSE 200. This is her first show with SRP! Love to her family and especially her husband, Spence.

Rhian Franchebois (Sound Design) she/her is a local sound designer and engineer living in South Jersey. She is the head audio engineer at Bristol Riverside Theatre and spends her summers as a sound design counselor at Buck’s Rock Camp. Rhian also works with the New Jersey Guild of Dungeons & Drafts, DMing games. She would like to thank her husband William for his love and support, and willingness to put up with her shenanigans.

Lily Fossner (Lighting Design): Recent highlights: Faith Healer at the Lantern,The Fantasticks and The Little Prince at Quintessence, Beginners at Hedgerow, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Laramie Project for SRP. Lily has lit many shows in Philadelphia theatres. Training: MFA, NYU/Tisch. Member, United Scenic Artists Local 829. www.lilyfossner.com Love to my wife Kate and daughter Charlotte.

Alessandra Fanelli (Intimacy Coordinator) she/her is excited to be back at SRP! Some recent credits include Tick, Tick…BOOM! (Karessa), Into the Woods (Lucinda), Falsettos (Cordelia), RENT (Maureen), Matilda (Mrs. Wormwood), West Side Story (Anita), Disenchanted! (Belle), and Avenue Q (Lucy). In addition to performing on stage, Ále is an Arts Administrator, Digital Content Creator, and certified Theatrical Intimacy Professional, serving non-profit arts organizations in higher education and arthouse cinema. alessandrafanelli.com