Assassins at Virginia Samford Theatre

Nick Crawford (Samuel Byck) is pleased as punch and pie at a picnic to return to the historic Virginia Samford Theatre for their production of Assassins! Some of his recent credits at the VST include Smee in Peter Pan, Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner, Petruccio in The Taming of the Shrew, Sancho Panza in Man of LaMancha and Nash/Kiplinger/Hubley in Plaza Suite (opposite his beautiful wife Kelsey, who is performing in What the Constitution Means to Me upstairs in the Martha Moore Sykes Studio!). Nick would like to thank Michael Flowers (someone Nick has long wished to work with) and Phillip Mann for this opportunity to come and play with this phenomenally talented cast and crew. Much love to Kelsey, their cats Rory, Fig and Phinney and his family.

Ryder is a Sophomore at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is ecstatic to be a part VST's production of Assassins! He has appeared onstage at VST, most recently as a member of the Ensemble in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Some of his other roles include Franz/Dennis in Sunday in the Park with George with TNT, Moyses in Two Gentleman of Verona with UAB, and Javert in Les Miserables at JCATD. He wants to thank his VST family for this opportunity! Also a special thanks to his father Carl, and his sister Caroline!

Blake West is delighted to be returning to Virginia Samford Theatre for this important piece of theatre. You may have previously seen Blake in Into The Woods (Cinderella’s Prince) at Virginia Samford Theatre, Sunday in the Park with George (Soldier / Alex) at Terrific New Theatre, or Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Gerry Goffin) at Red Mountain Theatre. Blake is a graduate of the BFA musical theatre program at East Carolina University. He would like to thank his friends, family, and incredible wife Katy for their love and support. www.blake-west.com

Amy was not gonna miss her shot to kick 2025 off at the beloved VST. She was last seen as Marmee in Little Women and some favorite roles include Judy Bernly in 9 to 5, Paulette in Legally Blonde, The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lucy in Bright Star, Miss Andrew in Mary Poppins, Ursula in The Little Mermaid, The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and several others. Thank you’s go out to Phillip and Michael for bringing Amy back to VST so soon! It’s an honor. Amy also sends her love and appreciation to her incredible family, both born and chosen, and to the cast and crew of Assassins. Everybody just hold tight to your dreams!

VST Actor Spotlight: Chris Carlisle began his theatrical journey with Summerfest in Birmingham before earning a double major in Acting and Musical Theatre from Emerson College in Boston. His television credits include roles in Into The Dark(Hulu/Blumhouse), Mr. Mercedes (Paramount), Eleventh Hour (CBS), and appearances in national commercials for brands like Wii, Twix, Wheel of Fortune, and Chevrolet. Chris has performed Off-Broadway in With Glee, at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles in The Post Office, and as a principal vocalist aboard Princess Cruises, performing from Alaska to New Zealand. Locally, he has starred at Virginia Samford Theatre as Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and And the World Goes ‘Round, and as Jules in Sunday In The Park With George at Terrific New Theatre. When not on stage, Chris is a top-producing realtor with LAH Sotheby’s Realty, helping the Birmingham community with their real estate needs. He sends his love to Andrea—"couldn't do it without ya!"—and gratitude to Momma Peggy—"wouldn't be here without ya!" For more, visit @chriscarlislerealty on Instagram

Zoe Wirt (Squeaky Fromme) is joyful to return to VST. She appeared earlier this season in Little Women (Meg March) and last summer in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Truly Scrumptious). Zoe is a proud graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, and she teaches musical theatre at ASFA. Many thanks to director Michael Flowers for training her 8 years ago so she can play this role today!