Children of Eden at La Comedia

James Verderamo

James is thrilled to be making his La Comedia debut. Most recently, he was seen as Robert Kincaid in The Bridges of Madison County at the Forum Theatre in Wichita. Other select theatre credits include Leo Frank in Parade, Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors, and Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Originally from Delaware, James served in the Air Force for 10 years as a Korean language analyst before becoming an actor. He currently lives in Omaha with his beautiful girlfriend Hannah and their two cats: Bartok and Freddie Meowcury. www.jamesverderamo.com

Tim Lawrence

Tim is glad to be making his La Comedia debut. Born in London, England, he began his career at an early age, with various productions in and around London including at the Royal Opera House. He received his Trinity Diplomas from Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey and soon graduated to Pantomime Prince and art house short films. Tim made his television debut, starring in European sitcom "Sorcières, mais pas trop" before heading to the US. Now based in Ohio, he is so pleased to be a part of the local and regional film and theater community. Theatre credits include: Max in The Wild Party, Jim U/S in Slave Play, and Paul in RENT. Tim will soon be appearing in his first feature length film, details are still under wraps @timsonaplane.

Chanelle Beach

Chanelle (she/her) is a NYC-based actor and a proud Filipina-American who recently obtained her B.F.A. in musical theatre from Oakland University. Recent credits include “Learn Your Lessons Well” in Godspell (in a pool) and Thea in Spring Awakening at Flint Repertory Theatre. She thanks her friends and family for their love and support, her agents at Hudson Artists, and her boyfriend, Travis. @chanellebeach

Frankie Breit

Frankie is delighted to make his first appearance with La Comedia. A Milwaukee native, Frankie has made his mark on the acting world within both theatre and film. Film credits: Reasonable Doubt (Marché du Film - Cannes Film Festival); Dollar Store Killers (FearPix); Song of Lahke (PicoBlvdEnt); Strings (BeanBoxStudios); Where’s Johnny (Firehouse Film Collective). Theatre credits: Changing Channels (Peninsula Players); Elf the Musical (Birder Players); Young Frankenstein (Spotlight Productions); Play On! (Evergreen Productions). Frankie would like to thank his friends and family for their endless support– he couldn’t be living his dream without them. “Huge shout out to the entire cast and crew – the best of the best!” frankiebreit.com

Sy Thomas

This is Sy Thomas’ first performance with La Comedia and she is excited to make her debut as Mama in this wonderful production. A theatre major with a B.F.A. in fine arts and theatrical studies from Kent State University, and professional theatre credits over the span of 15 years, her main production credit being a professional production singer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. She is thankful to the production team and her cast for the beautiful welcome and acceptance.

Max Bartel

Max Bartel (Storyteller) Max is overjoyed to be returning to La Comedia after appearing as Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods. A graduate of Otterbein University in Columbus, his favorite roles include Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Otto Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, Alfred Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and Vernon Gersch and in They're Playing Our Song. A huge thank you to his friends and family for their continuous love and support. “Enjoy the show!”

Max Barton

Max is excited to be returning to the La Comedia stage. Previous productions at La Comedia include Elf: The Musical, A Christmas Story, Phantom, The Music Man, Beauty and The Beast, and White Christmas. Max is a 7th grader at Bellbrook Middle School. When not on stage, he enjoys playing football, wrestling, and running track for his school. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and being outdoors. Special thanks to his family and friends for all of their love and support. “Enjoy the show!” Matthew 19:26

Liam Cockerham

Liam is delighted to make his La Comedia debut. His recent credits include Royal Page in Disney’s Descendants, Coach Dunbar in Footloose, and Mr. D/Dionysus in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. Liam is currently a voice student at the Music in Me Studio in Springboro, and a performance student at the Dayton Live Creative Academy in Dayton. He would like to thank his family, friends, and coaches for all of their love and support. A special thanks goes to Charlie, Anderson, and Max for their warm welcome. Liam is excited to join the ranks of other iconic performers and looks forward to an amazing run with the La Comedia family!

Chris Graham

Chris is from Rochester, Michigan, and graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music theatre performance. He has worked regionally across the U.S.—most notably, he worked alongside Stephen Schwartz and Michelle Williams in Broadway In Chicago’s Children of Eden (Abel/Ham). His other credits include Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson), Rocky Horror (Brad Majors), Les Misérables (Marius), Spring Awakening (Georg), and Significant Other (Jordan). He’d like to thank his family and friends for all their support throughout his journey. www.thatchrisgraham.com.

Josh Ilan

Josh is a New York-based actor, singer, bookwriter/lyricist and professional piano tuner returning to La Comedia to perform a dream role after last year's Holiday Inn. Regional: Jesus Christ Superstar, Seussical, Into the Woods, Spamalot, The Music Man, HMS Pinafore. Workshops: KHAN!!! The Musical! A Trek-Tacular Parody, Forgotten Mythos, Seven Days Between Heaven and Hell. Book and Lyrics: The Butler Convention, Robin Hood. Josh has an M.F.A. in musical theater writing and is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He works as a voice actor and audiobook narrator in New York City. “For Mom, Dad, Naomi and Taylor.”

Sierra Jones

For more than 16 years, Sierra, also known as CeCe, has been acting, modeling, dancing, and singing. She began her career at an early age with voice overs and acting for the PBS TV show “Funbunch Playhouse.” She sang as one of the lead vocalists with the Cincinnati Freedom Choir, performing at the Major League Baseball Beacon Awards Luncheon in honor of Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bill Cosby, and former President Bill Clinton. She has also performed with BeBe Winans during the Major League Baseball Civil Rights game. She continued to pursue her acting and singing education by attending the School of Performing Arts in high school, singing with various groups. After she graduated, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to feature in various movies and TV shows such as The Best of Enemies, Insatiables, Pitch Perfect 3, GreenLeaf, and many more. Sierra is continuing her career with voice overs, as a social media influencer, and on stage.

Anderson Knee

Anderson is a young 5th grade actor who attends Springboro Elementary School. He returns to the La Comedia stage after appearing in Holiday Inn, Moanna Jr., Miracle on 34th Street, and The Wizard of Oz. He also attended Camp Comedia summer musical theatre program. Anderson loves to sing and dance, even when he’s not in a show.

Charlie MacPherson

Charlie (10) is excited to perform is his second production with La Comedia You may have recently seen him as Charlie Winslow in Holiday Inn. Some other favorite rolls include JoJo in Seussical with INNOVAtheatre, Chip in Beauty and the Beast with Alter HS, and James in James and the Giant Peach with CPAM. He also sings with the Kettering Children’s Choir and this summer will be a supernumerary with the Cincinnati Opera. When not on stage, he enjoys spending time with his buddy Jack, playing basketball, and reading spy novels. He wants to thank Mama, Papa, and Madi for their love and support.

Raef Norgaard

Raef is ecstatic to be in this production of Children Of Eden. This is his first show with La Comedia, and he couldn’t be more excited to be part of such an amazing show and company. You may have seen Raef as Tunny in American Idiot (Innovatheatre), or as Patrick Star in SpongeBob the Musical (FHS). Raef will be attending Baldwin Wallace in the fall to pursue his B.F.A. in acting. He hopes you enjoy the show.

Austin Rose

Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, Austin is a multi-hyphenate artist who graduated from Syracuse University with a B.F.A. in acting. He returns to La Comedia after appearing as Nick DeVito in Jersey Boys. Prior theatrical credits include: Player 1 in Nevermore (Cumberland Theatre), Young Ebenezer in A Christmas Carol (Syracuse Stage), Swing in As You Like It (Syracuse University), Swing in Guys And Dolls (Syracuse University), Artie in Miss Havisham’s Wedding (New Works New Voices), and Dr. Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Black Box Players). Austin would like to thank their family for always supporting their dreams with unconditional love.

Carly Shepherd

Carly is excited to return to La Comedia after just appearing in Into the Woods. She was previously seen with Cincinnati Landmark Productions in Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl, Potts and Wardrobe u/s) and is excited to be back with her dinner theatre family. Other recent credits include Saturday Night Fever (Monty/Ensemble), The Man of La Mancha (Aldonza), The Spongebob Musical (Patrick Star), The Red Velvet Cake War (Jimmie Wyvette), Addams Family: The Musical (Ancestor), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Suzy), Finding Nemo Jr. (Peach/Coral/Dory US), Elf: The Musical (Deb), Bright Star (Edna), Kinky Boots (Trish), and Once Upon a Matress (Lady Merril).

Averi Turner

Averi Turner is 22 years old and is from Miamisburg, Ohio. She is so excited to be returning to the La Comedia stage for her third production. You may have seen her in The Music Man as Maud Dunlop and in Godspell. Other credits include Janet Weiss in The Rocky Horror Show (INNOVAtheatre), Catherine Hiatt in The Last Five Years (INNOVAtheatre), and Mimi Marquez in Rent (Springboro Community Theatre). Her deepest love goes out to her fiancé Josh and her parents, Paola and Scott. She hopes you enjoy the show.

Georgia VanRy

Georgia (she/her) is happy to be making her La Comedia Debut. She is an NYC-based musical theatre performer originally from Rochester, NY, and is a graduate of Rider University's musical theatre program. Recently, she has appeared in numerous new works and cabarets throughout NYC. Select credits include Mrs. Galloway in Tecumseh, Katherine in Newsies, and the Millworker in Working. For more, visit georgiavanry.com.

Kolter Yagual-Rolston

Kolter is super excited to appear at La Comedia for the first time as the Snake. Kolter is an actor/singer based in the NYC/NJ area who spends a lot of his free time performing in cabarets and showcases. Past credits include: The Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening, Anselmo in Man of La Mancha, Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, and Usnavi u/s in In The Heights. Kolter is absolutely thrilled to be here and can’t wait for you to experience thisss excellent ssshow!