Grand Reopening Extravaganza at The Naples Players

Maddie Brendel is a sophomore at Naples High School and is so excited to be a part of this production to reopen the theatre. You may have seen her in the ensemble of A Christmas Carol and Something Rotten! Teen. She would like to thank everyone who helped make this show amazing. Enjoy!

JamieLynn Bucci is beyond thrilled to be back at TNP in this beautiful new space! Last appearing as Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, other select Naples Players credits include: Bea/Something Rotten!, Sibella/A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Mrs. Cheveley/An Ideal Husband, Catherine Donohue/These Shining Lives, and Magenta/The Rocky Picture Horror Show. TNP has gifted so many with the magic of creative growth and community connection — thank you to all involved in making it possible to continue that magic on! Welcome back and welcome home!

Joseph C Byrne is a Floridian actor, musician, and longtime TNP member! When not on stage Joseph can be found performing his live acoustic music around town. You may know him as Quasimodo, Nostradamus, and Robbie Hart in TNP’s productions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Something Rotten!, and The Wedding Singer. “I foresee A BALCONY!!” And to the people in the balcony, I’m looking right at you, the ENTIRE time. So. Cheers. Byrne is proud to work with his friends again on this amazing journey!

Braxton Cabrera is so excited to be part of a wonderful cast who will be the first to perform in the new Kizzie Theater! He is very grateful to participate in this Extravaganza. Past Performances: Matt Alternate/The Fantasticks, Phoebus/The Hunchback of Notre Dame Teen Cast, and Friedrich Von Trapp/The Sound of Music (Salzburg Cast).

The Naples Players have been my home, refuge, and practically a second parent while raising my daughter. From my first show when I was in seventh grade and TNP was at Gulfview middle school.; to this new space filled with fantastic professionals who make all of us better artists, I will always be grateful to TNP for letting me play, both onstage and backstage. Here’s to new old friends!

Jim Corsica was most recently seen as Bellomy in The Fantasticks. Other TNP roles include: Gus/Southern Comforts, Ranger Tom/Escanaba In The Moonlight, Ensemble/Bum/The Wedding Singer, Nicely Nicely Johnson/Guys and Dolls, Jacey Squires/Music Man, The Narrator/The Rocky Horror Show, Inspector Kemp/Young Frankenstein and Stage Manager/Our Town. Elsewhere, Jim is part of the Gulfshore Playhouse educational production, Remember: The Story of Abe Price, was Harry Brock/Born Yesterday and Batman (ret.)/Bruce Kane One-Acts for the Marco Players, Salieri’s Cook/Amadeus for TheatreZone, Bill Sr./Clever Little Lies for The Studio Players and Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare In Paradise’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. He is excited to celebrate this marvelous re-opening.

Alanna Dachille is so honored to be back with The Naples Players and performing for the first time in TNP's home base in The Extravaganza! Most recently making her TNP debut as the role of Ruth Kelly in Harvey this past winter. A born & raised New Yorker, Alanna is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and continued her training at Michael Howard Studios and T. Schreiber Studio. Having appeared in numerous original plays in NY theater festivals and various independent films, some past theatre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Little Women, Female Transport, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Alanna thanks her Mom, Dad, and her family for their unwavering love & support.

Frankie Federico is 23 years old and super excited to return to do some shows he has done in the past with TNP. He has been in many productions with TNP such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Something Rotten!, Mary Poppins, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.

Debi Guthery is very excited to be a part of another amazing TNP musical. Other TNP credits include: Dolly/Hello, Dolly!, Frau Blucher/Young Frankenstein, Paulette/Legally Blonde, The Chaperone/The Drowsy Chaperone, Miss Hannigan/Annie, Dorothy Brock/42nd Street, Muriel Eubanks/Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Green Girl/Shout! and Betty/The Great American Trailer Park Musical. Debi has performed in regional theaters and national tours. You can catch her singing at local venues around SW Florida. www.debiguthery.com

Jesse Hughes is honored to christen the Kizzie stage with this incredible group of artists. He was last seen as Georg Nowack in The Naples Players production of She Loves Me in 2019 (yikes!), but has more recently appeared in a number of audio productions with TNP’s Radio Theater, directed and produced by Michael Troop. Other past stage credits include Guys & Dolls, The Music Man, Maple & Vine, These Shining Lives and The Rocky Horror Show. Huge thanks to the TNP staff and volunteers for their unwavering dedication to creative expression, and to his amazing wife, Amy, for her laughter, love and support.

Jillian Keith was most recently seen on stage as Missy in The Marvelous Wonderettes, Madam/Ensemble in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Anna Mae/Afua in By the Way, Meet Vera Stark and in the ensemble of Something Rotten! A graduate of University of Westminster in London, England, Jillian also acts as TNP’s Marketing Coordinator and a Wellness, Theatre For All, and KidzAct instructor for our community. Other credits include: Vanessa/ In the Heights, Campbell/ Bring It On: The Musical, and Carrie/ Carrie. Jillian would like to thank her family and friends for all of their support, and her fellow crew, cast, and creative team for all of their commitment towards making this show extravagant! Happy opening!

James Little has worked professionally as a singer/dancer/actor in theme parks, summer stock theaters and on international cruise ships. Locally, he has played leading roles in over 25 TNP productions and will soon play Bert in 42nd Street, the first production in the Naples Players newly renovated theater. James has also performed locally with Theater Zone and is the vocalist for both the Jordan Ross Quintet and the Reflections Dance Band. He dedicates this performance to the three most important people in his life: his wonderful mother, Pam, his late father, John and his partner, Bret.

Elizabeth Marcantonio is thrilled to return to TNP for this long-awaited re-opening performance. We finally made it!! What an absolute dream come true. Endless thanks to EVERYONE who has worked and donated tirelessly to keep this place alive and growing! We are SO lucky. Credits: Elsa/The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins/Mary Poppins, Eliza/My Fair Lady, Rosie/Bye Bye Birdie, Louise/Gypsy, The Wedding Singer, Mamma Mia, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show, 42nd Street, and more.

Lila Mastro is a current student at Florida State University and is so excited to perform in this production! She has been at The Naples Players for many years and is so thankful to call this place her second home. She hopes you enjoy the show!

John McKerrow last appeared at The Naples Players as Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet. His on-stage credits include Petruchio/The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth/Macbeth, Benedick/ Much Ado About Nothing, Herbie/Gypsy, Michael/I Do! I Do! and Archie/The Secret Garden. John has worked Off Broadway, on tours, in regional theatre, and national commercials. Television appearances include Ballers with Dwayne Johnson and Bloodline with Sissy Spacek. When not acting, John keeps busy as a director, acting coach, Realtor, and lucky husband to Mary Anne.

This is exciting! We have a BALCONY!!!! Mary Anne has been performing with TNP since 2004. Favorite roles include Donna/Mamma Mia, Madame Thenardier/Les Misérables, Momma Rose/Gypsy, and Adelaide/Guys and Dolls. Shakespeare in Paradise credits include Mistress Page/The Merry Wives of Windsor, Lady Macbeth/Macbeth, A Love Story, Katherine/The Taming of The Shrew and Hippolyta and Titania/A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hugs and kisses to my CB.

Lizzy Mehler is thrilled to be joining TNP for their first show back on 5th Ave S. Her recent credits include: Chicago/Liz, All Shook Up/Dance Captain and Ensemble, Mamma Mia/Tanya, A Christmas Carol/Dance Captain and Ensemble, Something Rotten!/Swing and Ensemble. She would like to express her gratitude to Dawn, Charlie, and Erica for supporting her development as an artist, her family for their unconditional love and support, and the entire cast for being so amazing to work with!

Alex Minarik is excited to be a part of the Extravaganza! Alex is a recent graduate of Gulf Coast High School and will be going to Florida State University to get a BFA in Musical Theatre. You may have seen him recently as Matt in The Fantasticks, or Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and soon as Billy Lawler in 42nd Street. Other favorite credits outside of TNP include… Dennis/All Shook Up, Mike Costa/A Chorus Line, Billy Flynn/Chicago, Emmet Forest/Legally Blonde, and Jack Kelly/Newsies. Alex is so thankful for everyone that put in the work to make the performance possible! Enjoy the show! @alexminarikk

Tina Moroni began her career in the arts as a professional ballet dancer with International Ballet Theatre out of Philadelphia. Upon retirement, she took up acting and salsa dancing. She has performed in film, television, and theatre, with some of her favorite theatre roles being from Maple and Vine, Chicago, Silent Sky, and White Christmas. When not on stage, she works in molecular science at a reference oncology lab. She is very excited to be a part of the TNP welcome home again event with Extravaganza!

Ella Provinzino is a 19-year-old college student at FSW. She has been volunteering at TNP since 2020 and is very excited to be a part of the reopening! Some of her previous credits include Step Sister Grace/Cinderella, Sara/The Theory of Relativity, Ensemble/The Hunchback of Notre Dame Teen, and Buttons/Newsies Teen. In her free time, Ella enjoys dancing and playing the guitar. She would like to thank everyone who has helped her grow as a performer.

Gia Provinzino is grateful to be working under the direction of the professionals at The Naples Players. She enjoys writing music and playing the guitar and has two songs available to listen to on all music platforms under the artist name Gia Caprice. She was the Swing for all four characters in the Naples Players production of The Marvelous Wonderettes and was recently seen as the Mute in The Fantasticks! Other credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Teen)/Florika, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Adult)/Ensemble, Godspell/Day By Day and By My Side Soloist. Additional credits include Jekyll & Hyde/Emma and The Addams Family/Morticia at Arts Bonita. Gia is thrilled to be part of TNP’s reopening!

Victoria Rinaldi will be a rising junior and is ecstatic to be apart of TNP’s reopening! Favorite TNP credits include: Ursula/The Little Mermaid JR, Mrs. Wormwood/Matilda JR, Lady Clapham/Something Rotten! Teen, Ensemble/Newsies Teen, Jesus/Godspell JR, and most recently Ensemble/The Hunchback of Notre Dame Teen. She is forever grateful to be a part of the TNP family, and thanks the cast, crew, and directors for their endless support. Enjoy the show!

Brittany Rincon is excited to be back with TNP! She graduated from Circle in the Square Theatre School and has been an apprentice and intern with The Broadway Theatre Project, performed with the BTP company on Norwegian Cruise Lines Getaway Ship, and sang with Barry Manilow in his One Last Time Tour (Germaine Arena). Some of her favorite credits include Bye Bye Birdie (Rosie), I Love You Because (Diana) and as a Sister Mary in Sister Act with TNP. When she's not in rehearsal, Brittany enjoys teaching dance classes, hosting wine nights, and re-reading Harry Potter.

Sabine Rivera is a junior at Naples High School and is excited to be performing in the Reopening Extravaganza! Sabine performed in The Sound of Music as Louisa in the final production before the renovation and is thrilled to be back to perform in the first production in the new space. Favorite roles at TNP include Louisa/The Sound of Music and Shylock/Something Rotten! Teen among others. Favorite Naples HS roles include Evie/Descendants and Narrator/Puffs. When not onstage you can find Sabine in the booth at Naples High School working as the stage manager, a position she has held since her freshman year. She would like to thank her mom for her continued love and support in everything Sabine does. Enjoy the show!

Vanessa Tarabocchia is thrilled to be a part of The Naples Players Extravaganza! With her roots in New Jersey, she has appeared on various stages along the northeastern coast, including Paper Mill Playhouse and Carnegie Hall. A proud alumna of Montclair State University, Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater. Vanessa’s most recent appearances at TNP include The Marvelous Wonderettes (Betty Jean/Dance Captain), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Ensemble/Dance Captain) and The Sound of Music (Sister Sophia). Favorite credits include; Marty Maraschino/Grease & Velma/West Side Story. Vanessa wants to express her heartfelt gratitude to her family and her partner in crime, Kelly, for their unwavering love and support. Enjoy the show!

Kenny Tran is a TNP regular, currently an upcoming senior at FGCU. Some of his recent TNP appearances include the ensembles of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Something Rotten! and Mary Poppins, as well as Jim the Drummer in The Wedding Singer. He’s ecstatic to be back with The Naples Players after their renovation process, and would like to thank TNP for putting on this fantastic show. Happy opening!

Sharon True is delighted to return to The Naples Players for their Extravaganza! She has been seen in many past productions at TNP including Les Miserables, The Spitfire Grill, The Rocky Horror Show, The Music Man and Footloose. Other favorite credits include Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and a Bad Idea Bear in Avenue Q. Sharon teaches music at The Community School of Naples and enjoys spending time with her family and fur babies. Much love to my True Crew! XO

Mark, who is a proud Life Member of TNP, is thrilled to be performing in the grand opening of our new theater. He has been in over 35 productions since first auditioning in 2002. Some of his favorite roles include: Wadsworth/ Clue: On Stage; Nick Bottom/Something Rotten!; The Emcee/Cabaret; Dr. Frank-N-Furter/ The Rocky Horror Show; Thenardier/Les Miserables; Carmen Ghia/The Producers; Reuben Soady/Escanaba in da Moonlight; Valmont/Les Liaisons Dangereuses; and the ENTIRE D'Ysquith Family in A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder. A special thanks to this amazing cast. Much Love to his wife Dot for all things, always. Enjoy the show and welcome back!

Lorelai Vega is a senior and is so excited to be back performing in the first show in the Kizzie! She has had a blast learning and relearning all of these super fun numbers! She is especially excited to be reprising Let it Go as Elsa as a full circle moment from the KidzAct production in 2019. She knows you’re just as happy and excited to be back at home downtown as she is and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Jasmine Vizena is a CSN graduate with a MFA in performance/dance from SCAD and AMDA. She began dancing at three and sang for nine years in the Naples Philharmonic Youth Chorale. She has appeared in Footloose (Rusty), Guys and Dolls (Hot Box Doll), The Importance of Being Ernest (Cecily), Annie (Star to Be), Shout! (Yellow Girl), The Rocky Horror Show (Janet/Columbia), These Shining Lives (Charlotte), Sister Act (Delores), and Chicago (Velma). In LA, she pursued her passion as a choreographer/dancer, actor, and production designer. She is honored to share the stage with an amazing cast and crew. Love and thanks to The Naples Players and everyone involved! Finally, thank you to her family for always supporting her dreams!

Cole Butcher is in his tenth season with The Naples Players. Previous SM credits with TNP: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mary Poppins, A Gentleman’s Guide…, The Wedding Singer, Footloose, Yours Truly, She Loves Me, Mamma Mia!, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, The Music Man, Sister Act, My Fair Lady, The Rocky Horror Show, Catch Me If You Can, Young Frankenstein, Something’s Afoot, Legally Blonde, Oklahoma, Noises Off, Gypsy, and Moon Over Buffalo.

Charles Fornara the Artistic Director of Music for TNP, has music directed over 180 productions, including, at TNP: The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Sound of Music, Something Rotten, Mary Poppins, Gentleman’s Guide, The Wedding Singer, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Sister Act, The Rocky Horror Show, Catch Me If You Can, The Spitfire Grill, Les Misérables, All Shook Up, 42nd Street and many others, as well as over 20 teen productions for KidzAct. Also in Naples for TheatreZone, he has music directed nearly 40 shows including Rock of Ages, A Little Night Music, Bridges of Madison County, Aida, The Secret Garden, Legs Diamond, Sweet Smell of Success, Grand Hotel, Little Women and Hair. Originally from Providence, RI, Chas conducted Jim Steinman and Roman Polanski’s Dance of the Vampires in Stuttgart, and has taught and coached singers all over the US and Germany, now offering private lessons here in Naples. A proud member of Actors’ Equity, he has appeared in almost 100 musicals, operas, and concerts, including several appearances here in Naples with TheatreZone, most recently as the title role in Sweeney Todd. Much love to his beautiful wife, Dawn, and a big thank you to this wonderful orchestra!

Dawn Lebrecht Fornara the Artistic Director of Dance for TNP, is a native of New York and has served as director and choreographer for TNP’s The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Sound of Music, Something Rotten, Mary Poppins, The Wedding Singer, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Sister Act, The Rocky Horror Show, Catch Me If You Can, Legally Blonde, The Spitfire Grill and 42nd Street, among others, and with KidzAct for many productions, including Joseph…Dreamcoat, Hairspray, Disney’s Camp Rock, Les Misérables and CATS. She has choreographed many shows for TNP, including A Christmas Carol, Gentleman’s Guide, All Shook Up, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Cabaret, and, as a performer, she has been seen in the National Tours of 42nd Street, Seussical the Musical, Anything Goes and Grease. A proud member of Actors’ Equity, she has been seen here in Naples in TheatreZone’s Sweeney Todd (Beggar Woman), Jekyll & Hyde (Lucy), Stepping Out with Donna McKechnie, Legs Diamond (Kiki) and Hair, among others. Other recent roles include Sheila (A Chorus Line), Sally Bowles, Velma Kelly, Bombalurina (Cats), and Ulla (The Producers). Love to husband Chas and her family.

Amy Hughes is excited to be propping such an amazing production. Amy is mostly known for her credits on stage in shows such as The Music Man as Marian and Chicago as Mona. She is so excited to step into the role of a lifetime as the properties director for The Naples Players and looks forward to an amazingly creative future.

Mary Anne McKerrow has been costuming and teaching the young actors of TNP’s KidzAct program since 2005. As a performer for TNP, she was last seen as Donna in Mamma Mia! Other TNP roles include Elizabeth Benning/Young Frankenstein, Momma Rose/Gypsy, and Madame Thenardier/Les Misérables. Most recently, she debuted at The Laboratory Theater in Ft. Myers as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.

Yuliana Mercado is so excited to be part of The Extravaganza SM Team! A dedicated sound volunteer with TNP since 2022, this will be her first time as an Assistant Stage Manager. She began her journey on the Sound Team with Savannah Sipping Society, and has since participated in multiple productions offering support in various capacities. She recently mixed sound for The Fantasticks as an Audio Engineer, but truly enjoys every aspect of the auditory experience of theater and appreciates the level of excellence showcased by TNP productions. She would like to thank the knowledgeable and supportive staff at TNP for creating extraordinary opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to not only share and grow their talents, but be embraced by a wonderful and accepting community. She truly hopes you consider joining our volunteer family and join us too in celebrating our newly renovated "home" by coming to see our debut performance, The Extravaganza!

Patricia Puia joined TNP in July 2020 and has worked in a variety of backstage roles since then. She particularly enjoyed working as an assistant stage manager on Gentleman's Guide to Murder and The Sound of Music, as well as stage managing By the Way, Meet Vera Stark and The Dining Room. She's so excited to be part of the grand re-opening of the Sugden Theater and is looking forward to a great season!

Chris Riley is the Director of Lighting and is excited to be finishing out his first season with The Naples Players. He was the lighting intern for TNP during the 2018-2019 season, where he designed shows including Annie JR, Guys and Dolls, and Lost in Yonkers. Since returning to The Naples Players, he's worked on shows like The Marvelous Wonderettes, The Fantasticks, and Harvey. He's so happy to once again be on the team, and can't wait to work on many more shows.

Dayne Sabatos is an itinerant artist and theatre-maker. When not working behind the scenes to create beautiful costumes, Dayne is traveling the country, and exploring all the joys the world has to offer. No stranger to TNP, Dayne has had a hand in many productions in the past several years, including Something Rotten, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music, to name a few. Some recent productions he has been a part of include, American Repertory Theatre's world premiere of Real Women Have Curves, the regional premiere of Tootsie at The Ogunquit Playhouse, and The Great River Shakespeare Festival's world premiere of Imbroglio. You can keep up with Dayne's adventures and work at www.daynecreates.com.

Erica Sample graduated from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 2015 with her BFA in Musical Theatre. Since then, she has performed at TheatreZone, The Naples Players, and Broadway Palm Dinner Theater and has choreographed several productions locally (where her choreography has received several Jimmy Awards). She has directed, choreographed, assistant directed and choreographed several productions at TNP and KidzAct. Select TNP performance credits: Suzy/ The Marvelous Wonderettes, Linda/The Wedding Singer, Roxie Hart/Chicago, Sophie/Mamma Mia!, Judy Haynes/White Christmas, and Sister Mary Robert/Sister Act. KidzAct directing credits: Frozen JR, Annie JR, Once on this Island JR, Aladdin JR, Madagascar JR, and Elf JR, and The Wizard of Oz JR. Under the name Erica Dale she has also released four original singles available wherever you stream or download music. (Ericadale.com)

Michael Santos has been working in The Naples Players’ Scene Shop for over 20 years now. Originally from Upstate New York, where he received his BFA in Visual Communications. Favorite scenic designs include Guys and Dolls, The Wedding Singer, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame for TNP; and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Matilda JR, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr for KidzAct. A big thank you to the volunteers for doing what they do best! And to his wife, Judith, for always being everything :-)

Jason Wagaman graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology. He is entering his third season here at TNP as the Technical Director. He couldn’t be more joyful to work alongside Mike Santos and Amy Hughes in the scene shop. Jason can not wait to welcome all of you to the new and improved shop. He would like to thank everyone at the theatre for making him feel like TNP and Naples is his home.

Bradley Van Houten holds a bachelor's degree in Theatre: Design & Technical Production and Theatre: Stage Management from Western Michigan University. Originally hailing from Michigan, he has found a home at The Naples Players here in Florida, where he has been an integral part of the team since 2013. Throughout his tenure with TNP, Brad has contributed his expertise to numerous productions, witnessing the remarkable growth of TNP over the years. His enthusiasm lies in fostering even more opportunities for involvement as TNP continues to evolve in its new facility. Outside of the theater, Brad takes to the skies as a pilot, embarking on adventures to explore new areas of Florida. Alternatively, you might spot him strolling with his furry companion Malone, a delightful Cocker Spaniel mix who is well aware of just how adorable he is. Brad's multifaceted interests and dedication to the arts underscore his dynamic dedication as he eagerly looks forward to the future of TNP.