Jacob Eli Schmitt and Grace Benedetto Will Lead ZOMBIE PROM at Smith Mountain Lake Center

New York-based performers Jacob Eli Schmitt and Grace Benedetto will lead the cast of Zombie Prom, presented by Smith Mountain Lake Center and produced by Center Rep, its resident theatre company. The Off-Broadway musical comedy will run October 22 through November 1 at Westlake Cinema at Smith Mountain Lake.

Schmitt stars as Jonny Warner, making his Smith Mountain Lake Center debut. A graduate of LIU Post's BFA Musical Theatre program, his stage credits include Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher, Robby the Stockfish in Urinetown, Tom of Warwick in Camelot, Jack in Into the Woods, and Lucas Beineke in The Addams Family. His television and voiceover work includes Super Wings and projects for Hess Truck, the National Institutes of Health and Disney Store.

Benedetto stars as Toffee. The New York-based actor and vocalist is a first-place winner at The Apollo Theater's Amateur Night. Her credits include AEA showcases of A Second Birth and You Can't Play Barbies, A Chorus Line, and productions at The Tank and Gateway Playhouse, including Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and As You Like It. Benedetto holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from LIU Post and is represented by Take 3 Talent Agency.

Returning to Smith Mountain Lake Center is Megan Livingston as Miss Delilah Strict. Livingston most recently starred as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie & Clyde. A BroadwayWorld Awards-nominated actress and award-winning vocalist, her other favorite credits include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda the Musical. Livingston is also active in the development of new theatrical works and veteran-focused fundraising events.

Michael Marziliano returns to Smith Mountain Lake Center as Eddie Flagrante after appearing as Buck in Bonnie & Clyde. The New York-based actor, singer and cabaret artist's credits include Javert in LES MISERABLES, the Wolf in Into the Woods, Watson in Parade and Zach in A Chorus Line. A graduate of LIU Post's BFA Acting program, Marziliano received the BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award for Best Debut Show for One Night Only and regularly performs concerts in Manhattan and on Long Island.

Joining the cast are Campbell Duff as Candy, returning after appearances in The Addams Family and Bonnie & Clyde; Sidney Draper as Coco, making her Center Rep debut; and Kelsey Slaven as Ginger, also making her Center Rep debut. Jason Cox returns as Josh after playing Uncle Fester in The Addams Family, while Matthew Thurman returns as Joey following his appearance in Bonnie & Clyde. Katherine Bird joins the company as the female swing.

Set in the atomic 1950s, Zombie Prom follows Toffee, a teenage girl whose forbidden romance with bad-boy Jonny takes an unexpected turn when he returns from the dead, determined to take her to the senior prom. Standing in their way is the iron-willed principal Miss Delilah Strict, while tabloid reporter Eddie Flagrante arrives at Enrico Fermi High School looking for the story of a lifetime.

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