Among the Stars at Bridgetown Musical Theatre

Travis Bilenski is an actor, musician, and teacher in the Portland metro area who recently made his debut at Broadway Rose Theatre Company as the Wizard in Once Upon a Mattress. His favorite recent credits include Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit (Magenta Theater) and Phil Connors in Groundhog Day: The Musical (Lakewood Theatre Company) He's like to thank his partner, Chynna for their patience and love, as well as his toddler for periodically interrupting his creative process to demand snacks and trips to the park. 

Kelsea Vierra Ashenbrenner (she/her) is a Portland, Oregon-based performer and producer making her Bridgetown debut. She holds a degree in Theatre from Oregon State University and is an alumna of Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble (PETE)'s Institute for Contemporary Performance and Shakespeare & Companys Center for Actor Training. Recent credits include Melancholy Play (Gather Repertory Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing and A Gentlemans Guide to Love and Murder (Penguin Productions), California (The Theatre Company), Fork Tender (Stage Fright Festival), Downward Facing (Fuse Theatre Ensemble’s Atelier Festival), and Fezziwigs Fortune (Anonymous Theatre Company).

Tate Ivy (Charlie) lives in a liminal space between the stage and behind-the-scenes as a creator of all things theatre. After earning a degree at WWU in Bellingham, WA and co-founding the Gaysian Theatre Festival, Tate has moved back to Portland with a mission to bring Asian American and trans representation to the stage as much as he can. Some of their recent roles include Emcee in Cabaret at the Bellingham Theatre Guild, Rocco in Buford's Bungalow at the Idiom Theatre and Laurel in Spark Plug Theatre's workshop of the new play, In Memory Of by Alyssa Cokinis. Tate is thankful to be able to participate in the development of new works and loves the Portland theatre scene for its ability to harbor up and coming theatre artists.

Sara Wright is very excited to be part of Bridgetown Conservatory’s latest original musical, Among The Stars! As a Theatre of Arts graduate from Western Oregon University, she has been throwing herself into productions all around the Willamette Valley from McMinnville’s Gallery Theatre to Salem’s Theatre 33 where she co-starred as a trusty tour guide in the production Detours. Sara has never encountered an alien before, but if she did come across one she would ask for the keys to their spaceship and drive it to Mars to be the first human (and the first woman!) to walk on that planet (seems easier than NASA training).

Zeb Bodine is delighted to appear as Reese, the former reality-TV star, in Among the Stars. A versatile stage actor and baritone, Zeb's recent credits include Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods (Funhouse Lounge), Lancelot in The Merchant of Venice (Portland Shakespeare Project), and John Gower in Pericles, Prince of Tyre. He honed his craft in Southeast Alaska with Perseverance Theatre (Guys and Dolls, Sweeney Todd), Theatre in the Rough (Hamlet, Twelfth Night, The Importance of Being Earnest), and Juneau Lyric Opera, and has performed five seasons with the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival. He thanks the cast and crew, and you, for sharing in the story.

Jeremy Buxton is an actor in the Portland area and is excited to be working on this new project. He has recently been seen on stage in Bright Star as Daddy Cane (HART), G.I. Holiday Jukebox as Jeremy (Bridgetown Conservatory), and in Fly By Night as Crabble (Tapestry Theater). He would like to extend his appreciation to his family and friends who support his adventures and to all those who attend and support live theater.

Ben is a former Marine Arabic linguist who traded the Bay Area for the Pacific Northwest, sailing his 44-foot sloop Allora up the coast from San Francisco. Favorite credits include El Gallo in The Fantasticks, Harold Hill in The Music Man, Bobby in Company, the Baker in Into the Woods, Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, and Czolgosz in Assassins, which earned him a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle nomination. Ben is thrilled to help bring a brand-new musical to life.

Kat Voboril is thrilled to help bring Among the Stars to life as Bonnie. Her favorite musical theatre credits include Eva Perón in Evita, Patsy in Crazy for You, Kate Mullins in Titanic, and Rapunzel in Into the Woods. She also performed with the Liberty Belles, a three-woman show inspired by the Andrews Sisters and part of the USO World Troupe, at major national events in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Kat earned her degree in Vocal and Theatrical Performance from Northwestern University and continues to perform in concerts, sacred music, and lifecycle events throughout the Portland area. She lives in Lake Oswego with her husband and two children. Learn more at katvoborilvocals.com.

Bruce has directed over 150 theatre, musical, and opera productions throughout the USA and Canada. Highlights include: Gretel and Hansel at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Cupid and Psyche at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Copenhagen and Beauty Queen of Leenane at Oregon Stage Works, Taming of the Shrew at Powerhouse Theatre, Hamlet and Merchant of Venice for Portland Actor’s Ensemble, Another Round for Pittsburgh’s City Theatre, Amahl and the Night Visitors and Der Yasager for Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, and Hansel and Gretel for Rogue Opera. From 2004 to 2017, houseless Bruce was Resident Stage Director for the Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival in Ketchum, Idaho, directing Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and The Comedy of Errors, among others. Bruce’s play Feral (written from over 500 interviews with people living houseless in the Pacific Northwest) was produced in 2012 to a sold-out performance run and will soon be published by Gelassenheit Publications, Ltd. Bruce holds a Master of Fine Arts in Stage and Television Directing from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.

Aaron Kirk Douglas is a Portland-based lyricist and storyteller whose work spans musical theatre, narrative and documentary film, and memoir. He co-created the original concept on which Among the Stars is based. Douglas serves as vice president of the board of directors of Broadway Rose Theatre Company and is a former board secretary of the Portland Area Theatre Alliance. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. Beyond the stage, Douglas co-produced the documentary Monster Camp (Best Documentary, Cinequest, 2007) and is the author of Growing Up Twice: Shaping a Future by Reliving My Past (2016). A 1983 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism, he brings a reporter-style curiosity and instinct for narrative to everything he creates.reporter-style curiosity and a narrative instinct. 

Joel Cobbs is a Georgia-based playwright, novelist, and composer-lyricist whose work spans theatre and fiction. A member of the Dramatists Guild, he wrote the book and co-wrote the music and lyrics for Among the Stars. His original stage works include Dinner with Family, a semifinalist for the 2026 Stanley Drama Award. He is also the author of The Lights Went Out in Dixie, a novel inspired by the 2011 Alabama tornado outbreak. His writing combines humor, emotional honesty, and a deep appreciation for stories of human connection.

Kurt Crowley is a New York-based music director, composer, and orchestrator whose Broadway credits include Hamilton, Freestyle Love Supreme, and Bring It On: The Musical. He is the music supervisor and co-orchestrator of Warriors, the new musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, opening on Broadway in spring 2027. On screen, he served as executive music producer of tick, tick... BOOM! (Netflix) and vocal supervisor on In the Heights (Warner Bros.). His work spans the Vail Dance Festival, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the European premiere tour of Carmen la Cubana. He co-created the original concept on which Among the Stars is based. A graduate of Harvard University, he is a Creative Associate at The Juilliard School. Kurt is currently working as music supervisor and Broadway music orchestrator for the new musical Warriors opening in March, 2027 on Broadway.

Music Director at the Broadway Rose: Always...Patsy Cline (4 times, PAMTA nomination 2018), Audition from Hell, Andrews Sisters Christmas of Swing, Pump Boys and Dinettes (MD and cast), Anything Goes. MD at Stumptown Stages: Urinetown, It’s a Wonderful Life, Tootsie, Oliver. On stage (Broadway Rose): Triangle, Murder for Two, Melody Lingers On, Chicago, 42nd Street. On Stage (NY, LA): JC Superstar, Hair, Candide. Masters in dance from Stanford University.