Ride the Cyclone at Arena Stage

Gabrielle Dominique (Constance Blackwood) Arena Stage: debut! Regional: The Wiz (5th Avenue Theatre); West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet (Guthrie); West Side Story (Ordway Center); Annie, I Come From Arizona (Children’s Theatre Company); Mamma Mia! (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres); Jelly’s Last Jam (Theater Latté Da). Gabrielle is thrilled to be reprising her role as Constance after her first appearance in the show at the Jungle Theater (Minneapolis, MN) back in 2019. Much love to Mom, Dad, TaKeyah & Matt. “Enjoy the Ride!”

Marc Geller (The Amazing Karnak) is very happy to be making his Arena Stage debut. He can currently be seen as Kier Eagan in the Apple TV+ series Severance and as Ragged Man in the upcoming A24 film A Different Man with Sebastian Stan. Stage credits include: Herr Schultz in Cabaret, The Ghost of Marley in A Christmas Carol (for seven years), 13 characters in Baskerville, Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart, Ira in The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Joshua/Cathy in Cloud 9, Isaac in Disgraced, Nicodemus/Lady Enidin The Mystery of Irma Vep, Roberto Miranda in Death and the Maiden, and Doc in West Side Story. Other recent television appearances include: Katy Keene, Russian Doll, The Onion, The Knick, and The Eric André Show.

Shinah Hey (Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg) is making her Arena Stage debut. She was last seen as Ocean at the Jungle Theater. Some other credits include The Kennedy Center: Me… Jane national tour (Jane Goodall), Elephant & Piggie's We Are in a Play national tour (Piggie); Guthrie Theater: The Music Man (Zaneeta Shinn); Chanhassen Dinner Theater: Footloose (Rusty), Grease (Frenchy, Sandy u/s), Holiday Inn (Ensemble / Lila Dixon u/s); Theater Latté Da: Assassins (Squeaky Fromme), Gypsy (Dainty June and Agnes), Into the Woods (Little Red and Lucinda); Artistry: Little Women (Amy / Jo u/s). Sending all of her love to Andy and Jane.

Nick Martinez (Noel Gruber) is so excited to be making his Arena debut as he returns to this production of Ride the Cyclone, seen at McCarter last spring. Past credits include Anne of Green Gables at Goodspeed Opera House (Moody Macpherson), The Who’s Tommy at The Kennedy Center (Pinball Lad 1 / Ensemble), Grease at The REV (Doody), Bat Out of Hell at NY City Center (Swing, Tink u/s), Newsies at John W. Engeman Theater (Crutchie). Elon University BFA. Thank you to my incredible team at DGRW and all my love to my family: Mom, Dad, Sofia, Aamir, and baby Kiyan.

Eli Mayer (Mischa Bachinski / Dance Captain) is so excited to be returning to Ride the Cyclone! His previous credits include Mischa in Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre), Footloose (Muny), Indian Summer (Bay Street), and The Royal Family of Broadway (Barrington Stage). He is originally from Acton, MA. He would like to extend his affections to his family, friends, Stewart/Whitley, and his wonderful manager, Rochel Saks. He holds a BFA from CCM.

Ashley D. Nguyen (Swing) is ecstatic to be making her Arena Stage debut. Previous credits include: Olney Theatre Center: Dance Nation (Zuzu); The Kennedy Center TYA: The Day You Begin (Min, world premiere); Keegan Theatre: Shakespeare in Love (Viola de Lesseps); Creative Cauldron: Into the Woods (Little Red); Studio Theatre: White Pearl (Ruki Minami u/s – U.S. premiere); Catholic University: A Little Night Music (Fredrika Armfeldt), The Wolves (#8). EDUCATION: BM in Musical Theatre from Catholic University.

Matthew Boyd Snyder (Ricky Potts) is thrilled for his debut at Arena Stage for Ride the Cyclone. He most recently served as Understudy/Swing for the same title at Princeton University's McCarter Theatre. Earlier in 2022, he concluded his role as Mike Teavee (2019-2022) with the North American tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Regional credits include Saturday Night Fever (Bobby), In the Heights (Sonny), Rock of Ages (Franz), and Sister Act (Pablo). He is immensely grateful to the RTC creative team and Stewart/Whitley for this wonderful opportunity. Deep love to the audience as well as his family, friends, and mentors. IG: @matthewsnyder101

Kyle Dalsimer (Swing) is so thrilled to be making his Arena Stage debut! Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Kyle is best known locally for his work this past Summer playing SpongeBob in the D.C. area premiere of The SpongeBob Musical (Toby’s Dinner Theatre). Most recently, he performed Off-Broadway in Frankenstein the Musical and Friends! The Musical Parody. Love to Mom and to Isabel always. IG: @kyledalsimer

Katie Mariko Murray (Jane Doe) is making her Arena Stage debut! Katie was born and raised in the DMV. Most recently she played Cinderella in Into the Woods at Signature Theatre. Favorite theatre credits include Maureen in Rent at Signature Theatre, Simply Sondheim at Signature Theatre, and Janet Van De Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone at Pittsburgh CLO. In NY she was in the developmental workshop of KPOP at ARSNova as well as Dave Malloy’s most recent immersive piece Love Around the Block. Huge thanks to Joe, Molly, and the creative team of RTC for bringing her on board. BFA Penn State. IG: @ktpotaty katiemarikomurray.com

Jacob Richmond (Book, Music & Lyrics) has written several plays, including: The Qualities of Zero (Dora Award nomination, Montreal MECCA Award winner for Best Text); Small Returns (Theatre Passe Muraille); Legoland (SummerWorks Award for Best Text, Frigid Festival New York Favorite Production, Vancouver Fringe Favorite Award); From Canada to Canada (CBC Radio One Award, Best Comedy); and The Punch and Judy Show (Caravan Farm Theatre). Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he majored in history and performance at Concordia University (Montreal) and is co-founder of Atomic Vaudeville, a popular cabaret theater series in Victoria, BC.

Brooke Maxwell (Book, Music & Lyrics) is a freelance musician, composer, and educator based in Victoria, BC, Canada. In addition to Ride the Cyclone, he has underscored and sound designed several local and national works: Gruff (Puente Theatre), And Slowly Beauty (Belfry Theatre, National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre), A Tender Thing (Belfry Theatre), The Glass Menagerie, Long Day's Journey into Night (Bluebridge Theatre), Joan (Theatre SKAM), Busted Up (Open Pit Theatre). brookemaxwell.com

Sarah Rasmussen (Director) is the Artistic Director at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, where she is thrilled to carry on its long tradition of championing new voices onstage. Prior to McCarter, Rasmussen was Artistic Director of the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis, where in recognition of her directing work she was named Star Tribune’s Artist of the Year. Rasmussen also served as Resident Director for Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Black Swan Lab new work development program and Head of MFA Directing at the University of Texas at Austin. She is an alum of the Women’s Project, Soho Rep, and Lincoln Center Directing Labs. She has directed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Guthrie, Dallas Theater Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, and La Jolla Playhouse. She has developed new work with Playwrights’ Center, the O’Neill, the Lark, and many others. She was an inaugural recipient of the BOLD Leadership Circle grant and is also the recipient of a Princess Grace Award, an Ivey Award for Overall Excellence, and Drama League and Fulbright fellowships. MFA, UC San Diego.

Jim Lichtscheidl (Original Choreography) is an actor, director, choreographer, and creator based in Minneapolis, MN. Jim's choreography/movement credits include Thief River and The 39 Steps (Guthrie Theater), Ride the Cyclone, Fly By Night, and Little Women (Jungle Theater), Ragtime, Little Shop of Horrors, My Fair Lady, and The Music Man (Ten Thousand Things Theater), and Johnny Baseball and The Snow Queen (Park Square Theatre). Jim was awarded a McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship at the Playwrights' Center in 2019. Acting credits include Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Theater Company), which earned him the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2018. He has also appeared on the stages of St. Ann's Warehouse, Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Tiger Brown (Additional Choreography / Associate Director): Off-Broadway: The Lesson (NY Theatre Barn). Regional: Ride the Cyclone (McCarter), Mystic Pizza, Rock of Ages, Elf (Engeman), Matilda (1st Regional at Tuacahn Amphitheatre), Holiday World (Lab, RWS). Film/TV: The Jimmy Awards (2022, 2019 Iowa PBS), Stars in the House with Seth Rudetsky. Proud graduate of NYU Tisch, SDC Professional Development Program 2018-19, dance faculty at AMDA. Sarah, Mark, and the brilliant team at Arena Stage - your trust and collaboration means the world. Instagram/TikTok: @stigerb, www.tiger-brown.com

Mark Christine (Music Supervisor) is a NY-based musician, actor, and nationally recognized college audition coach. As pianist/keyboardist, arranger, and musical director: Broadway & 1st National Tour of Waitress, McCarter, Guthrie, The Jungle, Signature, La Jolla, and others. He is also a songwriter and produces music out of his NY studio. As an actor: Waitress (Broadway & 1st National), Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center, Guthrie, A.C.T., La Jolla, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and the acclaimed US National Tour of Peter Brook's The Suit. He is president of www.CollegeAuditionCoach.com where he helps young artists successfully apply/audition for college performing arts programs. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre (w/ a focus on Music Direction) from Michigan and an MFA in Acting from UC San Diego / La Jolla Playhouse.

Nick Wilders (Music Director) is making his Arena Stage debut with Ride the Cyclone. His Broadway credits as a pianist are Company and Wicked, and additional New York credits include Emojiland, Titanique, Notes From Now (all Off-Broadway), and SuperYou (Carnegie Hall). Recent regional credits include Guys and Dolls (ACT of Connecticut), the co-regional premiere of The Cher Show (Gateway Playhouse), Who Could Ask for Anything More? (Barrington Stage Company), and Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre Center). His orchestrations, arrangements, and electronic music design have been heard around the world, from performances at Lincoln Center to the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. He is a frequent collaborator with DC’s own American Pops Orchestra. Next up: world premiere of Wings at Drake University. www.nickwilders.com

Scott Davis (Set Designer) Production Designer: Disney On Ice: Frozen & Encanto, Disney On Ice: Road Trip Adventures, Off-Broadway credits include Ride the Cyclone at MCC, Othello: The Remix at The Westside Theatre. Chicago credits include productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Victory Gardens, Drury Lane, Northlight Theatre, American Theater Company, Marriott Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company, Windy City Playhouse, Steep Theatre, and Northwestern University. International credits include productions with Shakespeare’s Globe, Unicorn Theatre (London), The Market Theatre (South Africa), The Neuss (Germany), Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre (Poland), The Cultch (Vancouver), DUCTAC Theater (Dubai), Brice Mason Centre (New Zealand), and Edinburgh Festival (Scotland). Regional credits include productions with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Signature Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Utah Shakespeare Festival. TV credits include Art Director for Gilded Age Season 2 on HBO Max, Concept Artist for Gossip Girl on HBO Max and The Watcher on Netflix, and Art Consultant on American Horror Story: NYC. www.scottadamdavis.com

Trevor Bowen (Costume Designer) This is Trevor’s first production at Arena Stage. Credits include: The Day You Begin, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). New York credits include Molière Turns 400 (FIAF); All is Calm (Sheen Center). Trevor’s regional design credits include Guthrie Theater, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, Boston Lyric Opera, Asolo Rep, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, MN Opera, 5th Ave, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Steppenwolf Theatre, Contemporary American Theatre Festival. www.trevorbowendesign.com

Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Designer) Broadway credits: KPOP, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf (Tony nomination), Slave Play (Tony, Drama Desk, Henry Hewes nominations); Other credits: Merry Wives (Delacorte Theater), The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Company), Letters of Suresh (Second Stage), Bina's Six Apples (Suzi Bass Award), Marys Seacole (Henry Hewes nomination). More credits at The Public, Roundabout, NYTW, BAM, MCC, Signature, Guggenheim, Berkeley Rep, Cal Shakes (TBA nomination), Long Wharf Theatre, Guthrie, The Old Globe, OSF. Recipient of Obie Award, Suzi Bass Award, and Falstaff Award.

André Pluess (Sound Designer)'s Arena Stage credits include Right to Be Forgotten, Indecent, Smart People, Metamorphoses, Equivocation, The Arabian Nights, Legacy of Light, 33 Variations, Passion Play. Broadway credits include The Minutes (Cort/Studio 54), 33 Variations (Eugene O'Neill Theatre), I Am My Own Wife (Lyceum Theatre), Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square). Off-Broadway credits include The Clean House (Lincoln Center), Milk Like Sugar and BFE (Playwrights Horizons). Regional credits include multiple productions with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Center Theatre Group, Yale Repertory, McCarter Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, Williamstown Theatre Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Huntington Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. He's received multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, an Ovation Award, Drama Critics Circle Award, Barrymore Award, Helen Hayes Award, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel nominations for composition and design. André is an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Katherine Freer (Projection Designer) is a multimedia artist, filmmaker, organizer, and educator whose artistic practice lives at the intersection of story, technology, and civic engagement. Frequent collaborators include Ping Chong, Ty Defoe, Kamilah Forbes, Steve H. Broadnax III, Lux Haac, Porsche McGovern, Liza Jessie Peterson, Talvin Wilks, and Tamilla Woodard. She is a proud member of Wingspace Theatrical Design and United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829. Core collaborator in All My Relations Collective. Interim Head of Integrated Media Program, University of Texas at Austin. www.katherinefreer.com

J. Jared Janas (Hair, Wig, and Makeup Designer)'s Broadway credits include Ohio State Murders, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, Topdog/Underdog, How I Learned to Drive, American Buffalo, Jagged Little Pill, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Gettin' the Band Back Together, Bandstand, Indecent, Sunset Boulevard, The Visit, The Real Thing, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, Motown, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, and All About Me. Recent Off-Broadway include Prayer for the French Republic (MTC), Kimberly Akimbo (Atlantic Theater), Seven Deadly Sins (Tectonic), Sing Street (NY Theatre Workshop), and Yours Unfaithfully (Mint Theater, Drama Desk nomination). Recent regional theater include Good Night, Oscar (Goodman), The Bluest Eye (Huntington), and Clue (Paper Mill). Recent TV includes And Just Like That, The Gilded Age, and Gotham.

Stewart/Whitley (Casting) Duncan Stewart CSA and Benton Whitley CSA. Broadway/NY: Paradise Square, Hadestown (Artios Award), Chicago the Musical, Rock of Ages, Lightning Thief, Great Comet of 1812, Elf, On the Town, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV/Film: Netflix, 20th Century Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney Channel. West End/U.K.: Hadestown, Thriller Live, Menier Chocolate Factory. Tours: Hadestown, Hairspray, Waitress, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Into the Woods, We Will Rock You. Regional: A.R.T., Berkeley Rep, Alley, Bay Street, For The Record, TUTS, Hollywood Bowl, McCarter, Signature, RCCL. Follow: @stewartwhitley and stewartwhitley.com

Rachael Danielle Albert (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back at Arena Stage. Favorite credits include: American Prophet, Change Agent, Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Junk, Native Gardens, among others. Selected regional credits include: Just For Us, Hi, Are You Single, Fairview, Describe the Night, and Botticelli in the Fire (Woolly Mammoth); The Wolves (Studio Theatre); Seize the King, Up Here, and Ether Dome (La Jolla Playhouse); The Odd Couple, Sylvia, and Souvenir (New London Barn Playhouse); and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Stage 773). During quarantine, Rachael entered the brave new world of digital theatre, as the livestream stage manager for Amir Nizar Zuabi's new play This Is Who I Am, produced by Woolly Mammoth andPlayCo, in partnership with The Guthrie, A.R.T., and OSF. Showcaller: ArchiteX. Founding member: Oakland Theater Project. MFA: University of California, San Diego. BFA: University of Michigan. Proud AEA member.

Alison Cote (Assistant Stage Manager) returns to Arena Stage having previously stage managed Arena and McCarter Theatre Center’s co-production of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. She has been a freelance stage manager with McCarter for 24 seasons. Working on over 20 world premieres, highlights include Danai Gurira’s The Convert, Sorrows and Rejoicings written and directed by Athol Fugard, Stephen Wadsworth’s adaptations of The Figaro Plays, and Tarell Alvin McCraney’s trilogy of The Brother/Sister Plays. Other regional credits include The Old Globe, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Long Wharf, Paper Mill Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Pittsburgh Public, and 23 productions at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. New York credits include Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage, and The Public Theater. Abroad, Alison was stage manager for An Iliad at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania. She is a founding partner of Princeton-VIRTUAL as a virtual stage manager and is an adjunct instructor at Rider University.