Allisha Berendts is delighted to be making her return with Arena Fair! Recent/Favorite credits include ALL TOGETHER NOW and WORKING with ARENA FAIR, as well as THE SECRET GARDEN (Lilly), CINDERELLA (Portia), and TITANIC (Kate Murphy) with THE STAR THEATER. She has her PhD in Counselor Education from The Ohio State University and works as the Director of Student Well-Being for Olentangy Schools. She lives in Delaware with her wonderfully supportive husband, Dan, and three awesome children, Emmett, Parker, and Alice.
Annette has been performing with Arena Fair Theater for about 10 years. Shows have included Jesus Christ Superstar, Brigadoon, Hairspray, Front Page, Tuesdays with Morrie, All Together Now, A Christmas Carol, and Fiddler on the Roof. She has also participated in various performances with Arena Fair Singers. In addition to AFT, Annette performs in a band called In A Jam, which includes her husband, Ken. She also sings with him for duo gigs. Past experience includes some theater in college, various choirs in high school, college, and church, and singing praise music with Ken at St. Mary Church. Annette's gratitude goes first to God for placing the wonderful people and opportunities in her life.
Ava Wachtman is seventeen and home educated. She is training to be a professional vocalist, and feels very much at home on the stage. Ava has been performing with Arena Fair since 2019, and some of her favorite roles have been Liesl in The Sound of Music, and a part of the fairy chorus in A Midsummer Night's Dream. When Ava isn’t on the stage, she enjoys snuggling her two cats, reading, writing songs, and listening to Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt on her record player.
She plans to pursue a career as both a performer and ASL interpreter, and is looking forward to many more productions with Arena Fair!
Avery is ecstatic to be in her first production with Arena Fair! She is a current 6th grader at Dempsey Middle School right here in Delaware where she participates in choir and plays violin in the orchestra. Some of her favorite credits include School of Rock (Summer Hathaway), Madagascar Jr. (Gloria), Junie B. Jones Jr. (Junie B.), Willy Wonka Jr. (Matilda), and Annie Jr. (Tessie). She would like to thank her friends and family for their love and support, and she hopes you enjoy the show!
Brenda is a retired mom, and is now homeschooling full time. She loves to spend time with her family in exciting adventures, especially on rollocoasters and bicycling! She is new to the play/musical show business. After retirement, she participated in her first play last month, and it was a wonderful experience. This is her first time in a musical, but has always loved them and grew up watching many great Hollywood musicals. She is learning from all of the great singing voices that are participating in this musical and is very excited about it!
Good morning Delaware!! Brooke is so excited to be opening the show as Tracy Turnblad this Arena Fair season!! You may have noticed her in other Arena Fair productions such as; White Christmas, Fiddler on the Roof (as ensemble), or Clue (as Ze Cook). Brooke would like to thank her husband, who has had dinner and hot tea ready for her each day after rehearsal. Many agree that he is the best!! Brooke would also like to thank her dad, who gave her a love for theater and always cheers her on.
Carissa Matson is a junior at Hayes High School and is happy to be joining Arena Fair for the first time! She has been in 6 productions with Hayes, her favorite roles being Mae Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie and Mrs. Puff in SpongeBob the Musical. Carissa sings in three of her school choirs and is student accompanist. She is also part of Student Council, National Honor Society, Thespians, and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Outside of school, she is very active at Berachah Church and serves regularly as a vocalist and keyboardist on the worship team.
This is Danny's third show with Arena Fair and his first musical production. Danny has been singing for most of his life, appearing in choirs and productions for Delaware Hayes High School and Ohio University (Go Bobcats!), where his first two years were spent majoring in Music Education and Vocal Performance. He's incredibly excited for you to hear his immensely talented cast mates and to share this evening with you all.
David Hejmanowski has been appearing in Arena Fair productions since 2015, including 1776 (Thomas Jefferson), Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Greenwald), 12 Angry Men (Juror #3), The Front Page (Burns), The Odd Couple (Oscar), Clue (Wadsworth), and Murder on the Orient Express (Michel), and he will be playing Mayor Shinn in this summer's production of The Music Man. He's especially enjoying being in a production with his son, Nicholas.
This is Derrick’s 2nd year with Arena Fair Theater. Previous credits have included Fiddler on the Roof (Ensemble). In his spare time, Derrick loves to make candy which he enjoys sharing with his friends and the cast and crew. It has been a wonderful experience to be a part of this cast, and he hopes you enjoy the show!
Elizabeth Vantangoli is excited to be in another Arena Fair Production! Her acting credits include several Arena Fair Theater Productions: The Sound of Music (Nun), Fiddler on the Roof (Ensemble, Corps de Ballet), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Asher’s Wife), Meet Me in St. Louis (Agnes), along with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (Chief Fabian) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Philostrati #1). She loves to read, write novels, and play with her pet rabbit. She was also especially excited to design the program for you all and hopes you enjoy the show.
Eric is thrilled to make his Arena Fair debut in this show! As a member of the Delaware Community Chorus and other Ohio-based groups, he has been on many a stage in the Choral music world. But this year ends a three-decade hiatus from performing in a theatrical production. Eric lives in Delaware with his wife and three daughters.
Evalyn Penley, a senior at Delaware Hayes High School, is so excited to share this production of Spring into Broadway! Previously, you may have seen her as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Karen the Computer in Spongebob The Musical, Mrs. McKee in The Great Gatsby, and many more!! She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her and Brian and crew for all of their hard work! She wishes her fellow cast members the best of luck and hopes you enjoy the show!
Grace, age 14, played the role of Annie for a school play of Annie Jr. in 2022. She began singing at age 6 and playing violin at age 9. She is lead singer, violinist, and rhythm guitarist for the local youth rock band, One Number Off, performing several gigs a month at local venues. She also sings in her church’s choir. When she’s not performing or practicing, she enjoys attending the Central Ohio Symphony, rock concerts, and Broadway shows.
Jake Thomas is so excited to be in his first Arena Fair production! He has enjoyed learning the challenging songs from Into the Woods and the southern twang of Huck Finn. Jake lives in Delaware with his family and attends Worthington Christian School. He is in 7th grade and loves choir and playing in the orchestra. His favorite role he has played to date is Lord Farquaad in Shrek Jr. Jake would like to thank Mr. White and all the kind people he has had the privilege to work with at Arena Fair.
Jules is currently a 6th grader at Big Walnut Intermediate School. She takes voice lessons and studies piano with Colvin Music Studio, as well as, participates in the school choir. Her credits include: Finding Nemo Jr. - “Gurgle” with Hilliard Arts Council. Annie Jr. - “Pepper”, Seussical Kids - “Jojo” with Sunbury Performing Arts, and The Sound of Music - “Brigitta” with Arena Fair Theatre. You’ll find her randomly singing and dancing or practicing her upcoming performance. She is a social butterfly and enjoys spending any free time with her friends, cuddling her cats Pickles & Apollo, and is thoroughly competitive on family game nights! She is thrilled to be back at Arena Fair and hopes you enjoy the show!
Ken Schwartz is a local Delaware, Ohio singer/musician. He sings and plays guitar professionally in central Ohio as a solo/duo - (Ken Schwartz Music) and in the local Delaware trio In A Jam Band. Past Arena Fair performances include: Jesus Christ Superstar, Brigadoon, 1776, Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, 12 Angry Men, Front Page, Arena Fair Singers, A Christmas Carol, and The Odd Couple. Ken would like to thank his wife, Annette, for her constant support and understanding, the cast, crew, choreographer, advisors, costumes, lights, and sound crew of Spring into Broadway for their friendship, talent, dedication and shared love of theatre! Finally, a very special “thank you” to our director, Brian White, for all of his hard work, commitment, talent, and dedication in making this show a resounding success!
Margaret is thrilled to appear in her 7th Arena Fair production. You might recognize her as Judy Bailey from Miracle on 34 Street, or as a member of the Fairy Chorus in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Off stage, Margaret works as a barista and middle grade soccer referee. She hopes you enjoy the show!
Mark is delighted to be a part of Spring into Broadway and this great cast and crew. He has worked with Arena Fair on a few past productions, including 12 Angry Men, Front Page, Animal Crackers, 1776, Arsenic and Old Lace, White Christmas, and most recently Fiddler on the Roof and Murder on the Orient Express. Mark would like to thank Brian White and Cat Hodge, and the rest of the Crew and Cast which includes his daughter Brooke Laipply (Tracy Turnblad). Mark also thanks his wife for her love and support.
Miley Stake is 13 years old and attends Dempsey Middle School. She cannot be more excited to be apart of this wonderful production! Previously, Miley has been in Arena Fairs production of Fiddler On The Roof as Bielke and Miracle On 34th Street as Tammy Mara. In Miley’s free time she enjoys playing the cello! She hopes you enjoy the show!
This is Nicholas’ first production with Arena Fair, but he is a veteran of the Hayes High School theater program having played Hugo in Bye Bye Birdie, Pigpen in A Charlie Brown Christmas, Plankton in SpongeBob SquarePants, Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, and most recently, Emmitt in Legally Blonde.
Nicole is excited to make her theatrical debut with Arena Fair Theatre this spring! She has been singing on stage with the Delaware Community Chorus since 2015. Prior to that, Nicole enjoyed bringing Lizzie from 110 in the Shade and Janet from The Rocky Horror Show to life with Columbus community theatre groups. Other Columbus performances include Big Fish, Seussical the Musical, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Olivia Fashian has previously preformed in a few Arena Fair's productions such as The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and A Midsummer Nights Dream. She enjoys anything that has to do with theater. She also loves reading, running, and hanging out at home with her friends and siblings.
Randy’s first show with Arena Fair was The Man of La Mancha in 2013, and he’s excited to revisit the role of the Padre again. He has been involved in almost every production either on stage or off since then and has helped build many of the set pieces you may have seen throughout the years with Arena Fair.
This is Rick Durham's second production with Arena Fair having previously played Asst. DA Thomas Mara in Miracle on 34th Street. After narrowly escaping the world of craft beer brewing, Rick lives a peaceful life in Delaware with his wife Jordan, son Lincoln, and pets Ruth, Frank, and Beans. He has an English degree from Ohio Wesleyan and currently works with triangles.
Ruthie Little is a 7th grader at Karrer Middle School. She is excited to be a part of Arena Fair Theater productions. She has been a past participant of The Sound of Music, A Christmas Carol, and Fiddler on the Roof. She likes to play volleyball and read in her free time.
Tracey has done many productions with Arena Fair Theater with Big River being one of his favorites. He’s excited to reprise his role of Jim and get to sing Muddy Water again. Catch Tracey again this summer in The Music Man!