Directed by Patrick Ciamacco
Music Direction by Matthew Dolan
Choreography by Katie Gibson
Stage Managed by Venchise Phillips
Costume Design by Jenniver Sparano
Set, Projection, Sound, and Light Design by Patrick Ciamacco
Sound Operation by Jenna Rhoades
Dance Captain Clara Edleman
CAST/STAFF/BAND
Brian Altman (Charlemagne) is glad to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre and ready to make some magic with this talented cast! He was last seen here in the extended run of Little Shop of Horrors (Mr. Mushnik) last October. His favorite BCT credits include Bat Boy: The Musical (Dr. Parker), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Judge Turpin), Little Miss Sunshine (Uncle Frank), American Psycho (Detective Kimball), and, of course, Silence! The Musical (Dr. Hannibal Lecter). One of his all-time favorite shows was The 25th Annual...Spelling Bee (Vice Principal Doug Panch) at Cain Park, also directed by Patrick Ciamacco! He thanks his partner Brendan, their much-loved cat, and very old turtle for all their love. He also thanks YOU for supporting live theater this summer!
Benson Anderson (Pippin) is thrilled to present this timeless show with this important theater. Previous onstage Blank Canvas Theatre credits include Tim Price in American Psycho, Jonny (no H!) Warner in Zombie Prom, Abraham in Altar Boyz, and, most recently, the Mad Hatter in Alice by Heart. You can find him on social media less and less. Thank you to Patrick and the crew for this opportunity. Love to his family, friends, Rachel, and our pet parrot, Pippin, who is named after the hobbit, not the show.
Jordan Benjamin (Ensemble/Leading Player U/S) couldn’t be more excited to participate in a Blank Canvas Theatre production for the first time. Jordan will be starting as a freshman at Kent State University in its musical theatre B.F.A. program, with a dance minor, in the fall. Jordan has been seen most recently as the Narrator in Joseph…Dreamcoat and as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, and would like to thank family for all of their support.
Clara Edleman (Ensemble/Dance Captain) is very excited to be part of this amazing theater. Clara’s favorite past roles include Carrie (Carrie: The Musical), Regina George (Mean Girls), Anna (Spring Awakening),Young Fiona (Shrek the Musical), Tiny Tim/ Master William (A Christmas Carol, Great Lakes Theater), JoJo (Seussical), Wendy (Lost Girl), and Amanda (Matilda The Musical). Clara has studied classical ballet since age four! Her passion for musical theater extends into songwriting and guitar performance. Clara would like to thank her friends, family, and mentors for their endless support. Enjoy the show!
Gabriel Feinberg (Ensemble/Lewis Understudy) is so excited to return to Cleveland to make his Blank Canvas Theatre debut! Gabe is a sophomore B.F.A. Musical Theatre major and Business minor at the Molloy/CAP 21 Musical Theatre Conservatory in New York City. Some of his credits include The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Percy Jackson), 25th Annual… Spelling Bee (Swing Chip/Leaf/Barfee), Tartuffe (Orgon), Merrily We Roll Along (Jerome/Ensemble), The Drowsy Chaperone (George), and more. He is also a recent graduate of the Academy for the Performing Arts C.T.E. program in Chagrin Falls, OH. He is so thankful to his Mom, Dad, Cydney, Luke, and friends, for their relentless support and love, and hopes you all enjoy the show!! @gabefeinberg_
Zoë Frager (Ensemble) is enchanted to be making her debut at Blank Canvas Theatre with this wonderful show! She is a junior at Cleveland State University where she studies theatre and dance, and where she has performed in many shows, including the spring dance concert, Urinetown: The Musical (Fipp us/ dance captain), Ancestra (Marion Wells), and By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Anna Mae/ Afua). She has also been seen on other Cleveland stages, including Near West's Bring It On (dance captain) and convergence- continuum's Speech and Debate (Diwatta). In her hometown, she appeared in Rabbit Run Theater's productions of Disney’s Newsies (Mush/ Bowery Beauty), and Mamma Mia! (Tanya). Zoë has been dancing for 11 years and is so thankful she gets to pour her passion out onstage. She would like to thank everyone who is coming to see the show; she's so happy we can share this art together and she hopes you are ready for this dazzling spectacle of a show she knows you'll enjoy. Find her on social media @zobow888.
Stephanie Harden (Catherine) is excited to be performing again at Blank Canvas Theatre in this not-so-average or ordinary kind of show. Stephanie has previously appeared in Side Show (Violet), Urinetown: The Musical (Hope Cladwell), and Bat Boy: The Musical (Shelley Parker) at BCT. Other favorites include Legally Blonde the Musical (Elle Woods) at The Brecksville Theatre, Little Women (Beth) at French Creek Theatre, and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie) at Rabbit Run Theater. Full-time, she is a middle school choir director. Enjoy the show!
Tony Heffner (Ensemble, Pippin U/s) is thrilled to be back on the Blank Canvas Theatre stage! Tony is in the midst of a Blank Canvas Summer as he was last seen in Disaster! as Chad in June, right here at BCT. Tony has performed in many theatres in the greater Cleveland/Akron area, including Cain Park, Beck Center, Weathervane Playhouse, and Chagrin Valley Little Theatre. Some of Tony’s favorite credits include Next to Normal (Gabe), Bonnie & Clyde (Clyde Barrow), Disney’s Newsies (Jack Kelly), Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abagnale, Jr.), and the Ohio premiere of Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli). During the day, Tony works for Cleveland Play House in its education department, teaching CARE, a social-emotional learning and trauma-informed care through theatre and drama curriculum, at Dike School of the Arts in Cleveland. Tony would like to thank his family and friends for always supporting him in all he does. GBOGB! For Sarah, Always.
Luke Jones (Theo) is excited to return to the Blank Canvas Theatre stage! You may recognize him from BCT's recent production of Disaster! (Ben/Lisa). Pippin marks his thirtieth theatrical production, with memorable past credits including Beauty and the Beast (Chip), Kinky Boots (Young Charlie), Tuck Everlasting (Hugo), Kiss Me, Kate! (Second Man), Beetlejuice Jr. (Beetlejuice), Bye Bye Birdie (Randolph MacAfee), Our Town (Wally Webb, Joe/Si Crowell), Barbecuing Hamlet (Budgie), Shrek the Musical (Baby Bear, Young Shrek), Gypsy (Clarinet Boy, Newsboy), The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition (Scarecrow), The Music Man Kids (Harold Hill), Seussical Kids (Horton), Willy Wonka Kids (Charlie), Aladdin Kids (Aladdin), Frozen Kids (Olaf), Finding Nemo Kids (Crush) and Elf The Musical (Ensemble). He has also appeared in several feature and short films. Luke would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support as he chases his dreams -- and for always encouraging him to defy gravity!
Reed Randall Kruger (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back on the Blank Canvas Theatre stage in one of his favorite musicals! He is a recent graduate of Baldwin Wallace University with a B.A. in Theatre: Acting and Directing, and a minor in Creative Writing. You may have seen him here at BCT in Groundhog Day (Ned Ryerson), Zombie Prom (Jake), or American Psycho (Craig McDermott), but some of his other favorite credits include The 25th Annual… Spelling Bee(Chip Tolentino) at Clague Playhouse, Joseph…Dreamcoat (Issachar/Butler) at Beck Center for the Arts, and The Learned Ladies (Ariste) for Cleveland Shakespeare Festival. In his spare time, he can be found reading Stephen King, playing with his cat, Junie, or drinking a nice, cold Dr. Pepper. Many thanks as always to his friends and family; he hopes you all enjoy this truly extra-ordinary show!
Chrissy Margevicius (Fastrada/Berthe Understudy) is thrilled to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre spreading a little sunshine with this conniving role! She is a graduate of the Molloy/CAP21 Conservatory B.F.A. program in New York City. Her previous BCT credits include Disaster (Ensemble/Shirley u/s/Dance Captain), Zombie Prom (Candy) and The Last Starfighter (Jenny/Sgt. Taura); other favorite credits include The Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch/MD) at Ohio Shakespeare Festival and Once (The Girl) at Kent State Stark. Chrissy has also performed in various projects with Rubber City Theatre, Talespinner Children’s Theatre, convergence-continuum, The Madison Theatre in New York, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Missoula (Montana) Children’s Theatre. Many thanks to Patrick, this wonderful group of collaborative artists, and her hubby, Mitch.
Andrew Maust (Lewis) is thrilled to be making his Blank Canvas Theatre debut as Lewis in this production of Pippin. As most of his time has been spent behind the scenes in the orchestra pit, his onstage credits include only Joseph…Dreamcoat (Reuben) at Weathervane Playhouse. Outside of the theatre, Andrew is a Steinway sales representative, a piano technician, and a music director. A huge thanks to his family and friends for their support and for encouraging him to continue putting himself out there which, in this role, might mean more than they bargained for.
Cameron Olin (Ensemble/ U/S Catherine) is so excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre with the phenomenal cast and crew of Pippin. She graduated in 2022 from Kent State University with a B.F.A. in Musical Theater, and continues to perform all across northeast Ohio. Most recently, you may have seen her A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Woman1) for Ohio Shakespeare Festival, American Idiot In Concert (Whatshername) and The Crucible (Mercy Lewis/Abigail Williams u/s) here at BCT, Beauty and the Beast (Belle) at Cassidy Theatre, Sondheim on Sondheim (Swing) at Cain Park, and Freaky Friday (Ellie Blake) at Kent State (Ellie Blake). Cameron is incredibly grateful for the love and support from her wonderful friends and family, without whom she would not be where she is today! JPO <3
Lindsay Pier (Leading Player) is excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre! Favorite BCT credits include Next Fall (Holly), the benefit concert of Merrily We Roll Along (Mary), and One Man, Two Guvnors (Dolly). Over the past several years, she kept her head down, had a kid, went back to school, had another kid, changed careers, worked really hard, changed careers again and tried to laugh as much as possible along the way. Lindsay is thankful for Pat and BCT for being a place where she can spend her "me" time, meet some cool, different people, and put that B.F.A. degree for which she's still paying to good use. Love to Josh, A, and KK!
Neda Spears (Berthe) is back, y’all! She just finished appearing in the world premiere of Eric Coble’s The First Snow of Summer with Seat of the Pants, and before that lived out her dream of playing the Ghost of Christmas Present in Scrooge! at Near West Theatre. You’ve seen her here at BCT in Leap of Faith, The Last Starfighter, The Texas Chainsaw Musical!, Avenue Q, and We Will Rock You! Neda’s other credits include Steel Magnolias and The Drowsy Chaperone (Cassidy Theatre), Last Stop on Market Street (Talespinner Children’s Theatre), Into The Woods (Happy Endings Lyric Players and Olde Towne Hall Theatre), Matilda The Musical (Beck Center for the Arts). Thanks to all of you who have come out to support theater in all its forms. We’ve got magic to do, baby!
Jacob Spencer (Ensemble/Theo Understudy) is thrilled to be making his Blank Canvas Theatre debut! He has been performing all over Northeast Ohio since he was six years old and is now proudly pursuing a B.F.A. in Musical Theater at Otterbein University. Recent credits include How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Finch) at Kenston High School, Our Town (Stage Manager) at Kenston High School, and The SpongeBob Musical (SpongeBob) at Hathaway Brown Theater Institute. His professional credits include A Christmas Story (Ralphie) at Cleveland Play House, MacBeth (Fleance) at Great Lakes Theater, and Ragtime (Edgar) at Cain Park, for which he received the Rising Star award from the Cleveland Critics Circle in 2019. He would like to thank his brother, Sam, and his girlfriend, Arielle, for being his biggest fans.
Patrick Ciamacco (Director, Lighting, Projection, & Set Design) is so excited to be working on this show and collaborating with people he loves and respects! Patrick is the Artistic Director and founder of Blank Canvas Theatre. He dedicates this show to the person sitting in the third row, fifth seat from the left.
Matthew Dolan (Music Director) is a Cleveland-based music director, composer, pianist, and conductor, with 70 stage productions to his credit. His favorite productions include American Psycho (Blank Canvas Theatre), Floyd Collins (BCT), Avenue Q (BCT), Assassins (Near West Theatre), and The Rocky Horror Show (Oberlin College). He has music directed world premiere productions including 33 1/3 (Sportelli/Turvey, Dobama Theatre) and The Land of Oz (Brant/Motta, Dobama Theatre), and served as Music Assistant/Keyboard 2 for the world premiere of Light It Up! (Webb/Thompson, Cleveland Play House). Matthew served as Orchestrator for Velveteen, A New Musical by Molly Andrews-Hinders, which recently premiered at the Mimi Ohio Theater at Playhouse Square. As a composer, Matthew's work has been heard on the podcasts "Generative Spirits" and "Beyond the Habit." Matthew’s work as an arranger spans a wide variety of genres, and has been performed by high school, collegiate, and community ensembles across the northeast Ohio region. Matthew is the current Director of Music at The Community of St. Peter, an independent and inclusive Catholic community. He also serves as accompanist for the Vocal Music Department of St. Ignatius High School and Cleveland Heights High School. He is the director and pianist for Unwritten: The Improvised Musical at Imposters Theatre. Matthew holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Theory and Composition, and a Master's degree in Choral Conducting, both from the University of Akron.
Venchise Phillips (Stage Manager) is excited to be back in the Stage Manager’s booth at Blank Canvas Theatre, where she has previously served as the Stage Manager for The 39 Steps, Glengarry Glen Ross, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Fissures of Men, Of Mice and Men, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Laughter League. Venchise has also been involved offstage at BCT as an Assistant Stage Manager, Prop Designer, and Costume Designer. Her recent on-stage credits include The Crucible (Tituba), Zombie Prom (Ramona), and comma (Nurse) at BCT, Escapegoat (Isabella) at Cleveland Play House, The Music Man (Mrs. Squires) at Near West Theatre, and Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (Megan Jones) at Broadview Heights Spotlights Theater. Endless thanks to Patrick for always providing a stage to call home. Love to Aaron, now and for always. Pip, this one's for you.
Jenniver Sparano (Costume Designer) has designed costumes for numerous Blank Canvas Theatre productions, beginning with The Texas Chainsaw Musical! in 2012 and continuing with musicals, original plays, benefit concerts, and three COVID-era window drive-in events. In addition to her work here, she has designed for Beck Center, Clague Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Weathervane Playhouse, and the Pickwick & Frolic cabaret stage. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she also studied in Paris and has worked for KeyBank for ma