Directed by Luke Scattergood
Music Direction by Kenny Lear
Choreography by Liz Baumgartner
Assistant Choreography by Spenser Bell
Stage Managed by Mandi Stevens
Costume Design by Luke Scattergood
Assistant Costume Design by D. Justin Bilewicz
Prop Design by Venchise Phillips
Set, Projection, Sound, and Light Design by Patrick Ciamacco
Sound Operation by Jenna Rhoades
CAST/STAFF/BAND
Kimitra Black (Angel) is very excited to be playing Angel in this production. Kimitra Black is most known these days as the talented Kimpiid the Dj. Her recent credits includes: House Not Home (Terran), Rent (Angel), and Meat: The Movie (Kimmy Katarja). She’s excited to work with Blank Canvas Theatre for the first time. P.s. - “I love you Bae-con cheers too, never paying RENT!”
Maria Noel Fallouh (Joanne) is a born and raised Michigander new to the Cleveland area, thrilled to be making her Blank Canvas debut in a dream role of hers. You may have seen her in Cleveland Play House’s Fiddler On The Roof (Tzeitel). Other credits include CPH’s premiere of The Throwaways (Puppeteer #2/Bibi), Rock Of Ages (Regina) and The Marvelous Wonderettes (Cindy Lou) with Clinton Area Showboat Theatre in Iowa. Maria was a 2024 graduate of Bowling Green State University’s Musical Theatre program with a minor in Dance. She was the 2024 KCACTF MTI Region 3 winner and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. along with the eight other regional winners from across the country. Endless love to her family and friends for their unwavering support, and to the team at Blank Canvas for this opportunity. @marianoelfallouh, @marianoelsings, marianoelsings.com.
Grant Guyton (Tom Collins) is super excited to be playing Tom Collins in this production of RENT! Recent credits of his include Lola (Kinky Boots) at Cassidy theatre, Mr. Black (Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party) at Western Reserve Playhouse and one of the four Drifters (Beautiful The Musical) at Near West theatre! This is his first time working with Blank canvas theatre and he hopes that it won't be his last! Break legs everyone!
Gabriel J. Hill (Roger) is a junior music theatre major at Baldwin Wallace hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, and is excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre! Recent credits include: Regional: Gabe in Next to Normal (Constellation Stage), Adam in Freaky Friday (Prescott Park Arts Fest.), Alfred/White Rabbit in Alice by Heart and Mark in Altar Boyz (Blank Canvas Theatre), Drew in Rock of Ages (Clinton Showboat), and Chip in …Spelling Bee (Cain Park). Other credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar (Priest 2/Ens, u/s Peter) at BW, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo), and Urinetown (Bobby Strong). Outside of theatre, Gabriel is a photographer and is a part of the competitive a cappella scene. He was nominated for a CARA Award (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards) in 2024 for one of his arrangements and won outstanding vocal percussion at the 2025 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinals. He would like to thank the creative team and the entire cast for all their hard work to bring RENT together! @thegabrielj.hill
Rachel Maria Ines Irwin (Mimi) is thrilled to return to Blank Canvas Theatre in RENT! Her favorite credits include Kiss of the Spider Woman (Spider Woman/Aurora), She Kills Monsters (Tilly), 9 to 5 (Maria/Missy), and Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney). She performed with the 40th anniversary national tour of A Christmas Carol with Nebraska Theatre Caravan. She completed a regional tour with Creede Repertory Theatre’s Young Audience Outreach Tour in the production of Albert Porter: Boy Explorer. She also had the honor of performing a concert version of the new musical Secrets: A Spy Musical at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Public Relations from the University of Mount Union. Offstage, she is the Owner and Master Certified Wedding Planner of With Love, Wedding Planning, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Endless gratitude to her amazing parents, to whom she owes everything. Thank you to her family and friends for their unwavering love and support. A special thank you to her loving partner for always believing in her—Te amo, Anthony.
Tyler Kranz (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making his Blank Canvas Theatre debut. Tyler has been performing in musicals and competitions around the country since he was ten years old! Some of his Favorite past acting credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), Peter Pan (Jas Hook), Les Misérables (Marius), Something Rotten! (Shakespeare), The Great Gatsby (Tom Buchanan), Amelie (Nino), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), and Xanadu (Sunny Malone). Tyler would like to extend his gratitude to Patrick, the cast and crew, as well as to his family and friends everywhere.
Brandon McGhee (Benny) is excited to make his Blank Canvas Theatre debut in Rent! Recent credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Levi) at Beck Center for the Arts, The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow) with Theater Agapé, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Quince) with KIDShakes. A proud alumnus of Princeton University, Brandon sang with the R&B and soul a cappella group Old Nassoul and is an active member of his church’s worship ministry. Follow his journey on Instagram: @iambmcghee.
Kareem Mchaourab (Ensemble) is incredibly excited and honored to be making his Blank Canvas debut on stage in none other than RENT! His recent credits include Andy Warhol in Iran (Farhad) at Beck Center, and Alice by Heart (Percussion) at Blank Canvas. He would like to thank the cast, pit, production, and Patrick Ciamacco for putting on this incredible production of RENT!
James Robert Newton (Mark) is excited to return for Blank Canvas Theatre’s production of Rent! You may have recently seen him in their production of Disaster! The Musical (Scott) this summer. A recent graduate of Wright State University (BFA Acting w/Concentration Musical Theatre), his recent collegiate credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfee), Our Town (Doc Gibbs), and Alice By Heart (Dr. Butridge/King of Hearts/Jabberwock). His other recent regional credits include Caroline, or Change (Swing Stuart/Grandpa Gellman/Mr. Stopnick) at Cain Park, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (Giles Ralston) at Clague Playhouse, and If/Then (Lucas) at Broadview Heights Spotlights. He would like to thank the entire cast and production team for their wonderful work, and his family and friends for their endless support. Enjoy the show! Website: jamesrobertnewton.com Instagram: james_robert_newton
Melissa Pacetti Hollis (Ensemble) is making her Blank Canvas debut! She received a B.A. in Music with a Vocal Jazz/Musical Theatre emphasis from the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. Melissa is a native of Cleveland, where she has performed in over 20 musicals. Favorite roles include City of Angels (Bobbi/Gabby), Grease (Jan), and Little Shop (Crystal). She has also directed over 20 productions in Cleveland and at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, FL, where she introduced and directed their Drama Ministry program. She has been involved in Music Ministry since age 15 as a cantor, pianist, and Music Director at Parish Churches and in Catholic Campus Ministry at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and Saint Leo University. She was an adjunct music professor at Saint Leo, and is a voice teacher/vocal coach. Melissa is a proud homeschool mom and is thrilled to be passing along her love of musical theatre to her children.
Venchise Phillips (Ensemble/Prop Design) is grateful to return to the Blank Canvas stage where she has performed most recently in American Idiot (Ensemble), Crucible (Tituba), Zombie Prom (Ramona), comma (Nurse), and Yippee Ky-Yay, Merry Christmas: A Die Hard Musical Parody (Fabrique/Theo/Dancing Twinkie). Other on-stage credits include Escapegoat (Isabella) at Cleveland Playhouse, 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. Venchise has also been involved off-stage as a stage manager, prop designer, and costume designer for various productions at Blank Canvas Theatre, Near West Theatre, and Playhouse Square. Thanks to Luke for checking this show off the bucket list, and endless thanks to Patrick for always providing a stage to call home. Love to Aaron, now and for always. Enjoy the show!
Beau Reddington (Ensemble) is ridiculously stoked for his debut on the Blank Canvas stage! In various local community theatres his recent credits include Young Frankenstein (The Monster), Beauty and the Beast (Beast), Matilda (Mr. Wormwood), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), and Hair (Berger) among others. By day he is a Salesforce Technical Consultant and raises three beautiful cats Nala, Fiyero, and Pierre with his amazing wife Kaitlyn Regan. He welcomes you to enjoy the show and thanks you for supporting local theatre!
Hannah Rutkowski (Ensemble) is a Cleveland native who has served as a 7-12 ELA educator, a teaching artist for CPT and TaleSpinner's, and is very Polish. She is beyond thrilled to be making her Blank Canvas debut! Her recent credits include The Spitfire Grill (Percy) at Workshop Players, The Squirrels (Chordata) at convergence continuum, Scrooge (Isabel) at Near West Theatre, RENT (Maureen) for Ohio Valley Summer Theatre, Gypsy (Louise) for Stuart's Opera House, Yerma (Girl 1/Female), Julius Caesar (Soothsayer), Blood At The Root (Toria, Asha u/s), Starkid's The Trail to Oregon (Daughter), and Everybody (Girl/Time) for Ohio University Theatre. She holds a B.F.A. in Acting and an M.Ed. in PK-12 Theatre Education from Ohio University. You can catch her in her upcoming production of Ordinary Days (Deb) at Clague Playhouse this May.
Peter Seidl (Ensemble) is thrilled to be in the ensemble of RENT. Recent Blank Canvas Credits include Frankenstein the Musical (Robert Walton/Blind Man), and Alice by Heart (Nigel/Dormouse). Some other of his favorite credits include Recent credits include The Wizard of Oz (Tinman), Curtains (Aaron Fox), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), and The Music Man (Harold Hill). In his spare time, Peter practices and plays the accordion, surrounding himself with Greek music while also working toward completing his pre-law degree. He is so thankful to the cast and creative team behind this production and would like to thank his family and friends who continue to inspire him to strive for better!
Audrey Warren (Maureen) is ecstatic to be making her Cleveland professional debut at Blank Canvas Theatre! Audrey is a recent graduate of Kent State University where she received her Bachelors Degree in Theatre Performance. Previous roles include Men on Boats (John Wesley Powell), Everybody (Friendship/Kinship/Senses), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Concert Vers. (Dr. Frank N. Furter). They’ve also written and directed a new play: raunchy horror comedy “Beta Theta Omicron (BΘO),” which premiered in Kent State’s EZ blackbox theater. Audrey is honored to play on the Blank Canvas stage alongside such pristine performers, and hopes to impact the lives of edgy kids everywhere who have yet to experience Rent. Enjoy it. Lastly, Audrey would like to thank her family for encouraging her to pursue her passions—it’s not like she knows how to do much else anyway. "Life’s like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending; we’ve done just what we set out to do, thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you!" -The Muppets
Izzy Wesloh (Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of the ensemble in this production! Some recent roles of hers include Chicago - Teen Edition (Roxie), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck), The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Luke), and Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey). Izzy would like to thank her new-found Cleveland family; her friends and instructors at Baldwin Wallace University for supporting her and helping her to grow in her performance! She is also incredibly grateful to her fellow cast and crew in RENT for making this rehearsal process so incredible for her. Lastly, she would like to thank you and hopes you enjoy the show!
Liz Baumgartner (Choreographer) is a final-year graduate student at Case Western Reserve University pursuing a Master’s in Music Education. She holds a BA in Music with a Dance minor from Otterbein University. Before returning to Cleveland, Liz spent a decade performing with various national and international touring musical theatre productions. Favorite credits include: How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Big League National Tour and Grand Ole Opry), 42nd Street (Nederlander Broadway Asia International Tour), and In The Mood: A 1940's Musical Revue (International/National Tour). Since then, she has become an active choreographer in the Cleveland area, with work featured at Playhouse Square, Cleveland Dance Project, Stagecrafters, and several local high schools, including Fairview, Laurel School for Girls, Euclid, Bay, and Rocky River. Liz is thrilled to have her longtime friend and choreographic partner-in-crime, Spenser, assisting on this Blank Canvas production, and is excited to collaborate with Luke on our 6th show!
Spenser Bell (Assistant Choreographer) is excited to join RENT as Assistant Choreographer! A former competitive dancer with college dance training, Spenser has taught and choreographed throughout Cleveland — including several seasons at Emjaez Dance Studio and many performances and features with Cleveland Dance Project as both a dancer and choreographer. She currently serves as the Assistant Choreographer for the musical productions at Bay High School, where the last three shows she worked on received multiple Dazzle Award nominations at Playhouse Square. Spenser also previously spent four years as the Assistant Coach for the Bay Village High School Rockettes, the school’s flag and kickline team. She loved teaming up once again with her best friend and longtime dance partner, Liz Baumgartner, and is grateful for the chance to create with this incredible cast and creative team.
D. Justin Bilewicz, III (Assistant Costume Design) is a 2009 Ashland University Theatre Graduate with an Interdisciplinary in Costume Design. He is a freelance Costume Designer as well as the Guest Costume Designer and Guest Costume Shop Manager at Ashland University. Justin is also the art teacher at Saint Joseph Parish School in Amherst, Ohio. Some of Justin’s credits include Into the Woods and Next to Normal (French Creek Theatre) Once Upon a Mattress and Proof (AU). His favorite past shows include Carrie the Musical (Sandstone Summer Theatre), Parade (French Creek Theatre), Little Women (Ashland University) Mothers and Sons (Beck Center) and Merrily We Roll Along (Ashland University) Justin is thrilled to be Co-Costume for his first production at Blank Canvas Theatre.
Patrick Ciamacco (Artistic Director, Lighting, & 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 first row, first seat from the left.
Kenny Lear (Music Director) is thrilled to be back at Blank Canvas after this season’s Alice by Heart (Music Director) and Disaster! (Maury). Other music direction credits include: Big Fish (Cain Park), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (assoc. MD/Ohio Shakespeare Festival), Waitress (assoc. MD/Beck Center), Mamma Mia!, A Christmas Carol, Queen of the Night: A Whitney Tribute, The Little Mermaid Teen Edition, (Palace Theater/New Hampshire), Chicago, Always Patsy Cline, Elf, The Ratpack Lounge (Show Palace Dinner Theater/Florida), The 80s Benefit for BCEFA (Green Room 42/New York City). Select on-stage credits: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Featured Singer/Radio City Music Hall), Naked Boys Singing! (Swing/New World Stages), Mrs. Smith’s Broadway Cat-Tacular (Original Cast, Off-Broadway), and Million Dollar Quartet (Jerry Lee Lewis/Show Palace Dinner Theater). In addition to a 20+ year career in both performing and music directing, Kenny is an Adjunct Professor at Baldwin Wallace University - Conservatory of Performing Arts. This show is VERY near, dear, and IMPORTANT. NO DAY BUT TODAY! Thank you so much to Patrick for the opportunity to create this season. @kennylear83
Jenna Rhoades (Sound Operator) is thrilled to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre! Some of her favorite past shows include Groundhog Day (Stage Manager), Disaster! (Sound Operator), Pippin (Sound Operator), Frankenstein the Musical (Sound Operator), Hair (Assistant Stage Manager), Shrek The Musical (Assistant Stage Manager), and Dead Man's Cell Phone (Assistant Director). Jenna attended Heidelberg University as a Communications major and was heavily involved in theatre there as an executive member of Heidelberg’s chapter of the National Theatre Honor Society, Alpha Psi Omega. Lots of love to Nana, Homey, mom, and Zara for their love and support! Enjoy the show!!
Luke Scattergood (Director/Costume Design) as a long-time RENT fan, he is “over the moon” to be making his BCT directorial debut with this production. He has been active at BCT since its inception, both on and off stage. His favorite past roles at BCT include Avenue Q (Brian), Bathroom Humor (Arthur), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Jonas Fogg), and Of Mice and Men (Carlson). His costume designs here include Hair, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, American Psycho, We Will Rock You, and MANY more. Luke also works throughout the Cleveland area as an actor, costume designer, and director and is the theater director at Bay Village High School. He would like to thank Patrick, as well as the rest of the production team for their support and this terrific cast for joining him on the journey. Thanks to his wife, Laura, and three terrific kiddos for all their love and support. Thank you for supporting live theater, and enjoy the show!!
Mandalyn Stevens (Stage Manager) ’s recent credits include Frankenstein the Musical, Alice By Heart, The Mousetrap, The Crucible, John Proctor is the Villain, and The Moors. During the day, you will find her working at Vincent Lighting Systems as an Account Executive. She wants to thank her family and friends for their support! She’d also like to say “meow" to her fur babes.
Zach Davis (Guitar 1) has played guitar for 13 productions at Blank Canvas Theatre, but this is the first time he's gotten a bio in the program. Zach would like to thank Patrick and Kenny for bringing him on again and Rachel for getting him back into pit orchestras for the past decade or so. Love to Robin and Brianna
Zach Palumbo (Guitar 2/Keyboard 2) is so happy to be home for the holidays here at Blank Canvas Theatre! He has often performed at BCT, where his favorite credits include The SpongeBob Musical (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour Krelborn); you may have also seen him here in the onstage bands for Hedwig and the Angry Inch and One Man, Two Guvnors. Favorite credits elsewhere include Twelfth Night (Feste) and King Lear (Fool / music director) with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Spring Awakening (Moritz Stiefel) and Beautiful (Barry Mann) at Near West Theatre, Broadway Bound (Eugene Jerome) at Beck Center for the Arts, and this summer's world premiere of The Right Room (Charles) at the BorderLight Theatre Festival. Up next: Elephant's Graveyard (guitarist / composer / music director) with Seat of the Pants, and Ordinary Days (Warren) at Clague Playhouse! Love always to his family, friends, and Nicole. zachpalumbo.com
Owen Connor Stout (Bass) is thrilled to return to the Blank Canvas pit. He is a musical theatre multi hyphenate who builds, acts, sings, and plays in shows throughout northeast Ohio. He is a member of Actor’s Equity and IATSE Local 27. Enjoy the show!