Directed by Patrick Ciamacco
Music Direction by Bradley Wyner
Choreography by Katie Gibson
Stage Managed by Whitney Miller
Costume Design by Luke Scattergood
Set Design by Patrick Ciamacco
Lighting Design by Bing Reising
Sound Design by Merrill Edleman
Projection Design by Patrick Ciamacco & Noah Hrbek
CAST
Calvin Adkins (Jerry/G’nur/Beta Double/Droid) is overjoyed to be back onstage for The Last Starfighter! Calvin’s recent credits include Engaging In Nonsense (Writer/Main Cast/Others), She Loves Me (Waiter), Pippin (Berthe), and many others. Calvin couldn’t be more excited to perform with Blank Canvas Theatre for the first time. Calvin graduated from Oberlin College in 2022 and is a published poet, freelance cartoonist, and not-for-profit silly little guy, who also writes and performs comedy on the side. Huge thanks to the cast, the crew, and the amazing friends and family who are always there for their pal, Cal! Instagram: @theflannelwizard.
Mattie Blick (Miss July/Alien Medic) is very excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre! Mattie was last seen here in the Cleveland premiere of The Spongebob Musical (Sardine/Plankton Dancer). Her other recent credits include Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), She Kills Monsters (Lilly/Lilith), and American Idiot (Christina/Libby). Mattie is a senior at Kent State University and will be graduating in May with a degree in Theatre Performance and a minor in Dance. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Grace, and Lucy for everything.
Noah Haren (Louis) is so excited to perform in his first show with Blank Canvas Theatre and in the Cleveland area! Noah is a current freshman B.F.A. Acting major at Baldwin Wallace University, hailing from Maryland. Some of Noah’s favorite credits include She Kills Monsters (Orcus), Hello Dolly! (Cornelius Hackl), and The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Percy). Noah would like to give thanks to the production team for giving him his first opportunity to perform in Ohio, and all his friends supporting him on campus!
Jon Fancher (Centauri) first sends love to Mary for her constant encouragement and support. Jon is excited to make his Blank Canvas Theatre debut; his stage credits include Joseph…Dreamcoat (Jacob/Potiphar) and Urinetown: The Musical (McQueen) at Beck Center; Miracle on 34th Streetl (Mr. Sawyer) at TrueNorth Cultural Arts; Me and My Girl (Sir John) and Mame (Mother Burnside/Mr. Babcock) at Mercury Theatre Company; An Empty Plate in the Café du Grande Boeuf (Claude) at Clague Playhouse; and The Music Man (Harold Hill, Charlie Cowell, Constable in various productions over the last 50 years). And yes, Jon is Eric’s dad.
Jacob Lang (Alex Rogan / Beta) is over the moon to be back onstage at Blank Canvas Theatre. Previously seen here in this summer’s production of Spring Awakening (Melchior), Jacob has also previously appeared at Clague Playhouse, Lakeland Civic Theater, and Broadview Heights Spotlights, with recent credits including Flames (Eric), Assassins (John Hinckley, Jr.), and Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Prince). Other favorite credits include High Fidelity (Rob) and Urinetown: The Musical (Bobby Strong). When Jacob’s not onstage, you can find him getting way too into bar trivia, MLB, and new smoothie recipes. Thanks to the cast and crew for this one-of-a-kind experience. Enjoy the show!
Chrissy Margevicius (Jenny/Sergeant Taura) is thrilled to be making her Blank Canvas Theatre debut in this out-of-this-world show! Chrissy is a graduate of the Molloy University/CAP21 Conservatory B.F.A. program in New York City. Her recent credits include Once (The Girl) at Kent State University – Stark Campus; The Taming of the Shrew, Cinderella, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Ohio Shakespeare Festival; Heartbreakers in Hell at Rubber City Theatre; and The Kid from Kittlerumpit at Talespinner Children’s Theatre. She’s also been seen in various projects at The Madison Theatre in New York, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Missoula Children’s Theatre. When not performing, Chrissy is a Music/Drama teacher at St. Paschal Baylon School and with Cleveland Play House. All the gratitude to her fellow artists, friends, family, and Mitch!
Molly McFadden (Granny) is proud of her versatility. Recently, Molly performed at the Bop Stop and she’s thrilled to be performing here at Blank Canvas Theatre! Also an accomplished playwright, Molly wrote and performed in The Downside, and has performed her original piece Living on the Moon, inspired by her journey with her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, at Ensemble Theatre, Cleveland Public Theatre, and in New York City at The York Theatre Company. Molly also performed at Karamu House and Playwrights Local in The Mirror Effect. Other plays of Molly’s, currently in development, include Cease Not to Think of Me and In the Still of the Night. Prior to moving to Cleveland, Molly lived in New York City, pursuing her career. Molly holds an M.F.A. in Theatre. While in New York City, she studied acting with well-known theatrical coach Allen Savage, performing in theatrical productions and singing at a variety of clubs and concerts; as well as numerous theatrical productions in regional theaters from Tennessee Williams to Sondheim. That was then BUT this is NOW. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Alice Morse Earle
Kate Leigh Michalski (Elaine/The Manzar/Alien Medic) has a long list of past credits, including She Loves Me (Amalia Balash), Parade (Lucille Frank), Evil Dead - The Musical (Cheryl), The Spitfire Grill (Shelby), The Putnam County...Spelling Bee (Olive), We Will Rock You (Oz), Reefer Madness (Mae), The Texas Chainsaw Musical! (Lucretia), Jekyll & Hyde in Concert (Lucy Harris), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), The Toxic Avenger (Mayor/Ma), Ragtime (Emma Goldman), and The SpongeBob Musical (Pearl Krabs). Kate holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Point Park University. Love you, Mom! Love you, Dad. For KJK, who taught us all how to be extra-goofy with an abundance of love.
Aaron Patterson (Hugh/General Krill) has been lucky enough to have performed in many Blank Canvas Theatre productions, including One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Chief Bromden), High Fidelity (Ian/Neil Young), Triassic Parq: The Musical (Velociraptor of Faith), Reefer Madness (Jesus), We Will Rock You (Buddy), and Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas: A Die Hard Musical Parody (Arnold Schwartzen-Schnitzel). Aaron has also performed here as a member of The Laughter League sketch comedy group. BCT is his favorite place to perform and see magnificent works of theatrical art.
Mikaela Ray (Maggie/Alien Recruit) is thrilled to be making her Blank Canvas debut in The Last Starfighter. Mikaela’s recent credits include School of Rock (Rosalie Mullins) at Cain Park, as well as Rent (Ensemble/Alexi Darling) and Rock of Ages (Ensemble) at Short North Stage. A graduate of Kent State University’s Musical Theatre program, Mikaela fell in love with Northeastern Ohio and recently moved here. She is over the moon about working on this out-of-this world show with such a stellar cast and creative team. And don’t forget to “Reach Out” on Instagram: @heymikaelaray
Erin Sheplavy (Darlene/Zur's Assistant) is thrilled to be performing at Blank Canvas Theatre for the first time! Previous credits include Big Fish (Sandra Bloom), Side Show (Violet Hilton), Crazy For You (Polly Baker), and Oklahoma (Laurie). When not on stage, Erin is a Clinical Psychologist and Drama Therapist providing therapy, consultation, and supervision. Erin would like to thank those who have shown endless love and support each day and throughout the show!
Danny Simpson (Blake/Zur) is so happy to be back on his home stage after a year away. Danny graduated from John Carroll University with a B.A. in Communications and Theatre Arts, and currently works in manufacturing. Favorite stage credits include Blank Canvas Theatre’s productions of The Texas Chainsaw Musical! (Eddy Gee), We Will Rock You (Galileo Figaro), and The Rocky Horror Show (Riff Raff); Cain Park’s productions of School of Rock (Ned Schneebly) and Ragtime (Father); Beck Center’s production of American Idiot (Ensemble), and French Creek Theatre’s productions of The Last Five Years (Jamie Wellerstein) and She Loves Me (Georg Nowack). Danny would like to thank Patrick and Bradley for this opportunity and his friends, extended family, Cathy, Jen, Tasha, Bennie, Molly, and Milton for their unconditional love and support.
Neda Spears (Otis/ Grig) is ready to bring all of you Blank Canvassers on another adventure! She just finished a production of The Drowsy Chaperone at Cassidy Theater, The Spitfire Grill at Access Theatre Project before that, and Into The Woods at Happy Endings Lyric Players before THAT. You know why she looks familiar? Oh, that’s right! She was that girl in The Texas Chainsaw Musical!, Avenue Q, We Will Rock You, and the drive-In concerts Still Standing and Make Them Hear You here at BCT! She was also in Matilda The Musical (Beck Center), Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars (Dobama Theatre), The All Night Strut! (Theater in the Circle), Huck and Holden, and Song for Coretta (both at Ensemble Theater). Thanks again to Patrick, Bradley, Whitney and all the crew and staff, because being at BCT makes the creative process fun for the actors as well as the audience. Thanks to all of you who have come out to support theater in all its forms.
Sasha Wilson (Mrs. Rogan/Alien Recruit) is a Bulgarian-American, LAMDA-trained actor based in the UK, and is very excited to be joining the company of The Last Starfighter for her Cleveland-area stage debut. Sasha’s recent credits include The Mechanicals Present: Julius Caesar or Macbeth (Brutus/Macbeth), The Tempest (Sebastia/Trincula), and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Beggar Woman). Sasha was the winner of Broadway World’s "Best Actress in a Play” Award for Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) in 2018. In 2017, she founded Out Of The Forest Theatre in 2017, an ensemble-based theatre company that takes mis-remembered or forgotten stories from history, sets them to folk music, and uses them as a lens to better understand today’s world: irreverently-presented, knee-slapping, historical theatre with a modern, revisionist twist. For the company, she has appeared in Bury The Hatchet (Lizzie Borden), Call Me Fury (Bridget Bishop), The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria (Liliana Panitsa/Danneker) and Louisa & Jo (& Me) (Jo March).
STAFF
Patrick Ciamacco (Director/ Lighting and Set Design) is so excited to be directing a show based on one of his favorite childhood movies, and to be working 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.
Whitney Miller (Stage Manager) is so excited to be back at Blank Canvas Theatre doing what she loves. Some of her favorite past shows include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Stage Manager), Evil Dead – The Musical (Stage Manager), The Last Five Years (Lighting Designer), and Kiss of the Spider Woman (Stage Manager). Whitney attended Case Western Reserve University for Chemical Engineering, but spent most of her time with the CWRU Footlighters. Now, you can mostly find her in the theatre, writing, or taking photos with Shiny Penny Studios. She would like to thank Lemon for being so understanding with her busy schedule. You're all very talented!
Bradley Wyner (Music Director) has performed in the onstage bands for the Blank Canvas Theatre productions of One Man, Two Guvnors and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and proudly worked as music director for a dozen BCT productions since 2014. Other adventures include School of Rock at Cain Park, The Rocky Horror Show with the Jason Donovan Band, the David Bowie tribute band Diamond Dogs, and music direction at Cleveland Public Theater, Case Western Reserve University, Dobama Theatre, and many others. Teaching music and arts for diverse groups led Bradley to a second career as a dual-diagnosis specialist for people with autism, mental health issues, and developmental disabilities.