Beauty and The Beast

~ Belle ~

Among Biannah's earliest memories was performing in front of the television to Disney's animated "Beauty and the Beast" in her home in the Philippines. Soon after, she was enrolled in the Halili Cruz School of Ballet where by 14 she competed and performed internationally with the Quezon City Ballet. She was also enrolled in voice and organ through the Yamaha School of Music in the Philippines. After graduating high school at 16, she joined a performing arts group in the USA and toured, performed, and taught musical numbers to students in Europe, Japan, and cities across the USA. She graduated with a BA in Arts Management (2019) and a Masters in Business Administration (2020) from Midland University. She is now at the Rose Studios for Youth Artists as the Manager and is grateful everyday to still be involved with the performing arts. She is most grateful to witness young artists and dreamers find their voice and community through the performing arts as she once did when she was younger.

You may have seen Biannah in previous Rose Theater Productions as "Sister Margaretta" in The Sound of Music (June 2022), and "Gabrielle" in Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Dec. 2022). She also most recently performed with the Omaha Symphony for their Lunar New Year Celebration (Jan. 2023).

~ Beast ~

Jesse Wohlman is a singer, actor, music educator, and songwriter based in Omaha, Nebraska. He has had the pleasure of working with a variety of performing arts organizations including Opera Omaha, the Omaha Symphony, Nebraska Opera Project, the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra, BLUEBARN Theater, Vesper Concerts, the Lincoln Crossroads Music Festival, and Salt Creek Song Festival, among others. Jesse is a core member of the professional vocal ensemble Résonance and recently appeared as Melchior in their production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. He most recently appeared on the Rose Theater’s main stage in the title role of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and is thrilled to be back now as The Beast. Jesse received his Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a member of the voice faculty at SNJ Studio of Music and Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.

~ Gaston ~

"Beauty and the Beast "holds a special place in Andrew’s heart. Twenty years ago, he had the pleasure of performing as Lumière in the Omaha premiere at Chanticleer theater.

Andrew returns to the stage after a long hiatus playing dad for his three kids: Tessa, Jackson, and Ben. Ages ago, he fulfilled his dream, performing the title role in "Jekyll and Hyde" (TAG nomination), Some of his other favorite rolls are Robbie, in "A Man of No Importance," and Guido in lLittle Apple’s production of "NINE" (TAG nomination).

Andrew would like to thank the best wife a man could ever want, the beautiful Ashley. She loves him just enough to support every crazy idea he has.

Finally, a special thank you to Cory McCune librarian and talented thespian at Burke High School for convincing him to audition again.

Oh.
And carbs.
Andrew misses carbs.

~ Maurice ~

Christopher Scott is happy to return to The Rose to join this cast of Beauty and the Beast. An Omaha native, Mr. Scott is an actor and director who holds a B.A. in Theatre from Hastings College and an M.A. in Directing and Theatre Criticism from Kansas State University. He also spent time at The Ohio State University, where he directed the premiere of the hip-hop play, Inspiration of Love, and studied mime with Gregg Goldston. Favorite recent stage roles include Sam Byck (Assassins; Brigit St. Brigit), Arthur (The Tenth Man; Brigit St. Brigit), Karl Lindner (A Raisin in the Sun; Omaha Community Playhouse), Henslowe (Shakespeare in Love; OCP), Mr. Mushnik (Little Shop of Horrors; Bellevue Little Theatre), Nik (Stories: From the Brink; Anastasis Theatre Co.), Edwin McFarlan (Beertown; OCP). Love and thanks to my wife, Sara.

Past shows at the Rose:
Prancer - Role - Tom Stewart
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse - role - Mr. Slinger

~ Mrs. Potts ~

Zhomontee is a mental health therapist and owner of Melanated Allied Counseling and Studio. You may notice Zhomontee from her roles as Effie White at the Omaha Community Playhouse and as Marie/Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella" at The Rose. Zhomontee has received an OEAA for best actress in a musical in 2017.

Credits include:
Marie/Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella" at The Rose, Belle/ Cruella in "Descendants" at The Rose, Uncle Billy/ Harry in "It’s a Wonderful Life" at the Rose and her roles as Deloris Van Cartier in "Sister Act" at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

~ Lumiere ~

Joey is so excited to return to The Rose after having last appeared in Elf The Musical in the 2019 production. Some favorite previous credits include Miss Trunchbull in "Matilda The Musical" at The Rose, Gordon/The Man/Mr Gray in "RENT" at Omaha Community Playhouse, Ethel Merman in "Christmas With The Crawfords" at SNAP Productions, and Watson in "Hound of the Baskervilles" at Black Hills Playhouse. Many thanks to husband Mark for dealing with all the nonsense for over 10 years now. Avid RuPaul's Drag Race fan (All Stars 8 Team Jimbo for the win!), video game enthusiast, and baker.

~ Cogsworth ~

Anthony Holmes is an actor born and raised in Omaha, Ne. He attended Benson high school where he performed his first acting role in Frankinstien playing the role of Fredrick. Since then he has performed in many stage and film role including the Omaha Community Playhouse production of "Color Purple: The Musical" and Denise Chapman's story of the north freeway "More Than Neighbors."

~ Chip ~

Martin is thrilled to be making his Rose debut in "Beauty and the Beast" playing Chip. He was recently part of the youth choir performing in the Suor Angelica Opera. He was also part of the youth ensemble in the Physicians Mutual Omaha Symphony Christmas Celebration. He studies voice and guitar at the Omaha Conservatory. He is a fifth grader at Blue Sage Elementary. He enjoys horseback riding, learning about Greek mythology, and reading as many books as he can get his hands on. He would like to thank his Mom, Dad, Grandparents, and his amazing big brother!

~ Babette ~

Carli Tomac is an actor, performer, and audio engineer. You might have seen her recently in "Grease" (Rizzo) or this last fall in "Big the Musical" (Susan Lawrence) at the Bellevue Little Theatre or in "Something Rotten" (OEAA Best Musical) at Ralston Community Theatre or in "Songs for a New World" (Woman 2) and in "Hansel Gretel" (The Witch) at the Weber Fine Arts and Strauss Performing Arts. This is her first show with The Rose! She performs with Rèsonance and the Omaha Symphony here in Omaha, as well as acts in commercial and film projects. Feel free to check out her website at www.carlitomac.com.

Additional credits:
Big Fish (the Witch) Lorang Theatre
42nd Street (Peggy Sawyer) Lorang Theatre
Joseph…DreamCoat (Butler) Chanticleer Theatre
DogFight (Ensemble) Weber Fine Arts
The Magic Flute (The Spirit) Strauss Performing Arts

~ Madame de la Grande Bouche ~

Emily is excited to join The Rose in this production of "Beauty and the Beast" after taking a brief theatre intermission for her social work degree. Some of her favorite credits include Rona Lisa Peretti in "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," Anna in "Spring Awakening," Charlotte Corday in "Marat Sade, and Polly Peachum in The Three Penny Opera" (University Nebraska at Omaha). Some of her favorite memories are studying theatre in London through UNO. Other works include The Great Plain Theatre Conference 2015/16/17, "Wizard of Oz" at the Omaha Community Playhouse, and Homemade Fusion Cabarets. Emily will continue her education through UNLs master program in special education. She enjoys slow Sunday mornings drinking coffee, singing high notes, talking about her cats B, Nani, and Tuna, and watching anime with her husband Graham. Shout out to her mom who is playing the flute in the pit. Enjoy!

~ Le Fou ~

Kyle Ross Thomas is ecstatic to be making his Rose debut in "Beauty and the Beast." A Kansas City native, Kyle has performed with Starlight Theatre (Annie, Footloose), New Theatre Restaurant (Joseph…), Artistry MN (42nd Street), Tyrol Hills (Deal: The Musical), and the Fremont Opera House (Murder for Two). Kyle received his BFA in Theatre Direction from Nebraska Wesleyan and his work as a director, choreographer and music director has also been seen at Midland University, Freshwater Theater, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Theatre West, Chaska Valley Theatre, MTKC and the Young Artist Initiative. This summer he will also direct Band Geeks with MTKC and choreograph the Nebraska All-State Musical, Zombie Prom. This one’s for Flora, Leo, and Boaz. Thanks to his beloved wife, Abby.

~ D’Arque / Baker / Castle Resident ~

Fred Vogel is ecstatic to be making his debut at The Rose Theater! He has just concluded his first year as the drama teacher at Beveridge Magnet Middle School, where he directed "Sideways Stories from Wayside School" and "Rock of Ages: Youth Edition". Fred is a Lincoln native, and enjoys reading, cooking, playing guitar, and occasionally writing in his free time. He would like to thank his friends, family, students, and cat (Momo) for being so supportive, and YOU the audience for coming to see this performance! Enjoy the show!

Additional credits:
BLUEBARN THEATRE
"King Lear" (France/First Servant)

BROWNVILLE VILLAGE THEATRE
"Sanders Family Christmas" (Stanley)
"Willa Cather's A Resurrection" (Martin)
"A Year with Frog and Toad" (Frog)
"Rumors" (Lenny)
"Arsenic and Old Lace" (Jonathan)
"Forever Plaid" (Smudge)
"Almost, Maine" (Lendall/Dave)
"Godspell" ("All Good Gifts" Soloist)

FLATWATER SHAKESPEARE
"Much Ado About Nothing" (Don John)
"Romeo & Juliet" (Lord Capulet)

THE STAGE THEATRE
"South Pacific" (Stewpot)
"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" (Chip)

~ Fille / Castle Resident / US Babette ~

Charity is a dance teacher, actress, model, and Nebraska’s Miss Congeniality 2023 as well as a semifinalist. She has done 13 acting projects in her adult career; 9 last year; and 2 upcoming films for 2023. Those being, Thesmoforia and Matchmakers releasing in the Summer and Fall of 2023. She has walked for Kansas City Fashion Week, and MJ Legacy Fashion Show where she was featured in The Daily Nebraskan to discuss her experience, additionally she’s modeled for local brands around the area including: Mechee, Slightly Fit, and Scooters. This is Charity’s first main stage show at The Rose, and she hopes you all leave the show with a little more magic than when you arrived.

Some of her recent theatre roles include: Olivia in The Color Purple at Omaha Community Playhouse, Alice in Death by Design, and Rose in Meet Me in St Louis, both at Bellevue Little Theatre. Recent films she’s acted in include: commercials for Keep Omaha Beautiful, Zoey in the film F, and Willow in a recent Metro film titled Remnants.

~ Fille / Castle Resident / US Mrs. Potts ~

Imani Lamar is 21 years old and was born and raised in Omaha NE, she was heavily involved in theatre in her youth such as
Once on This Island, Footloose, The Adams Family, and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. In her free time she enjoys reading, singing, and playing video games! She’s looking forward to working on this production with our wonderful cast and crew!

~ Fille / Castle Resident / US Belle / Dance Captain ~

Emma Kate Brown is excited to be back on The Rose stage! Recent roles include: Belle in "Beauty and the Beast"(Elkhorn Community Theater), Katherine in "Newsies" (Nebraska Wesleyan University), and Wendy Jo in "Footloose" (Nebraska Wesleyan University). In her free time you can find her reading, working out, or catching up on different tv shows. She craves “adventure in the great wide somewhere” and is excited to be chasing her theater dreams in Chicago this fall.

~ Tavern Owner / Castle Resident / US Cogsworth ~

Donovaughn is very pleased to be working on another rose show and creating another fairytale that helps to honor and make space for children of all kind.He'd like to thank his Mother and Grandmother for supporting his career in theater. Additionally he'd like to thank his boyfriend,as well as his best friend Allie for all of the love and support they've brought him.
He'd also like to honor and acknowledge all the children of color getting to see and experience their first theatrical experiences and who are fostering a love for the arts.
Lastly he'd like to say hey to his 20k tiktok followers and any broadway producers that might be watching jk...unless?

Additional Credits:
Lord Pinkleton-Cinderella @the Rose
Sebastian- The Little Mermaid
Detective Davante-Dinner Detective
Jolly the Elf-The Children's Museum

~ Candle Maker / Castle Resident / US Maurice ~

Faushia's first ever play as a child was the "Wizard of Oz" at The Rose and she's excited to return to this stage as an adult. She graduated with her B.A. in Theatre from University of Nebraska - Omaha in 2016. Since then, she's performed locally at the Omaha Community Playhouse, Union for Contemporary Art, John Beasley Theater, Great Plains Conference, UNO, etc. She leads the youth choir at her church and is raising a soon-to-be kindergartner.

Additional Credits:
John Wesley Powell - Men on Boats - UNO
Ruth - Raisin in the Sun - OCP
Puck - Midsummer Adaptation - Omaha Fringe Festival

~ Marie / Castle Resident / Education Representative ~

Jessica is an award winning puppeteer, award nominated director, playwright, actor and has been the voice for many commercials & videos in the Omaha Metro area, as well as worked on shows for CBS and the Discovery Channel. You will also find her busy as a fiber artist, designer, & educator when not directing, designing, writing, puppeteering, or on stage. She is mom to two amazing artistic daughters, Jules & Jocey, & would to thank all her family & friends for always believing in her & for supporting her as she has found “adventure in the great-wide somewhere” chasing her dreams & following her heart.

Some of her favorite Rose credits include Firefly, Cinderella, Up and Away, Penguin Problems, Elf the Musical, The Cat In The Hat, Winkin, Blynken, and Nod, Curious George & The Golden Meatball, & Good Night Moon just to name a few.

~ Bookseller / Castle Resident / US Beast ~

Hello ! My name is Shemar Toussaint but everyone calls me Mar , this is my very first professional theatre debut here at The Rose. you might have seen me over at the wonderful Weber Fine Arts building at UNO, in their productions of “Macbeth” and “Into the Woods”. I’m very honored and excited to be apart of this wonderful cast, and we’re SO excited to show our VERY unique production of Disney’s “Beauty and The Beast.”

Additional Credits:
William Shakespare “Macbeth” at UNOmahaTheatre
“Into The Woods” at UNOMAHA Theatre

~ Featured Dancer / Wolf ~

Grant is so excited to be part of Beauty and The Beast! Grant was most recently in "Cinderella" at The Rose Theater and was Marlon in the iTheatrics promotional video for "Finding NEMO Kids," which was filmed in New York City in June 2022. Grant also appeared in "The Sound of Music," "Disney’s Descendants," and "Elf The Musical" at the Rose Theater. Grant has been a member of The Senior Rose Brigade for five years where he is currently a dance captain and is a member of The Rose Dance Project. At Millard North High School, Grant is a member of the Millard North Varsity Show Choir, Infinity. Grant would like to thank his friends and family for their support of his passion for musical theater.

~ Featured Dancer / Wolf ~

~ Featured Dancer / Wolf ~

Ava Cutinella is so excited to be in her first Rose Theater mainstage show! Ava has been a part of the Rose Senior Brigade for the past two years where she played Lavender in "Matilda Jr." and Romeo/Ada in "Newsies Jr." She is going into her senior year at Bellevue West High School where she is a member of West High Singers and the West After School Theater program (WAST). She has been in many high school theatre productions such as "Legally Blonde," "She Loves Me," and "The Pajama Game." Ava would like to thank her Rose Brigade director Sue Valker, her high school director Jennifer Ettinger, and her first acting teacher and director Susan Quint. Thank you for all you’ve taught me!

Additional Credits:
Senior Rose Brigade: Newsies Jr. (Romeo/Ada), Matilda Jr. (Lavender)

Bellevue West High School: Legally Blonde (Ensemble/Delta Nu), She Loves Me (Ensemble/love ballet dancer/dance captain), The Pajama Game (Virginia/Sandra)

Papillion LaVista Community Theater: Newsies (JoJo)

~ Featured Dancer / Wolf ~

Keegan McDaniel has been involved in various acting, dance, and music theater productions at the Rose Theater since he was 13 years old. This fall will be his senior year at Harlan Community High School in Iowa with future plans being to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha and major in Performing Arts. Keegan has seven brothers and sisters and seven nieces and nephews.

Additional Credits:
"Jimmy" - Thoroughly Modern Millie - Senior Rose Brigade
" Escapologist" - Matilda - Senior Rose Brigade
"Crutchie" "Spot Conlin" - Newsies - Senior Rose Brigade

~ Shepherd / Tavern Mate / Castle Resident ~

Reed is excited to make his debut at The Rose Theater. He has been part of Omaha North High’s productions of "Once on this Island" (Agwe) and "Shrek: The Musical" (Three Little Pig). He also has performed in Omaha North’s show choir show “Explosion” for 2 years. Thanks to supportive friends and family!

~ Flower Seller / Castle Resident ~

Charlotte is thrilled to join another production at the Rose Theater. Previous credits include Brigitta in "The Sound of Music" at The Rose Theater (2022) and Shonelle in "School of Rock" at the Omaha Community Playhouse (2022). Charlotte has been a member of The Rose Theater’s Junior Rose Brigade for the last three years appearing as ensemble in "My Son Pinocchio," Maurice in "Madagascar," and Gertrude McFuzz in "Seussical the Musical." She has a passion for singing and dancing and plays tennis.

~ Tavern Owner / Castle Resident / US Lumiere ~

Carson is very excited to be part of the ensemble in this production of "Beauty and the Beast." This is his seventh time participating in a main stage production at The Rose Theater. Carson first appeared at The Rose as Tootles, one of the Lost Boys, in "Peter Pan" in 2017. He is proud to be a seven-year member of the Rose Brigade and is a recent graduate of Millard North High School. He will be attending art and design school in the fall with a focus on fashion.

Additional Credits:
Cinderella - Ensemble
Descendants - Doug
Elf, The Musical - Charlie the Elf, Ensemble
Goosebumps, Phantom of the Opera - Corey
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Charlie Bradley
Peter Pan - Tootles, Lost Boy

~ Laundry Lady Castle Resident ~

Jilliann is currently in the 8th grade at Otte Blair Middle School. She is so excited to be in "Beauty and the Beast" at The Rose, her first mainstage performance. She has been a fan of Disney for as long as she can remember, and this story resonates with her. She has been taking theater classes at the Rose since 2016. Recently, she is a member of the Senior Rose Brigade performing in both "Matilda" and "Newsies" (Morris Delancey). Previously, as a member of the Junior Rose Brigade she performed in "My Son Pinocchio" (Signor Giovanni) and "High School Musical" (Taylor). She takes voice and dance classes at The Rose and also plays piano. She is member of the award-winning Odyssey show choir, in student senate, Girl Scouts, cheerleading and a school actor performing in "10 Ways to Kill a Zombie" (Narrator) and "Superheroes" (Nelly). She is excited to be a part of this amazing production. Jilliann would like to thank her directors, teachers, and family for supporting her love of theater.

~ Hat Seller / Castle Resident / US Chip ~

Ainsley is 11 years old and attends Papillion LaVista Community Schools where she sings in her school chorus. She made her Rose Theater MainStage debut last spring as “Marta” in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Ainsley has been a Rose Kid since age 4, taking Ballet, Tap and Musical Theater classes. She is currently in her 2nd year as part of the Rose Theater’s award winning Junior Rose Brigade, appearing in the “Outstanding Performance” SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL JR. this season as a “Bird Girl” and as “Private the Penguin” in MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL JR. last season. Before Junior Brigade, Ainsley was a member of The Rose Theater’s Mini Rose Brigade for 4 years, appearing as "Molly" in ANNIE KIDS and “Young Anna” in FROZEN KIDS and the ensemble of THE ARISTOCATS KIDS and ALADDIN KIDS. Ainsley’s other endeavors include competing in “Papillion Idol,” and singing the National Anthem at various events. Ainsley loves all things Musical Theater and is so very excited to be a part of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

~ Milkmaid / Castle Resident ~

Sydney is thrilled to be back on The Rose’s mainstage for Disney’s "Beauty and the Beast the Broadway Musical." She is a Freshman at Papillion South and in her third year of Show Choir. Sydney has always loved singing and dancing, becoming a Rose Kid at age six, and quickly finding her passion for musicals; leading to roles including Mrs. Phelps, "Matilda the Musical" (Rose Brigade), Gertrude McFuzz, "Seussical the Musical" (Papillion Middle), and Fairy Godmother, "Descendants the Musical" (Rose Youth Productions). This is her fourth year in The Rose Brigade. You might have seen her this past November and December in The Rose Theater’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Cinderella." Sydney would like to thank her family for their support and encouragement.

~ Director ~

Matthew’s recent directing credits at The Rose include "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical," "Howie D: Back in the Day," "Elf The Musical", "Prancer" and "A Christmas Story". Other directing credits include "Cyrano" with Parallel 45, "The Sparrow" and "Anon(ymous)" at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, "Wuthering Heights" at the Mint Theatre in New York, and "Whacked Fairy Tales" at Twin City Stage. His plays have been workshopped/produced by Wordsmyth Theatre Company, Horse Trade Theater Group (NYC), Reverie Productions (NYC), Tri State Actors’ Theatre, and Magic Chicago. Matthew’s work for MagicMouth Theatre won a New Horizons Playwriting Award and the company premiered a new magic-theatre piece, "A Christmas Carol In Prose" with Parallel 45 in Traverse City, MI. He is the former artistic director of the Children’s Theatre of Winston-Salem and completed a fellowship with the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis under the mentorship of Peter Brosius. Matthew assisted Peter Brosius on productions of "500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins" and "A Christmas Story". He is a former Managing Director of the Yale Cabaret where he produced over 14 world premieres. He holds a BA in Theater from Wake Forest University and received an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama. He is in his eleventh season as artistic director of The Rose.

~ Musical Director ~

Jerry Brabec, tenor, is an Ordained Deacon on the clergy staff at Omaha Saint Paul United Methodist Church where he serves as Minister of Worship. His responsibilities include the overseeing of liturgical preparation for the congregation of 350. He also serves as choral director for Temple Israel’s Kol Rina. Awarded the Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska, he studied choral conducting with Dr. Cina Crisara and Dr. Z. Randall Stroope. As a chorister of the acclaimed Robert Shaw Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall, he sang for five years under the baton of the late Robert Shaw; was twice selected one of six participants in the Alice Parker Melodius Accord Fellowship Program; and frequently continues his conducting studies with Ms. Parker during January in New York. At The Rose Theater the past thirteen seasons, “Cinderella” marks his 51st show as a resident music director/vocal coach. He also serves as music director for the nationally acclaimed Rose Brigade, one of the award winning offerings of the “Broadway at The Rose” program. Formerly, Jerry taught at the high school level for Council Bluffs Community Schools, served as associate artistic director of the Omaha Clarion Chorale, and as artistic director for the Kanesville Chorus and Renaissance Faire of the Midlands.

~ Book ~
Linda Woolverton's writing credits include the screenplay for the animated feature film BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Golden Globe winner and Academy Award Best Picture nominee); the screenplay (shared) for HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY; screenplay (shared) for the animated feature film THE LION KING; the book for the Broadway musical BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical, winner 1998 Olivier Award Best New Musical); and book (shared) for Elton John and Tim Rice's Broadway musical AIDA. Also she has written two young-adult novels, STAR-WIND and RUNNING BEFORE THE WIND. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from California State University Long Beach and a Master's degree in Theatre from California State University Fullerton. Linda is currently involved in writing and producing film projects for Miramax and Revolution studios. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Lee Flicker and daughter Keaton.