Pittsburgh CLO Announces Cast of New Musicals Weekend

Pittsburgh CLO will launch its second New Musicals Weekend, a project of the Next Generation Campaign's New Small Musicals Initiative. New Musicals Weekend, the mini version of the SPARK festival, takes the core goals of SPARK and puts them into action over just seven days. New Musicals Weekend aims to develop new musicals for the CLO Cabaret by supporting writing teams with financial and creative resources and by building relationships with local and national artists.

The musicals selected for readings in New Musicals Weekend include two shows first developed through the 2018 SPARK festival (THESE GIRLS HAVE DEMONS: 2018 SPARK Reading; THE PERFECT MATE: 2018 SPARK Writing Residency) and two shows new to Pittsburgh CLO.

To RSVP for a New Musicals Weekend Reading or Event
Please email Donor Relations Coordinator Claire Novak at cnovak@pittsburghclo.org.

New Musicals Weekend Companies:

THESE GIRLS HAVE DEMONS
Meghan Brown (Book & Lyrics) and Sarah Taylor Ellis (Music)
Ellie Heyman (Director)
Rodney Bush (Music Director)
First featured in the 2018 SPARK festival, THESE GIRLS HAVE DEMONS returns with an all-new draft. Being a teenage girl is hard: every party, every grade and every kiss can feel like a life-or-death event. But being a teenage girl possessed by a demon, with the forces of the radical matriarchy and repressive patriarchy fighting for your very soul? It's a lot harder. A darkly funny rock musical with heart, humor... and demons.

MARISSA BUCHHEIT (Hayley) was last seen as Deborah/Gillian Van Ness in Pittsburgh CLO's Game On. She has been seen at various theaters around Pittsburgh and Southern Florida including Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, Front Porch Theatricals, Gulf Coast Symphony and The West Coast Black Theatre Troupe.

LILY GANSER (Kayla) is a senior at Carnegie Mellon. Favorite past roles include Mary Poppins and Gracie Allen.

Jack Henry (Morgan) has performed in several regional theaters, including the Wilma Theater, Arden Theatre Co., Interact Theatre Co., Theatre Horizon, Azuka Theatre and EgoPo Classic Theater, among others. Training: BFA Musical Theatre from the University of the Arts.

Michael Misko (The Horned Man) Pittsburgh CLO credits: Man of La Mancha (Barber) and Footloose(Cop). World Premiere of Stephen Schwartz's Magic To Do (Magic Maker). Michael also enjoys a career as a professional stand-up comedy magician.

RAMSEY PACK (Brian) is a current senior Musical Theater major at Carnegie Mellon University and looks forward to sharing his craft with the members of the Pittsburgh community and his fellow artists.

KATHERINE ANNE PEYTON (Dayna) (She/They) is a rising senior Musical Theater major at CMU. Previous roles include Emmy in The Fox or the Grape?, Aegeus in Medea/Shulie, and The Wife in See What I Wanna See. In addition to performing, they are also a teacher and a poet/spoken word artist under the name E.P. Noble.

THE PERFECT MATE
Dan Lipton & David Rossmer (Book, Music & Lyrics)
Carolyn Cantor (Director)
Jeff Theiss (Music Director)
Commissioned by Pittsburgh CLO through the EQT Commissioning Fund
Joan Sweete has always been drawn to the old-fashioned idea of true love with one person, which puts her at odds with the anything-goes dating scene of the year 2163. When she wins a competition to test the PerfectMate, an emotionally savvy robot, she thinks she may have found her lifetime match - but it turns out perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be. First commissioned for and developed in the 2018 SPARK festival, THE PERFECT MATE is a musical comedy for romantics of all eras.

Jimmy Nicholas (The PerfectMate) Recent credits - Broadway: The Book of Mormon (Elder Price standby). Off-Broadway - Original Cast: Kragtar: An American Monster Musical (Speaker of the House, Jebediah), Gertrude Stein Saints (Winner of Overall Excellence at FringeNYC). FILM/TV: The Good Wife,The Break with Michelle Wolf, Instinct, Madam Secretary, Fathers and Daughters, Gorenos, Not Cool. Upcoming TV: Next Great Hire. Carnegie Mellon BFA. Instagram: @Jimmynicks.

GENA SIMS (Susan Botelli) will soon receive her BFA in Music Theatre from Carnegie Mellon. Credits: SKiNFoLK at Pittsburgh CLO's SPARK; Violet and Floyd Collins with Front Porch Theatricals; Detroit '67(Chelle), Cabaret (Fraulein Schneider), and Medea/Shulie (Medea) at CMU. Founder of Autism Theatre Project.

Olivia Vadnais (Joan Sweete) was recently seen as Sister Sophia (u/s Maria) in The Sound of Music at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and as Kate Mullins, setting sail aboard the Titanic here at Pittsburgh CLO. Other favorite credits include Xanadu (Kira/Clio), Into the Woods (The Witch) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie Dillmount).

ELLIE VAN AMERONGEN (Moya, Engineer, Others, Guitar) was recently seen as the Ex-Girlfriend in Onceand Medium Alison in Fun Home (IRNE Nominee) at SpeakEasy Stage Company. Boston Conservatory BFA Musical Theater Class of 2018.

SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER
Brian Quijada (Book, Music & Lyrics)
Reginald L. Douglas (Director)
Chris "Red" Blisset (Music Director)
Inspired by Reina Quijada's journey from El Salvador to the US and by L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER embraces the factual and the fantastical in its depiction of one young girl's pursuit of the American dream. As Reina travels north to the Mexican border, she gathers friends, faces down dangers and holds tight to the memory of the little boy she left behind. Set in the 1970s and propelled by a guitar-driven score, this new musical is both fable and family history - and a testament to the determination born of love.

VICTOR M. APONTE (Adan/Cruz) has worked locally with Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Musical Theatre, Prime Stage Theatre and Throughline Theatre Company.

Ricardo Gutierrez (Don Napoleon/Silvano) is excited to be working at Pittsburgh CLO for the first time. Most recent acting credits include Ah, Wilderness and Destiny of Desire at The Goodman Theatre. Ricardo is the Executive Artistic Director of Teatro Vista in Chicago.

GABRIELA MOSCOSO (Reina) was born and raised in Queens, NYC, and is first generation Ecuadorian with a BM in Opera Performance (Manhattan School of Music). Credits include performances at: Feinstein's/54 Below, Carnegie Hall, the NY Philharmonic and RCCL.

KELSEY ROBINSON (Julia/Antonia/Leona) has been seen at Bricolage, Quantum, Attack Theater, KST, AfroYaqui Collective, FolkLAB and Kinetic Theater. She's played at Carnegie Museum, Mattress Factory, the Warhol, DC's Kennedy Center, NY's MoMA, The Studio Museum and Carnegie Hall.

Jerreme Rodriguez (Bernardo) is currently playing Kenny in the world premiere of The Double-Threat Trio at the CLO Cabaret. Other Pittsburgh credits: Sweat at Pittsburgh Public Theater, Paco in Miss Abigail's Guide...(CLO Cabaret), Lucian in Wig Out! (Pittsburgh Rep.), The Little Mermaid and We Will Rock You (PMT).

THE NEXT FAIRY TALE
Brian Adam Davis (Book, Music & Lyrics)
Tim Kashani & Pamela Winslow Kashani (Additional Story)
Tim Kashani & Michele Lynch (Directors)
Mitchell Hanlon (Music Director)
Once every century in the kingdom of Avalon, the Magic Mirror chooses a quest to be carried out by a hero and fairy godmother. If the two succeed, their story becomes The Next Fairy Tale. This centennial, fairy godmother Hazel wishes to be chosen, but she's been sequestered by Minerva, Queen of the Fairy Godmothers, because of her history of havoc-wreaking spells. Minerva delights in greeting this century's hero, Prince Copernicus, until he exclaims that the true love he must save is another prince, not a princess. Minerva assigns Hazel to the quest, assured that she shall fail. Yet in this new musical, an underdog may find a power greater than any magic across the land.

Julianne Avolio (Hazel) was most recently in Perfect Wedding at the CLO Cabaret and is currently performing just down the street at Bricolage as Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

ZACH HERMAN (Copernicus) is from Sarasota, Florida, where he grew up performing in local theatre. After graduation from CMU he'll be on his way to New York to pursue a career in theater.

Pamela Winslow Kashani (Minerva) does musicals. Performer: Broadway: original Rapunzel Into the Woods (also Cinderella), Meet Me in St. Louis (Lucille) and Beauty and the Beast (Babette). TV: Ensign McKnight on Star Trek: The Next Generation, host of Arts Coast to Coast. Streaming: Paul Gordon's Emma.

Justin Lonesome (The Mirror/Helio/Arthur/Dragon) is an actor whose production credits include Book of Mormon (Australia), Jersey Boys and many seasons with Pittsburgh CLO. Proud member of AEA.

Robyne Parrish (Glinda) Off-Broadway: The York, The Mint. NYC: Musicals Tonight!, NYMF, Arts Power. Recent: Away in the Basement (Sierra Rep), Pool Boy (Pittsburgh CLO's SPARK). Regional: The Arden, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public, NJ Rep, Maine Public, WVPT, Bricolage, Quantum, Theatre Raleigh, The REP, PMT and Off the Wall. BFA UNCSA. Next: Matilda (Virginia Stage).