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Cast & Photos Jekyll & Hyde  NICK DALTON (Jekyll/Hyde) is currently the face of DirecTV bills nationwide. He recently finished shooting the Indie Western One Piece of Lead and will soon be going to India to teach through ASTEP. Theatre highlights: Hairspray (original Las Vegas cast), Hair (European Tour), George Stiles’ Three Musketeers (Pre-Broadway), The Full Monty (w/ Sally Struthers & Adrian Zmed), Don Imbroglio (New York Musical Theatre Festival), Nine (Little Theatre on the Square), Ernest in Love (Musicals Tonite!), Wicked City (premiere by Chad Sklar & Chad Beguelin), and the workshop of a musical adaptation of Ethan Frome as the title role. Film/TV: Grease: You’re The One That I Want, All My Children, Zoo Sounds (Host) on ABC, Liszt for President, and A Soldier’s Faith. Proud member of AEA and graduate of Western Michigan University. For Blake and Monsieur Kelso! www.nickdalton.org.
 REBECCA RIZZO (Emma Carew) is thrilled to be back with ABT! Last seen as Cousin Hebe in ABT’s H.M.S. Pinafore, Ms. Rizzo has sung with Ash Lawn Opera Festival (South Pacific, The Magic Flute, Annie), Bronx Opera (La Traviata), Opera Company of Philadelphia (Aida), Opera Festival of New Jersey (Don Giovanni, Madame Butterfly, Carmen), and Opera Theatre of Philadelphia (La Boheme), and made her Carnegie Hall debut with Opera Orchestra of New York. In addition to touring England, Ms. Rizzo sang in the Spoleto Festival (Italy) production of The Saint of Bleecker Street (as heard on the Chandos label). She holds a master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Temple University. Special thanks to everyone at ABT for the opportunity to be back for all the “good times!”  JAMES RIO (John Utterson) makes his (official) Arizona Broadway Theatre stage debut in Jekyll. He is ABT’s Company Manager and director of its touring troupe, Bits & Pieces. Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera (André, Lefèvre) in Hamburg, Germany. Regional: She Loves Me (Georg); Man of La Mancha (Cervantes); Into the Woods (Baker); Guys and Dolls (Benny Southstreet, Arvide Abernathy); Jubilee (Eric Dare); The Student Prince (Karl Franz); and The Merry Widow (Camille), to name a few. Concert venues include: Sonic Boom (Knitting Factory, New York City); East-West International Music Festival (Altenburg, Germany); Belarussian Autumn Music Festival (Minsk); Moscow Autumn and St. Petersburg Sound Ways Festivals in Russia. Other solo NYC venues include Lincoln Center, The Rainbow Room and Merkin Concert Hall. His early music education began under the tutelage of his mother, a professional musician, and continued as a scholarship student at Wittenberg University and Indiana University’s renowned School of Music. To Dom and Beryl. PAUL BETZ (Simon Stride) is excited to be returning to Phoenix and to ABT for his 6th show! Most recently he was seen as Fyedka in Fiddler and as Teen Angel/Johnny Casino in last season’s Grease. He also appeared as Ralph (HMS Pinafore), Gatch (How to Succeed...), and Lt. Cable (South Pacific). Paul earned his MM degree in Music Theatre/Opera Performance at ASU where he performed the roles of Candide (Candide), Curly (Oklahoma), and Tony (The Boyfriend). Other regional credits include: Asher (Joseph and the Amazing...), and Bob Cratchit (Christmas Carol) at The Alhambra Dinner Theatre; Bratt (How To Succeed…), Willie Conklin (Ragtime) at The Mainstreet Theatre; Billy (Anything Goes), Herman (The Most Happy Fella), Jekyll/Hyde (Jekyll and Hyde), Benny (Guys and Dolls) at The College Light Opera Company. Paul would like to thank his parents and friends for always loving and supporting him. www.paulbetz.com. JEFFREY STEVENS (Sir Danvers Carew) is very active in the Phoenix area singing with OperaTunity, an opera in the schools program and The Royal Renaissance Singers. For ABT, Jeffrey was Sir Joseph in H.M.S. Pinafore and Senex in A Funny Thing…Forum. Jeffrey has sung with the Phoenix Bach Choir, and performs regularly with the Phoenix Symphony. Jeffrey is as comfortable singing opera and musical theatre as he is singing baroque music, having apprenticed with the Bach Aria Group in Stony Brook, New York, performing with the Educational Outreach Program of the Handel & Haydn Society in Boston, and participating in the Oberlin Early Music Festival, the Connecticut Early Music Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival. He is proud to be alumnus of not only ASU (Doctorate of Music and Masters of Music), but also Boston University and Peabody Conservatory. Thanks to Joe, Cass, Kiel, Denise and Jim for this great opportunity. COLTE JULIAN (Ensemble and Jekyll/Hyde Alternate) made his ABT debut as Perchik in ABT’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. Colte is in his second year and last semester of graduate school pursuing a M.M. in Musical Theatre Performance degree at Arizona State and plans to start hitting the pavement in NYC very soon. He recently performed at ASU in She Loves Me as Georg and in Godspell as Jesus. Regional credits include: The Centennial Production of Oklahoma! with Kelli O’Hara, Evita, Singin’ in the Rain (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma), Stephen Foster-The Musical, The Sound of Music (Stephen Foster Productions), and I Left My Heart (Phoenix Theatre). Many highly appreciative thanks to the ASU gang, Mom and Dad, and God--without their support I wouldn’t be doing this! Enjoy the show! AMANDA KUCHINSKI (Ensemble and Lucy Alternate) is thrilled to be a part of her second show at ABT after very recently playing Fruma-Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof. Originally from Canada, she earned her Master’s of Music Theatre Performance degree from Arizona State University, where she was a recipient of the ASCAP Jerry Herman Foundation Scholarship. Credits at ASU include: Anything Goes (Reno), Candide (Old Lady), March of the Falsettos (Trina), Once Upon a Mattress (Queen Aggravain) and The Magic Flute (2nd Lady), as well as Sara Jane Moore in a student production of Assassins, which she also directed. Other Valley productions include Nearly Naked Theatre’s Bat Boy (Shelley), AJTC’s Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), and Childsplay’s Seussical (Sour Kangaroo). At ABT, Amanda has also been a director/music theatre teacher for the Academy for Young Performers. Thanks to the cast of Jekyll, and to James, Joe, Mace and Cass for all their support. Special gratitude to her best friend and husband Brad, with whom she is delighted to share the stage with for the 11th time! JASON PAUL (Bishop of Basingstoke) is elated to be back for his third production here after having the honor of playing Charles Dalrymple (Brigadoon) and Quito (Man of La Mancha) in ABT’s premier season. Currently, Jason is a resident of NYC but is no stranger to Arizona, having been a student of the ASU School of Music where he majored in Musical Theater Performance. Regional credits include Sparky (Forever Plaid), Billy Lawler (42nd Street), Phadrea (La Cage aux Folles), Dickon (The Secret Garden), Albert (Bye Bye Birdie) and Paul (A Chorus Line). Jason would love to thank his amazing family, in both Oregon and NYC, and ABT for having him back. BRAD RUPP (General Lord Glossop) is extremely proud to return to the ABT stage, having appeared here in Fiddler on the Roof (Constable/Nachum), South Pacific and Anything Goes. Behind the scenes at ABT, he is active with Bits & Pieces and as an acting teacher/director for the Academy for Young Performers. A graduate of ASU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theatre, where he studied voice with Judy May, Brad has appeared in over twenty shows since moving to the Valley from California in 2003. Credits include: City of Angels (Stone), Parade (Hugh Dorsey), Assassins (John Wilkes Booth), Bat Boy (Rick/Lorraine), Tommy (Cousin Kevin), West Side Story (Tony), The Music Man (Harold Hill), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Dewhurst), She Loves Me (Kodaly), and Forever Plaid (Smudge) (Zoni nomination). Brad would like to express his gratitude to Cassandra, Jim, Joe and Mace for the opportunity to be a part of the ABT family again, and his wonderful bride Amanda for everything! DENNIS SETTEDUCATI (The Right Honourable Archibald Proops) has appeared in several past productions at ABT, including Fiddler on the Roof (Morcha), Man of La Mancha (Sancho) and A Funny Thing…Forum (Protean). A Long Island, NY, native, this spirited young lad is a graduate of Adelphi University where he earned his BFA in acting. Favorite regional credits include A Christmas Carol (Cratchit), Urinetown (Barrel), Damn Yankees (Sohovik), Joseph..., The Wizard of Oz (Lion), and Grease (Roger). Dennis has had the honor of performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on a national level as Region 2 winner of the American College Theatre Festival. ELEONORE S. THOMAS (Lady Beaconsfield) is excited to be returning to ABT after a year hiatus. She was last seen as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Her first exposure to The Valley was on tour with Andrea Bocelli and Denyce Graves on Bocelli’s A Royal Christmas tour. Last year Eleonore made her NYC debut in The Diet Monologues: The Musical at Where Eagles Dare, and was featured on BroadwayBullet.com. Other favorite credits include: A Royal Christmas with Julie Andrews; Fraulein Schneider (Cabaret), and Mother Abbess (The Sound of Music) at The New Candlelight Theatre; Sister (Damn Yankees), and Eulalie Shinn (The Music Man) at Three Little Bakers; V-Day The Vagina Monologues at The Delaware Theatre Company; and Mrs. Fezziwig (A Christmas Carol) at Walnut Street Theatre. Eleonore is a proud alumna of Westminster Choir College. Much love (and pie) to her friends and family who tolerate her long absences in the beautiful southwest! GEOFF BELLISTON (Lord Savage) recently appeared in ABT’s production of Crazy for You (Moose) and in last season’s highly successful run of Grease. Most recently, Geoff portrayed Agwe in Starlight Community Theatre’s production of Once on This Island, where he also appeared as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Other favorite credits include roles in Robin Hood, The Miracle Worker, A Funny Thing…, The Wizard of Oz, Godspell and The Bald Soprano. Geoff would like to thank everyone here at ABT, especially James, Joseph, Cassandra, and Mr. Piano Man himself, Jeff Kennedy, as well as the awesome cast and all of his wonderful friends and family aka his Entourage! MICHAEL HILDEBRANDT (Mr. Bisset/Dance Captain) continues his work at ABT, having just appeared as Mendel in ABT’s popular production of Fiddler on the Roof. Previous productions here include Anything Goes, Brigadoon, Big River (for which he was also the choreographer) and Crazy for You. Recently, Michael portrayed Frankincense (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He graduated magna cum laude from Wagner College earning a BA in Musical Theatre Performance with minors in Spanish and Dance. Regional: Swing! (Lead Couple), Pirates of Penzance (Sergeant), Gypsy (L.A.), Crazy for You (Wyatt, Custus) and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Lefou u/s). He would like to thank the ABT family for this opportunity, to give his love to Jeffy and Grace, and to thank his family for their support and encouragement. GILLIAN STANFORD (Newsboy) is thrilled to be making her ABT debut in Jekyll & Hyde. Although this is Gillian’s first show at ABT, she is no stranger to the stage. Previous credits include: Once On This Island (Erzulie), Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), High School Musical (Taylor McKessie) at Starlight Community Theatre; Parade (Iola Stover) at MCC; The Who’s Tommy at N2T; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Snoopy) at PVCC; Into the Woods (The Witch) and Leader of the Pack (Ellie Greenwich) (ariZoni nomination) at ACAA. Gillian would like to thank God, the talented cast and crew, The “Greenwich Group,” and most of all, her amazing family for being her everything! RANDALL T. STEVENS (Poole) continues his work at ABT as Artist-in-Residence, having recently performed in Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II – The Plant). Also for ABT, Randall appeared in last season’s How to Succeed… (Davis/Henchman) and A Funny Thing Happened… (Erronius). A recent transplant from Omaha, Nebraska, his first theatrical endeavor in AZ was as Assistant Director for Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Phoenix Theatre. An award-winning director/actor in Omaha, his favorite roles include Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Bobby in Love! Valour! Compassion!, Action in West Side Story, Harry Beaton in Brigadoon, Bellhop in Lend Me a Tenor, and the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2003 Best Actor in a Musical). Directing credits include Nine, Side Show (2004 Best Director of a Musical), The Last Session, and Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical!!! JILL TIESKOETTER (Nellie) recently performed in ABT’s production of Fiddler on the Roof (Shaindel) and is excited to be in this production. Jill spent the last two summers performing in Denali Park, Alaska, and was most recently seen as Cinderella in Stage Works’ production of Cinderella. She is a 2002 graduate of Viterbo University in LaCrosse, WI, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre and currently lives in Gilbert, AZ. In her spare time, Jill teaches music at Mesa Arts Academy and private voice at the Mesa Arts Center. She would like to thank her friends and family for their unending support and love, as well as ABT for this opportunity. Enjoy the show!
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CASSANDRA NORVILLE KLAPHAKE (Lucy Harris) returns to the ABT stage after her ariZoni-nominated performance as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate. Cassandra’s extensive operatic repertoire includes Micaëla (Carmen), Mimi (La Bohème), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Violetta (La Traviata) and Nedda (I Pagliacci). She has performed with Opera Idaho, Rimrock Opera Company, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, Prism Opera, Cambridge Lieder and Opera Society, Ohio Light Opera, Intermountain Opera, and as a concert soloist with New York City’s Riverside Philharmonic. A Montana native, Cassandra holds her Master of Music degree from The New England Conservatory of Music. Overseas, she has performed in Austria, Ireland, Scotland, Poland, Hungary, and Germany, where she appeared on the Landestheater Konzert Series and was a featured guest performer at the annual Holiday celebration of the American Consulate while living and working in Hamburg. At the University of Montana, Cassandra was the “Women in the Arts” honoree and recitalist, celebrating her superior achievement in the performing arts. Today, Cassandra furthers that achievement as ABT’s Artistic Producer/Owner, overseeing all aspects of the production department, from show selection to artistic concepts to casting.
ABIGAIL BELLISTON (Ensemble) is so excited to be making her Arizona Broadway Theatre debut in one of her favorite musicals! Some of her favorite previous roles have been the Narrator in Joseph..., Asaka in Once on this Island, Dorothy in The Wiz, and Woman 2 in Songs for a New World. She’s so grateful to all the people who have helped her get where she is today: her amazing parents, her amazing roomies, her other amazing friends, and her great vocal/life coach. Lastly, she would truly like to thank ABT so much for this opportunity. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
JOSH FESMIRE (Ensemble) Josh is thrilled to be appearing for the first time on the Arizona Broadway Theatre stage. Previous credits include Miss Saigon (Thuy), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Man 2), Fiddler on the Roof (Mendel), and 1776 (Courier). Josh would like to extend his gratitude to his loved ones - you know who you are!production of Ain't Misbehavin'.
Photo credit: Howard Kuflik © 2008
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