KIEL KLAPHAKE (Erik – “The Phantom”) returns to the ABT stage after appearing as Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun. For two years, Kiel performed the role of Raoul in the original Hal Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg, Germany. Stateside credits include Kiss Me Kate, Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, West Side Story, and Show Boat. Originally from Missoula, Montana, Kiel earned his Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Montana and his Master of Music degree from The New England Conservatory of Music. Kiel has performed leading roles with various regional opera companies in Gianni Schicchi, Don Pasquale, I Pagliacci, La Bohème, Die Zauberflöte, Die Fledermaus and Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as principal roles in The Merry Widow, The Beggar Student, The Sorcerer, The Gondoliers, The Yeomen of the Guard, and Der Graf von Luxembourg. Additionally at ABT, he has been the musical conductor for Brigadoon and stage director of Cabaret and Gypsy. Kiel is the Executive Producer of ABT, of which he, his wife and his parents are the founders. He is the proud father of two sons, Kieran and Tristan, his finest accomplishments to date.

JEANNIE SHUBITZ (Christine Daeé) is excited to be returning once again to ABT!  She is a native of Tucson and recently moved back to Arizona after several years living in New York City. Recent credits include Margaret in The Light in the Piazza at Phoenix Theatre; Emily in A Christmas Carol and Peggy in The Taffetas at ABT, where she has appeared as Fiona in Brigadoon, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, Marian in The Music Man and Sarah in Guys and Dolls. Other favorite roles include: Philia (Funny Thing...Forum), Evelyn Nesbit (Ragtime), Miss Dorothy Brown (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Mabel (Pirates of Penzance), Magnolia (Show Boat), Monica (The Medium), and Despina (Cosi fan tutte). Jeannie has also appeared as the Soprano Soloist in Misia at Playwright’s Horizons in NYC. She is very much looking forward to appearing opposite her husband in Show Boat in Illinois in June and then on to Alaska to perform with him for the remainder of the summer. In addition to performing, Jeannie also has a growing vocal studio and teaches throughout the Valley. Thanks and love! www.jeannieshubitz.com

JAMES RIO (Gerard Carriere) has appeared on the ABT stage as John Utterson in Jekyll & Hyde (ariZoni Award nomination), and on short notice for Kiss Me, Kate and Anything Goes. Credits include the original Hal Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera (André, Lefèvre) in Hamburg, Germany, She Loves Me (Georg), Man of La Mancha (Cervantes), Into the Woods (Baker), Guys and Dolls (Benny Southstreet, Arvide Abernathy), Jubilee (Eric Dare), and The Merry Widow (Camille), to name a few. James has been the tenor soloist in world premieres at international festivals throughout the United States and Europe, including the East-West International Music Festival (Altenburg, Germany), the Belarussian Autumn Music Festival (Minsk), and the Moscow Autumn and St. Petersburg Sound Ways Festivals in Russia. He is the Artistic Administrator at ABT and director of its Bits & Pieces troupe. Thanks and love to my ABT family. Kiel: it’s great to share another Phantom with you.

MORGAN SPRINGER (Carlotta) is ecstatic about continuing her career with ABT, having transitioned from a fainting Mayor’s wife to a trumpet-playing stripper to an opera diva. Morgan studied vocal performance at Carnegie Mellon University, where she performed the roles of Judy Turner in A Chorus Line, The Old Lady in Candide, and Lady Billows in Albert Herring. She is also an original cast member of Awakening, featuring Julia Murney, Lisa Howard, and Mary Testa. First and foremost, Morgan would like to thank Cass, Kiel, Joe, James, Brad, and the rest of the ABT family for becoming HER family; the amazing cast for helping to make my dream a reality on that stage every night; Mace for allowing me to explore within his incredible vision; Martha and Jimmy for putting up with me dropping by the costume shop every day to look at my amazing costumes; Kurtis, one of my best friends and one of the most amazing MD’s ever (HIGH NOTE!). To my amazing Mom: remember how I used to tell you how badly I wanted to play Carlotta? You told me it would happen – to believe in myself. This one’s for you.

BRIAN E. SWEIS (Philippe, The Count de Chandon) grew up just down the road from ABT and is elated to finally make his first appearance on its mainstage. Recent credits include Les Misérables (Bamatabois/Prouvaire), The Fantasticks (El Gallo), Fools (Slovitch), and Melodies of Christmas: A Holiday Cabaret. Besides numerous cabaret and theatrical performances with over 10 theatres in the Valley in the past 8 years, Brian has performed “The National Anthem” for the Suns, Diamondbacks, ASU, Seattle Mariners, and San Francisco Giants. He has worked on industrial videos, independent films, voiceovers, and commercials and is represented by the Leighton Agency. Brian is also a proud member of Phoenix Theatre’s Partners That Heal - a program designed to engage, entertain, and calm fears of patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and St Joseph’s Hospital. Special thanks to Mace, Cass and James…and to Joe for finally pushing me out West!

JEFFREY STEVENS (Cholet) 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 Mayor Shinn in The Music Man, Sir Danvers Carew in Jekyll & Hyde, Sir Joseph in HMS 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 Master of Music), but also Boston University and Peabody Conservatory. Thanks to Joe, Cass, Kiel, Mace and Jim for this great opportunity.

DION JOHNSON (Inspector Ledoux/Minister of Culture) is very excited to be in Phantom (his first show at ABT!). He was last seen in a docudrama for the History Channel called After Armageddon, Middle Scrooge in A Christmas Carol for Actors Theatre and as Strange Man in A Vampire Tale for Scorpius Dance Theatre in Phoenix and New Orleans as part of The Vampire Film Festival. Other recent credits include Grady in Curtains, David in Company for Phoenix Theatre, My First Time for Theatre 4301, Unbeatable at PT and at Stages Rep. Theatre and the Hobby Center in Houston, TX. Valley credits also include: Steve/Chad/Danny in Almost Maine, Leo/Maxine in Leading Ladies, and several roles in Dream A Little Dream all for PT; Shane Mungitt in Take Me Out, Hawker/Specialist in Tommy, James Avery in Valhalla for Nearly Naked Theatre; and John Merrick in The Elephant Man for TheatreScape (for which he won the New Times, “Maxie” and “Goldy” awards). Dion would like to thank James, Joe, and Mace for this amazing opportunity. He would also like to thank the wonderful cast and crew, and Nicole for letting him be the “phantom” husband for a couple months. Enjoy the show!    

MICHAEL BRADLEY (Jean-Claude) is very excited about this, his third show at ABT, after having previously appeared in the inaugural season’s productions of HMS Pinafore and Big River. Michael has played on numerous stages throughout the Greater Phoenix area over the past 15 years, including The Shakespeare Theatre, Cookie Company, Off-Center Productions, Copperstate Dinner Theatre, Algonquin Theatre Company, and Theater Works. Favorite past roles include Matt (The Fantasticks), Bob (Beyond Therapy), Romeo (Romeo & Juliet), John (The Lion In Winter), and Hinckley (Assassins). In his spare time, Michael is an accomplished musician and ariZoni Award-winning composer, an avid amateur poker player, and is fervently dedicated to his penchant for useless random trivia. He thanks the ABT gang (Cass, James, Mace, Kurtis, Kiel & Joe) for the great opportunity, and to his parents and friends for their unending support.

EDDIE MALDONADO (Buquet) has appeared in ABT’s productions of Anything Goes (Reporter/FBI Agent), Bye Bye Birdie (Karl) and Miss Saigon (Marine, Thuy u/s - performed), as well as in ABT’s Theatre for Young Audiences production of Charlotte’s Web (Homer/Sheep/Judge…). An Arizona native, he currently attends Arizona State University as a music theatre major. His recent stage credits include: The World Goes ’Round (ariZoni nomination), West Side Story (Chino), CATS (Old Deuteronomy), and Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote). Special thanks to ABT and especially to family for their unconditional love and support!

JAMIE PARNELL (Ensemble/Erik Understudy) is happy to return to ABT after appearing in A Christmas Carol (Young Marley) earlier this season. A native of Montana, he studied both Voice Performance and Acting at The University of Montana, and has studied opera in both Vienna, Austria, and at the Kodaly Institute in Keczkemet, Hungary. Most recently, Jamie has been seen on stage as Bobby in Urinetown, Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and Dr. Parker in Bat Boy. He would like to thank not only ABT for this opportunity to perform with such a talented cast, but also his family for their unwaivering support.

MORGAN RUDOLPH (Fleur/Dance Captain) is so happy to be appearing in her ninth production on the ABT stage. A Resident Artist for Season Five, Morgan most recently appeared as Bomballerina in CATS. Her other ABT credits include: Gypsy (Louise), A Christmas Carol (Sally), Anything Goes (Purity), Bye Bye Birdie (Gloria Rasputin), Guys and Dolls (Mimi), Annie Get Your Gun and Cabaret (Helge). Morgan is an alumna of Western Kentucky University and holds a BFA in Performing Arts with a Concentration in Dance. Backstage, Morgan is know for being annoyingly self-sufficient and hopes that by the end of this run she will be able to corset herself in record time. She also hopes to learn how to sit comfortably while wearing said corset. Much love to family and friends!

KATIE LARSON (Flora) is thrilled to be returning to the ABT stage after making her debut earlier this season as Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes. Favorite credits include: Arizona Dickens Carolers (Soprano), Godspell (Peggy), Guys & Dolls (Hot Box Dancer), The Music Man (Marian Paroo), Grease (Rizzo), and Fame (Iris Kelly). BFA Fine Arts Studies in Theatre, Dance and Business (magna cum laude) University of Arizona. While in Tucson, she was a regular performer/choreographer at The Gaslight Theatre. Many thanks to Cass, Kurtis, James & Mace for this opportunity; she would also like to thank her family and friends for their unconditional love and support. “This one’s for you, KB. Spread your wings and soar!”

ARYN NEMIROFF (Florence) is delighted to continue her work at ABT after being a Chorus Cat in CATS. Other credits include: ASU’s 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park), The World Goes ’Round (Ensemble), Francesca in West Side Story (Theatre Works), and Chiffon in Little Shop of Horrors (Mesa Encore). Currently a senior studying musical theatre performance at ASU, Aryn hopes to achieve her goal of making a career out of her passion for all things musical theatre. www.arynnemiroff.com

STEFANIE O’CONNELL (Ensemble/Christine Understudy) has just returned from three months’ cruising around South America as a singer on Regent Cruise Lines. Additionally, Stefanie had the opportunity to tour Asia with Cinderella understudying Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga. Favorite roles include Angel in Celebration and Maria in West Side Story. Love to family and friends.

SHAYLA BENOIT (Ensemble) is elated to return to the ABT stage after appearing in Cats (Demeter, Grizabella u/s), Anything Goes (Erma), The Taffetas (Donna), Bye Bye Birdie (Nancy), Miss Saigon (Gigi), Annie Get Your Gun (Annie u/s), A Christmas Carol, Cabaret (Rosie), and ABT’s children’s productions of Alice in Wonderland, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Elves and the Shoemaker, and Charlotte’s Web. Shayla hails from West Palm Beach, FL, and is a proud graduate of Florida State University’s BFA Musical Theatre program. Seaside Music Theatre credits include: Peter Pan (Indian/Peter u/s), Nine (Heidi), South Pacific (Nurse MacGregor), and Go Dog Go! (Blue Dog). Much thanks to the ABT family for this wonderful opportunity. Love and thanks to God, family, friends, and M2 for their endless love and support! Mahalo.

DANIEL CARDENAS (Ensemble) has appeared in ABT’s past productions of CATS(Chorus Cat) and Miss Saigon (Marine). He is finishing up his degree in Music Theatre at Arizona State University. ASU credits include Tony in West Side Story, Mr. Cellophane in The World Goes ’Round, and other various ensemble roles. In the Valley, Daniel has appeared in Les Misérables (Phoenix Theatre) and as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors (Mesa Encore Theatre). Daniel has had an amazing time collaborating on Phantom and thanks the cast, crew, Kurtis, James, and Cassandra for the opportunity. Finally, he thanks his parents, Alicia, Mina and Lisa. Love you all.

COLBY WAYNE COX (Young Erik) is thrilled to be back at ABT after appearing in A Christmas Carol (both years) and Annie Get Your Gun. Colby is a third grader at Foothills Elementary and is definitely showing a love for theatre! When he is not begging to go to ABT, he enjoys playing baseball, building Legos and riding his quad with his family. ABT has already opened their hearts to him and made his first experience inspirational. Colby is always putting a smile on the faces of everyone he meets, and has told his family that “he doesn’t want to be famous, all he wants is to have his name on the sidewalk in one of those stars!”