Side Show

Tug Watson (Director)
Tug Watson (Director) is a first year Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre here at UNCG. He is overjoyed to be making his directorial debut with Side Show and with this remarkable group of students. Prior to moving to Greensboro, Tug performed in the Broadway productions of Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, and Cats. He has toured both domestically and internationally with Chicago, Evita, and Young Frankenstein and at such regional theatres as La Jolla Playhouse, Diversionary Theatre, and The REV. He earned his MFA from San Diego State University and his BFA from Syracuse University. He dedicates this production to his twin sister Erin, who never ceases to fight for the underprivileged and marginalized communities in America. Uncle to Logan, Grant, Hazel, Blake, and Woody- he hopes you enjoy the show.

Jayson Altieri (Geek/Doctor)
Jayson (he/him) is a sophomore Musical Theatre Major at UNCG. This is his 3^rd production with UNCG and had the privilege of portraying Billy in “Carrie: The Musical” last semester. He is grateful to have had the chance to work with such an amazing cast and creative team for “Side Show”. While he does kill chickens in this production, he accepts no responsibility for recent egg prices.

Emma Austin (Assistant Stage Manager)
Emma Austin is a third-year Theatre Education Major. This is her first time as an assistant stage manager. She has found a love for directing as well as teaching in her time here and has also loved working on other UNCG productions like Rock of Ages and Tartuffe. In the future, she hopes to teach in the K-12 school system and one day work with theatre students internationally. She wants to thank the wonderful team she’s gotten to work with throughout this process and is looking forward to her last year at UNCG.

Kaleb Bell (Ensemble/Ray/Director)
Kaleb Bell is a recent graduate of The University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School Drama Program and is continuing his training as a First Year in the UNCG BFA Musical Theatre Program. He trained with The North Carolina Theatre Conservatory for 3 years and participated in shows such as, Mean Girls (Damian), Chicago (Amos/Featured Dancer), and Heathers (Jason “JD” Dean). He is so excited and grateful to have worked on this gorgeous show!

Instagram: @kal3b.b3ll
Email: kalebbell0828@gmail.com

Sav Bruett (Ensemble/Mother/Reporter)
Sav Bruett is elated to be a part of Side Show, their very first production with the UNCG School of Theatre!  They are currently a sophomore, pursuing their BA in Drama and Music minor.  Their previous shows include Oklahoma!, Mary Poppins, We’re All Guilty, and Dialogues Del Carmelites, with their favorite roles being Mrs. Bucket (Willy Wonka,) Laurette (Beauty and the Beast,) and of course, Mother (Side Show.)  Sav would like to extend all their love and thanks to their family, dearest friends, as well as Tug Watson for this tremendous opportunity, and to Dr. Brett Nolker for his endless expertise and support.

Brandon Criswell (Jake)
Brandon is very excited to be in his 3rd production here at UNCG. He would like to thank God, his family, and professors for everything they have done.

Maya Diaz (Ensemble/Fortune Teller)
Maya Diaz is a sophomore Musical Theatre major. This is her 3rd musical at UNCG and she is so excited to be in Side Show for the second time now! She can’t wait to share this story with everyone. She feels blessed to work with all the amazing people that have helped put the show together. 

Eli Fischer (Ensemble/Houdini/Tod Browning)
Eli Fischer is a first-year musical theatre major here at UNCG. He is very excited to be involved in his first UNCG show with this amazing directing team and amazing cast! Some of his favorite past roles include Herbie in Gypsy, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls.

Julia Freeman (Venus de Milo)
Julia Freeman is a second-year Musical Theatre major at UNCG. She feels blessed to have worked with such a talented directing team and cast in bringing this story to life. Last year, she had the privilege of portraying Annabeth in the university’s production of “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.” 1 Corinthians 16:14

Ashlyn Hall (Choreographer)
Ashlyn Hall, she/her is a dance educator and performer currently pursuing an MFA in Choreography at UNCG. From creating family-friendly classical ballets at a non-profit prioritizing financial accessibility, to creating cross-disciplinary dance curricula at a K-8 school, to choreographing and directing musicals with Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Ashlyn has spent the last decade teaching dance in diverse settings. She has also performed at festivals like Nashville Fringe, Chattanooga Fringe, Kindling Arts, and Nashville Ballet’s ‘Emergence’. In 2015, Ashlyn joined the dance faculty at her alma mater, Belmont University, where she worked closely with incoming musical theatre students to develop their ballet technique. At UNCG, she has enjoyed diving into the world of Side Show with this collaborative cast, crew and creative team. Many thanks to Tug and Kevin for the warm welcome, and cheers to more crossover between School of Dance and School of Theatre!

Eliza Hedeman-Brown (Bearded Lady)
Eliza is a first year Musical Theater BFA student here at UNCG. Her first year has been a wild ride but nothing short of a good time all around. The Bearded Lady, her current role, is her first hopefully of many roles in UNCG Theater. Eliza is incredibly grateful to have been surrounded by such an incredible cast and crew of wonderfully talented people. She’s excited to see where this winding road takes her, and she hopes you enjoy it as much as she does!

Alyssa Jones (Daisy Hilton)
Alyssa Jones is a first-year BFA Musical Theatre major and is thrilled to be a part of the Side Show cast. Additional credits include Anne Boleyn (SIX), Motormouth Maybelle (Hairspray), Jenna Coats (May We All), Cinderella (Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella), the Sugar Plum Fairy (Shrek: The Broadway Musical), and Pearl (The SpongeBob Musical).

When she’s not performing, Alyssa mentors young actors, encouraging them to believe in themselves and follow their dreams. She is also active in her church and enjoys working with the media ministry. She loves her family and her dog, Max, and her favorite treat is shaved ice.

Alyssa would like to thank her family for never giving up on her and always supporting her dreams.

Whit Jury (Half Man/Half Woman)
Whit Jury (Half Man/Half Woman) is a Freshman Musical Theatre Major at UNCG and this is his very first appearance on stage at the UNCG Auditorium! He is thrilled to finally be able to perform in an ensemble on stage with his peers. Whit would love to thank Tug, Ashlyn, stage management, Patrick, and Brie for their countless hours spent wrangling us into shape these past couple months! Enjoy the side show!

Erin Lamberson (Assistant Director)
Erin is Senior BFA Musical Theatre major and is excited to be joining the production team for Side Show alongside so many hardworking creatives! Thanks to Tug, Kevin and Ashlyn for a communicative directorial experience, and the cast and crew for all their hard work!

Kevin Lawson (Music Director/Conductor)
Kevin Lawson is an award-winning off-Broadway music director, arranger, and performer. New York credits include Stinky Kids the musical, Drowsy Chaperone, Wonderful Town, Pajama Game, and Urinetown. Kevin was the resident music director for 4 seasons at the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville Theatre in California. Kevin is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer having served in Ukraine for 2 years. During his undergrad here at UNCG Kevin could be heard in the orchestra pits for Sweeney Todd, Seussical, Big River, and Evil Dead the musical! This May, he will be the School of Theatre’s first graduate of the new MFA in Musical Theatre Direction degree.

Anya Maschmeier (Violet Hilton)
Anya is beyond thrilled to be performing in her third UNCG mainstage musical. She’s from Pittsburgh, PA and is a current sophomore in the BFA MT program. In addition to theater, she is an avid home chef and professional baker. Anya would like to thank her parents, Shannon and Ed, siblings, friends and UNCG theater professors for their continued support.

Maya McCall (Ensemble/Roustabout)
Maya McCall is a second-year transfer senior in BA Drama with a minor in Technical Theatre. This is his second show with UNCG; previously in the Fall as Ericka in School Girls, but his first musical here. His favorite role was as Plankton in SpongeBob the Musical at NC State. Maya is an educator/choreographer/director/designer who has worked with organizations such as NCT Conservatory, CTG, NC State, JTP, Creative Greensboro, etc. on productions such as Urinetown, Mean Girls, Annie Jr., Jekyll and Hyde, RENT, etc. He is so excited for you to see Sideshow and all the work from production, cast, and crew!

Sam McInturff (Assistant Stage Manager)
Sam is ecstatic to join another production here at UNCG! She is a third-year BA Drama student with a minor in Media Studies. In her time here, she has been in Night of the Living Dead, Bright Precious Things (an adaptation of The Great Gatsby), and EVERYBODY. This is her first time Assistant Stage Managing, and she’s enjoyed the process. She thanks the cast and crew for such an amazing experience!

Brie Moon (Onstage Swing/Ensemble/Dance Captain)
Brie Moon is currently a first year in the BFA Musical Theatre program, and is originally from Charlottesville, VA. She began her theatre journey at age 8 and has since built a strong foundation in dance, training in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary, while earning several competition awards and titles. Brie is currently a dance captain and swing for Side Show and is forever grateful for this experience. She is excited to continue her artistic journey at UNCG and embrace new challenges in musical theatre.

MacKenzie Moore (Violet U/S)
MacKenzie Moore is a first year BFA Musical Theatre Major with a minor in Music! This is her second production here at UNCG the first being The Lightning Thief(Sally)last year! She has also been a part of many shows at Stagelights Theater Company some including Spamalot(Lancelot), Something Rotten(Bea), and Crazy For You(Tess)! She is so excited to be a part of this production and is so thankful for the support from her family and friends! Also, she loves hanging out with her friends and juggling in her free time! I hope you enjoy the show 🙂

Patrick Mullen (Onstage Swing/Ensemble/Dance Captain)
Patrick is extremely grateful to perform at UNCG again. He is a Sophomore in the Musical Theatre program. This is his third show at UNCG, having previously been seen as Grover in The Lightning Thief and as a featured dancer in Carrie. Do him a favor and follow @uncgmt on Instagram! For Victoria, and Nana.

Charlie Murtha (Buddy)
Charlie Murtha (he/him) is a BFA Musical Theatre Senior at UNCG and is so excited to be working with this immensely talented cast. His recent credits include The Baker in Into the Woods and Jesus in Godspell (with the fantastic class of 25). He has recently signed with UIA Talent Agency and could not be more grateful for his mom, sister, brother, and Millie. Thanks to Dom, Tug, April, and the brilliant faculty for making this the best 4 years ever!

Aeris Phelan (Human Pincushion/Judge)
Aeris is a freshman BA Drama major here at UNCG participating in Sideshow as their very first production as a UNCG student. They were previously involved in the theatre program at their high school where they participated in fourteen shows, their most notable being Legally Blonde and Spongebob the Musical during their senior year. They’re so excited to showcase all the amazing training they’ve received during their first year here as they welcome you to come look at the freaks!

Ethan Poisson (Sir)
Ethan Poisson (he/they) is a BFA Musical Theatre Senior and this will be his final show at UNCG! He couldn’t think of a better way to close out his UNCG career than this. Previous credits include Rock of Ages (Dennis Dupree) and Spongebob the Musical (Mr. Krabs). He wants to thank his family and friends for all of their love and support. He also wants to thank Dom, Tug, and April for all of their support over the past 4 years and creating such an amazing environment for people to learn and grow.

Tati Ramirez (Onstage Swing/Ensemble)
Tatiana (Tati) Ramirez, a Freshman BFA Musical Theater student is thrilled to be in her first college musical. Past performances include Janet Van De Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone, Edwin Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Carmen Diaz in Fame. Tati is excited to bring this production to life alongside her talented cast members, incredible crew, and creative team. A huge thank you to Tug Watson, Ashlyn Hall, and Kevin Lawson for their guidance, and a special shout out to her family and friends for their endless support throughout this beautiful process. Enjoy the show!

Preston Smith (Terry)
Preston is absolutely ecstatic to join his fourth production at UNCG, first in the Auditorium! He is incredibly grateful to his parents for making the trek straight from Hannah’s graduation, and very thankful for this incredible cast and amazing set of scene partners for making this process so easy. Some of Preston’s previous credits include Bert in Mary Poppins (Playground Stage), Mr. Stephens in Carrie (UNCG), and Chiron in The Lightning Thief (UNCG) He hopes you enjoy this spectacular production!!

Dylan Underwood (Three-Legged Man/Doctor)
Dylan Underwood is excited to be a part of Side Show! As a BFA Acting freshman, this is his first production at UNCG, but his most recent credits include Prince Topher in Cinderella, and Jesus in Godspell. Enjoy the show!

Lilah Vanke (Ensemble/Reporter)
Lilah Vanke is thrilled to be a part of UNCG’s production of Sideshow! She is currently a sophomore BFA Acting student with a minor in business. She was featured as Jade in the short film series produced by UNCG last spring. Previous live theatre credits include Miss Honey in Matilda, Margot Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, and Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone. She would like to thank Tug Watson and Kevin Lawson for their thoughtful and effective leadership throughout the rehearsal process. She would also like to thank her Mom, her Papa, her Grandma and Bapu, and her best friends Brianna, Valentine, Cat, and Taylor for their constant and unwavering support of her in her pursuit of her dreams. Enjoy the show!

Jorja Wells (Ensemble/Reporter)
Jorja is thrilled for the chance to perform and be a part of the ensemble in her first UNCG production! Some of Jorja’s favorite roles include Vi in Footloose, Evie in Descendants, and soon to be Penny in Hairspray.  She would like to extend thanks to her family and friends for all their support throughout the years and a huge thank you to Tug Watson for this incredible opportunity. Thank you to the entire cast and crew for making this an amazing experience!  

Kenna Wells (Ensemble/Reporter)
Kenna is a first year BFA Musical Theatre Major. She is ecstatic to be a part of her first production at UNCG. She would like to extend a special thanks to her family and friends for always supporting her dreams. In addition, she would like to thank the cast and crew for making this an unforgettable experience and her professors for their continued guidance. @thekennawells

Bowie Werran (Lizard-Man/Doctor)
Bowie Werran is a first year at UNCG and he loves it here! He would like to thank Chuck Stowe and Maggie Anderson for the training that helped him get here. And a big thank you to his beautiful friends and family for supporting him along the way! 

Caleb Williams
Caleb Willliams is excited to perform in this amazing UNCG Mainstage production! Some of Caleb’s favorite roles include Ricky Potts in Ride the Cyclone, Alfred/the March Hare/the White Rabbit in Alice by Heart, and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Caleb has also been involved in several choral programs including the RJ Reynolds High School Cappella group, the UNCG Chariots, the Mars Hill choral program, and the NCMEA Honors Chorus program! Caleb has always been very passionate about performing, and he’s incredibly grateful for this opportunity!