The Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company
The Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company includes all professional actors working at the center. Members are selected through open auditions at the center and various unified auditions across the country. Company members are hired for roles in The Gaslight Dinner Theatre and for the M.E.T. series.
Nathan W. Brown
Nathan W. Brown has appeared in Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of My Fair Lady, Anything Goes, Nuncrackers, A Grand Night for Singing and Smoke on the Mountain. He has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of The Music Man, Annie, Cats and Children of Eden and in the Mind Enriching Theatre productions of High School Musical on Stage, Snoopy!!!, HONK! and Pinocchio. As resident musical director for The Renaissance Center, he has worked on more than 20 productions. A native of Sterling, Ill., Nathan is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. He also has been Musical Director for Bigfork Summer Playhouse in Montana, The Stage Door Theatre in Florida, Bearcreek Farms Resort in Indiana and Illinois Wesleyan University.
Bret Churchill
Bret Churchill grew up in Davenport, Iowa, but his work has taken him all over, from Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland in California to the Bahamas. He has performed in everything from an NFL halftime show to opening ceremonies of the Senior Olympics to regional theatres throughout the country. Bret is very excited to be back at The Renaissance Center where he appeared in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of Chicago and My Fair Lady and the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, High School Musical on Stage, Alice in Wonderland and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In June Bret married the absolute love of his life, Erin. Thank you all for all your years of support.
Bryce Conner
Bryce Conner, a Tennessee native, is currently a senior majoring in Theatre Performance at Austin Peay State University where he recently played Mr. Zero in The Adding Machine. He has worked professionally for both People’s Branch Theatre and the Nashville Children’s Theatre while teaching Theatre and Speech for the YMCA. He also has appeared in numerous shows here including South Pacific, The Who’s Tommy, Guys and Dolls and Annie Get Your Gun. Bryce is proud to be making is professional debut with A Chorus Line and High School Musical on Stage and is thankful for this exciting opportunity!
Alvaro Francisco
Alvaro Francisco is happy to be returning to The Renaissance Center after making his debut in the Ensemble of Chicago as well as in Cats in the role of Rum Tum Tugger. Since then, Alvaro has returned to Memphis to continue working at Playhouse on The Square in such shows as Suessical (Wick), Forever Plaid (Jinx) and The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic). Being a native South American, he is happy to call Memphis is hometown after several years. Having worked with several theater companies in Memphis, he is very excited to be once again working with the Renaissance Repertory Theater Company. Some of Alvaro’s favorite shows include Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party (Oscar), Take Me Out (Martinez), Songs For A New World (Man 1) and Godspell (Judas). Alvaro would like to thank this amazing cast and crew for such a memorable experience and his family for their endless love and support.
Tawny Frey
Tawny Frey is no stranger to The Renaissance Center stage. She started some of her first theatre experiences here, which include playing Sandy in Grease! and Joy in Cinderella. Tawny started working here professionally when she was 17, as a member of the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company appearing in shows such as You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Dining Room, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, My Fair Lady, High School Musical on Stage and The Honky Tonk Angels. She spent the last two years as a performer at Dollywood in the show Dreamland Drive-in. She’s happy to be back at The Renaissance Center and looks forward to another great year.
Emilee Furmanski
Emilee Furmanski is very excited to be making her debut on The Renaissance Center stage in the Mind Enriching Theatre series production of High School Musical on Stage and the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of A Chorus Line. She graduated from Shenandoah University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre. Last summer she worked for Galveston Island Musicals where she played the role of Liat in South Pacific. She also was seen in Hana’s Suitcase with the Lexington Children’s Theatre. She would like to thank her family for their never-ending love and support.
Tory Gunn
Tory Gunn of Dickson made her Gaslight Dinner Theatre debut with My Fair Lady. She has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Cats, Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, Cinderella, The Sound of Music, A Christmas Story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and A Christmas Carol, for which she won a Jimmy Award as Best Actress Under 16 in a Play. She has appeared in Disney’s Aladdin Jr. and Disney’s Jungle Book Kids with the Young Entertainers on Stage series and Why the Rain Falls in the Jungle with the Youth Theatrical Outreach Program. As a member of The Renaissance Center’s Young Actors Studio, Tory appeared in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, A Christmas Carol and Young Cherokee and she appeared in the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and High School Musical on Stage. Some of her other favorite theatre credits include The Best Christmas Pageant Ever as Alice and Lisel in The Sound of Music with Houston County Community Theatre, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever as Imogene with Whole Heart Drama Team and the title role in Cinderella with the Bellevue Home School Enrichment Drama Troupe. Tory also appeared in a teen pregnancy awareness campaign video produced by The Renaissance Center for the Tennessee District Attorneys Conference.
Catherine Hammer
Catherine Hammer, originally from Leavenworth, Kan., is a graduate of Friends University in Wichita where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet. As a singer, dancer and pianist, she has traveled and performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. Some of her favorite roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Miss Dorothy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shelby in The Spitfire Grill and Good Luck Bear in the Care Bears Live National Tour. Other credits include Grease!, Cinderella, The Boyfriend, The Music Man, The Canticle of the Plains, Little Women, The Firebird, Deliver Us! with Ballet Magnificat and Kickin' Up Country at Bearcreek Farms Resort. She was last seen at The Renaissance Center in My Fair Lady, Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Valton Jackson
Valton Jackson of Columbus, Ga., is a graduate of Berea College in Berea, Ky., with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an emphasis in performance. Through his four years attending Berea, Valton was a highly active performer in the dance, music and theatre departments, as well as a cheerleader his junior and senior years. Some of Valton’s most honored roles include Tony in West Side Story, Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh, Agwe in Once on This Island and Kenickie in Grease. Valton also was named Best Actor at the 4-AAAA Regional One-Act Play Competition for his portrayal of U.S. in Second Samuel in the fall of 2003. Valton is making his debut at The Renaissance Center this summer in High School Musical on Stage for the Mind Enriching Theatre series and A Chorus Line in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre and could not be more ecstatic about being here! Valton also loves his mother and brother very much.
Katherine Jett
Katherine Jett is very excited to return to The Renaissance Center this summer for A Chorus Line and High School Musical on Stage. She recently completed her freshman year at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Wash., where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. Some of Katherine’s other Renaissance Center credits include Chicago, Anything Goes, Run for Your Wife, Cats, Lend Me a Tenor, Honk!, Auschwitz Lullaby, Guys and Dolls, A Thousand Cranes, Smoke on the Mountain and Romeo and Juliet.
Bonnie Cheyenne Johnson
Bonnie Cheyenne Johnson is originally from Kansas City, Mo., and studied theater at Kansas Community College for two years and Missouri Western State University for two years. She has performed on many different stages across the United States. She was nominated for the Irene Ryan Scholarship award for roles in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (Maggie) and Tapestry. She also has worked as a DJ entertaining kids with Radio Disney AM1190 Kansas City and as a vocal coach at ROCK U! KC School of Rock. Her favorite theater credits include Dames at Sea, Thoroughly Modern Millie, True Confessions of a Go Go Girl, Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror and Disgracefully Yours. Bonnie moved here in hopes of pursuing her music and acting career. Even though she is far from her family and friends they are still supporting her hopes in Nashville. Despite only being here for eight months, Bonnie feels like she can call Nashville her new home.
Emma Jordan
Emma Jordan has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Peter Pan, The Music Man, Cats, The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Annie and Children of Eden, winning Jimmy Awards for Outstanding Chorus Member in 2006 and ‘08 and the Renaissance Players Spirit Award in 2005. She made her Gaslight Dinner Theatre debut in My Fair Lady. As an intern with the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company for the past two years, Emma has appeared in Mind Enriching Theatre productions of Alice in Wonderland, High School Musical on Stage, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Christmas Carol in Prose, HONK! and Pinocchio. She appeared in the Young Entertainers on Stage productions of Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids and Disney’s Aladdin Jr. and was stage manager for Disney’s Cinderella Kids. She has been on the technical crews for A Christmas Carol, Little Shop of Horrors, Bird Woman (The Story of Sacagewea) and Auschwitz Lullaby. Other theatre credits for the home-schooled sophomore from Charlotte include The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and No More Secrets: the Musical.
Zane Jordan
Zane Jordan has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of The Music Man, Peter Pan, Fiddler on the Roof and Children of Eden and the Young Entertainers on Stage production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. He was on the technical crew for Cats and Disney’s Cinderella Kids. While serving as an intern with the Mind Enriching Theatre series, he appeared in Alice in Wonderland, High School Musical on Stage, HONK!, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and A Christmas Carol in Prose. Other theatre credits include The Sound of Music. A home-schooled eighth grader from Charlotte, Zane enjoys spelunking, hiking, paintball, riflery, Tae kwon do and computer games.
Graham Keen
Graham Keen is a native of Nashville and is enjoying the opportunity to work with the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company, close by to his hometown! Graham is currently majoring in Music Theatre Performance at Wagner College in New York City, where over the past two years he has performed as various featured/ensemble roles in Footloose, Our Town and Grand Hotel. He also has been involved in many productions in the Nashville area, including Towne Centre Theatre's You Can't Take It With You (Ed) just this past summer. Some other favorite past shows are 42nd Street (Billy Lawlor), The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Lysander). Graham also frequently works as a studio singer and has sung on several projects, including the original demo for Disney's stage adaptation of High School Musical and Michael Crawford's In The Moon of Wintertime. He is so thankful for his parents and all of the wonderful teachers/directors who have encouraged him in his theatrical adventures, and looks forward to what the Lord has planned for his career in the future.
Faith Kelm
Faith Kelm of Franklin is appearing in her first Gaslight Dinner Theatre production. She previously appeared in Renaissance Players productions of Cats, Guys and Dolls and The Wizard of Oz, performed in the Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda: A Night of Musical Theatre fundraiser and can be seen in the Mind Enriching Theatre series production of High School Musical on Stage. A student at Brentwood Academy and an assistant dance instructor, Faith has studied at Ann Carroll School of Dance and performed at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Main Street Festival in Franklin, in New York and at Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto.
Caitlin Teal Little
Caitlin Teal Little of Clarksville is making her Gaslight Dinner Theatre debut in A Chorus Line. She has appeared in the Renaissance Players productions of Guys and Dolls, Annie, Children of Eden and Cats and is the 2007 winner of the Mel Romine Memorial Scholarship. She will be a sophomore at Columbia College in Chicago, majoring in Theatre Performance. Caitlin’s other theatre credits include Pullman Car Hiawatha, Tom Sawyer, Queens of France and A Christmas Carol at the Roxy Regional Theatre in Clarksville and Speakeasy and The Golden Boy at Ward Theatre. She will be moving to Chicago in August and “I’m super excited! Yay!”
Eddie Nichols
Eddie Nichols directed his first show at The Renaissance Center with the Renaissance Players production of ’night, Mother. A member of the center’s Toy Shop, Nichols received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Arts from Austin Peay State University where he appeared in productions of Buried Child, MacBeth and As You Like It, while directing Bug Man’s Coming. Nichols also appeared on stage in the Renaissance Players 2005 production of Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus and the Mind Enriching Theatre series production of High School Musical on Stage. Eddie spent seven years at Green Enterprises in the entertainment business before coming to The Renaissance Center in May 2004. During his time at Green Enterprises, he worked in numerous entertainment mediums such as videos, film, television and live stage performances. Some of his more notable work includes HBO comedies for George Carlin and Chris Rock, Christmas in Washington for the president, A&E’s 4th of July Celebration for the Nation, Celine Deon’s Farewell at Radio City Music Hall, Country Music’s Benefit for 9/11, MTV’s X Games, TNA Wrestling, the Dove Awards and the opening intro for Monday Night Football, which won a regional Emmy award. In addition, he also worked on the first Nashville Star, CMT Crossroads, the Flameworthy Awards, updated the CMT Studios and numerous music videos including artists such as Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, Jessica Andrews and the Shania Twain Thanksgiving Special. Eddie’s versatile credits also include the Rockettes Christmas, staging for a special Nickelback, Filter and Montgomery Gentry concert, independent films such as Existo and Masterpiece Theatre’s A Death in the Family and scenery for still shot photography.
Tracy Nichols
Tracy Nichols of Ashland City has more than 20 years of experience on and off stage with professional, educational and community theatres. A full-time faculty member at Austin Peay State University’s Communication and Theatre Department, she teaches theatre and public speaking. Tracy earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from APSU. She has appeared in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of Anything Goes and Lend Me a Tenor and directed The Miss Firecracker Contest. She appeared in the Renaissance Players production of Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus for which she won a Jimmy Award as Best Supporting Actress. She directed Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man and co-directed Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Tracy performed the role of Mama in ‘night, Mother with Amy Scott and was directed by her husband, Eddie. She also performed in the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of Wiley and the Hairy Man, High School Musical on Stage, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and A Christmas Carol. She and her husband Eddie, Toy Shop Scenic Artist and Shop Foreman, have three wonderful daughters. Tracy is an avid Titans fan and enjoys the opportunity to participate in theatre at The Renaissance Center.
L.A. Pauza III
L.A. Pauza III hails from the Sunshine State of Florida. He grew up performing in Jacksonville before deciding to pursue an acting career. L.A. has worked professionally onstage and in front of the camera during high school, and appeared in a U.K. commercial for the British telecommunication giant Orange. He worked as a professional actor in his hometown while attending the Florida Community College of Jacksonville, where he earned his Associate of Arts degree in Theatre. He found a home away from home at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre, where he gained membership candidacy to Actor’s Equity Association, the professional actor’s union. In his time at Alhambra, L.A. appeared onstage in Footloose, Cabaret and Cinderella. He also appeared offstage at the Alhambra in the Box Office as a Customer Service Representative and the Donations Coordinator. In 2005 L.A. made the move to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre. In his time at UCF he appeared onstage in The Boyfriend, Fiddler on the Roof and A Devised Theatre Piece. While at UCF he served as the New Student Liaison Undergraduate Chair and the Student Chair for the conservatory’s first Study Abroad Trip to London. For the university he worked in the dorms as Resident Assistant in the on-campus upscale living dorms, The Towers at Knight’s Plaza. Helping to oversee the day-to-day functioning, maintenance and student body for two of the four seven-story apartment styled dorms, he gained a greater understanding of managing others. In his final year L.A. opted to use the skills he honed as an R.A. to serve as Associate Choreographer for the Fall Main-Stage musical, Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella. His choreography received critical and audience acclaim. The Central Florida Future raved about his “...brilliant choreography of the 30-plus cast...” L.A. graduates this August with Honors in the Major for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Performance. L.A. is a proud dog owner and enjoys poker, working out at the gym, traveling and using his Mac in his free time.
Greg Pragel
Greg Pragel is from Buffalo, N.Y., where he graduated from Niagara University. Since then, he has performed with Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, Mill Mountain Theatre and Sesame Street Live! He just finished as a Resident Company Member and the Fight Choreographer for Playhouse on the Square in Memphis. Some of his favorite roles there were Malcolm MacGregor in The Full Monty, Tom Sawyer in Big River, the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, Peter in And Baby Makes Seven, Charlie in Purlie and the title role in Scapin. Greg would like to thank all the talented people he’s working with, his friends and family for all the love and support, Tim and Ann Marie.
Stacie Riggs
Stacie Riggs is thrilled to be back at The Renaissance Center performing in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of A Chorus Line and the Mind Enriching Theatre series production of High School Musical on Stage. She has previously been seen in productions of Chicago, Cats and Children of Eden at the center. Her favorite roles include Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Ruth in Blithe Spirit and Maria in The Sound of Music. Stacie has been performing since the age of four in theatre, dance and television and even attended a performing arts high school to study musical theatre. Before moving to Tennessee to pursue a singing career in country music, the California native worked at The Walt Disneyland Resort as a parade dancer/performer and in 2002 had a recurring role on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. She would like to thank her family for all of their support and encouragement and is so excited to be sharing the stage with her brother, Steven. Special thanks to the cast and crew for all of their hard work and for all the many moments of fun and laughter.
Steven Riggs
Steven Riggs is a native of California having grown up in “The O.C.” He comes directly to The Renaissance Center from the World Tour of Disney Live! Presents Mickey’s Magic Show. He has performed all across the globe in more than a dozen countries and in half a dozen languages. He is a versatile actor, portraying roles as varied as Prince Charming and Snow White’s Prince, and as diverse as Belle’s Prince and Prince Eric. He is thrilled to once again be involved with High School Musical, having previously starred in the High School Musical Pep Rally at Walt Disney World as well as the 2006 Christmas Day ABC special live from WDW with the original High School Musical cast. Both videos currently can be seen on YouTube. If you don’t catch him on YouTube, then Steven can next be seen with the 2008-09 European Tour of Disney Live!
B.J. Rowell
B.J. Rowell is returning for his seventh and eighth shows at The Renaissance Center with A Chorus Line and High School Musical on Stage. He has appeared in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of Chicago and My Fair Lady, the Renaissance Players production of Cats and the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. B.J. has studied theatre at Auburn University as well as the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. His favorite roles include the Emcee in Cabaret, John Proctor in The Crucible and Stanley Gardner in Caught in the Net. B.J. would like to thank everyone who supports his career, especially his new wife Hannah, with whom he is looking forward to sharing many fun adventures in the very near future.
Jennifer Stone
Jennifer Stone is excited to join the cast and company at The Renaissance Center. A graduate of Lees-McRae College in North Carolina, Jennifer earned both a Musical Theatre and Dance degree then pursued her career in the performing arts. Some regional performing credits include Anita in West Side Story, Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Guinevere in Camelot, Mrs. Anna in The King and I, Josephine In HMS Pinafore, Shelby in Steel Magnolias, Julie in Pizza Man, and touring in the title role of Pinocchio. When Jennifer is not performing, she enjoys the creative side of the arts such as directing and choreographing. Jennifer thanks her family, friends and God for all their love and support.
Holland Taylor
Holland Taylor has appeared in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre production of My Fair Lady, the Renaissance Players production of The Music Man (Marian Paroo) and the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of High School Musical on Stage (Sharpay), Alice in Wonderland (Alice) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania). Originally from Arkansas, Holland graduated from Southwest Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and then made the move to New York City, where she currently resides. She has worked with The Manhattan Children’s Theatre, Spirit Cruise Lines, three soap operas, Pilates on Fifth and most recently as a singing Christmas tree at Macy’s Department Store. Some of her favorite roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Peter in Peter Pan and Irene in Crazy for You.
Karley Willocks
Karley Willocks recently graduated from Shenandoah University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre. This is her debut performance at The Renaissance Center and she is thrilled to be here! Throughout her college experience, Karley appeared in Two Gentlemen of Verona as the Milkmaid, Cabaret as Lulu, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as Philia. She also performed with Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre as Urleen in Footloose and the Coroner in The Wizard of Oz. “Thanks for coming and enjoy the show! Peace and Love.”
Bryan J. Wlas
Bryan J. Wlas has appeared in Gaslight Dinner Theatre productions of My Fair Lady, Sanders Family Christmas, A Grand Night for Singing, Smoke on the Mountain, Anything Goes, Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash and Nuncrackers, and Mind Enriching Theatre productions of High School Musical on Stage, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, SNOOPY!!!, HONK!, Pinocchio and Bird Woman (The Story of Sacagewea). He has appeared in Renaissance Players productions of The Music Man, Children of Eden, Cats and Little Shop of Horrors, for which he won a Jimmy Award as Best Actor in a Musical. As resident choreographer for The Renaissance Center, he has worked on more than 20 productions. A native of Woodridge, Ill., Bryan is a graduate of Millikin University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and a Dance minor. Bryan’s choreography also has been seen at Bigfork Summer Playhouse in Montana, in Smokey Joe’s Café at Lees-McRae Summer Theatre in North Carolina, at Tweetsie Railroad, Bearcreek Farms Resort in Indiana and for the Millikin University Dance Concerts. As a performer he has traveled all over the country and Western Europe, performing in theme parks, on a cruise ship and at various regional theatres.
Tech Interns
Jenava Moreau
Jenava Moreau is a general tech and stage management intern with the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company. The Clarksville, Ark., resident is a senior at the University of the Ozarks when she has performed in, as well as been stage manager/properties master, for more than 10 productions, including The Shape of Things, Hedda Gabler and The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and worked in lighting, costuming and scenic construction for more than 20 university and Lago Vista Players productions in the past five years. She enjoys hiking, white-water canoeing, knitting, playing guitar, exploring the outdoors, singing and many other things.
Christina Griffin
Christina Griffin is a general tech and stage management intern with the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company. The Meridian, Miss., native received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from the University of Southern Mississippi. At USM she served as stage manager for productions of Our Town and Doubt: A Parable, receiving American College Theatre Festival Barbazon Award nominations, as well as Bacon Bits and Lovers and Madmen studio projects. She was assistant stage manager for Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage. With Southern Arena Theatre she served as assistant stage manager for The Voice of the Prairie and Shakespeare in Hollywood and was a member of the deck crew for Fallen Angels.