CAST

Lucas Alifano (Saunders) is an actor known for his roles in “Detention” (2011), “Ghost Whisperer:” “The Other Side” (2007), and “The Lost Coast” (2008). He also played Scotty in the play Family Fries, a character who cares for his sick father after losing his mother in a fire. Alifano is also active on “Cameo,” where he creates personalized videos for fans, including birthday messages and motivational pep talks. Fans appreciate his unique charm and how he often laughs at his own jokes. 

Megan Andrews (Mrs. Merton) is a lifetime member of The Actors’ Studio. In 1990 she was Mallory Pike in the television adaptation of “The Baby-Sitters Club,”which ran for 13 episodes. In 1991 she played Beauty Weed in “Flesh ‘n’ Blood.” Andrews was Thelma in the off-Broadway production of The Trip to Bountiful, for which she was nominated for a 2006 Lucille Lortel Award. She later returned to this role for the 2008 production in Chicago. She appeared in a 2019 production of Ladies as Lady Elizabeth Montaguand, depicted Kate Middleton in the 2017 production of King Charles III at Pasadena Playhouse; The Los Angeles Times praised her for not portraying the character as an outright villain and stated that, while Andrews humanized the character, it did come “at the cost of some theatrical crackle”.

Victoria Atkin (Lady Clementina) is a British actress known for her work in television, film, and especially in video games, where she is a prominent voice and performance capture artist. Her most notable roles include the transgender teen Jason Costello in the British soap opera “Hollyoaks” and Evie Frye in the video game “Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate.”

Aaron Camitses (Ensemble) is an actor and singer based in Los Angeles. He graduated from AMDA in 2020 and has also studied Meisner at Playhouse West. When not doing musical theatre, Aaron is a stuntman and fight coordinator for both film and theatre. He is certified in 6 different weapons. This past summer, he just finished a run of the musical Frozen. Many blessings and love to his family, friends, and teachers. To my Valerie Ann, thank you. Other Theatre credits: Into the Woods, Oliver!, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan. A Comedy of Errors, The Pajama Game, Ghost: The Musical, Fame, Merrily We Roll Along, and Once Upon a Mattress. @aaroncamitses

Travis Joe Dixon (Sir Thomas, Reggie, Rolph) FAVORITE THINGS:: dogs, brain games, editing. STAGE: roller-skating Snoopy in Charlie Brown, tap dancing Swan in Cannibal: The Musical, flailing Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened….and Balladeer, Guiteau and Byck in Assassins (same show, different night.) TELEVISION: profiling on Snowfall, policing on The Rookie, crying on NCIS: Origins, and flashing on True Blood. INTERESTING FACT: paid for college loans by winning Wipeout. GREATESTACHIEVEMENT: Landing his wife, Rachel. www.TravisJoeDixon.com.”

Cole Kenyon (Ensemble) is very excited to have been a part of the staged reading of Sunday After Next. He’s currently a 3rd year BFA Musical Theatre student at the University of Southern California. Previously, he attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Massachusetts, where he majored in Theatre. Favorite credits include Legally Blonde (Kyle), Something Rotten! (Brother Jeremiah), Mean Girls (Damian), and Rent (Ensemble). Cole would like to thank his family and friends for supporting his passion for the arts! Instagram – @Colekenyonn

Mandy Lopez (Ensemble)

Isabelle McCalla (Sybil) is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in Broadway musicals such as The Prom, Aladdin, Shucked, and Water for Elephants. Born in Queens, New York, she began performing as a teenager, and went on to study at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. McCalla made her Broadway debut in the Atlanta premiere of the musical The Prom. She went on to reprise her role in the Broadway production of the show in 2018 and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She appeared as Princess Jasmine in the Broadway musical Aladdin. In 2023, McCalla starred as Maizy in the Broadway musical Shucked. McCalla is also known for her activism and her work to promote diversity and inclusion in the theater world. She is a role model for aspiring actors and actresses everywhere.

Craig McEldowney (Herr Winckelkopf, The Dean, Billy The Barman) is an actor/musician based in Los Angeles. Previous Ventura County appearances include Return The The Forbidden Planet (Bosun) and Sweeney Todd (Beadle). Other SoCal appearances include Peter and The Starcatcher (Black Stache), Show Boat (Ravenal). TV: “Fameless”, “Law & Order: SVU”, and the musical season 9 finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” directed by Susan Stroman. Craig is a proud AEA member and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Department of Musical Theatre.

Roland Rusinek (Mr. Podgers, Gunther) is a Southern California-born actor and singer known for his extensive career in theater, film, and television. He is a seasoned Broadway performer with additional credits at esteemed venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Rusinek has performed in many Broadway and regional productions. He was a long-time member of the Broadway and Toronto companies of The Phantom of the Operadirected by Hal Prince. He performed in nine different productions of the Sondheim classic Sweeney Todd, including a New York City Opera staging, also directed by Hal Prince. Rusinek was in the national tour of The Addams Family, as well as a replacement in the Broadway cast of Kiss Me, Kate. Locally, Roland appeared in the 2017 production of Man of La Mancha: at the La Mirada Theatre.

Clarke Thorell (Lord Arthur Saville) Professional Actor, Singer, Musician, amateur Yogi, Meditator, Humanitarian, Seeker, multi-passionate multi-hyphenate, Clarke works/plays in Television, Film, Broadway, Off-Broadway, Concerts, Voiceover, session recording, and sound healing. Highlights include performing the role of Henry Higgins in the Broadway revival of My Fair Lady, originating the role of Corny Collins in the Broadway company of Hairspray, playing four-year-old British girl, Cathy, in Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine, and “Russ”, of fictional Australian toddler-pop band, The Woggels, on TVs ”30 Rock”. On the Bucket List, Clarke dreams of becoming the next official voice of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck.

Frank Todaro (Igor Ivanovich, Dr. Smythson, and others) is an L.A. based voice actor & actor. He also hosts radio programs & live events. Through voice-overs, he has sought reign over the Decepticons as the treacherous Starscream in several Transformers animated series & video games. He has tried reigning in his more adventurous brother as Mugman in “The Cuphead Show!” (2022). He provides creature sounds for various TV shows, movies & games in addition to performing on stage & behind it as a puppeteer in his native NYC.

Calista Zajac (Ensemble) is excited to be part of Sunday After Next with New Art City Theater. A 2023 Jimmy Award nominee and current B.F.A. Musical Theater student at the University of Southern California, Calista has appeared regionally in Something Rotten! (Beck Center for the Arts), Dance Nation and The Nether (Dobama Theatre), and Jane Eyre (New City Music Theatre). At USC, she has performed in Bat Boy: The Musical (Shelley Parker) and She Loves Me (Ensemble, Amalia u/s) and is a member of the award-winning SoCal VoCals. She was recently seen as Catherine Parr in Six: The Musical in Concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Calista is grateful to be part of developing this exciting new work and thanks Kirby and Beverly Ward for the opportunity.

STAFF

Kirby Ward (Director/Co-Producing Executive & Artistic Director)
Mr. Ward is an international actor, writer, director and choreographer. Kirby was the original Bobby Child in the West End premier of Crazy For You, a performance that garnered him an Olivier Award nomination, an album, and a chance to meet the Queen. He oversaw both the Korean Premiere of the show and at the Academy of Drama in Beijing, China. Some of his writing credits include the American TV show “Wake Rattle & Roll” and the cartoon show “Monster Tails.” He’s a co-creator of the stage musical The Gypsy King, which was presented at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington in 2010. His original short film, “Down in the Mouth,” which he wrote, directed and edited, received the Best Short Film award at the Kent Film Festival in Connecticut and was featured in four other national and international film festivals including the Los Angeles Shorts film festival in 2007. Broadway credits include Show Boat, Woman of the Year and Never Gonna Dance. He’s helmed theatre events on four continents and has directed and choreographed large and small scale stage productions of She Loves Me (L.A. Times Critic’s Pick), Grease, Singin’ In The Rain, Big River (San Diego Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, L.A. Times Critic’s Pick), Little Shop of Horrors, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Fiddler on the Roof, Sugar Babies, Dames At Sea, Crazy For You, Me & My Girl, and Return to the Forbidden Planet, to name a few.

Beverly Ward (Director, NACT Co-Producing Executive/Artistic Director)
Bev fell in love with the performing arts as a child. By the time she was eighteen she was working with Anne Miller and Mickey Rooney in the National Tour of Sugar Babies. She has collaborated with husband Kirby Ward on multiple directorial projects and together they’ve written three musicals. Their latest effort, an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, is in development and has been presented in the West End as part of the Page To Stage Festival, at The Festival of New Musicals in Issaquah, WA., The York Theatre in NYC and at the Wilton Playshop. Over the last four decades, Bev has appeared on and Off-Broadway, in numerous National Tours, and has sung with renowned musicians and orchestras all across America. You’ll find her first EP, Bev’s Noble House Of Pancake, featuring her original music, on iTunes. By special request from the Gershwin Estate, she and husband Kirby were invited to guest star with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and she has performed for British Royalty, as well as First Ladies Hilary Clinton and Laura Bush. Bev is also a visual artist and has had several showings of her work in and around New England.

Anthony Lucca (Music Director) develops and music directs new works for theatre and film. World premieres include Mutt House (Kirk Douglas Theater), Cult of Love (IAMA Theatre Company), “Into Light” (short-film) and varying workshop productions of new musical theatre in Los Angeles and New York City. He was the music director for the world premiere of Bronco Billy for the Skylight Theatre Company. Comfortable as either a piano-conductor or baton-conductor, he recently music directed productions of She Loves Me (Actor’s Co-Op), Calvin Berger (Standing Room Only), Honeymoon In Vegas (Musical Theatre Guild) during 2018. He also guest music directs and conducts for performing arts grade schools and colleges in both Los Angeles and New England. As a guest artist, he has worked with middle school, high school students, as well as collegiate.

Gabi Baltzell (Stage Manager) recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning her
BA in Theatre and Film & Media Studies, with a concentration in Directing. Gabi worked as Assistant Stage Manager for Rubicon Theatre’s productions of Bonnie & Clyde and Once. She was also the Backstage Manager for their productions of Constellations and Crazy Mama. She is also currently serving as the Production Manager for the short film “Signs of a Dying Relationship.” She is also directing the one-woman show 2.5 Minute Ride in collaboration with the New and Reimagined Works Initiative. After graduation, Gabi expanded her experience as an Assistant Director with the Prague Shakespeare Company, contributing to an adaptation of Macbeth. She is thrilled to work with New Art City Theatre and collaborate with an inspiring group of artists. gabibaltzell.com

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION

Founded in 1913, Actors’ Equity Association is the US labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks

A SPECIAL THANKS

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Our sincerest thanks to the generous donors who support NACT

(For donations between 6/15/2024 and 6/15/2025)

$25,000 and up

Mary Ann Cohen
John Hammer
Barbara Meister
Jean Stockard Wood and Walt Wood

$10,000 – $24,999

Loretta and Mike Merewether
The Wilson Family Fund at VCCF

$5,000 – $9,999

Betsy Blanchard Chess
Crowne Plaza Ventura
Hofer Properties/Ventura Auto-Mall
William Kearney
Anne Paul King
Sandy and Neal Lassila
The Museum of Ventura County
Judy Russo
Becky and Steven Snyder
Kristin and Richard Taylor
Susan Van Abel

$1,000 – $4,999

Donna Burger
The Caplin Foundation
Freddie Contarino
Laura Dekkers
Judith and Mark Fleischman
Julius Gius Memorial Rotary Foundation
Julia and Walt Hamann
Ruth Hemming
Alise and Tom Ivey
Mary and David Kerrigan
Montecito Bank & Trust
Lane Stalbird
Keri Starbuck
The Ventura Music Festival
Ventura Music Hall LLC
Ventura Spirits

$500 – $999

Joan Aronson
Stacey and Bill Ayub
Penny Barnds
Mary Kay Doubek
Downtown Ventura Partners
Hilford Moving & Storage
Kathie Hira
Mady Julian
Stuart McDaniel
Judy Moore
Sally and Tom Mueller
Myers, Widder, Gibson, Jones & Feingold
Karen Nelson
Sally Struthers

$250 – $499

Indy Batra
Jennifer Berger
Kathy Brombacher
Trina Horner
Lois and Roy Fischman
Judy Moore
Tim Snowber and Robin Wallace
Ventura County Community Foundation

Up to $249

Judy and Joel Adelman
Ann Bardo
Nicole Burton
Ivor Davis
Lorelle Dawes
Jodi Farrell
Rebecca Fox
Kathy Frye
Carol Garramone
Lynn and Al Geller
Carole Gonzalez
Tammy Heithoff
Jodi Kimura
Kate Lipson
Marilyn MacCrakin
Patricia Lathrop-McPherson
Kate Lipson
Marilyn MacCrakin
Marilyn Miravete-Smith
Karen Nelson
Linda Ochoa
Madeline Orourke
Gene Pitman
Jone Pence
Adryan Russ
Sarah Safford
Mary Saputo
Melissa Torre
S. Blake Wade
Judy Warner
Daniel Will-Harris
Margi and Greg Wray

If you believe your name should be on this list and do not see it, please reach out to bward@newartcitytheatre.org.

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A Word in Support of The Arts

We want to acknowledge the professional performing arts organizations on the Central Coast that have paved the way for emerging companies like New Art City Theatre; 5-Star Theatricals, Ensemble Theater Company, Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, New West Symphony, The Ojai Music Festival, Rubicon Theatre Company, and The Ventura Music Festival. If you don’t yet support these fine groups, we encourage you to find them online and buy a ticket to see their work!