JANNA LINAE (Cat Kid, Molly & Others) Janna is a dog person, but she’s simply jazzed to be back on tour as her favorite little kitty! TOURS: Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School (Junie B. Jones), James and the Giant Peach (Centipede/Aunt Sponge), Edward Tulane (Abilene). REGIONAL THEATRE: Sister Act (The MUNY); Kinky Boots, The Rocky Horror Show, Bright Star (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); Nunsense, Matilda (Great Plains Theatre); Little Women, Mary Poppins, Rabbit Hole (Festival 56). OCU Grad. For Mom, Dad, A&K, and Cole. You can keep up with Janna on Instagram: @jannalinae. Enjoy the show, y’all!
DAVID VANDYKE (Flippy & Others) is excited to be back on the road with TheaterWorksUSA as Flippy! He loves all things Star Wars and Pixar, and can usually be found with a guitar or a video game when he isn’t onstage. Other credits include Pete the Cat’s Big Hollywood Adventure (TheaterWorksUSA), RENT (Madison Theatre), and Into the Woods (Jean’s Playhouse). He has a BFA from CAP21 Conservatory. Lots of love to his brother, parents, and Karis. Website: david-vandyke.com
JIMMY HENDERSON (Kip & Others) Jimmy is beyond lucky to have the greatest job in the world: making kids laugh! Credits include Magic School Bus with TWUSA, Addams Family with Pickleville Playhouse, She Loves Me with Utah Festival Opera, Secret Garden with Hale Centre Theatre, Ordinary Days with Covey Center. He has a BFA from BYU. AEA since 2023. “For Bubbs and Wubbs. Your Uncle Chubbs loves you!” jimmyhendersonactor.com
JEREMY FUENTES (Melvin & Others, he/him) is SUPA excited to be joining the North American Tour of Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical! Originally an understudy for the Off-Broadway debut, Jeremy is very grateful to be stepping into the shoes of Melvin. He wants to thank his friends and family for being so supportive and the TheaterWorksUSA team for their amazing work on this production. @jeremyxfuentes
DIAMOND DESTINY (Naomi & Others) Diamond is very blessed to be joining TheaterWorksUSA’s production of Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical. Her passion for acting began at seven years old. Thus, playing the hilarious, energetic, big hearted tadpole NAOMI for children and families across North America is a dream come true. Having graduated with her BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Diamond is a trained musical theatre and film actress. Aside from acting she enjoys creating encouraging content on social media and spending time with her family and friends. Diamond is grateful to Jesus Christ for the opportunity to share such a fun, uplifting story with you. She hopes you enjoy it as much as she enjoys playing NAOMI THE GREAT! Instagram: @_diamondestiny_
SAVANNAH TROTTER (Starla, Poppy & Others; she/her) is supa excited to keep this party going on her second (now international!) tour with Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical! Other recent credits include: Janet in The Magic School Bus: Lost In the Solar System (Nat’l tour, TWUSA); Harry Potter: A Yule Ball Celebration (Fever/Warner Bros). Originally from Des Moines, IA / Normal, IL, Savannah received her BFA in Musical Theatre from CAP21/Molloy in NYC. Savannah would like to thank her parents for their endless love and support, and TWUSA for bringing theatre to kiddos all over North America. IG: @savannah_trotter
LESLIE BAEZ (Swing for Cat Kid, Naomi, Starla) is a 22-year-old actor, singer, and dancer from New Jersey. She is thrilled and grateful to be a part of this fun-loving and expressive production. Some of her previous credits include Seussical (Bird Girl), Men on Boats (Old Shady), Rebel Genius (Elza), and Coming Out! A New Musical (Ensemble/Amy Understudy). She has also participated in concerts such as Follies at Carnegie Hall and Leslie Baez's Musical Odyssey at 54 Below. Leslie would like to extend her heartfelt thanks to the cast and team for this incredible experience. She is immensely thankful for the opportunity and hopes you enjoy the show! Instagram: @lesliebxez
TROI LENNOXX GAINES (Swing for Melvin, Flippy, Kip, & Others) is absolutely thrilled to be aboard the Cat Kid Comic Club tour! Brought up in Newark, New Jersey, Troi gained a love for theatre and both the dedication and appreciation it required to flourish very early on. When he was 11, he joined Kinky Boots' first national tour and quickly realized that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Now, he gets to do it again-new family, new places, new material-and he's just thrilled! Troi thanks his mother, Janine Gaines, his father, Lawrence Gaines, and Janeece Freeman Clark, his mentor.
COLTON ROBERTSON (Stage Manager) is a Brooklyn-based AEA Stage Manager and theatre artist. He has worked on numerous musicals, plays, and symphonies across the country. Colton has a passion for bringing new works to life, with recent credits including Shadows (Soul Project), Rough Trade (Showtown Theatricals), How to Live (LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture), and A White Man’s Guide to Rikers Island (Without a Net Productions). This marks his fourth production with TheaterWorksUSA, having also toured nationally with El Otro Oz, Junie B. Jones, and Dot Dot Dot. Colton has collaborated with EST/Sloan Foundation, Amoralist Theatre Company, and more.
CONNOR DORAN (Tour Music Direction) is a NYC based music director, conductor, and pianist who has conducted ensembles nationally and internationally. Current Music Director: Rise: The Musical. Previously MD/Conductor for (respectively): The Jimmy Awards; Pittsburgh CLO; TheaterWorksUSA; The Gene Kelly Awards; Ad Astra Music Festival; Scranton Shakespeare Festival; United Nations International School; BroadwayVox Studios. B.S. in Music Education, Duquesne University; M.M. in Conducting, Eastman School of Music. Much love to Mom, Ryan, Sarah, Nana, Pap, WW, and to all the mentors, teachers, and friends that have guided his life and career. @cdoranmusic
JENN CAPRIO (Costume Design) Broadway: Heart of Rock and Roll, Spamalot (2023 Revival), Falsettos, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. National/International: Falsettos, Joseph…, The Lion (West End/US Tour), …Spelling Bee (US Tours) and various rock revues. New York: City Center Encores!, Audible/Minetta Lane, Second Stage, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout, Primary Stages, Cherry Lane, LaMama, ETC and others. TV: Falsettos (PBS Great Performances) Sesame Street (seasons 47-54), The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (Seasons 1-2) Manhunt (Apple TV+) and Tiny Time Travel (PBS/YouTube). 2019, 2020, & 2021 Daytime Emmy Nomination, 2020 Daytime Emmy Winner for Sesame Street. jencaprio.com Instagram: @jencapriocostumedesign
DAVID LANDER (Lighting Design) is very excited to illuminate Dav Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club and present it to audiences all over the USA and Canada. Other shows David has illuminated for TheaterWorksUSA are Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man: The Musical, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, The Pout Pout Fish, Pete The Cat, and The Civil War.
CAMERON ANDERSON (Scenic Design) is an internationally acclaimed scenic and projection designer working at the world's leading theatre and opera companies. Recent projects: Popstar Charlie Puth's National Tour, world premiere opera RUR: A Torrent of Light (Tapestry Opera, Toronto), West Side Story (Kilden Performing Arts Center, Norway), Simon Boccanegra (Teatro Colon, Argentina), Byhalia Mississippi (The Kennedy Center), Leonora (Chicago Opera Theater) The Niceties (Manhattan Theatre Club), Yerma, Becoming Cuba, and Sweat (Huntington Theater), Fille du Regiment (Opera Saratoga). Select Off-Broadway credits include Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights' Horizons, LAByrinth Theater Company, Ars Nova, and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Select opera credits include Glimmerglass Festival, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, and Central City Opera. cameronanderson.net
EMMAROSE CAMPBELL (Props Supervisor) is a NYC-based prop designer and performer. Recent designer credits include On Your Feet! (2022-23 Nat’l Tour), Merry Wives of Windsor (American Shakespeare Company), and A Charlie Brown Christmas Live (2021 and 2022 Nat’l Tours). She currently holds a BFA in Theatre and minor in Dance from Emerson College (Class of ‘19). She would like to thank espresso and glue guns for getting her here. insta:@emmarosegcampbell emmarosegcampbell.com
SARA ANDREAS (Associate Director/Choreographer) is thrilled to be working with TheaterWorksUSA. Choreography/Associate Choreography and Directing Credits: The Goodbye Girl (Off-Broadway/Theater Row) Legally Blonde (2nd National Tour), Catch Me If You Can (National Tour), Kinky Boots (PCLO & Hangar Theatre), Spelling Bee, Spring Awakening (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), Triple Threat (Indie Film). Performing Credits, Broadway/National Tours: Escape To Margaritaville, Catch Me If You Can, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rock of Ages, Anything Goes, Addams Family, Legally Blonde. Thank you to Marlo and to the loves of her life, Mikey, Bowie, and Sadie.
MARLO HUNTER (Director & Choreographer) is a theatre & film director. Winner of the Callaway Award and a “2022 Woman to Watch on Broadway." Recent theatre: Director/Choreographer, Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical (Off-Broadway, NY Times Critic’s Pick), Director, Alex Wyse’s Picking Up Speed (Off-Broadway); Director, Ever After (workshops in NYC, Discovering Broadway). Marlo made her feature film directorial debut with American Reject in 2022 (Amazon and Apple+). Recent film: Director, Trivia at St. Nick’s (Hallmark-2024); Director, Mystic Christmas (Hallmark-2023). Upcoming: Director/Choreographer of A Hanukkah Carol, or Gelt Trip! The Musical at Round House Theatre in DC (Fall 2024, World Premiere). Princeton University. marlohunter.com
KEVIN DEL AGUILA (Book & Lyrics, he/him) is a multi-Emmy-winning writer and Tony-nominated performer whose musical adaptations include Dog Man, Cat Kid Comic Club, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, and DreamWorks’ Madagascar. He’s the book-writer of the off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz (Outer Critics Award), and lyricist of Click Clack Moo (Lortel and Drama Desk Award noms) as well as songs featured in the Disney movie Strange World. Kevin has written for numerous children’s TV shows, including Peg + Cat (PBS), Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant (Netflix), and as head writer of Blue’s Clues & You (Nick Jr). Children everywhere have heard Kevin’s voice as a Troll in the Disney movie Frozen.
BRAD ALEXANDER (Music, he/him). Theatre: See Rock City & Other Destinations (Richard Rodgers Award; Jerry Bock Award, and Drama Desk winner); TheaterWorksUSA’s Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical; Click, Clack, Moo (Drama Desk, Lortel nom); Martha Speaks; Just So Stories; and contributing composer for We The People: America Rocks! (Lortel nom). TV: Peg + Cat (Emmy winner), Clifford The Big Red Dog, and VH1. Current projects: Misty Makes It Better and Bread & Roses, based on the film by Ken Loach and Paul Laverty. Member: NAMT, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, and BMI Workshop. bradalexander.com
DAV PILKEY (Author/Illustrator). When Dav Pilkey was a kid, he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hallway where he spent his time creating his own original comic books—the very first adventures of Dog Man and Captain Underpants. The globally bestselling Dog Man series has more than 60 million copies in print and translations in 47 languages. Cat Kid Comic Club is a pioneering graphic novel series that introduces kids to the art of comic making. Dav received a Caldecott Honor for his picture book The Paperboy. His stories are semi-autobiographical and celebrate friendship, empathy, and the triumph of the good-hearted. The publication of Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (December 3, 2024) will mark 38 years of Dav creating acclaimed books for children. A Dog Man movie from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures will be in theatres worldwide in January 2025.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION (“Equity"), founded in 1913, is the U.S. 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
THE STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY (SDC), founded in 1959, is the theatrical labor union that unites, empowers, and protects professional stage Directors and Choreographers throughout the United States. SDC’s mission is to foster a national community of professional stage Directors and Choreographers by protecting the rights, health, and livelihoods of all its Members. SDC seeks to facilitate the exchange of ideas, information, and opportunities while educating current and future generations about the role of Directors and Choreographers and providing effective administration, negotiations, and contractual support for over 2,000 Full Members and over 1,000 Associate Members.
THEATERWORKSUSA has led the Theater for Young and Family Audiences movement in New York City and across North America for over half a century. At TWUSA, we believe that access to art—and theater, in particular—is vital for our youth. Since 1961, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit has captured the imaginations of 100 million new and veteran theatergoers with an award-winning repertoire of over 140 original plays and musicals. Acclaimed alumni include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Disney’s Frozen), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Jerry Zaks (The Music Man), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen), Miguel Cervantes (Hamilton), Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America), and Chuck Cooper (Tony Award-winning actor Jack O’Brien, The Life). TWUSA.ORG
CENTER THEATRE GROUP
SNEHAL DESAI (Artistic Director, he/him) was appointed Center Theatre Group’s third artistic director in 2023. As an artistic leader, Snehal has sought to raise awareness on social issues that affect Angelenos through impactful and empowering storytelling. Previously, he was the Producing Artistic Director of East West Players. A Soros Fellow and the recipient of a Tanne Award, Snehal was the Inaugural Recipient of the Drama League’s Classical Directing Fellowship. He has served on the boards of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (Caata), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and currently serves on the board of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT). Snehal was on the faculty of USC’s graduate program in Arts Leadership and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
MEGHAN PRESSMAN (Managing Director/CEO, she/her) joined Center Theatre Group in 2019. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (D.C.), Director of Development for Signature Theatre (N.Y.), and Associate Managing Director of Berkeley Rep. She is a graduate of Yale School of Drama/Yale School of Management and serves as a mentor in the Theater Management program. Meghan has served as the Vice-Chair for the Theatre Communications Group Board of Directors and is a member of the Broadway League.
GORDON DAVIDSON (Founding Artistic Director) led the Taper throughout its first 38 seasons, guiding over 300 productions to its stage and winning countless awards for himself and the theatre—including the Tony Award for theatrical excellence, Margo Jones Award, The Governor’s Award for the Arts, and a Guggenheim fellowship. The Kentucky Cycle and Angels in America (Part One) won the Pulitzer in consecutive years and, in 1994, three of the four plays nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play were from the Taper (Angels in America won). In 1989, Gordon took over the Ahmanson and, in 2004, he produced the inaugural season in the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
Nausica Stergiou (General Manager) has worked supporting artists in theatres of all shapes, sizes, and locales including Center Theatre Group as General Manager and, previously, as Audience Development Director. She oversees productions at the Taper and Douglas, as well as new play commissions and developmental productions. Nausica has taught Marketing and Management at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and works with local nonprofits including Hollywood Orchard. BA, Cornell University. MFA, Yale School of Drama.
DOUGLAS C. BAKER (Producing Director, he/him) League, the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), and is a proud member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM). In 2013, Doug received the Broadway League’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management Award.
CENTER THEATRE GROUP one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading not-for-profit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Center Theatre Group is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, Center Theatre Group has produced more than 700 productions across its three stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CenterTheatreGroup.org