Cast Bios

Elise Allaway (Assistant Student Producer) is beyond excited to be a part of Mendham Players for her 4th show. Despite the obvious obstacles of this year, she is proud of everything the crew, production, and the cast have put together. She would also like to thank the production team for putting in their hard work and time into the lobby, this program and the poster. Elise specifically would like to thank the seniors for everything they have done in the past few years and wishes them luck.

Leah Berzak (Featured Dancer/Ensemble) is so excited to perform with Mendham Players for the third year! She was previously seen in Chicago and RENT, and performs with Treble Makers acapella. She would like to thank the amazing cast and crew!!

Allie Bishop (Fastrada) is happy to be back for her third show with Mendham Players this year! She is so excited that we are able to do the show and is looking forward to it. She would like to thank the cast and crew for this wonderful experience!!

Sophia Bulanov (Stage Manager) returns as a senior to the Mendham High School Stage. Sophia has been a part of backstage crew since Eurydice during her freshman year. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her and coming to see the shows.

Jared Cooper (Featured Dancer/Ensemble/Student Choreographer) returns as a sophomore to the Mendham High School stage. He was seen last spring as the ensemble in RENT. He is this year's student choreographer and is excited to be able to able to share his dance experience with the rest of the cast.

Mo de Poortere (Leading Player) is grateful to be having her 7th performance on the Mendham stage in this year’s production of PIPPIN! She was previously seen as Abby Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, Joanne in RENT, Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Mary Sunshine in Chicago, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, and Mrs. Mayor in Seussical. Mo also sings with the Jazz Ensemble, Mendham Voices, Perfect Fourths, and Treblemakers. She can’t wait for the audience to see all the hard work the cast, crew, and directors have put in, especially this year, and she is sad to be saying goodbye.

Lucas Falick (Charles/Assistant Student Director) is feeling, you know, pretty good about his sixth and final Mendham Players production, as well as his first without Brenden Elgarten. You may recognize him as MacBeth, Mark Cohen from RENT, and Mortimer Brewster from this year’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace. He also plays the saxophone and clarinet in the school’s Jazz and Wind Ensembles, and sings with Men in Black and Unaccompanied Minors. In his free time, Lucas enjoys driving his car in uncomfortable silence and running for Choir President.

Laurel Haynes (Assistant Student Producer) is excited to be a part of Pippin in her third year as part of the Mendham Players! She has been a part of the production team for the shows of MacBeth, Chicago, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, RENT, and Arsenic and Old Lace. She is ecstatic to be supporting the Players during these uncertain times and providing her skills on the production team!

Daniel Hellriegel (Featured Dancer/Ensemble/Student Director) is so excited for everyone to see Pippin! Previously, Daniel has directed three other shows and acted in RENT, Chicago, Macbeth, and Seussical. Outside of Mendham Players, he is the student director for Men in Black and Unaccompanied Minors, a Peer Leader, Peer Tutor, and plays piano. He will be attending Northeastern University and is so proud of all the hard work that everyone put into this production!

Catherine Herbes (Player/Ensemble) appears as a sophomore in her first production with the Mendham Players. She loves Shakespearean dramas, and Les Misérables is her favorite Broadway musical. She would like to thank Mr. Barthel, Mrs. Danner, the student directors, stage crew, and this year's seniors for making this a truly memorable experience.

Ann Hoye (Noble/Featured Dancer/Ensemble) is ecstatic to be returning to the stage with Mendham Players for Pippin! She was previously seen as Elaine Harper in Arsenic and Old Lace, Ensemble in RENT, the Flapper Ancestor in The Addams Family, and Adella in The Little Mermaid. When not performing, she enjoys dancing at Art of Dance and Broadway Bound Dance Center. Ann also sings with Ladies in Red and is a vocalist for the Jazz Band here at Mendham High School. She would like to thank the directors, cast, crew, and production for their hard work and her family for all of their love and support!

Elinor Hughes (Player/Ensemble/Assistant Student Director) is excited to return to the Mendham High School stage as a student director and part of the players. They could last been seen as a student director for the fall drama Arsenic and Old Lace along with her featured ensemble role in RENT. This is her second appearance in a Mendham Players musical production and they are delighted to continue working with the amazing cast and crew. Elinor can also be seen on the Mendham Competition Cheerleading team. She would like to thank Mr. Barthel, Mrs. Borkowski, production, the cast and crew, and most of all the other student directors for helping her learn how to be in a student leadership position. They hope everyone enjoys the show!

Olivia King (Player/Ensemble) debuts on the Mendham stage as a Player in Pippin. Her favorite show is Heathers and her favorite role was Scuttle from The Little Mermaid at BRMS. She would like to thank her friends and family for supporting her!

James Kociancic (Set Designer/Sound Engineer) is returning for his 6th show at Mendham High School and is honored to be a part of this years production of Pippin. He has been part of stage crew since freshman year, taking part as a Sound Engineer Shadow in freshman and sophomore year as well as Assistant Set Designer sophomore year. He would like to sincerely thank the cast, production team, and crew; none of this show would be possible without the countless hours the whole team put in.

Mason Lance (Lewis) feels bittersweet to be saying goodbye in his final performance with Mendham Players as Lewis. He has had an exciting career in high school theater including roles as The Cat in The Hat (Seussical), LeFou (Beauty and the Beast), and most recently as Dr. Einstein (Arsenic and Old Lace). This is Mason’s 10th production and he plans to be in much more as he leaves high school. He has also been a member of both after-school a cappella groups, Men in Black and Unaccompanied Minors. Mason wants to say thank you to everyone who has helped him along his journey. His cast mates, the crew, the directors, and above all his family, for always supporting his dreams. It has been one heck of a ride and Mason can’t wait to see where it goes next. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

Katelyn Liloia (Player/Ensemble) is making her first appearance in a Mendham Players production. Her favorite role she has ever performed was Rizzo in Grease. She would like to thank all of the cast, crew, and production leaders for making this amazing show possible.

Julia Martirano (Featured Dancer/Ensemble) joins Mendham Players this year as a freshman. Pippin is her first show at Mendham High School and she is excited to continue performing in the upcoming years.

Joseph McDonald (Featured Dancer/Ensemble) is very excited to be part of the Mendham Players’ presentation of Pippin as a freshman. Joseph made his debut in fifth grade in the MTMS rendition of High School Musical, found his love for acting, and has continued performing in school and Mayo Performing Arts Center productions. Joseph has performed as Hugo Peabody in Bye, Bye, Birdie, Ryan Evans in High School Musical, Ren MacCormack in Footloose, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, and Officer Klein in Arsenic and Old Lace. Joseph has also performed with the New Jersey Ballet’s Nutcracker as a Little Boy and Soldier. Outside of theater, Joseph enjoys sports, spending time with his friends, and making people laugh. Joseph had fun working with the entire cast and crew of Pippin and wishes them all congratulations on a great production!

Ryan Nelson (Player/Ensemble) returns this year as a sophomore to act in this year's production of Pippin. This is his second production with Mendham Players--they were last seen as an ensemble member in 2020's production of RENT. He would like to thank his fellow cast members and the directors for making this year's musical such an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Nathan Post (Featured Dancer/Ensemble) has been an icon of the Mendham arts programs for four years. He was a leading soloist in last year's production of RENT. He has been performing since he was 8 years old, appearing as a wise man in his church play. He also performed in Schoolhouse Rock, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods as the wolf, and in this year's fall drama, Arsenic and Old Lace, as Jonathan Brewster. He is so grateful for this wonderful and memorable experience.

Molly Rockwell (Catherine) is a freshman this year and she is very excited to join the Mendham Players. She would like to thank her family and her castmates for being so supportive throughout the rehearsal process and she can't wait to be in more productions in the future.

Luciano Rossi (Player/Ensemble) is an up-and-coming freshman approaching the High School theater. After the eighth-grade play was canceled, he came back strong as Officer Brophy in Arsenic and Old Lace (dynamically a duo with Joseph as Officer Klein). His favorite role to play was Ed Sullivan in his 6th grade first appearance. He would like to thank his friends and family for supporting him along the way.

Anjali Shah (Student Producer) is excited to be working on and carrying out her last ever Mendham Players show! She is beyond proud of all the work the Production Team has put into creating a beautiful lobby (both inside the school and out), poster, and online program. Anjali wishes everyone the best in their future endeavors with Mendham Players and cannot thank everyone enough for the most amazing four years; it truly is a family.

Chris Simon (Pippin) is extremely excited for his fifth show with Mendham Players! While Pippin is among his favorite roles, other favorites include Amos Hart (Chicago) and Barfeé (Spelling Bee). Pippin is his 20th show during his time in high school. He also performs a lot with the school as a member of Men in Black, Unaccompanied Minors, and Mendham Voices. He would like to thank his family for always being supportive of his pursuits both on and off stage, Mr. Barthel, Mrs. Danner, Ms. Borkowski, Ms. Sulich, Ms. Gillmett, and all the student directors for their amazing work getting the show together, and the Crew, Pit and Production teams for making the show as great as it could possibly be, as this show would be nowhere without all of them.

Nia Slayne (Berthe) is thrilled to be performing in her seventh and last Mendham Players production! She was last seen as Lieutenant Rooney in this year's fall production, Arsenic & Old Lace. Nia has had other roles such as Woman in Blanket (RENT), Henrietta Iscariot and Mary Magdalene (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot), Matron Mama Morton (Chicago), a Witch (Macbeth), and in the ensemble of Seussical her freshman year. Nia would like to thank Mrs. Borkowski, Mr. Barthel, fellow cast members, crew members, and the student leaders for making the production of Pippin possible. She is extremely fortunate to have been a part of Mendham Players for the past four years!

Genna Smith (Player/Ensemble) is ecstatic to make her return to the Mendham stage. She was last seen in our school's production of RENT last spring as an ensemble member. She would like to thank her friends and family for encouraging her, on stage and off.

Gianna Treiber (Player/Ensemble) premieres in her first performance at Mendham High School. She was last seen as Fiona (Shrek Jr.) and at 54 Below Cabaret in New York City. She would like to thank her family, cast, crew, and teachers!

Emily Wallace (Featured Dancer/Ensemble) premieres as a freshman in her first musical at Mendham High School. She was last seen as Fiona (Shrek) and was in Beauty and the Beast. She would like to thank everyone in the cast and crew for this wonderful experience!

Lindsey Waller (Featured Dancer/Ensemble) is immensely grateful to be performing with the Mendham Players once again this year as a featured dancer. She would like to express her appreciation and admiration towards all of the hard-working people that have made this show possible during these turbulent times, including but certainly not limited to our staff and student directors, our choreographers, the school janitorial staff, members of production, and crew, and of course, everyone in the cast. She hopes that for a moment, everyone in the audience can find an escape from reality in a journey that is exciting, mystic, and exotic.

Ava Weil (Player/Ensemble) is a senior and is so excited to be in this year's production of Pippin! This is Ava's 4th and final show with Mendham Players! She was last seen in RENT as a homeless person. Next year, Ava will be attending Indiana University and she will be majoring in Classical Vocal Performance with a minor in psychology! Ava is so excited about the show and will miss this program so much next year!!

Vivian Young (Theo) is thrilled to be back on the Mendham Players stage helping to present Pippin! Some of her past roles include Mr. Witherspoon in Arsenic and Old Lace, ensemble in Spring Awakening, and Mrs. Abernathy in Guys and Dolls. She is also the ensemble manager of Ladies in Red and is section leader of the school's Color Guard. She is extremely thankful to the directors, crew, production, pit, and her fellow cast for working so hard to put on this amazing show, and grateful for her mom's love and support!