The Cast & Production Team of 

Dragons Love Tacos!

MEET THE CAST

Ellie Hendon (Leroy) is excited to be onstage for the very first time with the Spartanburg Youth Theatre. She is a 3rd grader whose favorite subjects are art and P.E. Ellie hopes this will be the first of many shows with SYT. She would like to say thank you to her amazing family for encouraging her and supporting her onstage and off!

Ava Hisker (Red Dragon) is so excited to be doing another production with SYT! Ava was last seen in SYT’s production of Annie Jr. and as Charlotte in Charlotte Web. Ava is so thankful for all the support of her closest friends and family, and for the support given to her at SYT!

Gloriana Howard (Kid in Suit) is ecstatic to be back onstage. Some of her favorite roles include Sally in Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, Summer Hathaway in School of Rock, and Alice in Alice in Wonderland. She would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support, and the amazing SYT staff that made this experience possible. A special thanks to Connor, Mary, and Adam for bringing her into the SYT family.

Wren Padgett (Blue Dragon) is excited to be back on stage with her SYT friends. Her previous SYT productions include Annie Jr. (Pepper), Alice in Wonderland (March Hare), and Elf the Musical Jr. (Ensemble). Wren attends Pine Street Elementary School and enjoys piano, hiking and Legos. Wren would like to thank her family and friends for showing up and cheering loudly!

Ali Claire Pingley (Yellow Dragon) is excited to be back on stage in her fifth SYT production. Past performances at SYT have included Fern in Charlotte's Web, Mock Turtle in Alice in Wonderland, and Thing 2 in Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat.  Ali Claire is a 5th grade student at Pine Street Elementary.  She would like to thank her family for their never-ending love and support.

Selah Rodriguez (Girl) is very excited about her first performance with the Spartanburg Youth Theatre. She's a 5th grader at Woodland Heights Elementary School where she has participated in class programs each year. You can always find Selah with her nose in a book. She also loves to write and hopes that one of her own scripts will be performed one day.

Isabella Scott (Kid in Suit) is a 9th grade homeschooler who enjoys reading, history, music, and theatre. Bella has crewed 5 shows at SYT and is thrilled to make her stage debut with Dragons Love Tacos! She wants to thank the entire production team for this amazing opportunity, and she hopes you all enjoy the show!

Hannah Winkler (White Dragon) is excited to be performing in her second SYT production. She was previously seen as the Frog Footman in Alice in Wonderland. Hannah is in the 6th grade at Dawkins Middle School. She would like to thank Connor for the opportunity and her family for their support.

MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM

CONNOR VETTER (Director) is a Spartanburg-based theatre artist. Selected directing credits include Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! (South Carolina Children's Theatre), To Kill a Mockingbird (Spartanburg Little Theatre), and the upcoming production of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Centre Stage). Connor is immensely thankful to SYT, her cast, her crew, and her production team for helping bring this fantastical, wondrous calamity to the stage. 

ADAM SANDERS (SYT DIRECTOR) grew up with SYT and loves directing the program that helped shape him! He has been the SYT Director since 2015, and previously taught and directed at the SC Children’s Theatre in Greenville, SC. Adam has directed many productions including Godspell Jr., Disney’s Freaky Friday the Musical, Elf the Musical Jr., Disney’s Aladdin Jr., Mamma Mia! (SLT), Seussical Jr., and many more. He’d like to thank his beautiful wife, Kelsey, for loving him and being his biggest fan. Galatians 2:20.

ASHLEY CRANE (ASSISTANT DIRECTOR) is thrilled to be back at SYT where she grew up performing. After graduating from Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Cinema/TV program and working with SYT to launch screen acting classes, Ashley moved to NYC to work with industry leading acting coaches Denise Simon, Penny Templeton, Bob Marks, T. Schreiber, and ReelArc! Ashley’s clients have worked on- and off- Broadway, gone on National Tours, and worked on shows like John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch, Saturday Night Live, I Am Frankie, Victorious, Grey's Anatomy, and more! She is thrilled to be back in Spartanburg teaching at SYT, Artios Academies, Velos Collective, and at colleges and universities in the area. She is extremely excited to be part of this production and incredibly proud of the hard work that the production team, cast, and crew have put into this magical, taco-filled adventure!

MARY THALASSINOS (CHOREOGRAPHER) is so excited to bring this story to the stage! She is a Spartanburg native and Wofford College graduate. Aside from teaching classes and camps with SYT, she also works on productions in many ways including choreographing, sound designing, and assistant directing. Her work was last featured in Annie Jr. which she choreographed. Mary is so lucky to call SYT her creative home and is thankful for all of the opportunities and relationships the program has given her. She dedicates this show to her sister, Morgan, and thanks her family for their endless love and support. 

DAVID “KW” KENWORTHY (SCENIC DESIGNER) is excited to design his first show with SYT. He has been the Technical Director for Wofford Theater for the past 5 years. Prior to moving to SC, he taught theatrical design at Oklahoma Baptist University for 6 years. KW has worked in professional and academic theatre for the past 25 years, including working for Walt Disney World, touring with Broadway shows and big-name music groups. He has designed sets and lights for many shows including, The Addams Family the Musical, The Music Man, Once Upon a Mattress, Radium Girls, and others. KW holds a BA in technical theatre and play writing from Chico State University and an MFA in scenography from Humboldt State University.

SISSY BECK (COSTUME DESIGNER) lives in Fountain Inn, SC with her husband Louis. She has costumed for several theaters around the Upstate. She received SC Theatre Association’s award for Best Costume Design for Community Theater for her work on Robin Hood and Of Mice and Men at Mill Town Players in Pelzer. She truly believes that theatre can change a child's life and is so thrilled to be a part of this production team.

 JADE ALFORD (PROPERTIES MASTER) is thrilled to be working with the Spartanburg Youth Theatre. She has a BFA in musical theatre from Limestone College. She previously did prop design for Annie Jr. and assisted with scenic painting for Charlottes Web, Annie Jr. and Disney’s Newsies Jr. She would like to thank Adam for giving her the opportunity to design props for this fantastic show!