Cast

In honour of playing a character named Stanford, Abi asked our director Stanford to write her bio:

Abi is the queen of slay. One morning she woke up and was like “I’m gonna slay

today”, and she never stopped slaying. 

This Merfolk lady in a lake was like, “damn gurl take this cool sword” but Abi was all “nah I’m already slaying enough”.

When not too busy slaying, Abi looks after a farmyard of foster animals, makes quirky earrings, and plays DnD. She has stopped counting how many Footlights shows she has been involved in, as arithmetic is not among her many strengths.

This is Alex’s second big production of 2023, having performed with Footlights in the NZ premiere of 35mm: A Musical Exhibition earlier this year. Back in 2019 he starred in Bare: A Pop Opera (Stagecraft Theatre) and Four Nights in the Green Barrow Pub (Red Scare Theatre Company). He also featured in Spring Awakening (WITCH Music Theatre) and If/Then (Wellington Footlights Society) in 2018.

Alex is known for riffing at musically inappropriate times, unsolicited dabbing, and rapid rate of meme production. When he's not belting his heart out on stage, Alex can be found capturing the streets with a film camera, lifting weights at CityFitness, or silently screaming to his teammates during games of League of Legends.

Introducing Chris as Jimmy Ray Dobbs, a true embodiment of the heart and soul of the rural South. With a voice that resonates with the echoes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Jimmy Ray is a character whose roots run deep in the rich tapestry of Appalachian life. As he grapples with the complexities of love, loss, and the unyielding spirit of his community, Chris brings an authentic and captivating performance to the stage. Join us as he weaves his melodic storytelling into the heartwarming narrative of 'Bright Star,' where love and music unite to light up the world with the brilliance of a true star.

~ ChatGPT

Cassandra is a performer, playwright, director and producer, and the artistic director of Red Scare Theatre Company. Her favourite previous Footlights roles include Elizabeth in If/Then, Mimi in RENT and Marta in Company, as well as originating the role of Ana in Flatline with Two Sugars. When not at rehearsal, Cassandra is working towards a PhD in Creative Writing and she will tell you all about it in great detail if you’re unfortunate enough to ask her any questions. Cassandra accrues new hobbies at an alarming pace and is writing this bio sitting across from the violin she just ordered off TradeMe, inspired by the bluegrass fiddle music from this play.

Corey is delighted to be jumping into his third show with Wellington Footlights, previously starring as ‘naked man at Laundry’ in Soho Cinders and part of a family double act (with his sister Kirsty) in Speakeasy. In this show Corey will be keeping his pants on, but carrying on the tradition of playing against his sister, who is performing as Lucy. 

Corey has already trodden the boards this year taking part in a sell out season of Wicked at the St. James. This was an incredible experience reminding him of the intensity of working as a singer-dancer on Cruise Ships, which he did for seven years.  He did change pace to stick at sea as a Cruise Director for five more years. Less high kicks and jumping into splits. 

Musical Theatre has been a big part of Corey’s life, whether while studying a degree in Biochemistry at Otago, a diploma in Circus Arts at Canterbury or living in London on a dime. In his Te Whanganui-a-Tara era he is delighted to keep the flame burning with Wellington Footlights. Big love to his partner  Martin for his support for all Corey’s  acting shenanigans this year.

Emerson completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics earlier this year, being motivated by silly things like 'job prospects' and 'paying rent' rather than love for the arts. Luckily he came to his senses and joined Footlights immediately after. This is his first Footlights show, after stepping in as an extremely last minute understudy in Wellington Repertory Theatre's Avenue Q last year. Before university he performed in Wainuiomata Little Theatre's Mamma Mia and Hairspray, and Hutt City Musical Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors. Outside of theatre he can be found cosplaying, practicing sign language, or petting cats on the street. 

Emily K Brown is thrilled to be a part of this production of Bright Star.  Emily can typically be found in the director’s chair or behind the camera, so she is particularly excited to be back on stage for the first time in over a year!

Recent productions include 35mm: A Musical Exhibition (Director, Wellington Footlights), Breadcrumbs (Director, Stagecraft), Les Misérables (Ensemble, Capital Theatre Trust/ G&T Productions), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown, Wellington Footlights), and Suddenly Last Summer (Director, Wellington Repertory Theatre)

Emily wants to thank the amazing cast, band, and crew for all the work that has gone into this production as well as her family in the US who would be in the audience if they could.

Back at it again with the musical theatre are we?

Helena did not write her bio.

She asked Mike to give it a try-o

He told her "drop dead"

And then wrote this instead

He hopes it did not make her cry-o.

Update

She came back and tried it herself 

In creative writing she has no wealth

Realised it’s quite bad

With herself became mad

Cannot rhyme

Stop reading now

Help

Jonathan, a new member of Wellington Footlights, is a relatively new addition to the Musical Theatre scene in Wellington. He is an active member of Orpheus choir and previously completed 2 shows with Lower Hutt's Kaha Theatre in the last  2 years. 

By day Jonathan works in the CyberSecurity industry as a project manager and is delighted to be supported in pursuing his passion for in the musical arts. 

Amongst other acting capabilities he is also an avid DnD player and is currently playing a supportive Dwarven Paladin. 

I apologise for any confusion, but I do not have information about a public figure or notable individual named Karen Anslow. It's possible that Karen Anslow is a fictional character or a lesser-known personality who has become known after my last update. If you have any specific information or context about Karen Anslow, I'd be happy to provide more relevant information or assistance if available.

~ ChatGPT

Why howdy y’all, Kirsty is just chewing at the bit to get this wonderful show, Bright Star, on stage for y’all.

It has been a bumper show season already as Kirsty was lucky enough to perform in the Footlights' 35mm show as well as her vocal quartet's self-titled show Quadraphonic.

She’s had many a hoedown, hootenanny, and shindig over the years. Although it’s hard to choose the pick of the litter, some honourable mentions would have to be Footlights' Silver Linings, Footlights' Speakeasy, and WRT's Avenue Q.

Seriously though, with my heart on my sleeve, I couldn’t do this without the support of my wonderful Husband, Chris. Thank you my love and Bless your heart x

Y’all come back now y’hear and tell all ya friends Bright Star is the new belle in town. 

Margaret has been performing with different theatre groups around Wellington for many years.  She's been a part of Footlights since 2014, and has been involved with all but one of their productions since Pippin, on and off stage. Last seen in 35mm as Luanne (Vengeful Swamp Wraith (TM)), Margaret is absolutely delighted to be part of this amazing production, is looking forward to not dying twice each night, and is thankful for her favourite fellow stage crazies and their dedication and hard work in bringing Bright Star to the stage. 

Mike Bryant is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character made his first appearance in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941) and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Mike is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.

Mike is a Gotham City mobster who fancies himself the number one "Gentleman of Crime". He is most often seen wearing a monocle, top hat, and morning suit while carrying his signature umbrella. The character appears most times as a short, fat man with a long nose.

He was famously portrayed by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns.

Nadia was born under the light of a gibbous moon, in fulfillment of ancient prophecy. When it came time for her first birthday, she had already memorized Dolly Parton’s entire repertoire, and could play the banjo both bluegrass and clawhammer. Knowing that they could only teach her so much in their small Dunedin grotto, her parents sent her to the windy wilds of Wellington to study under Master Footlight - the greatest Country and Musical Theatre maestro New Zealand has ever known.

Now at the tender age of four years old (though many say her great learning has aged her to an appearance more befitting that of a 28 year old), she is counted amongst Master Footlight’s greatest disciples. She is delighted to portray Margo, and hopes that this performance of Bright Star may shine brighter than that moon which heralded her birth. Her dream is that by mastering her craft, and finding the true meaning of country music, she might understand the rest of the prophecy (if you want to know what the exact words of the prophecy were, feel free to ask her about it once the show is over!)

A new kid on the Footlights block, the one and only Ollie! It's Ollie's first time gracing our stage, and he’s been mingling with the cast like a pro - so much so that we're wondering if he has been in a witness protection program for Broadway performers. Ollie's comedic timing is sharper than a well-aimed pie to the face, and his ability to blend in with the cast is nothing short of impressive. We're not saying Ollie is secretly a theater chameleon, but we're also not not saying that.

~ ChatGPT

Tara escaped from Hamilton in 2021 after being at Waikato University to study a very useful Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Screen & Media. While there Tara tried to satisfy her need for validation performing in shows such as Les Miserables (2017) as Eponine and The Addams Family Musical (2016) as Wednesday Addams. 

Bright Star is Tara’s second production infiltrating The Wellington Footlights Society after previously performing in 35mm earlier this year. She was also let into Avenue Q (2022) with Wellington Repertory Theatre and She Kills Monsters (2021) with Stagecraft. Other than applause, Tara loves her puppy Gaia, Mexican food, and walking children in nature.

Ukiah is a flutist and music composer who recently completed his bachelor's degree in music in the US. He was the national winner of the MTNA young artist composition competition 2020. His life then promptly fell apart due to the pandemic and a world-shattering quarter life crisis. Ukiah is now in the profoundly unoriginal process of "finding himself" and enjoys his wonderfully average temp office job.

This is Ukiah's first show with Footlights; he is very glad to be part of such a fun, committed, and talented team. In his short time in Wellington, Ukiah has performed in Avenue Q (WRT 2022) and contributed sound design to The Normal Heart and Breadcrumbs (Stagecraft 2022-23)

Currently, Ukiah plans to follow his own "Bright Star" by pursuing postgraduate studies in music. Wish him luck!

This is Vishan's 9th and final show with Footlights; his first being Spamalot in 2017. He'll be leaning into the physicality of this role; much like he did as Leaf Coneybear in The  25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Daddy Cane is probably the most hillbilly character in this hillbilly musical. With a lot of heart, and not so much brains, his simple nature ought to win you over. 

Overall Vishan most enjoys the complex relationships explored in this show, and was pleasantly surprised how smoothly the story progresses across two time periods.