Spring Awakening Cast

Stanton Yarboro (Wendla) is a sophomore theatre major with a performance concentration and a communications minor. She is so excited to be a part of the Spring Awakening family here at JSU. She has enjoyed every show she has been a part of, including The Importance of being Earnest, Emilie la Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight, and Alison’s House. The department of theatre and film has brought her an amazing artistic outlet, and she hopes you enjoy Spring Awakening.

Erin Rose Pempel (Martha) is currently pursuing a degree in Theatre with a concentration in production. She has been studying performance for 11 years and working in tech for 3. Some of her favorite shows she has worked on were performing in The Big Bad Bullysaurus at JSU, and Little Women with the Jacksonville Opera Theatre, and working as Assistant Scenic Designer and Props Head for Alison’s House at JSU.

Kaya Knox (Thea) is a Theater Performance major with a minor in music. Kaya has received most of their training in Pagosa Springs Colorado with Curtains Up Pagosa under the direction of Dale Johnson. This is their first performance with the JSU theater department and many more to come!

Samantha Drake (Anna) is a Fall 2022 graduate of JSU who studied Theatre Performance and Music. In her time at JSU she was a part of the JSU A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers, served as an Understudy Educator and Historian for Alpha Psi Omega, and was seen in Little Women, The Big Bad Bullysaurus, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Her most recent project was directing On the Edge in the One Act festival at JSU. Samantha would like to thank all of her previous performance instructors at Jacksonville State University and Wallace State Community College (Tiffany Richter, Lauren Cantrell, Grace Ashley, Dr. Eliezer Yanson, Dr. Michael Boynton, and Carolyn Conover) for their support and guidance through undergrad. She would like to thank her friends and family for their love and support. Lastly, she would like to celebrate her partner, Elijah, for his fantastic performance as Melchior Gabor!

Semajè Newton (Ilse) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre with a Performance concentration. She made her first appearance on the JSU stage in the performance of Alison’s House (Louise). Semajè has been performing for several years and her passion for Theatre has only influenced her to do more! She hopes to continue improving her skills and learn new things about the performance industry. She wants to thank the director, cast, and crew for making the show an unforgettable experience. Enjoy the show!

Elijah Parker (Melchior) is a senior computer science major. He is a part of the JSU A Capella choir, Chamber Singers and a member of Alpha Psi Omega. This is his first Mainstage production at JSU. He was most recently seen in the One-act Festival as Emil in A Dish Best Served Cold, Will Bloom in Big Fish (WSCC), King Richard III in Sherwood(WSCC), and the Bank Chairman in Mary Poppins (WSCC). Elijah would like to thank his director, Carolyn Conover for giving him this opportunity and for believing in him. He would also like to thank his former educators, Lauren Cantrell and Tiffany Richter for showing him what it means to be a great performer. He would also like to thank his family and friends for their love and support, and his partner Samantha for always being there for him and for supporting him every step of the way.

Alex Hosmer (Moritz) is a freshman majoring in English secondary education. With the JSU Theatre and Film department, he has been in “20 Questions” where he played Ian. He wants to thank everyone involved, the cast, the crew, and the director, Carolyn Conover, for making this whole experience absolutely amazing! He also wants to thank his family for constant support throughout all his endeavors. He is very excited for you to see the show!

Brayden Turner (Hanschen/Ulbrecht) (He/Him) is a sophomore majoring in Secondary Education with a Concentration in English. He hopes to one day become a theatre teacher in high school. While this is his first performance at JSU, Brayden comes from a theatre background, doing over 12 shows in high school. His most notable performances at Pell City High School was Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher and Ryan in High School Musical On Stage! Brayden is very excited to be able to play the role of Hanschen, showcasing a form of love on stage that is rare to see.

Gunner NeSmith (Ernst) is a senior at Piedmont High School and will be attending Northeast Community College in the fall as a theater performance major. Gunner has been doing theater since he was 6 years old in such shows as “ The Lion King” (ensemble) “Godspell” ( Judas) “Into The Woods” ( Cinderella Stepmother) “101 Dalmatians”( Spot) “James and the Giant Peach” (ensemble) “Something Rotten”(ensemble) and many more. This will be Gunner’s collegiate debut and could not be more excited to be a part of this company.

Devin Knight (Georg/Dieter) is a first-year student majoring in Psychology with a Theatre minor. He is from Talladega, Alabama, and has attended Talladega High School. Devin was the youngest member of his 2022 high school graduating class with a 3.9 GPA. Devin first started in theatre when he was in the 11th grade and has loved it ever since and has never once looked back. This is his first show at JSU. Devin has done Lion King Jr. (Scar), Sister Act Jr. (Eddie), Frozen Jr. (King/Kristoff(understudy), Legally Blonde Jr. (Kyle), Newsies (Albert), Shrek Jr. (Papa Ogre), he has run tech for Little Mermaid Jr., and he also has run tech and co-choreographed Seussical Jr., when Devin first joined this group, he was met with love and support from his peers. He wants to thank the directors, cast and friends for the new memories, and he hopes you enjoy the show!

Murch Murray (Otto/Rupert) is a junior majoring in Theatre Performance, with minors in Music and History. This is their third show with the JSU Theatre Department. They have also been a part of Alison’s House (Ted Stanhope) and A Dish Best Served Cold (Dr. Sigmund Barton). They love to do carpentry work in the shop, and they can’t wait to perform for everyone!

Glenn is thrilled to return to the JSU stage. You may remember him if you watched shows at JSU 20+ years ago including Hamlet, Macbeth, The Male Animal, Hay Fever, and Towards Zero. He has also appeared in many shows for CAST Theatre including Oklahoma!, Spamalot, Anything Goes, and most recently All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Glenn would like to thank everyone in the show for welcoming him back to the stage at JSU with open arms.

Maggie Williams is a junior here at JSU. She is a theatre performance major. Spring Awakening is her first show here. She is so excited to be in this production with all her wonderful friends!