Nutcracker - A New Musical Play Cast

Alice is a regular contributor for Allrecipes, Better Homes & Gardens, The New York Times for Kids, TIME Magazine for Kids, Taste of Home, Food Network, Washington Post Kids, Eating Well, Good Housekeeping, Birds & Blooms, Family Handyman, The Kitchn, Delish, Parade, America's Test Kitchen and Kids Discover. Her book for young readers "Tasty Snacks in a Snap!" is published with Scholastic. She holds a BA in Musical Theatre and MS in Education from Wagner College.

Vichi Russo is thrilled to join the cast of Nutcracker in Spotlight Theatre! Vichi is a Chilean performer (Musician, actor, singer, dancer) currently based in Manhattan. Along with three years of theatre training in Fernando Gonzalez Academy (Santiago, Chile) he graduated from American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC for further training. Vichi's favorite credits includes "A MidSummer Night Dream" (Lysander) and other national productions such as "Y un Dia Nico se Fue'' and "Bailando por un Sueño" (chilean version of "Dancing with the Stars"). Check out his journey @vichirussoz.

Jonathan is thrilled to join the folks at Spotlight for another show, having recently appeared as Stanley in the Ensemble of Hello, Dolly! Jonathan is from Denver, Colorado and received his BFA from the University of Wyoming. Favorite past credits include Junie B. Jones, Charlotte’s Web, Woman in Mind, and The Lion in Winter.

Carli is a high school junior currently attending Notre Dame Academy. Having had the magical experience of performing with NYC Ballet in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker for three seasons during her childhood, Carli is absolutely thrilled to be a part of Jacques Stewart's re-telling of this much loved holiday tale. Some of Carli's favorite credits include: Jovie in Elf, Little Red in Into The Woods (Spotlight Youth Theatre) and Lavender in Matilda (Spotlight Repertory Theatre). Big love and gratitude always to her family and friends for all of their support, and especially to Mary and Jacques for this wonderful opportunity! Break legs and merde to my fellow Nut cast mates!

Randy Topper (Papa/King) Just like his "dad van", Randy is imported from Detroit, where he earned a bachelor's degree in theatre performance from Wayne State University. He moved to New York in 2001 to pursue a career in acting. He spent a season as an artist in residence at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota and toured nationally with Dandelion Productions, National Theatre for Children and Theatreworks USA. Randy then returned to New York where he co-founded IlluminArt Productions of Staten Island, serving as the artistic director, writing, directing, performing and teaching for 9 years. After earning a master's in social work from College of Staten Island, Randy now serves as the school social worker at The Harbor View School in Staten Island and the camp social worker at Sprout Brooklyn Day Camp. Randy couldn't be happier to be returning to the Spotlight Stage after performing as Ned Schneebly School of Rock and as part of the Voices of Spring Cabaret. Many thanks to the team at Spotlight for continuing to make him feel like part of the family! Important roles include Edna in Hairspray, Darren Wayne in Blood Brothers, Pharaoh in Joseph... Dreamcoat and Cpt. Lennox in The Secret Garden, but his favorite role is that of Daddy to Eden and Shana and Partner to Kristi

Over the past few years, Carol has become a familiar face in Spotlight Theatre productions. She’s performed in “Newsies”, “Violet” and “School of Rock”, “Fierce Females” & “Hello Dolly”. Recently, she became a Board Member for Spotlight Theatre and a member of the Social Justice and Interfaith Committee for the Staten Island Council of Churches. She’s an active choir member and Deacon at the Oakwood Heights Community Church and her band, The Carol Griffin Trio with Bill O’Brien and Dave Dragos performs at various fundraisers and dining venues in the New York area. Occasionally, she streams music on Twitch (check out the Eventide, MOST Wednesdays 8 – 10PM twitch.tv/facethebassrecordslive). “I’m blessed & extremely grateful to fill my life with my family, friends and music. I’m looking forward to continuing to entertain our community through music and social interaction. Peace, Love & God bless you all.” www.thecarolgriffintrio.com

Lexi is beyond excited to be playing the role of Louise/Princess Pirlipat in this original rendition of Nutcracker! She absolutely loves working with Spotlight Theatre, and has been seen in many of their productions, including Mamma Mia!, Matilda, Newsies, Robyn Hood, Bat Boy, Hello Dolly, and her most favorite, School of Rock, where she played Summer. Other favorite credits include: Carnegie Hall: Way of The Rain (Singer), Little Women (Beth), Miracle on 34th Street (Susan), Mary Poppins (Michael Banks), and 13 The Musical (Lydia). She recently made her debut at the 54 Below in 54 Sings Bandstand, and at Symphony Space in Kota Production’s Lyrics for Life concert that supports mental health awareness and suicide prevention. She is studying screenwriting and creative writing at Pace University. You can also catch a glimpse of her on the new season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as a 1960s teen, and in a new Paramount film coming out in 2024! Big thank you— and much love— to the whole Spotlight family!

Matthew Homme is a 19 year old currently attending CSI. He has been acting in various productions for just about 10 years now. He would like to thank his family and friends and the amazing team with spotlight for having a chance to preform.

Meggan Audrey is so excited to be back with her Spotlight family! Meggan has become a choreographer/director at Spotlight for the past few years working on Chicago, Legally Blonde, High School Musical, The Lion King, Jr, and Jungle Book to name a few. She was also most recently seen in Spotlight Repertory Theatre’s production of Hello Dolly as the young widow, Mrs. Irene Molly. Favorite Performance Credits: Newsies (Spotlight Repertory), Footloose (Surflight), The Producers (Woodstock Playhouse), Chicago (Forestburgh Playhouse), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Weathervane Theatre). Meggan has also performed as a backup vocalist for Liz Callaway in Lincoln Center and Deke Sharon in Carnegie Hall. Graduate of Pace University, BFA. Thank you to Jacques, Mary Lee and the entire cast and crew! Love to Mom, Dad, James and Brad.

Corey Loftus (Cornelius) is most elated to tread the boards in another set of soirees with Spotlight. Favorite past roles: Edgar/Bat Boy in Bat Boy (Spotlight), Jesus in Godspell (Spotlight), Featured Dancer in Guys and Dolls (In the Wings, SI NY), Cat in the Hat (Seussical Nat'l Tour), Silvius in As You Like It (Orlando Shakespeare), Chino in WSS (ECU), Jack in Into the Woods (Elon U). BFA Music Theater, Elon University. He owes a debt of gratitude to his cherished kin and compatriots, with whose support anything is possible. With profound gratitude in his heart, he extends his felicitations to the illustrious Spotlight ensemble, as well as the beloved cast and crew of Nutcracker. www.coreyloftus.com

James Quinn is a 6th grader at IS 24 and has been involved in theater since he was a preschooler attending musical theater classes throughout Staten Island and has been in countless productions. Most recently he played the role of Will’s Son in Big Fish with the Wagner College student body and is currently cast in Spotlight Theaters musical production of Elf as Fulton (Walter’s boss). He has also held roles as Plankton in SpongeBob, Iago in Aladdin, Mike Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hei Hei in Moana, Mowgli in Jungle Book, Jose in Junie B. Jones, Michael Wormwood in Matilda as well as the ensemble casts of School of Rock, Peter Pan and countless others.

I'm Hope Seamans, a 5th grader in St Clare School. I enjoy karate, fashion, drawing & of course acting & singing. I have been performing with Spotlight theater for 2 years now & this will be my 5th time on stage performing with them. I'm excited for Elf Jr & the Nutcracker holiday show!

Emerson is a fifth grader and excited to be in this production of the Nutcracker and spread Christmas joy! Her past performances for Spotight Theater Company include Willy Wonka and Aristocats.

Jules is thrilled to be a part of Spotlight Repertory Theatre’s Nutcracker! Recent credits include Moana Jr., Sponge Bob Jr., Aladdin Jr., and Into the Woods Jr., as well as the upcoming Elf Jr. and Mean Girls Jr. productions at Spotlight. Jules would like to thank Mary, John, Gigi, Sophia, Gavin, and Steve from Spotlight, and her family and friends, for being such an important part of her life!

Rose is a 6th grader at IS61 and a member of their drama program. Rose loves to be on stage and has performed in Willy Wonka, Aristocats, Broadway Bound, and will be in Elf Jr. She is also a member of the violin group, The Mighty String Demons. Rose is grateful for her friends and family at Spotlight!

Neva Kong is a sixth grader who loves to act and write. She's enthusiastic about performing in The Nutcracker, a true Christmas classic. Her past Spotlight Theatre productions include the Aristocats and Willy Wonka, and she is currently working on Elf. 

Charlotte is a 5th grader at Michael J Petrides School and is excited to be part of this production of the Nutcracker. She started performing with Spotlight Theater Company this past summer in the production of The Jungle Book, as Kaa, and can be seen as Shawanda in Elf Jr. this December.

Georgie is 11 years old and has been performing with Spotlight for as long as he can remember. In 2023 he starred as Thomas O’Malley in “The Aristocats, Kids,” and as Mr. Greenway in “Elf, Jr.” Georgie loves drumming, the Beatles, and visiting theme parks. He spends his free time writing fiction books and marching to the beat of the music in his head!

Giuliana is a 6th grader at IS 72. She loves writing fictional stories and loves reading Harry Potter novels. She has always loved soccer and track and recently found a new love in theater. Giuliana is thrilled to have become a part of the Spotlight family. She has performed in The Little Mermaid, Willy Wonka, Jungle Book, Moana, and is currently in Elf. She loves being on stage and working with all the amazing cast and crew at Spotlight.

Isabella is so happy to be a part of Spotlight Theatre! This summer Isabella performed in Moana, as Left Claw!

Carina really enjoys acting, dancing, and dressing up. When she was little, she used to dress up and perform for her family and do the fashion shows all the time. She is also a part of NDA swim team since the 1st grade and JCC Trident; she enjoys competing during the swim meets and is a very supportive and encouraging teammate. Carina also takes school and studying very seriously, and thus she looks forward to going to school everyday.

Avery is a 5th grader at Blessed Sacrament. She has been with Spotlight for nearly 5 years and has been in over 10 productions. Her most recent parts are Charlie in Elf, July in Annie and Amelia in Aristocats. She loves singing and Broadway and hopes to be a producer one day!