Anastasia: The Musical Cast

Karis is currently getting her BFA in Musical Theatre at Samford University. This is Karis’ second production at The Royal Theater. Previous credits include Oklahoma! (Kate), Anastasia (Anya), Cinderella (Marie), Seussical (Gertrude), etc. Karis would like to thank all the directors for their hard work, and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Leigh Ann is excited to be in her first ever stage production at the Royal Theater. She sings regularly with the various Worship Ministries of IBC-LR and is a cast member of their City Center Presents Shows. Thanks to her family for their support and to the production team for this opportunity!

Jessica is thrilled to return to The Royal stage! Recent roles include Dolly in Annie Get Your Gun (Royal), Aunt Eller (standby) in Oklahoma (ATLR), Mimi Schwinn in A New Brain (The Weekend Theatre), Ms. Gardner in Carrie (The Weekend Theatre), and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (The Lantern Theatre). She dedicates each performance to her late son, Ollie.

JT is thrilled to make his Royal Theatre Debut. Growing up in Northwest Tennessee, he was apart of several community and scholastic productions. Now after a couple of years living in Arkansas, he’s decided to return to the stage for Anastasia. He thanks his family and friends for all their support!

Rex is happy to be back on the Royal's stage again, this time with his wonderful wife Aylea. He was last seen as the titular character(s) in Jekyll and Hyde at the Royal. He will soon be playing Oz for Come From Away at Wildwood in September. He is a Spanish professor at UA Little Rock.

Nathan is happy to be back at the Royal Theatre where he performed with the Young Players for many years. Nathan holds a BA in Music from HSU. He has most recently been seen in The Royals Hunchback of Notre Dame, Wildwood Park's Pirates of Penzance, as well as music director for Oliver! Jr. with the Rising Stars. He hopes you enjoy the show!

Previously in Murder on the Orient Express-Countess Andrenyi, Silver Belles-Young Vivienne, Hunchback of Notre Dame-Gargoyle, Hello Dolly-Irene Molloy, Beauty & the Beast-Ensemble. This new journey in Anastasia is a dream and I am thrilled to share it with you. Thank you to Clark for babysitting and Jason and Joy for joining on this adventure!

This is Trudie’s theatre debut! She is so excited to be apart of Anastasia and wants to thank Mr. Jeremy for casting her in her very first show! Trudie loves art, singing, church, Cheerleading and Girl Scouts. She wants to thank all her family and friends for coming to the show! IT’S TRUDIE TIME!

Joy is ecstatic to be joining the cast of Anastasia and is excited to share this tale with you! Joy is especially happy to be on stage with her parents for the first time! Joy has been a Who in Seussical Jr, a Daffodil in Mary Poppins, and Ensemble in Shrek Jr. Joy loves dressing up and pretending, so please enjoy the story with her!

Alex is so excited to be performing as Teen Anastasia and Ensemble! Some of her past shows include The Addams Family (Ancestor, BTC) and Newsies JR (Medda Larkin, Young Players). In her free time, Alex makes music as Arlo’s Journal and with her band, The Meadowlarks. She thanks Jeremy for this opportunity, and her wonderful cast for supporting her!

Greg Blacklaw (Count Leopold, Drunkard, Reporter, Ensemble) I am thrilled to be a part of this spectacular cast of Anastasia. Past shows Hunchback, Titanic, Little Women, Miracle on 34th. Thanks to all who made this show possible and thank you for supporting Live Local Theatre. Enjoy the show. Concession proceeds go to our Young Players.

Zach Tallent is elated to be back on the Royal's stage. He played Bob Bradley in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, both at the Royal.

John Forkner is happy to be making his Royal debut in Anastasia! John has multiple acting credits from New York City, as well as DFW, Virginia, and many more. He currently serves as professor of acting & directing for the Theatre Arts program at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. Romans 8:38-39!

Jason has always been intrigued with Russian royalty and history and is thrilled to put on this captivating show with this fabulous cast including his wife and daughter! He thanks Jeremy Clay and crew for inviting him on this journey. His previous credits include Jekyll and Hyde, Hunchback, Silver Belles and Titanic! Priyatnogo prosmotra!

Callie Graham is 17 years old. She has been involved in several private school productions, Annie Get Your Gun at The Royal and enjoys using her voice in her church choir. Callie is excited to be part of this production and more to come. She is thankful for the opportunity to share her love of performing.

Dia is so excited for her first show at the Royal Theatre! She’s done a few other productions in the past for school and is ready for her first actual Theatre Production! She can’t wait for you to enjoy the “Trip to Paris”!

Stephanie is excited to be making her debut at the Royal Players! She is a Virginia native & graduated with her A.S. Theatre Specialization. Some favorite roles include Ilona Ritter in She Loves me & Cinderella in Into the Woods. She wants to thank her husband Ly’David for always pushing her to continue performing & reaching for her dreams.

Georgia is a Music major at UALR. She has previously been in shows such as Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical here at the Royal Theatre, Hairspray at the Actor's Theatre of Little Rock, and Stranger Sings: A Parody Musical at the UALR Theatre. She is super excited to come back to the theatre that gave her first role. Enjoy the show!

Ria is very happy to be back at the Royal theatre after taking a short break! She was last seen in Sound of Music (RP) and co stage managed Jekyll and Hyde (RP). She would like to dedicate her performance to her grandad who passed away in March of this year, she would not have her passion for music and theatre without him.

Katie is excited for her Royal Theatre debut. She has been doing theater for a few years now but has been a musical theater fan for many years. Some of her favorite roles she has played include Fate 1 in Hadestown: Teen Edition (BTC) and Alice Beineke in Addams Family: School Edition (BTC). She's grateful for the opportunity and hopes you enjoy!!

Abby is so excited to be in her first production here at the Royal. She's been in several productions in the central Arkansas area, most recently, Bye Bye Birdie as a dancer and ensemble member. She loves dance, singing and all things theater. She thankful for the support of her family and to Mr. Clay for giving her this amazing opportunity.

Alex Johnston is so excited to be in his third mainstage production at the Benton Royal Theater! Alex is a Sophomore at the University of Arkansas with a minor in theater. Past Royal credits include Electric Skate 3 in SpongeBob the Musical and Ensemble in Bonnie and Clyde. He would like to thank family and friends for their support.

Rylee Woodard is thrilled to be back at the Royal. Most recently, Rylee appeared as Winnie Tate in Annie Get Your Gun, Mary Debenham in Murder on the Orient Express, and Cruella De Vil in Descendants. Rylee loves history and is honored to help bring Anastasia’s story to life.

This is Eric’s first show at the Royal Theatre and he is very excited to be joining the ensemble for Anastasia! He’s been doing theater since elementary school, making it a big part of his life and career in the future. Some of his favorite roles include Michael Wormwood in Matilda and Gomez Addams in the Addams Family.

Anastasia is Aylea's debut as an actor, thanks to her husband’s (Vlad) pleas to perform in a show together. Her previous theater experience has been as either as an enthusiastic audience member or trombonist in the orchestra.

Michelle is excited to be back at the Royal for her second show ever! After making her theater debut in Titanic, she quickly fell in love with the stage and is grateful to be part of such a wonderful community. Being in Anastasia has been a dream! Thank you to everyone for being here and supporting local theater!