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DIRECTOR'S NOTE
CAST BIOS
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOS
LEADERSHIP TEAM BIOS
2023 SEASON SPONSORS

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Welcome to our BIG BLUE WORLD!

I am thrilled to share this beautiful story about a place where everyone is celebrated for their unique and differing abilities.

One of the biggest joys of youth theater for me as the director, is nurturing and watching each young performer blossom as they collaborate, learn from each other, and become more confident in themselves! I am incredibly proud of how this cast of 21 young performers worked so hard to bring this story to life and shared their unique gifts with you. In this story about a parent’s enduring love for their child, I have been especially touched by the love my actor’s parents have for their children, as I have been able to see it firsthand at every rehearsal. It has been an honor and blessing to work with these talented actors! 

If you enjoy what you see today, we invite you to join us! Check out our website to find out how you can become involved, onstage, offstage, at our summer camps, or as a sponsor or donor.

We hope you will share your experience with your friends and family after the production and look forward to seeing you again soon!

-Joanna Chabot

CAST

Caroline Black (CORAL/ANCHOR) is thrilled to be a part of her fourth production at The Firehouse Theatre! You may have seen her earlier this year in Into the Woods JR (Lucinda/Ensemble). She is looking forward to her role in Romeo & Juliet (Narrator) with her middle school theatre at Travis TAG. When she is not onstage, you can find Caroline studying music and playing the cello with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra (YPO) or her school orchestra. She wants to thank her parents, grandparents, friends, and siblings for always supporting her passions.

Eliza Chabot (PEARL/BREEZE) is a 5th grade homeschooler who loves to sing, dance and act! She is excited to play Pearl, one of Nemo’s best buddies, and many other sea creatures. Eliza’s favorite role, most recently, was Chip, in Beauty and the Beast at The Firehouse Theatre. She also loved playing Wilbur last fall, at Canopy Theatre, since she has a great love for animals. She wants to thank her mom, the director, Mr. Ken, and Miss Delaney for all their hard work. It was so much fun! She sends hugs to her little brothers who love practicing the songs with her at home

Hazel Chabot (PEACH/KAI) is a 7th grade homeschooler and is ecstatic to play Peach the starfish and many other characters in Finding Nemo JR! She has had a blast with this cast this fall. Hazel was last seen as Jack in Into the Woods, here at The Firehouse Theatre. When she isn’t singing, dancing or acting, she loves to play soccer and is teaching herself how to play guitar. Hazel wants to thank Miss Delaney, Mr. Ken and her mom. She sends love to her family!

Evelyn Hatfield (TAD/SCUBA MASK DANCER) is excited to be a part of Finding Nemo JR! Most recently, Evelyn was Veruca Salt in The Firehouse’s production of Willy Wonka Jr. Prior to that a few of her favorite roles have been Chip in Beauty and the Beast and the Sour Kangaroo in Seussical JR. Evelyn is a 6th grader at Blalack Middle School in CFBISD where she enjoys dance and theater. She wants to thank her mom for the constant support, along with her brother and her dad who are always cheering her on.

Margherita Hester (PEARL’S MOM/GURGLE) is proud to be returning to The Firehouse Theater in Finding Nemo JR! Rita previously appeared in Into the Woods (Jack’s Mom) at The Firehouse. In addition, Rita has played roles at various regional theaters. She appeared in the chorus in The Sound of Music at Artisan Center, as Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain!, Edith in Pirates of Penzance, and in the chorus of HMS Pinafore with St. Paul Institute. You may have also seen her as Gus-Gus in Cinderella, Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, and as Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka, Jr. with RBR. Rita is fond of the arts and travel. Rita wishes to thank her parents, brother, and extended family for their love and support. “Sawyer, you’re going out there a chorus girl; but you’ve GOT to come back a star!” -Julian Marsh, 42nd Street

Carly Imthurn (MOONFISH/JELLYFISH) is very excited to be in Finding Nemo JR. She is a 6th grader at Prince of Peace Christian School and an active member at CUMC Farmers Branch. Carly is part of the Tennis Team at school and enjoys doing Ninja Warrior at Strong Fitness. When not rehearsing or studying, Carly enjoys sketching anime. She loves her dog Milo and spending time with her family.

Cora Johnson (SEAGULL/MOONFISH)

Shelby Logan (PROFESSOR RAY/BLOAT) is so excited for her Firehouse debut in Finding Nemo JR! As a 7th grader at Blalack Middle School, Shelby is involved in choir, band, dance, and Kind Club. She is an active member of her church, First Baptist Church at the Fields, attending youth group and participating in the music ministry. She’d like to thank Ms. Cass and Dad for getting her to and from rehearsal every night, and her friend Evelyn (Tad) for introducing her to The Firehouse Theatre!

Anthony Maggio (MARLIN) is delighted to appear as Marlin in Finding Nemo JR. Anthony was previously cast as Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods JR, as Avery Arable in Charlotte’s Web, and as Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When not busy desperately searching for missing fish, Anthony keeps busy reading, playing basketball, baseball, soccer, chess, piano, and performing card tricks. Enjoy the show!

Chiara Maggio (DORY) is excited to be back at The Firehouse Theatre for Finding Nemo JR! She previously appeared in Into the Woods JR as Cinderella’s Stepmother, in Charlotte’s Web as Mrs. Arable, and Murder at Aunt Agatha’s as Willama Cleanyou. Chiara enjoys singing, playing and teaching piano, and violin. Horses are her passion and at every opportunity she can be found at Marshall Creek Ranch working as a junior wrangler. Special thanks to her mom for always supporting her dreams and to her Aunt Iva and Uncle Joe who’ve traveled to see every one of her performances.

Josie Melle (BUBBLES) is excited to be in her third production at The Firehouse Theatre. She loves to be at Firehouse because of all the friends she has made there. Josie would like to thank the actors that have starred in Finding Nemo JR. She always feels better when she is at The Firehouse Theatre! And a special thank you to Caroline’s parents and Caroline for driving her to several rehearsals.

Addison Nguyen (NEMO) is thrilled to make her debut at The Firehouse Theater as she meets new friends swimming through the Big Blue World! Addison’s love for musical theater began at age 6 in the summer of 2019 at Breitling Performing Arts in Garland (Wizard – Wizard of Oz). She has worked with other theaters including: CORP (2022: JoJo in Suessical; Amanda Thripp in Matilda; 2023: Jane in Mary Poppins, Jr); DAMPA (2022: Shonelle in School of Rock; and MoonDance Theatre (2023: Hei Hei in Moana, Jr.). She also was invited to join Music Man with Garland Summer Musicals (Summer 2023) as a member of the children’s ensemble. Addison thanks the Finding Nemo JR cast and crew for a fantastic adventure!

Evangeline Lily Perez (SQUIRT/MOONFISH) is thrilled to make her acting debut in Finding Nemo JR. She is a very dynamic and outgoing 6th grader at St. Rita Catholic School. Lilly loves to read, play basketball, and ride her skateboard. When she is at home, she loves spending time with her brother and her ferret, Margo. She is thankful for family, friends, and her teachers.

Haven Proffitt (SHELDON/SEAHORSE 2) is so excited to perform in her first show with The Firehouse Theatre! She has done a number of shows with North Texas Performing Arts. Some of her favorite past roles have been Rafiki, the Cat in the Hat, Olaf, and Winnie the Pooh. Outside of theater, she loves karate, piano, choir, and reading books. She would like to thank her friends and family for always coming out to support her!

Hattie Rivas (MOONFISH/JELLYFISH) could not be more excited to be a part of her first production. As the little sister she is always trying to find her spotlight, and she is certain that the Firehouse stage is just the place. She looks forward to being a part of her school productions when she’s older and hopes to do many more Firehouse shows in the future. She wants to thank her parents and grandparents for coming to her shows and her teachers and friends for being so encouraging.

Maggie Rivas (SHELDON’S MOTHER) is stretching her theater legs with this show. After finding her love for the stage at Blalack Middle School 2 years ago she dove in with multiple productions. She loves the theatre; Shakespeare to Matilda! and so much more. This year she got her first taste of local theater on the Firehouse stage in Willy Wonka. She is excited to be a part of this production while also preparing for her first season of UIL competition at school. She wants to thank her parents and carpool buddies for getting her to her rehearsals on time and for making sure she has food!

Samuel Rivas (NIGEL) is making his acting debut in this production. He’s been a longtime patron and enjoys musical theatre, so when he decided on a whim to audition he had no idea what to expect. This has been an amazing experience and he looks forward to his school theater production in a modern adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, in which he will play Prince, next month. Thank you to the Firehouse for an amazing opportunity and to his parents for feeding him before rehearsals and convincing him that makeup isn’t just for girls.

River Taylor (BRUCE/GIL) is 14 years old and a 9th grader from Carrollton, TX. River was most recently seen at The Firehouse Theatre in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Matilda (Bruce Bogtrotter). He has also been in many Firehouse JR productions (James & the Giant Peach JR, Jingle Bell Jukebox, 100 Dalmatians JR, Madagascar JR, and Frozen JR). River’s favorite musicals are “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Greatest Showman” and would love to star in one of those amazing shows one day. He also loves being a Scout and hiking in the great outdoors. River would like to thank his parents for their constant help and encouragement. A big THANK YOU to Joanna Chabot, Ken Simmons, and Owen Beans for their mentorship and support!

Savannah Votava (TAD’S MOTHER/VACATIONER): This is Savannah’s first performance with The Firehouse Theatre. Savannah recently performed the lead role of “Frog” in the musical A Year with Frog and Toad at Country Place Elementary. Along with acting, she enjoys playing tennis and plays the bassoon. She has fallen in love with the theatre and aspires to be an actress when she grows up. Bravo, Savannah!

Piper Welch (CHUM) is excited to return to The Firehouse Theater for Finding Nemo JR. Earlier this year, she played the role of Charlie in Willy Wonka JR and previously performed in Godspell JR. When not on stage, you may find Piper camping with her Scout troop or at the skate park practicing her kickturns. Piper wants to thank The Firehouse Theater staff and volunteers, her parents, and Saerah for dealing with her shenanigans.

Simon Welch (BARRACUDA/CRUSH) is really good at being here! Simon has been here four different times. Grandpa Joe was his favorite because he loves acting as old people, his inspiration being Danny DeVito. He enjoys history & writing these bios to see what will get through. Last time I claimed I was the reincarnation of a 3000 year old tree from Yoboki, Djibouti. Simon is ecstatic to be here and loves The FireHouse Theatre! Simon is actually trilingual in Spanish, Djiboutian, and Korean. He’d love to thank his parents for awesome support and Saerah for always being the coolest, and Aunt Jean for putting up with mischievous acts.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Joanna Chabot (DIRECTOR)  is excited to be directing again this fall at The Firehouse Theatre. Most recently she has directed Clue with Canopy Theatre, and Into the Woods  last spring with The Firehouse Theatre. She is honored to have been invited back; thank you Owen!  When not directing plays and musicals, Joanna, a former teacher, homeschools her 6 children and chaperones them to all their extra curricular activities mostly involving singing, dancing, and acting. She is blessed to have a house FULL of theatre lovers and an incredibly supportive husband, Rick. Joanna is thankful to have worked on this show with Delaney, her incredibly talented music director and Ken, the BEST stage manager EVER for the entire course of this show, and in awe of the talents of Dayna in costumes, and the entire tech crew. She also wishes to thank Ruby for her beautiful choreography work and all the support she always gives. She sends her love and all the “break a legs!” to the sweet, talented and beautiful cast of young actors that she was blessed to work with! Finally she sends kisses and hugs to her “boys at home”; Ricky and Joey who are excited to have her back home at night to tuck them into bed for all the holidays coming up.

Delaney Wenger (MUSIC DIRECTOR) (she/her) is a local actor and instructor in the DFW area, and is thrilled to be continuing her passion for working in children’s theatre by music directing Finding Nemo JR! As an actress she was last seen on The Firehouse stage as Wednesday in The Addams Family. Some of her favorite credits include: Lizzie: The Musical (Lizzie Borden), Grease (Sandy), Legally Blonde (Vivianne Kensington), and [title of show] (Heidi). As an instructor, Delaney has worked with several theatres including Granbury Theatre Company and Casa Mañana as well as serving on creative teams for many children’s productions. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance con. Musical Theatre from Baylor University. She would like to thank each of you for supporting live local theatre and encourages you to keep bringing your families to support the arts in DFW and beyond!

Ken Simmons (STAGE MANAGER)

Dayna Dutton (COSTUME DESIGNER) has worked with The Firehouse Theater as the Resident Costume Designer extraordinaire since fall 2021. In her two years at The Firehose Theatre, she designed The Addams Family, Newsies, Saturday Night Fever, Spamalot, Beauty and the Beast, Catch Me If You Can, and Legally Blonde. To name a few of her favorites. Also, she has designed for Arise Acting Studio; this summer, she did Willy Wonka and Anastasia, which had a cast of 51 amazing kids. Dayna is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasis in costume design. Dayna is grateful for the continued love and support of her husband and three incredible and fantastic children. She is thankful to God, and all friends that have helped her grow in her passion!

Ruby Chabot (DANCE CAPTAIN) is a junior in high school and has been dancing since she was two years old! Recent roles are:  Mrs. White (Clue), Finch (Newsies), The Witch (Into the Woods), as well as Amalia Balash (She Loves Me). Ruby is the titleholder of Miss Metroplex’s Teen with the MAO and will be competing this summer 2024 for Miss Texas’s Teen. She is also a lieutenant on her Drill/Pom team at FCA. Break and leg to the cast of Finding Nemo JR. as they dance their way through the ocean!

LEADERSHIP TEAM

David R. Moore, MBA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR) (he/him) David has been Executive Director at The Firehouse Theatre since 2014 assisting with vision, strategy, structure, management, fundraising, and marketing relationships. He serves as an Ex-Officio member of the Board of Directors, as well as on the Strategic Planning, Funds Development, Education, Finance, and Governance Committees. For over 30 years he served as a corporate executive at The Bonneau Company, Fossil, Inc., and Visionworks, and currently provides consulting services to various clients. He also serves on the Arts & Culture and Comprehensive Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committees for the City of Farmers Branch, as well as on the Advisory Board of The Warehouse Ministry in Georgia. He holds a BBA and MBA in Marketing and Management from Dallas Baptist University. David and his wife Cindy have lived in Farmers Branch for over 50 years and are blessed with three children, their spouses, two precious granddaughters and two fabulous grandsons.

Owen Beans (ASSOCIATE PRODUCER) (he/him) Owen is an Actor, Director, and Producer for theater and film. He served on The Firehouse Theatre Advisory Board from 2014-2021 and has been the Associate Producer, overseeing all programming at The Firehouse, since September of ’21. He has directed The Firehouse’s smash hit production of Catch Me If You Can, alongside his wife, Ally and co-directed The Firehouse Jr production of Into The Woods JR. As an actor, he’s been seen on stages in New York City, as well as prominent theaters across the country including Surflight Theatre, Totem Pole Playhouse, The Legacy Theatre, Cortland Rep, Casa Manana, and Dallas Children’s Theatre. Pre-pandemic he appeared as part of the inaugural tour cast of Kinky Boots aboard the Norwegian Encore. Additionally, Owen has worked as a Theatre Educator, Director, Music Director, Wardrobe Supervisor, Casting Assistant, and Dramaturg. He has also served as a producer on the short film Love as well as the upcoming Show Cat. Currently/Upcoming: Swing in Into The Woods (Dallas Theater Center), and co-directing Saturday Night Fever (The Firehouse). Owen holds a BFA in Theatre from Abilene Christian University and is a member of Actors Equity Association. Love to Ally. @OwenBeans. www.owenbeans.com

Claire Boschert (OPERATIONS & ADMIN MANAGER) (she/her) is a Dallas-based stage manager and theater maker. She is excited to be a part of the Firehouse team! She graduated from Rice University in Houston, Texas in 2021. She has previously stage managed I Love You, Your Perfect, Now Change (Theatre 3), Women of Troy (Cry Havoc), The Laramie Project and Silent Sky (Rice Players), and The Importance of Being Earnest and As You Like It (Rice Visual and Dramatic Arts Department). Claire grew up in Lewisville and loves getting to make theater in her hometown! She would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.

Shawna Robinson (PATRON SERVICES & VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR) (she/her) Shawna started as a Firehouse volunteer back in 2018, and loved it so much that she joined the team in 2022 as the theatre’s Patron Services and Volunteer Coordinator. She holds a dual degree in Finance and Marketing and has extensive experience in sales, promotions, and investments. She has spent the last eleven years raising and homeschooling her children and working in a volunteer capacity on various event coordinating and children’s theatre projects. Her acting resume includes the important role of Angel #2 in her middle school’s Christmas production. She hopes you will fall in love with this theatre like she did and support its commitment to bringing the arts to our community.

Logan Uhtenwoldt (HEAD OF TECHNICAL THEATRE) (he/him) is a local technical theatre artist. He is an alumni of the University of Miami and Miami University with a background in set design, lighting design, and scenic construction. Before joining Firehouse, Logan was most recently the Technical Production Manager for House of Spirits: A Haunted Cocktail Soiree (Meyer2Meyer Production). He is thrilled to be the newest member of the Firehouse staff!

Maggie Sproul (PRODUCTION & TECH ASSISTANT) (she/her) is passionate about helping to create theatre magic! Spring of 2022, during her first show back after college, she fell in love with the art all over again. Maggie has enjoyed learning more about technical theatre as she steps into her leadership role here at The Firehouse Theatre. She uses her creative skills to help bring the director’s vision to life with scenic design and costumes. Maggie grew up acting, costuming, stage managing and scenic designing for a local children’s theatre and could have never imagined the privilege to turn her passion into a career.

The Firehouse Theatre gratefully acknowledges major support from:
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The Firehouse Theatre is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides imaginative live performances and training through engaging artistic expression.