Meet the Cast of Top Billing Entertainment’s “High School Musical Jr.”

Danea Alonzo (Ryanne, Spirit Cast) is so excited to be performing in her 4th show with Top Billing as Ryanne. High School Musical has been a dream to be apart of. Danea is 13 years old and has been dancing since the age of 4. She wants to thank Ms. K, Miss Mel, Mr. Joseph and her amazing staff for giving her this opportunity. Thank you for welcoming her into the Top Billing family. Danea’s favorite part of the show will be sharing the stage with her cousins Gracie and Maddie.

Eryka S. Asucan (Cyndra Braniac/Skater, Spirit Cast) is in the 7th grade and has done 5 shows with her school’s drama club. This is her first show with Top Billing. Her favorite roles include Toto in The Wizard of Oz and China in Beauty and the Beast. Eryka has also been a part of Pueri Cantores of SGV – a choral group directed by Mr. Patrick Flahive – for 6 years. She is also involved in other school activities such as the Student Council, cheer, and choir. Eryka would like to thank all the people in her life for encouraging her to continue doing shows.

Juliana Cepeda-Cintron (Ryanne, Jazz Cast) is 11 years old and has performed in numerous shows with Top Billing for the past 6 years. Her favorite roles have been Junie B. Jones, Joel in Schoolhouse Rock, and now Ryanne Evans. Juliana’s dream is to one day perform on Broadway. She would like to thank her family, friends, and all the incredible staff at TBE for all their love & support and for making it possible for her to live her dreams out on stage!!

Leah Compton (Jamie, Spirit Cast) is 7 years old and was first introduced to musical theater through the TBEPA summer camp program. The summer camp experiences are what sparked her passion to perform. This will be her first large scale theater experience and she is incredibly excited to sing and dance with such a talented cast.

Madeleine Danison (Taylor, Spirit Cast) is a seasoned performer at Top Billing Entertainment. She has done the following shows: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The Music Man as Gracie Shinn, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz as The Barrister Munchkin, The Little Mermaid as Flounder, Lion King as Young Nala, Shrek as a Fairy Tale Creature, Alice in Wonderland as The Cheshire Cat, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat as Narrator, Peter Pan as Jane, Beauty and the Beast as a Silly Girl, Little Mermaid as a Mersister, Lion King as Zazu, Frozen as Olaf, and High School Musical as Taylor McKessie, Madeleine hopes to become an, actress when she grows up. She loves to dance, sing and act. Madeleine would like to thank Kristina Keener Ivy for teaching her to sing and act and for being such an incredible inspiration and role model. She would like to thank all of the staff and hard working parents who make the productions possible. She would like thank Tim and Mel for all of their direction and for being amazing mentors. Madeleine would also like to thank her family and friends for all of their love and support!!

Caroline Dergazarian (Z Baylor) is 15 years old, and this is her 10 year anniversary of performing with Top Billing. She is very excited to be playing the role of Z. Baylor, as well as a lead dancer. Some of her favorite past roles have been Derelict the Eel and Carlotta in “The Little Mermaid, as well as the Ugly Duckling in “Shrek The Musical.” Caroline would like to thank Ms. K, Mr. Joseph, and Ms. Mel for all of their unconditional support throughout the years, and for the opportunity to perform in such wonderful productions!

Grace Dominguez (Gabriella, Jazz Cast) is excited to be performing with her friends in her 5th TBE production. She is 13 years old and enjoys singing, dancing, acting, reading, and hanging out with friends. She has had a passion for performing for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine a life without music and dance. She would like to give a HUGE thanks to her parents, sister Maddie, brother Nick, all her family & friends, Ms. K and the entire TBE staff for all the support they have given her. Love you guys!!!

Madeline Dominguez (Kelsi, Jazz Cast) is 9 years old and longs to see her name in lights on Broadway. She enjoys singing, acting, drawing and reading. She loves being a part of the TBE family and would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to her Mommy, Daddy, sister Gracie, Ms. K and all the TBE staff for their love and support.

Frankie Fontana (Troy, Spirit Cast) is 12 year’s old and is in the 6th grade. He has been with Top Billing for 1 yr. Previous show’s have been. The Little Mermaid as Chef Louie, Junie B Jones as Sheldon Potts, Lion king as Ed the hyena & Frozen as Kristoff. Frankie loves performing & singing. He hopes and dreams of one day performing on Broadway. He would like to give a big thank you to Mrs K and the entire Top Billing staff for this opportunity in helping to make his dream come true.

Emily Gage (Ms. Darbus, Spirit Cast) is 15 years old and is currently a sophomore in high school. This is her 7th show with Top Billing. She enjoys her singing lessons with Amanda Rueda and playing the electric guitar in the pop band with Peter Zavala. Emily would like to thank the entire staff of Top Billing, as well as her friends and family for this opportunity. She is very excited to be playing Ms. Darbus among this amazing cast of High School Musical Jr.

Adriana Gonzalez (Jackie Scott) is 15 years old and a freshman in high school. She joined the Top Billing Entertainment family 6 years ago and has enjoyed taking lessons and being cast in roles such as Pumba in the 1st production of The Lion King Jr., Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland Jr., Levi in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Thelonius in Shrek the Musical, Mauricea in Beauty and the Beast, Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan, and Sarabi in 2nd production with Top Billing’s Lion King Jr. She most currently plays, Jackie Scott in this production of High School Musical. Adriana would like to thank Ms. K for all of the opportunities she has given her and looks forward to many more years with the Top Billing Family.

Kaitlyn Greene (Mongo, Jazz Cast) is a 10 year old 5th grader. High School Musical is her fourth show with Top Billing and she is having a great time playing Mongo with the Jazz Cast! She would like to thank her parents and brother for always supporting her and for all their love! Lastly she wants to thank, the awesome staff at TBE, especially Ms. K, Mr. Joseph, and Miss Mel for all the hard work they put into making this show a amazing experience for the cast!

Cadence Gutierrez (Ripper) is 10 years old and a 4th grader in La Verne. This is her fourth show with Top Billing. Her past roles include an orphan in Annie, one of the Flounders in Little Mermaid, and a towns person in Frozen. In addition to musicals, Cadence takes Dance at Top Billing and sings in her school choir. She would like to thank her family for all their support, and thanks the entire Cast and Staff for all their hard work on this show!

Abbey Harwell (NYE Party Kid/Thespian) is 7 years old and this is her second show. She has been working hard to memorize her lines and dances and is excited to sing in the HSM Megamix. She has been working hard listening to and learning all the songs from High School Musical. She would like to thank her friends and family for all their support, as well as the entire High School Musical cast for all their hard work on this show, and a special thank you to Ms. K, Mr. Joseph, Ms. Mel, and the entire TBE staff for making this production amazing.

Maya Harwell (NYE Party Kid/ Thespian) is 7 years old and is in the 1st grade. This is her third performance with Top Billing Entertainment. She is excited about performing even with a broken leg. The TBE family has been amazingly supportive and made sure she is included as much as possible. She would like to thank her family for all their support and for coming to see the show. Maya would also like to thank the entire TBE staff especially Ms. K., Mr. Joseph, and Ms. Mel for making this production possible and give many thanks to the whole High School Musical cast!

Zoe Harwell (Braniac/Skater) is 11 years old and is in the a 6th grade.High School Musical with Top Billing Entertainment is her second show. She has been thoroughly enjoying all aspects of the experience and looks forward to many more shows with TBE. She would like to thank her friends and family for all their support, as well as the High School Musical cast for all their hard work on this show, and a special thank you to Ms. K, Mr. Joseph, Ms. Mel, and the entire TBE staff for making this production amazing.

Cruz Hernandez (NYE Party Kid/Thespian) is 6 years old and this is his 5th show with Top Billing Entertainment. He can’t wait for you to see him sing his heart out and dance his feet off in High School Musical. He would like to thank Frankie for being a great “big” to him and all of his Top Billing teachers for all their love, patience, and dedication they show each and every day!

Cyress Hernandez (Martha, Jazz Cast) is 11 years old and this is her 8th show with Top Billing Entertainment. She is so excited to be playing the role of Martha Cox, the brainiac with a secret love for hip hop. She would like to thank Ms. K for being the best Gla-Ma and for always going above and beyond to ensure a successful show! She would also like to thank Ms. Mel and Mr. Joseph for always pushing her to be her best and for being amazing role models.

Michael Herrera (Troy, Jazz Cast) is 12 years old,and is in 7th Grade. This is Michael’s 1st show with Top Billing. Besides this production he has also been in other musicals including 101 Dalmatians and Wrapping All The Way. His passion for music comes alive through his singing and guitar playing. He is very grateful that Top Billing has given him this opportunity to play Troy. He would also like to thank all of his friends and family for their support, especially to his mom, which without her none of this would be possible.

Audrey Krok (Gabriella, Spirit Cast) is currently a freshman in high school. Her favorite past roles are, John Napoleon Darling in Peter Pan and Flotsam in Disney’s Little Mermaid. She would like to thank Ms. K for believing in her and giving her opportunities to grow as a performer for the past 8 years. She would also like to thank her family and friends for their love and support. Finally, thank you to the entire cast and crew and all the people behind the scenes making this show possible.

Rhiannon Lallathin (Ensemble) is 12 years old and is excited to be performing in Frozen Jr. She has appeared onstage three times before in Top Billing Entertainment’s productions of Beauty and The Beast and The Little Mermaid. She has also been in San Dimas High School’s production of Big Fish. She would like to thank the cast and crew for all of their hard work and for making this a great experience.

Lucas Longoria (Chad, Spirit Cast) is 15 years old. High School Musical is his 2nd Top Billing musical and 5th overall. Some of his favorite roles have been Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, and Kristoff in TBE’s production of Frozen Jr. In addition to musicals, Lucas is a part of Ms. Eileen’s acting class. Lucas would like to thank his parents, Ms. K, Mr. Joseph, Ms. Mel, Ms. Eileen and the rest of the TBE family for their love and support.

This is Mikayla Lopez’s (NYE Party Kid/Thespian) first show and she is having so much fun! Thank you to her parents and family for their support and to the TBE Staff for making it all possible.

Jaxson Dylan Loza (Chad, Jazz Cast) is 10 years old and is in the 4th grade. He enjoys participating in musicals, being a part of his school choir club, and collecting Funko Pops and LEGO figures. He also loves to read in his spare time. The Lion King was his first show with Top Billing Entertainment and was very excited to portray Young Simba. He participated in several musical productions prior to Top Billing Entertainment’s production of The Lion King. Jaxson is excited to participate in HSM Jr., and can’t wait to make more memories with the awesome staff and cast members. He would like to thank his family and friends for all of their support, and thank Ms. K, Mr. Joseph, Ms. Mandy, and the entire TBE staff for guiding and encouraging him to do his best. To all of the cast members, Go Out There and Shine Bright, because why,….Stars Shine Bright!

Mia Malone (Mongo, Jazz Cast) is 10 years old. She has been performing with Top Billing Entertainment since she was 4 years old. Top Billing helped nurture and encourage her love for the arts. Her exuberant and bubbly personality makes watching her on stage such a complete joy. Her magical talent and love for the arts is only matched by her kind and thoughtful heart. Mia Bug, Mommy and Daddy are so incredibly proud of the wonderful performer and the amazing person that you are! Keep reaching for the stars my little avocado!!!! Life is better when your always a little extra!

Rachel Meholovitch (Ensemble) is 14 years old and is in 8th grade. She has been with Top Billing since their production of Peter Pan. She is having a great time playing the role of Jamie. She wants to thank all the cast members for coming together and putting on a great show. A special thank you to Ms. K, Ms. Mel, Mr. Chris and Mr. Joseph and the rest of the TBE staff for all of their hard work and dedication.

Bella Novak (Ensemble) is 11 years old and this is her 4th musical and she enjoys dancing and singing. She would like to thank the Top Billing Entertainment directors, staff and choreographers for helping her improve and be a better performer. She looks forward to many more shows in the future.

Samatha Porter (Ensemble) is 13 years old and will be a freshman in high school next year. Growing up, Samantha was involved with dance at the age of 3 and participated in grade school choir. This is Samantha’s first Top Billing musical and she is so excited to be part of the team. All her life, Samantha has had an affinity for Disney and musicals. Samantha appreciates Top Billing for providing the opportunity to be a part of High School Musical Jr.

This is Makayla Prinkki’s (NYE Party Kid/Thespian) 3rd show with TBE. She has discovered she enjoys musical theater and the comradery that goes along with it. Makayla stays very busy participating in tap, ballet, girl scouts and playing soccer and basketball. She loves hanging out with people and has appreciated the support the teachers at TBE have shown her as a new performer.

Noelle Prinkki (NYE Party Kid/Thespian) loves to sing and dance. She is only 9 years old, but dreams of joining dance team and being even more involved with TBE. This is her 4th TBE show and 5th overall. Noelle currently takes tap and ballet classes. She also participates in soccer, basketball and girl scouts, but dance is her favorite. We love TBE and Ms. K because they welcome everyone no matter who they are or what their abilities are. Everyone is valid and important. Thank you Ms. K!

Emma Rafter (Susan) is 12 years old and is in the 6th grade. Emma has been taking classes and performing at Top Billing for almost three years and her favorite role was playing Flounder in The Little Mermaid. During this time she has grown so much and learned a great deal, including how much she loves to be on stage and perform. Emma wants to thank all of her family and friends for loving and supporting her. And of course, she wants to thank Top Billing and all of the teachers and volunteers who work so hard to make it possible.

Jessica Ray (Jamie, Jazz Cast) is 8 years old and a 3rd grader. This is her 11th play. She is excited to be a featured tapper. She loves gymnastics, slime, legos, dancing, singing, and participating in the plays the best! She’d like to thank her loyal fan club, especially GM, GP, Mama, Carrot, and Skunk. Thanks also to her TBE family, you are all THE BEST!!! Enjoy the play.

Brielle Salles (Kelsi, Spirit Cast) is a singer, actress, and dancer. This is her fourth show with Top Billing, but has done dance team in the past. Prior to Top Billing was in Peter Pan as Tootles, Wizard of Oz, and Cinderella as Fairy Godmother, and most recently Sven in TBE’s Production of Frozen Jr. She loves to go on stage and tell a story. She is so blessed to be given the opportunity to shine. Brielle is grateful for the bonds and memories she has made with Top Billing and cant wait to see what is in store. Brielle also would like to thank her directors for always believing in her, and most of all Ms.K! She is so thankful for Ms.K and her amazing teaching abilities. Thank you so much Ms.K for giving so many aspiring performers a place to blossom. We love you!

Madeline Scholefield (NYE Party Kid/Thespian) is 7 years old and this is her second year with Top Billing Entertainment. She is super excited to be a part of the High School Musical cast. Past credits include Hyena/Ensemble in the Lion King Jr TBE production, Peter Pan Pal in Karousel Kids production of Peter Pan. Madeline was also featured in Bonita Unified School District’s talent show with her rendition of “How Far I’ll Go” from the movie Moana and other featured musical performances with the Claremont Community School of Music. Madeline would like to thank her “Fam” for their support, her Mommy and Daddy for all the Uber services, and she is so happy for her friends & family that were able to come to watch her performance!

Savanna Silva (Ensemble) is 14 years old. She enjoys singing, dancing, and living life to the fullest! Thank you to her friends, family, and the Top Billing Staff for supporting her musical theater adventures.

Emma Smith (Sharpay, Jazz Cast) is 11 years old. She has been a part of Top Billing since she was 6 years old, and her favorite role (besides Sharpay), was playing Annie in TBE’s production of Annie Jr. Emma would like to thank her friends and family for all their love and support. Emma would also like to thank the entire HSM Cast for all their hard work on this show, while giving a special thank you to Ms. K, Rica, Mel, Joseph, and the entire TBE staff for making this production possible.

Amanda So (Sharpay, Spirit Cast) is 14 years old and is in the 8th grade. This is her second year at Top Billing Entertainment, and her 4th show out of 8 shows. She danced competitively for 6 years, and currently dances in the Launch 2 program at Brea Space, and also takes private voice lessons with Ms. K. Amanda would like to thank her family and friends for supporting her every step of the way, and would also like to thank Ms K, Mel, Rica, Rina, and Joseph for believing in her.

Kaylin So (Martha, Spirit Cast) is excited to be playing Marth Cox in High School Musical!! She loves dancing and singing more than she loves most things. She wants to thank her mom and dad for supporting her, and her friends for cheering her on!!

Hannah Spaulding (Ms. Darbus, Jazz Cast) attends Covina High School. She has been a part of Top Billing since she was 7 years old and her first show was “High School Muscial” Her favorite role was playing Ursula in TBE’s production of The Little Mermaid. She would like to thank her friends and family for all their support, and thank the entire High School Musical Cast for all their hard work on this show, while especially giving a special thank you to Ms. K, Mel, Rica, Joseph and the entire TBE staff for making this production possible.

Isabella Stoner-Villegas (Cathy) is in 7th grade. She loves her drama class and is a part of the Builder’s Club where they provide positive community outreach. This is Bella’s 4th show with TBE! She loves being a part of the TBE family and is excited to rock the house in High School Musical Jr!

Mateo Torres (Kratnoff) is a fun-loving 2nd grader who truly enjoys the Arts. He’s performed in various community celebrations, TBE musicals, and talent shows. Mateo would like to thank his family and friends for supporting him in pursuit of all his goals and dreams. With hard work and commitment, Mateo hopes to one day seeing his “name in lights.”

Hey wildcats! Danielle Ulery (Taylor, Jazz Cast) is so thankful to be playing Taylor McKessie in this amazing production of High School Musical. She would like to thank all of the directors for giving me this amazing opportunity, and for believing in her ability. She would also like to thank her cast members for making this experience amazing. She loves her Top Billing family and hopes you enjoy the show!

Katelynn Wavra (Cyndra, Spirit Cast) is 15 years old and is a sophomore in high school. This is her third production with Top Billing Entertainment, and she is so excited and blessed to be a lead dancer in High School Musical Jr. She also enjoys dancing, serving, and leadership at her school. She would like to most importantly thank God for blessing her with this opportunity. Katelynn also wants to thank her family and best friend for supporting and loving her. Lastly, she wants to thank the Top Billing family for being an amazing cast!

Gianna Ybarra (Ensemble) is a 14 year old and has been apart of Top Billing since she was 10 years old. So far she has been in 6 shows. Her favorite role was playing Grace in TBE’S production of Annie Jr. She would like to thank her family for taking her to all of the practices and not being too annoyed with hearing the music 24/7. She would also like to thank her friends for their support. A special thank you to Ms. K and all of her amazing staff members who make the shows happen.

Kennedy Young (Ensemble) is 10 years old and has been acting since she was 6 years old.T his is her first production with Top Billing and so far, it has been very welcoming and and very warm hearted. She loves meeting new people! On her spare time she also enjoys drawing. She hopes to improve her acting skills and become a better actor with TBE.

 

Cast One Liners

HSM Cast, you ROCK!! Love, Maddie Dominguez

HSM Crew, THANK YOU for being the BEST! Love, Dominguez Girls

Danea, keep shining bright, Bestie! Love you forever! ❤ Gracie

Jo’shmoe, blessed to perform with you “One Last Time” Love Grape

Brielle, love you forever, Savage Sister! Love Greg

Amanda, thanks for being the best default sister! Love Gracie

Audrey, loved getting to be your double! Love Gracie

Emma, thanks for all our BTS laughs! Miss you! Love Gracie

Michael, had the BEST time being your Gabriella! Love Gracie

Ms. K & David, THANK YOU for a MAGICAL MOVIE! Love the Dominguez Girls  

Frankie, my Croc Bro, thank you for always making me laugh! Love Gracie

I love you mommy and daddy. Thank you for always supporting me. You are the best parents! Love Danea

I love you Nana and Nene soooo much. Thank you for always supporting me. – Danea

To the entire cast of High School Musical, THANK YOU! It has been an honor working with each of you. Enjoy the show everyone! – Danea

Grace: I am so PROUD OF YOU. I love you Savage Sister️-Danea

 

Brielle: Thank you for making this so special. You mean so much to me savage sister️-Danea

 

Amanda: Thank you for being the best twin sister. I love you

-Danea

 

Maddie: I am so proud of you girlie️ Love you. – Danea

 

Audrey: You were amazing Gabriella. Love you️-Danea

 

Emma: You were FABULOUS – Danea

 

Lead Dancers: You girls made this show spectacular ️- Danea

 

Ms. K and Mr. David: Thank you for making our dreams come true. I appreciate you both️- Danea

 

Ms. Mel: We appreciate all your time and hard work that you put into this movie. You are such a blessing to us all!️- Danea

 

Ms. Rica: Thank you for sharing your talent with us, you are amazing!️- Danea

 

Mr. Joseph: It has been a blessing to work with you. Thank you for all you have done, UNFORGETTABLE!️- Danea

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Students of the Month – February 2018

Student of the Month in a Musical Theater Production

Congratulations to Liz Seymour our first Student of the Month in a Musical Theater Production. Liz always has a great attitude, consistently arrives early and stays late to help before and after rehearsals, comes to rehearsals prepared and practices on her own time so she can help her fellow cast members. She is an amazing person and we are so honored she chose to work with us. Be sure to come see her as Babette in our upcoming production of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” in May.

Student of the Month in Group Classes

Congratulations to Meilee Condron who is our first Group Class Student of the month. She takes Hip Hop and Musical Theater classes with Rica and Rina Anonas on Saturdays. Rica and Rina nominated her for her willingness to work hard. She is not afraid to commit to her work & takes on any opportunity she gets. She displays poise, great character & leadership. She exceeds our expectations & always shows appreciation & gratitude for the teaching we give her. She is humble & always shines bright through her work. She never fails to show her love, respect & passion for Top Billing and our staff.

Student of the Month in Private Lessons

Congratulations to Eden Soohoo our first Private Lesson Student of the Month. Eden takes piano lessons with Amanda Rueda. Miss Mandee nominated her because “Eden had no prior music experience when she came to me a few months ago and already at the age of 3 can play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. She is a very fast, eager learner and is very courteous and respectful to myself and those around her.” We are honored that Eden and her family chose to work with us.

Meet the Leads of Top Billing Entertainment’s “Shrek the Musical”!

 

SHREK

Miguel Lopez is 17 years old and this will be his first show with Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy and he is super excited to be cast as Shrek. Miguel has always loved the Shrek movies and, of course, the musical. Playing the part of Shrek is one of his dream roles. Miguel has always loved performing on the stage since he was a child. He would like to send out a special thank you to his family, friends, and drama teachers at Walnut High School. Miguel would also like to thank the staff at Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy for giving him a shot at playing the lead role even though he’s a newcomer to the Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy family.

Steven Anoki Santamaría-Kono is extremely excited to be stepping into the big bright beautiful world of Shrek. He is not only bringing the character of Shrek to life, but also Papa Bear! There are so many lessons and morals this show teaches, but most importantly, is the lesson “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover.” This is a huge problem in today’s society. Everyone is guilty of judging someone before getting to know them. That is what we want everyone to remember and keep with them for years to come. No matter how strongly your opinion of someone may be, you do not know their story. We all have a story, but most of us are too afraid to tell it. For as long as you may live, let your freak flags fly! Demand success and settle for nothing less!

 

FIONA

Riley Anne Mackie is thrilled to take on the role of Princess Fiona in Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy’s Shrek the Musical. She has been performing in shows for 13 years and a few of her favorite roles include Mrs. Potts/Madame De La Grande Bouche Beauty and the Beast, Fruma Sarah Fiddler on the Roof, Miss Hannigan Annie, and Glinda The Wizard of Oz. She graduated from Excel Academy this spring and will attend The Master’s University with a music scholarship and plans to double major in Music Education and Vocal Performance this fall. She would like to thank Ms. K and all the staff at Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy for giving her the opportunity to play her dream role, the cast for being so much fun to work with, her family, and most importantly, Christ for blessing her with wonderful people and amazing opportunities.

Katie Perry (but not the one you’re expecting) will be a senior at Covina High School. Katie would like to thank Ms. K for the awesome opportunity to play Fiona and fart on stage in a classy manner. She would also like to thank Tim for all the hours of tap lessons he has taught her over the years. A major thank you goes out to all of her friends and family for supporting her and letting her do what she loves. Special THANK YOU to her Mom & Dad for all the rides, late nights, last minute costume needs and for putting up with her for seventeen years in general. She also would like to give a big thank you to her cats for their continued moral support.

DONKEY

Aaron Caldarone is sixteen years old and sophomore at San Dimas High School. He has been performing since he was 6 years old and has always felt at home on stage. This is his third show with Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy and his 13^th show overall. Some of his previous roles have been Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid, Jr., Warner Huntington III in Legally Blonde, and Peter in Peter Pan, in which he won a National Youth Arts Award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical.” Aaron is both excited and honored to play Donkey in Shrek the Musical. He is very passionate about musical theater and hopes to pursue a career on Broadway in his future. He is so thankful for the love and support of both his family and friends. In His Name!

Jahmal Rogers is 15 years old and is thrilled to be on stage, performing for people brought to gates of theater. He has been in Damn Yankees, Oliver the Musical, Drowsy Chaperone, The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, and The Little Mermaid, Jr. Being a part of this production has been amazing and he can’t wait for more to come. Jahmal is also a member of choir, drama, and dance at his school and has received many awards. He lives by the motto “Do it with passion or don’t do it at all.” Jahmal would like to thank everyone for their love and encouragement and would also like to thank his parents for acknowledging him and staying by his side. Love you guys!

LORD FARQUAAD

Caleb Mackie has helped backstage in several past Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy productions. This time he is thrilled to be onstage performing with them for the first time and is enjoying playing Lord Farquaad as well as to be sharing the stage with 3 of his siblings. Caleb is 16 years old, and will be a junior at Western Christian High School this year. He is a sports fanatic who plays football and loves the Dodgers and Green Bay Packers. When not on the field, he spends his time playing the guitar and performing onstage. Some of his favorite roles have been Horton the Elephant in Seussical the Musical, Schroeder in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. As much as Caleb loves to perform, nothing compares to his love for his Lord and Savior, Jesus. Isaiah 53:5

Allie Stanzione is 21 years old and has been performing since he was 6 years old. Shrek the Musical will be his 27^th show. He won 2 NYA awards in 2015 for his roles as Lord Farquaad, Shrek the Musical, and Wizard/Professor Marvel, The Wizard of Oz, with San Dimas High School. Allie is so grateful that he has the opportunity to play Lord Farquaad a 2^nd time and alongside his brother Steven as Shrek. He would also like to thank his family and friends, his Aunt Patti for everything she does, Mrs. K, Heather, Melanie, Tim, Erik and everyone at Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy for their support and welcoming him into their family. GET IT TOGETHER HEATHER!

Meet the Principal Characters in Top Billing Entertainment’s Production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

Ursula the Sea Witch

Maddison Nall is extremely excited to be your Villain, “Ursula” for Land Cast.  Maddison is a recent High School Graduate & is planning on studying her passions to one day fullfill her dreams of performing live on Broadway. She will study acting, screenwriting, music in her next adventures. When she is not performing she plays the guitar, dances, writes, sings & enjoys the piano. Maddison would also like to thank the TBE staff for all of their time, energy, hard work & love that they put in this amazing production. Thank you also for trusting her with such a Villianess Role. Maddy would like to thank the Lord for giving her the gift of song & entertaining. Thanks to her parents for enduring the wickedness & to her siblings for being her cheerleaders.

Eileen Goodwin is so excited to be returning for her 4th production with Top Billing Entertainment! Playing various roles such as Glinda in “The Wiz”, Motormouth Maybelle in “Hairspray”, and A Reindeer in “Theres No Business Like Snow Business”, she is so happy to be playing one of her favorite Disney villains. She wants to thank Kristina Keener-Ivy and the rest of the TBE staff for their dedication and generosity. She’d also like to thank her friends and family for loving and supporting her in everything she does.

Sebastian the Crab

Jahmal Rogers is thrilled to be on stage and preforming for people brought to the gates of theater. I have been in “Damn Yankees”, “Oliver the Musical”, “Drowsy Chaperone”, and “The Wizard of Oz”. Being a part of this musical has been amazing, and can’t wait for others to come. I am also a member of choir, drama, and dance at my school. I would love to thank my parents most for acknowledged me and staying by my side the way here, love you guys. All i can say is “Do it with passion or don’t do it at all”. I have also won many awards in my drama department at my school including best new talent. Thank you everyone for the love and encouragement.

Angel Castillo is 19 years old and is a student at Mt. San Antonio College where he plans to major in music. This is the third musical production he’s been a part of, second with Top Billing, and first ever lead role performance. He would like to thank Ms. K for trusting him with such an honorable role and for everyone for working so hard. All of his talent and dedication comes from his family being so supportive of his dreams.

Scuttle the Sea Gull

Yasmeen Genie is 14 years old and is going to be a freshman in the fall. This is her 4th summer production with TBE and she is excited to play Scuttle! She has a passion for singing, dancing and performing. Her favorite roles so far have been Princess Jasmine in Aladdin Jr. and Gertrude Mc Fuzz in Seussical Jr. Her lifelong goal is to be on Broadway living her dream 8 times a week. She would like to thank Mrs. K for giving her such wonderful opportunities and for being an Amazing voice teacher and helping her to be the best she can be. She would also like to thank her dance teachers Tim, Mel and Rica for helping her and putting on a great show. Thanks to Heather and Bubba for all they do! Special thanks to her family for all their love and support of her passion to perform.

Megan Gonzalez is an ambitious 18 year old who says playing Scuttle was such a challenge but also a great learning experience. Megan was last seen playing Sister in Damn Yankees at her school, and before that, she starred as Tracy Turnblad in TBE’s fall musical, Hairspray. After recently graduating at Charter Oak High school, she will be going to Citrus College to major in musical theatre. She would like to thank her family for supporting her passion for theatre arts, and she would also like to thank Mrs. K, Tim, Mel, Heather, Erik, & Justin for believing in her & working hard to make this show wonderful.

King Triton

De’Shawn Johnson has been in musical theater for 12 years and this is his 3rd show with Top Billing. Some of his favorite roles are Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of OZ”, Shrek in “Shrek the Musical”, The Big Bad Wolf in “Into the Woods”, Daddy Warbucks in “Annie” and the Hot Dog Man/Duane in “Hairspray”. He is excited to reprise the role of King Triton. Deshawn would like to thank his mom for supporting him in his theater journey. and he would also like to thank Ms. K, Heather, Melanie and Tim for allowing him to do an amazing show with Top Billing Entertainment.

Steven Anoki Santamaria-Kono feels very blessed to be performing as King Triton in The Little Mermaid Jr. This will be his first Top Billing Production. Having grown up on stage as an ensemble performer he found himself lacking the confidence to blossom as a performer, after having met Kristina Keener Ivy things changed. He would like to thank her for giving him the chance to grow and showcase his talents and for helping him gain confidence not only as an actor but outside the theater world as well. He would like to thank Timothy Jackson for helping him expand his vocals. He would also like to thank Melanie Rabajante for believing that his horrible dancing has hope. He is very excited to be a part of the Top Billing Entertainment Family and hopes to be a part of this wonderful crowd for many years to come.

Meet the Erics in Top Billing Entertainment’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

Noah Spaulding is 18 years old and will be begin his freshman year of college at Azusa Pacific University this coming fall. He has been in almost every TBE production and his favorite role would have to be playing Aladdin in TBE’s production of “Aladdin Jr.” this past spring. He would like to give a huge thanks to all his friends, family members, teachers, and loved ones for all their support, and a special thank you to Kristina, David, Bubba, Heather, Mel, Tim, and Erik for helping him grow as a performer and a person over the course of this show. Finally, he’d like to thank the entire “Little Mermaid” cast for their hard work and dedication on this production and for putting up with his craziness during rehearsals. He loves you guys a lot.

Seth Johnson is 17 years young and a Junior going on Senior at Claremont High School. Along with his astonishing good looks and unparalleled charm, he is drum captain for the CHS drumline and is a gifted Ukelele player. This is his 15th performance overall and his third with Top Billing. He would like to thank all of the breathtaking cast and staff for giving him such an amazing role and for being the best a fella could ask for.

Meet the Ariels in Top Billing Entertainment’s production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

Brooke Lynn Boyd is thrilled to be making her debut at Top Billing as Ariel!!! Some favorite roles include Tiger Lily in “Peter Pan”, Fiona in “Shrek the Musical” – which she won a National Youth Arts award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical”, Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” & Cinderella in “Into the Woods”.

Brooke’s career began with Charlie in “Willie Wonka”, Jojo in “Seussical the Musical” & Teacup in “Beauty & the Beast” (with Kristina Keener Ivy as Madame de la Grande Bouche). Brooke traveled with the National/International Broadway Tour of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” as Cindy-Lou Who at age 10 and Annie Who at age 11. She was cast in the Matt August film “How to Get to Candybar” and has done commercials for Cox Cable, Wii – “Just Dance on Broadway” and Toyota. Brooke would like to thank Mrs. K and her new Top Billing Family for this wonderful opportunity, her family for their support and God for making her path straight! Proverbs 3:5-6

Jordyn Bristol is a 17 year old senior at Glendora High School. Jordyn is a Royal Stewart at GHS and is the reigning Miss National Orange Shows Outstanding Teen and recently placed in the top seven for Miss California in the Miss America pageant. This is Jordyn’s third show with Top Billing Entertainment and her 10th show overall. Some of her past parts include Annie, Alice in Wonderland, The Cat in Seussical the Musical, and Penny in Hairspray with TBE for which she won a National Youth Arts Award for “Best Supporting Actress”. Jordyn would like to thank her family for always supporting her and cheering her on. She would also like to thank her fellow cast-mates for all the fun times at rehearsal. Jordyn will be forever grateful to Ms. K, Tim, Mel, and Heather for giving her the opportunity to bring her favorite Disney Princess to the stage.

Where Your Money Goes

As a non-profit 501(c)3 our staff, board members, and performers are all owners of Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy. As such, we are all stake holders and all of us partner together to make the shows happen; as the Executive Director I want to make our budgets and processes as transparent as possible. We have been blessed over many years by amazing donations of money and items, but mostly of volunteer hours. We do musicals because we love doing them. Not every child is an athlete, and musicals can uniquely feature performers of all ages with special needs in addition to those with amazing dancing, singing, and acting skills in a team oriented environment. In addition to the athletic and music components, stage musicals help build discipline, confidence, and presentation skills. We love giving the performers a Broadway level experience where every one of them gets a featured solo moment, but to create these professional level productions takes a small army. We are especially proud of the amount of national awards our productions and performers have received as well as the amount of talent scouts and agents that attend our shows to recruit our performers.

If we charged each performer for the instructional time, costumes, sets, theater time, etc. which we provide for each production, the cost per person would range from $500-$700. Instead we ask each performer sell tickets or program ads to help cover the costs. We are working on grants and other income streams, but currently have been making ends meet through donations from our staff and board members. Below is a sample budget of the costs for our summer productions. The biggest factors are the amount of performers in the show, the length of time we are in a theater, and the cost for the performance rights, but with the rehearsal space and other costs added in, we are generally always operating at a deficit.

Again we do the shows because we love doing them. The musical productions are also good advertising for our private lessons and classes (although the majority of our musical performers do not take any) and they help launch our performers to the next level. To keep all this awesomeness going, we truly need each performer and their families to follow through on their commitment of volunteer hours and ticket sales, as well as maintain a positive and supportive learning environment. We are planning for and hoping in the near future that large grants and other income streams will come our way, and would love any help offered, but mainly need everyone to take up their small burden to help make the large musical productions possible. When we all work together, we can make dreams come true.

Friday Feature Student November 6, 2015 ~ Yasmeen Genie

Yasmeen Genie is 13 years old and in the 8th grade. She loves singing, dancing and musical theatre. She didn’t discover the performing arts until she starting jazz dancing when she was 9 yrs old at Encore Dance Center in San Dimas and after a year she loved dancing so much that she started taking ballet, tap, lyrical and modern dance. Then at 10 she discovered she loved to sing also and began voice lessons with Ms. K. and then a year later added piano lessons so she can learn to accompany herself. When Top Billing Entertainment began expanding last year she immediately started taking Musical Theatre, Tap, Jazz and then later Acting Classes at the new Academy. Her first show with Top Billing was “The Music Man” where she was a Saleswoman and band member. Later she was in” Beauty and The Beast” as a Narrator and Napkin and in” Wizard of Oz” as a Crow and Lead Dancer. She also participated in this year’s summer camps where she got to play lead roles, Sharpay Evans in” High School Musical Jr.” and Miss. Hannigan in “Annie”. She is also rehearsing for her third season of Holiday Shows with TBE. She was very excited to play Gertrude in “Seussical Jr.”. Gertrude has been her favorite character to portray, because they are so similar.

Yasmeen works very hard and is out most evenings and weekends at dance classes, lessons and rehearsals because she has very big goals. Her lifelong goal is to be on Broadway living her dream eight times a week. Her dream role would be to play Elphaba in “Wicked” and follow in the footsteps of Idina Menzel and Lindsay Mendez. She would like to thank Mrs. K for being the best voice teacher and for always supporting her and pushing her to do her best. She would also like to thank all her teachers at Top Billing: Heather, Tim, Mel, Jamie, Andrew, Eddie, and Christine. Yasmeen is beyond grateful for all her blessings and the opportunities she has been given and hopes she can continue to perform and do what she loves. She thanks her family and friends for all their love and support.

Click on the titles to see her sing Gimme, Gimme, Don’t Stop Believing, and O Holy Night.

Meet the Lead Actors of Top Billing’s Production of HAIRSPRAY

  

Megan Gonzalez (Tracy Turnblad) is a 17 year-old senior and proud Thespian at Charter Oak High School. She has previously been seen as the showgirl Mitzy in Crazy For You, and Old Sally in Oliver! Megan has attended DTASC, Shakespeare DTASC, CETA, and Rancho Cucomunga’s One-Act Festival. She hopes to major in theatre and have a job in the performing arts business and her dream role is Sophie in Mamma Mia. Megan would like to thank God for blessing her with many musical talents, along with her family for supporting her love for the stage. She would also like to thank Ms. K, Tim, Mel, Heather, Erik, and the entire cast for this wonderful experience.

Elder Timbol (Edna Turnblad) has been with Top Billing since it started and is excited to return to the stage with these great performers.

James Ellis is excited to join the Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy for the first time as “Wilbur” in this production of Hairspray. James has been performing in musical theater throughout Southern California for the last 15 years.  Favorite recent roles include “Jamie” in The Last Five Years, “Scarecrow” in The Wizard of Oz, “Archibald Craven” in The Secret Garden, and “Amos” in Big Fish. When not on stage, James works as a school administrator. He wants to thank his family and friends for supporting his theatrical hobby.  Enjoy the show!

Christian Sandoval (Link Larkin) has done quite a few plays with Top Billing Performance Academy including, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, and The Music Man. He has also done a few shows with other companies but Top Billing is his home now. He would like to thank his mom and dad for all the rides to rehearsal. Thank you to his brother Seth for opening the door to the theater and helping him see how wonderful it is. Last but not least, his Big Brother Andrew who has always supported him in everything he does. Thanks for being the spark that keeps him going.

Joseph De Los Reyes (Corny Collins) is a sophomore at Cal Poly Pomona and has performed in 16 musicals and won a National Youth Arts Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical in Top Billing Entertainment’s production of Beauty and the Beast Jr.  Joseph would like to thank Ms. K for giving him many opportunities to showcase his talents, as well as Mel, Tim, Heather, and Justin for all the hard work and dedication they put into the show.  Next, Joseph would like to thank his family for being his number one supporters and for always giving him unconditional love and lastly he would like to thank God for all the blessings in his life.

Eileen Goodwin is so excited to be playing the role of Motormouth Maybelle in Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy’s production of Hairspray! Having a licensed vocational nursing license, Eileen spends her days off the stage caring for her patients. She is currently produces, directs, and stars in her own YouTube channel “HEYmishelay!” which posts comedy videos every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Eileen wishes to thank her mother for supporting her and letting her follow her passion. She credits the success of Hairspray to director Kristina Keener Ivy, whose creative genius and generosity is unparalleled.

Jill Barnard (Velma Von Tussle) was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. With a degree in theater arts from CSU Northridge, she went on to work in musical theater, summer stock, dinner theater, children’s theater, student films and the occasional cameo in a movie. Credits include Once Upon a Mattress, The Sound of Music, George M, Kiss Me Kate (where she met her husband Jeff), Shadowlands, Annie, Nathan, Star of Persia, and movies Ten to Midnight, and Hard to Hold. Jill has been married to her leading man Jeff for 26 years, and is the mother of 4 wonderful boys. Her greatest joy is her family and she gives praises to God for all the blessings in her life.

Laliana Diaz (Amber Von Tussle) is a freshman at Citrus College where she is studying as a musical theatre major. This is her 3^rd musical and her very first production with Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy. Her favorite role was the lead role Nancy in the musical Oliver! Her goals include graduating with a master’s degree in musical theatre and performing on Broadway. She would like to thank everyone who has supported her especially her parents, boyfriend, and bestie as well as a big thank you to Top Billing for giving her this opportunity.

Jordyn Bristol (Penny Pingleton) is a junior at Glendora High School where she sings with the Royal Stewarts. She enjoys playing the guitar and spending time with her family and friends. This is Jordyn’s 11^th musical and her 2^nd with Top Billing Entertainment Performance Academy. She has had so much fun preparing to play the role of Penny and she is so thankful to Ms. K, Heather, Tim, and Melanie for giving her this opportunity. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting her love of musical theatre.

Richard Dayle Reyes (Seaweed J. Stubbs) is excited to be performing in Top Billing’s first fall show. Richard studies acting and dance at Top Billing Performance Academy and hopes to one day have a BFA and become a professional performer. He would like to thank God for his grace, his family and friends for their support, Mel and Tim for choreographing one heck of a show, Heather and Justin for keeping him on his toes, Ms. K for believing in him and blessing him with the chance to play one of his favorite roles. Richard would like to give a special thanks to his girlfriend Rina for helping him run lines, listening to him sing, and bringing his dance moves to life.

Friday Feature ~ August 7, 2015 ~ Justin Senneff

Justin Senneff has been performing all his life, from singing “Climb Every Mountain” atop the slide at Finkbiner Park at age 6 to playing the baseball theme on piano at age 3. Finally being enrolled in youth theater in MET’s production of The Wiz* in 2003 (said theater company henceforth being known as MET2) Justin went on to do 4 shows with MET2: The Wiz*, Grease*, Sound of Music*, Big River*. He then took a hiatus from musical theater, keeping busy with the Children’s Choir at St. Dorothy’s Church in Glendora led by Jean Dalton and Dr. Wayne Barton. In 6th grade, he came upon Patricia Trevor’s drama class, which soon introduced him into the world of competitive show choir that next year (2007) — a year which certainly proved itself one of Justin’s hallmarks both in terms of his social life and his career.

Although circumstances prevented Justin from continuing in competitive show choir from 8th grade onward, he still kept active in attending competitions, building bridges of friendship between two particular show choir programs and working tech his senior year of high school for the Glendora High Royal Stewarts. It was late in his sophomore year however that his father Richard Senneff had encouraged him to return to his roots in musical theater. Returning back to MET2 that fall in Annie*, Justin had the wonderful opportunity to perform in Les Miserables* with the Citrus Summer Conservatory in July 2011. Another time in his life Justin would consider a hallmark and would be the start of his career at Citrus College — where he currently studies music  under such names as Douglass Austin, Bruce Langford, and completing three years of the Citrus College Concert Choir.  Other names in his study of Dance at Citrus include John Vaughn, Yesenia Valverde and Rene Liskey.

2012 proved a very special year — graduating from high school, reprising The Wiz* and finally meeting Kristina! As Justin says, “Working with Kristina Keener Ivy has been thus the biggest lasting hallmark in my continuing career in the performing arts. It has given me a clear sense of my goals and has provided me with more opportunities than I have ever dreamed”. Also active in church music, Justin volunteers as chapel organist twice a month at Santa Teresita Hospital in Duarte and has sung with various Church Choirs throughout the southland, which has included singing at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown Los Angeles last September for the 10th annual “Catholic Prayer Breakfast”.

Recent projects include making his debut at Candleight Pavillion last Summer of 2014 in “Shrek the Musical”, “Les Miserables” with International Full Gospel Fellowship in Monrovia (both in partnership with Centre Stage Inc.) and is just fresh from closing “Thoroughly Modern Millie” with the Louise K. Taylor Preforming Arts Center.

As a side note, Justin is a HUGE fan of the Stage version of the Musical “Newsies” and is very fond of his many supportive friends at Top Billling Entertainment!

Edited by: Amanda Annete Eckersall

Youtube links of his work:

“Light Medley” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C-IPXYroVo 

“Les Miserables, IFGF”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXOnl63JTIw 

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIkPPFl1akE