Come from Away

Jacob Brent

Jacob is a performer, director/ choreographer, and a professor of musical theater. Jacob is best known for his portrayal of Mr. Mistoffelees in the Broadway, London and Video productions of Cats. He is the only performer to have appeared in all three and the only actor to perform in both of the record-breaking performances of the longest running Broadway and West End show. He also had the privilege of working with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber while in the original cast of Starlight Express in Las Vegas. As a director and choreographer his work can be seen Off Broadway, regionally and in summer theaters across the country. Jacob holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Dance and a M.F.A. in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University.

Courtney Liu

Courtney Liu is an Assistant Professor of Music Theatre and Director-Choreographer at Elon University. She has performed with the Broadway cast of the Phantom of the Opera (Ensemble, Meg u/s, Assistant Dance Captain), Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Queen of the Night, AEA & Disney Developmental labs, the Broadway Dance Lab, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Busch Gardens Theme Parks, the Cincinnati Ballet, and the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. Courtney has taught dance for 20 year, published her research in the Journal of Dance Education, and presented at national and international conferences. Recent choreography credits include The Forestburgh Playhouse, Timber Lake Playhouse, Playmakers SYC, and the American Dance Festival in collaboration with the Nasher Museum. Prior to working as a dancer and choreographer, Courtney served as a Research Project Manager for an NIH-funded study examining the effects of Aprepitant on heroin addiction and withdrawal at NYU Langone/Bellevue Hospital. Courtney received her BA and MFA from Duke University.

Haidee Dollak

Haidee Dollak grew up in a home surrounded by classical music. Her formative years were spent practicing Clementi sonatinas while her peers developed social skills. She went on to get a degree in choral music education from UNC-Greensboro, and then, to her mother’s horror, she started playing show tunes. She has been an accompanist for Elon University since 2001, playing for musicals, voice lessons, and classes. She has accompanied singers in masterclasses with Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Andrew Lippa, Andréa Burns, Quentin Darrington, Julia Murney, Norm Lewis, and Kristin Chenoweth, among others.

Kayla Higbee

Kayla Higbee (she/her) is a costume designer and educator from Kentucky. She has an MFA in Production Design & Technology from Ohio University. Previous credits include Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (costume designer, Little Women), Berkshire Theatre Group (wardrobe supervisor), Texas Shakespeare Festival (assistant costume designer), Centre College (resident costume designer and costume shop supervisor). Recently, she presented her work on empowered fittings for dancers at the North Carolina Dance Education Organization Conference. She also presented at the Southeastern Theatre Conference showcasing her student Leadership Fellow’s research on community outreach for university costume shops. She is an Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Elon University where she teaches costume design, designs several plays, musicals, and dance pieces each year, serves as an Elon College Fellows mentor, and is a member of the Performing Arts Department Inclusivity Committee.

Jessica Hightower

Jessica Lynn Hightower has worked as a scenic designer & scenic fabricator in various venues across the U.S.. Recent designs include Little Women, The Seagull, and People, Places & Things. She has received two Kennedy Center national awards for her projection design work on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a national award for the ASTC-USITT Venue Renovation Challenge, and multiple regional awards in both scenic and media design from Southwest USITT, USITT Ohio-Valley, and KCACTF Region 6. Jessica received her MFA in Scenic Design from The Ohio State University. Visit her website, jessicalynndesigns.com.

Kim Shively

Kim Shively is an Associate Professor at Elon University, where she teaches acting and directs. She is also Guiding Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education, a leading research and professional organization that trains and equips people in the best practices for staging intimacy for theatre, film, and TV. A member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, professional acting credits include Piedmont Shakes, Shakespeare Orange County, Laguna Playhouse, and the Asolo Rep; roles on both evening and daytime network television; and over a dozen national commercials. She is the co-Artistic Director of Piedmont Shakespeare Company, the region’s only professional theatre, dedicated to producing the works of Shakespeare for free throughout central North Carolina. Shively is also co-author of Applied Meisner for the 21st Century Actor (Routledge), and her peer-reviewed articles have been included in her discipline’s top research journals including Theatre Topics, The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, and The Journal of Consent Based Performance. With over 50 professional and academic credits as an Intimacy Choreographer, Shively travels around the world working as a theatrical intimacy choreography educator and practitioner with an emphasis on working with minors.

Shively earned a BFA in Theatre Performance at Chapman University and an MFA in Acting at the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Learn more at www.KimShivelyCreative.com and www.21CActor.com.

Kirby Wahl

Kirby has directed and dialect coached many Elon productions. Locally, he’s performed in The Mystery of Irma Vep and The Illusion, at Greensboro’s Triad Stage, and The Prisoner’s Dilemma and Jude the Obscure, at the Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh (where he’s served as dialect coach for numerous productions, including the 2014 London performances of The Iron Curtain Trilogy). Other professional acting credits include New York City’s Riverside Shakespeare Company, Arizona Theatre Company, & Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. A Certified Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and Knight-Thompson Speechwork, other professional memberships include Actors’ Equity Association, VASTA, and Body-Mind Centering Association.

Cassidy May Benullo

Cassidy May Benullo is a senior Music Theatre. Some of her favorite roles include Sonya in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Elon University and her professional debut as Kira in Xanadu at the Red Barn Summer Theatre. Cassidy is a voice actor for Disney and Cartoon Network, with credits including Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, and Peanuts. You can also hear her this fall in Behemoth! starring Pedro Pascal and Steps on Netflix. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Luke Bonifacio

Luke Bonifacio is an NYC-based actor in his third year at Elon University, pursuing a BFA in Acting with minors in Dance and Leadership Studies. Elon credits include Describe the Night (Isaac Babel U/S) and Romeo & Juliet (Tybalt/Prince U/S). This summer, he trained as an Acting Apprentice with the New American Ensemble, performing in Albert Camus’ The Just at ATA Sargent Theatre. He thanks his incredible ensemble for their love and community, Jacob Brent, Courtney Liu, and Haidee Dolak for their care and guidance, and his family for helping him grow as an artist and person. @lukebonifacio_

Colette Booth

Colette Booth is a second-year Theatrical Design & Technology and Chemistry double major from Wisconsin. She is excited to be part of Come From Away as an Assistant Stage Manager! Her previous Elon credits include RENT (Deck Lead), with upcoming roles in Acquiring Dawn (Stage Manager) and Which Is The Man? (Assistant Technical Director). Colette also works as a PACE Performing Arts Assistant. Outside of theatre, she is a member of Kappa Delta and secredairy of Elon’s Milk Club. She thanks her family and the rest of the stage management team for their support.

Kyle Brady

Kyle Brady is a Senior Music Theatre Major and Honors Fellow at Elon University. Coming up he can be seen in The 85% at The American Dance Festival as well as Kevin T in Come From Away on the main stage this fall. Enjoy the show, Roll Phoenix!

Treasure Capers

Treasure Capers is a Sophomore BFA Musical Theatre student at Elon University. Her performance credits include A Chorus Line (2023), Memphis: The Musical (2024), Once On This Island (2024), SpongeBob the Musical (2025), First Daughter Suite (2026), and Bring It On (2026). She is proud to make a leading debut in Broadway musical, Come From Away, as Hannah! Treasure gives all glory to God and endless gratitude to her father, whose support made it all possible.

Brooke Chamberlin

Brooke is a senior Music Theatre major from Cincinnati, Ohio. Previously seen at Elon as Marya Dmitrievna in Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812, Dance Captain/US Brooke/Ensemble in Legally Blonde, “How Can I Lose You” soloist in Myths and Hymns. @brooke_chamberlin

Elliot Choate

Elliot Choate is excited to be back at Elon for his sophomore year as a BFA Music Theatre student. This summer, he made his professional debut as Henry in Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Previous credits include Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Billy Flynn in Chicago, Bobby Child in Crazy for You, and Billy Crocker in Anything Goes. Elliot is looking forward to next year and is incredibly grateful for the Elon Music Theatre community and the continued support of his family and friends.

Noah Clark

Noah is excited to be a part of his first mainstage production! Past favorite credits include Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain and Ren in Footloose. He wants to thank the cast, crew, and creative team for such a fun process! He also thanks his family for their constant support!

George Eastman

George is hyped to be in his first main stage production at Elon! You may have seen him in past years Collage and Grand Night, or even this year’s Collage. George would like to say thank you to everyone he has in his corner as he continues to go through his journey as an artist.

Madelynn Forcier

Madelynn Forcier is a senior Music Theatre major originally from Pharr, Texas. She is honored to be telling this story and playing the role of Diane in this production of Come From Away. Previous shows at Elon include RENT (Seasons of Love soloist/Ensemble), Merrily We Roll Along (Swing), and Myths & Hymns (Ensemble). She’d like to thank her family and friends for their love and support!

Lainey Gaston

Lainey Gaston is a proud sophomore Music Theater major with a minor in Music at Elon University! Some of her recent credits are; Justice Charlier, Rock of Ages at Davidson Community Players; Hannah Nixon/Robin Bush U/S, First Daughters Suite at Elon University; and she is currently Hannah/Crystal/Flight Attendant U/S, Come From Away at Elon University.
Thank you to my professors at Elon, to MT ‘29, and my wonderful family!
IG & TikTok: @lainery_06

Tinkie Jones

Tinkie Jones is a senior MT from Atlanta, Georgia! She has been lucky enough to be a part of several productions at Elon, including Love & Information, First Daughter Suite, and Merrily We Roll Along. Come back in a few weeks to see Come From Away! Thanks so much for supporting Elon MT, enjoy the show!

Allie Joseph

Allie Joseph (Bonnie & Others) is a Sophomore Music Theatre/Arts Administration double-major from Charlotte, NC, and she couldn’t possibly be more excited to be making her Elon Mainstage debut with this incredible cast! Previous Elon credits include First Daughter Suite (US Rosalynn Carter/Laura Bush) and the Italian Premiere of The Light In The Piazza (US Clara/Ensemble). This performance is especially dedicated to her Aunt Steph, who introduced her to this beautiful show many years ago and has fueled her love of musical theatre since the very beginning.

Sebastian Gonzalez Layton

Sebastian is a sophomore Music Theatre major and could not be more grateful for this chance to swing Come From Away! He recently spent 12 weeks of his summer performing at Maine State Music Theatre in Hairspray and Frozen. He would like to thank his family, friends, dog, and awesome girlfriend Cate for their support. @sebastian.ggl

Lauren Catherine McHenry

Lauren Catherine McHenry is a Junior from Chicago, double-majoring in Theatrical Design & Technology and Drama & Theatre Studies, with a minor in Italian Studies. Come From Away is her favorite musical of all time; it is a dream come true to work on this show and track all 19 chairs 😉 Previous credits include ASM for Romeo and Juliet (Elon University) and ASM for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Elon University). She would like to thank Gracie Guess, Owen Parker, Colette Booth, Madison Gillis, George Zemla, and her family for their endless support. Enjoy the show!

Gavin Miller

Gavin Miller is incredibly honored to get to share this remarkable story with the Elon community. He would like to dedicate his performance to his grandfather, D, who has always stepped up for the ones he loved. He would like to thank his mom, dad, sister, and entire family for their continuous support and daily phone calls. Welcome to the rock!

Michael Mintz

Michael is thrilled to be performing as “Oz” in his first musical at Elon! He is a sophomore majoring in Acting and Music in the Liberal Arts. Recently, Michael was in the company of Love & Information. He has also performed with North Carolina Opera in Il Trovatore and alongside Andrea Bocelli on his Romanza Tour. Michael would like to thank the incredible cast and crew for all their hard work, and his family for their endless love and support. He is forever grateful for this opportunity. Enjoy the show… and try to keep up with all those chair transitions 😉

Owen Parker

Owen loves pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. He is thrilled to return to Come From Away after working on the 2025 production at The Cape Playhouse, featuring members of the original Broadway company. Creative credits also include: The Cher Show, The Addams Family, Little Women, and Legally Blonde National Tours. Regional work: Cape Playhouse. He would love to thank the entire CFA team for their hard work and dedication! @owenhparker

Eric Pettit

Eric is a senior Music Theatre major and is both thrilled and saddened to be performing in his last Collage. Coming up this Fall, he will be portraying Kevin J. in Come From Away here at Elon. His biggest joy during his time at Elon has been creating numbers and he is so excited to do it for one more year! Roll Phoenix 🙂

Samantha Probst

Now in her Sophomore year, Samantha is thrilled to be making her Elon main stage debut in Come From Away as Beverley Bass! This past summer, she studied in Florence, Italy, performing in the Italian debut of The Light in the Piazza and competed in the NATS vocal competition, winning second place. She recently played Alice Murphy in Bright Star, winning a JRay award for best actor in a female role. Sam is incredibly grateful to be surrounded by such a supportive community and would like to thank her family, professors, castmates, and MT ’29 class for their endless love!

Kate Ragan

Kate is a senior music theatre at Elon University. She thrilled to be back on stage for Come From Away! Most recently, she was seen as Maureen in RENT and in the ensemble of Great Comet of 1812. She would like to thank her parents for supporting her over the past four years.

JonAshton Reid

JonAshton Reid is a Sophomore in Music Theatre from Jacksonville, Florida. Credits include last year’s production of RENT (Mr. Jefferson & Others), Twelfth Night (Malvolio), and The Little Mermaid at The Muny. JonAshton would like to thank Professor Brent for his guidance and for the opportunity to serve as Assistant Director. He also extends his gratitude to Professor Liu and Haidee Dollak for making this process so enjoyable, as well as to his family for their support. Finally, he would like to give a special thank you to God for His blessings and for always being with him. Enjoy the show!

Jakob Robinson

Jakob Robinson is a sophomore Music Theatre major from Columbus, Ohio. He is so excited to be a part of Come From Away. Beyond being a part of RENT at Elon University, his favorite credits include Big Fish (Edward Bloom), Into The Woods (Jack), Xanadu (Sonny Malone), Cabaret (Emcee), and The Prom (Nick/Ensemble). Before Elon University, he was a performance intern at Short North Stage in Columbus, Ohio, and he was a 2025 Jimmy Awards Nominee. He would like to thank Jacob Brent, Courtney Liu, Haidee Dolak, and every member of the team of Come From Away, along with his family, for supporting him in becoming the best person he can be!

Kiya Sanders

Kiya Sanders is a sophomore BFA Acting major and she is so excited to be on crew for this show! You may have last seen her as Evil, Everybody a month ago! She is so grateful for this program an she is so excited to learn more about tech. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Jack Shaffer

Jack Shaffer (Augusta, GA) is a sophomore at Elon University pursuing a double major in Musical Theatre and Computer Science. He is EXTREMELY excited to be back for another year at Elon! He is currently the understudy for Claude and Doug in Come From Away (shout out Swing Nation). Favorite credits include The Lightning Thief, Footloose, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Peter and the Starcatcher. He would like to thank his family for their constant love and support!! All glory to God! Matthew 5:16 @thejackshaffer

Savion Taylor

Savion Taylor (A1) is a Sound Engineer based in North Carolina. This is his second production with Elon Universiry. He is very excited to be back and partner with such amazing talent! Recent credits include 9 to 5 and Annie with Cortland Repertory Theatre, When Elvis Met The Beatles and Titanic (A2) with Ogunquit Playhouse, and Come From Away with Theatre Raleigh.

George Zemla

George is quite pleased to welcome you to Newfoundland as Doug (and others) in Come From Away! As an MT senior, he has had the privilege to appear in Elon’s Romeo & Juliet as Gregory (thou hast been poorjohn!), Merrily We Roll Along as Ensemble, and Legally Blonde as Dewey. Can you spot him shredding on that banjo in the back? OH YEAH! He sends love and kisses to his mom and Gretchen.