By Any Other Name

Olivia Celis (she/her) Celia - is thrilled to play Celia in SUNY Cortland’s production of By Any Other Name in collaboration with CreateTheatre. Some of her favorite roles include Emily Brontë in the staged reading of In Emily’s Words, Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, and Helga in Cabaret. She would like to give a big thanks to the entire production team for their incredibly hard work and dedication as well as her extremely supportive family and friends! Instagram: @oliviacelis_

Jocelyn Coburn (she/they) Viola/Cesario - is a sophomore musical theatre major and is so excited to make their Cortland debut as Viola/Cesario! Theater experience: Spring Awakening (Thea) Company Theater, Tartuffe (Marianne) Genesee Community College, Our Town (Emily Webb) and Godspell (Sonia), Main St 56 Theater. Jocelyn wants to thank her family for always believing in her and her boyfriend, Charlie for being there for everything.

Chloe Davies (she/her) Rosalind - is so incredibly excited to be a part of this amazing project! She was last seen as a Fandango Woman in SUNY Cortland's Sweet Charity. Being in this show brings her back to her roots, as her first ever role was Cottonseed in Midsummer Night's Dream. Her acting journey has been full of Shakespeare; she has also played Puck and Titania in Midsummer Night's Dream and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. She hopes you enjoy this fun reimagining as much as she has! Welcome to this strange, strange wood!

Lizzie Fitzpatrick Cárcamo (she/her) Juliet/Dance Captain - is a junior Musical Theatre Major and is beyond thrilled to be part of this new amazing project! In her time here at SUNY Cortland she has played Bird Girl #1 in Seussical, Elvira in Blithe Spirit, and a Fandango Dancer in Sweet Charity! She is a proud member of the “Nuestra Cultura” creative team as the choreographer. She can’t wait for you all to see this spunky fun take on the classic Shakespearean role of Juliet! She is so incredibly thankful to everyone in this creative process for this wonderful experience, and her family for helping her get here.

Taylor Frisina (she/her) Myrtle - is thrilled to be playing Myrtle in By Any Other Name with CreateTheater. She has recently played Nickie in Sweet Charity and Edith in Blithe Spirit at SUNY Cortland. Her favorite credit is Sheila in A Chorus Line at the Gateway Playhouse directed by Mitzi Hamilton. Taylor would like to thank Kevin Halpin, the production team, and CreateTheater for this incredible opportunity. She would also like to express how grateful she is to her loved ones for always believing in her dream and supporting her every step of the way. Break legs amazing Cast and Crew! IG: @taylorfrisinaa

Isabella Garza (she/her) Aspen - is so thrilled to be returning to the SUNY Cortland stage in By Any Other Name! Her favorite shows she's been in are Sister Act, Beauty and the Beast, and Elf the Musical at Theatre Under the Stars(TUTS). She would like to thank the amazing cast and crew for making this show so much fun, CreateTheatre, and Kevin Halpin for the opportunity to perform again. She would also like to give a very special thank you to her family and friends for their fierce and unconditional support. @isacarolinagarza

Bethany Griffin (she/her) Ophelia - is a senior musical theatre major here at Suny Cortland and she is so incredibly excited to be playing Ophelia in this production of By Any Other Name with CreateTheater. Some of her favorite roles include Mayzie in Seussical , Isabella Linton in In Emily’s Words also with CreateTheater, and Frenchy in Sweet Charity. She wants to thank her parents, and MJ and Jamie for all the constant love and support, and also to Kevin Halpin and this entire production team for putting together something so beautiful, what a fabulous cast and crew! Follow Bethany on instagram: @bethanygriffinn

John Malagrida (He/Him) Lysander - Is a sophomore Musical Theater Major here at SUNY Cortland and is honored to be taking on the role of Lysander in this new musical! His prior credits at Cortland include Ensemble/Tenor Soloist in Sweet Charity and a Party Parent/Russian Dancer in the Nutcracker. Outside of Cortland his favorite credits include Perchik/Bottle dancer/Russian dancer in Fiddler On The Roof with the CSOTA at Proctors and Gomez Adams in The Addams Family at CCHS. He cannot wait for his family and friends to come see him in his first lead role here at Cortland. He would also like to thank his family and friends for all of their support throughout his musical theater journey. Follow John on Instagram: @john_malagrida

Shannon Reeves (she/her) Helena - is a junior and is ecstatic to be playing Helena! Some of her favorite roles include Wickersham Brother (Seussical, SUNY Cortland), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), and Juror 10 (12 Angry Jurors). Shannon would like to thank Kevin, the cast, and the crew for their incredible work on this production. Special thanks to her family, boyfriend, and friends for their support and love. Follow Shannon at @_shannonreeves_

Emily Reilly (she/her) Hermia - is so excited to be playing Hermia in By Any Other Name. Recent credits include Seussical (Bird Girl), Sweet Charity (Fandango Woman) and In Emily’s Words (Young Hindley). Emily would like to thank Kevin Halpin, and everyone who had a part in putting this show together! Insta: @_emilyreilly23

Sara Sinasohn (she/her) Hazel - is so thrilled to be returning to the SUNY Cortland stage in By Any Other Name! She has previously played Ursula (Sweet Charity), Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz), and Mother Superior (Sister Act). She would like to thank the cast and crew for making this show so special, CreateTheater and Kevin Halpin for the opportunity to bring this wonderful show to life, and her friends and family for their unwavering support! @sara.sinasohn

Harry Sperduto (he/him) Demetrius - is very excited to be playing Demetrius in By Any Other Name. Harry is a senior in the Musical Theatre program here at SUNY Cortland and some of his recent credits include Tommy Devito In Jersey Boys, Cliff Bradshaw in Cabaret and Heathcliff in In Emily’s Words. Harry would like to thank his parents for their endless love and support as well as the cast for another fun show. @harrysperduto

Louis Bianco V (he/him) Assistant Music Director - This is Louis' first Assistant Music Director gig and he is thrilled to be here. Louis is a Senior at SUNY Cortland and is currently working with his fellow seniors on getting their senior showcase together. Recent projects include Tony (West Side Story), Oscar Lindquist (Sweet Charity), Edgar Linton (In Emily’s Words), Charles Condomine (Blithe Spirit) and Herr Schultz (Cabaret). When Louis is not on the stage, he is a composer and musician. Instruments: Piano, Trumpet, Baritone Horn and Tenor Saxophone. He would like to thank his Mom, Dad, Brothers, Sister, friends and his girlfriend Emily for their love and support! Enjoy the show! Insta: @louis_bianco_5

Robert Crawford (Any pronouns) Spot Light Operator - is a Freshman at SUNY Cortland. He is very excited to be a part of his first ever College production. Robert will be working the spotlights alongside Illyria Escher. Robert has preformed in a variety of shows, such as Marius in Les Miserables, Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady, as well as Sky Masterson in Guys & Dolls. Robert is thrilled to have a part in By Any Other Name.

Erin DeGraw (she/her) Assistant Director - is so excited to be Assistant Directing this incredible new show! She most recently has been seen in the ensemble of SUNY Cortland's production of Sweet Charity last spring! Some other favorite shows she has been part of include Evita and Little Women! She wants to thank Kevin for allowing her to be his Assistant Director and looks forward to hopefully working with him again in future productions!

Kaitlyn DiSalvio (she/her) Wardrobe - is a sophomore MT major. She is so excited to work on the costume crew this semester as she has never done costumes before! Last semester, Kaitlyn worked backstage for Sweet Charity, and her favorite role she’s played is Cady in Mean Girls. Kaitlyn has loved seeing this new musical come to life and hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Illyria Escher (she/her) Spot Light Operator - is a freshman musical theatre major and is extremely excited for this upcoming year. Illyria will be working is spotlight and can’t wait to have this experience. She’s performed regionally and in her high school’s drama club, shows like Mary Poppins Jr.(Mary Poppins), and The Little Mermaid(Ursula) are what brought her to love the performing arts. Illyria would like to thank the team of incredible people and to tell you to sit back and watch the magic of theatre unfold.

Selma Fabregas (she/her) Assist. Stage Manager - is so grateful to be one of the ASMs for By Any Other Name! Selma is a freshman in the BFA Musical Theatre program and is so excited to get started! Selma has performed regionally with Playhouse Stage Company in their productions of, Legally Blonde (Elle Woods), Spring Awakening (Ilse), and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Connie). Selma would like to thank the entire creative team for this opportunity and the cast for welcoming her with open arms! Enjoy the show!

Savina Jannetti (she/her) Wardrobe Head - is in her junior year in the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department . She thoroughly enjoys working with the costume department on shows as she also assisted in costumes for Cortland’s fall production in 2023 of Blithe Spirit. She would like to wish the cast an excellent run and hopes that all of her friends break a leg.

Madison Knoppel (she/her) Deck Crew - is a freshman in the Musical Theater program here at SUNY Cortland and is so excited to see this new work come to life. She has performed most recently with the Talent Machine Company as Elizabeth Benning in Young Frankenstein and Regina George in Mean Girls: Teen Edition. This is her first time working backstage and is thankful for the opportunity to work with this insanely talented group of her peers. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Sam Meadows (she/her) Stage Manager - is a sophomore musical theatre major here at SUNY Cortland and is thrilled to be Stage Manager for this production of By Any Other Name. Some favorite past credits include Ensemble in Something Rotten, Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone, and Lavender in Matilda the Musical. She is incredibly grateful to the creative team for the opportunity to be a part of this production! Insta: @sam_a_meadows

Athena Molina (She/They) Assist. Stage Manager - A freshman in the Musical Theatre BFA, Athena is so honored to be one of the Assistant Stage Managers for By Any Other Name! Her most recent roles have been Renfield in Dracula; A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Maggie Winslow in A Chorus Line, and Marcy Park in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. They have been a Stage Manager for other shows including Bat Boy and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Jr. As a published playwright herself, she is so excited to see new work come to life with such an incredible cast. They hope you enjoy the show! @athena_1119

Shannon O’Sullivan (she/her) Audio Assistant - is a Junior joining the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department for her 4th show as an A2. Before coming to Cortland, she stage managed for 5 years including high school and local theatre productions. She would like to thank Joel for trusting her with this responsibility again, her parents for always being supportive in all of her theatrical endeavors, and her cousin Elizabeth for encouraging her to step outside of her comfort zone and join Cortland’s theatre program. Enjoy the show!

Marissa Rowley (she/her) Light Board Operator - is a freshman Musical Theatre BFA student here at Cortland and is so thrilled to work the light board on By Any Other Name. Previous theatre experience includes Winnie in Tuck Everlasting, Flounder in The Little Mermaid, Sophie in Mamma Mia, and Julia in The Wedding Singer. Marissa wants to thank this incredible cast and team, and can't wait for everyone to see the show.

Ezra Rudenko (he/him) Deck Crew/Props - is a freshman musical theatre BFA student and is thrilled to work props and deck crew for By Any Other Name! Some prior theatre experience includes: Les Miserables (Jean Valjean) Lexington High School Drama, Legally Blonde (Emmett), ACTS, Mean Girls (Damian) ACTS, Head Over Heels (Pythio) ACTS. Ezra wants to thank the amazing cast and creative team for putting together such an incredible production, as well as his family back home in Massachusetts for always being an amazing support system! This show will be one to remember!

Kevin T Halpin (he/him) Director/Choreographer - Kevin is in his 25th year at SUNY Cortland, having relocated his family here to establish and develop the Musical Theatre Program in August 1999. Prior to Cortland, Kevin was Director of Dance and Musical Theatre Specialist at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. As a performer, Kevin is a proud member of Actors Equity and the Screen Actors Guild having worked across the U.S, in New York City, in Europe and the Caribbean. As an SDC director/choreographer his work has been seen throughout the U.S. and New York City. Some favorite professional credits include West Side Story, A Chorus Line, Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Producers, and his award-winning production of Chicago. Long time Cortland audience members may remember his Department productions of Spring Awakening, Violet, Pal Joey, A Little Night Music, Sweeny Todd, Crazy for You and Chicago. More recent shows include Blithe Spirit, Company, Seussical, and the New Works Development Partnership with CreateTheater productions of The Bone Harp and In Emily’s Words. The latter won several awards in the NYC New Works Festival, including Best actress for one of tonight’s cast members, Olivia Celis and Best Musical. This production, and all of his work, is dedicated to his wife Cindy and their greatest collaborations; Aisling and Cassidy Halpin. With them anything is possible, without them nothing matters.

Ben Kapilow (he/him) Music Director - Ben is excited to be music directing his first show as Assistant Professor/Music Director for the Performing Arts Department at SUNY Cortland. He comes to Cortland having spent six seasons as the Resident Music Director for the Media Theatre for the Performing Arts in Media, PA. He has also worked as a pianist and music director at the Walnut Street Theatre, Fulton Theatre, Candlelight Theatre, and Temple University. As a composer, he has pieces published with Alfred Music, Chorister’s Guild, and Heritage Press. Active in education, he has presented at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association Conference, and the Expand Online Conference, and he has published articles for the Colourful Keys Blog and for Piano Magazine. He graduated Pi Kappa Lambda from the Peabody Institute with an MM in Music Composition, and he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College with a BA in Music and Psychology. www.benkapilow.com

 Scott Holdredge (he/him) Scenic Designer - is excited to be working with Create Theatre on this production. He is a full time faculty member and Scenic Designer at SUNY Cortland in the Musical Theater Program. In the summer he is the Scenic & Lighting Designer at Franklin Stage Company. He also helps run the student intern and young professionals program. Scott has designed scenery and lights for Anchorage Opera, Scenic Designs for Cortland Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Opera, Syracuse University, and a few area high school theatres. Scott’s work has been seen in New York City, Los Angeles, Alaska, and San Diego across the genres of theatre, corporate events, theme parks, haunted houses and film.

Simone Scalici (he/him) Technical Director - Simone came to SUNY Cortland by way of Syracuse Stage, Colgate University, Glimmerglass Opera, Orpheus Theatre, SUNY Oneonta, and many more. From Architecture to Industrial Design, from auto restoration to hobbies with his kids, he dives head first into unique projects with passion and dedication. He loves the creative journey from napkin sketch to reality and working with the students in making dreams come true.

Mark Reynolds (he/him) Costume Designer - Mark’s costume designs have appeared in over 30 production’s here at SUNY Cortland. Favorites include: Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, Lysistrata, Blithe Spirit, Spring Awakening, Possessing Harriet, and Sweet Charity. Regional design credits include, The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Timeline Theater, Theatre by the Lake, The Hangar, Cortland Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare in Delaware Park, among others. His work is published in Theatre as Human Action: An Introduction to Theatre Arts by Thomas S. Hischak. Artist in Residence: Gannon University and University at Buffalo. SUNY Cortland directing credits include: Love Billy, The Children’s Hour, Top Girls, The Laramie Project, Sunday in the Park with George, The Glass Menagerie, The Crucible and The Rocky Horror Show. He had the privilege of being an improv instructor for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. Mark is currently serving as senior class advisor for MT25 Senior Showcase and as Board President at Cortland Repertory Theatre. BA; Costume Design, University at Buffalo. Insta @gunclemark Art is risk.

Joel Pape (he/him) Lighting and Sound Designer - Over the last 25 years, Joel’s designs have been seen and heard throughout the United States, including Arizona, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Following a lighting Design Fellowship at Lincoln Center Institute, highlights have included an Assistant Lighting Desing credit for the original Off-Broadway production of The Vagina Monologues with Eve Ensler and Lighting Designer for Borrowed Light from Net of Souls III at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. While in New York City, Joel served as Assistant Lighting Designer for numerous designers including Beverly Emmons and Clifton Taylor. Joel also designed lights for the Asian premiere of the chamber opera Wenji, co-produced by the Asia Society and the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Locally, Joel has designed for Cortland Repertory Theatre and The Kitchen Theater Company in Central New York.

Mark Carpenter (he/him) Scenic Carpenter - Mark began my professional theatre career as a scenic carpenter for Tri Cities Opera in Binghamton, New York; eventually taking an assistant technical director position. He is currently a card holding member of IATSE Local 54 out of Binghamton. He is proud to be a part of SUNY Cortland performing arts department creative team.

Stacey Goldyn (she/her) Costume Shop Manager - Stacey holds a BA in Fine Arts and Art History from SUNY Geneseo and a MS in Arts Administration from the University of Oregon. Her career took her around the United States until she settled in Cortland, New York with her family, and established her own local sewing and alterations business, Magpie Custom Creations, in downtown Cortland. Costume construction is Stacey's first love, and she is thrilled to be a long term member of the Department of Performing Arts.

Jon Keefner (He/Him) Drums - Jon is excited to be returning to the SUNY Cortland pit as the drummer for By Any Other Name. Outside of the theater you can catch him playing with the Travis Knapp Trio or the Sing Trece Band as well as teaching future young musicians through the Cortland HS Modern Band program. Recent theatre experiences include: Sweet Charity (SUNY Cortland-Bass), Cabaret (SUNY Cortland- Drums), Honk! (Trumansburg HS- Drums) and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Cortland HS- Keys 2).

Benjamin M. Wells (he/him) Production Manager/Publicity Coordinator - Ben comes to SUNY Cortland after spending the previous two decades in public education, having previously taught Choral/Vocal Music, Music Theory and Music History in Cortland Enlarged City School District. He directed the Cortland Youth Bureau Drama Program from 2003-2023 and continues as an active member and adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association. Ben holds a Master of Music Degree in voice performance from Syracuse University as well as a Bachelor of Music Degree in Education from Nazareth College of Rochester with a double major in voice and harpsichord, and a minor in bassoon. He can often be seen involved in musical theatre around Central NY including on stage with companies such as CNY Playhouse and Rarely Done Productions, playing piano in the pit for local college and high school productions or designing and constructing sets or costumes. Beyond his many theatre activities, Ben is also a passionate volunteer and board member at the Cortland County Historical Society.