Ride the Cyclone

Kai Bueker (Ocean) (they/she) - Kai is thrilled to be in their first production at Aquinas. They are in their second year studying mathematics at GRCC. Kai has been on stage at local community theaters for the past 12 years, most recently in Rock of Ages (Waitress #1) and The Rocky Horror Show (Phantom) at The Civic Theater. Kai would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support and their partner Jonas for always being there.

Michaela Faith (Jane) (she/her) - Michaela Faith is a Junior at Aquinas College with majors in Theatre and Business Administration. Some credits include: Girls' Weekend (Ellie) at Circle Theatre, Eurydice (Eurydice), These Shining Lives (Charlotte), and Lizzie (Lizzie) at Aquinas College and various roles in Beautiful and Camp Rock at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. When not onstage, you can find her working at the Performing Arts Center Box Office, captaining the improv team, serving as the Secretary of AQ's Student Senate, and more. Michaela's favorite cheese is Feta, specifically on a nice salad. She also needs you to know that Kai's favorite cheese is aged goat gouda. She gives special thanks to her Mom, Dad, Elijah, her boyfriend CJ, and the entire cast and crew of this production. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Jonas Grummet (Ricky) (he/him) - Jonas is a GRCC student in his second year. This is his second performance on the Aquinas stage. His debut was in last year’s musical Next To Normal (Gabe). Beyond Aquinas, Jonas has been in two shows at Grand Rapids Civic Theater as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Show, and most recently as Joey Primo in Rock of Ages. Outside of theater, Jonas enjoys reading and collecting comic books, writing, and doodling on his sheet music when he’s supposed to be taking notes. His favorite cheese is, quote, “Whatever the heck they be puttin’ on Digiorno pizza nowadays.” He thanks his beautiful partner Kai for having been his biggest fan and supporter for over a year.

CJ Guillermo (Karnak) (he/him) - CJ is a sophomore at AQ, studying Business Administration with a minor in Accounting! He is super excited to be part of his second production at Aquinas. You may have seen him in Eurydice as Nasty Interesting Man. When not doing theatre, CJ works in the Aquinas PAC Scene Shop and at Terra Firma Bouldering, a rock climbing gym in GR. His favorite cheese is Ghost Pepper Jack. CJ really hopes you enjoy the show and thanks his Mom, Meema, and lovely girlfriend Michaela for their constant support!!!

Josh Hamilton (Noel) (he/him) - Josh Hamilton is a student at GRCC majoring in Accounting. Favorite credits include: The Prom (Ensemble/Dance Captain, Circle Theatre), Spamalot (Ensemble, Circle Theatre), CATS (Ensemble/Dance Captain, GRCT). In his spare time, Josh enjoys piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, as well as spending time with friends and family. Josh’s favorite cheese is dutch Edam. Special thanks to Olivia, Owen, and Gia; this would never have been possible without your love and support of my continued general insanity.

Xavier Memije (Mischa) (he/him) - Xavier is a transfer student from Siena Heights who currently attends Aquinas studying Music Education. He has been in his fair share of productions that date all the way back to middle school. He took a brief interlude in acting but is very excited to finally be in a production and back on stage again. He enjoys music, Roblox, and spending time with his friends. He hopes you all enjoy the show.

Cristiana Worthams (Constance) (she/her) - Cristiana is excited to make her acting debut at Aquinas College! She is a junior at AQ studying Developmental Psychology and Communication. Her most recent theatre credits include: These Shining Lives (2024) - Stage Manager, Next to Normal (2025) - Asst. Stage Manager, and Eurydice (2025) - Stage Manager. She thanks her parents and friends for all of their support throughout the rehearsal process. Her favorite cheese is the havarti dill from Aldi!

Annelise Dickinson (Director) (she/her) - Annelise is so thankful for the bright, dark, weird, wonderful gift of Ride the Cyclone. A Grand Rapids native, Annelise has built a career as an actor, director, teaching artist, and voice & classical text coach in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. Favorite projects include originating the title role in Muse of Fire Theatre Company’s Queen Margaret (Chicago), playing Prospero in The Tempest at Commission Theatre (Chicago), and directing Gruesome Playground Injuries with Theatre In All the Wrong Places (Madison, WI). Since returning to West Michigan she has been fortunate enough to direct at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre (Beautiful: the Carole King Musical), Actors’ Theatre (POTUS) and Aquinas (Eurydice, These Shining Lives, Lizzie, Metamorphoses, and Sez She) as well as performing in Spain and Witch at Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids. Annelise is a full-time theater faculty member at Muskegon Community College. She also serves as an instructor and mentor with the Young Artist Studio at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. Annelise holds a BA in Theatre from Purdue University and an MFA in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is endlessly grateful to her friends, family, and amazing students. 

Hailie MacKay (Choreographer) (she/her) - Hailie is beyond excited to choreograph her second Aquinas musical after previously choreographing Lizzie! Hailie’s other favorite choreographed productions include Carrie the Musical with Betka-Pope Productions, Mean Girls, Jr. with Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, and Anastasia with Jenison High School. Hailie is also an experienced performer with roles including Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Alyssa Greene in The Prom, Roxie Hart in Chicago, and Bombalurina in CATS. She’s also recently performed at major New York City cabaret venues including 54 Below and The Green Room 42.

Drew Huegli (Stage Manager/Asst. Director) (he/him) - Drew is very excited to be a part of Ride The Cyclone as the stage manager and assistant director for the show. He is an Aquinas Alumnus and so glad to be helping with this amazing show. He has been a part of many shows at Aquinas such as, Eurydice (Orpheus), Next To Normal (Stage Manager), These Shining Lives (Assistant Director/Mr. Reed), The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Musician/Edward), Waking Nightmare (Hippolytus), The Thanksgiving Play (Caden), The Arkansaw Bear (Mime), and Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (Ensemble). Other shows he has been a part of include, Girls Weekend (Bubba) at Circle Theatre, as well as, Mary Poppins (Bert), Bamboozled (Leandro), and Sense and Sensibility (Edward) at East Grand Rapids High School. Drew is extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this show. He hopes that you all enjoy the show and remember that it is all just a ride.

Delaney Pocevich (Asst. Stage Manager) (she/her) - Delaney is in her third year at Aquinas College and is one of the Assistant Stage Managers for this show. This is her first time on the stage management side of theatre and is so glad to have this opportunity. She has been apart of other shows here at Aquinas College such as: The Laramie Project (Barbara Pitts's track), Eurydice (Little Stone), Twelfth Night (Maria), and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Man 2). Delaney is very thankful for all her friends' and family's support throughout this process. Delaney's favorite cheese is smoked pepper-jack. She hopes you enjoy this show!

Angelo Warner (Projection Designer)  (he/him) - Angelo is a multidisciplinary creative who recently moved back to Michigan after twenty years working in Los Angeles and New York. Before leaving the mitten, he studied Film/Video Production at Grand Valley State and worked across West Michigan directing commercials, promos, and music videos for clients like Horrocks Market, Meijer, Boink, and Strongbox. In Los Angeles, he trained with an award-winning art crew specializing in blood, guts, explosions, and practical effects. Past credits include serving as Production Designer on the Robert Zemeckis–produced The Macabre World of Lavender Williams and Graphic Designer on TLC’s Diagnosis X. He is thrilled to be home, close to family and friends, and grateful to be working on Ride the Cyclone—a show whose storytelling, soundtrack, and visual world have meant a lot to him. Huge thanks to friends, family, and an incredibly supportive girlfriend AE for fueling this creative chapter.

Jess Luiz (Costume Designer) (she/her) - Jess has been a member of the Grand Rapids theatre community for over a decade, participating as a costume designer, performer, props designer and audience member. She studied Theatre at Northern Michigan University. Jess also serves as a teaching artist, sharing her love of storytelling and design through theatre arts with kids and adults of all abilities throughout the West Michigan area. She is grateful to her husband Jason for his support and their two kids for providing laughter, play, new ideas, and all the hugs.

Gabrielle Lee (Wig/Hair Asst.) (she/her) - Gabrielle is thrilled to be taking on a brand new role for this production as the designer of all things hair, wigs, and makeup. Gabrielle feels tremendously proud of the collaboration between the amazing actors and our wonderful costume designer, Jess Luiz, to bring the magic of Ride the Cyclone to life.

Catherine Marlett-Dreher (Lighting Designer) (she/her) - Catherine has designed lights for over 300 productions in the West Michigan area, including shows for Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Circle Theatre, Actors’ Theatre, Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids, Aquinas College, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Cornerstone University. Aquinas credits include: I Love you, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Distracted, Dracula, The Illusion, A Year With Frog and Toad, Love and Information, Enchanted April, Arabian Nights, Hotel Cassiopeia and many more. She works as the Production Manager and Resident Lighting Designer at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre.

Kelsey Edwards (she/her) (Scenic Designer/Technical Director) - Kelsey is a graduate of Adrian College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre. She has been involved in many productions as a technical director and stage manager. Kelsey is very excited to be working as technical director for this season at Aquinas College. She also has experience in scenic design, costume design, and properties design. Recently, Kelsey has worked on The Moors (2021), Blithe Spirit (2021), Spitfire Grill (2021), and Abigail/1702 (2022) as a technical director.

Scott Harman (Director of Theatre Production/Intimacy Choreographer) (he/him) - Scott is Assistant Professor of Theatre and Director of Theatre Production at Aquinas College. He is a PhD Candidate in Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds an MA in Theatre History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Theatre and Dance from Alma College. He has taught at Grand Valley State University, Alma College, Parkland College, and he is a longtime summer faculty member at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. He has worked as an actor, director, technician, teacher, and playwright at various theatre companies and schools around the country. As a scholar and researcher, he works extensively on acting theory and pedagogy.

Penny Avery (Theatre Program Director) (she/her) - Penny joined the Aquinas College faculty in 1994 and currently serves as both the Communication Department Chairperson and the Theatre Program Director with a PhD in Communication from Michigan State University and a MA and BS from Central Michigan University in Secondary Education with certification in English and Speech/Theatre. She was a member of the facility planning team when the Performing Arts Center was designed and loves to see the space being utilized to share arts with diverse audiences through Aquinas College’s partnerships with Community Circle Theatre and the Grand Rapids Catholic Schools. In her early years at AQ, she taught Children’s Theatre (suitably renamed Theatre for Youth and Education) and directed several productions, including The Great Cross Country Race and Charlotte’s Web. She is happy to be celebrating her 31st  year at AQ!

Jacob Richmond (Book, Music & Lyrics) - Jacob has written several plays, including: The Qualities of Zero (Dora Award nomination, Montreal MECCA Award winner for Best Text); Small Returns (Theatre Passe Muraille); Legoland (SummerWorks Award for Best Text, Frigid Festival New York Favorite Production, Vancouver Fringe Favorite Award); From Canada to Canada (CBC Radio One Award, Best Comedy); and The Punch and Judy Show (Caravan Farm Theatre). Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he majored in history and performance at Concordia University (Montreal) and is co-founder of Atomic Vaudeville, a popular cabaret theater series in Victoria, BC.

Brooke Maxwell (Book, Music & Lyrics) - Brooke is a freelance musician, composer and educator based in Victoria, BC, Canada. In addition to Ride the Cyclone, he has underscored and sound designed several local and national works: Gruff (Puente Theatre), And Slowly Beauty (Belfry Theatre, National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre), A Tender Thing (Belfry Theatre) The Glass Menagerie, Long Day’s Journey into Night (Bluebridge Theatre), Joan (Theatre SKAM), Busted Up (Open Pit Theatre). brookemaxwell.com 

Broadway Licensing Global (Licensor) - Broadway Licensing Global, comprising the imprints Broadway Licensing, Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts and Stage Rights, is a global leader in theatrical licensing and distribution. BLG’s iconic collection of authors, composers and lyricists includes David Auburn, Jocelyn Bioh, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Richard Greenberg, Lauren Gunderson, Katori Hall, David Henry Hwang, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, John Leguizamo, Matthew López, Martyna Majok, Martin McDonagh, Conor McPherson, Alan Menken, Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, John Patrick Shanley, Sam Shepard, Tom Stoppard, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Tennessee Williams, Harry Potter Theatrical Productions, Hasbro, and Mischief Worldwide. BLG is a Concord Theatricals company.