Hamlet

Reign Lawson (Hamlet/Francisco) (she/her) - Reign is a senior at Aquinas College. Reign is a triple major in Exercise Science, Psychology, and Theatre. Previous roles include Scarlet in Clue, Florence Collymore in The Play That Goes Wrong, Abilene and Sarah Ruth in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Viola In Twelfth Night, and, most recently, performed in The Laramie Project. When not on the stage, Reign is training in the gym, playing video games or hanging with her friends. Reign thanks everyone for the support of her final year at Aquinas.

Axle Kwaitkowski (Horatio) (he/him) - Axle is a sophomore at Aquinas and is thrilled to come back on stage after the production of The Yellow Boat. He is playing the role of Horatio and is blessed to share the stage with new and old friends. Off the stage Axle is studying psychology and loves cosplaying and drawing in his free time. He thanks his loving family, dear friends, and beautiful girlfriend for being such good support systems.

Kerrigan Smedley (Gertrude) (she/her) - Kerrigan is a senior at Aquinas, graduating in May 2027 with a dual major in Business Administration and Business and Communication. She is playing Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Mother of Hamlet, and wife of Claudius. She has spent the past year studying abroad in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Ulster University. She has been on stage at AQ in Eurydice, These Shining Lives, Edward Tulane, and Waiting for Lefty, as well as backstage for Next to Normal, Twelfth Night, Student One-Acts, and Lizzie. She is happy to be returning to the stage at AQ after a year-long hiatus. She thanks her friends and family for supporting her, even when it means they have not seen much of her in the past few weeks, and her long-distance boyfriend, Joel, for helping encourage her to go for it!

Delaney Pocevich (Polonius/Priest) (she/her) - Delaney is a senior at Aquinas College and studying Computer Information Systems! Previously, she has been in the Aquinas College Productions of The Yellow Boat (Mother), Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (Ensemble), The Laramie Project (Barbara Pitts), Eurydice (Little Stone), Twelfth Night (Maria), and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Man 2). She is very thankful to have been a part of this cast with this amazing crew! She thanks all her friends and family for their love and support throughout this process.

Marie Cameron (Laertes/Player King) (she/her) - Marie is a first-year student at Aquinas and is majoring in Secondary Education for Integrated Science. She was previously involved in the West Catholic High School theatre program, appearing in shows such as Cinderella, Bells are Ringing, Movie Monsters, Crazy For You, TRAP, and Anything Goes. This is Marie’s first production with Aquinas, and she is beyond excited to share the stage with such a lovely cast and crew. When Marie has rare free time, she enjoys thrifting, crafting, drawing, music, and all things vintage, especially TV and movies. She thanks God, her family, and her friends for always being there for her and helping her to be who she is.

Emily McCarty (Ophelia) (she/her) - Emily is a first-year student at Aquinas College studying Political Science with a minor in Theatre. Previously, she was a member of the Grand Rapids Ballet Jr. Company, dancing in multiple productions including The Nutcracker, The Wizard of Oz, The Carnival of the Animals, and Aladdin. This is her first production at Aquinas College and her first involving dialogue. Outside of theatre, Emily loves to sing, dance, and draw. She is also on the Aquinas Cheer team. She is very thankful to her family, friends, and castmates for their support and encouragement.

Zachery Hanson (Claudius/Ghost) (pronouns) - Zach plays Claudius in Hamlet. He is stoked to be able to do theatre again after a long time. Outside of acting, Zach enjoys music, gaming, hanging out with friends, and taking care of his dog, Louis, and his axolotl, Oscar. He thanks his family for always being supportive of him, his work colleagues, and his friends for sticking with him.

Hailey Hooker (Gravedigger 2/Rosencrantz/Marcellus) (Any) - Hailey is a sophomore at Aquinas College, currently studying Elementary Education with a Theatre minor. They were previously involved in The Laramie Project, and they are excited to be in this production. In their free time, they love to draw, sing, and hang out with friends. They thank everyone who supported her through the years and they hope you enjoy the show.

Zoebelle Bean (Gravedigger 1/Guildenstern/Barnardo) (she/her) - Zoebelle is a fifth-year student at Aquinas College studying English with a Writing Emphasis and Communication with a Theatre Emphasis. Previously, she was involved with The Laramie Project as Assistant Stage Manager, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind as Assistant Stage Manager and soundboard operator, and The Yellow Boat as Stage Manager. This is Zoebelle’s first time onstage and fourth Aquinas production. She is excited to begin her acting career and thanks her close friends for inspiring her to dive in and try this, and her professors for encouraging her wherever her ambitious mind takes her.

Lily Slabbekoorn (Player Queen/Osric) (She/They/He) - Lily is a sophomore at Aquinas and is excited to be included in this production. She plays the roles of Player Queen, attendants/servants, and Osric. She's majoring in Elementary Education, and in her free time she likes to sew, do crafts, and write poetry. She thanks her family and friends, especially her little sister Willow.

Matthew Sloan (Lucianus/Prologue) (he/him) - Matthew is a senior at Aquinas studying geography and is making his Aquinas Theatre debut as Lucianus/Prologue. He is involved in many capacities on campus, including improv. He thanks his family for their support and dedicates his role to his Aunt Nancy.

Kristen Roberts (Director) (she/her) - Kristen is in her first year teaching and directing at Aquinas.  She has degrees in Psychology and Theatre from Cornerstone and Calvin, topped off with an MA in Theatre History, Literature, and Criticism from Michigan State University.  She has directed around the Grand Rapids area, at schools and colleges.  Her free time is spent making everything from furniture to messes, peppered with fits of  reading anything that she can find.  This has been a wild and whirling ride, requiring loads of patience on the part of her husband and children and cat (though she suspects the only thing the cat may have noticed is that dinner isn’t as routine as said cat might like.)  She thanks that family for their love, support, prayers, and frequent provision of coffee and ice cream through this process, and AQ for the opportunity to join with their amazing staff and students to bring ye olde melancholy Dane to the stage.  

Penny Avery (Producer/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 33rd year at AQ!

Kelsey Edwards (Scenic Designer/Technical Director) (she/her) - Kelsey is a graduate of Adrian College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre. She has been involved in many productions throughout her theatre career. Kelsey is very excited to be working as the technical director and scenic designer for her fifth season at Aquinas College. She also has experience in scenic design, costume design, and properties design. Recently, Kelsey has worked on The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2024), Next to Normal (2025), Eurydice (2025), Ride the Cyclone, and The Laramie                                               Project (2025), as technical director and scenic designer.

Jess Luiz (Costume and Props 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. 

Selene Rezmer (Sound Designer) (she/her) - Selene has been doing shows in Grand Rapids since 2009, learning to fall in love with audio while exploring the glorious worlds that only theatre can provide. Selene graduated from Aquinas College in 2013, and has since spent most of her free time in various theaters around town, from Civic and Circle to East Grand Rapids High and Caledonia. Some of her favorite shows that she has worked on include Sister Act, Chicago, Fun Home, Caroline or Change, Young Frankenstein, Little Shop of Horrors, Reckless, Book of Days, and Sweeney Todd. She thanks Kels and Nico for their unending love, especially when forced to listen to sound effects, songs, and voiceovers on repeat while shows are being worked on. 

Gabrielle Aguilar (Lighting Designer) (she/her) – Gabrielle is an Aquinas alumni, having past worked on the college’s performances as a spotlight operator (Ride the Cyclone, Next to Normal, Lizzie), director (Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind), and lighting designer (The Yellow Boat). In the summer, she works as a spotlight operator for the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, including the 2026 season of Into the Woods and Once. She is delighted to return to the AQ Theatre and hopes you enjoy all that Hamlet has to offer.

Ash Vanrooyen (Stage Manager) (they/them) - Ash is a sophomore majoring in Music Education at Aquinas. This is their first time stage managing a show, and they are very grateful to be able to have this experience. They have previously acted in a couple shows at Aquinas, but they are now shifting their focus to more backstage work. They thank all of their friends for supporting them and all of the people offering to help them figure out how to stage manage.

Rhodey Matzke (Sound Board Design Assistant/Board Operator) (they/them) - Rhodey is a senior studying Theatre, English, and Women and Gender Studies at AQ. They are grateful to be a part of this team bringing Hamlet to life as an assistant designer and board operator. They previously directed Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind on the main stage with other Aquinas students. Additionally, they are learning more about audio design, after board operating for Lizzie and Next to Normal! Rhodey hopes you enjoy the work put into Hamlet.

CJ Guillermo (Set Design Assistant/Set Construction) (he/him) - CJ is a junior at Aquinas, studying Business Administration with a minor in Theatre. CJ is super excited to start his set design journey and was thankful for the opportunity to assist with Hamlet's set design. He extends many thanks to his girlfriend Michaela Faith for always pushing him to strive for higher heights. 

Cristiana Worthams (Closed Captioning/Running Crew) (she/her) -  Cristiana is a senior at Aquinas, studying Developmental Psychology, Communication, and Theatre. Her most recent theatre credits include: Lizzie the Musical (2024) - Asst. Stage Manager, These Shining Lives (2024) - Stage Manager, Next to Normal (2025) - Asst. Stage Manager, and Eurydice (2025) - Stage Manager, Ride the Cyclone (2025) – Constance, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (2026) - Stage Manager, and the Yellow Boat (2026) - Chorus #4. She hopes you enjoy Hamlet!

Makennah Rousseau (Costumes and Props Crew) (she/her) - Makennah works in the admissions department, and this is her first show at Aquinas. She has been involved with the performing arts since her freshman year of high school and is so grateful for the opportunity to jump back into the drama world.

Gionna Bean (Costumes and Props Crew) (she/her) - Gionna is a Psychology major at Aquinas College, works at the Writing Center as a consultant, and serves the College newspapers as the Opinion Editor. Involvement in the Theatre Program has included serving an Assistant Stage Manager and crew for The Laramie Project and running captions for Eurydice. Gionna works at Starbucks and enjoys spending free time writing and being with friends. A fun fact about Gionna is that her favorite movie theater candy is Buncha Crunch. Enjoy the show!

Braeden Belvedere (Lighting Board Operator) (he/him) Braeden is a first-year AQ student, majoring in Information Technology, and Hamlet marks his first production with Aquinas Theatre. He is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the team and bring the show to life behind the lighting board. Looking ahead, Braeden is eager to work on many more Aquinas productions. He extends a thank you to his friends for their continuous love and support, as well as to his boss for being super flexible with his schedule on such short notice.

Meghan Staal (Running Crew) 

Catherine Wittkoski (Running Crew) (she/her) - Cathy is a first-year student at Aquinas, studying Church Music in hopes of becoming a Church Music Director one day. After being in theatre all throughout high school, she heard that the crew needed some help, and she decided to step in! This is one of the first shows that she has been in crew for, but she is glad that she is here, and she hopes that she’ll learn a lot about the trade! Cathy hopes to audition for a part in a play or musical soon, wanting the AQ Theatre Program to be the home that her high school theatre program was to her. Cathy thanks everyone who has loved her so far and has supported her, and hopes everyone will love this production too!

Lauren Espy (Theatre Program Assistant) (she/her) - Lauren is a second-year student, majoring in Music Education. She has done theatre for four years and works as the Theatre Program Assistant and is responsible for marketing and the program’s social media accounts. Lauren enjoys performing.