Eric Fletcher – Papa; U/S Beast
Vocal Director
Eric’s Off-Broadway credits include Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein), Hollow (Henry and Van Ripper), Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom), Beauty and the Beast (Papa), The Little Mermaid (Fish Witch), Cinderella (Madame), Alice in Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), The Selfish Giant (Giant) and Treasure Island (Ben Gunn). Eric earned a BFA in theatre per-formance form Virginia Commonwealth University. He can also be seen around New York as his drag persona Sparkle Monster. Thanks to friends, family and Michael Capecci.
Heidi-Liz Johnson – Beauty
Heidi-Liz Johnson (Beauty) is happy to be in her third production with Literally Alive! Recent roles include Bernice (Cinderella) and the White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland) with Literally Alive, and Ms. Andrew / Bird Woman (Mary Poppins) and Velma von Tussle (Hairspray) with Prather Productions. Favorite roles include Alice (Bright Star), Jo March (Little Women), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Miss Adelaide (Guys & Dolls), Jerusha Abbott (Daddy Long Legs), and Fiona (Shrek). Heidi hopes Beauty’s story inspires you to find the joy in family, friendship, and being true to yourself. Love to Mychal and to her amazing family in Arizona! @heidilizjohnson www.heidi-lizjohnson.com
Erin Moris – Norma
Erin Morris (Norma) is thrilled to make her Player’s Theatre debut! Last spring Erin made her off-broadway debut in 44 Lights, a new musical which premiered at the AMT. Some of her favorite credits include Dance Nation (Ashley) at The Neighborhood Playhouse, operas Dido and Aneas and sequel premier & Eterna (Witch 1) with Narnia Vocal Arts, Bye Bye Birdie (Kim), Footloose (Ariel) and Beauty and the Beast (Belle) in her hometown of St. Louis! After graduating at The Neighborhood Playhouse, Erin spent a summer studying opera at Narnia Vocal Arts Festival in Narni, Italy. Erin has also recently acted in a series of student films at CUNY. In her free time, Erin enjoys songwriting and playing guitar. instagram: @erinrosemorris
Avi James – Louise
Avi James is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy Musical Theatre Conservatory, London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts’ Shakespeare Conservatory and Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts. She is making both her Players Theatre debut and her Off-Broadway debut! Avi is grateful for her family and friends, who have supported her through her entire life and career (especially her Mom). Insta: @avijamesofficial
Amanda Egan – Ensemble; U/S Fairy
Amanda Egan is from Pompton Lakes, NJ where she began her dance training at the Performing Arts Academy. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Fordham/Alvin Ailey BFA program in 2019, and has since performed with Lydia Johnson Dance, Caterina Rago, Wolf and Swan, and the Merce Cunningham Trust among other freelance dance companies in NYC. In 2014, Amanda represented Team USA at the World Tap Championships in Reisa, Germany and won the Gold Medal. She has recently presented her own choreography at various NYC Choreography Festivals. Amanda also teaches dance and Pilates, and in her free time dabbles in songwriting.
Avery Ilardi
Avery is excited to be back onstage at the Players Theatre. She has appeared in past productions such as Alice in Wonderland the Musical, Dark Ladies, A Christmas Carol the Musical, and more. Avery can be seen playing the drums in the Kars4Kids Commercial, laughing it up with the Impractical Jokers in a couple of episodes, co-staring alongside Matt Rife and Eric Roberts in The Elevator and The Undead. Avery would like to thank Mother, Father, Rotner and Jim for their constant love and support. Happy Holidays to everyone @averyilardi
Antonio Loya – Beast
Antonio Loya has recently moved to the city from his home state of Colorado. He graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan university with a degree in Musical Theatre. Some of his favorite roles are Buddy in Elf the Musical and Charlemagne in Pippin
Nash Johns – Prince; U/S Papa
Nash Johns he/they is a BFA graduate from Nazareth University. They most recently appeared in MoonPhase Theatricals production of Carrie: The Musical (Billy Nolan). Their favorite former credits include: R&H’s Cinderella (Marie); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hedwig); Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour); and Spring Awakening (Hanschen). Nash is also the face behind NYC Drag Superstar, Nashley Tisdale (@originalnashley_tisdale)! “I would like to thank team at The Players Theatre, the incredible cast, my family, and my friends! Enjoy the show!” @njohns_official / www.nashjohns.com
Sun, Xiaoxiao – Chance/
Sun, Xiaoxiao (孙骁骁, he/they; @sxxinyc) is a Chinese actor & vocalist calling NYC home for 12 years. They acts in Mandarin, English, Cantonese, and can sing in Tibetan thanks to anthropology training at Columbia. Their recent projects include physical theatre piece “Rat King”@ Culture Lab LIC and Twelfth Night with Prague Shakespeare Company. His film credits include “Blue Sun Palace” (Cannes French Touch Jury Prize 2024) and “Lucky Lu” (recently wrapped, acting opposite Chang Chen张震).
Tabitha Bradley – Statue/Ensemble
Tabitha Bradley is a recent graduate from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, originally from the UK. Previous credits include; You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Snoopy), A Christmas Carol, Don’t Pitch it Do it, Safe Space, Sketch of New York, Spring Awakening (the play), and Elf the Musical (UK Tour). She is so excited for you to see the show and wants to say a massive thank you to family and friends here in the US and back in the UK.
Corynn Seahulster – Statue / Ensemble & U/S Norma / Chance
Corynn is a proud queer artist and multi-hyphenate, and she is thrilled to be making her Off-Broadway debut in Beauty and the Beast: The Musical! Her recent performances include A Sketch of New York at The Producer’s Club, and the former podcast musical Loveville High, brought to stage at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). She is @corynn.seahulster on Instagram, and you can check out her website at corynnseahulster.com! Many thanks and so much love to Dad, Katie, Iza, Mr. Hartung, Mrs. Introcaso, and all of her teachers at AMDA.
Brenda Bell – La Fee the Fairy
Brenda founded Literally Alive Theatre in 1999 and Be Bold! Productions in 2009. She has written the book and lyrics for each production, including 13 with composer Michael Sgouros. Her adaptations of A Christmas Carol and original musical Tico Tales were featured in Costa Rica at Teatro Jaco. Rumor has it that she wrote, produced and directed her first show at age six when the summer proved to be too boring. Her first love has always been dance and Bell is committed to increasing the role of dance in Off-Broadway musicals. As the owner of the Showboat Theatre, she wrote and produced shows for theatre legends including Mickey Rooney, Jamie Farr, Van Johnson, Mimi Hines and Frank Gorshin. Her writing credits also include Reading Is Cool for Reading is Fundamental and Chasing Phantom, a travelogue that traced the novel of Phantom of the Opera through Paris. She would like to thank this talented cast and creative team for bringing Dickens story to life and The Players Theatre for providing the perfect home for her whimsy and always encouraging her to be bold! Special thanks to her husband Michael Sgouros for his unending support and trust.
Michael Sgouros (Composer/Musical Director/Percussionist)
Michael has served as music director and composer for the Off-Broadway shows Percussion People, The Selfish Giant, Treasure Island, Stone Soup, A Christmas Carol, Cinderella, Phantom of the Opera (Sgouros and Bell), The Little Mermaid, Alice In Wonderland, Tico Tales, Sleepy Hollow, Beauty and the Beast and Frankenstein the musical. A native New Yorker, Michael has enjoyed performing as drummer/percussionist in a variety of musical settings which have included the American Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Ethos Percussion Group, Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus and the Broadway productions of The Secret Garden, Falsettos, The Goodbye Girl, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon and Phantom of the Opera. He has toured nationally with A Chorus Line and has traveled to Singapore and Costa Rica with the touring productions of Anything Goes and Tico Tales. Mr. Sgouros has worked professionally with Eartha Kitt, Mandy Patinkin, Michael Rupert, Bernadette Peters, Martin Short, Danny Aiello, Michael Kamen, Alison Janney, Laura Linney and Richard Thomas. He has also collaborated with notable percussionists Glen Velez, Stefan Harris, Michael Markus, Danny Druckman and Samir Chatterjee.
Shino Frances (Director)
Shino Frances (she/they) is a NYC-based international Theatre Maker. Raised in a Japanese-Jewish household, Shino’s performance career started in diapers when accidentally moon-ing their grandparents’ guests at the dinner table. Directing followed close after, as they enrolled their bestie from next door to act out scenes on the back porch. More recent adventures include an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Full Length Musical award from MITF; two nominations for BroadwayWorld Off-Broadway Awards – Best Original Choreography; Directing Rob Chen’s THE BLU ROOM; and most recently, Dir/Choreo of Sgouros & Bell’s CINDERELLA, this past spring. – A special thank you to all at The Players Theatre & Literally Alive!! @shinofrances
Shea Coughlin-Jacobs (Choreographer)
Shea Coughlin-Jacobs is thrilled to be returning to the West Village and the historic Players Theater! Creative credit highlights include: Cycles (Music Video) Frankenstein the Musical and A Christmas Carol (Off-Broadway) The 1940’s Radio Hour and Lippa’s Wild Party (WSCU). When she is not performing, she organizes dance fundraisers for the Democratic Party with industry veterans MaryAnn Lamb and Susan Meisner. Shea would like to thank her wife, Kayleigh for her constant love and support.
Courtney E. Hansen (Costume Design)
Courtney E. Hansen She has been part of the Players Theatre, Literally Alive, and Be Bold! teams for over a decade, both in the office, behind the scenes doing costumes, and under the veil on stage. Love to her cast, crew, family, friends, niblings, & mechanic.
Elizabeth Chaney (Set Design)
Elizabeth is an Associate Professor of Theatre at BMCC/CUNY. Her scenic and lighting designs have been seen at The Players Theatre, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Central Park Zoo Wildlife Theater, Abingdon Theatre, Roulette, The Whitney Museum, Alaska Theatre of Youth, New Orleans Shakespeare Festival and the SconfinArti Festival in Bolzono, Italy. Elizabeth adapted, designed and produced Dark Hollow, an Appalachian Woyzeck for the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival. elizabethchaney.carbonmade.com.
Jessica Choi (Light Design)
Jessica Choi: is the Lighting Designer for The Christmas Carol at Players Theatre. Past shows include: Alice, In Wonderland, The Stranger, The Mystery of Mosaic Bridge, The Little Mermaid, Frankenstein, And Then There Were None, Somewhere I Can Scream, Murder on the Links, Cinderella, Sleepy Hollow, Christmas Carol, and Beauty and the Beast at Players Theatre. She studied and graduated in Entertainment Technology at NYC College of Technology. In addition to her design work, she is a freelancer in the positions of a technician, assistant/associate lighting designer, light board programmer/operator working in the field of theater and fashion.
Emma Ruopp (Production Manager)
NYC: Picnic; Asleep at the Wheel (Brooklyn College), The Misanthrope; A Doll’s House (BMCC), Dadabomb (Giants Are Small), I Am Not I, Colorblind’d (FringeNYC), The Gulf (Samuel French OOB). She is a Production Supervisor for Literally Alive and Be Bold! Productions at the Players Theatre, and is thrilled to be back for her third year of A Christmas Carol!
Nicholas Thomas (Stage Manager)
Nick is an actor, writer, and director from Melbourne, Australia. He works on theatre, film and T.V. and is thrilled to be part of this production,
Kelley Alogna (Assistant Stage Manager)
Kelley Alogna (Assistant Stage Manager) is a Connecticut based Stage Manager who commutes daily to pursue theatre in NYC. Off-Broadway credits include: Frankenstein, Little Mermaid, Sleep Hollow, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast.