Dogfight

Dogfight (WaterTower Theatre/Regional Premiere DFW), The Santaland Diaries, Les Miserables, Shrek: The Musical, Jekyll & Hyde, Spamalot! (Casa Manana), Bright Star (Lyric Theatre OKC), Bella: An American Tall Tale (Dallas Theater Center/World Premiere DFW), The Snowy Day (DCPA), The Liar, Less Than Kind (Theatre 3), Newsies (Lyric Stage), Every Brilliant Thing (Circle Theatre). He studied Musical Theatre at Circle in the Square Theatre School. Best Actor 2015, D Magazine. Currently looking to move to Chicago and study at The Second City. Thanks to all of the DFW community for their support!

Noel Anthony is elated to be returning to the SRT family after 14 years! He last appeared as Chad in All Shook Up on the East Sonora stage. Noel is a veteran of over 75 full productions in a course of 25 years all over the Bay Area. Some credits include Sense & Sensibility the musical, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, The Wild Party, The Full Monty, The Music Man, Into the Woods, The Most Happy Fella, The Secret Garden, just to name a few. Special word of thanks to all the theatre patrons who continue to support the Arts in this community and beyond!

Brandon Walters is so excited to be joining the company of Dogfight and making his debut at Sierra Rep! Favorite regional credits include: Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World at Quintessence Theater (Philadelphia, PA), Arpad in She Loves Me at The Princeton Festival (Princeton, NJ), and Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show at Forestburgh Playhouse (Forestburgh, NY). Many thanks to his agents at MMV Talent and much MUCH love to his parents and many siblings of whom there are too many to name.

Brennan Stefanik, hailing from a small town in Massachusetts, is now out pursuing his dreams in New York City. He is so excited to be making his regional theatre debut in Dogfight here at Sierra Rep! He has a BA in Theater from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has also been working regionally in costume design/wardrobe. Some of his favorite prior credits include: Next to Normal (Henry), The Addams Family (Lucas), Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere), and Peter and the Starcatcher (Prentiss). Brennan would like to thank his amazing parents, friends, and family for their constant love and support! He would be remiss not to give a special thank you to Victoria, for being his biggest fan, and letting him mooch off her BFA.

Luc is excited to be making his debut at Sierra Rep! A graduate of PCPA, where Luc played Prince Eric in their production of The Little Mermaid. Luc has performed on stage as well as on-screen since his graduation. He was most recently in London filming “Once Upon A Riot”, by the wonderful Paul James. Luc would like to thank God and his family and friends for their constant love and support.

Graduate of AMDA. This is Thad’s first show at Sierra Rep! Select Credits: Mamma Mia! (Pepper), Newsies (Romeo), Sister Act (TJ), Swing! The Musical, Bring it On The Musical (Cameron, Cheer Captain, Co-choreographer, u/s Twig, La Cienega), Mary Poppins (Neleus), Guys and Dolls (Scranton Slim), Tarzan The Musical. TV: Marshall in Paw Patrol Live! (Paramount+). Glory to God, love to my family.

Cameron Vargas is thrilled to be making his Sierra Rep debut! He was recently a part of the EPR program at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and he attended school at PCPA . He’s starred in shows such as: West Side Story, Little Women, Cinderella, Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs. He’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who got him to this point, especially his family, he wouldn’t be where he is without them.

Camryn is thrilled to return to SRT this season as an Artistic Associate! Previous SRT credits include: Sunday in the Park with George (Dot/Marie), Cinderella (Ella), Jersey Boys (Mary Delgado), and Elf (Jovie). Camryn has had the pleasure to perform at several regional houses including Casa Mañana and Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. Camryn received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Arizona. She would like to thank her friends, family, and SRT for their endless love and support. Enjoy the show!

Sarah Villacarillo is an Orange County, CA native and is excited to be returning to Sierra Rep following Dogfight and Elf the Musical! Some theatre roles include Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing), Chutney (Legally Blonde), Sister Theresa (Sister Act), and Rose Baum (The American Clock). She has also been cast in several independent films and is a member of the Pasadonuts Improv Troupe. Sarah has received her AA in Theater Arts and Dance as well as a Certificate in Musical Theatre from Cypress College. Much gratitude to her friends, family, and teachers for their continued support, love, and encouragement.

Andrea Lara just received her BFA in musical theatre from AMDA College of The Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Recent credits include her role as Miss Anderssen in Knotts Free production of A Little Night Music, and Gynecia in Polluted Theatre production of Head Over Heels. She has also had the opportunity to perform jazz standards twice at AMDA’s raise the bar café. She’s so excited to be a part of this amazing cast!

Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriters Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are best known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman. Their songs “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land (with collaborator Justin Hurwitz) were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and “City of Stars” garnered both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. Pasek & Paul won the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, which was also nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Original Song and most recently for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Upcoming projects include the live-action movie musicals Aladdin and Snow White at Disney, and an original animated musical at Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios.

On Broadway they composed the score for the six-time Tony Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen, their highly acclaimed original musical for which they received an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award, and the Tony Award for Best Score.

Their albums for Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman appeared in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the latter of which held the #1 spot for multiple weeks in a row. The Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast Recording won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and The Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which was recently nominated for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, is certified Platinum in over a dozen countries, including Double Platinum in the US, Australia, and Taiwan, Triple Platinum in Ireland and Singapore, and Quadruple Platinum in the UK and Korea.

Pasek & Paul had their Broadway debut in 2012 with their Tony-nominated score for the Broadway musical A Christmas Story, an adaptation of the classic holiday film, further adapted into a live telecast for FOX in 2017. Their new song written for the telecast, “In the Market for a Miracle,” was

nominated for the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. In 2013, they contributed several songs to NBC’s Smash, and received great acclaim for their musical Dogfight which was awarded Off-Broadway’s highest honor, the Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Musical. Their earlier theater credits include the children’s musical James and the Giant Peach and the popular song cycle Edges. Pasek and Paul went on to receive a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program for the song “Unlimited,” featured in an Old Navy YouTube campaign. In 2017, the songwriting duo composed a song for the CW’s musical episode of The Flash, and also wrote “Get Back Up Again” for the DreamWorks animated film Trolls. Among their numerous honors, in 2007 they became the youngest winners ever of the famed Jonathan Larson Award for most promising musical theater songwriters.

Both are graduates of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program and currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Dramatists Guild Foundation.

Peter Duchan wrote the book of the musical, Dogfight (based on the 1991 film), which had its world premiere in 2012 at Second Stage Theater, in a production directed by Joe Mantello and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli. Dogfight, which features music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, won the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and was also nominated for five Outer Critics Circle Awards (including New Off-Broadway Musical and Book of a Musical) and two Drama League Awards (including Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical). In addition, the musical received the 2011 Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. It was originally commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater. Dogfight opened in London in 2014 and was nominated for two Evening Standard Awards (including Best Musical).

As playwright, Peter was a 2011-2012 Dramatists Guild Fellow and a 2014 recipient of the Robert Chesley Playwriting Award. His period drama, “Lavender Scare” was a finalist for the 2010-2011 Princess Grace Award for Playwriting. Geva Theatre presented the play as part of its 2011 Plays in Progress series.

Peter co-wrote the screenplay for “Breaking Upwards” (with Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones), released by IFC Films in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities in 2010. Peter also served as Associate Producer of the film, which had its world premiere at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. It was named Best Feature Film at the Big Apple Film Festival, where it also received the Mitchell D. Bernstein Cityscape Award, honoring a film that embodies the spirit of the city of New York. It was the opening film of the 2009 Brooklyn International Film Festival and received the Grand Jury Prize (Grand Chameleon Award) as well as the award for Best Narrative Feature. Breaking Upwards also received honors from the Little Rock Film Festival (Audience Award), Royal Flush Film Festival (Best Screenplay), and Detroit Windsor International Film Festival (Best Screenplay).

Other screenwriting includes co-writing the short, Unlocked (with Daryl Wein), an Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival, Gijon International Film Festival, and many others.

Peter was Assistant Director for the Broadway production of Sharr White’s The Other Place (Manhattan Theater Club, dir. Joe Mantello) as well as the play “Not a Genuine Black Man” (Daryl Roth’s DR2 Theater, dir. Bob Balaban).

He graduated cum laude from Northwestern University and lives in Manhattan.

Jerry Lee is Sierra Rep’s Artistic Director. He’s appeared in the SRT productions of Misery, Sunday in the Park with George, Elf The Musical, Shrek The Musical, Camelot, Cabaret, Route 66, Intimate Apparel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Man of La Mancha, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair, and The Drowsy Chaperone. As an actor: I Love You…Change, Forbidden Broadway (California Musical Theatre); Life Could Be a Dream, A Christmas Carol (CenterREP); A Little Princess, The Fantasticks (Sacramento Theatre Company); West Side Story (Mountain Play); Orlando, An Iliad, A Tale of Two Cities (SacImpulse Theatre). As a soloist: Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration (Sacramento Choral Society); Billy Bigelow in Carousel in Concert (Sacramento Philharmonic). As a director: HAIR, Little Shop of Horrors, Mean Girls JR., Sh-Boom! A Christmas Miracle (World Premiere), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Twelfth Night, Jersey Boys, Clue, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh KIDS, Elvis The Musical (West Coast Premiere), Dogfight, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Steel Magnolias, Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka KIDS, I Love You…Change, The Wizard of Oz, Holiday Jukebox, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Robber Bridegroom (SRT); I Love You…Change (STC). Lee began his association with Sierra Rep in 2010 when he stepped in as a replacement in Guys and Dolls.

In 2019, Lee created SRT in Schools, a touring program that brings live professional theatre to Tuolumne County schools at no cost to the schools, students, or their families. In 2023, the program branched out to include Stanislaus and Calaveras counties.

Charlie is thrilled to be returning to Sierra Rep with Dogfight, after appearing in and choreographing this summer’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Charlie is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and a Broadway World nominated choreographer for his work on Mamma Mia!, Elf: The Musical and Young Frankenstein. Charlie has been seen performing across stages both in Australia and the United States, credits include Matilda (Rudolpho), Mary Poppins (Neleus), The Addams Family (Lucas Beineke), Mamma Mia (Eddie), Cabaret, Damn Yankees, and Bright Star. Charlie would like to thank his incredible family in Australia as well as his friends and mentors.

Sean is a composer and pianist based in Los Angeles. Originally from Sonora, he attended USC for Jazz Performance studying with Milcho Leviev and Cedar Walton. After finishing his degree, Sean spent a year in Glasgow, Scotland, playing in hotels and working with the Lothian Gaelic Choir. Then, after working in San Francisco with jazz and pop groups, he returned to Los Angeles and a career as a composer and pianist. He has music directed dozens of productions at various theatres including Sierra Rep, Milwaukee Rep, PCPA, The Odyssey, The NoHo Arts Center, Sierra Madre Playhouse, and has played and produced music for Disney and Universal Studios. Sean recently scored the award-winning feature Refuge, SMP’s production of Deathtrap, and received ASCAP’s Harold Arlen Award for film scoring.

Michael Lewis is a scenic designer for theatre, dance, and opera. He earned his Master of Fine Arts from the Department of Design for Stage and Film at New York University/Tisch School of the Arts. Recent productions include set design for Orpheus in the Underworld at Manhattan School of Music, and associate set design for Viktoria und ihr Husar at Stadttheater Bremerhaven in Germany.

Diana has been a costume Designer in Tuolumne County for many different theaters since 1976. This is her seventh year designing and stitching for SRT. She most recently designed Meet Me in St. Louis: A Live Radio Play, Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR, Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka KIDS, Peter Rabbit, Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Route 66, Holiday Jukebox, Intimate Apparel, Pageant, Million Dollar Quartet, The Glass Menagerie, A Christmas Story, A Columbia Christmas Carol, and Hank Williams: Lost Highway.

William Brown is a New York City-based Lighting Designer. He has collaborated in the past with Disney Theatrical Group, Grammy Award-winning artists, and designed in Europe with RWS Entertainment Group. William also serves as the Lighting Director for the renowned modern dance company, José Limón, and tours around the country with the company. Recent designs include Steel Magnolias; The Little Mermaid (Sierra Rep); A Chorus Line (New London Barn Playhouse); Assistant Design credits include Off-B’way: Coal Country (Audible Theatre/The Public Theatre); The Patsy (Transport Group). Regional: Kinky Boots; Or, What She Will (Hangar); Romeo & Juliet (The Huntington); Fellow Travelers (Boston Lyric Opera); Camelot (Charlottesville Opera). BFA: SCAD; MFA: Boston University.

Tatiana Covington-Parra is thrilled to be diving into another season at Sierra Rep after a whirlwind 2021 return. Beginning as a sound engineer at Modesto Junior College, she is grateful to have found a community and the opportunity to grow as an artist thanks to the guidance and support of the SRT company. Her favorite design work at SRT includes Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. She would like to thank her Mom, Grandma, family, friends, the MJC Theatre staff, and all her mentors for always allowing her to create, explore, and grow with love.

Brenda O’Brien began her theater career in San Diego, where she was seen as Judas in Godspell, Louise in Gypsy, Nicki in Sweet Charity, and Viola in Twelfth Night (to name a few). She received awards for her roles as Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation, Joan in Dames at Sea, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, and Electra in Gypsy. Brenda then went on to perform as Svetlana in the 1st National tour of Chess. Soon after she began portraying Carmen San Diego on the PBS television show and video games. In addition to acting, Brenda is an accomplished make-up artist and hairdresser for TV, Film, and Theater. She received her 25 years on Broadway pin in 2019 for her work on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Les Misérables, Jekyll & Hyde, and Disney’s The Lion King. SRT Audiences might remember her as Tanya in Mamma Mia (2018), or as Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis (2021). So glad to be back!

Nick Masonis excited to Stage Manage his first production for SRT! His story with Sierra Rep started in 2019 as the Master Electrician for The Wizard of Oz and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change during the summer while getting his BA from UNC-Wilmington. After graduating, he returned as a full-time Master Electrician, and eventually shifted to the full-time Production Manager. Nick is excited to return to his true passion for Stage Management and is happy to work with everyone!