BHS Presents: Songs for a New World

Maddie Cooper is a senior at Batavia High School, and is thrilled to be a part of the fourth and final musical of her high school theater career! Her previous shows include The Spongebob Musical, 42nd Street, and Mean Girls. She is so grateful for all the friends and memories she has made in the past four years, and is proud of all the hard work everyone put into the show. She’d like to thank the show’s directors and choreographer, along with everyone in the cast and crew for bringing it to life. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Kate Streepey is a senior at BHS, and this is her 10th production with the Batavia HS Drama Program. This is her last winter production with the high school, and she is very sad but excited for the future! She would like to thank all the volunteers that made this show possible and hopes everyone enjoys the production.

Lucy Lollini is a junior at Batavia High School and is thrilled to be a part of this production. This is her sixth production at the high school, but 42nd production overall. When she’s not performing on stage, she enjoys studying literature, spending time with loved ones, and baking. She’d like to thank this incredible cast, crew, and production team for providing her with such a unique opportunity to be a part of this show. She hopes you enjoy the performance as everyone has put a great deal of effort into it. (@lucy.lollini)

Mac is a senior and she is very excited to be doing her 9th show with BHS. She would like to thank everyone who has helped to give her the opportunity to perform. She would also like to thank the audience for coming. She hopes that you enjoy the performance!

Sarah Anderson is a senior at BHS, and she has always loved the arts, particularly singing and dancing. She’s thrilled to finally be part of her first musical, though she wishes she had joined sooner! This experience has been eye-opening, and she feels grateful for the talented and friendly cast and crew who have welcomed her. Sarah also wants to thank her parents for their unwavering support; she knows she wouldn’t be here without them. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Lia Woods (Just One Step/Surabaya-Santa) Lia is a sophomore at Batavia High School and is very excited to part of this year’s musical. Her favorite past show has been Heathers (Heather McNamara). She is also a member of the drama club, Swingsingers and Chromatics. Her other hobbies include drawing, reading, and hanging out with her friends. She would like to thank her family for coming to every show and always supporting her, as well as the amazing directors and cast of Songs for a New World.

Lane Is a Junior and Is glad to be a part of Songs For A New World. His past shows include The Monster: A Frankenstein Tale, And Mean Girls. This is his Fifth show with the BHS Drama Program, and is happy to make an Impact on Drama Program and BHS. He’d like to dedicate his performance to his supporters and hope you enjoy the show!

Charlotte is a Junior at Batavia High School, and this is her eighth show here! You may have seen her in Mean Girls (Cady), Kodachrome (Librarian), Frankenstein(Igor/Ada), and most recently in songs for a new world! Charlotte is also a part of But Seriously Folks, and takes photos for the Media Team! She hopes you love the show as much as she has loved being in it!!

Sama Taha (Ensemble)

Sama Taha is in the tenth grade and attends Batavia High School. This is her thirteenth musical of all time. She is elated to be in Batavia’s production of Songs for a New World. She is also in Swingsingers and But Seriously Folks. She would like to thank the stupendous cast and team for making this show possible, along with her family and friends for being so supportive.

Caroline Katich is a freshman and this is her second show at the high school. Other shows she’s performed in include She Kills Monsters, Madagascar Jr, The Lightning Thief, and Songs for a New World. Caroline can’t wait to do more productions at the high school in the future!

Arianna is a sophomore at BHS, this is her first musical at the high school. She hopes you enjoy the show.

Wyatt Berryhill, a junior at BHS, is excited to be performing in songs for a new world. He began his theater journey in the fourth grade and has since been involved in Batavia Theater and Stage Works in Geneva. Wyatt’s roles include Mary Poppins (Neleus), Annie (Daddy Warbucks), High School Musical (Coach Bolton), and Mean Girls (Damian). In addition to acting, Wyatt is a producer and songwriter under the alias “Wyatt HilloBerries” and is well-known around school for his music. He would like to thank his mom, Geneva theater friends, and everyone who supports his music.

Grace Elftmann is a junior at Batavia High School. This is her second production at BHS, but more than her tenth production overall! Grace would like to thank the talented and kind cast and crew of The Odd Couple for this experience. She also would like to thank her family, (Aimee, Eric, and Gwen) for all their support, and say that she loves them very much!

Kaia Olberg is a junior at BHS. She has been in theater her whole life and this will be her 5th show at Batavia! She is so grateful for this wonderful learning opportunity, and would like to thank everyone that made it possible! She hopes you enjoy the show!

Julia (Mickey) is a senior at BHS and is so excited to be doing her 3rd and final blackbox show. She is so grateful to have the opportunity to tell the story of a strong woman in a male dominated field. She is incredibly grateful to her family, her director, the STAGE board, stage managers, and her castmates that have helped bring this story to life. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Lexie is so excited for the show! She is a senior at BHS and is heavily involved in the drama department. The Odd Couple is her 10th production at BHS and 7th as a member of the stage management team. She would like to thank her Stage Manager, Senithi, for all of her time and dedication over the rehearsal process. She would also like to thank her family for all of their support. Break a leg everyone! 

Lauren Smith is a senior at Batavia High School and this is her 6th show at BHS and 5th on the stage management team. She would like to thank the other stage managers, Senithi and Lexie, and all the actors who put so much time and effort into this musical. She is very excited for everyone to hear the beautiful music and voices in Songs for a New World, and enjoy the show!

Senithi Hewamanage is a junior and has previously worked on seven shows, making this one her eighth. She is so excited to be stage managing this year’s winter production! Senithi would like to thank her assistant stage manager Lexie Horne – for all her help, Sarrinah Iqbal – for her dedication and hard work as props master, and the incredible production team for making this show come to life! She hopes you enjoy the show.

This is Gianna’s 5th show at the BFAC. She’d like to thank her friends and family for encouraging her to join crew. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Sarrinah Iqbal is excited for you to see this year’s winter play, The Odd Couple (Female Version)! This is her second show as Props Master and has previously worked behind the scenes on shows including Mean Girls and Songs for a New World. She can’t wait for you to see the show!

Tommy Gray is a guitarist currently taking residence in Batavia, Illinois. He is a prolific jazz and jazz fusion guitarist, however he also dabbles in the occasional thrash metal song. Some of his favorite artists include Casiopea, Jeff Buckley, and Ghost, Masayoshi Takanaka, and Julian Lage. He has been playing guitar “seriously” for about 4+ years, and currently plans to attend a college for music education or performance, with an emphasis on jazz guitar.

Jackson Jonak is a freshman at BHS, and this is his first time playing an instrument for a musical. He has a love for musical theater and piano, and found the best of both worlds by joining the pit! He hopes you enjoy the production!

Jonah Tesdall is excited to play piano for the musical. This is his second year doing the musical, and will hopefully continue in years to come. He has been playing piano since he was 7 and has been looking for more ways to get involved with playing piano at the school. He would like to thank his friends and family for being supportive with his musical endeavors, and thank all of my band and music teachers for helping me on this journey.

Dominic Is a Batavia native, graduating from BHS in 1999, at which point he attended Illinois Wesleyan University, where he earned a BFA in Theatre Arts. Following a short stint as a freelance director, he settled in Quincy Illinois at Quincy Community Theatre and served as their Director of Student Theatre and Head of Education from 2003-2005 at which time he transitioned to the position of CEO and Managing Artistic Director from 2005 – January of 2011. Dominic has also been appointed and served a three-year term with the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and served as an adjunct professor of Theatre Arts and Acting with Hannibal-LaGrange University from 2008 to 2010. A Theatrical Dominic met his wife Miranda on stage in Grease and they have four children, Brayden, Delaney, Mirabella, and Bianca.

Directing Credits Include: The Sound of Music, Urinetown, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors (twice), Miracle on 34th Street, Steel Magnolias, Jesus Christ Superstar, On Golden Pond, The Graduate, Chicago, Little Brother, Lucky Stiff, Forever Plaid, Footloose, The Importance of Being Earnest, All Shook Up, Jake’s Women, Everybody, Death of a Salesman, Lost in Yonkers, Shrek, Beauty and the Beast, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, Dear Edwina, The Theory of Relativity, 9 to 5 The Musical, Arsenic and Old Lace, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Bridge to Terabithia, I Do! I Do! and many more. He is also the founding Director and coach for But Seriously, Folks… improv troupe founded in 2003.

Awards & Reccognition
* West Central Illinois 20 Under 40 recipient
* Individual Artist recipient for Wes Central Illinois?SouthEastern Iowa/North Eastern Missouri
* Arts Educator of the year – 2009
* Enid Ireland Award
* Batavia/Geneva/St. Charles 30 Under 30 recipient
* Batavia Hall of Honor

Peter Barsch teaches all curricular and co-curricular choirs at Batavia High School. Mean Girls marks his 20th show as Music Director. In addition to the last nine years of BHS shows, he has worked on Les Miserables, Ragtime, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, The Producers, and more. Mr. Barsch holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from NIU and two Bachelor’s Degrees from the Honors Program at Loyola University Chicago. Mr. Barsch has been listed in “Who’s Who among America’s Teachers” and was a Quarter-Finalist for the Grammy “Music Educator of the Year” Award. Mr. Barsch and his wife, Annie, live in Batavia with their three children.

Jayden is having a more executive Senior year with his second directorial role after being Songs For a New World’s Student Music Director. His repertoire also includes Animal Farm (Dog), Nevermore (Mr. Walker, Ensemble), Spongebob: The New Musical (crew), 42nd Street (Frankie), Pride & Prejudice (Ensemble), Mean Girls (Martin J), Kodachrome (Ensemble), and The Monster: A Frankenstein Tale (Horace, Interrupting Guy, Doctor, Woodcutter) only missing one show. He is proud of how far this cast has come, and hopes you enjoy the show!

Kyle Donahue is thrilled to be working with the great cast and artistic team of songs for a new world! He has loved choreographing previous BHS productions of Mean Girls, 42^nd Street, Spongebob, Theory of Relativity, Mamma Mia, Chicago, and Cats!  He has choreographed and performed around the world on regional theatre, theme park and cruise ship stages. Some choreography credits include Pippin, Legally Blonde, Grease, All Shook Up, Oklahoma!, and Forever Plaid.  In the Chicagoland area, Kyle has been seen on stage at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook, Steel Beam Theatre, Fox Valley Ballet, and New American Theatre, and has choreographed for Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, North Riverside Players, Fox Valley Repertory, Rockford University, and College of DuPage. He serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Recreation at the Geneva Park District, and resides locally with his beautiful wife Julie and their four kiddos Lulu, Lincoln, Finn and River. He sends a big thank you to Dominic for this opportunity and the cast and artistic team for their hard work and dedication!