About the Cast & Crew

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DANIEL K. WILLIAMS (Director, Scenic/Lighting/Sound Designer, Props) has directed The Rocky Horror Show, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Assassins, and The SpongeBob Musical here at Footlighters Theater. He has also directed Into the Woods, Beauty & the Beast, Anything Goes, Jekyll & Hyde, and Seussical for SALT Performing Arts, as well as Nunsense, Company, Into the Woods, John & Jen, The Vagina Monologues, Spelling Bee, and Chess for Bravo Theatre Company and The Wizard of Oz at Limelight Performing Arts. In addition to directing, Daniel has been seen performing at SALT in The Little Mermaid (Ursula), The Wizard of Oz (Zeke/Lion), Spelling Bee (Barfee), Little Shop of Horrors (The Dentist), The SpongeBob Musical (Foley Fish). and most recently A Grand Night For Singing (Martin).  Other performing credits include How to Succeed…(J.B. Biggley), James and the Giant Peach (Aunt Sponge), Joseph… (Jacob/Potifar), Trial by Jury (The Judge, Defendant, Counsel), and The Sorcerer (Alexis). His next project is directing Pippin at SALT (May 29-June 14) and a yet-to-be announced show here at Footlighters this fall. (he/him)

LYDIA DEERWESTER (Music Director) is mad with delight to lead this musical journey to Wonderland! She is a pianist, singer, arranger, teacher, and lover of all things music. She holds both music and English degrees from University of Pennsylvania, where she performed and directed in many performing arts groups. She was most recently seen on stage at Barley Sheaf Players (Belle in A Christmas Carol and Nikki in Musical Comedy Murders of 1940) and at SALT Performing Arts (Stepmother in Into the Woods). When not performing, she is a litigation attorney at a large firm in Philadelphia. She loves all things music, cooking, reading, and going on adventures with her husband and their four beautiful children. Enjoy the show! (she/her)

EMI AUNGST (Choreographer) is so thrilled to be amongst this talented and kind production team. As a teaching artist and program director at Community Through Song & Stage, she has been behind the table for the past 6 years. Emi graduated from LIU Post with a BFA in Musical Theatre in 2020. During the pandemic she began teaching, directing and choreographing and since has worked on shows like Seussical (Upper Merion Middle School), A Chorus Line (CTSS) and Company (CTSS). Onstage credits include Into The Woods (Witch) and Sweeney Todd (Ensemble, Lovett U/S). Emi would like to thank Nick for the endless encouragement and understanding, her friends for their love and support, and her parents for being at everything, always, no matter how small. (she/her)

SHANNON BRIDING PRICE (Dramaturg/Dialect Coach) is honored to have worked on this production in the capacity of dramaturg and dialect coach.  Previous credits at Footlighters include The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged (director) and An Adult Evening With Shel Silverstein (various roles). Congratulations to this incredible cast, crew, and production team! (she/her)

SARAH POPEK (Stage Manager) is grateful to be back at Footlighters Theater this spring. Previous credits include Cabaret (Producer/Props Master) and The Philadelphia Story (Stage Manager) at Playcrafters of Skippack, as well as Urinetown: The Musical, The Wedding Singer (ASM), and The Rocky Horror Show (Stage Manager) at Footlighters. Love to Mom, Dad, and Matthew. (she/her)

LINDSAY ALBRIGHT (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be back for another show at Footlighters after serving as Production Assistant for An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein. Lindsay also works on shows at SALT Performing Arts, including Cinderella (ASM), High School Musical (ASM), Jekyll and Hyde (ASM), Mary Poppins (ASM), The Sound of Music (ASM), Anything Goes (Stage Manager), Beauty and the Beast (Production Assistant) and her current project: Pippin (ASM). Thank you to my mom, Anne, and brother, Evan, for your constant support while I worked on this show.

CARLY PETITDEMANGE (Costume Design) is thrilled to be the costume designer for these wonderful characters! She majored in Theater Production at Neumann University, focusing on theatrical design in sets and costumes. She has been fortunate to costume design for many community theater productions, some of her notable Footlighters favorites include The Rocky Horror Show and American Idiot. She is also a photographer, a scenic artist, and the Head of Costumes at Bate’s Motel and Haunted Hayride. (she/her)

JAMES FRANZESE-WIER (Master Carpenter) has previously been seen directing/performing at SALT in Once Upon a Mattress (Director), The Little Mermaid (Prince Eric), Into the Woods (Assistant Director/Prince/Wolf/Steward u/s), Beauty and the Beast (Beast/Gaston u/s). Other performing credits include The Producers (Franz Liebkind), Disaster! (Professor Ted Schedier), Newsies (Jack Kelly U/S, Oscar Delancey, Darcy, Seitz). To the world you may be just one person, but to one person, you may be the world.” – Dr. Seuss (He/Him)

CARMEN ROSSI (Technical Director) has performed on stage in such shows as West Side Story, Pippin and Sweat. Rossi has also directed The Wedding Singer, Oliver!, Barnum, and Avenue Q. Carmen is the Footlighters President and Technical Director; when not at the theater, Carmen works hard at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital on the Medical Cancer Research Team. Many thanks to this awesome cast, production team and friends for their support.

DIMA PONOMARENKO (Scenic Charge Artist) is beyond excited to be painting for this show! Previous charge artist credits include Hello, Dolly! (Footlighters Theater), Urinetown (Footlighters Theater), Chicago (Conestoga High School), and The Little Mermaid (Conestoga High School). Recent painting credits include 110 in the Shade (Footlighters Theater), Wizard of Oz (UMLY Community Theater), and Sense and Sensibility (Conestoga High School). You can find more of their work on Instagram @dima.paints. Dima would like to thank all their friends and mentors for their unwavering kindness and support! (they/them)

STEVEN SATER (Book & Lyrics) won Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score, as well as the Grammy Award, both the NY and UK Drama Critics' Circle, and the Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Spring Awakening. A revival of Spring Awakening, produced by Deaf West Theatre, was Tony-nominated for Best Musical Revival. The recent Almeida Theatre revival received the London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical. In November 2021, the original Broadway cast reunited for a one-night benefit, which is now the subject of the HBO documentary, Spring Awakening: Those You've Known . Sater's other musicals include Alice by Heart (National Theatre of London, MCC Theater, novel version from Razorbill/Penguin Random House); The Nightingale (La Jolla Playhouse); Prometheus Bound (A.R.T.); Nero (Magic Theatre, NYSAF, forthcoming in London); and Some Lovers (music by Burt Bacharach, The Old Globe, Grammy-nominated album from Broadway Records). His pop songs have been recorded by artists such as Michael Bublé, Dionne Warwick, and Leslie Odom Jr. TikTok: @steven_sater. Instagram: @stevensater

DUNCAN SHEIK (Music)  is a Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist who launched his career in 1996 with his Grammy nominated self-titled debut album. Sheik is the composer for the critically acclaimed musical Spring Awakening, which went on to win eight Tony Awards in 2007, including awards for Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score. The album earned Sheik a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. In years since, Sheik has released multiple albums, most recently Claptrap in 2022 and American Psycho: Original London Cast Recording, with lyrics and music written by Sheik, premiered in the U.S. on Broadway in 2016 after a sold-out London run. His most recent theater projects include Alice By Heart, The Secret Life of Bees, Because of Winn Dixie, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Nero, and Noir.

Theatre credits include; Spring Awakening (2006) Tony Awards for “Best Original Score” and “Best Orchestrations,” 2008 Grammy Award for “Best Musical Show Album”, The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida Theatre in London April 2023, Atlantic Theatre Company 2019), Noir (The Alley Theatre 2022), Nero (London 2023), Memoirs of An Amorous Gentleman (In Development), Alice by Heart (MCC Theater 2019), Because of Winn-Dixie (Goodspeed Opera House 2019, Alabama Shakespeare Festival 2017, Delaware Theatre Company 2015), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (The New Group 2020), Whisper House (London 2017, Old Globe Theater 2011), American Psycho (2016). Recordings include; Claptrap (2022) American Psycho Original London Cast Recording (2016), Legerdemain (2015) Covers 80s (Sneaky Records 2011), Whisper House (Sony 2009), Spring Awakening (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2006), White Limousine (Rounder 2006), Daylight (Atlantic Records 2002), Phantom Moon (Nonesuch 2001), Humming (Atlantic Records 1998), Duncan Sheik (Atlantic Records 1996).

JESSIE NELSON (Book) wrote the musical Waitress with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. The show played on Broadway for 4 years and moved to the West End in London. Sara and Jessie went on to create the show Little Voice which they Executive Produced with JJ Abrams for Apple TV. Jessie wrote, directed and produced Corrina Corrina and I Am Sam starring Sean Penn, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Among her other directing credits are Curb Your Enthusiasm and Love, the Coopers with Diane Keaton. Her writing credits include Step Mom and The Story of Us . She produced Fred Claus and Danny Collins . In London, Jessie directed Alice By Heart which she co-wrote with Steven Sater with music by Duncan Sheik at the National Theater Connections Program and again at MCC in NYC. She began her career as an actress at the Public Theater working with the award-winning experimental theater Mabou Mines and at the New York Shakespeare Festival. She wrote the children's book Labracadabra. She has been the artistic Director of the Sundance Screen Writers Lab.