Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 14 West Side Story

P R O F I L E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O 22 | May 3 - June 2, 2019 AMANDA CASTRO* ( Anita ) has previously appeared in West Side Story as both Anita (Atlanta Opera, Glimmerglass Festival) and Consuelo (Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Houston Grand Opera). Castro has performed widely in America and also abroad (London, Germany, South Africa). A California Institute of the Arts alumna, she was a principal dancer of the renowned Brooklyn-based company Urban Bush Women for four years. In the Run the Night competition at New York’s Highline Ballroom, she won in 2016 and placed second in 2017 with Soles of Duende, her all-female per- cussive trio. Other New York credits include a recently completed year-long creative residency with Soles of Duende at Dixon Place eatre; assisting choreographer Nick Kenkel at BC Beat; working as a model and movement specialist in New York Fashion Week; and dancing at Radio City Music Hall for the Ellie Awards. Castro was dance captain at Geva eater (Rochester, New York) for In the Heights. Choreography credits include the American Dance Awards, several works for Urban Bush Women, and multiple set pieces for Northeast competition studios. BRETT THIELE* ( Riff ) has appeared in multiple Broadway productions including Escape to Margaritaville , Miss Saigon, and Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark . A native of New Orleans, iele has appeared o -Broad- way in Clueless, e Musical at the New Group. Regionally, he has appeared as Tulsa/ Gypsy at the Maltz Jupiter eatre, e First Wives Club at the Oriental eatre in Chicago, Follies at the Repertory eatre of St. Louis, and as Dakin/ e History Boys at the Uptown Players in Dallas. His previous West Side Story performances include Ri with the St. Petersburg Opera Company and Action at the Asolo eatre in Florida. MANUEL STARK SANTOS ( Bernardo ) previously played this role at Ogunquit Playhouse. He has also portrayed Chino at New York’s Palace eatre and Ri at Carnegie Hall. Santos has appeared on Broadway as Kassim/ Aladdin (subsequently on the produc- tion’s rst national tour), Bon ls/ Gigi , and S. Uperman/ On the Town . In New York he has also been seen at the Public LAB ( Venice: A New Musical ), City Center Encores! ( Do I Hear a Waltz , Little Me , Applause , Irma La Douce , e Most Happy Fella ), Paper Mill Playhouse (Paul San Marco/ A Chorus Line ), New York Music eater Festival ( Rio ), Houston’s eater Under the Stars ( Disney’s When You Wish ), Atlanta’s Alliance eatre (world premiere of Bull Durham ), and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Ren/ Footloose ). He was also seen in 14 episodes of the NBC television series Smash . ADAM SONIAK* ( Action, u/s Riff ) comes to Lyric following the national tour of the American-premiere production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies . No stranger to West Side Story , he has played Ri at Casa Mañana and the Westchester Broadway eatre, as well as in major cities across Europe with the international touring company. Regionally, he has appeared at Paper Mill Playhouse ( e Sound of Music ) Walnut Street eatre ( Saturday Night Fever ), and Riverside eatre ( Hello, Dolly! ). To honor this production, Soniak has made a donation to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Jets CALLAN BERGMANN* ( Snowboy ) has been seen on Broadway in Cats, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella , and most recently Kinky Boots . O -Broadway credits include Silence! e Musical , Lucky Guy , and, at New York City Center, A Chorus Line , Brigadoon , and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes . Bergmann has appeared in the rst national tours of Pippin and Mary Poppins ; at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (14 productions), Paper Mill Playhouse, e Muny, and North Shore Music eatre; and at Vienna’s Vereinigten Bühnen Wien. Television and lm appearances include Isn’t It Romantic , Smash , Lovestruck: e Musical , Late Night with David Letterman , and Sorority Row . JUAN CABALLER * ( Tiger, u/s Chino ) previously appeared in West Side Story as Action (Barrington Stage Company) and Bernardo (Candlelight Pavilion). Other credits include Guys and Dolls (Old Globe, Asolo Repertory Theatre), Evita (Asolo Repertory, Riverside Theatre), Empire (new musical, La Mirada Theatre), Pablo/ Sister Act (Theatre By The Sea, Arkansas Repertory Theatre), Huck Finn/ Big River (Performance Riverside), American Idiot (La Mirada), Big Fish (Moonlight), and Singing in the Rain (Musical Theatre West). Caballer has performed in New York at the Guggenheim Museum and Radio City Music Hall. He is an alumnus of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. JARRED MANISTA * ( Baby John ) is a senior at Milwaukee’s Dominican High School, where he has played leading roles in Newsies, e Spitfire Grill, Big Fish, and e Little Mermaid . In Milwaukee he has also portrayed Fender/ Hairspray (Skylight Music eatre) and numerous roles at First Stage Children’s eater. Manista has been featured in e Nutcracker with North Shore Dance Studio, and is an award-winner in the New York City Dance Alliance competition and the RADIX, 24 Seven, and Nuvo dance conventions. He has appeared in lm productions by Collaborative Cinema, Flexible Films, Milwaukee Film, and Life Productions, Inc. PAUL H EE S ANG MILLER* ( Gee-Tar, u/s Action ) has appeared on Broadway in the recent revival of Miss Saigon , e King and I at Lincoln Center eater (performed Lun a), and as Eddie/ Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden and Broadhurst theaters. Regionally he was in the premiere of Soft Power with Center eatre Group at the Ahmanson eater (Los Angeles) and the Curran eater (San Francisco). Other regional credits include Walnut Street, North Shore Music eater, Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Four Seasons eatre in Toronto, Music eatre of Wichita and e Weston Playhouse and St. Michael's Playhouse, both in Vermont. WESLEY RYAN * ( Big Deal ) has performed such roles as Simba/ Festival of the Lion King (Hong Kong Disneyland); Ritchie/ 13: e Musical (world premiere, Centre eatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum of the Los Angeles Music Center); Feets/ Red Car News Boys (Disney California Adventure); Dennis/ All Shook Up , Joseph/ Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and the Artful Dodger/ Oliver (all at the James Armstrong eatre in Torrance, California); and Baby John/ West Side Story (Torrance eatre Company). He also appeared in the ensemble for the U.S. regional premiere of Disney’s e Little Mermaid at Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins, Utah. TAYLOR SIMMONS * ( A-Rab ) previously appeared in West Side Story as Snowboy (Atlanta), Gee-Tar (Kansas City), Luis (Houston), and Baby John (San Diego). He has toured nationally with Herrick Entertainment’s production of Peter Pan 360, playing the title role. Other roles include Tommy Djilas/ e Music Man at eatre by the Sea (Rhode Island); the title role/ Peter Pan and the Boy/ Peter and the Starcatcher , both with freefall eatre (Florida); Wayne Frake/ State Fair and Rolf/ e Sound of Music at Sierra Repertory eatre (California).