Lyric Opera 2022-2023 Issue 10 - West Side Story

29 | Lyric Opera of Chicago The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (directed and choreographed by Willdabeast, Janelle Adams, and Miguel Zarate). She received a BFA in Commercial Dance from Pace University. ABIGAIL PASCHKE | FRANCISCA, u/s ROSALIA Lyric debut Paschke previously appeared in West Side Story as Rosalia (The Kennedy Center, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari) and Maria (The Carnegie). Recent credits include Ellie Mae Chipley/ Showboat (The Glimmerglass Festival), Gossip 2/ The Ghosts of Versailles (Royal Opera of Versailles), Maria/ The Sound of Music (The Carnegie), Cinderella/ Into the Woods (Intermountain Opera Bozeman), Valencienne/ The Merry Widow (Kentucky Opera), and Sally/ Die Fledermaus (Virginia Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Saratoga). Film and television credits include Alice in the Emmy Award-nominated Le Comte Ory (Des Moines Metro Opera) and Sandra Gutenberg in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . She is an Encouragement Award Winner from The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a National Semi-Finalist from the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition, and the Grand Prize winner of the Orpheus Competition, and holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. KIANA RODRIGUEZ | ESTELLA Lyric debut Rodriguez was recently seen as Consuelo in West Side Story at Teatro Lirico Di Cagliari. Regional highlights include Aida , Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , The Wizard of Oz , Mary Poppins , and A Christmas Carol . She toured nationally with Camille A. Brown & Dancers, and has workshopped numerous productions including Oliver! and Into The Woods (NYCC Encores!). Film and television credits include Blue’s Big City Adventure (Paramount Pictures), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel , and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade . She holds a BFAin Dance, Musical Theatre Minor from Montclair State University. ADULTS GENEVIEVE VENJOHNSON | DOC Lyric debut VenJohnson most recently appeared in Fen at Court Theatre. Before that, she was featured in August Wilson’s Radio Golf at Gulfshore Playhouse. Chicago stage work includes productions with Steppenwolf Theater, Broadway in Chicago, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, House Theater, Chicago Shakespeare, Ravinia Festival, Lifeline Theatre, and the U.S. premieres of contemporary British plays Hopelessly Devoted at Piven Theatre and Dirty Butter y with The Blind Owl/ Halcyon Theatre. Along with numerous regional appearances, VenJohnson also appeared in European tours of Jesus Christ Superstar. She earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia and an MFA in Acting from FSU/Asolo Conservatory, Television roles include Power Book IV: Force (Starz), Proven Innocent (Fox), Chicago Justice (NBC Universal), and Low Winter Sun (AMC). LILLIAN CASTILLO | GLAD HAND Lyric debut Castillo’s Chicago credits include The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, and Ride the Cyclone (Chicago Shakespeare) ; Hairspray and West Side Story (Drury Lane Theatre); Mamma Mia! , Sister Act , She Loves Me, and Kiss Me Kate (Marriott Theatre); The Music Man (Goodman Theatre). She appeared Off-Broadway in Ride the Cyclone (MCC). Regional highlights include Why Do Fools Fall in Love, The Nerd, and Titanic (Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Hairspray (Phoenix Theatre); Hairspray and Glorious! (Arkansas Repertory Theatre); Macbeth , Fiddler on the Roof , Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical , School for Wives , The Merchant of Venice , Private Lives, and The Taming of the Shrew (Utah Shakespeare Festival). KEITH KUPFERER | LT. SCHRANK Lyric debut Kupferer’s recent stage credits include The Seagull and The Great Leap at Steppenwolf Theater; The Cake and Cal in Camo (Jeff Award for Supporting Actor) at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, where he is a founding member ; Sweat, Support Group for Men (Jeff nomination for Ensemble), God of Carnage, Passion Play, and High Holidays at the Goodman Theatre; Murder on the Orient Express at Drury Lane ; The Mystery of Love and Sex (Jeff Nomination for Supporting Actor), and Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf at Writer’s Theatre; The Qualms , Good People , and Middletown, Of Mice & Men also at Steppenwolf Theater; the world premiere of The Humans at American Theatre Company; Hillary and Clinton , Never the Sinner , and Appropriate at Victory Gardens Theatre; and Gypsy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. TV credits include Southside, The Big Leap, 61st Street , The Chi; Proven Innocent ; Better Call Saul ; Empire ; Chicago P.D .; Betrayal ; Crisis ; Chicago Fire ; and Detroit 187 . JOHN LISTER | OFFICER KRUPKE, u/s LT. SCHRANK Previously at Lyric: The King And I (2015/16) and Show Boat (2011/12). Lister’s numerous local credits include The Crucible (Steppenwolf Theater); Guys and Dolls (Marriott Lincolnshire); seven seasons of A Christmas Carol as well as The Cherry Orchard and Roe (Goodman Theatre); more than a dozen productions including Richard III, Twelfth Night, The Herbal Bed, and Edward II (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Lady Windermere’s