A Repertory: Three Short Plays

Laura Lumetta

Laura Lumetta is a senior in her second performance at Converse. Since her role as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, she has focused mostly on technical theatre. Her next project at Converse will be Hair. After her graduation in May, Laura will move on to pursue design and technical theatre professionally.

Ella Ziel

Ella is a theatre practitioner and Senior Theatre/English Major at Converse University. Previous acting roles include the King of Hearts (Alice’s Wonderland), Cecily (The Importance of Being Earnest), and Titania/Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). She is also a stage manager, dramaturg, and playwright, and she will have a staged reading of her Senior Capstone play on May 3rd. After graduation, she plans to pursue theatre professionally.

Olivia Rosman

Olivia is a sophomore at Converse pursuing a BA in Theatre. She has also acted as Ouiser in Steel Magnolias at Chapman High School. Olivia’s recent credits at Converse include Assistant Stage Manager for Watch Your Step in the fall and CATS: The Musical last spring. She will also be the Stage Manager for Hair: The Musical in April.

Caleb Davidson

Caleb Davidson is a Christian-raised man from Casey, Illinois. Caleb is a trained actor of the Micheal Chekhov technique. Caleb’s interests include technical theatre; some of his credits include Light Board Operator for Cats, Lighting Design for dance capstone project The Lines We Cross, and he is looking forward to working as Props Manager for Hair. Caleb’s passion is voice-over, and he hopes to become a voice actor after graduating from Converse.

Leah Hall

Leah is a Senior at Converse University and is expected to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre (2024). She is trained in the Micheal Checkov and Stanislavski method. During her sophomore year, she played Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. When she’s not on the stage, you can find her crocheting/knitting, making pinterest boards, or learning kpop dances!

Courtney Arp

Courtney Arp is a senior Musical Theatre major with a minor in dance. She was last seen as a performer in the Lines We Cross. After this, she’ll be seen playing Chrissy in Hair. She is super excited to close out her final semester at Converse. After graduation, she wishes to continue creating theatre and become a well rounded theatre artist.

Jenna Tamisiea

Jenna is excited to be in her second year as an Instructor of Theatre at Converse University. She is also a freelance director throughout the Southeast, most recently at The Spoleto Festival, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Goodly Frame Shakespeare, The Warehouse Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, and Northern Arizona University. She is grateful for the wonderful opportunity to perform alongside her talented students and colleagues.

Ryan Colvard

Ryan Colvard is a Theatre Major at Converse University. They have a great passion for all things on stage and off, like lighting design and directing. They have been in past productions like Cats, The Thanksgiving Play, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Their biggest goal is to be able to direct a full show.

Liv Eshenbaugh

Liv is a senior at Converse. They most recently appeared in the fall capstone production of Alice's Wonderland as the Cheshire Cat, in addition to directing scenes. She will also be appearing in April in Converse's Hair. She is the resident Acting teacher at Arts in Motion in Spartanburg, where she will continue to work after graduation.

JaPrincess Jones

JaPrincess is a freshman at Converse University and is expected to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre (2027). She is in the show “Come and Go” playing as Ru. She is also part of the wardrobe team and she helps with quick changes. She is really looking forward to being in the show “Hair” in April.

Joseph Redmon

Joseph is currently a Junior at Converse University pursuing a BA in Theatre with minors in Business Management and German. His acting roles have included Jaxton in The Thanksgiving Play and Macavity in CATS. Joseph also enjoys technical theatre; he works for Theatre and Dance Converse as a carpenter and painter, and is the Master Electrician for all three Rep shows. He is looking forward to being a Tribe Member in the next production, HAIR

Natalia Hiner

Natalia is excited to make her straight play debut! She was previously seen as Mister Mistoffelees in Cats last year at Converse and made her professional debut as a swing over the summer at Glow Lyric Theater in Cabaret. Natalia is currently studying musical theater and dance here at Converse University and is excited for the upcoming musical Hair.

Asa Murphy-Caldwell

Asa is a senior psychology and child & family studies major and is extremely excited to be a part of the siren’s song cast. Asa has always enjoyed the thrills of the theater world and hasn’t gotten a chance to explore till now! And she hopes to continue her enjoyment after college. When Asa isn’t at rehearsals with her castmates she runs a poetry club on campus, bakes or relaxes with her favorite video game. She wants to thank converse theatre for giving her this opportunity and the cast of siren’s song for giving a budding actress a warm welcome.

Serger Jimenez-Sanchez

Serger is a current undergrad student at Converse University, born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. He is currently working to get his degree in Musical Theatre and Hispanic studies. He first started Musical Theatre in his sophomore year of high school, and is continuing to work and get better in acting, performance, and singing. He has so far (including this one) been in four musicals, the other three being ‘In the Heights’ and ‘Shrek the Musical’ and most recently ‘Cats’. This is Serger’s first time performing at Centre Stage, and he is excited to be here and wishes to continue doing shows in the future. Serger also just came back this semester from Studying Abroad in Costa Rica. He is also of Costa Rican descent and fluent in Spanish, and plans to study abroad in Costa Rica next semester to learn more about Latin American Theatre.

Meg Hanna-Tominaga

Meg Hanna-Tominaga is the resident scenic designer in the Department of Theatre & Dance at Converse University, where in addition to a variety of design-related courses, she also teaches Puppetry, Playwriting, and Intro to Asian Theatre. She received her MFA from the University of Hawaii – Mānoa, where her thesis design was for the English premiere of Lady Mu and the Yang Family Generals, under the artistic supervision of Chinese Living National Treasure Madam Shen Xiaomei. She has designed for theatres and opera companies in Hawaii and across the mainland, from California to Florida. She has worked for Sony and Nickelodeon Animation Studios as a color stylist on shows such as Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold!, and Invader Zim, and she has worked as production designer on several independent films. Meg lived and worked in Japan for ten years, where she was able to deepen her interest in a number of theatrical and handcraft traditions.

Melissa Owens

Melissa Owens Kaley is the resident Studio Acting professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance, where, in addition to a wide variety of performance-related courses, she also teaches Performance Studies, Costume Design, Introduction to Theatre, and multiple international Study-Travel Theatre courses. Professor Owens Kaley came to Converse in 2012, and has served the department as Chair for six years leading the programmatic planning and assessment for Theatre, Musical Theatre, and Dance. She received her BA degree in English Literature and Drama from LeMoyne College, her MA degree in Theatre from Miami University, and her MFA in Theatre Performance from Kent State University.

Shakori Jennings-Shuler

Shakori is from West Columbia, South Carolina. She graduated from Converse in 2020 with her BA in Theatre. She received her MAT in Theatre from The University of South Carolina in 2023. While at UofSC, she had the pleasure of performing in the shows; Tiny Beautiful Things as Letter Writer #3, The Light as Genesis, and a devised piece co-written by her called Locked Down, Opened Up which was performed at the National IDEA World Congress in Reykjavík, Iceland in 2022. Locked Down, Opened Up is currently being developed as an audio book. Shakori teaches drama at W.G. Sanders Middle School in Columbia, S.C. She is currently directing two shows to be performed in April; The Mysterious Case of The Missing Ring & The Many Disguises of Robin Hood. Shakori is finding so much joy in directing and teaching. She is incredibly grateful to be back at Converse. She’d like to thank God, her family, and the Converse Theatre Department for their love and support.

Allison Roux

Allison Roux is an Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Dance at Converse University. She earned her MFA in Dance (Choreography) from UNC Greensboro and her BFA in Acting from SUNY Fredonia. Allison is a dance educator, choreographer, certified yoga teacher, and ScreenDance producer. Her concert and ScreenDance choreography has been presented at festivals worldwide, including Wicklow ScreenDance Laboratory, Flatlands Dance Theatre, Jacksonville Dance Film Festival, The International ScreenDance Festival, Flick! Film Festival, and Children's Theatre of Charlotte. You can read more about her concert dance, musical theatre choreography, and research projects at allisonroux.com.

EJ George

E.J. has worked as a freelance designer, electrician, carpenter, and general stagehand in the S.C. Upstate region, and is a recent graduate from USC Upstate with a degree in Theatrical Production. He has been nominated by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for his scenic design of Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play and his lighting design for Tapestry, and during the summer of 2017 he completed an internship at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, UK. Recent experience with Converse College Events include Technical Director for the opera Alcina and lighting design for Oakbrook Preparatory School’s production of Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. E.J. is looking forward to collaborating with the hard-working people in the department of Theatre & Dance as well as the Events staff.

Mayes Hopkins

Mayes is the Technical Director here at Converse College and has his Associates Degree in Theatre from Gainesville State College. Before coming to the Upstate, Mayes was the Technical Director at The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina in Hilton Head, SC. There he oversaw and built over 30 shows. Some of those shows include Singin’ In The Rain, Gypsy, Mamma Mia, Newsies, Legally Blonde, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Color Purple. In Hilton Head, he also worked with The Lean Ensemble Theatre, Hilton Head Preparatory School, and Hilton Head Christian Academy as one of their scenic designers. Mayes has also worked at Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina as their Assistant Technical Director. During his time at Flat Rock Playhouse, he worked with and mentored college apprentices and Interns and helped them hone their technical skills in the scene shop. Mayes has also designed shows for Gainesville High School in Gainesville, GA. Some of his favorite scenic designs have been In The Heights, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Godspell, and Tea At Five.

Sarah Schaible

Sarah is a Sound Designer from Greenville who graduated last year from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Since then, she has had the great pleasure of working with various theaters in the area, following her passion and connecting with the arts in and around her hometown.

Barry Whitfield

Barry has an MFA-IA from Goddard College and is a scenographer, set, lighting, costume, sound designer and director. In the summer 2022, Barry conceived and directed, Death of a Nation, a devised piece, which was USC Upstate Theatre’s entry in FUSE International Festival. In 2023, he made his debut with Glow Lyric Theatre as the seasons Production Manager. Barry recently retired after 28 years as the Theatre Manager and Technical Director for the Performing Arts Center at the University of South Carolina Upstate where he also taught technical theatre classes. Barry has received meritorious design awards from The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for his set and lighting design for the University’s productions of Picnic, Our Country’s Good, Very Still and Hard to See, Let the Right One In and the set design for Nunsense, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Look Homeward Angel and Fuddy Meers, as well as, one for applied theatre technology for The Bluest Eye. Barry also designed the entry archway into the stadium for the Pan American Games for the Visually Impaired and co-designed the entry and lighting for The World Goal Ball Championships!

Natalia Hiner

Joseph Redmon

JaPrincess Jones

Ryan Colvard

Laura Lumetta

Leah Hall

Courtney Arp

Jade Hope

Ayrine Herrera

Zoi Palmquist

Bryson McDonald

Jordan Smith

Jordan is a freshman double majoring in musical theatre and dance at Converse University. Most recently, she was seen in Converse’s Watch Your Step dance show, as well as Rock Hill Theatre’s Imagination (Singer) and Sweeney Todd (Tobias). Jordan is excited to be teching her first straight play at Converse, and she cannot wait for more shows to come!

Joe Tomberlin

Joe is a junior majoring in musical theatre at Converse. His most recent Converse productions include the Jan term devised piece “Yes/No”, and Munkustrap in “Cats”. Joe has also appeared as an extra on both season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones and the movie “The Other Zoey”. He plans to pursue a career in acting and entertainment after finishing college.

Serger Jimenez-Sanchez

Rachel Jones

Rachel is a freshman at Converse University. This is their second time working crew for a Converse Theatre and Dance production and they are excited to be back for a second time. She is the assistant stage manager for these productions. She has performed in highschool productions of OurTown as Mrs. Gibbs, The Wizard of Oz as Nico the Flying Monkey, and Divine Stella Devine as Stella Devine, among others. They are a biology and theatre double major with a minor in ASL.

Jemma Van Jaarsveldt

Jemma is delighted to be taking the responsibility of Stage Manager for the first time with this seasons Rep Plays. She is an international student from South Africa studying Musical theatre and Dance at Converse University. Her journey started as a dancer, joining the South African dance team for 4 years, later joining the theatre world at Converse where she has performed the roles of Snoopy in John Gordon’s, You’re a Goodman Charlie Brown, Ernest Worthing in Oscar WIlde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and Bombalurina in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.

Ginni Farmer