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Song List

Better Together (Prelude 1) -Ben
Rotten to the Core - Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Ensemble
Evil Like Me - Maleficent, Mal
Be Our Guest - Chad, Ensemble
Good Is The New Bad (Part 1) - Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Ensemble
Good Is The New Bad (Part 2) - Doug, Audrey, Chad, Ensemble
Evil Like Me (Reprise 1) - Mal
Rotten to the Core (Parents' Revenge) - Maleficent, Jafar, Grimhilde, Cruella de Vil
Goal - Jay, Carlos, Mal, Evie, Ben, Chad, Coach, Ensemble
Good Is The New Bad (Reprise 1) - Ensemble
Ways to Be Wicked (Preprise) - Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos
Did I Mention - Ben, Jay, Carlos, Evie, Ensemble
Better Together (Prelude 2) - Ben, Mal
Space Between - Mal, Evie
Chillin' Like a Villain (Part 1) - Evie, Jay Carlos
Chillin' Like a Villain (Part 2) - Evie, Jay, Carlos, Ben
Good Is The New Bad (Reprise 2) - Ensemble
If Only - Mal, Ben
Ways to Be Wicked - Company
Go the Distance (Chorale) - Ensemble
Evil Like Me (Reprise 2) - Maleficent
Better Together - Company
Break This Down - Company

Cast

Creative Team

Meet the Company

McKenzy Donahue

Mal

McKenzy is so excited to be performing the role of Mal! She is 17 years old and a high school senior at Pinkerton Academy. She has been with KCT since 2021, you may have seen her in productions such as "Shrek the musical" as Dragon, "SpongeBob the musical" as Plankton, and many more! She would like to thank her mom for giving her the courage to start performing in the first place and all the directors and fellow actors for always supporting and pushing her to be her best. Enjoy the show!

Kelsey Sweet

Evie

Kelsey is a Junior at Londonderry High School. She is thrilled to be back at KCT with this amazing cast. Some favorite past KCT roles: Marcy Travis "School of Rock" and Brigitta Von Trapp "Sound of Music". Thanks to Becca and Jesse for this opportunity and much love to her family for always supporting her. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Ben Bertini

Ben

Ben is so excited to play Ben in KCT's "Descendants"! This is Ben's 20th show, and some of his favorite roles were SpongeBob, in "The SpongeBob Musical" with KCT, and Enjolras, in "Les Misérables", with Majestic Theater. Ben is a 15 year old freshman at Pinkerton Academy, and takes voice and piano lessons with The Voice Studio. When he isn't performing, he loves hanging out with his friends, and listening to Taylor Swift. He hopes you enjoy the show!!

Livia Cabrera

Jay

Livia is an 11-year-old fifth grader at St. Joes school in Salem. Livia started singing when she was five years old when she fell in love with Elsa from Frozen. She began taking singing lessons when she was seven and also loves dance. She has loved acting since she was young and has participated in many shows. Livia is a huge Olivia Rodrigo fan and knows all of her songs. She loves creating performances with her cousin Cora, and treating the whole family to a show!

Averie Wells

Audrey

Averie is 10 years old and loves doing musical theater. Her Auntie Natalie got her into it. She's been Wendy in "Peter Pan", Acrobat in "Matilda Jr", Bulda and Middle Elsa in "Frozen Jr", Molly in "Annie", and is excited to play the role in "Descendants" of Audrey. She also loves going on stage and shining like a star.

Annabelle Gould

Carlos

Annabelle has been doing theater with KCT since she was 8 years old. This is Annabelle's 9th show with KCT and 17th show overall. Annabelle wants to thank the directors for giving her the chance to step outside of her comfort zone and play Carlos! It is sure to be an amazing show, and she hopes you enjoy every minute of it!

Kylie Chang

Jane

Kylie Chang is thrilled to be part of Descendants in her first KCT production! She has previously performed as James in "James and the Giant Peach" (Windham Actors Guild), Amanda Thripp in "Matilda" (Windham Actors Guild), and a super cool Sea Turtle in "Finding Nemo" (Golden Brook Drama Club). As a fourth grader, she loves spending time acting and singing. When not on stage, she can often be found reading graphic novels or playing Roblox with her friends. Kylie would like to give a big shout-out to the directors for their amazing guidance, to her mom and big brother (even though he is only a little supportive!), and to her grandmother for her wonderful advice and tips.

Paul Pezone

Chad

Paul is excited to be in the cast of "Descendants"! Paul enjoys chess, designing and playing games, and doing theater with his brother Roman! Break a leg everyone!

Roman Pezone

Doug

Roman is thrilled to be playing Doug in "Descendants"! This is his 10th performance, his other favorite roles were: Willy Wonka "Willy Wonka, Jr", Tom Thumb "Barnum", Nikko "Wizard of Oz", Yurtle the Turtle "Seussical", Gary "SpongeBob", and Rooster "Annie, Jr!" Soon he will be auditioning for "Finding Nemo" in his first school show! He is also excited to be performing with his brother Paul! He hopes you enjoy the show!

Elise Riendeau

Maleficent

Elise is proud to be working with Kids Coop Theater again after doing "SpongeBob the Musical", featured as both Pearl and Patchy the Pirate. She has previously done 49 other shows with theaters such as the Majestic Theater and the Palace Youth Theater. She has performed in roles such as, Mme. Thénardier from "Les Miserables" and Fiona in "Shrek". Elise is so excited to share her 50th show with KCT, and is even more thrilled to be with such an amazing cast.

Ayva Kwasniak

Cruella de Vil

Ayva is super excited to be apart of another KCT production. This will be her third show along with two at her middle school. She is also a part of her school's band as well as their select choir. When not on stage she enjoys hanging out with friends, spooky season, and creating mini videos. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Kira Withrow

Jafar

Kira is a junior at Pinkerton Academy. She is so excited to play Jafar! This is Kira's 15th show overall. You may recognize her as she was recently in KCT's production of "The Addams Family" as the bride ancestor, and Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" at KCT. Kira would like to thank everyone for coming, and thank everyone involved! She hopes you enjoy the show!

Caileigh Fields

Fairy Godmother

Caileigh is happy to be part of her first show at KCT, she is playing Fairy Godmother and loves taking on this role. Some of her favorite shows she has been in include "Les Miserables", "Lucky Stiff", "Footloose", and many more.

Penelope Wiggins

Queen Belle

Penelope is excited to be making her debut on stage in "The Descendants". She is a 5th grade student at Hampstead Middle School. Penelope enjoys performing and singing on stage. When not at the theater she loves dancing, swimming and reading.

Christina Donlon

King Beast

Christina is an 8th grader at Hood Middle School. She loves singing, dancing, and acting and is excited to be part of the "Descendants" cast. This is her 1st show with KTC and 6th show overall. She loves her family and would like to thank them for always supporting her.

Logan Morin

Grimhilde

This is Logan's 5th show she's ever done and her 2nd show with KCT. She is so excited to be a part of the "Descendants" cast. She has done "Descendants" before in her middle school but she's doing it again and having so much fun. Now she would like to say a few words to her family. 'Hi Mommy and Dad! I'm so glad you both let me join KCT it's been so much fun and exciting to work with a bunch of amazing talented people. I'm so glad that you guys have been enjoying all of the shows I've done. You both are amazing parents I love you to the moon and back!" Enjoy the show.

Aria Rigg

Snow White

Aria is thrilled to make her KCT debut with such an exiting show, cast, and directors! When she is not onstage, Aria enjoys hanging out with her friends, being crafty, and all things outdoors. She wants to thank her friends and family for always supporting her on and off the stage. Aria wants everyone to remember to never judge a book by its cover- we aren’t all rotten to the core!

Norah Murphy

Royal Guard

Norah is very excited to be participating in her very first production with KCT! Norah is 9 years old and is in the 4th grade. She loves reading, the color teal, dogs, and all things Disney. She plays softball and basketball.

Maggie Pitts

Royal Page

This is Maggie's second show with KCT! You might remember her as the Munchkin Mayor from KCT's The Wizard of Oz. She is in 4th grade and enjoys singing, dancing, and riding her scooter. She is excited for you to watch today's performance of Descendants! If you come on Sunday, you can celebrate her birthday with her!

Annilese McCauley

Coach

Annaliese is an aspiring actress and was absolutely thrilled to have the chance to play Coach in "Descendants". If not acting, Annaliese is creating scripts for plays or choreographing. She is glad to be working with KCT and hopes you enjoy the show!

Jena Gamache

Maurice

Jena is excited to be working again with KCT in The Descendants! She has enjoyed previous experiences of “The Addams Family”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “SpongeBob the Musical”, and “Seussical the Musical”. When not on stage, Jena can be found enjoying time with family and crazy pets, spending time with friends, or reading and crafting.

Harper Morin

Ensemble

Harper is 11 years old. This is her fourth play, first play at Kids' Coop, and she love everything about theatre.

Peyton Zimmerman

Ensemble

Peyton's favorite color is blue and she loves to sing and dance. This is her first time with KCT. She does choir, soccer, and is also a nanny. She has 4 siblings, rabbits, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. She is really excited for the show, and knows they'll all do their best.

CC O'Brien

Ensemble

CC has loved being part of her first show with KCT! She has previously appeared onstage at Auburn Village School as Snow Chicken in "The Snow Queen", Rascal in "Hansel and Gretel" and Young Beauty in "Beauty Lou and the Country Beast". While not performing, CC loves reading and drawing. She is happy about all the new friends she has made as part of this production and would like to thank the director and everyone who helped make this show a success. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Kelsey Karibian

Ensemble

Kelsey has appeared in "High School Musical" and "School of Rock". She is very excited to continue her journey by appearing in "Descendants"!

Anna Regal

Ensemble

Anna is excited to be in her first production with KCT! She has previously performed with Pelham Youth Theater, Windham Actors Guild and through her school's theater program. Her first performance as an ensemble member for "The Little Mermaid" and one of her last performances as Crush in "Finding Nemo Jr" were top favorites. In her free time, Anna enjoys hanging out with her friends, cooking, and being with her animals.

Becca Antonakos-Belanger

Director/Choreographer

Becca is thrilled to be back at KCT for a second season!! She has been working hard as a director and choreographer in NH community theater for over a decade now. Recently she worked as director/choreographer for The Drowsy Chaperone at Merrimack College. Some of her favorite directing and/or choreography credits include "All Shook Up", "Heathers", "Catch Me If You Can", "Elf: The Musical", "Next to Normal", "CATS: Young Actors Edition", "Evil Dead: The Musical HD", "Footloose: Youth Edition", "The Producers" and, of course, last years KCT productions of "SpongeBob: The Musical". Becca graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2006 where she studied Musical Theatre performance, direction and choreography under Carol Lucha Burns and even assistant directed UNHs 2006 mainstage production of A Little Night Music. She is the proud Momma of 3 beautiful boys: Conor 10, Jacob 7, and Hunter 5. She would like to thank her husband, Keith, for his constant love and support though all of this; without him, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Jesse Drake

Music Director

Jesse has been directing and musically directing around Southern New Hampshire since 2017, with his debut being with Actorsingers and their still-lauded Teen production of "Jesus Christ Superstar". He has also been performing in the New Hampshire community theatre circuit since 2009. Since 2021, he's been a regular director and musical director for Kids Coop Theatre in Derry and more recently started serving as an active member of their Board of Directors. You may recognize him from such recent acting roles as Aladdin in Actors Cooperative Theatre's production of "Twisted" or as Adolfo Pirelli in Actorsingers' Fall 2022 production of "Sweeney Todd". One of Jesse's favorite roles to date would have to be Butch Honeywell in Milford Area Players' production of "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" this past Spring.

Designers, Crew, and Board of Directors

Stage Manager - Megan Lautieri

Technical Director - Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal

Producers - The Board of Directors

Costume Committee - Sara McCauley, Kate Kwasniak, Mallory Pitts, Michelle Pezone

Set Committee - The Gould Family, Cory Kwasniak, The Withrow Family, Alison O’Brian, Gary Karibian

Sound Design - Patrick Pettengill

Light Design - Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal and Craig Brennan

Projection Design - Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal

Light Board Operator - Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal

Projection Operator - Lucas Mayo

Sound Board Operator - Patrick Pettengill

Set Crew - Lucas Mayo, Deontae Lepine, and Jacob Birch

Publicity Committee - Leslie Roy, Jaclyn Chevvette, Stacey Donlon, Gary Karibian, Michelle Pezone

Props Committee - Jeannette Riendeau, Ally Rigg, Colleen Fields, Stephanie Wiggins, Cheryl Regal, Kristen Sweet

Fan Mail - Emily Carr

Cast Board - The Harlow Family

The Board of Directors

President - Erin Lautieri

Vice President - Rosemarie Kelly

Treasurer - Laurel Forcier

Recording Secretary - Jesse Drake

Director - Angèlica Forcier Rosenthal

Director - Jessica Pappathan

Director - Becca Antonakos-Belanger

Director - Larry Birch

Director - Tom Lott

Director's Note

There is something so magical about musical theatre and even more so when it’s performed by kids.  As a director and choreographer there is no greater reward than watching the kids in your show succeed.  To watch them grow and learn and develop during the process.  This show was no exception and, as always, these kids have taught me just as much as I hope they have learned from me.  I also think The Descendants has an important lesson to teach us all within the story telling of the show.  

What is that lesson?  ACCEPTANCE!

Are we destined to end up just like our parents!?  Is that a curse laid upon us without choice or reason, is it just science?  Or is it possible to overcome where we were born, who our parents are and circumstances beyond our control so we can be better, do better and not be doomed to continue the cycle?

There is a much longer answer to the question, but ultimately, what we learn from the show is that YES, we can overcome prejudice and parental pressures and THRIVE.  As a mother of three, I watch my kids go to school daily and I hope nothing more than to have raised my children to be kind to and accept others for who they are.  I have watched them struggling with being bullied at school and watched them protect others from bullying as well.  I have also watched them lose their temper (just like I do) or hate waking up (also me) and having a fight in the morning.  What’s my point?   Humans are flawed, but if we can all come together and just accept who we are at the center of it all, then we can succeed in creating a better world!!

Wouldn’t it all be wonderful if in the end everything came together like the big ending to a Disney musical!?  Singing and dancing and good overcoming evil?  We all know it’s not that easy!!  There are lots of ways to be wicked and sometimes its easier to keep chillin’ like a villain.

But in the end, aren’t we all just better together!?

Please enjoy the show and have fun watching Mal and her friends walk out of their parents' shadows and SHINE in their own light.

Becca Antonakos-Belanger

Director/Choreographer

Special Thanks!

The Majestic Theatre

Derry Wolverines Cheerleading

Hood Middle School

Upcoming Productions!

https://www.kctnh.org/auditions

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