WHO'S WHO

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Julian R. Decker (Erik Weiss / HOUDINI) Broadway: Sunset Boulevard(Myron/Choreographer), Les Miserables (Joly). Mack and Mabel (encores)  National Tour: Love Never Dies (Phantom u/s) Regional: Atlantis (Kaden) Ragtime (Younger Brother); Ogunquit Playhouse, Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo u/s; La Jolla and Papermill Playhouse), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo; Tuacahn), Bye Bye Birdie (Hugo  Peabody; The Muny), Singin' In The Rain, Les Miserables, Hello Dolly(The Muny). He has also been a featured vocalist with the Indianapolis Symphony (Yuletide) as well as Oklahoma Symphony (Classic Radio Hits) Proud graduate of CCM'14. Love to DGRW, D and J! @jujdecker

 

Quiana Holmes (Bess)

From the small town of Rome, New York, Quiana Holmes is a 2017 graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. National Tours: Motown the Musical (Mary Wilson/Diana Ross U/S) and Jesus Christ Superstar 50th Anniversary Nat’l Tour (Soul Girl/Ensemble). Other credits include: Festival of the Lion King at Walt Disney World (Kibibi), The Wiz (Dorothy), Dreamgirls (Deena), Rent (Mimi), Hairspray (Lil Inez). Quiana is so thankful to be reprising the role of Bess with the newest cast of d’ILLUSION - The Houdini Musical, Audio Theatre Experience. All the thanks to GOD, Bálint Varga, GBM, Mommy, and Daddy- who is now her forever angel. Here’s to keeping art alive during this unprecedented time <3

IG: @bonitaquiana

 

Rico LeBron (Theo) is originally from Atlanta, GA. He lives in New York City and has most recently been a part of Bess Wohl’s Make Believe at Second Stage Theatre. Other off-Broadway credits include The Tempest at The Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park, Angel Reapers at The Signature Theatre Company, and 1st National Tour of A Christmas Story. Film includes Social Animals on Amazon Video. 

@ricolebron

 

Ben Toomer (Martin Beck) is proud to be a part of this incredible project. Credits include: Nat’l Tour-Beautiful the Carole King Musical, Regional-Jubilee (Arena Stage), Les Misérables (Alliance Theater); A Chorus Line (The Lexington Theatre). Huge thanks to his family and friends; his agents at CGF Talent and the creatives for the opportunity. BFA in Musical Theatre Texas State University. Instagram: B_toomer

 

Andrea Sooch (Cecilia) is delighted to be part of this extraordinary team. Recent credits include CLAWS (TNT), JOHN WICK 3 – PARABELLUM (Lionsgate), THE BLACKLIST (NBC). She also recently was cast in the upcoming pilot CONRAD. Andrea is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and a proud SAG-AFTRA, AEA member. She is a licensed and published therapist as Andrea Szűcs. www.andreasooch.net IG @andreasooch

 

Adam B. Shapiro (Samuel)

Adam has appeared Off Broadway in Fiddler on the Roof-in Yiddish, Bastard Jones, The Golden Bride, Death of a Salesman, The Mikado Re-imagined, and Gimpel The Fool. Other favorite stage credits include Ragtime, She Loves Me, and Jewsical-The Chosen Musicals. 

On TV, audiences might remember Adam from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Master of None, 30 Rock, The Mysteries of Laura, Adam Sandler's The Cobbler, and HBO's Emmy Winning film, The Normal Heart. 

Additionally, Adam is a MAC Award winning cabaret performer and released his debut single "Warm As Winter" in 2019. He is currently working on his debut EP, which will hopefully be released in late 2020. He's been delighted to be a part of the first musical audiobook, particularly one that pays homage to such a renown Jewish figure in history. www.adambshapiro.com

 

Rick Roemer (NARRATOR)

Rick is Professor Emeritus at Southwestern University in Texas where he was the Chair/Artistic Director of the Theatre Department.   He divides his time between New York City and Austin.  In New York, Rick starred in the short film The Silver Fox, as well as numerous voiceovers for both commercials and video games.  He also appeared in the world premier musical Night Tide at Playwrights Horizons Theater as well as the world premiere musical To Dance.   In Austin Rick is a member of the Austin Playhouse Acting Company and has appeared in many productions including The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Jasper), Amadeus (Salieri), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell),  Other Desert Cities (Lyman),  and Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote).  Zach Scott Theater:  Xanadu (Danny/Zeus), the world premier of Steven Dietz’s Mad, Beat, Hip and Gone (The Albert’s), A Christmas Carol (Fezziwig, Old Joe) and the Texas premier of All The Way (Levison, McCormack, LBJ u/s). Austin Shakespeare: Twelfth Night (Toby Belch), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oberon).   Off Broadway:  Bittersuite: Songs of Experience (Quaigh Theater).  National Tour:  Shenandoah w/ John Raitt & Liz Callaway (James). Rick has directed over 40 productions in Los Angeles, Austin and New York. In addition, Rick received his PhD in Theatre History/Theory/Directing Styles from UCLA and is the author of Charles Ludlam and the Ridiculous Theatrical Company (McFarland, 1998 and 2010).  

 

Laney Allan (Mina Crandon) Regional: Sister Act the Musical (Walnut Street Theatre) Other: Houdini (Staged Reading), Chess in Concert (Prima Theatre), Oz in Concert (Prima Theatre). Mum, Em and Sarah, you are my rock <3 Sending love to the d’Illusion team. You guys are seriously amazing! @Laney_Allan

 

Alex Kidder (Interviewer / Theater Owner): Newsies (Katherine) at LTOTS, American Premier of Hot Shoe Shuffle (April) at The Wick, Grease (Rizzo) at Pioneer Theatre Company, Titanic (Kate McGowan), Zanna Don’t (Roberta), NYMF, and Off-Broadway’s A Dog Story. Proud Alumna of CAP21 at NYU Tisch. www.alex-kidder.com

 

Natalie Adele Schroeder (The voice of Child Erik) is thrilled to be a part of this amazing cast.  Natalie has been performing professionally since she was 9 years old. She most recently played Lily Potter, Jr in the West Coast premiere of Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, until the production was shut down by Covid19.  Her other favorite roles include Winnie Foster (Tuck Everlasting) at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley; Jenny Martin (The People in the Picture) at Three Below Theaters in San Jose; Young Miriam (The Prince of Egypt) at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley; and Sarah Crewe (A Little Princess) at the Peter Pan Foundation.  Natalie is grateful to Balint and team for this exciting opportunity!

 

Sofie Poliakoff (The voice of Child Theo) is excited to be a part of d’ILLUSION - The Houdini Musical, the audio theater experience!  Other theater credits include A Christmas Story, The Musical (Slow Burn Theatre Company).  Sofie is a three-time nominee to the Broadway Dreams NYC Showcase (Angel Orensanz Center).  When she is not on stage, Sofie loves doing card tricks and playing with her dogs, Frannie and Silver.  Thank you to Balint Varga and the rest of the creative team for this incredible opportunity! Instagram @sofiepoliakoff.

 

Samantha Gorjanc (Daisy) is thrilled to be portraying Daisy in this audiobook experience. Credits include My Favorite Year (54 Below), A Night of Dreams Gala (Lincoln Center). Proud member of the Broadway Dreams family. As a recent graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Musical Theatre, she is grateful for the ability to continue creating in these unprecedented times. Many thanks to Balint for this wonderful opportunity.

 

Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyze (Gordon / Ensemble)  born in Belgium got his Master Degree at The Royal Conservatory of Brussels in 2005. He played in many shows in Belgium and the Netherlands such as Lazarus, Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, West Side Story, Chaplin: the Musical, Soldier of Orange, Love Story, War Horse, Beautiful thing, Bzzap, Elisabeth, Mozart, Dance of the Vampires, Oliver!, The white rose, A life without you and Aspects of Love. Currently he started to release his own music as Pi-Ter.

 

Tiziana Turano (Floral Sisters, Nicole) Musical actress Tiziana already gained experience on stage during musical school as the leading role of "ALICE" in Disney’s "ALICE IN WONDERLAND“ in Vienna. In 2013 she graduated from the PERFORMING CENTER AUSTRIA with a diploma in Vienna.  Shortly after, she was cast as one of the leading roles "GLORIA“ in the musical "FLASHDANCE“ in Switzerland. Being part of numerous productions such as "CINDERELLA“-the Tour, "WINNETOU“ and "HAIRSPRAY“ in Vienna and touring the world as a solo vocalist on MS Amadea, Tiziana proved to be a versatile artist. 

On top of living life on a musical stage she also has TV experience such as commercials and dancing in german music TV. 

With singing and acting the part of "NICOLE, the Floral Sisters“ in the “d’ILLUSION - The Houdini musical“ audiobook, she enters the next chapter of her career.

 

Marina Vishnevskaya (Floral Sisters, Ensemble) is a singer, stage and movie actor from Krasnoyarsk, Russia. She’s a winner of the international project Broadway Dreams-2019 in Moscow and three-time winner of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Theater Award. Notable writing and performance credits: “Didu” (about the life and work of Edith Piaf), “Nostalgia for the present” (music by Mikael Tariverdiev), “Accomplices” (a performance dedicated to Marina Tsvetaeva ).

 

Pilar Martinez  (Floral Sisters, Maggie) Ecstatic to be a part of the magic again as she had just done the last reading of Houdini at the Consulate of Hungary! Most recently, she starred as Carnation in the new musical “Fat Kid Rules the World” based on the novel by K. L. Going. Highlights: Cabaret (American Theatre of Actors) and Carousel (Walnut Street Theatre). TV/ Film : Billions (Showtime), Little Sicily (Award Winning Short Film), and Standing Ovation The Movie. Special thanks to Balint and the Team for including her in this fantastic journey once more!

 

Claire McConnell (Floral Sisters, MC, Ensemble) is a current BFA in Musical Theatre at Columbia College in Chicago. Her most recent projects have been performances for Broadway Dreams, being a part of the Freshman MT showcase, as well as photographing shows at her college and BDF. She is a proud Broadway Dreamer and wants to thank Balint for this amazing project during quarantine! @Claire.mcconnell

 

Reagan Danel Ogle (Ensemble) is very proud to be a part of d’ILLUSION - The Houdini Musical, a project that brought her so much joy during the pandemic. Favorite credits include Disney Cruise Line, Maine State Music Theatre, Theatre Raleigh, Starlight Theatre and Broadway Dreams Foundation. Training: Elon University. Agent: HCKR. Special thanks to Balint! www.reagandanelogle.com"

 

Miguel Angel Vasquez (Ensemble / Theater Owner) - Dominican-American Baritone lionized for his “Ardent baritone and strong dramatic presence” (operawire) and “ Golden Voice” ( Syracuse.com the post standards). Graduate of University of Hartford’s The Hartt school of music, Miguel has been performing internationally (Europe) as well as teaching the next generation of young artists. In NYC he has Performed at Lincoln Center, most recently with NY Philharmonic at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York City Opera’s world premiere of Stonewall the opera at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Other venues include; Carnegie Hall, off-Broadway, Merkin Hall, Les Poison Rouge, 54 Below, Symphony Space, along with a few other cabaret and concert venues. He performs in Operas, Musical Theater, screen/film, Orchestral concerts, cabarets, Jazz clubs, and sacred music in NYC, Regional theaters, and internationally.

 

Zoey Rae (Ensemble) age 12, a Broadway Dreamer is excited for her debut in d’ILLUSION - The Houdini Musical. Zoey an established singer/musician can be found performing with her own band throughout her hometown of Modesto,Ca. Double award winner of the 2019 Valley Talent Project for Female Vocal Talent and Musical Theatre. She is grateful to her family and friends for their love and support, and would like to thank Balint Varga for this rewarding experience.

 

Sebastian Twohey - Jacobs (Ensemble)

Favorite Regional Credits include Newsies (Mush), American Idiot (Favoriteson), and A Chorus Line. Film: Mank (dir. David Fincher), The Prom (dir. Ryan Murphy) . When not performing, Sebastian can be found teaching kids parkour and free running as an Instructor at Movement Lab in Southern California. He had a blast recording the songs and can't wait for everyone to enjoy the album.

 

Joshua Downs (Ensemble)

Joshua is a New Zealand performer, writer and composer, and co-founder of Auckland-based Seed Theatre Company. Previous roles include Anthony in Sweeney Todd, Eric in The Little Mermaid, and Jeff in [Title of Show].

 

Maddie Wurth (Ensemble) recently graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan Univerisity with her BFA in Musical Theatre. There, she was able to be a part of 17 main stage productions where she played roles such as Natalie (All Shook Up), Ariel (Footloose), and Whatsername (American Idiot). She was also a part of Broadway Dreams for four years where she was a student and an intern. She is incredibly honored to be a part of this project and is grateful for the opportunity.”

 

Roland Carbajal (Ensemble) is a 13 year old actor, singer and dancer that has performed in numerous productions across Central California.  His regional theatre credits include Winthrop (The Music Man) and Michael Banks u/s (Mary Poppins) at Sierra Repertory Theatre.  His favorite roles include Ralphie in (A Christmas Story the Musical) at Playhouse Merced and a newsie in (Newsies) with Modesto Performing Arts.  Most recently he was promoted to CWB II trainee company with Central West Ballet.  He would like to thank Balint Varga for this amazing opportunity and Broadway Dreams for the connection.  

 

William Hornby (Ensemble) is a student at Temple University. He will graduate with two degrees: Musical Theatre and Business Management. He has recently appeared in Ragtime (Arden Theatre Co.), South Pacific (Candlelight Theatre), and Joseph... Dreamcoat (Totem Pole Playhouse). He would like to sincerely thank Balint for including him in this project! Instagram: @williamhornby  

 

Lilla Molnár (Ensemble, Hungarian folk singer)

She was born in Hungary and began dancing at age 7. Made her stage debut at age 12, she has played several roles in the local theatre (Valahol Európában, Footloose, Made in Hungária, Mágnás Miska etc.) She has studied with the Musical Society of Dublin in Ireland for 6 months. She has toured with Paw Patrol Live! (Everest, Dance Captain) in Hungary and Romania. Now she works for the Operetta Theatre of Budapest.

 

Elena Barykina (Ensemble)– singer-songwriter and vocal coach. Was born in Simferopol (Crimea), graduated at Kyiv Academy of circus and variety arts and R. Glier Academy of Music (Ukraine), today - founder of “bE IN MUSIC” Musical school (Moscow, Russia).

She started her music career as a leader singer in a musical theater “Wind of Life”(Simferopol).

Winner of international voice competitions in Europe: Constellation of Budapest (Budapest, Hungary); Best contemporary musician (Riga, Latvia), Concerts and shows (Nürnberg, Germany) etc., and a leader of pop, folk, jazz and musical groups and projects (Bis band, trio Kralya, showcase "Hairspray" Broadway Dreams etc.).  

Now Elena is a Member of the International Voice Association Estill Voice Training, director and vocal coach in “BE IN MUSIC” musical school and an artist in her own musical projects.

 

Luke Brown (Ensemble / beatbox)

20 years old from Brunswick Georgia, currently enrolled in Shenandoah Conservatory for a degree in musical theatre. Has been apart of broadway dreams as an artistic apprentice for 2 years. Has 4 years worth of audio engineering and producing experience with some training in beatboxing and rap. Wants to innovate the rap and r&b world into broadway even further than it has been today. 

 

Shannon Ignatius Cheong (Ensemble) is excited to be fresh off his first national tour with Nickelodeon Jr. playing the role of the Bubble Guppy Gil, and working on this e-audio book during this trying time. Some of his favorite credits are Anything Goes (Brother John), Charlie (You, Me, I, We - as part of the NAAP Discover Series), City of Angels (Stine), and many others. Shannon can be seen in Thoroughly Modern Millie right after this pandemic. Keep up with him on his website at www.shannonignatiuscheong.com. 

ig: shazzlerezz

 

Lindsay Nicole Steinberg (Ensemble) is a recent graduate of Oklahoma City University where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting degree as well as a minor in costume construction. She is currently working on a virtual production of Next To Normal as Diana which will be performed labor day weekend as well as a live performance of Shrek the Musical later this year with Citrus Music. Her recent performance credits include: Monica Lewinsky in That Woman (OCU Out of the Box), Ima Jean Tatum in Wedding Belles (Jewel Box Theatre), Alice Liddell in Alice's Adventures in “Wonderland” (Unquiet Theatre Company), Actor 9 as well as the choreographer in Bad Shakespeare (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Ginger/SugarPlum Fairy in Shrek the Musical (Poteet Theatre), and Marion Thayer in Titanic (Rose State College). Lindsay would like to thank Balint for this incredible opportunity and her parents for all their love and support!

 

Ethan Adriatik Smith (Ensemble) is an actor, singer, and musician based out of New Jersey. Originally from Clarkston, Washington, he is getting his Bachelors in Music Education at Montclair State University and plans to get his Masters in Musical Direction. He has been an intern with Broadway Dreams since 2015, and his amateur credits include Musical Direction at Clarkston High School, Lewiston Civic Theatre, Regional Theatre of the Palouse and with MSU Players at Montclair State University. Acting credits include; Emmet in Legally Blonde (Regional Theatre of the Palouse), Jack in Into the Woods (Lewiston Civic Theatre), and Jasper in a staged reading of Charlottesville at the Brooklyn 2019 WeFest. He won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Edward Bloom in Big Fish, at the Seattle Fifth Ave. Theatre Awards in 2016.

He is so thankful to Balint Varga for allowing him to take part in this amazing project and hopes you enjoy the wonderful story all these artists have put together from so far away.

 

Sophia Nepoyda (Ensemble) from Moscow, Russia - is a pop, soul, r&b and rock  performing artist. As a certified vocal teacher, she uses the Estill Voice Training Method to teach the next generation’s rockstars. She’s a returning participant of the Broadway Dreams Moscow intensive. Interesting fact: she shared the stage with Placido Domingo and José Carreras for a one night only Christmas concert in Moscow. Special thanks to the d’ILLUSION team and for this opportunity. @nepoyda