In 1977, Quentin Beaver, a family friend from St Mary's Players in Yonkers NY, bought the Fort Salem Theater... and cast Chris's mom as Hodel in Fiddler On The Roof. For the next 11 years Christopher spent his boyhood summers in this ""Church"". After decades of living and acting and producing in NYC... he will now trod the boards in Salem for the first time since Edwin Drood in 1988.

He would like to dedicate this performance to Quentin... and also that young boy... who was lucky enough to have this special place to tether him... as he learned to skip rocks in the river behind the Episcopal Church, figured how to throw a whiffle curve, inhabited the personalities of countless characters in countless plays, skipped through town whistling ""Be Back Soon"" in his Topcoat and Top Hat... and climbed the clocktower to watch sunsets with ""the boys"". Remember when we could sense summer slipping away, by the way the cool grass felt between our toes? ”Thank You Jesus."

Michael is excited to be return to the Fort Salem stage, having appeared in this season’s Spring Awakening (Ernst). Previously, Michael has performed in A Little Night Music (Henrik), Grease (Danny), 42nd Street (Ensemble), Once (Eamon) and Mamma Mia (Pepper). Michael would like to thank his family for all the support they offer on a daily basis.

She/Her| Marissa is a senior at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where she is studying pharmaceutical sciences. She graduated from Southold Jr/Sr High School on Long Island, where she performed in Les Miserables (Cosette), The Phantom of the Opera (Madame Giry) and Mamma Mia (Tanya). Recently she was a member of the Fredonia Masterworks Choir in the performance of Mozart’s Requiem with WYNCO. While at Fredonia she studied vocal performance in her early undergraduate years, and is excited to return to the stage with such an incredible cast and crew!

She/Her | Lisa Passonno Franklin has performed all over the United States and Germany. BROADWAY CONCERTS: The Secret Garden at Lincoln Center, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lincoln Center. NYC CREDITS: Maggie, the Musical at 54 Below, The Real Desperate Housewives of Columbia County at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Velma in Hairspray with FSF Theatre, The Franklin Family in Concert at 54 Below and a leading role in Manuel Versus the Statue of Liberty at the NY Musical Theater Festival. REGIONAL CREDITS: Marie Lombardi in Lombardi at the Palace Theatre in Wisconsin, directed by the Associate Director of Hamilton on Broadway, Patrick Vassel; Mother Superior - Arizona Broadway Theater; The Most Happy Fella - Broward Stage Door in Coral Springs, FL; numerous productions with CapRep, Mac-Haydn Theatre, Park Playhouse, SLOC and Tri-Arts.

Lisa holds a Bachelor Degrees in Vocal Performance from the Crane School of Music, a Master’s Certificate in Voice/Opera from the Opera School at the Hochschule für Music in Würzburg, Germany and a Master’s Degree in Voice/Opera from SUNY Binghamton, in conjunction with the Tri-Cities Opera, where she performed several operatic roles. Lisa toured in Germany with many orchestra, concert and opera settings and has taught at The New York State Theatre Institute and has Musical directed at Park Playhouse and at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. Lisa is presently on the faculty at Russell Sage College as Voice yea her and has vocal studios in NYC and Albany. Lisa is the voice teacher of many of today’s young Broadway Stars. Her students have performed in more than 40 Broadway Shows and National Tours. Lisa’s proudest accomplishment is her four children, Julia, Charlie, Emily & George - all who have appeared in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and National Tours.

Drew has captivated audiences across the country as Wilbur Turnblad in the national tour of "Hairspray" and in the ensemble in "The Music Man" first national tour. Drew's additional credits include Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady" with Westfield Theatre Group, Fagin in "Oliver!" at Narrows Community Theatre in Brooklyn, Billy Flynn in "Chicago" with Two of Us Productions, and Jud Fry in "Oklahoma!" with Dorset Players. His talent and versatility have been showcased in shows like "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" and "Hollywood Pinafore," among many other stage credits.

Peter has been performing music in the upstate NY area since the age of seven, his roots beginning in folk and bluegrass. Most recently, he performed as Daddy Cane in Fort Salem Theater’s Bright Star. A graduate of Schuylerville High School, Peter attended the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College in Chicago, earning a Bachelor in Music Education with a voice concentration. Peter has been a private music instructor with Rural Soul Studios in Greenwich as well as providing music enrichment classes at area schools. He has performed with the Schuylerville Community Theater as well as Saratoga’s Homemade Theater. Peter has recorded five albums of original songs and is currently performing in local venues with the band Simple Beggars. Peter is married to his high school sweetheart Jen and lives in Cambridge where he pastors the Coila Church.

He/Him | Xander is a new member of the Fort Salem community, having just played Travis in Footloose. He is a newly transferred junior at SUNY Cortland where he is studying to get his BFA in Musical Theatre. His previous training was as Nazareth University where he was seen in Assassins (Charles J. Guiteau) and Love’s Laborer’s Lost (Mercadé /Swing). Xander could have also been seen in a number of shows with Master Class Performing Arts, Lake George Youtheatre and SGF Stage 42. Some notable shows are Something Rotten (Nick Bottom), Little Women (Laurie), Damn Yankees (Joe Hardy), Seussical (Horton), and Mamma Mia (Sky). Besides theater, Xander likes to spend his free time playing soccer at college and collecting antiques with his grandparents. Xander would like to thank his family for all of their support though years.

Stephen attended SUNY Adirondack and graduated with a computer science degree. Despite his job as a lab technician he still finds time to do theater. Recently he’s performed in Footloose (Chuck) and Biloxi Blues (Jerome). Other roles Stephen has performed in include Hairspray (Wilbur) and Arsenic and old lace (Officer Klein). Stephen’s mostly worked with schools for theater, but has also done work with Fort Salem theater and Schenectady Light Opera Company.

Maureen attended The Crane School of Music and SUNY Albany, majoring in music. She has been in numerous local productions, including those at Hubbard Hall Opera Theater. At Fort Salem Theater, Maureen has served as stage manager, lighting designer, sound designer, and music director, working on shows like Steel Magnolias, There’s No Business Like Snow Business, a John Denver Christmas, Bright Star (Mama Murphy), and Little Shop of Horrors, where she performed the singing voice of Audrey II.

Current engagements include music ministry director at 3 local churches, resident Stage Manager at Hubbard Hall, and vocal coach.

Kim is an actress from Schenectady, NY who’s graduating from SUNY Purchase this spring with a BA in Theatre and Performance and a concentration on acting. She has done many shows in the Capital District and at college, but this is her first show with Fort Salem - and a swashbuckling one at that! Kim Crossway also works as a Princess Performer for Hill City Ice Queen Princess Parties. At Purchas - this fall, she will be performing as “Rona” in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and in the spring she will be closing out her degree with “Bri” in the new student-written and student-run horror musical The Haunting of Campbell House. Other recent roles include: “Cappi” (Rough With Love), “Samurai/Anchorman” (The Attic) and “Thalia” (Xanadu). She also was stage manager for a production of She Kills Monsters at SUNY Purchase, and assistant stage manager for Hairspray with Consortium Actors. She hopes the audience has a thrilling time as we sail the seas together!

SHE/HER | Lucy graduated from The University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science majoring in statistics. Lucy graduated from Salem Central School where she appeared in Annie (Ms. Hannigan) and Shrek (Dragon). She also performed in West Side Story (Velma) with Broadway Upstate and L’elisir d’amore (Ensemble) at Hubbard Hall. At Fort Salem Theater, she appeared in Grease (Cha Cha).

Chandler Hansen is returning to the Fort Salem Theater stage as a Pirate. Chandler is a graduate of Gordon College where he majored in History and minored in Music. He lives in Easton, NY and in his day job works as a writer/editor for the agriculture news publication Morning Ag Clips. Previous theater experiences include You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), Bright Star (Stanford Adams) and There’s Still No Business Like Snow Business at FST, as well as productions with Greenwich Central School and Schuylerville Community Theater when he was a student.

Courtnie recently directed Fort Salem Theater’s productions of Footloose and There’s (Still) No Business Like Snow Business, and served as Stage Manager for Spring Awakening! Courtnie is a Washington County native who, after graduating from Greenwich Central School, moved to New York City to train at a musical theater conservatory. During her time in NYC, Courtnie was the hair designer on Hudson Classical Theater’s productions of Pride and Prejudice (Lydia Bennet) and Sense and Sensibility (Charlotte Palmer). Since moving back upstate in 2020, Courtnie has been seen in Songs for a New World (Woman 2) at SLOC and The Diary of Anne Frank (Edith Frank), There’s No Business Like Snow Business, Pride and Prejudice (Lizzy Bennet), Bright Star (Alice Murphy), and I Love You Because (Marcy Fitzwilliams) all at Fort Salem. In April of 2022 Courtnie was named an Artistic Associate of Fort Salem Theater and has served on the production teams of Little Shop of Horrors as Hair Designer/Assistant Stage Manager and Grease as Assistant Director/Hair Designer. Endless love and gratitude to my family and friends for their continued support!

Luke recently completed his sophomore at Salem Central School. He has previously performed in Footloose (Jeter), Bright Star (Daryl), Legally Blonde (Warner), The Sound of Music (Rolf Gruber), School House Rock Live JR (Bill & Interplanet Janet), Diary of Anne Frank (Collaborator), Little Shop of Horrors (Reporter), Shrek the Musical (Peter Pan) and Grease (Eugene). He is also involved in Jazz Dance, Jazz Band, Chorus and Drama Club.

She/her | Kate has attended university of New Hampshire and Russell Sage college both for musical theater, her favorite credits include Ladies How Dare You (Mabel), Salim Salim (Nai’ma), Much Ado About Nothing (Conrade/Balthazar) Jekyll and Hyde (Lucy), Mamma Mia (Donna), and Be More Chill (Chloe).

He/Him | Liam is home schooled and started dancing at the age of three. He is classically trained in ballet, along with tap, Jazz, and modern. Liam has performed with the Albany Berkshire Ballet for their Nutcracker holiday tours (Fritz), Liam then discovered musicals and added that to his love of the stage. Liam has appeared in Orange Star Smasharoo (Lil'Corky), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Charlie), Pippin (Theo/Ensemble), Mamma Mia! (Ensemble), Chicago (Amos/Ensemble), Legally Blonde (Kyle/Ensemble), Footloose (Uncle Wes/Ensemble), The Sound Of Music (Herr Zeller/Ensemble). He recently made his FST debut in Footloose. When not on the stage, Liam is a self-taught yoyo trick master.

SHE/HER | Lily is an upcoming senior at Monument Mountain Regional High School in the Berkshires. There she participates in theater but also is involved in the chorus as a second and first soprano, along with their acapella group called the Spartones as a first soprano. She started dancing at the age of three and has now been consistently dancing for 15 years! She has been trained in ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary styles. She has performed with the Albany Berkshire Ballet in their performance of the Nutcracker as an angel and a soldier. Lily has appeared in Mamma Mia! (ensemble), Henry V (Williams), and Fiddler on the Roof (Tzeitel/Dance Captain). When she’s not on the stage she’s usually busy studying, reading, or working on her ceramic artwork.

Iris is a graduate of Purchase College Conservatory (2017) where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music with a focus in Operatic Studies and Vocal Performance. She has previously performed on the Fort Salem Theater stage in the productions of The Marvelous Wonderettes (Cindy Lou), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Spring Awakening (Thea), There is No Business Like Snow Business (soloist) and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Music Director). In her time at Purchase, she performed the roles of Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible, and double cast as Arnalta and Nutrice in L'incoronazione di Poppea. In December of 2022, Iris musically directed her first show, Legally Blonde, quickly followed by The Lion King Junior. She also owns a local business in Hebron, (Homestead Hemp 1787) and is well known on TikTok for sharing mysterious stories about her family farm.

UNDERSTUDY RUTH/MABEL/EDITH/ KATE

She/Her | Kelly is elated to be making her Fort Salem debut with a show she holds near and dear to her heart; as Pirates of Penzance was her very first show many years ago! Select credits include Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Jekyll & Hyde (Lucy), Legally Blonde (Elle Woods), 9 to 5 (Judy), Barefoot in the Park (Corie), The Wild Party (Kate), and Young Frankenstein (Inga). Many thanks to everyone at Fort Salem for being so warm and welcoming. Kelly dedicates her performances in memory of her mother, Kathleen, who inspired her love of theatre.

Megan is a local Director, Performer, Artist, Educator, and Professionally Fun woman based out of Saratoga, NY. After receiving degrees in New Media and Theatre and Performance (with a concentration in Directing) from Purchase College, she has taken her love for digital arts and performance across the creative fields, and the country. From serving as the Artist in Residence at the Billings Public Library in Montana, to helping develop new curriculum as a Theatre Instructor at SPAC, to devising immersive and site-specific performances at Historic Huguenot Street as the Arts and Interpretation Manager, she has found a way to foster creative communities wherever she can- and she is delighted to be part of the wonderful community here at the Fort Salem Theater! Previous directorial efforts include: She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, Stop Kiss by Diana Son, The Skriker by Caryl Churchill, No Strings by Richard Rogers, True West by Sam Shepard, and Macbeth (by the Bard). This list does not include the wide world of original works she has assisted in developing and staging, including her original devised children's musical: A Robot Wrote This! Authored entirely by the GPT3. You may have caught her onstage in Martha as Martha in Spring Awakening at the Fort Salem Theater, or at venues such as Dixon Place in NYC, the Park Theatre, Cohoes Music Hall, Spa City, as well as your favorite bars with her duo act Pat and Meg Live! She recently directed You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown here at FST, and feels beyond lucky to be a part of the ever-growing community of incredible artists and wonderful friends that call this theatre Home. Oh, and she would like to thank her parents, because she always forgets to.

HE/HIM | Kyle has three decades of creating award-winning theatre under his belt, working as a producer, director, choreographer, designer, and performer. His work has been seen all across the US, from Cape Cod, to Boston, Arizona and Dallas, to New York and has been recognized by the AriZoni Awards of Excellence, BroadwayWorld Awards, Column Awards, Annie Award, MET Awards, and MHSDG Awards, among others.

Best known for creating larger-than-life musicals, some of Kyle’s credits include Hairspray, Next to Normal, Evita, White Christmas, I Love You Because, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Man of No Importance, West Side Story, Footloose, Into the Woods, RENT, The Rink, The Boyfriend, Schoolhouse Rock Live, Little Shop of Horrors, A Chorus Line, Chicago, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, The World Goes ‘Round, Cabaret, Pirates of Penzance, My Favorite Year, Annie, and Fame.

At Fort Salem Theater, he has directed and choreographed Salem Under The Stars, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Next to Normal, There’s No Business Like Snow Business, and Grease, and has designed costumes for FST’s Pride & Prejudice , Grease, and Bright Star.

Kyle is humbled to be the executive and artistic director of Fort Salem Theater.

Berry is a transgender musical theatre artist, musical director, director, choreographer, writer, comedian and model who recently made her Fort Salem Debut as Music Director of Bright Star, and host of DRAG Me To Salem, beforing MDing Footloose this season. After finishing school at University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music in musical theatre, she traveled the world performing on stages from LA to New York and every continent that has a stage. She spent five years as The Naked Maid in Naked Boys Singing and toured nationally as Paul in A Chorus Line, plus regional credits as ZaZa/Albin in La Cage Aux Folles, Edna in Hairspray, Harold Bride in Titanic, Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q, Dave in The Full Monty, Miss Deep South as well as Miss Bible Belt (for 3 years) in Pageant, Sylvia St. Croix in Ruthless!, George in The Drowsy Chaperone, Tito Morelli in Lend Me A Tenor and Jinx in both Forever Plaid and Plaid Tidings. As musical director, she has worked on the shows The Who's Tommy, Footloose, Legally Blonde and Beehive, to name a few. She starred in the short film entitled Pie Car with Starfruit Productions, an official selection of the MINDY film festival in Miami, The Dumbo Film Festival in New York City, The Sarasota Film Festival and Lady Filmmakers Festival in Beverly Hills, now available on Amazon Prime. She was a frequent co-host and guest on daytime television with ABC7's Suncoast View. Her comedic tour of the famous Ringling Museum made the New York Times, and she has performed on national touring comedy stages. She has hosted performances for Nielsen Ratings and performed for the 2020 American Theatre Critics Association annual conference where Frank Rizzo, theatre critic for Variety called her "...such great fun."

He/Him | Jared has been both onstage as a performer and behind the scenes as a music director or pianist. Onstage, he was most recently seen in Footloose (Rev. Shaw Moore), Bright Star (Daddy Murphy), Pride and Prejudice (Wickham/Collins) and The Diary of Anne Frank (Otto Frank) here at Fort Salem, A New Brain (Roger) at OhLook Theatre and A Man of No Importance (Sully O’Hara) at Brick Road Theatre. Other favorite roles are Ragtime (Younger Brother), Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson) and Cabaret (Cliff). Jared has recently appeared behind the keys for Grease, Little Shop of Horrors and Snow Business at Fort Salem, Ebenezer Scrooge at Pocket Sandwich Theatre and White Christmas, AIDA and Gypsy at Firehouse Theatre. Love to Kyle.

Charles/Chuck is a well-rounded artist with experience in creative writing, HDR photography, graphic design and 3D rendering, improvisational piano, original song composition and scenic design for theater. While attending Southern Vermont College 2001-2005 (bachelor’s in liberal arts) he worked summers at Old Castle Theater in Bennington, VT (2000 to 2005) where he learned, by observation, the creative nuances of set design as he worked as a stagehand. Charles is currently the Resident Scenic Designer and an Artistic Associate for Fort Salem Theater where, in October 2021, he debuted a design for The Diary of Anne Frank. In the 2022 season, he went on to design: Little Shop of Horrors, Steel Magnolias, Pride and Prejudice, Grease, The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition, Bright Star, I Love You Because, Spring Awakening, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and most recently Footloose, along with designing Grant’s Ghost for Hubbard Hall on the side. Charles has also directed Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus in 2004 at his then-former High School, and The Glass Menagerie at Southern Vermont College in 2009.

Prior to his work at Fort Salem Theater, Charles has over eight years of set design experience, artistic/stage directing, assistant directing and serving as a theatrical creative-solutions consultant (for a local high school drama club). Shows he has designed there include: The Diary of Anne Frank (2007), Once Upon a Mattress, Rumors, The Importance of Being Earnest, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, Twelve Angry Jurors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, And Then There Were None, The Sound of Music, Noises Off, Shrek the Musical, and ended his run there with The Mousetrap (2015).

After taking some time away from theatrical design Charles feels truly thankful and honored to reignite his passion for design at Fort Salem Theater and is very honored to have helped design Grant’s Ghost for Hubbard Hall’s current presentation. Charles is presently looking forward to contributing more in the near future as he gears up for Fort Salem’s 2023 season.