Birthday Candles

Cast List

Ernestine: Allison Fronzaglia

Matt/William: Elijah Shiley

Kenneth: Opossum Kreuscher

Alice/Madeline/Ernie: Becca Young

Billy/John: Jerahmy Marshall

Joan/Alex/Beth: Lavannah Hamilton

Production/Creative Team

Director: Zaria Keys

Production Stage Manager: Vee Reynhout

Set Designer/Tech Director: Sydney Mendez

Costume Designer: Amelia Hammond

Lighting Designer: Autumn Perry

Props Designer: Becca Young

Hair/Make-up Designer: Sam Barker

Sound Designer: Conor Wells

Scenic Charge Artist: Sophia Wilkinson

Master Electrician: Autumn Perry

Light Board Operator:

Stage Crew: Z Pinell

Co-Marketing Directors: Melaina Brostenianc and Josey Norgren

Meet the Cast

Allison Fronzaglia She/Her (Ernestine) is incredibly excited and grateful to be a part of such an amazing show as Birthday Candles! This show is so special to her, and she's so happy to share the experience with her fellow castmates, amazing director, and the audience.

Elijah Shiley He/Him (Matt) is a Sophomore Music Education major at Heidelberg University. He is making his blackbox return with the brilliantly directed production of Birthday Candles and is quite excited to portray the character Matt. Elijah has this to say, "Love it all! Oo oo ee ee ah"

Opossum Kreuscher He/Him (Kenneth) Opossum has previously performed in the black box theater in Circle Mirror Transformation (Schultz), and You Just Never Know, (Sir). He is so excited to perform under Zaria Keys, she’s always been such a supportive mentor to him and he hopes one day to see her perform on stage in the professional world. Congratulations Z Keys, and congratulations to the rest of the cast!

Becca Young She/Her (Alice/Madeline/Ernie/ Props Designer) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre with a Concentration in Acting and a minor in Business. She is ecstatic to be a part of her first black box show, previously performing on the Gundlach stage in Fiorello! (Ensemble), Measure For Measure (Jezabel/ Friar Peter), One Man Two Guvnors (Boy Scout Leader/Gareth/ Props Designer), Assassins (Ensemble/ Emma Goldman understudy), Godspell (Ensemble/ Props Designer), 26 Pebbles (Actor 1), and most recently in Trojan Women as Soldier/ Chorus u/s Menelaus. You may also have seen her work as props designer in The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). She is ecstatic to make her black box debut with a show that’s real, complex, devastating, and beautiful— tissues being a necessity. Becca would like to thank her family and friends for their constant support, as well as the entire cast and crew for all of their hard work, dedication, and tears shared throughout this process!

Jerahmy Marshall They/He (Billy/John) is a sophomore Theatre major with an Acting Emphasis and Music Minor. They have been in Fiorello(Hack #3/Ensemble), Measure for Measure(Provost), One Man Two Guvnors(Lloyd Boateng), Assassins(Giuseppe Zangara), Godspell(Judas/John The Baptist, 26 Pebbles(Actor 2), and most recently The Complete Works of William Shakespeare as themselves. He is so excited to be doing Birthday Candles with this amazing cast and crew. They are so grateful to Zaria for giving them the opportunity to perform in such a beautiful show! He hopes you enjoy the beautiful story that is being told as you watch this show tonight!

Lavannah Hamilton She/Her (Joan/Alex/Beth) is a freshman Musical Theater major who is excited to work on her second production. She is extremely excited to work on Birthday Candles with such an amazing cast and crew! Lavannah is extremely grateful to be a part of this show, and she would like to thank Zaria Keys for being an amazing person and director.

Meet the Crew

Zaria Keys She/Her (Director) is the director of this production of Birthday Candles! This being her last contribution to Heidelberg’s theatre scene for the official season, she wanted to end with a bang. She wholeheartedly believes that Birthday Candles is the perfect end to her college career here at Heidelberg. She started off her blackbox journey with The Cake (directed by Gavin Buurma), a beautiful play of love through introspection, which has made the most profound impact on her acting journey through higher education. In a full circle, she wanted to end on a familiar note, one she feels can hopefully offer the same impact to her actors. This genuinely and divinely human story is one she’s spent the past four years reaching for. And now we have the privilege of sharing it with you. She wants to thank her actors and production team for making this all worth it.

She hopes you enjoy the show.

“Love, and be silent.” -William Shakespeare, King Lear

V Reynhout They/Them (Production Stage Manager) is a Freshman Theatre Production major and Business minor at Heidelberg University. V is ecstatic to be stage managing for the wonderful Zaria Keys! Though they have worked on few productions with Heidelberg, V is no stranger to technical theatre, having previously worked on various shows such as The Diary of Anne Frank (Assistant Technical Director), The Little Mermaid (Assistant Stage Manager), The Shelby Township Summerfest (Assistant Stage Manager), and The Shelby Township 2024 Christmas Aglow (Assistant Stage Manager). V Would like to thank the cast of Birthday Candles for making this process so incredibly rewarding every step of the way. V has come away from this production feeling truly inspired by the beautiful people who brought it to life.

Amelia Hammond She/Her (Costume Designer) is so proud to be part of this powerful production of Birthday Candles! She is a third-year theatre major with a concentration in acting. Amelia has previously performed in The SpongeBob Musical (Plankton), One Man, Two Guvnors (Alfie/Old Man), 26 Pebbles (Yolie/Jeriann/Sally), Godspell (Learn Your Lessons Well soloist), and Trojan Women (Talthybius). She would like to thank her dear friend and director, Zaria Keys, for bringing this beautiful show to life. She is so grateful to have gotten to design for this show and she wishes you all a happy birthday!

Screenshot 2024-02-02 at 11.30_edited.jpg

Autumn Perry She/Her - Warren, MI (Lighting Designer/ Master Electrician) is a Senior Theatre Production and English Literature double major with a minor in Business Administration and is overjoyed to be the Lighting Designer and Master Electrician for the Blackbox production of Birthday Candles this March. Autumn has previously been involved in Heidelberg's productions of The Addams Family (Assistant Stage Manager), Eurydice (Production Stage Manager), Chicago (Production Stage Manager), Misery (Sound Designer), Top Girls (Sound Designer), Spooky-Dog and the Teen-Aged Gang Mysteries (Sound Designer), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Production Stage Manager), Porch (Light Designer), Spongebob (Assistant Technical Director), Fiorello! (Production Stage Manager), The Woman in Black (Scenic Designer), Measure for Measure (Production Stage Manager), One Man, Two Guvnors (Production Stage Manager), The Letter G (Sound Designer), Assassins (Production Stage Manager, Sound Designer, Ast. Lighting Designer, Ast. Scenic Designer) Godspell (Master Electrician), You Just Never Know (Director), The Half-Life of Marie Curie (Sound Designer), 26 Pebbles (Production Stage Manager, Master Electrician, Props Designer), The Sweet Delilah Swim Club (Sound Designer), and most recently Trojan Women (Production Stage Manager/ Master Electrician). Autumn also holds the position of Vice President for Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honorary, and Make-A-Scene, Heidelberg's Improv Troupe.

Conor Wells He/Him (Sound Design) is very glad to have worked on this production and wishes all the cast and crew a wonderful opening night!

Sophia Wilkinson She/Her (Scenic Charge Artist) is a freshman Musical Theatre major who is very glad she got to help out on this show and wishes the whole cast and crew to break a leg.

Zion Pinell They/Them (Crew) is a Junior Theatre Production and Psychology double major with a Gender and Identity Studies minor at Heidelberg University and is excited to be on crew for Birthday Candles. Zion has previously been involved in Heidelberg’s productions of Godspell (assistant stage manager), 26 Pebbles (assistant stage manager), The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) (Production Stage Manager), and Trojan Women (Scenic Charge). Zion is extremely grateful for their production roles this semester and looks forward to another wonderful experience in the theater!