Jess Alexander (The Adult Men) is grateful to be back on stage with Art 4. He recently appeared as Bruce Bechdel in Art 4's Fun Home as well as the Grinch in Seussical. Jess has returned to the Michiana area after time spent in NYC and Chicago performing and writing at iO, Second City, and The Annoyance theaters. Last summer he appeared as Mercutio in Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival's Romeo and Juliet, and as Smee in last winter's Peter and the Starcatcher at Penobscot Theater Co. in Bangor, Maine. Thanks to Mark, Ashley, Aaron, the cast and crew, mom and dad, sisters, and anyone else who has shown love and support.

Braden Alison (Moritz) is ecstatic to work with Art 4 again alongside the fantastic cast of Spring Awakening! Braden is a theatrical composer and performer originally from South Bend going into their Senior year at Ball State University. Recent credits include The Emcee (Cabaret) with The Ghostlight Theatre and Nigel Bottom (Something Rotten) at The South Bend Civic Theatre. Thanks to friends and family for all of their support!

Lucy Beard - she/her (Ilse) - Lucy is an upcoming senior at Western Michigan University with a BFA in acting. She is so excited to be working with Art 4, once again, in her favorite musical. She has previously played Natalie in Next to Normal and was a soloist in Seaside Cabaret at Art 4. Some of her most recent roles have been Prospero in The Tempest and Lady Margaret in Emilia. She would like to thank her family and friends who have supported her throughout the years and a huge thank you to Mark, Aaron, and Ashley for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing show that means so much to her.

Ryan Downey (Otto) is thrilled to be making his Art 4 acting debut! This is Ryan’s first show since he was cast as PFC Louden Downey in South Bend Civic’s A Few Good Men in 2019. In previous Art 4 shows such as RENT, Fun Home, Seussical, and Godspell, Ryan frequented the pit as a guitarist. He is a South Bend native as well as a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame, studying Political Science and Music. Ryan would like to thank the directors for giving him a chance to break out of his comfort zone and, most of all, he wants to thank his family for their unwavering support.

Amanda Farmer - she/her (Wendla) is so excited to be making her professional debut as Wendla! Amanda is a South Bend native. During the school year, she studies Musical Theatre at Columbia College Chicago where she will be swinging in their main stage production of On The Town this fall. Some of her previous credits include Literary Concerts Chicago’s productions of Normal People (Marianne), & The Hunger Games/Catching Fire (Katniss); UYT’s Les Miserables (Éponine), and SBCT’s Something Rotten (where she was delighted to portray a tap dancing egg!) Lastly, she would like to thank everyone who has helped her pursue her theatre journey thus far, especially the friends she’s found along the way.
IG: @amanda.c.farmer

Karen Joseph (The Adult Women) is thrilled to be returning to the stage with Art 4 after performing in their production of Ghost Quartet and serving as an understudy in Songs for a New World and Next to Normal (Diana). She was most recently seen locally in Silent Sky (SBCT). A classically trained soprano with a diverse repertoire, Karen’s favorite operatic credits include Three Decembers (Madeline), Così fan tutte (Despina), Hansel and Gretel (Mother), and Lucia di Lammermoor (Alisa). When not creating art on stage and art you can eat in the form of baked goods, Karen spends her free time restoring her 150-year-old historic home with her favorite person Kerry, and filling it with thrifted treasures and antiques. She would like to thank her friends and family for always encouraging her to chase after everything that brings her joy.

Jack Keilman - He/Him (Georg) is a first-time performer for Art 4. He has been performing in South Bend and Chicago for 8 years now and is majoring in Musical Theatre Performance at Columbia College in Chicago. Some of his local credits include playing Quasimodo in South Bend Civics Theatre’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as playing Peter in their production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Chicago credits include Boatman/Redmond in Columbia’s Mainstage production of Sunday in the Park with George and Haymitch in Literary Concert’s productions of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Jack is ecstatic to be given the opportunity to work with Art 4 in their production of Spring Awakening and expresses gratitude towards the company for selecting him to play the part of Georg.

Brayden Lynam (Melchior) Is so excited to be making his Art 4 debut in this beautiful production of Spring Awakening! Born and raised in South Bend, Brayden has performed in and out of the Michiana area. Most recently he had the honor to be a part of the original cast for My Heart Says Go, which premiered at the South Bend Civic Theatre. Along with that, he has performed in shows such as West Side Story (Baby John), In The Heights (Graffiti Pete), Carrie: The Musical (Tommy Ross), The Drowsy Chaperone (Robert Martin), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfee). Dance Credits include: Southold Dance Theater, Uzima Drum and Dance, NYDC, and the National Tremaine Performance Company. He is also a proud graduate of Clay High School (#ClayPride). He would like to thank Mark, Aaron, and Ashley for all their hard work to make this show come to life. Also his chosen grandparents, Doyle and Boni Blooding, for all the support along the way!

Cristian Marquez (Ernst) is very excited and grateful to be returning to the Art 4 stage! You may have seen him previously in Art 4’s productions of Seussical (Horton The Elephant) and Next To Normal (Dr. Madden). Other credits include Billy Cane (Bright Star at ECT), Piragua Guy (In The Heights at SBCT), Patrick Star (SpongeBob at PA), and Lucky Stiff (Choreographer at ECT).  He would like to thank his family, his insanely talented cast mates, his wonderful directors, designers, the incredible band, volunteers, and everyone who is involved in making this very important piece of art come to life. He hopes you engage with us and enjoy the show!

Emma Radtke (Anna) Emma is thrilled to be back onstage with Art 4! Previously with Art 4 you may have seen her in Seussical (Mayor/Wickersham Brother). Recently she has been in RENT (Ensemble/US Maureen) and Lucky Stiff (Dominique du Monaco/Ensemble). Some of her favorite roles include Les Miserables (Cosette) and Heathers (New Wave Party Girl). She would like to thank Mark and Aaron for giving her this opportunity and as always her friends and family for their continued love and support of her passions!

Victoria Tiller (Thea) is very excited to be making her Art 4 debut with Spring Awakening! Victoria just finished her sophomore year at Valparaiso University where she is studying to get a BA in Music with a concentration in voice. Some of her favorite theater credits include Fiona in Shrek the Musical, and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and most recently Larken Barken in Doublewide Texas. Victoria is an active member of VU's Alpha Psi Omega- Beta iota chapter where she serves as Pledge Educator, as well as the VU Chorale where she serves as a Social Chair! She would like to say a special thank you to her parents Blaine and Steph, and to her very first director Kat Nevorski- thank you for providing a space for loud, obnoxious theater kids in your hearts and homes.

Marielle Utayde (Martha) is thrilled to make her Art 4 debut! You may have seen her in productions at Premier Arts in Elkhart, but most notably as Wednesday in their production of The Addams Family. Marielle is currently studying musical theatre at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with the drama department’s New Studio on Broadway. She is also working towards a minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology with a concentration in film marketing and management. Marielle is excited to be home and performing in the Michiana area again and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Zach Wilkeson (Hanschen) is very excited to perform in his second Art 4 show! Some of his other theatre credits include Sonny Malone (Xanadu, SBCT), Jack (Into The Woods, ECT), and Lumiere (Beauty and The Beast, UYT). When not on stage you can find him playing with his beautiful dog Carter, or lifting weights in the gym. He would like to thank his directors, crew, and cast members for making this the most enjoyable experience possible. He hopes you can really engage with us in this wild ride of a show!