Sleeping Beauty Cast and Creative Team

Rotimi Agbabiaka is thrilled to return to the panto after playing Aladdin in The Magic Lamp. Recent acting credits include playing Oberon and Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Folger Theatre, Washington DC), and originating the roles of William Craft in The N***** Lovers (Magic Theatre), James Baldwin in In The Evening By The Moonlight (Lorraine Hansberry Theatre), and Cellphone/Narrator in If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka (Playwrights Horizons, NYC). Rotimi has also performed at Yale Rep, American Conservatory Theatre, Shotgun Players, Brava Theater, Magic Theatre, among others, and is a company member at Word for Word, BACCE, and the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. Rotimi penned the solo shows Homeless, Type/Caste (TBA award), and MANIFESTO; co-wrote the musical, Seeing Red; dazzles nightlife stages (as alter ego Miss Cleo Patois); and teaches acting and solo performance at Stanford University.

Andre Amarotico received his BA in Theater at Stanford. He is an actor, collective member, and board president at the Tony Award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. He was recently featured in BREAKDOWN (SFMT), as John Wilkes Booth in Assassins (Hillbarn), and as Tony in the world premiere of Kate Hawley's Remains to be Seen (Jewel Theatre Co). Andre also starred in Neighborhood Stories, in an untitled play by Pulizer nominated playwright Amy Freed. Other favorite roles include Anthony in Sweeny Todd, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and the titular characters in Hamlet and Macbeth. Andre was nominated for a TBA for Best Actor in a Featured Role for The 39 Steps (Ross Valley Players). He has also performed with The Mountain Play, Cutting Ball Theater, Word for Word, 6th Street Playhouse, and Stanford Repertory Theatre. Up next, catch him in The Lion in Winter at Jewel Theatre Co.

Dany Benitez (they/them) is an actor, dancer, drag performer, and theatre educator based in San Francisco. They are thrilled to be returning to the Presidio Theatre for this year's Panto. In the new year, you can see them in Berkeley Playhouse's production of RENT.

Phaedra Tillery Boughton (she/her), a Bay Area native, is a multi-hyphenate creative artist. Phaedra was awarded the 2022-23 Theatre Bay Area Arts Leadership residency award in Residency at SFBATCO. She continues to expand her artistic range as an Associate Producer, Casting Manager, and Co-Host of Creatively Shaded. As a versatile performer, Phaedra has worked with Center Rep on Crown (Mable); at Hillbarn Theater on Clybourne Park (Director), Ain't Misbehavin’ (Armelia McQueen/Assistant Director), 1940s Radio Hour (Geneva), The Color Purple and To Kill a Mockingbird; At Ray of Light Theatre on Caroline or Change and Little Shop of Horrors. She prides herself on consistently challenging the concept of traditional theatre and finding new ways to push the boundaries of creativity and inclusion in the creative arts community.

Ian Brady (He/Him) is a Pennsylvania-born, New York based actor with a great love and appreciation for the Bay Area and The Presidio Theatre. California credits include Much Ado About Nothing (New Canon Theatre Company), Guide for the Homesick (Theatre Rhinoceros), Today I Live (3Girls), Macbeth (Berkeley Shakes), and, of course, the 2023 Sleeping Beauty at the Presidio Theatre. In addition to acting, Ian is a proud digital professional, organizer, and former Executive Board Member of the Campaign Workers Guild.

Curt recently toured Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago with baritone Ryan McKinny in Jake Heggie‘s opera For a Look or a Touch. He performed as a principal cast member in Beach Blanket Babylon for 25 years. During that time, he inhabited countless roles, from the flamboyant King Louis XIV to Bernie Sanders. Locally, he has performed with the SF Symphony, SF Gay Men’s Chorus, Festival Opera, and Peninsula Civic Light Opera, where he was nominated as Best Actor by the Bay Area Theater Critics Circle for Sweet Charity. New York credits include Hurlyburly, A Lie of the Mind, and Our Life and Times. Curt teaches at the SF Conservatory of Music and is a co-founder of Pacific Singers & Actors Workshop (pacificsingers.com), a nonprofit that serves Bay Area students and received a 2019 Jefferson Award for Public Service. He lives in San Francisco with his husband, Jake Heggie. His greatest role to date is being Grayson’s dad.

Jen Brooks is thrilled to be a third time returning chicken, which she supposes makes her the Regina George of Chickens. Jen was last seen as Mazeppa in Gypsy at Woodminster Summer Musicals. Are we picking up on a theme here? Come back to this after the second act. This past summer Jen also dazzled audiences as Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Woodminster Summer Musicals). Other favorite roles include: Bea in Something Rotten, Lina Lamont in Singin’ In The Rain, The Chaperone in The Drowsy Chaperone and Donna in Mamma Mia! She has had the honor to perform on stages across the globe from New York City to Munich and Guam. You may have seen her in one of her 12 productions of A Chorus Line, which includes the European Touring Company. Jen is an advocate for parents and caregivers working in the performing arts. Check out her Podcast: Baby in the Wings.

Maggie Connard (she/her) is a teaching artist and performer who graduated with a BA in Dance from Point Park University. She teaches Rhythm & Motion and barre fitness at ODC in SF, and has taught ballet, jazz, tap and musical theatre dance to children and adults. Maggie has performed locally in Singing in the Rain (Broadway By the Bay and Berkeley Playhouse), Cabaret (Shotgun Players), Chicago (Willows Theater) and White Christmas (Diablo Theater Company) and was most recently seen in SF Playhouse's production of A Chorus Line. Maggie is thrilled to be back for her third year of Panto fun at the beautiful Presidio Theatre!

Ruby Day is delighted to be back as Orinda, the Green Fairy! She is a seasoned performer with professional experience in acting, musical theater, clown, and voice over. Some of her favorite roles include Snow White in SF’s longest running musical revue Beach Blanket Babylon, Star to Be in The National and International Tour of Annie, and Carrie in Carousel. A graduate of Idyllwild Arts Academy, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the Clown Conservatory of SF, Ruby has been a working actor in New York and the Bay Area for the last decade. Aside from theater, she has also performed as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, back-up danced for Belle and Sebastian at Radio City Music Hall, and can be seen performing original content with friends at venues across the Bay Area. Enjoy the show!

Merrill is thrilled to be “panto-ing” again at the Presidio with this amazing group! Bay Area credits include performances with Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Broadway by the Bay, and The Mountain Play. In New York she performed in concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 54 Below, and the Metropolitan Room. She toured with the NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players, and her one woman show, “My Shirley Years”, played the Edinburgh Festival after a New York run. Her show “How I got to San Francisco, Plenty of Heart and Plenty of Hope” is viewable on her website. This January she’ll originate a lead role in the world premiere of Andrea Gordon’s “Miriam and Esther visit the Diamond District” at The Magic Theatre, and in March she’ll play Sarah Bernhardt in the world premiere of the new musical “The Divine Sarah” at Ross Valley Players.

M.Javi Harnly is thrilled to be making his Presidio Theatre debut. He was last seen over the summer as a featured dancer in Follies with SF Playhouse. His work can also be seen as a Scenic Artistic and Designer at various theaters throughout the Bay Area. CA Regional: The Fantasticks (Mortimer/ Fight Cap) - Tri-Valley Rep; Big (u/sPaul), James...Peach (u/s Grasshopper), Sister Act, Annie (u/s Rooster) - Berkeley Playhouse; Joseph... (Dance Cap.), Saturday Night Fever, Aida, Beauty & The Beast - BroadwayByTheBay; West Side Story (Bernardo/ Dance Cap.) - The Western Stage; Triassic Parq (Mimeasaurus) - Ray of Light; My Beautiful Launderette (Omar) - New Conservatory Theatre Center. / Edu. Tour (Aus): The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe (Man 1) - Cut Glass Theatre. "Infinite Thank You’s and Gratitude!" to Charley, Mom & Dad for your unwavering love and support.

Matthew is grateful to reprise his role as Logan in this year’s Panto. Most recently, Matthew played both Cloten & Posthumus in the Pacific Repertory Theatre’s production of CYMBELINE. Matthew has worked around the Bay, most notably with the San Jose Stage Company in roles such as Little Charles (AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY), Ethan Kane (SEX WITH STRANGERS), Tommy (GRAND HORIZONS), & Rocky (ROCKY HORROR) to name a few. In 2023 Matthew was voted the Sexiest Man in Shingle Springs, CA. Apart from acting, Matthew is a writer, filmmaker, & meat eater.

Renée Lubin is noted by the San Francisco Chronicle as a city treasure for her 34-year run with Beach Blanket Babylon. Being a San Francisco native, she has performed with numerous theatrical companies. Favorite shows include Dreamgirls, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and For Colored Girls. She has performed with TheatreWorks, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49er’s, Oakland A’s, and the San Jose Sharks. Renée is the former Vocal Jazz Coach at San Francisco State University and continues to perform at various jazz venues throughout the Bay Area. She is a proud recipient of the San Francisco Mayor’s Community Stalwart Award by the Human Rights Commission. Blessings!

Dian Sitip Meechai (she/her) is thrilled to return to Panto! Favorite roles include Lady Eugenia in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Lamplighters Music Theatre), Sheila in A Chorus Line (SF Playhouse), The Girl in The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd (Landmark Musical Theatre) and covering the Princess in last year's Sleeping Beauty panto! Other favorite credits include The Empire Strips Back! (Foster Entertainment/Neil Gooding Productions), The Merry Widow (Pocket Opera), The Gondoliers (Lamplighters Music Theatre), production vocalist onboard the Silver Spirit and choreographer for Broadway Bares SF. Dian is a songwriter, recording artist, NASM-CPT and former contortionist. Born in the “Boogie Down" Bronx, Dian aspired to perform as a child. She is a graduate of Northwestern University. In 2007, Dian moved to San Francisco for circus school and fell in love with the city.

Kaylee Miltersen is a Bay Area actor, musician, opera singer, and educator, originally from Chugiak, Alaska, and is so happy to be back galavanting on stage with Presidio Theatre as Cioppino, one of the beloved panto chickens. Recent credits include Alice, Bright Star (CRT); Luisa, The Fantasticks (SFCM); Violet, Violet (FMT); Gwendolyn, The Importance of Being Earnest (CRT); Nicola, Kinky Boots (Throckmorton Theatre). Kaylee holds a MM in Voice from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a BM in Voice from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. When not performing, Kaylee teaches voice privately for KAM Studio at her home in SF and enjoys getting as deep into the outdoors as she can!

Scott Reardon was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and has performed with Beach Blanket Babylon (12+ years), TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley (Big River), Utah Shakespeare Festival (Lend Me A Tenor: The Musical – World Premiere), Musical Theatre West (Thoroughly Modern Millie), 5-Star Theatricals (Kiss Me, Kate; Once Upon A Mattress), Fresno Grande Opera (Show Boat), PCPA Theatrefest (The Wildest!!!), Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre (Fiddler On The Roof, Joseph…), Oregon Cabaret Theatre (Dames At Sea), Hillbarn (Clybourne Park), Disney Cruise Line, Nickelodeon, as well as commercial work for Visa, Samsung, Philips, Dell, Verizon, LinkedIn, Logitech, LG, Dolby, Google, Cisco Systems, Symantec, Garmin, Intuit, Polycom, Service Now, and more. He attended UC Irvine receiving honors in both Musical Theatre and Acting, and received his M.A. in Special Education from Alliant International University. He is an Actor’s Equity Association member and AEA Roger Sturtevant Awardee.

Stacy lives and works in the Bay Area, has done lots of plays, also frames pictures and likes to swim occasionally in the Bay despite an unreasonable fear of sharks. She credits her happiness and stability to the piano-playing Randy Craig. Most recent credits include Clue (SF Playhouse), Fefu and Her Friends (A.C.T. Strand), Communion (A.C.T. Stream), They Promised Her the Moon (Theatreworks, opening, 3 performances and a very abrupt closing). She has also appeared at California Shakespeare Theatre, SF Shakespeare, Berkeley Rep, the late San Jose Rep, Baltimore Center Stage and Manhattan’s 52East52.

Sharon Shao (she/her) is a Bay Area native actor, musician, and teaching artist. She holds a double B.A. in Theatre Arts and Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. She is delighted to be returning as Sonoma for the Panto this year! Favorite local credits include The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin (SF Playhouse, recipient of SFBATCC featured actress award), Man of God (Shotgun Players), The Winter’s Tale, Good Person of Szechwan (CalShakes), Chinglish (SF Playhouse), S*x, Camp, Rock N’ Roll (Oasis SF), Vinegar Tom, Iron Shoes (Shotgun Players), The Tempest, Hamlet (Oakland Theater Project), and UTOPIA (CuttingBall Theater). Offstage, Sharon is passionate about teaching voice and drama, devising original work, and building creative communities here and abroad.

Gary Stanford Jr. is a Bay Area native who has been involved with singing, dancing, and acting since a young child. He has appeared in over 90 musicals with various theater companies and recent productions include Les Miserables (2023) (stage director), Shrek (2023) (choreographer), Heathers and Lion King (2023) (stage director), and Anything Goes (2023) (Eli Whitney). Since 2019, he has been running his own theater company, North California Arts Collective and is on the Board of Directors for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Mountain View), Z-Space theater (San Francisco), Woodside Community Theater, REACT Theater (Seattle) and Hillbarn Theater (Foster City).

Gwen is so jazzed to be joining Panto in the Presidio this year. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a BFA in dance in 2021. She began pursuing theater shortly after graduation and has since been in RENT (Marin Musical Theater Company), Hello Dolly! (Mountain Play), Elf (Hillbarn), Into the Woods (Mountain Play), and A Chorus Line (SF Playhouse). Enjoy the show!

Mercury is thrilled to be rejoining the cast for Panto in the Presidio. Van Sciver received his college training at The Juilliard School and earned his BFA from Dominican University. While in school, he danced with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera’s production of Moby Dick, and received awards and scholarships from the Dizzy Feet Foundation, the Chris Helman Award, and Princess Grace Awards. Upon graduating, Van Sciver joined Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, touring internationally for over six years. In 2018, he joined the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus as well as Sister Magic Productions. The following year, he joined the chorus’ a capella group, HomoPhonics, in which he’s been able to sing, dance, and choreograph. Mercury was proud to play in 42nd Street Moon’s production of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS as Olen Montgomery. Van Sciver would like to thank everyone near, far and wide for being a part of his journey and appreciates the opportunity to show himself and his love of life.

Ryan Patrick (RP) Welsh (he/she/they), aka The 8th Best Legs in San Francisco, is simply delighted to be returning to the Presidio Theatre for another season of Panto! RP has performed extensively in the Bay Area for the last 7 years most notably with The San Francisco Neo-Futurists, Peaches Christ Productions, & Baloney, San Francisco’s Gay All-Male Revue. Recent credits include The Narrator in Oasis' The Rocky Horror Show & U/S for the Wicked Witch in ACT's The Wizard of Oz. For the last year RP has been performing their solo show Sex, Camp, Rock ' N Roll to rave reviews. They'll be bringing it to Shotgun Theatre in Berkeley this winter on December 5th, 18th & 19th! You can find tickets at their website link. Much love to their sister, Sarah Catherine, their Oasis family, and all their fabulous friends.

Eiko Yamamoto (she/they) is an issei/ ilchom ose, multi-hyphenate artist born in Tokyo and grew up in Seoul, Honolulu and Shafter. Recent credits: Cymbeline (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival), Clue, Follies and Sugar (u/s) Tiny Beautiful Things (San Francisco Playhouse), Hua Mulan in Disenchanted! (3Below), Jack's Mother in Into The Woods (Mountain Play), and as M’Lynn Eatenton in Steel Magnolias (Sierra Rep). Other company credits: PlayOn Shakespeare at the Magic Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theater Ground Floor, African American Shakespeare Company, Z Space, PlayGround, Playwrights Foundation, and Company One in Boston. Upcoming: The Truer History of the Chan Family, a new vaudeville musical film, 2024. Eiko is an avid swing dancer and is well versed in various American Jazz dance forms. As a visual artist, they've shown their paintings and installations in the Bay Area and abroad. UCLA, California College of Arts; proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Ring of Keys.