OUR CAST BIOS

Stefani Wood (Alice Murphy) is thrilled to make her debut at Mass Arts Center with this production of Bright Star. A graduate of The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, she is a dedicated performer, voice teacher, director, theater educator, and singer-songwriter. Her original songs, “Stand Still” and “Hang the Moon,” are available on all major music streaming platforms. Recent credits include The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Maureen in RENT at Riverside Theatre Works, as well as Betty Haynes in White Christmas at Ocean State Theater Company. Stefani would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Vincent, Derrick and Nicole for this incredible opportunity and the entire creative team and her castmates for welcoming her with open arms and making this an unforgettable experience. Endless gratitude goes to her supportive husband, Eric, for always encouraging her to pursue her passion, and to her amazing daughters, Sofia and Randi, for their boundless love and support as Mommy follows her dreams. This performance is dedicated to her mother and guardian angel, Randi Wood, who, like Alice Murphy, exemplified perseverance, faith, and unconditional love.

Ryan Boudreau (Jimmy Ray Dobbs) is a graduate of Bridgewater State University with a BFA in Theatre Performance. He has been seen in BSU’s productions of Godspell as Jesus (KC/ACTF Merit Award), Blood at the Root as Colin, Deal Me Out as Oberon, Richard III as Buckingham, The Proposal as Stephan Stepanovitch (Irene Ryan Award), and MilkMilkLemonade as Linda the Chicken. Ryan has most recently portrayed Mr. Feldzig in The Drowsy Chaperone in Swansea. He has also performed in many productions here at the Mass Arts Center, such as Our Town, Sweeney Todd, as Officer Barrel in Urinetown The Musical and as Hipolito/Lucien/Elton John in Amelie for which he received a Dash Award nomination. He also had the privilege of debuting the role of Mat Roy in two staged readings of Halley’s Comet: A New Musical, held at Little Theatre of Fall River, and Massasoit Theatre Company.

Alexander Boyle (Billy Cane) is thrilled to be back at the Mass Arts Center after being in their production of Urinetown as Bobby in 2022. Some other favorite roles: Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show, Sebastian in Twelfth Night, Will Bloom in Big Fish, and the title role in Pippin. All my love to my family and my friends!

Susan F Allo (Margo Crawford) is delighted to return to the Mass Arts Center stage where she was last seen as Philomene/Sylvie in Amelie. Performing since middle school, some of her favorite roles include Mrs. Millennium in Urinetown: The Musical, Amber in Hairspray, and Lucy in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Susan would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support and Vincent and Derrick for giving her the opportunity to perform again. Susan would like to dedicate her performance to her favorite person, Abraham.

Michael Duarte (Mayor Dobbs) has performed in the greater Boston area for 50 years in straight theater, musical comedy, and opera. He is excited to return to the Mass Arts Center stage after a 16-year absence.  At MAC he played Johnny Cantone in The 1940’s Radio Hour and El Gallo in The Fantasticks. Most recently Michael played Mr. Martini in Falmouth Theatre Guild’s production of It’s A Wonderful Life – The Musical and Maurice in Beauty and the Beast. A few of his other favorite roles are Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat, Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Emile deBecque in South Pacific, Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd, and Herr Schultz in Cabaret.

Tom Rimer (Daddy Cane) shakes the dust off and returns to the MAC stage, where he was last seen as Flute/Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and as a member of the Tribe in Hair. Favorite roles include Rick Taylor in Bat Boy: The Musical (F.U.D.G.E.), Rosencrantz in Hamlet (Vokes Players), Arthur Parker in The Haunting of Hill House (RISE), Limping Man in Fuddy Meers (F.U.D.G.E.), and Ralph Wiley in the 2006 amateur premiere of Reefer Madness: The Musical (MCLA). Tom is the author of six horror novels. He sends all his love to his three favorite people: K.C., A.C., & E.T.

Kevin C. Groppe (Daddy Murphy), a local actor, director, and playwright, recently played Duncan/Doctor in MacBeth, Friar Laurence in Romeo & Juliet, Dufayel/Collignon in Amelie and “Old Man” Strong in Urinetown (Mass Arts Center); Duke of Bedford in Born to Do This, Shylock in Something Rotten and Hertz in Rock of Ages (Company Theatre); Ike Skidmore in Oklahoma (Reagle); Mr. True/Hip Hop Pops in Holy Chicken Sandwich (Moonbox). Other favorite roles: psychotic murderers (Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theatre), Grandpa Gellman in Caroline or Change (Moonbox), Claude Upson in Mame (Reagle), Doc in The Laramie Project (AlpaNYC), the Judges in To Kill a Mockingbird and in Parade and Dr. Bennet/Mayor in Big Fish (Umbrella), Hummel in The Ghost Sonata (Fort Point), Judge Thatcher in Big River (Lyric Stage), and Steve Ford in the movie This Killing Business. He was the long-time Head of Performing Arts at Dana Hall.

Susan Picillo (Mama Murphy) is delighted to be among this very talented and welcoming cast in her return to the Mass Arts Center where she previously appeared as Judy Steinberg in It Shoulda Been You. Susan is an actor, vocalist and voice over artist who has provided the vocal talent for commercials, Curious George CD Rom Series as well as documentaries. She was the lead vocalist for the Boston-based band, Susan E. and Bluesliner for 15 years and has worked as a speech consultant and professional presentation coach for innumerable private organizations and school systems. For over 20 years, Susan was also the Director of Drama at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, where she directed dramas, musicals and original productions. She is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA, The Voice and Speech Trainers’ Association, The National Communication Association, the Northeast Storytellers as well as a professor in the Communication Studies Department at Northeastern University for the past 25 years. She has appeared as Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret and Melpomene in Xanadu, both presented at the Footlight Club in Jamaica Plain. With a warm heart, she thanks Vince and Derrick for their encouragement and guidance and Gus for his love and never-ending support, in every facet of her life. Thanks for the music, Nonna!

Stephanie Wallace-Light (Lucy Grant) is excited to be returning to the Mass Arts Center once again, having previously been seen in MAC’s Amélie (Amélie Poulain) and Sweeney Todd (The Beggar Woman). Other recent credits in the area include Cohasset Dramatic Club’s Cabaret (Sally Bowles) and Massasoit Theatre Company’s Legally Blonde (Vivienne Kensington). Special thanks to the cast and creative team, and especially to Tony, the best partner both on stage and in life.

Tony Wallace-Light (Daryl Ames/Set Designer) is honored to be returning to the MAC stage with this incredible cast. Past productions include Little Shop of Horrors (Orin Scrivello D.D.S.) Little Theater of Fall River, The Drowsy Chaperone (Robert Martin) Cohasset Dramatic Club, Legally Blonde (Dewey) Massasoit Theater Company, Sweeney Todd (Beadle) Mass Arts Center, Sweet Charity (Oscar) Hingham Civic, Heathers: The Musical (Ram) Massasoit Theater Company, Urinetown (Cladwell) SSTW. Thank you to this amazing cast, my friends and family, and my incredible wife for her daily support.

Kevin Hayes (Stanford/Traveler) is excited to be back on the Mass Arts Center stage. Previous credits include Phyro-Giants! (Melvin), Assassins (Sam Byck), The Boys Next Door (Norman Bulansky), Barefoot in the Park (Paul Bratter), Little Women (John Brooke), Godspell (Judas), 1776 (Stephen Hopkins), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Warren), The Sound of Music (Max), Urinetown: The Musical (Senator Fipp, Billy Boy Bill), and Death of a Salesman (Happy Loman). Kevin’s favorite role is in Life with Chandler, where he plays the Dad.

Jason DiCenso (Max/Traveler/Stationmaster) is super excited to be performing in Bright Star, which is his first show with Mass Arts Center! He has a BA in Theatre Arts from Stonehill College and has previously worked with theatre companies across RI and Southern Mass, Some the previous shows he has appeared in include Newsies, The Robber Bridegroom, and Chicago.

Madison Bradbury (Florence/Traveler/Spirit) is beyond excited to be returning to Mass Arts Center this season! Her Mass Arts credits include Blind Beggar/Good Looking Lug/Gnome in Amelie and Emily Webb in Our Town. This past spring she played a Delta Nu/D.A. Joyce Riley in Legally Blonde at Massasoit Community College, and this past summer she had the amazing opportunity to direct Finding Nemo Jr at CREATE camp at Sharon High School. Madison is extremely grateful for the love and support from her friends and family throughout her performing career. Some of her all time favorite roles have been Matt Damon in Matt & Ben, Jesus in Godspell, Queen Margaret/Prince Edward in Richard lll, and Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

Lindsay Cagney (Edna/Traveler/Spirit) is thrilled to be back on the MAC stage again with the Bright Star cast and crew. This will be her fifth experience with the MAC as she previously played Gina in Amelie, Little Sally in Urinetown, Betty Jean in The Marvelous Wonderettes and Ellie Blake in Freaky Friday. Lindsay holds a BA in Theater from Dean College and a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from MGHIHP. She would like to thank her friends, family and her beautiful wife for all of their support. And of course, to the brightest stars I have ever worked with, thank you for such a beautiful experience, “You have a good story to tell.”

Michael Maffeo (Dr. Norquist/Traveler/Bartender) is ecstatic to be back on the Mass Arts Center stage this season. His previous Mass Arts credits include Mr. McQueen in Urinetown and Joseph/Tourist/Goldfish/Mysterious Man in Amélie. His most recent role was TV reporter/Jet Blue Pilot/ensemble in Legally Blonde at Massasoit Community College. He can’t thank the talented team at Mass Arts enough, from the cast and crew all the way up to the directors and management. These are the kinds of people that keep theatre fun! He hopes you wholeheartedly enjoy your journey through the wonderful story of Bright Star.

Allison Foster (Government Clerk/Spirit/Traveler) is honored to return to the Mass Arts Center stage with this beyond talented team. She was last seen at MAC as Gretchen in Boeing Boeing and Annie in It Shoulda Been You. Other recent acting credits include Meg in Crimes of the Heart (Milton Players), Mrs. Whatsit in A Wrinkle in Time (Triad Theater Company), and Calliope in Xanadu (The Footlight Club). Allison is also a director, theater arts educator, and consultant, recently directing Romeo and Juliet at Triad Theater Company. She holds a BA in Theater Arts: Acting from Plymouth State University and an MA in Theater Education from Emerson College. She would like to thank Vincent and Derrick for always believing in her and her loving husband, Mark, for being her biggest supporter.

Aleks Donato (Well-Dressed Woman/Spirit/Traveler) is excited to perform for the first time at the Mass Arts Center. Her favorite previous roles include Helena Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (The Norton Singers), Ching in The Mistress Cycle (MMAS), and Maggie in A Chorus Line (Stadium Theatre). Aleks holds a BA in Vocal Performance from Westfield State and is a Certified McClosky Voice Technician. She is honored to work with this talented cast and crew of Bright Star!

Vincent S. Ratsavong (Director/Choreographer) is a second-generation Laotian American Director and Choreographer. He graduated from Emerson College in 2018 obtaining his Master’s in Theater Education in Community. While at Emerson, Vincent devised three original productions for Emerson’s Theater Education Graduate Association: Relationship: A Noun; After Antigone: A Response to The Antigone Project; and his Master thesis, Hey, Brown Boy! Vincent is a two-time Irene Ryan Nominee and Semi-Finalist for The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 1 and placed first at the 2015 NATS Boston Song Festival. Some of his favorite directorial credits include Amelie: The Musical, Cabaret, Into the Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown: The Musical and The Drowsy Chaperone. So much love to my family and friends for their love and support and to Der for being the best.

Derrick Lacasse (Music Director)  has served as the Music Director for many productions throughout New England. Some favorites include Amelie, Urinetown, Freaky Friday, Marvelous Wonderettes, Xanadu, Godspell, It Shoulda Been You, Drowsy Chaperone, Into The Woods, Little Shop of Horrors, Suessical, and Pippin. Originally from Maine, Derrick obtained a Master’s degree in Music Therapy from Lesley University and is currently working as a mental health counselor.  Derrick is also an avid performer, some of his favorite roles include Baker in Into the Woods, Gaston in Beauty and The Beast, The Dentist and others in Little Shop of Horrors, and Cliff in Cabaret.  Special thank you to all my friends and family and much love to my husband Vincent and cat Sisi.

Nicole LaBresh (Stage Manager)  is pleased as punch to be back with this team after stage managing Amelie last year (DASH nominee). Her next time in the booth will be Wizard of Oz at the Stadium Theatre this March. Performance credits include Witch 1/Lennox in Macbeth (TPAC), Octavia in  Antony and Cleopatra (CCRI), Antonio in The Tempest (RISE), Bonnie in Permanent Solutions by local playwright Cass Caduto, Mrs. Dodds in The Lightning Thief (Swamp Meadow), and Senator Fipp in Urinetown (Swamp Meadow). Thanks to cast and crew, friends and family.

Liza Ulrich (Costume Designer) is thrilled to return to the Mass Arts Center, after having a blast designing costumes for Urinetown in 2023! A self described theatre-nerd, Liza has developed her dream career, designing and teaching costume and theatrical design since 2008! During the day, Liza teaches a STEAM based curricula within the Brookline Public School district at both the Baker and Driscoll Schools respectively.. Some favorite costume design credits include Tuck Everlasting (Footlight Club, 2024), Finding Nemo, Jr. (Buckingham Browne & Nichols, 2024), The Little Mermaid, Jr.  (Edith C. Baker School, 2024),  Urinetown (MAC, 2023), Mama Mia (Brookline High School, 2023), Xanadu (Footlight Club, 2022), Peter and the Starcatcher (Footlight Club, 2017), The Sound of Music (Footlight Club, 2014) [DASH nominated]. Up next, Liza is excitedly designing the Lion King, Jr. (Edith C. Baker School) and Shrek, Jr. (Buckingham Browne & Nichols). Liza would like to thank Vincent and Derrick for always supporting her crazy designer habits and ideas, and a huge shout out to her family, friends and support system.

Stephen Martin (Music, Book & Story) is one of the most well-known and pervasive talents in entertainment. His work has earned him an Academy Award, five Grammy Awards (two for comedy, three for music), an Emmy, the Mark Twain Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. As an author, Martin’s work includes the plays Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Underpants, and Meteor Shower. Also an accomplished banjoist, Martin created the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, an award established to reward artistry and bring greater visibility to bluegrass performers.

Edie Brickell (Music, Lyrics, & Story) released the debut multi-platinum album Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars with New Bohemians in 1988. Her recent works include a 13-track collaboration with Steve Martin titled Love has Come for You. The album won a Grammy for Best American Roots Song and inspired the musical Bright Star. Their second album, So Familiar, is out now.