Mitch Bean (Artistic Director) returns for his tenth summer at BVT and his sixth year as Artistic Director. He is a graduate of Central College and holds his Bachelor’s in music and theatre. Mitch shares the title of Artistic Director with his wife, Rachel Curtiss. Both have been working hard to continue BVT's long tradition of summer repertory as well as keeping BVT alive throughout the year with productions and events such as Sander's Family Christmas (2021) Willa Cather’s A Resurrection (2017 and 2018), BVT's Young Performer's Show (2019, 2022), BVT's Radio Theatre (2019 and 2020), the spring Young Performer's Workshop, and ‘Til Death Do Us Part (2022), an interactive murder mystery performed by the BVT Mystery Troupe. You might remember seeing him as Grover in The Lightning Thief, Jonny Warner in Zombie Prom, Max in Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors, Toad in A Year with Frog and Toad, and Jesus in Godspell. He would like to thank all the supporters of BVT for keeping this organization thriving.
Rachel Curtiss (Artistic Director) has been involved with BVT since 2012, first as a company member, then as director, and now in her sixth year as Artistic Director. Rachel holds her BFA in theatre performance from Wichita State University and is currently pursuing her MFA in Playwrighting from UNO. While living in Chicago, she was a frequent artist with Edge of the Wood Theatre. In 2017, Rachel adapted Willa Cather’s A Resurrection for the Brownville stage, and she has also written multiple murder mysteries for the BVT Mystery Troupe. In 2019, she adapted a radio theatre production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol that was produced on the BVT stage. After the postponement of the 2020 season, she also adapted Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as an audio drama for BVT’s Radio Theatre. Rachel has had the joy of directing 12 shows and playing over 20 roles on the Brownville stage including Bella in Angel Street, Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, Edith Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, and M'Lynn in Steel Magnolias. She continues to happily share the director position with her husband, and commit to the tradition and growth of the Brownville Village Theatre.
Cole Beck returns for his second season with the Brownville Village Theatre. He is a recent graduate from Dickinson State University with a B.A. in theatre and a music minor. His favorite college roles have been Eurydice’s Father in Eurydice and Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. He has previously worked for Fort Totten Little Theatre in Devils Lake, ND playing Roger in Grease, and more recently The Badlands Opera Project in Dickinson, ND where he played Lamar in their production of Godspell. He also took part in the Dickinson murder mystery dinner theatre to help raise money for the Dickinson Public Schools Foundation. BVT audiences may recognize him as Luke from The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical or Vinny in The Odd Couple Cole is excited for another amazing Brownville season!
Joshua Bennett is very excited to be returning for his second year at the Brownville Village Theatre! Some of his previous roles include Benard S. Dunlap in Suite Surrender, Speed in The Odd Couple, as well as Ares, Mr. D, and Gabe in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. During the first half of 2023, Joshua toured as Grandpa in Johnny Appleseed with the Missoula Children’s Theatre. He would like to thank all of his friends for their continued support and hopes you enjoy this season at BVT!
Erin Chaves is beyond excited to be returning for her second year at BVT! You may have seen her last summer as Athena Sinclair (Suite Surrender), Clarisse (The Lightning Thief), or a multitude of characters in Mama Won't Fly. Other favorite previous roles include Olive Ostrovsky (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), and Henrietta Leavitt (Silent Sky!) After receiving her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of North Dakota, Erin moved across the country, performing at the Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond, VA. When not involved in theatre, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and completing puzzles! She sends a huge thank you to her family, friends, and partner, Dylan, for always supporting her artistic endeavors. Enjoy the show!
Trevor Comstock (Director), acclaimed director of Mama Won't Fly, is down to CLOWN for the 56th season at the Brownville Village Theatre. Presenting to you part 2 of the Mama saga was an opportunity he just couldn't miss. We would like to thank his patient husband, Shay, his BVT cast and crew, and, of course, his roommate, Chunk the dog. He can't thank Mitch and Rachel enough for letting him be a part of the tradition of BVT. The audience at BVT is like none other, so, of course, he would like to thank YOU, the audience, for supporting live theatre in the Midwest. Be sure to check out all 5 amazing shows this summer and lookout for Trevor's next directing venture, An Evening of Culture, at the Manhattan Arts Center, Feb 16-25, in Manhattan, KS. Enjoy the show!
Allyson Fricke is delighted to return for her third year at the Brownville Village Theatre! Allyson is a student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney majoring in theatre with a minor in dance. You may have seen her previously on the BVT stage as Annabeth (The Lightning Thief), Murphy (Suite Surrender), and Meg (A Wrinkle in Time). Some of her other favorite roles include Annabel (Lucky Stiff), Marcy Park (Putnam County Spelling Bee), and Marcy (I Love You Because). When Allyson is not on the stage you may find her choreographing or watching a spooky movie. Allyson would like to thank her wonderful family and boyfriend for always supporting her growth as an artist.
Cinda Goodrich (Musical Director/ Accompanist) is super excited to be involved as Musical Director/ Accompanist for The Hello Girls the musical which is her fifth show at BVT. She was the Musical Director/ Accompanist for Zombie Prom (2019), Schoolhouse Rock Live! (2021), Sanders Family Christmas (2021) where she also played Vera Sanders, and The Lightning Thief (2022). Her education consists of a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from PSC and a Masters Degree in Music Education from UNL. She has taught private vocal and piano lessons as well as instrumental music, general music, and choral music in the public school system. Currently she is the accompanist for Johnson County Central Schools and church musician at the United Methodist Church in Tecumseh. She also now writes and performs original music. As well as music, her life is also filled by family, which includes husband, Stacey, three children and their spouses, Nate and Mandy Goodrich; Becky and Pat Pohlman; and Tanner and Stephanie Goodrich, and eight grandchildren, Connor, Ada, and Miles Goodrich; Cameron and Ally Pohlman; Hudson, Sunny, and Avalon Goodrich. She also enjoys reading, gardening, golfing, and boating.
Lucy Haarmann is elated to be returning to BVT for a second summer. You may have seen her in the '22 season as Savannah (Mama Won't Fly), Mrs. Osgood (Suite Surrender), and Elizabeth (Angel Street). Lucy spent the last five years at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, majoring in theatre with an art minor. There, she was seen on stage in productions including She Kills Monsters (Tilly) and various dance concerts. While in Kearney, Lucy also participated at the Kearney Community Theatre, being involved with shows such as Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl) and The Game's Afoot (Aggie). Though she may not know what's next, Lucy hopes to continue her love for theatre and performing arts in her future endeavors. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support and you, the audience, for loving live theatre as much as the performers.
Jarvis Jahner (Technical Director) has been a part of BVT since 2003 when he was hired to design 2 shows and act in 3. After spending the next 5 seasons as a full-time company member he took some time off to get his M.F.A. in Theatrical Design from the University of Oregon. After graduation he came back to BVT in the summer of 2012 to design scenery and has been happily a part of BVT every summer since. He is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre and Communications at Dickinson State University.
Abigail Martin is from Amarillo, Texas and is a junior musical theatre major at West Texas A&M University. She is so excited to be spending her first summer at BVT! Her favorite roles that she has performed to date include Pearl Krabs in The SpongeBob Musical and Amiens in As You Like It at WTAMU, Cinderella in Into the Woods and a Bird Girl in Seussical at the Amarillo Little Theatre, as well as being in the ensemble of shows such as Sweeney Todd, Sister Act, and Anything Goes. She would like to extend her thanks to her family, friends, and mentors for their constant support and love!
Lizzy Pegler (Associate Technical Director/ Costume Designer) is thrilled to return to BVT for her seventh summer season. Lizzy began in 2015 as a Company Member and has been involved in countless productions as a performer and costume designer since. Lizzy is a graduate of Doane University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and is a recent graduate of Wichita State University where she received her Master of Arts in Arts Leadership and Management. She recently returned from her first contract with Regent Seven Seas Cruises onboard the RSSC Explorer where she visited 23 countries on five different continents! She will journey again onboard the RSSC Splendor this fall. Lizzy wants to thank Mitch, Rachel, Doc, and the entire BVT community for helping her grow as a theatre artist and person. She would not be where she is today without BVT and is so happy to be back again for another summer! More about Lizzy on her website www.lizzypegler.com
Hannah Post is ecstatic to be back at BVT for a second season! Hannah was last seen on the BVT stage as Hayley Quinn in Mama Won’t Fly, Dora del Rio in Suite Surrender, and Charon, Silena and the Oracle in The Lightning Thief. Past acting credits include Lucinda in Into The Woods (Chanticleer Theater) Marty in Grease (Bellevue Little Theatre), Denise Sanders in Sanders Family Christmas (Brownville Village Theatre), Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Wednesday in The Addams Family Musical, and Katherine in Disney’s Newsies (Midland University). Hannah is currently a full time student pursuing a dual licensure degree in Elementary and Special Education. Hannah wants to thank her friends and family for their continued love and support, especially her BVT family, J, and her cat, Freddie Meowcury.
Benjamin Salazar is thrilled to return for his third consecutive year at the Brownville Village Theatre! He is a recent graduate from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a major in Theatre Arts. You may have seen him previously on the BVT stage as Percy Jackson (The Lightning Thief), Mr. Manningham (Angel Street) or Red Eyes (A Wrinkle In Time). Some of his favorite college credits include Oberon (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Frank ‘N’ Furter (The Rocky Horror Show), The Baker (Into The Woods), Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) and Max (Cabaret). He’s an avid horror fan who loves to write in his free time. Ben would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to his family, friends, girlfriend, and pet snake Snakespeare for always supporting his dreams!
Sara Scheidies (Costume Designer) is excited to be part of another summer at her favorite theater! She was a BVT company member from 2015-2018, where some of her favorite shows were Godspell, The Marvelous Wonderettes, and The Game's Afoot. Since then, has returned to Brownville every summer as a guest costume designer for shows like A Wrinkle in Time, The Lightning Thief, and Mama Won't Fly. Sara currently lives in Bellevue and spends much of her free time doing community theatre in the Omaha area. She was most recently seen at the Bellevue Little Theatre as Carol in Girls' Weekend, and Clarissa in Agatha Christie's Spider's Web. She is also directing Suite Surrender (which some of you may recall from the 2022 BVT season!) with the Florentine Players in August. Sara would like to thank her amazing parents, Tim and Lisa, for their endless love and support.
Jazpyn VanAssche is excited to make their debut at Brownville Village Theatre! They are from Camden, Arkansas and are a recent 2022 graduate of Southern Arkansas University with a BFA in Musical Theatre. A few of Jazpyn's previous roles include Sister Mary Lazarus (Sister Act), Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Guys and Dolls), William Barfee (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Aunt March (Little Women), Toby Belch (Twelfth Night), and various others. They look forward to the opportunity to work with Brownville Village Theatre and want to thank their directors and vocal teachers for all their love and support that helped fuel their love for theatre. They hope you enjoy the performance!
Bella Walker is thrilled to be returning to BVT for her 2nd summer! Bella currently lives in Chicago, IL and has had the pleasure of working at Marriott Theatre in the wardrobe department. Her favorite roles include Somebody in Everybody, Norleen Sprunt in Mama Won’t Fly, and Jo March in You on The Moors Now. She would like to thank all those who have continually supported her. Mama’s Back!
Brennan Wright is an actor and student who loves film, stories and all geeky things. He studies at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. Brennan has been involved in theatre since he was 13 and has been in shows since he was 15. He is constantly striving to do his best and make his family and friends proud. He would like to thank his family for their constant support, his friends and teachers from school for making him feel like the luckiest person on Earth and the Wininger family for their warm hearts and this great opportunity. He couldn’t have done anything without the amazing people in his life.
Gavin Young is a recent graduate from Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, MO. He is so excited to be back for his second summer in Brownville! You may have seen him as Chiron/Brunner in The Lightning Thief, Murray in The Odd Couple, or Francis in Suite Surrender last year at BVT! Gavin would like to thank Mitch and Rachel for this opportunity, his family for their support, and his friends for pushing him to be better everyday. He hopes you enjoy the show!