THE CAST

Mely Berdion (Belle) is a musical theatre major at Belmont University. She has been part of several shows with the Hub City Players, most recently The Play that Goes Wrong (Sandra Wilkinson), Sincerely, Stephen Sondheim, Broadway in the Burg and Sister Act (Mary Robert). During FestivalSouth 2021, she performed her own coffee concert, Shooting Star. She has also performed with HCLO in Return to the Forbidden Planet (Miranda), Mamma Mia (Ensemble), and Evita (Ensemble). She is so excited to share the stage with her talented best friends. She is a vocal student of Emily Speck. 

 

Lauren Cate Leake (Belle) has been singing, dancing, and performing since age four. She is trained in ballet, pointe, musical theatre, lyrical and jazz dance. She trained vocally under Dr. Lori Guy in classical, legit, musical theatre belt and mix styles. Favorite stage credits include the sold out runs of Rent, The Phantom of the Opera (Meg Giry), The Phantom of the Opera (Christine Daae) and Les Miserables (Cosette.) Her other favorite performances include Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene), Into the Woods (Cinderella), Rock of Ages (Waitresses #1), Festivals South’s Forever: The Music of Queen, and Hattiesburg Community Theatre’s Bad & Belty. She has spent her life performing and has over 100 performance credits to her name. She recently founded Hattiesburg Community Theatre and produced four concerts, including the sold-out Bad & Belty Cabarets, and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Many thanks to Festival South, Hub City Players, and all the sponsors and patrons of the arts in Hattiesburg! There is nowhere she would rather be than on her home stage. 

 

Allen Holifield (Beast) is a native of Laurel, Miss. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi in 2017. There, he participated in multiple ensembles including the Southern Chorale and Spirit of Southern. He also participated in productions of The Drowsy Chaperone (Stage Manager) and Elixir of Love (Nemorino understudy) with the Southern Opera Musical Theatre Company. Allen has worked with Hub City Players in past productions of Sister Act (Joey) and Sincerely, Stephen Sondheim. Other credits include Oliver! (Bumble), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Pharaoh), and Guys and Dolls (Nicely Nicely Johnson).

 

Moniac Fitzgerald (Gaston) has been participating in musical theatre since he was seven years old.  He is currently a freshman at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he studies theatre. His dream is to pursue a career in the performance industry spreading kindness and continuing to do what he absolutely loves. His favorite role has been Race in Eastern Shore Repertory Theatre’s production of Newsies. He is thrilled to have the opportunity to play the role of Gaston for Hub City Players in his first professional role. 

 

Joseph VanZandt (Lumiere) is a math teacher and debate coach at Purvis High School. VanZandt has appeared in the Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera productions of Footloose (Willard), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph), The Music Man (Harold Hill), The Producers (Leo Bloom), Big River (Huckleberry Finn), Godspell (Jesus), Les Miserables (Marius), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus/Judas), Cabaret (Clifford Bradshaw), The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow), Camelot (Mordred), Evita (Juan Peron), and The Rocky Horror Show (Riff Raff). VanZandt was also in Smoke on the Mountain (Reverend Oglethorpe) for Jones County Junior College, Return to the Forbidden Planet (Cookie) for Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Hairspray (Corny Collins) for Command Performance Broadway Intensive, and The Drowsy Chaperone (Man in Chair) for Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company. With the Hub City Players, VanZandt has performed in the regional premieres of Rock of Ages (Lonny Barnett) and James and the Giant Peach (Centipede). Most recently, VanZandt appeared in the Hub City Players productions of The Play That Goes Wrong (Dennis/Perkins) and A Tuna Christmas. VanZandt has directed Little Shop of Horrors, Legally Blonde, and Once Upon a Mattress for Purvis High School, and The Who's Tommy and Return to the Forbidden Planet for HCLO. 

 

Nolan Lee (Cogsworth), a graduate of Purvis High School, has been a part of the stage since he was nine years old. Lee currently attends The University of Southern Mississippi pursuing a Bachelor in Music Education, studying with Dr. Meredith Johnson, and is set to graduate in May of 2023. His stage performances include The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow), Peter Pan (John), Seussical (Horton), Shrek the Musical(Shrek), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Benjamin), Little Shop of Horrors (Voice of Audrey II), Legally Blonde (Emmett Forrest), Smoke on the Mountain (Burl Sanders), Once Upon a Mattress (Sir Harry), Showbiz! A Centennial of Showtunes, The Play That Goes Wrong (Robert Grove/ Thomas Colleymoore), Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson), and A Tuna Christmas. Lee is excited for his third production with the Hub City Players and thanks his family and friends for their support. Instagram: @nolan.lee34

 

Lee Fortner (Lafou) is a performer from Port Gibson, MS. He has been in multiple theatre productions throughout his years of performing. His first role was as Fritz in The Nutcracker, and since he has had roles as an ensemble member in The University of Southern Mississippi’s Viral Video Project and Showbiz Centennial, Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Davey Jacobs in Newsies, Ms. Azilee Swindle in Radio Gals, Ralphie/ Hubert in Peace Like a River, Gideon Pontipee in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Jester in Madrigal Singe Feaste, Sundeep Agrawal Padamadan in Legally Blonde, IQ in Hairspray, Albert in It’s a Wonderful Life, and Arne in I Remember Mamma. He has studied voice under Samuel Lovorn, Eric Johnson, Jeanie Evans, Phitchaya Muangsukham, and is now studying under Dr. Jonathan Yarrington at The University of Southern Mississippi. He has also studied dance under Ashley Trousdale, Debra Franco, Bridget Hunt, and Genevieve Rushing. He has performed with the Madrigal Singers and served as the Total Sound Show Choir Dance Captain at Warren Central High School. He also performed with The All-State Show Choir in 2019. He plans to continue his performing career while also teaching.

 

Kassidy Chandler (Mrs. Potts)  is very excited to be a part of her first production with Hub City Players!  She is from Laurel, Miss.  She graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a BME in Choral Music Education in December 2022, where she took part in productions with the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company.  Some of her credits with the company include ensemble in Showbiz: A Centennial of Showtunes and Hansel and Gretel (Hansel).  She also participated in Southern Chorale and Spirit of Southern, and studied voice with Dr. J. Taylor Hightower.  Kassidy received her Associate’s Degree from Jones College in May 2019.  During her time there, she participated in several vocal ensembles and played Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.  Other theatre credits include Minnie Fay in Laurel Little Theatre’s 2019 production of Hello, Dolly!   Kassidy is very excited to make a return to musical theatre and is very thankful for her experience with this amazing company!

 

Patricia Garner (Babette) was born in New York City and has a background rooted in the arts. She has lived and traveled throughout Europe with her family as her mother was a Juilliard-trained opera singer.  She is the owner of Patricia Garner Interior Design and has been designing and remodeling homes in Mississippi and Louisiana for the past 25 years. Garner came into singing and performing in her 40’s. In 2015, Garner joined the Hub City Players and performed in LOL Always a Bridesmaid. In 2016, she took on her first musical with Rock of Ages (Justice). Garner performed in LOL Netflix and Chill in 2018 and the Reel Big Movie Concert where she sang Adele’s “Skyfall.” In 2019, she was Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act and covered Jefferson Airplane in the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Concert. In 2021, she performed in Broadway in the Burg. This past year she sang in Sincerely, Stephen Sondheim. Garner enjoys karaoke nights with friends and sings in the praise band at Parkway Heights United Methodist Church. She is an avid artist and enjoys painting, sculpting, faux finishing furniture, and sewing elaborate costumes. Garner also loves spending time with her six fur babies.
 

In her career, Mississippi native Dr. Meredith Melvin Johnson (Madame De La Grande Bouche, Vocal Coach), has coached singers of all ages in multiple genres as well as trained future music educators in diction, pedagogy, and literature. She specializes in both classical and belt techniques and is an active adjudicator and vocal clinician, offering workshops for choral groups, show choirs, musical theatre students, and church ensembles.  She maintains a thriving private studio catering to a wide variety of musical styles and is the creator of the online courses “Virtual Vocal Academy” and “Audition Bootcamp” at VirtualVocalAcademy.com. Maintaining an active performing career is a vital part of Dr. Johnson’s teaching philosophy. She  has graced the stage in numerous musicals, operas, operettas, and concerts across the region. In her current role as a voice professor at The University of Southern Mississippi, Johnson teaches applied voice and vocal pedagogy courses and serves as vocal coach to the musical productions. Dr. Johnson holds a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts in vocal performance from The University of Southern Mississippi. She resides in Oak Grove with her husband Tony and their cute little dog, GusGus. Connect with her on Instagram @meredithmelvinjohnson.

 

Ollie Clark (Chip) is a rising third grader at Woodley Elementary. She has performed with CenterStage Hattiesburg for two years under the direction of Abi Lenz Allen and Olivia Drinkwater, and she takes voice and piano lessons from Olivia Drinkwater. Ollie loves to dance and sing and put on shows for her family. She is very excited to join the Hub City Players for this production of one of her favorite musicals. 

 

Seth Lamar Karas (Monsieur D’arque/Ensemble) is a native of Summit, Miss., where he first began his love of classic movies, fantasy worlds, and, of course, the stage.  A veteran of more than 60 shows, Karas is honored to perform in his second full production with the Hub City Players in one of his favorite shows. In his spare time, Seth is a writer, gym rat, and content creator. His community theatre credits with the Pike County Little Theatre include The Curious Savage (Hannibal), Macbeth (Malcolm), Noises Off (Gary/Roger), Little Shop of Horrors (Voice of Audrey II), The Drowsy Chaperone (Aldolpho), Lend Me a Tenor (Tito), Little Women (John Brooke), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Director/Francis Flute), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd), The Mousetrap (Director), Red (Director/Ken), Disaster the Musical (Tony), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), and God of Carnage (Michael).  He has performed with Brookhaven Little Theatre in Beauty and the Beast (Cogsworth) and with Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera in A Christmas Carol (Fred), Cabaret (Ernst), The Wizard of Oz (The Cowardly Lion), Camelot (Sir Dinadan), and Oliver! (Fagin). He has performed in regional theatre, and with the Hub City Players in The Play that Goes Wrong (Jonathan/Charles). Connect with him at @thenerdyballadeer on Instagram and TikTok.

  

A native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, tenor Jonathan Yarrington (Maurice) is Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining the faculty at USM, Dr. Yarrington was a member of The Dallas Opera Studio for three years. An active recitalist and concert performer, he has commissioned and performed new music for tenor and oboe, and specializes in German and Czech art song. Dr. Yarrington holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from The University of North Texas, where he studied with Dr. Stephen F. Austin. Recent theater performances include The Play That Goes Wrong with Hub City Players and Guys and Dolls with The Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company.

 

Sarah Hamman (Les Filles De La Ville/Ensemble), a Pennsylvania native, has just completed a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at The University of Southern Mississippi under Dr. Meredith Melvin Johnson. Hamman’s academic career includes a BME in Vocal/Instrumental Music Education; a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Arts from Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, West Virginia; and a M.M. in Choral Conducting from Southern Miss. During her time at Southern Miss, Hamman worked diligently as a graduate assistant with Choral Activities alongside Dr. Gregory Fuller and Dr. Jonathan Kilgore. Over the summer of 2022, Hamman expanded her career by auditioning and performing across Germany with the International Performing Arts Institute. She has appeared locally in performances with FestivalSouth, Hub City Players, Southern Opera & Musical Theater Company and Hattiesburg Community Theater. Her favorite appearances include Guys and Dolls (Miss Adelaide), Into the Woods (The Witch),  Mame (Mame), & You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy Van Pelt). Presently, Hamman is the owner of the Sarah Hamman Vocal Studio where she coaches a full vocal studio of students from the greater Hattiesburg area. In the coming months, you will see Hamman in several performances around the Hattiesburg area as she has found a home in the arts in this area. Hamman currently resides in Laurel with her dogs Mazie, Piper and Rudy. She is thankful to be surrounded by the best musical support system and is grateful for the continued opportunity to share her music passion with others.

 

Caitlyn Smith (Les Filles De La Ville/Ensemble) recently earned a BME in Choral Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi. She is currently serving as the interim Choral Director at Hernando Middle School. Smith's most recent production credits this year include Vocal Direction for Grease the Musical, Into the Woods, and Something Rotten. Previous select stage credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Eponine in Les Misérables, and Sophie in Mamma Mia! She is delighted to join the Hub City Players once again for this memorable production. A special thanks to the cast and production team for making this possible! 

 

Melanie Sullivan (Les Filles De La Ville/Ensemble) is a graduate of Mississippi School of the Arts where her main discipline was theatre and minored in vocal performance. She was in numerous scenes and plays while at MSA, her favorite being Two Noble Kinsmen (The Jailer’s Daughter). With the vocal department, she had the pleasure of performing in many choral concerts, including traveling to New York City to sing in Carnegie Hall. Although she took a different route in life choosing a career in healthcare as a Respiratory Therapist, Melanie has never lost her love for the stage and always seeks the opportunity to perform. Her latest performance was Bad and Belty 2.0 with Hattiesburg Community Theatre singing “Roxie” and “I Know It’s Today.” Melanie is so thankful to be performing in a full musical this season and can’t wait to see what the future holds! 

 

Dakota Ray Andrews (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) is an Instrumental and Vocal Education major from Richland, Miss. He studies voice with Dr. Meredith Johnson and horn with Dr. Robert Detjen. Andrews’s professional music career encompasses both instrumental and vocal ensembles and performances. He performs with the Southern Chorale, Spirit of Southern, Symphonic Winds, and the Pride of Mississippi. This is his first musical and he is very excited for the opportunity given by the Hub City Players. 

 

Jacobi T. Daughrity (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) was born in Cleveland, Miss. He has been singing all of his life, and has been playing piano since the age of 10. While in high school, Daughrity participated in the Grenada Visions show choir. He has a Bachelor in Instrumental Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi. He is the minister of music at Truevine Baptist Church in Columbia, Miss. and at Zion Chapel AME Church in Hattiesburg. Mr. Daughrity currently holds the position of Assistant Band Director at Hattiesburg High School and Head Band/Choral Director at N.R. Burger Middle School.

 

Cymon Davis (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble)  is thrilled to be a part of her second FestivalSouth production! Previously, Cymon starred as Tina in FestivalSouth's production of Sister Act in 2019.  Her additional performance credits include An Elvis Christmas with Opera Mississippi and the Natchez Festival of Music and performances as a member of the Southern Chorale and the Southern BelleTones. Cymon currently works as the Residence Life Coordinator for Sorority Housing at USM.

 

Bowen Feng (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble), a baritone originally from China, went to Northern State University, S.Dak., with music scholarships from 2017-2019. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in classical vocal performance from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., in 2021. He studied classical singing with professor Maryte Bizinkauskas, a graduate of Boston Conservatory of Music and Curtis Institute of Music. He has sung and performed Operas including Le Nozze di Figaro by W. A. Mozart, La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini, and The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore. Musicals including Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music and most recently, Guys and Dolls at USM. He was also a member of choir/chorale at NSU and BSU. He worked at a provincial radio station as a full-time technician of transmitters, and as a part-time personal trainer before his serious operatic vocal training in America. He is currently a Master of Music in vocal performance student at The University of Southern Mississippi, and studies with Dr. Kimberly Davis.  He performs at church services in the Hattiesburg area and maintains a small private voice studio.

 

Born in Warner Robins, Ga., tenor Kamron Glover (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) has performed various operatic roles such as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Ruggero in La Rondine, Sam Kaplan in Street Scene, Willie Stroker in the U.S. premier of Choir Practice by Stephen Chatman, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. Mr. Glover earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Valdosta State University and his Master in Vocal Performance from Georgia Southern University, where he was recognized as the Outstanding Collaborator of 2020. In the summer of 2022, Kamron was selected as a Young Artist with the International Performing Arts Institute and has worked in outreach for Opera Mississippi. Currently in the first year at the University of Southern Mississippi, Kamron is a doctoral candidate studying under Dr. Jonathan Yarrington, Graduate Teaching Assistant for the voice area, and assistant stage manager for productions. 

 

Erin Granberry (Beggar Woman, Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) had the marvelous experience of appearing in 2019’s Sister Act for the Hub City Players and is delighted to be working with them again in this year’s Beauty and the Beast.  Granberry has appeared in numerous theater productions through the years, including Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera’s Cats, George M.!, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Legally Blonde; Just Over the Rainbow’s A Bad Year for Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias, Crimes of the Heart and Rumors; and Laurel Little Theater’s Chicago, A Chorus Line, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  She has also been named to the All-Star Cast by the Mississippi Theater Association.  Granberry holds master’s degrees in business and English from The University of Southern Mississippi.  She is a retired health care consultant, a 30-year member of the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg, an active member of Main Street United Methodist Church, and a long-time advisor for Chi Omega Fraternity at Southern Miss.

 

Danielle Gray (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) is a choral music education and theatre major from Vicksburg, Miss. While in Vicksburg, she performed and directed with Warren Central High School and the Vicksburg Theatre Guild in Newsies, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music, Clue, and many more.  She was involved with Warren Central’s Madrigal Singers, the Total Sound Show Choir, and the All-State Show Choir. She also performed as Snow White with New Stage Theatre in their summer camp show, Shrek Jr.  She trained at Debra Franco’s School of Dance. She is very excited for her first show with Hub City Players and looks forward to the show!

 

Sara Hale (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) grew up in Columbus, Miss., and moved to Hattiesburg nine years ago where she now works as an occupational therapy assistant. She appeared on stage most recently as Beatrice in Hattiesburg Community Theatre's Much Ado About Nothing. She performed with Hub City Players in Sister Act and with HCLO in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Who's Tommy, The Rocky Horror Show, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. She has also worked behind the scenes for HCLO's Forbidden Planet and Hub City Players’ A Tuna Christmas. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support and her husband, Joseph VanZandt, for encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone many years ago.

 

Timeiya Harris (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) was born in Spring Valley, New York, but grew up in Meridian, Miss. She got her start doing live theatre at Meridian Community College and Meridian Little Theatre starring in shows such as Tarzan, My Son Pinocchio, A Time To Kill, Dreamgirls, White Christmas, Anything Goes, and Disco Inferno. After MCC, she attended The University of Southern Mississippi where she studied dance and theatre. Favorite performances include Blues for an Alabama Sky, Guys and Dolls, Peter and the Starcatcher, and many more. She made her Hub City Players debut in last summer’s The Play That Goes Wrong. She enjoys dancing, singing, modeling, and also just performing with friends. She hopes to make it back to New York one day to be on Broadway and further her career in musical theatre.

 

Joseph Jones (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) is a sophomore vocal performance/ music education major at The University of Southern Mississippi. From Gulfport, Miss., he studies voice with Dr. Kimberly Davis. Previously, Jones has studied with Khara Molsbee. He has performed with the Gulfport High School Madrigals and Southern Miss Concert Choir. Jones has also played roles in over 30 musical theater productions, most notably Beauty and the Beast (Lefou), The Little Mermaid (Sebastian), and Hairspray (Seaweed J. Stubbs). Despite his multiple theater credits, Jones has his sights set on performing opera and dreams to perform both styles professionally.

 

Landon Morrow (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) is a Pearl River Community College and Purvis High School graduate. He is currently studying at The University of Southern Mississippi, majoring in audio engineering. He has appeared on stage in The Who’s Tommy (Tommy), Return To The Forbidden Planet (Cookie), Shrek the Musical (Shrek), Seussical (Horton), A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge), The Wizard of Oz (Tinman), Evita (Ensemble, u/s Che), Peter Pan (Smee), The Drowsy Chaperone (Gangster #2), and most recently The Play That Goes Wrong (Trevor), with the Hub City Players. He has also performed in Little Shop Of Horrors (Orin Scrivello DDS), Legally Blonde (Professor Callahan), Beauty and The Beast (The Beast), The Wizard of Oz (Cowardly Lion), and Smoke On The Mountain (Reverend Oglethorpe). At PRCC, he was in Noises Off (Selsdon Mowbray) and was cast to be Shrek again in Shrek the Musical before Covid-19 struck. Landon is also a multi-instrumentalist who writes and records his own original music as Jon Morrow and plays in various bands around Hattiesburg, including Dark Room and Blue Daze. He would like to thank his friends and family for their endless support.

 

Caroline Parks (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) is absolutely thrilled to be making her Hub City Players debut!  She has recently moved to the Hattiesburg area from Atlanta, GA.  She grew up in Texas, and obtained a Bachelor in Musical Theatre from Sam Houston State University.  She has performed in many different theaters across the Southeast with some of her favorite roles including Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, #46 in the Texas debut of The Wolves, Roxie Hart in The Owen Theatre’s production of Chicago, and Mrs. Erlynne in Lady Windermere’s Fan. She is so happy to be back on stage and excited to be a part of this arts community! 

 

An alumni of the Southern Miss School of Dance, local performer, Delovitt Rogers (Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) spends his mornings serving great food and drinks at Chesterfield’s and nights teaching the young ones at On Your Toes dance studio. He has danced in numerous productions, including the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company’s Phantom of the Opera, and is excited to make his debut with the Hub City Players.

 

Hutson Rollins (Prince, Villager/Castle staff/Ensemble) is a performer from Gulfport, Miss., and is currently working on his Bachelor of Arts in music at The University of Southern Mississippi. He has been in many shows such as Hairspray (Link Larkin), War of the Worlds (Stranger), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), Peter and the Starcatcher (Peter), and Rent (Roger). From Gulfport, Miss., Rollins previously sang with the Gulfport High School Choir and Madrigal group. He is a composer who writes for choir, piano, and string chamber groups. He sings with the Southern Chorale under the direction of Dr. Gregory Fuller and studies voice with Dr. Meredith Johnson. Rollins has taught and conducted two of his many pieces, performed by the Gulfport High School Choir. He hopes to one day teach music theory and/or choir groups at a collegiate level and continue to compose.

 

CREATIVE TEAM

 

Mike Lopinto (Co-Director, Producer, Lighting Design), has written, directed, music directed, designed sets and lighting for numerous productions, most recently directing shows including Guys and Dolls (2022), Curtain Up! (2022), Showbiz Centennial (2020), The Drowsy Chaperone (2018), Magic of the Musical Stage (2018), Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (2018-19 co-winner of the American Prize for Musical Theatre), Showbiz Harmony (2016), Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins (2015), Showbiz Showstoppers (2014) and Sweeney Todd (2013) for the Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company at Southern Miss. As founding director of the Hub City Players, he directed Rock of Ages (2017), James and the Giant Peach (2018-19 co-winner of the American Prize for Musical Theatre), Sister Act (2019), Broadway in the ‘Burg (2021), Sincerely,Stephen Sondhein (2022), and A Tuna Christmas (2022). He also produced Steel Magnolias (2018 winner of the 2019 Best of the Pine Belt) and The Play That Goes Wrong (2022).

     Lopinto is the director of the coronation for the Mystic Krewe of Zeus, and his voice can be heard at all Southern Miss games as “The Voice of The Pride” and on commercials across the South. Learn more at consultm.net.

 

Chris Word (Co-Director/Choreographer) is Director of Choral Activities at Purvis High School in Purvis, Miss. A native of Memphis, Tenn., he grew up in Starkville, Miss. and earned a BMEd from The University of Southern Mississippi. During his tenure in the pageantry arts, he has been on staff for numerous Scholastic A Regional Finalists, WGI Scholastic Percussion Finalist, and Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. He is a clinician, drill writer, choreographer, and adjudicator throughout the southeast. His theater choreography credits include Phantom of the Opera (2018-19 co-winner of the American Prize for Musical Theatre), James and the Giant Peach (2018-19 co-winner of the American Prize for Musical Theatre), Rock of Ages (The Hub City Players), Showbiz Harmony (Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company), Mary Poppins (Additional Choreography), Once Upon a Mattress, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. He was the music director for Once Upon a Mattress and She Loves Me and directed Steel Magnolias (Winner of the 2019 Best of the Pine Belt "Best Local Theatre Production”) for The Hub City Players.

 

Tammy Mansfield (Music Director, Producer, Costumer,Hair/Makeup/Wigs), with a degree in music theory and composition and an M.M. in conducting from The University of Southern Mississippi, divides her time as a music director and arranger, accompanist, pageant and audition coach, costumer, and stage manager.  Her music director credits include Beauty and the Beast, Seussical, Disney’s High School Musical, The Wiz, The Good Doctor, and Once on This Island (Hattiesburg High School), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Pearl River Community College), Grease, Beauty and the Beast, 100 Years of Broadway, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Producers, Les Misérables and A Catered Affair (Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera), Company (Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company), Marat Sade, Violet, As You Like It, and Next to Normal (Southern Miss Theatre), Robin Hood (Just Over the Rainbow Theatre), The Producers, Once on This Island, Guys and Dolls, Seussical Jr., Hairspray Jr., Beauty and the Beast Jr., The Wizard of Oz, Once on This Island, Jr. and Aladdin, Jr. (Jefferson Performing Arts Society), Spring Awakening (Marquee Award Nomination for Best Music Director), Legally Blonde, The Class of ‘70 Something, Rapunzel (TheatreThirteenNOLA/Rivertown Theaters), Neutral Ground (Gulf Coast Theatre on Tap), A Christmas Carol, The King and I, Godspell and High School Musical (Jones College), Peter and the Starcatcher (Le Petit Theatre), Rock of Ages and Sister Act (Hub City Players), A Whole New Cabaret and A Classical Christmas (Hattiesburg Community Theatre).  Her onstage credits include HCLO’s dinner theatres, Back to Bacharach and David and Sentimental Journey, Cats (Grizabella), FestivalSouth/Hub City Players’ LOL Cabarets, James and the Giant Peach (Aunt Sponge), Steel Magnolias (M’Lynn) and Broadway in the ‘Burg, USM Theatre’s [title of show] and Theatre13’s Legally Blonde (Paulette - Big Easy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress).  In 2011, Mrs. Mansfield was the music director for the award winning JPAS Theatre Kids production of Seussical, Jr. for the Jr. Theatre Festival in Atlanta and has also worked with theater camps for ENCORE Dance Studio, The Dance Project, and the Parkway Heights UMC Arts Academy.  She has written and arranged three original shows for the USM’s Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company – Showbiz Showstoppers, Showbiz Harmony, and Showbiz Centennial – and for their 2021 Viral Video Project she composed an original song, “Live Your Life Out Loud.” Tammy is honored to have served as music director and arranger for the New Orleans National WWII Museum Victory Belle productions, A Merry Canteen Christmas and A Swingin’ Christmas.  Since 2007, she has been the music director and arranger for the Hattiesburg Mystic Krewe of Zeus Coronation.  Tammy is a founding member of the Hub City Players professional theatre company, winner of The American Prize Musical Theater Performance for James and the Giant Peach. She shares her life in Hattiesburg with supportive hubby Steve and Emma the neurotic Labrador.

 

Wes Hanson (Technical Director) is a New Orleans native, whose career all over the entertainment industry kept his wife, Debbie, and him in Los Angeles for over 20 years. During that time, they raised a family, and Wes worked at all of the big amusement parks, lots of movies, commercials, casinos and more, including seven years running a puppet ministry, 12 years a scout leader/trainer, and seven years as shop instructor at Pasadena ArtCenter College of Design. Since moving back closer to home in 2008, he has been on staff at the USM Theatre Department. He has enjoyed the local theatre scene there as well, having worked with William Carey Dinner Theatre, Mississippi Opera, USM School of Music and HCLO, for whom he recently directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His first show with Hub City Players was designing and building the set for  James and the Giant Peach. This arc has led him to directing, designing and constructing The Play That Goes Wrong. He thanks you for supporting the arts. (That’s right. All of them.)

 

Brett Barnes (Co-Choreographer) is a performing artist with a passion for music, theatre, dance and art. Originally hailing from Boston, Mass., he is an avid freelance photographer ranging in styles from city and landscape to weddings, fashion and avant-garde. He has performed in several productions around the Southeast, including the debut show of the Hub City Players, LOL, a Comedy Cabaret.  Barnes has performed in and choreographed several Southern Opera and Musical Theatre Company (SOMTC) productions, including, Sweeney Todd, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Magic of the Musical Stage, Turandot, Showbiz Centennial, the Viral Video Project, and Guys and Dolls.  He has also worked with the Natchez Festival of Music, Opera Mississippi and FestivalSouth as both consultant and choreographer. Notable projects for those include A Little Night Music, Motown Downtown Revival and Sister Act. His choreography has also appeared off-Broadway and has won awards, including the SOMTC production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, which received the American Prize for Musical Theater (2018-19)

 

Samantha Clark (Stage Manager) is a clinical pharmacist at Forrest General Hospital and has been involved in local theater productions in various capacities for the past several years. She was in the ensemble for The Wizard of Oz, served as stage manager for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and was the costumer for Return to the Forbidden Planet with Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera. She joined the Hub City Players as Assistant Director of The Play That Goes Wrong and Stage Manager for A Tuna Christmas. She is excited to work with this immensely talented group.

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