Peyton Ballew is 23 years old and currently living in West Monroe, Louisiana and may possibly be moving to Monroe soon.  His previous show experience at the Strauss consist of Mamma Mia! and A Christmas Carol in December 2020.  He is an active member of the community doing volunteer work and supporting his favorite organizations like the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens and the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo.  He is also a full-time local artist and currently a resident artist of the Sugar Gallery in Downtown Monroe. It has been a year since he has been on stage due to COVID 19 and he wanted to be back on stage. He started off
a bit rusty and thanks his fellow castmates and directors for guiding him once again, especially to Peyton Churchwell and Nathaniel Jeane for their help with choreography. This has been a
really fun show and he hopes you enjoy it.  Thanks for supporting the arts!

Come see Peyton in Disaster!.  Tickets for tonight’s final show are on sale now!

Darian owns her own dog training business. When she’s not training dogs, she is at the dojo or theatre.  A few shows she’s been in are
Spamalot and Scrooge the Musical in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She also played Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in Austin, Texas. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Catch Darian’s Strauss debut in Disaster! for it’s final show tonight!  Get your tickets here.

Lee Jones of Winnsboro is excited to be on the Strauss stage again for the first time since his last performance in Mamma Mia!. He would like to thank his family and friends for being understanding and supportive during rehearsals, and looks forward to being on stage again in the future!

Come see Lee as the chef, taxi driver and many other passengers in tonight or tomorrow’s show.  Tickets are available!

Peyton Churchwell is a University of Louisiana-Monroe alumni, and he graduated with a Bachelors in English Education. His ULM VAPA Performance credits include Ubaldo Piangi in Phantom of the Opera, Captain Venderdender in Candide, and Hugo Peabody in Bye Bye, Birdie. His Strauss Theatre credits include Ensemble/Chorus member in Mamma Mia! and Mr. Bumble in Oliver! The Musical. He has also performed at the Rose Theatre in many plays, including the role of Wilson in Whose Wives are They Anyway?, and he performed as Macduff in CA Studio’s Zoom production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Peyton studied with the Music in the Marche program in Mondavio, Italy, in the summer of 2018 where he sung the roles of Don Ottavio and Basilio in the opera scenes production. In 2019, Peyton directed the Neville Junior High Drama Club in their production of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He recently traveled to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, to perform the role of Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosí Fan Tutte for the Matador Opera Workshop.

Catch Peyton as Jake the security guard in Disaster!.  Get your tickets today!

Richard started his involvement with the Main Stage at Strauss Theater 10 years ago as The Wizard in The Wizard of OZ. This will be his 7th appearance on the Main Stage including roles including Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof and Prof. Plum in Clue, The Musical. Being a born and bred NYer, he has enjoyed Broadway Musicals his whole life and enjoys the interaction and camaraderie of live theater performance. Enjoy the show and become a Patron!!

Catch Richard as Donald, the Wealthy Husband.  Tickets are on sale!

Laura graduated from Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) with a BS in Medical Technology. She is currently employed as the Lab Coordinator for Affinity Health Group. She has appeared in several Strauss productions including The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady and Sister Act. Laura also sings with the Bayou Masterworks Chorale and traveled with them to perform concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Aegean Music Festival in Greece. She has been married to her husband, Mark, for 38 years and they enjoy being “Nana and Papaw” to their 4 grandchildren- Wesson, Archer, Guinevere and Dosson.

You won’t want to miss Laura’s portrayal of multiple passengers, including the Wealthy Wife (nicknamed Daisy by the cast).  Tickets are still available!

Keith has been involved in theatre since his high school days at Homer High, graduating in 1979 (which coincidentally happens to be the setting for Disaster!). He has acted in A Feudin’ Over Yonder in high school, and Guys and Dolls and The Children’s Hour at ULM. During his 34 years as a teacher, counselor, and administrator; he directed several high school plays. Keith also designs and builds sets, recently winning a Christopher Award for his design for this past spring’s Whose Wives Are They Anyway?. His dream to live in Monroe to be closer to his three grandchildren became reality last fall when he bought a really cool house in the Garden District. This is Keith’s debut on the Strauss stage.

Catch Keith as Murray Summers, Shirley’s devoted husband, in Disaster!.  Tickets are on sale for the final week!

Nicole Goode is a Monroe native who’s been in numerous shows at the Strauss since Fall 2015. One of her favorite shows was Smoke on the Mountain in 2018 when she got to play the joyful June Sanders. In her non-theater life, she works at Kohl’s Department Store and the Ouachita Parish Public Library. Nicole is so excited to be playing Shirley Summers alongside this amazing cast.

Come see Nicole as Shirley Summers, a passenger with a dark secret she’s hiding from her husband.  Tickets are still available!

Emmanuel Capers is no stranger to the Strauss Theatre, partaking in the production, Gypsy in 2015. Emmanuel has also performed in a variety of other productions such as Godspell, A Christmas Carol, Candide, Phantom of the Opera, Bye Bye Birdie, Beggar’s Opera and many more. He graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and now works with special needs children. Now, performing as “Scott” in Disaster!, he hopes to continue to participate in productions in the future.

Catch Emmanuel as the lovably awkward waiter, Scott, in one of the three remaining nights of Disaster!. Tickets are still on sale!

Taylor Nelson is a veteran of the Strauss Stage. She got her start at the Young Stage (now SYAA) and eventually began doing shows at the Mainstage. You might recognize her from her past roles as Tiger Lily in Peter Pan, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, or Ado Annie in Oklahoma! (Christopher Award for Best Supporting Actress). She attended Northwestern State University, dabbling in Russian language and international studies.  She also spent a year studying in Estonia. Since her return to Monroe, she has appeared in My Fair Lady, Young Frankenstein, and as Mollie in The Mousetrap (Christopher Award for Best Actress). Taylor appeared as Renee, Marjorie, and Josephine in Who’s in Bed With the Butler (Christopher Award for Best Actress) – three different characters, three different accents, and too many costume changes! She currently works for the Small Business Development Center as the Marketing and Training Coordinator. Besides the stage, Taylor enjoys reading, makeup artistry, traveling, and grabbing a pint with her buds at Enochs.

Come see Taylor play double duty once again as the lovable, meddling twins, Ben & Lisa.  Tickets are on sale now!