JACOB BEAVER is thrilled to be working with City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret AGAIN! After shaking off the snow and the ice from the Christmas Cabaret, which you might have seen him in, he’s been waiting for the chance to come back and grace the stage with this talented group of actors/performers to welcome in the summertime. Many thanks to the Currie family for the opportunity to share his talents! Jacob looks forward to the future with CoL!

SHERRY BECKER is an English teacher and theatre director at West Aurora High School. In the role of artistic director at WAHS, her credits include: The Outsiders, While the Lights Were Out, And Then There Were None, These Shining Lives, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Clue. Her performance credits in both educational and community theatre include: Miss Saigon, RENT, Peter Pan, The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet Van de Graff), Music in the Air, and ArtNet (Mona Lisa). When she is not teaching, directing, or coaching dance, she loves performing with her acoustic trio, Calico Skies, comprised of herself and her good friends Ben and Zoe, relaxing with her cats, Ghost and Nymeria, and binge-watching whatever nerdy shows have hit the streaming-verse lately. She is thrilled to be a part of another City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret production!

COLLEEN BRUTON graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the first graduate of the Lyric Theatre program. Lyric theatre is a program that trains artists in both musical theatre and opera, allowing students to have a comprehensive understanding of music making and storytelling and how the two meet. Her favorite roles she's played are: Ilona Ritter (She Loves Me), Polly Baker (Crazy for You), Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz), Clara Johnson (The Light in the Piazza). Colleen was also recently seen on SHOWTIME's TV show, Work in Progress. Most recently, Colleen starred as the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods with Big Noise Theatre. Colleen is so thankful to be performing with City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret once more! She is currently represented by Big Mouth Talent.

DANIEL CURRIE is a junior at West Aurora High School. He plays trumpet with the West Aurora High School Wind Symphony and sings with the West Aurora High School A Cappella Choir and Madrigal Singers. In addition to playing trumpet and singing at school, Daniel plays piano and composes music at home, hoping to get better at it along the way. Daniel has performed in multiple musicals, such as Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and Fiddler on the Roof. His favorite musicals are Hamilton, Little Shop of Horrors, and Dear Evan Hansen. He hopes to accomplish many things in the music world but has not yet thought about a college to attend after he graduates high school. Nevertheless, he is an aspiring musician and loves playing trumpet and singing for his school.

Producer GRACE CURRIE directed choirs at West Aurora High School for three years (2019-2022) and LaSalle-Peru High School for one year (2018-2019). At West Aurora High School, Grace directed three curricular choirs and two a cappella groups, and she received the District 129 Certificate of Appreciation in 2020. At LaSalle-Peru, Grace directed four curricular choirs. Her students organized a themed benefit concert, incorporating student art, that raised over $3,000 for the local homeless shelter. In 2018, Grace earned a Bachelor of Music degree in choral music education with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Some of Grace's favorite roles in community and educational theatre include Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz), Sandy (Grease), and Hodel (Fiddler on the Roof). Grace has co-produced four cabarets with City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret.

MARY CURRIE is thrilled to perform in her fifth cabaret show with City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret. Mary currently works in school district 145 as the vocal music teacher at Arbor Park Middle School. She teaches music to students grades 5-8 and directs the Panther Choir. She is a 2021 graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received her Bachelor of Music Education degree with a choral music concentration. Mary's love for music sparked from her involvement with musical theatre in her youth and adolescent years. Mary has participated in shows produced by the Fox Valley Park Districts' Summer Stage as well as Bolingbrook's Theater-on-the-Hill. She is thrilled to help spread the holiday cheer through song alongside the many talented singers in tonight’s performance. Enjoy the show!

Staging Director MICHAEL CURRIE is happy to be returning to City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret after working on the last two cabarets, and is glad to have the opportunity to be here supporting friends, family, and local performers. Michael directed the staging and designed the lighting for Honeymoon Cabaret earlier this year. His previous work includes directing a production of Theresa Rebeck’s The Scene while at Augustana College, as well as multiple plays in the Quad Cities Playwrights Festival and one-acts at West Aurora High School. He hopes you enjoy this production and the many future shows to come.

ROWAN CURRIE is excited to be returning for another cabaret with City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret! Rowan graduated from Augustana College with a Bachelor of Education degree in history with a minor in Theatre Arts. She studied voice during her time at Augustana and has always been drawn to the stage. Her favorite past roles include Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls) Rosalind (As You Like It), and more recently, Miss Honey (Matilda the Musical). She lives in Aurora with her husband, Michael, and their three-year-old daughter, Juliet.

Producer KIRSTEN CURRIE TAIT has taught and directed musical theatre in the Fox Valley area for more than 25 years. She has taught music in East Aurora School District 131, Holy Angels School, St. Rita’s in Aurora, and currently, St. Pius X Church in Lombard. Kirsten was one of the first musical-theatre majors at University of Michigan back in the mid 1980s where she musically directed and conducted Little Shop of Horrors and Chicago. Since then, she has music-directed over 20 shows for Warrenville Park District and Theatre-on-the-Hill in Bolingbrook combined. She is proud that she went down the Bitcoin rabbithole back in 2012 when she became excited about what cryptocurrency could accomplish for the future of humanity and society. Kirsten’s investment in Bitcoin helped finance tonight’s cabaret, which is a nice side effect of her 10-year-old hobby. She is most proud of her eight wonderful almost-grown children and two grandchildren, all of whom love singing and musicals, and many of whom you will see here tonight working in various capacities. Family and music are Kirsten’s greatest blessings, and she is eternally grateful for both tonight.

ANN MARIE DECKER is a 5th grade teacher for Indian Prairie School District 204 where she has taught for 28 years. Along with her love of teaching is her love of theater. She has choreographed and directed for Fox Valley Park District's Summer Stage, City of Aurora's Community in Schools Theater Camp, and Holy Angels Catholic School spring musicals. She has also fed her performing itch with many of the Aurora Junior Woman's Club spring shows. Some of her favorite roles include Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Genie (Aladdin), Belle and later Beast (Beauty and the Beast), and Mother Gothel (Rapunzel). Ann Marie loves spreading her love of theater with the Aurora-area youth.

JAKE ELKINS is a Chicago based actor and singer, born and raised in Aurora! Regional credits include Grease and The Wizard of Oz (Marriott Theatre), Mary Stuart and The Wizard of Oz (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), and Parody Musicals of Love Actually and The Bachelor (Right Angle Entertainment). Jake is thrilled to be singing in his hometown amongst all of these talented performers!

MATT GARCIA is a junior at West Aurora High School, where he sings with A Cappella Choir and Madrigal Singers. Matt plays guitar any chance he gets, performing at open mics in Geneva and writing his own music at home. Matt has performed in two musicals at West, most notably Mamma Mia! from this past school year. When he’s not doing music, Matt can be found at an ice rink, playing varsity ice hockey for West Aurora’s combined team with Oswego and Oswego East. His passion for music and hockey runs deep. He dedicates most of his time to mastering his craft not only as a musician, but as a student, player, and person, always striving to be better than he was the day before.

DAN KELLER is a recent college graduate, happy to be performing with a ton of his friends! Selected credits include Spongebob in Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical, Tobias in Sweeney Todd, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and Young Will/Ensemble in Big Fish. Many thanks to all who made this cabaret happen!

ANNA LOWERY is a classically trained musician with a degree in vocal performance in opera from the University of Illinois. During her time there, she played many roles including Miles in Turn of the Screw and Dragonfly in The Cunning Little Vixen. She was also a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, an International Women’s Music Fraternity. In SAI, she promoted women in music and connected with musicians all over the world. Last school year, Anna was a 1st and 2nd grade general music teacher and middle school and high school choral director at Hoopeston Area School District, where she directed New Direction and Cornjerker Connection show choirs and led the elementary ensemble program. When not performing, you can expect Anna to be taking pictures of her two cats, Miller and Giles, and drinking lots of coffee. She is excited to be joining the City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret family and to be singing with such an amazing cast of performers!

FRANKIE PAREDES is a percussionist from Waukegan, Illinois. In 2020, he earned his degree in commercial music from Millikin University and recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a master’s degree in jazz performance. Currently, Frankie gigs and teaches drums and piano throughout the North Shore area. This is his first time accompanying a City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret production.

DAKOTA ROLFE is a guitarist and bassist from Aurora, Illinois and is extremely excited to be playing with City of Lights Theatre & Cabaret. Beginning guitar lessons in the first grade, he spent much of his teens performing throughout the Chicago suburbs in various original rock outfits as well as in the West Aurora High School theater and jazz band programs. After transitioning into college, he studied classical guitar at Aurora University before finally graduating from Millikin University with a degree in Commercial Music. Since graduating in 2019, he has served as a music teacher as well as a performing guitarist and musical director for numerous regional rock and country bands. He now brings his love of music and his own unique experience to Moonlight & Mistletoe Christmas Cabaret.