Media Category: Cast Photos

Leigh Bortz is excited to be performing in her first production. EVER. She is an Instructional Coach for Montgomery County Public Schools working with Christiansburg Elementary and Gilbert Linkous Elementary Schools this year. She thanks Dawn Viers and her children, Markley and Norin for pushing her WAY beyond her comfort zone and encouraging her to “sprinkle” her days throughout this summer with a little singing, a little dancing and a lot of laughter. To summarize the amazing experience of learning some new and challenging skills, the wise words of Tara seem best, “I don’t hate it.”

Leigh Anne Byrd is excited to be on the stage again in “The Little Mermaid.” She has had the pleasure to be in other productions including, “Annie Get your Gun,” “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan,” “The Music Man,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” and “Nunsense.” She is especially excited to perform alongside her sister-in-law, Debbie. She has a degree in Music Therapy from East Carolina University and Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech. During the day, she works as an Academic Advisor in the Pamplin College of Business at VT. She would like to thank her family for supporting her love of theatre.

Laura Hole is excited to be doing her 5th show with SME! In the past, she has performed in Singin in the Rain as Kathy Seldon with Blacksburg High School and many other shows as a dancer. Laura has been dancing for 16 years and is currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada. This summer she is working as an intern at Volvo Trucks in Dublin, VA. Laura would like to thank the cast and crew for a great show!

Kim Feucht is thrilled to be making her debut with SME. The Little Mermaid is her first musical in 20 years, and she is having a blast! During the day, Kim is an associate collegiate professor of marketing at Virginia Tech.

Katy Dryman is delighted to be performing in her first production with SME. She is an art teacher at Blacksburg High School, and Associate Professor at Radford University.

Katarena Golladay is delighted to be making her debut with the Summer Musical Enterprise as a Sea Creature. Her recent acting experiences include A Twist of a Carol, Society of Sidekicks the Reboot, and Fairy Tales Gone Wrong with JoELoe Productions. She is currently enjoying her time swimming and playing tennis, and will return to 3rd grade in the fall.

Judah Buehrer, 9 years old, is so excited to be part of the Little Mermaid this summer. Even though pink and mermaids are not on his list of favorites, he loves to sing and dance and to do those things in front of a crowd. He discovered his love for singing and dancing this past year in the show Scrooge where he played Little Ebenezer and a little street urchin. He hopes you will enjoy the show!

Jesse Janowiak is a man who needs no introduction. But he’ll gladly give you one anyway! This is Jesse’s third show with SME, following roles as Marcellus Washburn in “The Music Man” and Cogsworth in “Beauty and the Beast.” When he’s not performing, he makes websites — the one you are reading right now, for example!

Jeremy Larkin is very excited to be returning to the SME stage this year! His previous roles include Randy Parker in SME’s A Christmas Story and Amahl in Radford University’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. He is a freshmen at BHS, when he isn’t onstage, he spends his time singing, reading, hanging with friends, or listening to music. He would like to thank the cast and crew of The Little Mermaid as well as his family for all of their support.

Jacob Honaker is a rising 7th grader at Blacksburg Middle School. His theatre experience began with New River Stage in Grizzelda and the Grimmers and continued with SME’s The Music Man and Beauty and the Beast. Jacob is positively froggy to be a part of SME, but also enjoys youth and handbell choirs, cello, wrestling, and baseball. “Thank you Mom, Dad, Gretchen, and Martin for always supporting me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”