People Category: Beauty and the Beast 2017

Jennifer Nardine (Mrs. Potts) is delighted to return to SME’s stage. Favorite credits include Olive in The Female Odd Couple (New River Stage), Her Grace in Honk (New River Stage) and continuing work as Soprano/V.P. in Blacksburg’s post-collegiate a cappella group, King’s Post. (www.kingspost.us). She has a B.M. in vocal performance (DePaul), an MSI in library science (U of MI) and is working on a Masters in Counseling (Virginia Tech) while serving as an department liaison in VT’s Newman Library. Outside of work, Jennifer volunteers with the NRV Women’s Resource Center. She loves traveling and teaching mindfulness meditation classes, as well as spending time by/in the water, walking, reading, ballroom dance, and spending time with friends and loved ones. *Mwah* to all, and enjoy!

Patrick Marks is super excited to be performing in the ensemble for his second production with SME. As a recent graduate from Blacksburg High School, some of his favorite credits include playing Jafar in Aladdin and Buffalo Bill in Annie Get Your Gun. He also played Mark in A Chorus Line. Patrick will be attending AMDA NY this fall to study musical theatre. He also enjoys photography and singing.

Colleen is a 2014 Virginia Tech graduate where she completed a music performance minor. Her first SME show was The Pajama Game as Poopsie and her most recent SME performance was A Christmas Story: The Musical as Mrs. Swartz. Before that, she was in the opera premier of The Three Feathers at Virginia Tech in October 2014. She has also performed with New River Stage in Once Upon a Mattress, as Lady Larkin, and in HONK!, as Penny. She’s looking forward to returning to the stage with this production of SME’s Beauty and the Beast as Babette, the feather duster/ensemble! She’s wants to thank her amazing husband and family for their support and love!

Dawn Viers (Pepper, Ensemble) is thrilled to be in her second show with SME, after being a Pickalittle lady in the 2016 SME performance of “The Music Man.” She is excited to be part of this show with her daughter (Brynn Yaun) and brother (Brent Viers). She enjoys hanging out on her porch with her family, friends, second family, and her animals. Her day job is as an assessment specialist/mental health therapist at New River Valley Community Services.  She would like to thank her daughters, Brynn and Mia, for being awesome and her husband, Brian, for being her rock.

During the day, Jesse Janowiak makes websites. By night, he plays the role of Cogsworth — or sings with the chorus. This is Jesse’s second show with SME, having played Marcellus Washburn in last summer’s production of The Music Man.