Meet the Cast and Creatives

 
​​LAURA DONALDSON-INZEO feels especially blessed to have spent the past 30 years being a part of the Westchester Community Theatre family. She has been performing professionally, regionally, and locally since childhood! Laura is currently a member of the Westchester Women's Choir and was last seen in ACT's sold out run of SISTER ACT.   A few favorite roles include Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Fantine in LES MISERABLES, Florence in CHESS, Mrs. Walker in TOMMY, The Witch in INTO THE WOODS, Maria in WEST SIDE STORY, DoraLee in 9 to 5, Julie in CAROUSEL and the title role in VIOLET.  Sending love out to all of you here supporting live theatre!​

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EVANGELINE INZEO is a 6th Grader who has been singing show tunes since she was 3 years old! She has performed in nine musicals with Clocktower Players with a few favorites being Princess Jasmine in Aladdin, Katherine in Newsies and most recently, Princess Fiona in Shrek. Evangeline also studies the saxophone, plays JV Volleyball and is involved with the Scouts of America. She is very excited for the opportunity to perform with Theatre in the Wood!

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MAYA JORDAN* is a Fairygodmother. She specializes in storytime, dancing in the kitchen, snuggles, teatime, all things sugar and spice, and has a Poppins Certificate and advanced degree in Earth Mother Studies. 

In real life, she’s a University of Michigan Graduate, a Singer, Actor, Writer, Producer, Creative Director/Consultant, and Composer. She has worked professionally in those capacities for many theaters, performance companies, artists, musicians, creative arts organizations, and filmmakers for over 15 years. Maya has performed in over 30 plays and musicals with many theater companies and ensembles, including a national tour and on Broadway at Town Hall. She has an extensive Shakespearean repertoire. She’s also a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association. In addition to her stage work, Maya has worked on numerous film and video projects, including being a Singer/Songwriter for films and scoring and soundscapes for film and video projects. She’s worked on and in four films featured and honored at several film festivals. Maya also launched Library Card Productions, a film and video production company with her husband. 

But back to the more fun stuff: Maya was raised on a healthy diet of English literature, Star Trek and Star Wars, PBS, Astronomy, and The Classics: music, rock, and film. She is also an amateur Herbalist, loves to cook, hosts grassroots fundraisers, volunteers with the elderly, and travels the world and in space and time. Her goal in life is to be "a Light in dark places when all other lights go out." Maya is grateful and honored to participate in the creative opportunities that come her way! You’re invited to visit her website, mayaj.com, to learn more.

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KATIE LUEKENS CHAN CHEE  (Music Director / Performer)  is a singer, actress, musical director, and keyboard player frequently appearing in Westchester County and the New York metro area. In recent years, Katie has worked for such companies as the White Plains Performing Arts Center, ACT in Yonkers, Clocktower Players in Irvington, and many area high schools and middle schools. When she is not doing musical theatre, she sings professionally as a freelance soloist and ringer in local choruses . Katie is a school music teacher in the North Salem School District.​ 

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MIKA NISHIDA  is a Graduate of The Boston Conservatory, some of Mika's favorite credits include: SISTER ACT (Sister Mary Robert at Clocktower); THE 25th ANNUAL ... SPELLING BEE (Marcy Park - Little Radicals); MISS SAIGON - 2nd National Broadway Tour (Gigi 1997/Kim 1999 - to closing 2000); CONCERT OF EXCELLENCE (Lincoln Center); A CHORUS LINE (Connie - Merry Go Round Playhouse); IMAGINATION by Coca Cola Inc. (Madison Square Garden); ROCKY HORROR SHOW (P.O.E.T); JOSEPH (Westchester Broadway Theatre). Mika's film credits include; HITCH (Waxer); TOMORROW IS TODAY (Grace Peterson); THE GLASS CEILING (Justine). Mika also had the honor of being the National Anthem Singer at Fenway Park, Legend's Field, and The Kingdome before it was torn down. You may also catch Mika in a band called "5 minute call" once a year in the summer at Lucy's in Pleasantville!

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JESSIE ROGOWSKI is thrilled to be part of this special Mother's Day Cabaret with Theater in the Wood!

Throughout Jessie's singing career, she has performed in various jazz bands and toured the country with indie chamber pop band, All Boy/ All Girl, but her true love lies in musical theater. So much so, she founded Rooftop Musical Society in 2018, an immersive musical theater company, and co-created Parlor Sessions, an intimate living room performance series showcasing musicians, poets, and artists. When she's not singing, she is a freelance television editor for various Food Network shows!

This performance is especially meaningful for Jessie as she recently became a mother herself, deepening her appreciation for the profound beauty and complexity of motherhood! She is honored to share her voice today in tribute to all the mothers and mother figures who nurture the world with their endless love and resilience! @jro797

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MOLLY RYAN  is delighted to be making her debut with Theatre in the Wood and their production of "Mama, a Rainbow". She most recently performed in the Golden Stage Society performance of "The Little Mermaid" acting as the pilot and ensemble. Here she had her first ever solo on stage. When not performing in the arts, Molly competes in gymnastics and plays lacrosse. She has a true love for animals and helps rescue and foster them. She loves reading a good book with a cup of tea and her cat, Phoebe. ​

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KATIE SCHMIDT FEDER (Director / Producer / Performer) is the founder of THEATRE IN THE WOOD and thrilled to be presenting our second "Broadway Brunch" at GLEASON's.  This past year Katie directed three productions for TITW- - developing the immersive Movable Musical Feast at two locations, and HALLOWEEN AT THE HALL at Peekskill Dramatic Hall.  With over thirty years as a stage director, choreographer, designer, and arts administrator, Katie most recently served as the Executive Director of Garrison Art Center. Prior to that post, she was Co-founder & Executive Director of EMBARK|Peekskill, a performing & literary arts nonprofit. Most recently she directed George & Ruth: Songs and Letters of the Spanish Civil War (@thecapaspace). She is an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab and NY’s Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Actor/Director Lab and has directed from Shaw to Shakespeare to Sondheim in New York and regionally. NY acting credits include Rosemary Kennedy in the play Rosemary by James O’Connor (Abingdon Theatre Co.), Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (78th St. Theatre Lab) Regional credits include: Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Theatre Arlington), Squeaky Fromme in the regional premier of Sondheim’s ASSASSINS (Dallas, TX), Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors (Lyric Theatre). Katie has also served as a costume and scenic designer for many productions. She holds a BA in Musical Theatre/Dance Minor – University of Northern Colorado, Graduate 2-year Meisner program - William Esper Studio (NYC). Masters in Arts Administration - Goucher College (2015).  www.katieschmidtfeder.com

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TANYA WILLS (she/her) is delighted to be joining this cast of incredible, fiercely honest women today! A midwife by day (and, well, also by night), the love, dedication, and unending strength of all mothers and those who wish to be is deeply known to each of her very cells. Tanya recently returned to performing after a 12 year absence. Favorite roles have all been mothers: Meredith in Bat Boy, Diana in Next to Normal, and the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods. For Charlie and Milo: Your mom isn’t going anywhere…

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JESSICA BEITSCHER  (house and stage manager) Award-winning actress and singer and brings a dynamic range and dedicated work ethic to every performance. With experience spanning diverse theatrical forms, Jessica has captivated audiences in leading roles such as opera diva Katerina Cavelieri in Pelham Manor Club’s production of Amadeus, Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof, the beloved Mimì in La bohème, and the formidable Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte. Other notable roles include Mrs. Walsh in Bigger Than Them and Poppy in Noises Off. Her training is rooted in the Uta Hagen Acting Method, improvisation techniques, and a rigorous study of classical and contemporary singing. Jessica's talent has been recognized with prestigious awards, including multiple Excellence in Acting awards from the Theatre Association of New York (TANYS) and an Outstanding Achievement In Acting award from the Eastern States Theatre Association (ESTA). She is a non-union performer seeking engaging acting roles and opportunities to share her vocal talent at events.

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*"Maya Jordan appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States."

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