Why We Sing: What Music Means to Character and Audience

Ben Phillips has appeared at theatres across the DFW metroplex in such roles as Harry Dangle/Gareth in One Man, Two Guvnors; Vlad in Anastasia; Gandalf/Galadriel in Fellowship! The Musical Parody of The Fellowship of the Ring; Norbert in The Great American Trailer Park Musical; Harry in Company; Lloyd in Noises Off!; Rooster in Annie; King Arthur in Spamalot; and The Baker in Into the Woods. Local directing credits include Putting It Together and Butterflies Are Free at ONSTAGE in Bedford; See How They Run at Plaza Theatre Company; and Into the Woods at his alma mater, Texas Wesleyan University. Voice acting credits include Mushoku Tensei (Rudeus, Former Self), SPY X FAMILY (Narrator), Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Denken), Radiant (Myr), Golden Kamuy (Shiraishi), and My Hero Academia (Giran). Twitter: @benaphil; Instagram: @ben_a_phil

Brent Black is a comedian, musician, and game developer. He’s best known for his YouTube parody music channel Brentalfloss which has nearly half a million subscribers. His three Brentalfloss albums all charted in the the top ten on the iTunes and Billboard comedy charts. He has performed hundreds of live shows all over North America and Europe. 

Brent has written several musicals including book and lyrics for I’ll Be Damned which played Off-Broadway in 2010 and starred Mary Testa and Kenita Miller. He also wrote book/music/lyrics for Khan!!! The Musical!, a Star Trek parody which had a critically acclaimed and sold-out Off-Broadway run in 2023. He also co-created the video game Use Your Words and co-hosted the podcast Trends Like These with Travis McElroy.

Christina Kudlicki, Choreographer, (she/her) is ecstatic to Boldly Go on this Trek-tacular journey with Rebecca, Brent, and the whole Enterprise Crew! Kudlicki is a graduate from the University of North Texas with her degree in Dance and recipient of certification from the Cecchetti Council of America. Kudlicki has worked as a professional choreographer, assistant director, dancer, actor, critic, and about half a dozen other roles on and off stage in the DFW theater community for the last two decades. Notable production credits include Margaritaville, SpongeBob The Musical, CATS, Pippin, and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Firehouse Theatre), American Idiot (Lakeside Community Theatre), Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Lewisville Playhouse), Rocky Horror (NTPA), Spring Awakening (Runway Theatre). Recent on stage credits include Fastrada in Pippin (Frisco Arts), Angel in Best Little Whorehouse (Lewisville), Trish in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Lakeside), Eurydice in Polaroid Stories (Lakeside), and Texas in Cabaret (Runway). Kudlicki also currently holds a position as a board member at Lakeside Community Theater in The Colony, TX. She would like to thank her partner Mike for being her loving partner through the space-time continuum. To the audience: thank you for taking a chance on supporting new works – may the artist community forever “live long and prosper” through your continued patronage!

Rebecca Lowrey is passionate about creating new works and has spent the past 17 years as a premier music director, vocal coach, and accompanist in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, New York City and everywhere in between. The impressive ability to play anything put in front of her has gained her entry to elite casting rooms, production meetings, rehearsals, and beyond, resulting in a unique skillset that spans more than just music — simply put, she knows what works for a musical. A director and producer as well, Rebecca is adept at getting new shows up on their feet in record time, all while efficiently coordinating the long list of to-dos required to prepare a show for an audience

Rebecca is a champion of diverse casting and production teams (#WomenDirect) and has the pull and connections to assemble unforgettable, live, onstage bands. In 2017, Rebecca began producing a series of intimate productions known as the Living Room Concerts. Starting with simple piano-only performances in her living room with friends, the series expanded to poolside parties and festive holiday gatherings. Her recent credits include the critically acclaimed production of the rock musical Lizzie at Imprint Theatreworks in Dallas, a lauded run of Gutenberg! The Musical! at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, and a Rocky Horror Show and 9 to 5 that celebrated the uniqueness of its performers.

You may recognize Rebecca from TikTok, where her popular #DuetWithMe videos encourage thousands of performers to #KeepSinging. Rebecca earned her bachelor of arts degree in music (with a minor in business administration) from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

www.accompanymusicals.com

Rowan Gilvie FINALLY gets to use that Scottish accent they’ve been sitting on for years! Rowan has performed, choreographed, designed, dramaturged, and assistant directed for theatres all over DFW, including Casa Mañana, Dallas Theater Center, Lyric Stage, and Pegasus Theatre, as well as theatres elsewhere in the southwest. She is also a voice actor, working primarily with Crunchyroll. Most recently they were part of the inaugural SheDFW festival in the cast and creative team of The Martyr by Leo Rose Rodriguez. A huge fan of new works, she’s excited to join the MusicalWriters.com gang again for this first fully-produced musical! Favorite recent roles include: theatre – Winifred Banks/Mary Poppins Jr. (Casa Mañana); Ashly/Death! The Musical III (Pocket Sandwich Theater); Jolene/Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas); Rita/Educating Rita (Onstage In Bedford); voiceover – Guideau/The Witch And The Beast, Wizard Boy/Goblin Slayer (Crunchyroll); Granny Death/Hellworld! (available on Steam). A galaxy-sized thank you to Rebecca, for continuing to include me in boldly going where new shows haven’t gone before, and for a whole decade of collaboration and friendship. All kinds of gratitude to Brent for trusting me with your big Broadway space baby. Additionally, thanks to Alex Krus and Tim Brawner, who had better come see this. Every ounce of love to my friends and chosen family always. @rowangilvie (Twitter) // @rowan.gilvie (IG)

Rachel Nicole Poole is honored to be a part of this Trekkie musical adventure! She was last seen on the Theatre Three stage as the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance. Her other recent credits include Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show and Florinda in Into the Woods (Dallas Theater Center) and the title roles in both Aida and Cinderella with Lyric Stage Dallas. You can catch her this holiday season returning for her third year as Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at The Dallas Theater Center. As a Teaching Artist, Rachel has worked with students at several theaters and studios in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including Coppell Music Academy, Casa Mañana, DTC, and Broadway Dallas. Rachel is grateful to her family & friends for their love and support! Go Frogs & Enjoy the Show! www.rachelnicolepoole.com IG: @poolerthanyou

Oscar Seung hails from Lausanne, Switzerland, and is a Dallas-based actor, violinist, pianist, opera singer, and music director. From film and television pilots to theater and voiceovers, Oscar champions the representation of Asian Americans in media and the arts. Oscar can currently be seen in We Can Be Heroes (Netflix), directed by Robert Rodriguez, A Cowgirl’s Song (Netflix), and The Turkey Bowl (Hulu), directed by Greg Coolidge. He also guest co-starred in the ABC pilot, False Profits. Anime/video game voiceover highlights: Attack on Titan (Varis), One Piece (Daruma), Cherry Magic (Masato Tsuge), Twilight Out of Focus (Rei Inaba), Yuri on Ice (Seung-Gil Lee), Free! (Nao Serizawa), Borderlands 3 (Nettle). Full list of over 70 shows on imdb.me/oscarseung. Theater: World Premiere of The Supreme Leader (Kim Jong-Un), Dallas Theater Center, The Sound of Music (Baron Elberfeld, u/s Captain Von Trapp, performed), Dallas Theater Center, The Ballad of Little Jo (Tien Mien), Watertower Theater, Dora, the Explorer Live! (Benny), Casa Manana, Miss Saigon (ensemble), Casa Manana. Oscar is represented by the Mary Collins Agency. Twitter: @oscarseung Instagram: @theoscarseung imdb.me/oscarseung

After studying Musical Theatre at NYU, Natalie is thrilled to be sitting here with the DFW brass ; ) and back on stage in her native Texas after 12 years in NYC. Catch her on screen in commercials for Amazon Fresh, Toyota, Country Crock, Dell, NBC’s Peacock, Compare Power and so, so many more! Just seen in SheDFW’s reading of Let Me In by Zander Pryor as Grace the Cat… favorite roles include Dani Dennison in Jay A. Johnson’s I Put a Spell on You (54 Below, LPR, Sony Hall), Emily in Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Alchemy Theatre), Becky in Fantasy Football: The Musical? (Player’s Theatre) and causing havoc as a Nun of Anarchy in MTV’s Broke A$$ Game Show. Thank you to Gregg (and our good boy Floyd) for reminding me who I am, and my fam for the overzealous love and support, always. Never give up, never surrender! Follow along: @natalieEhinds & www.Natalie-Hinds.com

Joshua is excited to boldly go where no man has gone before… well, only a few people, you get the drift! Joshua holds a BA in Performance Arts from Texas Wesleyan University and has been performing in DFW for over a decade working in theatres such as Casa Mañana, Stage West, The Hopeful Theatre Project, Jubilee Theatre, and Theatre Too. During the day he’s an experienced realtor dedicated to helping his clients find the perfect home or business storefront. You can find him on all socials @JoshuaShermanRealtor to start your search today! He’d like to thank his family (Dakota and Willow) for allowing him to shirk his evening chores to pursue his passion!

Jason Philip Solís earned their Bachelor of Music Education from Southern Methodist University and, for the last 15 years, has music directed and performed all over the metroplex! Some of their favorite roles include William Barfee from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Runway Theatre), Levora Verona from Disaster (OnStage in Bedford), Taxi Driver from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Main Stage Irving-Las Colinas), Andre Thibault from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Main Stage Irving-Las Colinas), Dr. Frank-N-Furter from Rocky Horror (Oh Look Performing Arts), Matron Mama Morton from Chicago (Oh Look Performing Arts), Jake from Evil Dead: The Musical (Oh Look Performing Arts), Bud Davenport from Gutenberg! The Musical (TART), Mr. Applegate from Damn Yankees (TART), The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz (GPAC), Ms. Trunchbull from Matilda (GPAC), Asaka from Once on This Island (The Firehouse Theatre), Gomez from The Addams Family (The Firehouse Theatre), and most recently, Genie from Aladdin: Dual Language Edition (The Firehouse Theatre). They have performed in numerous LRC and MusicalWriters.com staged readings and find new works especially thrilling to perform. Thank you to my family, who have been so supportive of me in all of my endeavors, to the group chat from whom I keep nothing, and to Rebecca Lowrey, who has pushed me to be the best version of myself. Instagram: @canweduet.

Originally from the far reaches of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Janette has landed in Texas, bringing over 15 years of star-studded experience and top-tier training in Opera, Jazz, and Musical Theatre. After fine-tuning her craft at Arkansas State University, Janette set her phasers to ‘legendary,’ performing alongside Broadway icons like Lillias White and Matthew Cavenaugh and even opening for rock giants like Foreigner and jazz royalty like Rosanna Eckert. Most recently spotted rocking the stage as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act(Upright Theatre) and Crystal in Little Shop of Horrors (Lewisville Playhouse), she’s also been a soloist with the Allen Symphony and the Coppell Chorale, she can also be found with the local Dallas band IceHouse Band. With a voice that could make Klingons cry and performances that could outshine a supernova, Janette’s mission is to explore the infinite universe of music and art, always ready for warp-speed applause. Buckle up—this diva is just getting started! Hope you enjoy the show, and follow her journey on Instagram: @itsjustjanette.

Gideon Ethridge is a DFW/NYC based actor, singer/songwriter, and musician. Performing professionally since he was 16, He is thrilled to be a part of this star-studded (pun intended) cast. His recent credits include JESUS in Godspell at Millbrook Playhouse, GEORGE in Don’t Dress for Dinner at Millbrook Playhouse, TULLY in Escape to Margarittaville at The Firehouse Theatre, MARCELLUS in The Music Man at Garland Summer Musicals, DAVID in Beloved King with MusicalWriters.com, and DANNY in Grease at Fort Salem Theatre. Some other favorite credits include: GABE in Nedt to Normal, JOHNNY in American Idiot, ST JIMMY in American Idiot, MORITZ STIEFEL in Spring Awakening, JIMMY RAY DOBBS in Bright Star, and JEAN VALJEAN in Les Miserables. He would like to thank his friends, family, and his cat for their love and support as he pursues his dreams in music and theatre. He hopes you enjoy the show, and may you all live long and prosper! Follow his journey as he shoots for the stars at Instagram: @gideon_ethridge; TikTok: @gideonethridgemusic

Trekking all the way from her home planet of Addison to the wild world of Fort Worth, Elisa Danielle James is tickled pink to be part of this glorious enterprise. Most recently seen as Ilona in She Loves Me (Theatre Frisco), Elisa has also been featured locally in roles such as Lily in The Secret Garden (Brickroad Theatre), the Chaperone in The Drowsy Chaperone (Firehouse Theatre), and a myriad of new musical works thanks to MusicalWriters.com and the illustrious Rebecca Lowrey. Many thanks to her incredible family, her SQUAB, her two fur kids, and a very dashing fiancé who supports her endlessly. Welcome aboard and kling on tightly, you’re in for a wild vulcan ride!

Clint Gilbert was born in Carrollton, TX right after his parents saw Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in theaters and has been a trekkie ever since. After obtaining a Bachelors in Music Education from Southern Nazarene University and a Masters in Vocal Performance from the University of Oklahoma, he returned to DFW and proceeded to take on a series of amazing roles such as Seymour in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (The Firehouse Theatre), White Dude in TOXIC AVENGER: THE MUSICAL (Uptown Players), and Frodo in FELLOWSHIP! (Circle Theatre/Theatre Too). He then fulfilled a lifelong dream when he composed STEDE BONNET: A F*CKING PIRATE MUSICAL (premiered at Theatre Three) with award-winning playwright and wife Nicole Neely. He wishes to thank all who gave him chances and second chances, many of which were undeserved.