Jamie Agnello* Mother

Jamie Agnello “is a human, not a puppet” (The New York Times) who is delighted to be back! Local credits include The Tempest (Pittsburgh Public Theater), Plano (Quantum Theatre), and Midnight Radio: Frankenstein (Bricolage Production Company). She also puppeteers in the YouTube series Cai & Kate as part of “The Chill Project” with Allegheny Health Network. www.jamieagnello.com

Hope Anthony* Miss Shields

Last seen in The Importance of Being Earnest, A Christmas Story: The Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem, and A Raisin in the Sun. Tour: ¡Arriba, Arriba!(PCLO). Film: House of Stones(2023) & Grinding Doubt(NY Int'l Film Awards Winner 2021). TV: GetGo Holiday, UPMC, & Finger Lakes Casino, NY commercials.

Louisa Anne Butler    Helen Weathers

This is Louisa’s first production with Pittsburgh Public Theater. She previously played the role of Martha in the Pittsburgh CLO Academy’s production of High School Musical Jr. Louisa is a sixth grader in the North Allegheny School District. She enjoys gymnastics, basketball, track & field, and acting.

Ezekiel Tiago    Dunn Schwartz

Ezekiel is a fifth grader at Highcliff Elementary, where he loves his friends and teachers. He has lived in southern California and North Carolina. He participates in camp and baseball programs in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, and once played his mother’s actual child in a Food Lion commercial. Credits include: Fiddler on the Roof, Aladdin (Scholars’ Academy); Creative Dramatics (Pittsburgh Public Theater); Soloist (Act One Theater Camp); Frog and Toad, Cinderella, Aladdin (Actors of Tomorrow).

Cameron Edwards  Youth Ensemble

Cameron is a 13-year-old who majors in vocal at Pittsburgh CAPA. He has been in numerous plays for Pittsburgh Performance Society. He attends Pittsburgh Musical Theatre where he has done numerous productions. He has been in professional plays including August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Godguys, and A Christmas Story: The Play. In his spare time he likes to read, draw, sing, and play chess.

Eamonn McElfresh Scut Farkus

Eamonn is a theater major at Pittsburgh CAPA, Daina Griffith Acting Studio, and Higher Voice Studio. He was recently seen in The CLO Academy’s The Chorus Line (Paul) and CAPA’s Sweeney Todd (Tobias); for which he won a Gene Kelly Award for Best Supporting Actor. He thanks his family and teachers for their continued support and guidance.

Tim McGeever* The Old Man

Tim McGeever is happy to return as The Old Man at Pittsburgh Public Theater for a third year. Previous Pittsburgh Public Theater productions include An Act of God with John Shepard, directed by Ted Pappas, and Clybourne Park directed by Pam Berlin. He was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s performer of the Year for 2022. Tim trained at Juilliard. He is the husband of the actress/dialect coach/teacher/director/playwright whirlwind known as Nancy McNulty.

Rohan Parekh   Flick

Rohan is overjoyed to make his acting debut. He is a sixth grader at Mellon Middle School and loves participating in The Public’s annual Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest. Outside of theater and school, he enjoys math, Dungeons & Dragons, and creating Lego stop-motion animations. Rohan would like to thank his family, Mrs. Genes, Mrs. Kollar, and others who have always encouraged and supported him.

Avery Schneider   Ralphie Parker

Avery Schneider is a fifth grade student at Horace Mann Elementary. This is his first role with Pittsburgh Public Theater. His recent roles include Nemo in Finding Nemo Junior, The Wizard/Professor Marvel in The Wizard of Oz Musical, and Little Mushroom in Press Start. He was a finalist in the 2024 Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest. Avery loves acting, singing, dancing, and inventing.

John Shepard* Adult Ralph

John Shepard has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the country. He is happy to be reprising Ralph at The Public where he had worked many times. Besides The Public, he has appeared at Quantum Theatre, City Theatre Company, PICT and the REP in Pittsburgh. He has appeared in many TV shows and films, including the upcoming “The Deliverance” directed by Lee Daniels. His book “Auditioning and Acting for the Camera” is used across the country. He taught at Point Park for 20 years and is Professor Emeritus there.

Caris Tomaceski    Esther Jane

Caris is thrilled to be making her Pittsburgh Public Theater debut! She is a seventh grade student at Canon McMillan Middle School. Favorite past roles include Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka Junior and Lavender in Matilda, both with Little Lake Theatre Company. Many thanks to her family, her acting coach Caroline Connell, and the faculty at Pittsburgh CLO Academy.

Neal Raj Wadhwa Jr Randy

Neal is thrilled to return to Pittsburgh Public Theater as Randy. He is a fifth-grade student at Falk. Neal performed in the CLO summer camp show Beauty and the Beast. He studies ballet with Bodiography, Irish dance with the Shovlin Academy, and voice and piano with Shane McLaughlin. Neal is a Pitt, Pens, Pirates, and Steelers fan. He thanks his big sister Siobhán for her love and support.

Siobhán Wadhwa   Youth Ensemble

Siobhán is a sixth grade student at the Falk School. She recently performed in the CLO summer camp show Beauty and the Beast. She studies ballet with Bodiography, Irish dance with the Shovlin Academy, and voice and piano with Shane McLaughlin. Thanks to the cast and crew for their welcoming support and sends love to her brother.

John Shepard* Adult Ralph

John Shepard has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the country. He is happy to be reprising Ralph at The Public where he had worked many times. Besides The Public, he has appeared at Quantum Theatre, City Theatre Company, PICT and the REP in Pittsburgh. He has appeared in many TV shows and films, including the upcoming “The Deliverance” directed by Lee Daniels. His book “Auditioning and Acting for the Camera” is used across the country. He taught at Point Park for 20 years and is Professor Emeritus there.

Michael Berresse* DIRECTOR

Michael Berresse is a Tony® and Olivier Award nominated actor and OBIE Award®winning director. He has appeared in nearly 7,000 performances of 11 Broadway shows and his numerous directorial credits include five world premieres, notably the critically-acclaimed, Tony nominated Broadway musical [title of show]. Fun facts: Michael made his professional debut right here at Pittsburgh CLO. He is also a "Star Search” dance grand champion!

Daina Griffith* ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Daina Michelle Griffith is an actor, educator and director who is proud to call Pittsburgh her artistic home. A proud AEA, SAG-AFTRA Union Member for 20 years, she has been seen more than a dozen times on Pittsburgh Public Theater’s stage, numerous times with every professional theater in Pittsburgh, and on stages across the United States. She has extensive film/television credits including Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” and Richard Linklater’s “Where’d you go, Bernadette?” among others.

Tina Shackleford* STAGE MANAGER

Tina Shackleford returns to The Public for another year of A Christmas Story: The Play. Her stage management credits include productions at theaters across the country, most recently Saint Michael's Playhouse, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, and Resonance Works. For USITT she is a founding member of the EDI Initiative and former Management Commissioner. Tina teaches stage management at CMU and is a proud member of Actors Equity Association.

Kelly Haywood* ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

as Smaug shadow puppet in The Hobbit. Past productions include: A Raisin in the Sun, Barefoot in The Park, Steel Magnolias, Little Shop of Horrors, Born Yesterday, Noises Off, An Iliad, Servant to Two Masters, and True West. Kelly has also done several productions with the Pittsburgh Opera, CLO and Pittsburgh Ballet.

Tim Mackabee SET DESIGNER

Pittsburgh Public Theater: Little Shop of Horrors. Broadway: The Elephant Man, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth. West End: The Elephant Man. Off-Broadway: Heathers: The Musical. MCC: Seared. Atlantic: Guards at the Taj, Describe The Night. Roundabout: Darling Grenadine, The Last Match. MTC: Vietgone. LCT: Luce. TV: "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo" (HBO), "Gotham," "Smash," "The Today Show." Education: North Carolina School of the Arts, Yale School of Drama. @timmackabeedesign, timothymackabeedesign.com

Venise St. Pierre COSTUME DESIGNER

Very excited to be working on A Christmas Story: The Play again after designing Wild West costumes for The Coffin Maker. We’ll be using the tradition of “hand me down” clothing for our new Christmas Story family members. I hope the charm left in the costumes carries on and grows this year and for years to come.

Robert Aguilar LIGHTING DESIGNER

Previous designs for Pittsburgh Public Theater include The Hobbit, A Christmas Story: The Play, Little Shop of Horrors, and Marjorie Prime. Additional credits include: Seattle Rep, Portland Center Stage, Arizona Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle Opera, Milwaukee Rep, Intiman Theatre, ACT, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Tantrum Theater, The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Robert is the Lighting Director of Seattle Rep. robertjaguilar.com @fake_robert

Sartje Pickett SOUND DESIGNER

Sartje Pickett is a composer & sound designer for theater, film & interactive storytelling. Recent and upcoming productions include work with American Players Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Trinity Repertory Company, Quantum Theatre & Virginia Stage Company. Pickett is the co-founder of District 5 Sound, specializing in immersive and interactive storytelling environments.

Bryce Cutler PROJECTION DESIGNER

Previous designs include Grand Horizons on Broadway, 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist Soft Power at the Public Theater along with world premieres by John Patrick Shanley, Dael Orlandersmith, Matt Aucoin, Grammy Award winner Steve Mackey, production design of Samsung’s virtual reality television series "Interpretation of Dreams," an AI powered light and sound experience with St. Vincent and a virtual reality arcade for Muse’s 2019 World Tour. Education: CMU www.brycecutler.com

Sherry Deberson HAIR & WIG DESIGNER

Sherry is happy to be back with The Public working on A Christmas Story: The Play. Sherry has worked on many productions for The Public, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Elson Associates, City Theatre Company, and film and commercials.

José Pérez IV FIGHT & INTIMACY DIRECTOR

José Pérez IV is the Resident Fight & Intimacy Director of the Public. Recent Public credits: Billy Strayhorn: Something To Live For, A Midsummer Night’s Dream In Harlem, Robin Hood. Recent national credits: Fights/intimacy for Dracula (Actors Theatre of Louisville), fights for Frankenstein (Cleveland Play House). MFA Performance Pedagogy Pitt, BFA Drama NYU.