CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Isabel Celata (Kate Monster) is excited to be back for her second MPT show, after appearing as June in The Musical of Musicals: The Musical last summer. Other favorite roles of Isabel’s include Sophie in Mamma Mia!, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Heather Chandler in Heathers the Musical, and Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Isabel is also frequently seen performing on the operatic stage at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is entering her third year as a doctoral student in vocal performance and studying under Dr. Julia Rottmayer. Love always to her dog, Cream Cheese!
Zak Wolff (Princeton, Properties Designer) is excited to work with Middleton Players Theatre for his second year. He graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Theatre & Drama, followed by a year of studying Chinese Linguistics at Nanjing University. His previous credits include MPT’s The Spitfire Grill (Joe/Eli Understudy), Musical of Musicals: the Musical (Billy), All is Calm with FST, Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Father), and A Killer Party (Jeremy Jordan). He would like to thank his family, friends, and the Back 40 Boys for their words of encouragement and continual support. A special thanks to Thomas J. Kasdorf for his constant help and words of wisdom. Enjoy the show!
Kiki Moritsugu (Christmas Eve) has enjoyed a career encompassing theatre, tv, film, music videos, industrial shows, even circus in both Canada and the United States. She has performed on Broadway (Shogun-The Musical); Off-Broadway (Tokyo Can Can) as well as WAY OFF-Broadway in Toronto (Cats at Massey Hall and 2nd Canadian Nat’l Tour) and in regional theaters across North America. Film/TV credits: Delight In the Mountain (Frozen Stage Films); Chicago PD (NBC); The Ethical Slut (Independent); Sing (Tristar). Recent theatre credits include: Kiki’s solo show, A Woman Is…(Brink Lounge, Diane Ballweg Theater, and Toronto Fringe Festival); Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Stage Q/OUT!Cast Theatre); Wit and Wisdom (TNW Ensemble Theater); Beauty and the Beast, Legally Blonde (Middleton Players Theatre); Rock of Ages (MTG/OUT!Cast); Crazy for You, 42nd St (MPT). This is the second time Kiki has played Christmas Eve with MPT and she would like to thank Thomas and Sara for this wonderful opportunity to reprise this fantastic role!
Winter White (Gary Coleman), 20, is very excited to reprise her oldest brother's role as Gary Coleman in MPT's production of Avenue Q. Winter has been acting since she was 5 years old starting with VACT's production of Race to the Finish, to her most recent role as Matron Mama Morton in Chicago. Winter will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater this upcoming semester for vocal performance, and she would like to thank her friends and family for loving and supporting her in her journey in the arts.
Joshua Schiffman (Trekkie Monster) is thrilled to be back on stage in an MPT production. In the past, he has been an ensemble player in Sweeney Todd, Beauty and the Beast, and Parade. Avenue Q marks Joshua's first time in a supporting role, and he could not be more excited. Above all, Joshua is honored to share the stage with an incredibly talented and supportive group of artists. "Thank you one and all!" Finally Joshua cannot express enough gratitude to his family for their incredible support to make this happen.
Noah Strube (Nicky) (he/they) is a tenor vocalist based in the Madison area. A consummate performer, he sings in multiple choral groups, and roles include Toby in Sweeney Todd, Mayor Upfold in Albert Herring, and Gastone/Giuseppe in La traviata, all with UW University Opera. He made his professional debut in Cedar Rapids Opera’s Pirates of Penzance. He also occasionally plays the tuba and is an enjoyer of funny voices (fitting for this show in particular).
Steve Wright (Rod) has been singing the Avenue Q soundtrack and dreaming of playing this role since 2004 so this really is a dream come true! Steve has been heavily involved with MPT since he moved to Madison in 2016, performing in 5 shows, designing props for 3 shows, and serving on the Board of Directors as Treasurer. Thank you so much for coming out to support local theater!
