Meet the cast of ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL

Georgia Wisslead is 12 years old and in 7th grade. This is her second production with QCT. She was last seen as Tamatoa’s Left Claw, in MOANA, JR. She loves the friendships she’s made here and loves attending Triple Threat Boot Camp over the summer. She is honored and excited to play the role of Matilda. She can’t wait for you to see the show!

Kristen Houston is thrilled to be back again on the QCT stage this year! She is a teacher at QHS and was last seen as Joanne in RENT. Away from QCT, you can find her spending time with her dog, working on her Master’s at QU, or watching Gordon Ramsay shows! 

Keyana Frost

Patrick Regner is spilling over with gratitude to be back in the theater that laid the foundation of his theatre training. After 10 years of developing industry skills and experience, he hopes he can give back to QCT in multiple areas. For those who have remained, he’d like to thank you for welcoming him back.

Lindsey Stroot is excited to be part of the incredible cast of Matilda. Lindsey is a Quincy native who enjoys dancing, traveling, spooky season decorating, and community events. Previous QCT productions include CHICAGO and LEGALLY BLONDE.  A ginormous thanks to her talented and handsome husband, Mark Hespen, and her two fun-loving kids, Ruby and Beck, for all their love and support.

Simon Bruening is currently in his senior year of high school. He was last seen on stage as Demetrius in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. In his spare time, he can be found playing video games, encouraging those around him, listening to podcasts, laughing with friends, or working at Culvers. He’s very excited to be on the main stage at QCT again!

Drew Quintero is so excited to rumba his way across the QCT stage in MATILDA! QCT has been a part of his life for 30 years and is thrilled to share his love of theatre with you tonight. Some of his favorite roles include Buddy the Elf in ELF THE MUSICAL, Enjorlas in LES MISERABLES, and Emmett in LEGALLY BLONDE.  

Jeanette Soebbing making her second appearance on the QCT stage! We last saw her at the 100th Anniversary Gala in September where she performed in “Willkommen”, “Shoeless Joe” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” Jeanette has also worked at Blessing Hospital for the past 10 years as a Data Analyst, while raising her amazing daughter, Eloise 6, with her husband, Dan.

Sara Turnbow is wife to Charles, mom to Matteson & Harrison and Store Director at the Barry Travel Plaza. Sara’s happy place has always been the theater and she has immersed herself in The Arts for as long as she remembers. Sara was last seen in The 100th Anniversary Gala at QCT and A Christmas Carol at The Quincy Museum.  Sara feels extremely blessed, beyond thrilled and truly humbled to be a part of this incredibly talented cast.  This one is for her “Miracles” who have shown her it is never too late to follow your dreams.

Quinton Metcalf (Children’s Entertainer) is very excited to be involved with MATILDA THE MUSICAL this winter!  The last time Quinton was onstage was December’s production of PETER PAN, and his first show at QCT was in in the winter 2016 stage reading of the musical LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN as Mr. James Hopper in the Lab Theatre.

*Molly Bruening (Mrs. Phelps) is so excited to be a part of this show with two of her kids! This is her first time being on stage since high school, but she has been behind the scenes as a stage mom for many a QCT show! A homeschooling mom to her four lovable children, Simon, Cecilia, Sam, and Gus, she is incredibly thankful for her rockstar of a husband, Brandon, who encouraged her to audition.

Julian Holt is in 7th grade. This is his 5th show at QCT. You may have seen him in MAME, FLORA AND ULYSSES, MOANA JR., and THE HOBBIT. When he is not at QCT he loves playing the piano and spending time with his family.

Abram Hendrian is the 12-year-old son of Brian and Amber Hendrian. He has six siblings and attends Blessed Sacrament School. Abram was most recently seen as Curly in PETER PAN and Hei Hei in MOANA. When not on stage you can find Abram playing football or wrestling, hunting or fishing.

Aoko Kagumba Maimo

Grace Hendrian is thrilled to be part of the MATILDA cast! Grace is the 11 year old daughter of Adam and Kellea Hendrian of Quincy. She attends St Francis Solanus School and enjoys participating in dance, tennis, and Girl Scouts. Most recently, Grace enjoyed performing in MOANA JR. and MUSIC MAN. Grace and her sister are the founders and creative visionaries of the Grace, June, and Friends Lemon-Aid Stand for Good; an annual lemonade stand that has raised over $20,0000 for the Salvation Army of Quincy! Grace and her sister were awarded the 2022 Salvation Army Volunteers of the Year for the Salvation Army of Quincy, IL.

*Emma McCleary is a 10 year old 4th grader. MATILDA THE MUSICAL! is her first performance!  Emma has a 13 year old sister – Madison and her parents are David and Janice McCleary. Emma enjoys reading, writing, and acting! She has been a dancer for the last 3 years, including ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop! She absolutely loves to dance! Emma is very funny and outgoing! She also enjoys helping out on the family farm!

*Thea Gengenbacher is 11 years old and in 5th Grade. This is her debut QCT performance and she is so excited! Thea loves softball, reading and is on the Sheridan swim team. If she’s not practicing softball with her dad or swimming laps at the pool, she’s most likely got her nose in a good book!  Thea lives with her mom & dad, Liz & Rob, her little sister, Alex and the most-lovable dog, LuLu.

*Vivi Wilson is 11 years old and is very excited to be making her QCT debut! She is a member of a local swim team and plays softball and volleyball as well. She plays piano, sings in her school choir, and plays in her school band. She loves spending time with her family and friends, however, her absolute favorite thing to do is listen to or read about anything related to Taylor Swift!

*Michael Wilson is 9 years old and is very excited to be making his QCT debut! When he is not working hard at rehearsals, he plays piano and is a member of many different sports teams. His favorite sport to play is golf.  He also loves spending time with his family and friends, especially his mom, dad, sister (who is also a member of the Matilda cast!), grandma, aunt, and his dog, Luna.

*Kennedy Cornwell is a 5th grader who is making her acting debut in this production. She has performed as a dancer in the Nutcracker since 2019, and enjoys all things performance. When not on stage, you can find Kennedy cuddling her cat, sketching, playing piano, or creating new recipes in the kitchen.

Lydia Duesterhaus Matilda is her 3rd production with QCT. Lydia previously performed in MOANA JR. and THE HOBBIT. Outside of the theatre, Lydia also plays violin in her school orchestra and is a member of student council and chess club. In addition to acting, she enjoys singing, tumbling and video games.

Evelyn Ginos is a 5th grader. Evelyn is excited to take the stage again after performing in THE MUSIC MAN as Amaryllis. When Evelyn is not on the stage you can find her at the dance studio or hanging out with her friends!

Xander Guegel

Ava Kaelke is a high school sophomore. She was last seen on the QCT stage as Bilbo Baggins in THE HOBBIT.  She enjoys reading, writing, and partaking in all things theatre. As she has been a fan of the ‘Matilda’ story since childhood, she is thrilled to “revolt” with her fellow castmates in this production.

Ellie Reuschel is excited to be among the Revolting Children! She was most recently seen on stage in QCT’s MOANA, JR. Ellie is in sixth grade and enjoys playing basketball, reading, and hanging out with her friends. She is also obsessed with all things Taylor Swift. Whether it’s on the stage or on the court, her parents and two little sisters are her biggest fans.

Helen Smith  

Abby Twaddle is an eighth-grade student. Abby was most recently seen as a Warrior in PETER PAN.  In her free time, she can be found on the soccer field, playing games with her family, or creating something amazing with her Cricut.

Dominic Zanger is 13 and is a freshman at Ulmus academy, he loves reading, playing a variety of board games, and learning about history. He has been in several other productions at QCT such as, LIONS IN ILLYRIA (Orsino), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Flute), LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE THE MUSICAL (Willie Olson), and PETER PAN (Slightly).

*Jessica Cornwell is excited to take the stage for the very first time. Jessica is married to her handsome husband, Chris, and they have two girls- Kennedy and Melody. This production is proving to be a memorable one, as Jessica and her daughter, Kennedy, make their QCT debut side-by-side. She is deeply grateful for the support and encouragement they have received from their loving community.

Ruth Kummerow is so excited to be back on the QCT stage. The last couple of years she has been working behind the scenes as assistant stage manager for LEGALLY BLONDE and stage manager for THE MUSIC MAN; she was last seen on the QCT stage as Babette in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. In her free time she enjoys watching live theatre and cross-stitching. She thanks Glenn for all his love, support, and encouragement!

Logan Mulch is a Junior at Warsaw High School and is thrilled to kick off his 10th Anniversary with QCT with this incredible production! In his free time, Logan can be found working as a Barista at Carter’s Coffee Bar or working on his first (hopefully of many) musical, The Angels of the Imperial Hotel! Logan can’t wait to share this extravaganza and classic story with all of you!

Dominic Regner is a graduate from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance. He has been in over twenty productions throughout the years, his most recent being QCT’s 100th Anniversary Gala and THE MUSIC MAN. He enjoys traveling by hiking to different towns and exploring the vast world around him. He is also a brother in the world’s oldest and largest fraternal society in music, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Mason Ellison has been involved in several past QCT productions including RENT, CHICAGO, and SWEENY TODD. Mason currently works for WGEM as the Senior Master Control Operator. Recently Mason produced and co-wrote an original audio play “Better Yet?” on YouTube with TAPAS and Stuff Productions and co-hosts the Popcorn Culture podcast.

*Ashleigh Wisslead is making her debut, as MATILDA will be her QCT performance and she feels super happy to be on the stage with such a talented cast, especially her daughter. She would like to thank her daughters for the encouragement to face her audition fears and take chances to learn and grow!  Outside of performing the salsa on stages for sold out crowds, she is a wife to Christopher and mom to Georgia, Audrey and Jensen. She also loves her job working for the Quincy Children’s Museum. In her “free” time, she enjoys being involved in her church, being with her family, and listening to podcasts.

Cecilia Bruening is honored to be a part of this show! In her spare time she enjoys music, personifying inanimate objects, and adding google eyes to random things. She is so excited to share another QCT show with you!