Meet the Company

Special Guest

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Special Guest 〰️

Silhouette of a person's head and shoulders with a question mark on the face, set against an orange background.

The Great and Powerful Unknown

Appearing each performance in this role is our ever-changing, ever-mysterious Guest Behind the Curtain. Who are they? A travelling wizard? A wandering Munchkin? A lost tourist from Kansas? Nobody knows! What we can confirm is that every show features a special mystery guest, hand-picked from the far-flung corners of Oz (and occasionally just the green room).

Some say tonight’s performer is Definitely Not [Insert Celebrity], others swear they saw them clicking their heels backstage. One thing’s for sure: follow the Yellow Brick Road and enjoy discovering who’s stepped out from behind the curtain this time!

Special Guest

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Special Guest 〰️

Cast & Crew

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LILY ALI-OSHATZ
(she/her)
Hunky/Scarecrow & Music and Lyrics

…is a Brooklyn-based theatre writer, composer, and performer. Member of Ring of Keys, founding member of Musical Theatre Factory, and founding producer of THE LESBIAN BAR PROJECT. Recent highlights include developing DEAR MR. C at Village Theatre with collaborators Tidtaya Sinutoke and Naomi Matlow and performing Crystal Skillman’s solo play OPEN Off-Broadway at WP last summer. Troy Next Door (Lily’s drag persona) is always honored to bring his big, dumb brain to this beloved, chaotic, pearl-clutching K-hole of a Panto. And happy 1 year of marriage to that super cute piano guy in the corner!!

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LYNDSEY BARRATT
(she/her)
Stage Manager

… is a New York City-based stage manager and fundraising consultant for the arts. She has worked in production and arts management for a variety of theater, dance, and film organizations including Signature Theatre, New York City Ballet. Select stage management credits include Jack’s Bean Stalked (NYC Panto), Red Days (Adjusted Realists), YOU/EMMA (Wandering Bark Theatre Company), Asylum Song (Adjusted Realists), and The Brontës (Theatre in Asylum). She holds a BA from Smith College, an MA from Columbia University, and a Certificate in Stage Management from LAMDA.

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ROBERT K. BENSON
(he/him)
Playwright

… is a writer, actor and artistic director of NYC panto now in it’s sixth production! Robert has written for the Stage in the UK and NYC. Highlights include Borderline his solo show which has been performed at Edinburgh and NYC Fringe and regionally across the UK. In Your Image which was performed at 59e59, Jollity Farm, which was performed at the Tobbaco Factory Bristol and his adaptation of the Snow Queen that was developed in Residence at University Settlement. In recent years his T.V pilots and short films have placed in several international writing competitions. 


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MARYELLEN DE VIVO
(she/her)
Costume Design

… joined NYC Panto last year, creating select costumes for Jack’s Bean Stalked. She is a self-taught sewist and studied costume design at F.I.T. and fashion history at the University of Westminster. She has written AND costumed her own plays as part of SPF at the Players Theatre in NYC. In addition, she designed costumes for "Watto Bout Me" (UCB), and "The Baron and the Junk Dealer" (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, SF Sketchfest) and worked on the upcoming feature horror film “Dead Format.”

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JONATHAN NATHANIEL DINGLE-EL
 (he/him)
Zach/Lion

As an artist, Jonathan Nathaniel is inspired to create theater that is accessible to inner-city communities of color. As a Brooklyn College BFA Acting Program graduate in NYC, he has had the pleasure of working with many artists from diverse communities of varying skill sets and various community outreach projects. He has worked with many local organizations in New York City such as Abrons Arts Center and The Motor Company NYC, a company whose work focuses on increasing site-responsive theater in local hubs around NYC such as parks, bars, laundromats, and rivers. Jonathan teaches improvisation and theater devising and is currently the director of Urban Youth Theater, an acting ensemble for teens. Jonathan would love to thank his students at Abrons Arts Center and UNHS, his moms Ms.Redd and SamMom, and a big shout out to Tisha and Khari! Insta: Jndl1024

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DAVID HERNANDEZ III
(he/she/they)
Ensemble

Originally from South Dakota, NYC & Puerto Rico are now home. Past performances in A Drinking Game NYC’s staged reenactments of Hocus Pocus (Mary), Birdcage (Agador Spartacus), and Princess Bride (Inigo Montoya). Past musical performances include White Winged Dove in The Dastardly Thornes vs the Town of Goldhaven, Mondo in Cloud City, and Rum in NYC Panto’s Sleeping Beauty. Currently performing with The Mystery Players troupe and workshopping a new musical set to debut in 2026. David’s delighted to be playing on stage with the NYC Panto again! IG: @dhtothe3

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STEPHANIE ANTOINETTE MARROW
(she/her)
Ensemble

… is a New York-based vocalist, actor, writer, and activist originally from Massachusetts. She is also a voiceover artist with various radio and jingle credits under her belt. Stephanie is a company and board member of A Drinking Game NYC, and she co-wrote The Art of Killin' It, a murder mystery comedy. She is currently a senior at NYU Gallatin where she regularly combines her passions for activism and art, and will be graduating next Spring. She would like to thank her friends and family for encouraging her to endlessly pursue her wildest dreams. IG: @smarrow88

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MATTHEW MASTROMATTEO
(They/He)
Lady Chicken Cutlets/Glinda

… is an actor, director, intimacy professional, and educator based in New York City. They received their BA in Theatre and Music from Mount St. Mary’s University and his MFA in Theatre Arts: Acting from Long Island University: C.W. Post. Matthew has taught at Long Island University, Marymount Manhattan College, and the Powerhouse Theater Summer Intensive at Vassar College. An integration specialist, Matthew is excited by the union of body, voice, and spirit in performance. They look forward to becoming a certified Miller Voice Method teacher in the summer of 2023. They currently serve as the chair of the Acting Program with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Favorite projects include; Peter Pan-sexual [NYCPanto], The Refugees [Adjusted Realists], The Briefly Dead [59e59 Theatres], and Othello [PostGrad Theater Co.]. www.mattmastromatteo.com

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RACHEL MCPHEE
(she/her)
Petunia Mulch/Wicked Witch of the
Upper West Side

… is a classically trained, multidisciplinary artist whose work spans stage and screen. A graduate of the Drama Studio London, she has appeared in Boardwalk Empire, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and starred in the critically acclaimed solo play Dead Shot Mary, which she also produced. Rachel is the Executive Director and Founder of R & R Productions, which has produced the annual holiday panto since 2018. She previously served as Executive Director of On the Square Productions and recently completed her first short film, Pencils Down, which she wrote, produced, and performed in. More about Rachel can be found at www.rachelmcphee.com. 

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KENDALL PERRY
(they/he)
Piano Guy

… is a multi-instrumentalist musician, songwriter, band-leader and recording artist known as Pearly. Kendall graduated with an MMus from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2019, and has been living in Brooklyn ever since with their partner Lily and their rescue cat. This is Kendall's first panto in the cast! Listen to Pearly wherever music is found, @pearlyband

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DIEGO VELAZQUEZ
(he/him)
Chicory/Tin Man

…is an NYC-based actor who graduated from SUNY New Paltz and is incredibly excited to be back in the Panto and a part of The Wizard of Oz! He has performed a variety of characters ranging from the "radical" Perchik in Fiddler to a duplicitous film critic Alain Duplay in "Panic." He's had so much fun with these wonderful people in the past, he could not wait to rejoin the team and celebrate the holidays at the panto once more! He hopes you all enjoy the show and is so grateful to be a part of this and to play with this talented and wild group!

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REGAN SIMS
(she/her)
Dotty

… is an actor, mime, and comedian from Washington Heights, NYC. This is sixth year back on the panto and it just keeps getting better and better!! Her theater credits include roles with 59E59, ART/NY Theaters, Huntington Theater Company, Crossroads Theatre Company, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Irvington Theater, Thinkery & Verse, Newton Theater Company and Shakespeare’s Globe, London. She graduated with a BFA in Acting from Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts and is a supernumerary at The Metropolitan Opera and an active member of Story Pirates, Recent Cutbacks and Broken Box Mime Theater. www.regansims.com

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GABRIEL SPECTOR
(he/they)
Music and Lyrics

…  is a broad-ranging, eclectic performer who has spent the last several years getting entirely too invested in barbershop quartet singing. Despite training in just about everything but music (BA in Contemporary Performance Practice from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Commonwealth Youth Circus, and more), most of their energy these days goes into their quartet, Smoke Ring (@smokeringquartet on social media) who recently opened for Sammy Rae and the Friends at Terminal 5. He's absolutely thrilled to be back with R&R, and to not have to worry about playing piano this year (thanks Kendall!)

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MADELINE WALL
(they/them, sometimes she/her)
Director

… is a Seattle-born, multi-disciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. They received their BFA in Film and Television from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Primarily a director for film and theater, they are also an award-winning production designer, costume designer, and editor. Their film work includes Blacklist, Billions, Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, Orange is the New Black, and Beyoncé’s Parkwood, as well as countless commercials, music videos, and independent films. They were a member of the Emmy-award-winning costume team for Russian Doll. They have directed Shakespeare, musicals, site-specific, and new work at: 54 Below, The Clemente, SoHo Playhouse, The Tank, The Flea, Mercury Store, Caveat, and in the educational departments of Long Island University and Piper Theatre. They are the Director of Programs at the Old Stone House, a non-profit historic site that hosts music, theater, and community events. MadelineFWall.com

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BLAKE WILLIAMS
 (he/him)
Alan Sus/The Wizard

Theatre: THE NOSE (The Lower Case), GIANT KILLER SLUGS! (Pipeline Theater Company), SLEEPING BEAUTY (NYC Panto), HAMLET (Allentown Shakespeare in the Park), SWEAT (Long Island Theatre Collective). Television: “God Friended Me” (CBS). Film: “I Carry You with Me” (Sony Pictures Classics, Sundance Official Selection 2020), “Trolloween.” Training: Lyle Kessler’s Master Class for Actors; Atlantic Acting School. www.actorblakewilliams.com