Presents
Starmites
By Barry Keating and Stuart Ross
May 30-June 7, 2025
Claire Trevor Theatre
Scenic Designer | Mariko Cilley
Costume Designer | Savannah Flower
Hair and Makeup Designer | Bell Hernandez
Lighting Designer | Rin Mizumoto
Sound Designer | Eric Backus
Fight Coordinator | Richard Soto
Director and Choreographer
Nikki Snelson
Music Director
Zachary Dietz
Production Stage Manager
Daniel Rosales
Content Warning: Flashing lights, haze and loud noises
10 minute intermission
Starmites PRO is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. (www.concordtheatricals.com)
Major support for Starmites is provided by Robert and Lorna Cohen Endowment for Excellence in Drama, the Theatre Guild and the Claire Trevor Society.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Bringing this vibrant, quirky, and joyfully bizarre show to life with the students of UCI has been an epic journey. Starmites is a love letter to escapism, imagination, and inner heroism. It is a coming of age tale about a young girl choosing between growing up and walking the straight and narrow or living out her wildest dreams and fantasies. Starmites is a love letter to the inner misfit in all of us — to the awkwardness, the imagination, the bravery it takes to believe in something bigger, and the power of stepping into your own voice. At its core, this show is about transformation and becoming the heroes of our own lives.
Much like Peter Pan, Starmites is a story about the power of belief and the journey from insecurity to empowerment. Where Wendy flew to Neverland to discover her strength, Eleanor travels through Innerspace to become the hero of her own story. A realm where she becomes her bolder, braver self. Both tales remind us that growing up doesn’t mean giving up wonder—and that courage often begins with pretending.
This show has a little bit of everything! With a score that ranges from hip-hop to gospel to classic musical theater, Starmites lets us play with style and spectacle while falling in love with this ragtag bunch of misfits.
What’s been most rewarding is watching this phenomenal cast and creative team embrace the weird and the wonderful. I challenged them to take risks, to be unapologetically bold, and to find the truth beneath the glitter and the goofiness — and they delivered in ways that surprised and moved me every single day. As these student designers, performers and crew took on Starmites, I was constantly reminded that pursuing a career in the arts is ambitious and risky and brave. The bravery it takes to believe in your dreams when the world tells you not to. Their talent, energy, and fearlessness made this process electric.
Starmites is more than a campy sci-fi musical — it’s a heartfelt reminder of what we risk losing when we grow up and let go of our imagination. As a kid, we live in worlds of magic, superheroes, and limitless possibility. But somewhere along the way — through time, pressure, fear, or the so-called “real world” — we’re told to abandon those dreams, to tone it down, to be practical. Starmites says: no. Hold on. Don’t let go! I think Starmites will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt too weird, too loud, too much — or not enough. I hope Starmites reminds you of who you were before the world told you to be someone else — and gives you permission to dream a little louder.
– Nikki Snelson, Director/Choreographer
CAST
| Eleanor / Bizarbara / Milady | Jack Stoler |
| Mom / Diva | Elle White |
| Spacepunk | Nathan Bravo |
| S’up S’up Sensaboi | Brogan Keener |
| Diggety Razzledazzle | Irene Sophia Rose Emahiser |
| Ack Ack Hackerax | Gerrel Marquez |
| Shak Graa | Joe Saraceni |
| The Voice of Shak Graa | Sam Schneider |
| Trinkulus | Robbie McFarlane |
| Shotzi | Harper O’Loughlin |
| Balbraka | Jeyna Lynn Gonzales |
| Canibelle | Megan January |
| Hollaback | Jessica Lopez |
| Cascade | Malia Schonfeld |
| Nyxara | Nicole Warkentien |
| Eleanor/Bizarbara/Milady Understudy | Erin Furlong |
| Mom/Diva Understudy | Maria Ana |
| Spacepunk Understudy | Eddie Tyler |
| Shak Graa Understudy | Desiree Marcil |
| Trinkulus Understudy | Abby Penny |
| Swings | Peyton Farmer Kaitlin Miranda Sophie Sonntag |
| Dance Captains | Peyton Farmer Kaitlin Miranda |
MUSICAL NUMBERS
ACT ONE
Overture/Innerspace Callin’
Superhero Girl
I Want My Cruelty Back!
Starmites
Afraid of the Dark
Lullaby (Little Hero)
Ravenous
Hard to Be Diva
Hard to Be Diva (Reprise)
Love Duet/By Your Side
Dance of a Spousal Arousal
Rap-a-letto
10 MINUTE INTERMISSION
ACT TWO
Bizarbara’s Wedding
Milady
Beauty Within
The Cruelty Stomp
Reach Right Down
Immolation
Starmites/Diva (Reprise)
Finale
ARTISTIC STAFF
| Department Chair, Season Producer | Joel Veenstra |
| Scenic Design Mentor | Efren Delgadillo, Jr. |
| Costume Design Mentor | Holly Poe Durbin |
| Lighting Design Mentor | Brian Gale |
| Sound Design Mentors | Mike Hooker Veronika Vorel |
| Stage Management Mentor | Shay Garber |
ARTISTIC TEAM
| Director and Choreographer | Nikki Snelson |
| Music Director | Zachary Dietz |
| Production Stage Manager | Daniel Rosales |
| Scenic Designer | Mariko Cilley |
| Costume Designer | Savannah Flower |
| Hair and Makeup Designer | Bell Hernandez |
| Lighting Designer | Rin Mizumoto |
| Sound Designer | Eric Backus |
| Fight Coordinator | Richard Soto |
| Assistant Director | Ruby Lapeyre |
| Assistant Choreographer | Angela Mattern |
| Assistant Scenic Designer | Gretchen Ugalde |
| Assistant Costumer Designer | Rebecca Shepherd |
| Assistant Lighting Designers | Mac McDermott Aria Roach |
| Assistant Sound Designer | Jeremiah Turner |
| Assistant Music Directors | Sain Leyva Roland Perold |
| Music Direction Production Assistant | Ysa Padua |
| Mix Engineer | Matt Feeney |
| Costume Design Coordinator | Ashley Morgan |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Jo McEvoy Amelie Marks |
| Production Assistants | Sarah Hall Aidan Gustin |
CREW
Scenic
Alexandra Hoffman, Caspian Sachdeva,
Elliana Nathaniel, Sophia Gilbert, Noah Reynen,
Diego Aguilar
Costumes
Tyler Hernandez, Elena Hernandez, Chelsea Brown,
Karis Chang, Chloe Pucher
E-Run
David Block, Chenglong Cai, Sophia Perreria,
Amelie De Jesus
E-Hang
Kalena Manansala, Gracie Lee, Emily Cruzada
Audio
Jordan Salter, Carissa Kelly, Connor Sheehan,
Austin Hills
CTSA PRODUCTION STAFF
| Interim Production Manager | Alan Dronek |
| Assistant Production Manager | Alex Golden |
| Production Coordinator | Ramzi Jneid |
| Technical Director | Bill Kingsbury |
| Costume Shop Manager | Jenn Dugan |
| Electrics/Lighting Supervisor | Joe Forehand |
| Sound Supervisor | Mike Ritchey |
| Properties Supervisor | Pamela Marsden |
| Shop Foreman | Geronimo Guzmán |
| Scenic Charge Artist | Christine Salama |
| Costume Shop Staff | Yen Le Teresa Marchand |
| Associate Production Manager, xMPL | Micah Sechler |
| Director of Space Planning & Facilities | Jeff Stube |
| Box Office Manager | David Walker-Doyle |
| Senior Director of Marketing & Communications | Jaime DeJong |
| Senior Communications Specialist | Diana Kalaji |
| Graphic Designer | Emily Zheng |
DRAMA FACULTY
Joel Veenstra, Chair
Lonnie Alcaraz
Cynthia Bassham
Andrew Borba
Richard Brestoff
Juliette Carrillo
Myrona DeLaney
Efren Delgadillo Jr.
Zachary Dietz
Holly Poe Durbin
Marcy Froehlich
Michael Hooker
Daniel Keeling
Anthony Kubiak
Daphne Lei
Tiffany Ana López
Annie Loui
Ian Munro
Yee Eun Nam
Vincent Olivieri
Andrew Palermo
Zachary Price
Bryan Reynolds
Tara Rodman
Eli Simon
Jaymi Lee Smith
Philip Thompson
DRAMA STAFF
Marcus Beeman, Management Services Officer
Charmayne Durham, Department Analyst
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Bette and Steven Warner Award in Drama and Music
Anina Baker
Nathan Bravo
Andrew Downs
Irene Emahiser
Ashlyn Filippone
Anna Fitzgerald
Erin Furlong
Megan January
Zalen King
Ruby Lapeyre
Gerrel Marquez
Alonso Melgoza
Kaitlin Miranda
Sloane Ptashek
Jack Stoler
Julian Tushabe
Gabrielle White
Jiayi Zhao
Claire Trevor Society Scholarship
Anna Fitzgerald
Logan Brubaker
Drama Ph.D. Award
Talin Abadian
Carly Shaw
Tianding He
Chengyuan Huang
Emily Parise
Diana Fathi Rasgani
Vasiliki Michalopoulou
Frederick Reines Scholarship in Drama
Katelyn Eugenio
Sebastian Bojorquez
Nanami Yamakawa
Evelyn Urusquieta
Bridgette Betanzos
Sain Leyva
Doshima Iyorlu
H.B. Yolen and Isabelle Memorial
Arts Scholarship
Elena Hernandez
Andrea Brambila
Kaitlynn Kistler
Kris and Linda Elftmann Scholarship
Logan Brubaker
Leo Freedman Endowed Fellowship
Jolana Villarreal
Marilyn L. Wolfsberg Fellowship
in Drama
Sain Levya
Medici Circle Scholarship
Talin Abadian
Emily Parise
Carly Shaw
Meyer Sound Design Endowed Fellowship
Melanie Falcòn
The Shubert Foundation Scholarship in Drama
Heriberto Cruz. Jr.
Thomas T. and Elizabeth Tierney
Scholarship in Fine Arts
Kiya Ashley
Ruby Lapeyre
Support UCI Drama Today!
The Department of Drama offers a premier academic and professional training program encompassing various theatre programs, distinguished resident and guest faculty, and an extraordinary alumni placement record. Designated a Department of Excellence in the UC system, UCI Drama showcases a diverse curriculum, student body and faculty.
The UCI Theatre Guild has played a crucial role in the department for more than 50 years by helping to fund the students’ experience in our classrooms and on our stages. The members’ continued support is vital to our overall success. Please consider making a gift of any amount to UCI Drama today!
To learn more or to make a gift, please visit: www.arts.uci.edu/theatre-guild.
Text CTSA to 41444 to make a gift via text message.
If you’d like to contribute by mail, please make checks payable to the “UCI Foundation” and on the memo line, please note:
“UCI Theatre Guild: Fund 2238”
Mail to:
UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Attn: Development Office
200 Mesa Arts Building
4000 Mesa Rd.
Irvine, CA 92697
In addition to our MainStage shows, the Department of Drama invites you to join us for other exciting productions throughout the year, created by artists in the following student clubs:
Thank You!
The Claire Trevor School of the Arts would like to recognize those donors who gave $1,000 or more during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Visionaries $1 million+
Mr. J.S. Kim
Ambassadors $100,000–$250,000
Beall Family Foundation
Matthew and Janet Proudfoot
Partners $50,000–$99,999
Susan Hori *+
Investors $25,000–$49,999
Matt Bailey *+
Joseph Huszti ‡
Leo Freedman Foundation
James and Sheila Peterson *+
Richard B. Siegel Foundation
Steven M. Sorenson Foundation *+
Patrons $10,000–$24,999
Anonymous Donors
Dennis and Diane Baker
The Estate of Ann and William Cullen
Farmers & Merchants Bank Foundation
Mary Gilly and John Graham +
Tyler Holcomb
Cloud Hsueh ‡ and Fang Hsu
The Estate of Bobi Keenan
James and Katie Loss
Robert Peirson +
Cheryll and Richard Ruszat *+
The Segerstrom Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
Benefactors $5,000–$9,999
Kimberly Burge
Anthony Chen, M.D. and Yali Chen
Robert Farnsworth and Lori Grayson +
Valerie Glass
Pamela and Carl Lagoni
Helen and Fritz Lin
Goran Matijasevic +
Julia Reinhard Lupton and Kenneth Reinhard +
Kenneth and Helene Rohl
Diane Silber +
Susan and Eugene Spiritus
Socorro and Ernesto Vasquez +
Mary Watson-Bruce *+
Fellows $2,500–$4,999
Edward and Janis Carpenter +
Gerald and Veronica DeVries
Albert and Anne Encinias +
Tamara Fabian
Alvin and Rosalie Glasky +
James and Gail Lopes
Tiffany López *+
Chris Mesel
Howard and Ellen Mirowitz +
The Robert and Doreen Marshall Fund for Dramatic Arts and Classical Music
Orange County Community Foundation
Pacific Art Foundation
Hemantha Wickramasinghe +
Advocates $1,000–$2,499
Elaine and Daniel Aldrich +
Brien Amspoker and Ellen Breitman +
Nancy Arnold
Joyce Averna +
Stephen and Michelle Barker +
Haroutune and Lorna Bedelian
Sonja Berggren and Patrick Seaver
Kevin Bossenmeyer and Terilea Wielenga
Gwendolyn and Ian Black
Donald and Toni Bradley
Clinton and Allison Chao
Ralph and Carol Clayman
Joseph Connor
Jaime DeJong +
Thomas and Ainin Edman +
Barbara Finlayson-Pitts
John and Michele Forsyte +
Douglas and Lynn Freeman +
Diana Ghoukassian +
Donald and Pamela Gilmour
Michael and Karol Gottfredson +
Carol Greenwald +
Loreen and Andrew Guilford
Edwin and Norma Henderson
Jamison Judd +
Mary Karyl and John Thorne
Timothy and Pamela Kashani +
Yang-Uk Kim +
Jennifer Klein +
Michael and Elaine Kleinman
Susan and Lynn Lasswell +
Jeff Lefkoff and Mary Gholson
Nancy Locke +
Heather MacDonald and Erich Eichman
Margaret and Mark Marshall
Jared and Kathryn Mathis +
Gary and Maya Matkin +
Anthony and Rachel Maus
Kathleen Mellon
William and Lane Minton
James Nelson
Michael Oppenheim
Karine Rivet +
Carolyn Scheer
Paula and Steve Schwartz
Nina Scolnik
Ronald and Sandi Simon +
Gary and Melanie Singer +
Mitchell and Maureen Spann +
Vina Spiehler
Richard and Alison Stein *+
Thomas and Marilyn Sutton +
The Tigger Fund
Jason and Desiree Valdry
Joel Veenstra and Family +
Irwin and Michele Walot
James White
Lorri and Mike Whitney
S. Ama Wray
Katy Young and Christopher Lee
Shirley Zanton and Michael Whalen
Legacy and Endowment Donors
We are grateful for the trust and foresight of those who have ensured the Claire Trevor School of the Arts’ brilliant future by establishing an endowed fund or have included us in their estate plans.
Anonymous Donors
Diane and Dennis Baker
Edna Beach ‡
The Donald Bren Foundation
Ann Cullen ‡
Robert ‡ and Lorna Cohen
Frank D’Accone ‡
William Daughaday
Kris and Linda Elftmann
Leo Freedman Foundation
William J. Gillespie ‡
Henry W. Bull Foundation
Gunther Holland ‡
Bobi Keenan ‡
Victor Klein ‡
Beth Koehler ‡
Walter Koehler ‡
Michael and Stacy Koehn
Elaine Koshimizu ‡
Lucille Kuehn ‡
Betty C. Leidal ‡
Alice S. Lowell ‡
Fariborz and Azam Maseeh
Meyer Sound
Thomas Nielsen
Virginia and Norman Nixon ‡
Ronald C. Offen ‡
Michael R. Oppenheim
Lois J. Osborne ‡
Matthew and Janet Proudfoot
Marjorie and Robert Rawlins ‡
Sylvia and Frederick Reines ‡
Ryna H. Rothberg
Nancy Ruyter
Helene Santley ‡
Audrey M. Schneiderman ‡
H. Colin Slim ‡
Winifred Smith ‡
Thomas and Elizabeth Tierney
Claire Trevor ‡
Andrew Vacca
Bette Warner ‡
Hal B. Yolen ‡
* Dean’s Arts Board Members
+ Claire Trevor Society Members
‡ In Memoriam
This list represents generous gifts, pledges and pledge payments made between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. Multi-year pledges are recognized for their full amount in the fiscal year they are made, and subsequent payments are recognized for their cash value. Please accept our apologies for any errors or omissions in this list. For questions, please contact ctsadevelopment@uci.edu.
The University of California, Irvine, campus is located on the homelands of the Kizh (Gabrieleño), Acjachemen (Juaneño) and Payómkawichum (Luiseño) peoples, who are the original stewards of the land colonially known as Irvine, California. This region extends from the Santa Ana River to Aliso Creek and beyond. As a land grant institution member, we acknowledge these Indigenous Peoples as traditional land caretakers who, in the face of settler colonialism, continue to claim their place and act as stewards to protect their ancestral lands as they have for the past 8,000 years. Additionally, these lands have been shaped by Latino, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Chinese laborers who have built roads and railroads and worked California crop fields, as well as the African Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps that helped make (southern) California National Parks what they are today.
We pause to acknowledge the colonial devastation of stolen land, genocide, and forced labor that founded much of the social and economic infrastructure upon which we currently live, work and prosper. We also consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration and settlement that bring us here today.
UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples and the enduring relationship between them and their traditional territories. It is essential for the UCI community to acknowledge this history as the first step towards honoring the native people and beginning the healing process.
Today this meeting place is home to many Indigenous Peoples from all over the world, including UCI faculty, students and staff. We respectfully honor and recognize the original and current caretakers of this land, water, and air: The Kizh, Acjachemen and Payómkawichum peoples and all their ancestors and descendants, past, present and future. We are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these homelands.
Information for our acknowledgement is informed and inspired by efforts made throughout UCI and other related cultural institutions, including the Kizh Nation – Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians public information, UCI Libraries, Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, UCI Sustainability Resource Center, and UC Riverside Native American Student Programs and UCR Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion land acknowledgement. Learn more by visiting the websites Native Land and UCI Community Resilience.
Image: Aerial view of central campus, April 1964. (Courtesy of UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives, http://hdl.handle.net/10575/5304)
Upcoming Events
May
| May 30-June 7 | Starmites |
| May 31* | Listen to the Motion 2025 |
June
| June 2 | UCI Wind Ensemble |
| June 4* | UCI Guitar Ensemble |
| June 5* | Tenth Thursday |
| June 5-14* | Undergraduate Honors Thesis Exhibition |
| June 6 | UCI Symphony Orchestra |
| June 9* | UCI Chamber Music Concert |
July
| July 2-August 30 | New Swan Shakespeare Festival 2025 |