BRYNNE BALLAN (Miss Honey) is 16 years old. She has been going to Gateway for 10 summers now. Previous Credits Include: Lori/Dance Captain (A Chorus Line), assistant choreographer/dance captain/ensemble/enchantress (Beauty and the Beast Jr), Grandma (The Addams Family), Flounder (The Little Mermaid Jr.), and many more. She also practices stage managing and programming lights for the Acting School. She wants to thank all of her teachers at Gateway as well as at the Brookhaven School of Dance and American Ballet Studio.
 

KEIRA BALLAN (Mrs. Wormwood) is honored to be a part of Matilda Jr. as her last children’s theater show at Gateway! Keira has been a proud student of the Gateway School for the Performing Arts since 2012. Recent Gateway Credits include Beauty and the Beast Jr. (Belle), A Chorus Line SE (Cassie), and many more. Additionally, Keira co-wrote and performed in the original work Pierglass Park (Val), which premiered July 2021 at the Gateway. Special thank you to every one of her mentors at Gateway that have shaped her not only as an artist but a person. Keira will be attending The Institute for American Musical Theater in the fall. So much love!!!
 

LOGAN GREY BAXTER (Agatha Trunchbull) is thrilled to be back on Gateway's stage. Some of her past shows include: A Christmas Carol (Ensemble), Frozen Jr. (Olaf), Legally Blond Jr. (Margot), and Wizard of Oz (Ensemble). Logan has been a long time student at Gateway. She has her sights set on a Broadway & Film/TV career. Logan would like to thank her family & friends for always supporting her passion. She would also like to thank all of her teachers at Gateway & Stage Door School of Dance, and her amazing voice coach, Michelle Cosentino!
 

SONNIE BETTS (Matilda) is no stranger to the Gateway stage. Most recent regional credits include Evita (Ensemble) and A Christmas Carol (Grace Smythe). At age 5, Sonnie received her first main stage role as Gretl in The Sound of Music. Last summer she played The Girl in 29 shows of Ragtime at Bay Street Theater. Sonnie recently filmed Heartbreak on Murray Hill as supporting role (Kathleen) and television series Evil Lives Here: SOD (Candace). Sonnie is proud to continually participate in production classes here at Gateway in which her latest role (and a personal favorite) was Young Simba in The Lion King. Special thanks to Mr. Min and Rachel Armitstead for keeping Sonnie’s dreams alive and making this experience one she’ll cherish for a lifetime.
 

ABBY CARAVELLA (Ensemble, u/s Mrs. Wormwood) is so honored to be joining the ensemble of Matilda Jr. at The Gateway Playhouse! Abby has been doing theatre since she was 11 and has played roles such as Not Dead Fred in Spamalot , Vivienne in Legally Blonde Jr. and Charlotte in 13 The Musical. Abby would like to thank the amazing directors and everyone that made this amazing show possible.
 

STEFANIA RAE CONTE (Ensemble, u/s Mrs. Phelps) is excited to be back for her second show at Gateway Playhouse after performing in Legally Blonde Jr. (Cashier/Ensemble). This September, she will enter her freshman year at William Floyd High School, where she hopes to become closely involved with the school’s growing theatre program. Stefania is infinitely grateful to have the chance to perform at Gateway Playhouse.
 

SAGE COTTER (Ensemble, u/s Agatha Trunchbull) is grateful to be a Gateway student where she’s performed in numerous productions, including Thirteen (Lucy), Les Miserables (Young Cosette), Cinderella Kids (Cinderella), Seussical Kids (JoJo), Willy Wonka Kids (Veruca Salt) and on mainstage in The Sound of Music (Brigitta) and A Christmas Carol (Ensemble). She also starred as Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty, Genie in Aladdin and Gretchen in Mean Girls. Sage would like to thank her castmates, her wonderful teachers at Gateway and Stage Door, and her family and friends who always support her.
 

SOFIA DA COSTA-WILSON (Lavender) is in her second year with The Gateway Playhouse. Past performances include Evita (Children's Choir), Gateway Playhouse, numerous solos in Ivy League School's Broadway Revue under the direction of D. Michael Heath, The Nutcracker at The Tilles Center with Eglevsky Ballet, dance training in areas of ballet, tap, and jazz; specialization in traditional Portuguese Folklore dancing, and musical theatre/vocal training. Sofia has a love for musical theatre and aspires to be on Broadway someday!
 

BAILEY ROSE DELAUTER (Erica, u/s Matilda, Lavender) is so grateful for the opportunity to be performing in Matilda Jr. at Gateway! She has performed as a student at Gateway in the role of Olaf, Peter Pan, Scat Cat and Veruca Salt, among others. Credits: Summer Camp Wars, Welcome to Hope and an Adventureland promo. Bailey would like to thank her Parents, Easton, Autumn and her theater family for their support.
 

LANDON FISH (Sergei, Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of the cast of Matilda at the Gateway. Previous credits include Mean Girls (Ensemble), Matilda The Musical (Bruce) and Fiddler On The Roof Jr (Mordcha). Landon would like to thank his family and friends for all they have done for him.
 

DEREK GRIFFIN (Rudolpho, Ensemble) This is his first show at Gateway Theater and he is thrilled to join this amazing cast, crew, and production staff. He has been a part of productions at Bellport High School including Rumors as Ken Gorman, Cinderella as Lord Pinkelton, Clue as Mr. Green, and The Addams Family as Uncle Fester. He thanks Mr. Ronald Fehr and Mr. Joe Minn for making this opportunity possible.
 

MOLLY HART (Ensemble) This is her first show at Gateway and she’s so excited! She goes to Center Moriches HS and was most recently Mayor Matilda in All Shook Up! She has done many other shows at her school but is so excited to make my Gateway debut in Matilda! Enjoy the show!
 

NICHOLAS IANNACCONE (Tommy) is excited to make his debut in a Gateway Children’s Conservatory production on the main stage. His first experience with Gateway was in the acting school where he played the role of Banzai in The Lion King Kids. Nicholas was in his school production of High School Musical Jr and portrayed the character, Ryan Evans. The previous year he played a hyena in The Lion King Jr. In addition to acting and singing, Nicholas likes to read and volunteer his time at an animal shelter. He would like to thank his family for their encouragement as well as all those involved in Matilda Jr. for giving him this opportunity to be part of an amazing show.
 

ASHER KING (Michael Wormwood, Ensemble) is excited to be performing in his first Gateway Conservatory Production! Past favorite roles include Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Gateway Acting School, and Coach Bolton in High School Musical Junior at Bellport Middle School. When he’s not performing, Asher can be found writing, creating art and stop-motion animation and sailing Bellport Bay. When he grows up, Asher aspires to become a film director.
 

DAVID LAFLER (Mr. Wormwood) is thrilled to return to the Gateway stage! David’s past credits include Les in Gateway’s main stage production of Disney’s Newsies, Young Scrooge and Peter in A Christmas Carol & the Children’s Choir in Joseph... at T3, Cogsworth in Gateway’s Children’s Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast, as well as ensemble roles in Mary Poppins, Jr., Aladdin, Jr., & The Wizard of Oz, Michael Wormwood/Big Kid in CM’s Matilda, Kurt in LHS production of The Sound of Music and Crutchie in LHS’s Newsies. David would like to thank his acting, voice, and dance teachers for always believing in him, supporting him, and giving him the tools he needs to take the stage with grace; his parents, siblings and grandparents for their love & support; and Mr. Min for this incredible opportunity! davidlafler.com
 

OLIVIA MCGOURTY (Ensemble) This is her first performance at Gateway and has loved every minute! She is a student at Saxton Middle School and this September she will be in 7th grade. She currently is a member of the SDSD company and has been dancing since she was four. She loves to dance tap, hip Hop, modern and jazz and in her free time she loves to go to the beach. Olivia would Like to thank her parents for taking her back and forth to rehearsal, her teachers here for inspiring her and encouraging her and for all friends and family for coming out to see this amazing production. Finally, she wishes her Gateway family/cast the best of luck!
 

SEAN MCNIFF (Nigel) has previously appeared in Newsies Jr. (Les), Smithtown Performing Arts Center’s Beauty And The Beast Jr. (Ensemble) and The Engeman Theater’s Grease Jr. (Roger). Sean is thrilled for his Gateway debut and is grateful to fellow cast members and the production team for their collaboration and dedication towards making these performances possible. Sean thanks his family and friends for their love and support.
 

LOLA MORAN (Ensemble u/s Alice, Hortensia) is an aspiring young actress who loves the theater. Lola enjoys immersing herself in every role that she takes. She is always trying to make herself better whether it’s dance classes, acting classes or singing lessons. She has used the skills learned as a competitive cheerleader to bolster her performances by adding a tumbling component. Lola has performed in Peter Pan Junior, Willy Wonka Kids, Frozen Kids, Lion King Kids, and High School Musical Jr. Lola also is a NYSSMA soloist.
 

HALLE MORANA (Mrs. Phelps) is thrilled to be joining the cast of Matilda Jr. She has been a proud student of the Gateway School for the Performing Arts since 2016. Other credits include: On Your Feet (Little Gloria), As You Like It (Youth Ensemble), A Chorus Line, The Holiday Spectacular on Ice (Youth Singer), A Christmas Carol - The Musical (Martha Cratchit). Special thanks to Rachel Armitstead, Kaitlyn LaGrega and the entire Gateway faculty for their continued encouragement and support.
 

CIAN MURPHY (Bruce) is delighted to join the Gateway Conservatory Program for a second year in their production of Matilda Jr! Cian has appeared in several Gateway productions throughout the years including Frozen Kids (Hans), Beauty and The Beast Jr. (Chip), Peter Pan Jr (John Darling), and Seussical Kids (Horton the Elephant). Cian would like to thank his family and the cast and crew of Matilda Jr. for this wonderful experience!
 

LILITH OROFINO (Alice, u/s Bruce, Nigel) This is Lilith's first time performing at the Gateway Playhouse. She just completed her first production ever in Seussical Jr. as Bird Girl 3 at JWY middle school. Lilith has been dancing at Stage Door for 10 years and is proud to have just joined their elite company team. She also enjoys playing drums in her band "2 Blocks away". She has really enjoyed working on Matilda Jr. and creating friendships with the cast.
 

LONDON OROFINO (Ensemble) This year is London's first year performing at Gateway Playhouse, and she is very excited to be in the show. This is her second time in Matilda Jr., but Gateway has been a very different experience. She was Hortensia in Matilda Jr. and she just finished playing Mayzie la Bird in Seussical at JWY Middle School. She was also in the high school play Spongebob and 13. London has been dancing at Stage Door for more than 10 years. She has made so many friends and learned so much during this show.
 

ABIGAIL PIROZZI (Amanda) has attended Gateway’s Performing Arts School since she was four years old. Recently she was in the youth ensemble of Evita. She loves being on stage and being in Matilda is a dream come true. Abigail would like to thank everyone that has come to see the show, especially her family and friends who support her. Thank you to her sister Sophia who gets her stage ready!
 

SIENNA REEFER (Ensemble, u/s Miss Honey) recent credits include Gateway's A Christmas Carol the Broadway Musical, Gateway's Children's Conservatory shows 2021-2023, Ursula in The Little Mermaid and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at her middle school. Sienna has performed in numerous acting and musical theatre classes at Gateway School since 2018 and has been dancing for 9 years. Thank you to my family and my Gateway family!
 

SARAH ROBAYO (Ensemble) is excited to be part of this amazing Gateway production. She has been a part of the Gateway School for the Performing Arts for the past 6 years. Most recently Sarah was seen in Gateway’s Main Stage production of Evita as one of the children of Argentina. She would like to thank her Gateway family for all the love and support and her family for always believing in her.
 

MIA ROFRANO (Ensemble u/s Erica & Amanda) is excited for her 3rd Conservatory Production! Mia has been a proud student at The Gateway School for 5 years. Recent Gateway credits include Mainstage Production of A Christmas Carol (Jane), Conservatory Productions Beauty & the Beast Jr. (Ensemble) and The Wizard of Oz (Coroner). Other credits include Lion King Kids (Rafiki), Frozen Kids (Elsa), Willy Wonka Kids (Willy Wonka), and Peter Pan Jr. (Captain Hook). Special thanks to her family for their love and support and her Gateway family!
 

BRIDGET SPRECKELS (Hortensia) is excited to join the cast of Matilda Jr.. The stage has been her “home” through dance, piano and acting. Some of her favorite roles include Dorothy (Wizard of Oz), Mrs. Mayor (Seussical), Baby Bear (Shrek), Little Red (Into the Woods), Wendy (Peter Pan) Young Anna (Frozen), Dorothy (Dorothy Meets Alice) and being part of the HS musical ensemble of The Music Man. She enjoys soccer, basketball & lacrosse and is an active volunteer in the community.
 

MARTY TIMLIN (Escapologist) is excited to return to the Gateway stage! Past regional credits include: Elf (Michael), A Christmas Story (Grover Dill), Beauty and the Beast (Chip), A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge) and As You Like It (Adam). Marty has been a student at The Gateway since 2017 and has appeared in three national commercials. He would like to thank Joe Minutillo, Mary Giattino, Rachel Armitstead, and the entire Gateway family for their guidance and support.
 

ABIGAIL WERNER (Acrobat, Ensemble) is going into her senior year of high school and is thrilled to be a part of her 2nd show here at Gateway as the Dance Captain, Acrobat, and ensemble member! She is a dancer of 15 years at Stage Door School of Dance where she is a member of the Elite Dance Company. This is her 10th show she’s been a part of! Some previous roles include Sir Robin, Gavroche, Morticia, and more! She would like to thank her family, cast, and all members of the production team for their endless support and work to make this show happen!
 

JOE MINUTILLO (Director) is excited to be back at The Gateway Playhouse directing Matilda and to be working with an incredibly creative production team. He has directed numerous Gateway children shows such as Cinderella, Little Mermaid , Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Lion King, Toy Factory, The Wizard Of OZ to name a few. He has also directed some of Gateway's main Stage shows like A Christmas Story and Beauty and The Beast. Some of his other directed works have been Diary of A Young Girl Anne Frank, To Kill A Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Scarlet Letter (an original piece Joe co-wrote with Scott Eck), Death Of A Salesman and The Great Gatsby. He is an active member of Leadership Masters and has directed and performed in Churchill Chronicles, Elizabeth, the Mandela Architecture, Disaster & Destiny (Story of the Apollo 1 mission) He continues to teach workshops around the state, direct for the Young American Writers Project at Stony Brook with Emma Walton and teach at the Gateway Acting School. Joe is a founding member of the NYSTEA (New York State Theatrical Education Association) and received the “Rod Marriot Award'' for Theatre Education in the State of NY. Joe has dedicated much of his career in Theatre Education and believes in NYSTEA’s mantra that “Theatre Transform Young Lives”.
 

MARY GIATTINO (Choreographer, Associate Director) served as the Associate Director/Choreographer of the National Tour of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, for seven seasons. Prior to those years she served as the Assistant Choreographer, Dance Captain/Swing, for the Broadway, LA, Detroit, and Toronto companies. She gratefully had the opportunity to work as the Assistant Choreographer on both the NBC TV Series, RISE, and Apple TV’s network TV show, Dickinson. Associate Choreographer credits; 1st National Tour of the Tony Award Winning Musicals Fun Home and Billy Elliot The Musical. Other Assistant Choreographer credits; Kimberly Akimbo (NY Workshop), Dear Evan Hanson (NY Workshop), NY City Center Encores! productions of Lady Be Good, No No Nanette, Of Thee I Sing and All Singing, All Dancing (92nd St. Y). She was the Tap coach for Billy Elliot on Broadway and served as the Resident Choreographer/Swing for the 1st National Tour as well. Choreography credits; IBWC, Thoroughly Modern Millie, 42nd St at the Gateway Playhouse and 42nd St at The Lexington Opera House. A few favorite performance credits include; Broadway Revival Tour of 42nd Street, kicking up her heels as a Radio City Rockette, shaking hands with President Obama at the Kennedy Center’s production of Some Enchanted Evening (a tribute to the late Senator Ted Kennedy), in addition to performing at numerous Regional Theaters across the country. As a Tap teacher Mary has been on the faculty at Steps on Broadway in NYC, a guest teacher at Broadway Dance Center and continues to teach Master Classes at Universities and Dance Studios across the US. Mary is the proud Owner of Stage Door School of Dance in NY. Visit me at www.MaryGiattino.com, Or my dance studio at www.stagedoordancer.com.
 

PETER A. PECE- Peter holds a Ph.D. in the field of Neuromusicology, where he examined issues involved in how the brain processes music, memory, and language. He has been involved in Education for the last 49 years as a teacher, administrator and lecturer at Stony Brook University. Dr. Pece is a professional musician who has performed for many years in that capacity. At Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, he has been musical director of their Children’s Theater since 1993 where he was musical director of over 80 productions. At Gateway’s Mainstage, he has musically directed productions of Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady and The Rat Pack is Back. Peter has performed at Lincoln Center as well as having arranged and performed musical revues for former President Bush (41) and former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. At Stony Brook, Dr. Pece teaches classes on diverse topics such as; music and neurologic function, the pre-adolescent/ educational methods and a course on the Foundations of Education entitled Effective Professional Thinking. In May, 2019 he was awarded the prestigious Bentley Glass-Mortimer Kreuter Excellence in Teaching award from Stony Brook Universities School of Professional Development. Peter is also the musical director and arranger for Courting the Jester: A Salute to Danny Kaye and That’s Amore: A Musical Salute to Harry Warren. Other highlights as musical director include, Big River, Man of La Mancha, Diamonds and The Boys from Syracuse among many others. He has been a consultant and teaching/artist with the Creative Aging Project at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center for nine seasons and has worked out of St. Charles Hospital and Southampton Hospital where he accompanied their Therapeutic Chorus for patients who have Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Pece has worked for three years on an individual basis with an Alzheimers patient using music as a means of fostering memories and past experiences. Peter is also a composer of neoclassical/cinematic music and has released his first album “The Breath of Shadow” with Wildwood Productions LLC which can be found on all major platforms.
 

MELISSA GARBER (Production Stage Manager) is a rising senior at Adelphi University studying psychology, stage management, and sociology in the Honors College. Selected college: Melancholy Play, Dance Adelphi: Bach Figures, This Is Our Youth (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Regional and National Awards), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Dance Adelphi: Heroes, Antigone, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, The Wolves. Many thanks to Joe, Mary, Keeghan, Peter, Autumn, and my family.
 

KEEGHAN LAVERY (Associate Choreographer) Stage Door alumna is beyond thrilled to have performed as Associate Choreographer on this production of Matilda Jr. Many thanks to Mary G. and Mr. Min, and a shout out to the entire cast and crew for making this first experience at The Gateway so special. In the fall, Keeghan will return to Oklahoma City University to continue pursuing her B.F.A in Dance Performance. Merde to all the “Maggots”, and enjoy the show!
 

AUTUMNMARGARET WALTHERS (Assistant Stage Manager) is ecstatic to be Assistant Stage Manager for Matilda Jr! This is Autumn’s first time being an Assistant Stage Manager, but this is far from her first time being a part of a show. Autumn took classes at Gateway for 4 years and also assisted many classes. Autumn has done numerous shows but a few of her past credits include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Calliope in Xanadu, Jaques in As You Like It, Joanne Jefferson in RENT, and was in Aladdin here at the Gateway Playhouse. While Autumn is a performer at heart she has costume designed for The Troubled Water, an original piece written by Gateway’s own Kaelem Von Camper while also being in it as Angel Gaines. She also costume designed for her friend's short film, as well as was a part of Wardrobe Crew for Beauty and the Beast Jr. here at Gateway. Autumn has loved seeing all sides of theatre. Autumn is so proud of this cast and crew for putting together this fantastic show in such a short amount of time! Congratulations everyone and she hopes everyone enjoys the show!
 

Janine Loesch (Costume Designer) is a New York based Costume Designer. Janine is happy to be back designing at The Gateway. Her previous designs seen at The Gateway Mainstage include As You Like It, Evita, and currently Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Janine's favorite children's theater designs include The Wizard of Oz, and Legally Blonde, Jr. She received her BFA in Bridal Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. "Break Legs Izzy" on your first Wardrobe Supervising show, I'm so proud of you!
 

LEONARDO MIGNOLA (Sound Designer) has been working with the Gateway Playhouse for almost a year and has done a variety of work including building animatronics for the Gateway's Haunted Playhouse, as well as working with audio and automation in several of Gateway's latest theatrical productions. You may recognize them from their performance as the legendary FAN MAN in Gateway's The Wedding Singer. Leo is grateful for the opportunity to help bring Matilda Jr. to life on the Gateway stage and is excited for this to be their debut as an audio designer.
 

AIDAN PASSARO (Spot Light Operator) is excited to be back at the Gateway. He has performed on stage numerous times, having recently won best actor in the Teeny Awards, however this will be his first time in the crew. You may have seen him on Gateway’s stage last summer as The Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Some additional credits include Broadway/Tour: Kinky Boots (Young Charlie) Regional: A Christmas Story (Flick u/s Ralphie), Billy Elliot (Small Boy), Priscilla (Benji). Other: Lion King (Young Simba) and Chicago (Billy Flynn). Aidan would like to thank his parents, brothers, and the Matilda team.
 

EVERETTE WALTHERS (Deck/Props Crew) is so excited to be a part of the crew again here at Gateway, they had so much fun working Beauty and the Beast last year, and are happy to be back. Going into their senior year of high school, they are very grateful for the work experience that Gateway has provided, as they would like to pursue a design career in the future.
 

SHELBY WALTHERS (Wardrobe Run Crew) has been taking classes at Gateway since February 2022, and is going to TA for a second time. This is the second year she has been a part of the wardrobe crew, and is excited to have the opportunity to work here again.