Fri & Sat July 5 - 20, 2024
The Gateway Playhouse
 
The Little Mermaid Jr.
Who's Who
 

KYLE CAMILLERI (Ensemble) is thrilled to be part of the Little Mermaid Jr. here at The Gateway Playhouse. This past year she was in High School Musical Jr. at Oregon Middle School. She has also done two Production Class Performances here at Gateway. Kyle is currently a member of the Stage Door School of Dance Elite Dance Company.
 

 

SOFIA DA COSTA-WILSON (Ensemble) is going into her third year with The Gateway Playhouse. Recent performances include the Gateway Playhouse's Fiddler on the Roof as Bielke, the Holiday Spectacular On Ice, Children's Choir in Evita, Lavender in Matilda Jr., Finding Nemo Jr., Ivy League School's Broadway Revue, and The Nutcracker with Eglevsky Ballet. Sofia specializes in traditional Portuguese Folklore dancing and ballet. Sofia is thankful to be working with such an amazing cast and hopes to further her musical theater experience on Broadway someday!
 

 

NOAH DASILVA (Grimsby) has been a student at Gateway school for the Performing Arts for three years and is so grateful for this opportunity to be a part of The Little Mermaid Jr. His prior Gateway Conservatory experience includes Finding Nemo Jr. (Ensemble). Noah’s experience in Gateway production classes includes, Madagascar Jr. (Skipper) and Frozen Kids (Prince Hans). He has participated in school productions such as: Lion King Jr (Pumba),Raise your Voice and Seussical (Horton). Noah was also a student at Barefoot Theatre where he participated in Annie Kids (Daddy Warbucks) and the Lion King Kids (Mufasa and Older Simba). Noah would like to thank his family and the entire cast and crew of The Little Mermaid Jr. for their continued encouragement and support.
 

 

OLIVIA DAVIS (Jetsam) is pleased to be back at the Gateway‘s conservatory production for a second time. She has been a student at the Gateway for 7 years now. Olivia has loved performing on stage since she was in second grade and hopes to be on Broadway one day! This year Olivia was nominated for best supporting actress at the Teeny Awards, playing a step-sister in her high school’s production of “Cinderella”. Olivia is excited to be playing Jetsam and can’t wait for everyone to see all the hard work that the cast has put into the show.
 

 

BAILEY DELAUTER (Flounder) She is so grateful for the opportunity to be playing the role of Flounder in The Little Mermaid Jr. at Gateway! She has performed as a student at Gateway in the roles of Carmen, Jasmine, Ariel, Olaf and Veruca Salt, among others. Credits: The Hobby, Royal Runaways, Prank Squad, Welcome to Hope and an Adventureland Promo. Bailey would like to thank her Parents, Easton, Autumn and her theater family for their continued support.
 

 

MICHAELA DERASMO (Carlotta) is new to The Gateway Playhouse this summer. Recent productions include Cinderella (Mouse/Quintet/Ensemble), The Lion King Jr. (Sarabi), 13 The Musical (Molly), SpongeBob The Musical (Sea Anemone, Sea Creature, Fan Girl, Sardine, Sponge), and The Wizard of Oz (Lullaby League). Michaela is also an avid dancer, playing the role of the Nutcracker Prince and Nephew, as well as Lead Polly, Spanish Corp, Candy Cane Corp, Polly, Soldier, Party Boy with American Ballet Studio. She currently dances at Stage Door School of Dance and is excited to be selected to join their Elite Company this year. Michaela studies voice in the studio of Mr. Thomas Killourhy and has been selected to attend the SCMEA All County Chorus for the past three years. Michaela’s first experience at The Gateway Playhouse has been amazing and she is grateful for all that she has been able to learn from the wonderful production staff.
 

 

MINNIE DLUGINSKI (Mersister, Princess, Ensemble) is excited to be making her Gateway Playhouse debut in The Little Mermaid, Jr. Minnie previously played Ursula in Rocky Point Middle School’s production of the show. Minnie enjoys singing, dancing and acting. She has performed at Disney World’s Dance the Magic and participated in Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse this past fall. Minnie was recently selected to perform in SCMEA’s All County Chorus. Minnie has enjoyed honing her theatrical skills by taking classes at Gateway Playhouse. Minnie would like to thank her voice coach, theater teachers and dance teachers for their continued support and guidance!
 

 

ERIN FALKNER (Flotsam) is so grateful to be a part of this amazing production. Erin came to Gateway in 2020 and has been performing and taking classes ever since. Recent credits are: The Addams Family (Grandma), Seussical (Mayzie LaBird), Aladdin (Rajah), The Prom (Ensemble), and was the stage manager of Gateways’ Alice by Heart. She would like to thank her friends, family, and the incredible cast and crew for supporting her and giving her the opportunity to be in this amazing production!
 

 

CASSIDY GOODMAN (AMersister, Princess, Ensemble) is excited to make her debut performance at The Gateway Playhouse. Cassidy has recently played the role of Matilda in Productions Over the Rainbow’s performance of Matilda, Peter Pan in Peter Pan Junior and Anna in Frozen Junior in Seneca Middle School’s productions. Aside from performing Cassidy enjoys singing, dancing, drawing and painting.
 

 

ISABELLE (IZZY) GRUCCI PETERSEN (Ensemble) is 14 years old and attends ESM Jr-Sr High School. This is her first year performing at Gateway Playhouse. Isabelle has been performing in plays since she was 5 years old and is excited to be part of the cast at Gateway. She was Ariel in The Little Mermaid Jr. and Queen Iduna in Frozen Jr. at Raynor in Westhampton. She was Bird Girl in Seussical Jr, and in the Ensemble in Broadway Junior Review – Raise Your Voice at ESM Jr-Sr High School. In her younger years, Isabelle was in 101 Dalmatians, A Bug’s Christmas, and Christmas at the OK Corral. Isabelle is a NYSSMA soloist and has been nominated for both HMEA and SCMEA. Isabelle thanks her family and friends for their love and support.
 

 

MOLLY HART (Mersister, Princess, Ensemble)) is thrilled to be a part of The Little Mermaid Jr. this summer! This is her second conservatory with Gateway but does classes and has done many shows with Center Moriches High School, her favorites being Mush in Newsies, Mayor Matilda in All Shook Up, Gabriella in High School Musical and Cinderella in Into The Woods! She has done dance since she was very young and recently started at Stage Door! She hopes you enjoy the show!
 

 

NICHOLAS IANNACCONE (Ensemble) is excited to return to Gateway Playhouse for a second summer and be part of The Little Mermaid Jr production. He was on the main stage for Fiddler on the Roof (Cheder Boy) and performed in the Children’s Conservatory production of Matilda Jr (Tommy/Ensemble). Nicholas has been in numerous production classes at Gateway including Finding Nemo Kids (Marlin), Aladdin Kids (Jafar), The Little Mermaid Jr (Prince Eric), and The Lion King Kids (Banzai). Nicholas has performed in school shows the past three years with his favorite role being Ryan Evans in High School Musical Jr. Nicholas has been selected for SCMEA the past two years and participated in NYSSMA for several years. He would like to thank his family for their support and everyone at Gateway for this opportunity.
 

 

ROSALIE KUBACKI (Mersister, Princess, Ensemble) will be a Freshman at Sachem North High School in September. She has been a student at Gateway since 2021 and has loved acting from the start. One of her favorite experiences is being an actor in Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse. She is thrilled to be a part of the cast in Little Mermaid, Jr. this summer and is grateful for the opportunity to work with a great cast and staff.
 

 

DAVID LAFLER (Prince Eric) is thrilled to return to the Gateway stage this summer! David’s past credits include Les in Gateway’s main stage production of Disney’s Newsies, Michael/Big Kid in CM’s Matilda, Mr. Wormwood in Gateway’s Conservatory production of Matilda, Jr., Young Scrooge and Peter in A Christmas Carol and the Children’s Choir in Joseph at T3, Cogsworth in Gateway’s Children’s Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast, Bloat in Gateway’s Children’s Theatre production of Finding Nemo, Jr., as well as ensemble roles in Mary Poppins, Jr., Aladdin, Jr., & The Wizard of Oz, Kurt in LHS production of Sound of Music, Crutchie in LHS’s Newsies and Benny Southstreet in LHS’s Guys & Dolls. David would like to thank his acting, voice, and Stage Door family 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 Joe, Stephanie, Rachel and Kaitlyn for this incredible opportunity!
 

 

GIADA LONGO (Chef Louis, Ensemble) is a 15 year old who has expressed a love of theatre, and singing since the age of 4. Giada has been in many shows in local theaters; she’s been in student films, she has sung the national anthem for the town of Babylon and has sung in NYC’s “Don’t Tell Mama” cabaret. Giada aspires to be a Broadway actress! She is very excited to be a part of Gateway Playhouse’s Little Mermaid show!!
 

 

JULIUS LOVELACE (Ensemble) This is Julius’s first conservatory at Gateway! His first show was not even a year ago! His past shows include, the Holiday spectacular on Ice starring Nancy Kerrigan! He also has done many classes at the Gateway including the Little Mermaid Jr (Flotsam), Aladdin Kids (cave guardian), Finding Nemo Kids (Marlin). Julius also dances at Stage Door School of Dance. Julius loves doing tap dancing. He has been dancing for eight years! Julius is so excited for the Little Mermaid Jr.
 

 

ISABELLA MANNICK (Mersister, Princess, Ensemble) This is Isabella’s first main stage performance with Gateway Playhouse and she is honored for this opportunity. Isabella has been performing since she was 7years old with her youngest role being Tessie in Annie at South Shore Theatre. She has continued to perform many other roles through the years and taking classes with Creative Ministries and Gateway Acting School. Isabella had been selected to perform in Walt Disney World with the CM fantasmics and was excited to grace the stage in Disney Springs performing a showcase of Disney Songs. Other roles Isabella performed are Susie in Bye Bye Birdie but one of her most favorite roles was Bruce in Matilda at Selden Middle School and Young Elsa at North Babylon Community Center. Isabella also played Bulda In Disney's Frozen at CM and most recently was a part of the Auradonian Choir with her middle school. Isabella would like to thank her director and cast here at Gateway for amazing moments and memories that will last a lifetime. Isabella would also like to thank her family for all the amazing support and love!!
 

 

EMMA MCGOURTY (Ensemble) is thrilled to join the gateway production. This is her first time being in a show. She is 10 years old and is part of the elite company at Stage Door School of Dance.
 

 

OLIVIA MCGOURTY (Ensemble) is excited to be a part of Little Mermaid at Gateway! This is her second production here, previously starring in Matilda and production class Aladdin. She is 12 years old and is a member of the elite company at Stage Door School of Dance.
 

 

LOLA MORAN (Scuttle) is thrilled to be in this production of The Little Mermaid Jr. Lola is so excited to flap her wings as Scuttle and bring her version of this character to the Gateway stage. Lola has been in past productions such as Fame Jr (Ms Greta Bell), Seussical Jr (Gertrude McFuzz), Little Mermaid Jr ( Sebastian), Lion King Jr (Simba), Willy Wonka Kids (Charlie Bucket) and many more. Lola is also NYSMMA contestant and has gotten a perfect score. She is so thankful to be given this opportunity!
 

 

CIAN MURPHY (Ensemble) is delighted to join the Gateway Conservatory Program for a third year in their production of The Little Mermaid Jr! Cian has appeared in several Gateway productions throughout the years including Matilda (Bruce), 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 The Gateway staff, the cast and crew of The Little Mermaid Jr, and his family for this wonderful experience!
 

 

LILITH OROFINO (Ensemble) has been acting for a year and a half. This will be her second production at the Gateway. She played Alice in Matilda. Besides the Gateway she has performed in a few shows such as Seussical Jr. as Bird Girl, Rafiki in the Lion king Jr. and Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka Jr. She is so excited to be back on the Gateway stage for this production of The Little Mermaid Jr.
 

 

LONDON OROFINO (Mersister, Princess, Ensemble) has been acting for 2 and a half years and dancing for 11 years at Stage Door. This is her second show at Gateway, her first being Matilda Jr. last summer. Other shows she has been in include Seussical Jr. (Mayzie) and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Mouse). London is so glad to perform with this amazing cast!
 

 

KYLA O'SULLIVAN (Ursula) is beyond excited to debut in her first Gateway Conservatory show as Ursula! In previous years, Kyla has been in the ensemble in the production Spamalot as well as Dance Captain/ensemble in The Prom. She has been training in dance and singing for over 10 years and is extremely grateful to have this amazing opportunity! She would like to thank the talented cast and crew for their endless support as well as her amazing family!
 

 

ALBERT PETERSON (King Triton) is thrilled to be back at the Gateway! Regional credits include: Friedrich (The Sound of Music), Newsboy (Gypsy), Flick u/s performed (A Christmas Story The Musical). Favorite Gateway credits include: Michael (Peter Pan), Don (A Chorus Line) Courfeyrac (Les Miserables) , The Cowardly Lion (The Wizard of Oz), Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) and Jackson (Pierglass Park). Albert would like to thank his Mom, Maddie, Lukas, Joe, Stephanie, Kaitlyn, Bethany, Sophia, Aidan as well as all the cast and crew.
 

 

RILEIGH PICKEN (Sebastian)Sebastian) is ready to be back on stage for another summer show! Favorite roles include Brooke (Legally Blonde), Bruce (Finding Nemo), Wednesday (The Addams Family), and Pearl Krabs (SpongeBob the Musical). She dedicates this show to her dad. Thank you for all of the support on my theatre journey, I love you BDE.
 

 

ABIGAIL PIROZZI (Ensemble) has attended Gateway’s Performing Art School since she was four years old. Recently she was in The Holiday Spectacular, Finding Nemo and played Amanda in Matilda. She also enjoyed being in the youth ensemble of Gateway’s production of Evita. ‘Gail’ loves the stage and being in The Little Mermaid is another dream come true. Abigail would like to thank all of her family and friends who support her and have come to see the show! Look out for Abby this summer in the movie Love in Storytown!
 

 

SARAH ROBAYO (Ensemble) is thrilled to return to the Gateway Stage! She has been a proud student of the Gateway School for the Performing Arts since 2017. Recent credits include Matilda, Fame Jr. and Bye Bye Birdie. She would like to thank her family, cast and all members of the production team for their work and support to make this show happen.
 

 

BRIANNA VARUOLO (Ensemble) Brianna has performed at the Gateway Theatre since 2019. In addition to the Little Mermaid Jr., she has appeared in Aladdin Jr, High School Musical Jr, Willy Wonka Jr, and the Seussification of Romeo & Juliet. She caught the acting bug when as a 1st grader, she was cast as Gretl von Trapp in the Bellport High School presentation of the Sound of Music. In 2018 and 2019, Brianna performed at the Harbor Ballet Theatre in the Nutcracker. Brianna is a member of the Elite Dance Company at Stage Door School of Dance and many genres of dance at the school since she was 2 years old.
 

 

ABIGAIL WERNER (Ariel) is thrilled and grateful to be a part of her 3rd and final show with the children’s theatre at The Gateway Playhouse as your Ariel! Some of her previous roles include Alyssa (The Prom), Dance Captain*/The Acrobat (Matilda Jr.), Sir Robin (Spamalot), and Gavroche (Les Mis). In the fall, Abigail will be attending Syracuse University to pursue her BFA in Musical Theatre. She recently graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School as well as from the Elite Dance Company at Stage Door School of Dance. She would like to thank her family, friends, the incredible cast, and all members of the production team for their endless support and work to make this amazing show happen!
 

Staff
 

Sophia Greco (Assistant Stage Manager) is ecstatic to be Assistant Stage Manager for The Little Mermaid Jr! This is Sophia's first time being an Assistant Stage Manager at Gateway, but she has other experiences as one for Polaroid Stories, Marie Antoinette, and Macbeth (URI Theatre). Last summer was Sophia's first experience working with Gateway's acting school as a part of the deck crew for Matilda Jr. Sophia has done numerous shows but a few of her past crew credits include Jersey Boys, Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Show, Into The Woods, and By The Way, Meet Vera Stark. In addition to working with the acting school, Sophia is a carpentry apprentice back at Gateway for the second time. Sophia 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!
 

Joe Minutillo (Director) Joe Minutillo is excited to be back at The Gateway Playhouse directing once again The Little Mermaid Jr. and to be working with an incredibly creative production team. He has directed numerous Gateway children shows such as Matilda, Cinderella, Little Mermaid , Pinocchio, Petter Pan, Lion King, Toy Factory, Wizard Of OZ to name a few. He has also directed some of Gateways main Stage shows like The Odd Couple, 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”.
 

Aidan Passaro (Student Stage Manager) is excited to be back at the Gateway. You may have seen him on Gateway’s stage as The Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Mike in A Chorus Line or The Tin Man in Wizard of Oz. Some additional credits include Broadway/Tour: Kinky Boots (Young Charlie) Regional: A Christmas Story (Flick u/s Ralphie), Billy Elliot (Small Boy), Pricilla (Benji). Other: 1776 (John Adams) and Chicago (Billy Flynn). This September Aidan will be attending Northwestern University where he will double major in Theatre and Economics. Aidan would like to thank his parents, brothers, and the Little Mermaid Team.
 

Peter A. Pece (Musical Director) 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 50 years as a teacher and administrator. In addition to his doctoral work, Dr. Pece received a B.M. from Berklee College of Music majoring in Composition and jazz piano. He has an M.S. and C.A.S. from Hofstra University (1975, 1982) and is currently a lecturer at Stony Brook University where has been for the last 20 years. At Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, he has been musical director of their Children’s Theater since 1993 where he was musically directed 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. Dr. Pece is also the Contractor for Gateway where he hires the musicians for the pit orchestra in liaison with Local 802 AFM. Peter has performed at Lincoln Center as well as the famed Friar’s Club in New York City and has 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 psychology/ 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 ten 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.
 

Bethany Sortman (Production Stage Manager) Tours: Chicago (Cellblock and 25th Anniversary Tour), Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Finding Neverland, Wizard of Oz (US & International), Cabaret. Regional and ‘Stock favorites: Anything Goes, 42nd Street, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, Young Frankenstein, White Christmas, A Chorus Line, A Christmas Story, Rock of Ages and more. Other past adventures include a season of Celtic Fyre (Busch Gardens Williamsburg), many years of PSM’ing Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse and serving as the Company Manager for The Gateway and Argyle Theatre. Love and a pebble for DH.
 

Stephanie Vertichio-Brennan (Choreographer) Stephanie is happy to return as Choreographer for The Gateway Playhouse Children's Theater Conservatory Program! She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography, and a Minor in Communication from SUNY College at Brockport. Stephanie has been a dance teacher at Stage Door School of Dance since 2008, and is currently the Co-Artistic Director, SDSD Select Director, SDSD Crew & Recreational Director. Stephanie’s Choreography has been seen in many of the Gateway Playhouse Children’s Theater Productions in Bellport and in the South Fork Performing Arts Company in Wainscott. Stephanie loves living in this community with her husband, Jason, son, Mason and silly pup, Kumo. Stephanie is blessed to share her passion for dance education with the students in this beautiful arts community. Enjoy the show!