Next Stop, Broadway 2025
Director: Jay Berkow
Music Director: Matt Shabala
Stage Manager: Ashton Bahr
Lighting Designer: Gabrielle Blowers
Guest Accompanist: JJ Treadway
Musical Theatre Class of 2026
Jack Austin
Nadia Rawlins
Cayla Nichole Harris
Caden Lohr
Michael Vasilevich
Isabel Brown
Madison Swick
Riley Bannister
Zeb Fulcher
Orion Vandenberg
Gerard Wells
Kevyn Roessler
Carlos Caracheo Trujillo
Marryn Barney
Show Information
Part I: Music Theatre Performance Class of 2026
- Edge of Glory - Full Cast
- Getting There - Jack Austin
- Waiting for Life to Begin - Nadia Rawlins
- Music that Makes Me Dance - Cayla Nichole Harris
- Wanted Dead or Alive - Caden Lohr
- It Takes Two - Michael Vasilevich, Isabel Brown
- Fly Into the Future - Madison Swick
- If They Could See Me Now - Riley Bannister
- Falling Slowly - Zeb Fulcher, Orion Vandenberg
- Don't Stop Me Now - Gerard Wells
- So Beyond - Kevyn Roessler
- Get Happy/Happy Days - Isabel Brown, Carlos Caracheo Trujillo
- Can't Stand Still - Michael Vasilevich
- Break from the Line - Grace Avery, Marryn Barney
- Oh Wheat A Circus - Carlos Caracheo Trujillo
- What the F#$% - Isabel Brown
- Carry You Home - Nadia Rawlins, Jack Austin
- I Am Adolpho - Orion Vandenberg
- Wanting - Kevyn Roessler, Gerard Wells
- Let Me Come Home - Marryn Barney
- The Distance You Have Come - Grace Avery
- Peaches - Zed Fulcher
- Let Me Be Your Star - Madison Swick
- Edge of Glory TAG - Full Cast
Part II: An Evening with Lana Gordon
Accompanist: JJ Treadway
- Our Lady Of The Underground
- Easy As Life
- I Want You To Be My Baby
- I Wonder What Became Of Me
- Dos Gardenias
- When You're Good To Mama
- Livin' It Up On Top feat. Class of 2026
Production Staff
Student Assistant: Bradyn Lowe
Choreography (The Edge of Glory): Grace Avery
Dance Captains: Riley Bannister, Nadia Rawlins
Sound Engineer: Landen Yocum
Deck Audio: Maura O'Connor
Production Audio: Amber Kolp
Run Crew: Caroline Bisceglie, Dane Calnicean, Ava Ramirez
Lana Gordon
LANA GORDON starred as Persephone in the Broadway and National Tour of Hadestown. She is also known to theater audiences as a long-running Velma Kelly in Chicago The Musical on Broadway, and throughout North America and Europe. Lana began her professional career as a dancer with Alvin Ailey, Dunham Company and Donald Byrd/The Group before landing her debut in the original Broadway cast of Disney’s The Lion King. Other credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway), Hair, West Side Story, and continued concerts throughout the world. Grateful to God, her husband Robert, DGRW, & manager Geoff Soffer. @LanaJeanGordon
Director's Note
Welcome to Next Stop, Broadway! Every year the graduating seniors of the WMU Music Theatre Performance program travel to New York City to perform a showcase for theatrical agents, casting directors and other industry professionals to get a jump-start on their careers. After working passionately for four years, this is an exceptional opportunity to audition in the big time. Many of our graduates have booked agents and gigs directly from their performance in showcase. Twenty one years ago, we began the Next Stop, Broadway performance to feature our graduating seniors performing their showcase as the opening act for an exciting Broadway performer who in turn would be in residence on campus for a week, working with the seniors on their songs and giving them invaluable advice about entering the professional field. Previous Broadway artists that have come to Kalamazoo include Faith Prince (Guys and Dolls), Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide…), Darius de Haas, Cady Huffman (The Producers), Brenda Braxton (Chicago), Caitlin Kinnunen (The Prom), Patrick Cassidy (42nd Street, Aida), Beth Leavel (Drowsy Chaperone), Jeff Blumenkrantz (Sweeney Todd), Lillias White (Dream Girls, Hadestown), Karen Ziemba (Contact, Chicago), Michael Gruber (Cats), Donna Lynne Champlin (My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Sweeney Todd), Julia Murney (Wicked), and more. We are thrilled to add Broadway star of Hadestown and Chicago, Lana Gordon to this distinguished list. I know you will enjoy her performance as much as the students have enjoyed having her with us. - Jay Berkow
Donors
Special thanks to our donors for their endless support!
Coming Next
