Mr. Johnson joined the Brighton Musical Theater Creative Team in 2012. He has conducted the orchestra and prepared the chorus for each of the past 11 shows. He is proud to share recognition for “Excellence in Music Direction” with the 2023 BMT team for Guys and Dolls, presented by the Sutton Foster Awards. Phil has conducted Brighton High School choirs at Michigan Youth Arts Festival/All State Festival multiple times. He is a 3-time State Honors Choir Director. Mr. Johnson received nominations for the 2019, 2022 and 2025 Teacher of the Year through the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children, Ethan, Maxwell and Adeline, who enjoy family trips in their RV. Ethan is a member of the chorus of Anastasia, right on schedule. Adeline is overachieving and playing “Little Anastasia” a few years earlier than expected. When not making music in the BCPA, PJ coaches Max’s 6th grade flag football team. Mr. Johnson would like to thank the cast, crew, orchestra, parent volunteers, and creative team for taking us from Russia to Paris! Always remember: it’s never too late to come home!
Michelle Holowicki
Michelle has been privileged to teach Social Studies at BHS since 2006 and is also currently teaching Performing Arts. Mrs. Holowicki has a passion for U.S. history, government, economics and for musicals and dancing. She co-directed and choreographed thirteen Brighton Musical productions, including Footloose, Bye Bye Birdie, Legally Blonde, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Nice Work If You Can Get It, White Christmas, Honeymoon in Vegas, Pippin, Newsies, Cinderella, High School Musical and the Broadway Musical Revue. She and her husband Josh are the proud parents of their daughter Ellery (almost 6), and son Jeremiah (3), who have also taken a liking to Anastasia and other musicals. She is grateful to God for infinite blessings and answers to prayer, her imaginative husband Josh for his contributions to the program, and the Creative Team for going above and beyond! She would like to congratulate the cast, crew and all production teams for their hard work, vision, energy and expertise! When she first started working with this program in 2008, never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d still be part of this Creative Team 15 seasons later! So thankful for this dream-team and our collective journey to imagine, inspire, and create.
Josh Holowicki
Josh’s passion for theater has brought him to the BCPA for his 15th show with the Brighton High School Musical Theater Program. He has over 20 years of lighting and scenic design experience, has designed numerous Audio, Video and Lighting systems globally, and has learned from or worked directly with top lighting designers, including Tony Award winner Ken Billington, Tony Fransen and more. Josh founder and President of E2i Design, a lighting, audio, and video design firm based here in Brighton. Josh also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Brighton Center for Performing Arts. He would like to thank all of the hard working volunteer parents who have made this show a success; without you we could not pull this off. He would also like to thank the cast and student production team members for their tireless dedication to excellence; it’s never easy but always worth it! Additionally, he would like to thank his fellow Creative Team members for their unbelievable investment of time, talent, and energy to bring something unique and special to the BCPA stage! Lastly, and most importantly, he would like to give a BIG shout out to his wife Michelle whose commitment to this program is unlike anything he has ever seen in professional theater. Cheers to 15 incredible years!
Kristine Stuenkel
Kristine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Michigan University and has been working in theater for over 15 years as a designer and producer. She has designed costumes for Brighton High School’s Cinderella, Newsies, Pippin, Robin Hood, Honeymoon in Vegas, White Christmas, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Grease, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz and Guys and Dolls and High School Musical. Other credits include The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Seussical for Encore Youth Theater; Hunchback of Notre Dame, Oklahoma!, Clue and Sherlock Holmes for Hartland High School. Kristine has been acting as producer for Brighton Musical since 2021 and also co-directs BHS Dramatic Arts alongside her dear friend Sonja Marquis, producing Mutually Assured Destruction, Peter and The Starcatcher, Radium Girls and The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood. Special thanks to her creative team friends who have encouraged her when she felt pushed out of her comfort zone. She is extremely thankful for their obvious talents but even more so for their kind and supportive hearts and an environment that fosters not only creativity but growth and challenge. She is also grateful for the gift of mentoring the students who keep her heart full and her mind open. It truly is a gift to see them fly!
Sonja Marquis
Sonja is a professional actor, director, and sound designer. Credits include: Purple Rose Theatre Company, Tipping Point Theatre, The Dio, Flint Repertory Theatre, Williamston Theatre, Encore Musical Theatre Company, Detroit Public Theatre, and Detroit’s Music Hall. This summer, Sonja is thrilled to add the Geva Theatre in New York to her list of venues, where she will be reprising one of her favorite roles, Louise, in Always…Patsy Cline. She was honored to receive a Best Actress Wilde Award for her portrayal of Louise in 2022. Other awards include Wilde Award wins for Best Sound Design (Driving Miss Daisy); Best Theatre for Young Audiences (Charlotte’s Web, Director); Best Supporting Actress in a Musical (Rosie in Mamma Mia and Betty in The Great American Trailer Park Musical); and Best Lead Actress (Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir). In addition to her work on stage and behind the scenes, she is currently a Lecturer with Oakland University’s Department of Theatre and has worked with young artists of all ages as a theater instructor, playwright, mentor, and director. She is grateful to have been a part of this incredible Creative Team since 2019, and to have partnered with Kristine Stuenkel since 2022 to direct BHS Dramatic Arts productions. Sonja loves this team, is grateful for the program’s incredible volunteers, and adores these creative, goofy, kind-hearted, amazing students. She thanks them for filling her cup and hopes their high school theater experiences inspire them to continue to create, explore, and support the arts!
Show Synopsis - Cinderella
ACT ONE
A young woman named Ella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, who treat her like a servant girl ever since the death of her late father. Because she sits by the fireplace and is dirty from the cinders, they call her "Cinderella". Ella dreams of a better life ("Prologue").
The prince of the kingdom is named Topher (short for Christopher); his parents have died, and he is advised by Lord Chancellor Sebastian. Though an expert at slaying dragons, griffins, gargoyles and giants, he feels uncertain about how he will rule as king when the time comes ("Me, Who Am I?"). Prince Topher and Ella meet as he is on his way to the palace. She offers him a drink of water, and they share a moment before he departs. Ella then speaks with two of her friends: Jean-Michel, an erstwhile revolutionary, and Crazy Marie, a woman who lives at the edge of the forest and gathers what others throw away. Soon arrive Ella's stepmother Madame and stepsisters, the demanding Charlotte and the meek Gabrielle. After they go inside, Ella again reflects on her dreams of a better life ("In My Own Little Corner").
In the palace, Sebastian and his henchman, Lord Pinkleton, persuade the Prince it is time for a Royal Wedding; a big ball will be held to find the bride. Pinkleton goes to the town square to make the announcement and finds Jean-Michel rallying the townsfolk to raise their voices in protest of the government's policies ("The Prince is Giving a Ball" / "Now Is the Time").
Madame's cottage is a whirl of activity as the stepmother and stepsisters prepare for the ball. They leave Ella behind, but Jean-Michel arrives to argue that Prince Topher needs to know more about the people of his kingdom. He teases Ella that she should put on a pretty gown and tell Topher that times are about to change. Crazy Marie jokes with Ella about how life could be better ("In My Own Little Corner" (reprise) / "Fol-De-Rol"). Marie reveals herself to be Ella's Fairy Godmother and transforms a pumpkin and animals into a carriage with a footman and a driver; she turns Ella's rags into a beautiful gown ("Impossible"). She sends Ella to the ball with one caveat – the magic will expire at the stroke of midnight ("It's Possible").
The ball features magnificent dancing ("Gavotte"). Ella enters in her white ballgown, but no one recognizes her. Her kindness and sense of fairness fascinate Prince Topher, and their song becomes a grand waltz ("Ten Minutes Ago" / "Waltz for a Ball"). Too soon, the clock begins to strike midnight. Ella had just enough time to tell the Prince that all is not well in his domain. She races down the stairs and trips, losing a shoe, but she quickly retrieves it and dashes off.
ACT TWO
The Prince is determined to find the mysterious woman who spoke so honestly about the kingdom. The women of the court, led by stepsister Charlotte, ask why the Prince had not chosen any of them to be his love ("Stepsister's Lament"). A wild chase ensues, and the prince and his guards search high and low; they almost catch Ella ("The Pursuit").
Once again dressed in rags, Ella returns to the cottage and remembers how wonderful the Prince was ("He was Tall"). Madame, Charlotte and Gabrielle soon return in state of dejection. Ella tells them what she "imagines" the night at the palace must have been like ("When You're Driving Through the Moonlight"), including dancing with the Prince ("A Lovely Night"). Madame and her daughters and stepdaughter have a moment of shared emotion, for once. Soon, shy Gabrielle and Ella are left alone, and Gabrielle realizes that Ella was the woman at the ball. Gabrielle reveals herself to be not only an ally, but also in love with Jean-Michel, the firebrand. They vow to keep their secrets ("A Lovely Night" (reprise)).
Prince Topher continues his search ("Loneliness of Evening"), gradually realizing that Sebastian had been leading him down the wrong path. Topher decides to hold a second event to find the woman of truth. The night of the banquet arrives, and Gabrielle gives Ella her dress to attend the feast. Jean-Michel arrives at the house and confesses his love to Gabrielle. However, Madame catches them and also sees Ella in Gabrielle's dress. She tears the gown to shreds and kicks Gabrielle and Jean-Michel out of the house, telling them never to return. Madame then takes Charlotte to the banquet. In the nick of time, the Fairy Godmother produces perfect attire and helps Ella build her confidence for another frank talk with the Prince ("There is Music in You").
At the palace, Ella tells the prince how he could be a great king, and he immediately announces an election for Prime Minister between Jean-Michel and Sebastian. Topher is now ready to be a leader and knows the partner he needs in love and life ("Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful"). Suddenly, the clock begins to chime midnight. Ella races down the stairs but pauses and purposely leaves a shoe behind.
The Prince gives all of the women of the kingdom a chance to try on the glass slipper. Everyone is unsuccessful until Ella tries it on, and it fits her foot perfectly. Madame apologizes to Ella for her cruelty, and Ella forgives both her and Charlotte. Gabrielle and Jean-Michel's relationship is approved by Madame, and she welcomes her daughter back into her life. Jean-Michel is elected Prime-Minister, Topher and Ella wed, and they all live happily ever after (The Wedding: "There is Music in You").
Emilia Sawyer
Emi is in her 7th year of teaching at Brighton High School. Depending on the year, Emi can be found working in the special education department or the English department. She finds joy in both. This is Emi's 4th musical at BHS. She began helping with choreography with Newsies and has been in love with the program ever since. Emi and her husband, Derek, recently welcomed their first child. She is a beautiful and sweet baby girl named Allie. Emi would like to thank her family for supporting her through musical show season, even if it means that they miss out on some time with her. She would also like to thank the cast, crew, and directors for being so passionate and motivating.
