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!
