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 Ovation 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 and 2022 Teacher of the Year through the Michigan School Vocal Music Association. He sings baritone with the professional a Cappella group, TBD a Cappella, whose debut album “The Answer’s 42” won the 2021 Contemporary a Cappella Recording Award for “Best Post-Collegiate Album”. He and his wife, Dianne, have three children; Ethan, Maxwell and Adeline who enjoy traveling in their RV. The children will begin auditioning for the Brighton Musical casts in 2025, 2028, and 2031 respectively! Mr. Johnson would like to thank the cast, crew, orchestra, parent volunteers, and creative team for being “All In This Together”!
Josh Holowicki
Josh’s passion for theater has brought him to the BCPA for his thirteenth show with the Brighton High School Musical Theater Program. He has over 20 years of lighting and scenic design experience, has designed numerous lighting systems, and has learned from or worked directly with top lighting designers, including Tony Award winner Ken Billington. Josh owns E2i Design, a lighting, audio, and video design firm. 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.
Kristine Stuenkel
Kristine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Michigan University. She has been working in theater for over 15 years. She has designed the 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. 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. She has also co-directed BHS Dramatic Arts the past three years alongside her dear friend Sonja Marquis, producing Mutually Assured Destruction, Peter and The Starcatcher and Radium Girls. 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 Marquis is a professional actor, director and sound designer from Brighton. She has worked with numerous theaters throughout southeastern Michigan, including Tipping Point Theatre, Purple Rose Theatre Company, The Dio, Flint Repertory Theatre, Williamston Theatre, Encore Musical Theatre Company, Detroit Public Theatre, and Detroit’s Music Hall. Sonja is honored to have received several awards and nominations for her work, including Wilde Award wins for her portrayals of Rosie (Mamma Mia) and Louise (Always…Patsy Cline) at The Encore Musical Theatre Company, and Betty (The Great American Trailer Park Musical) at The Dio. Upcoming projects include playing Sally Ben in What Springs Forth this summer at The Purple Rose Theatre Company. 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. In 2022, she partnered with Kristine Stuenkel to direct BHS Dramatic Arts productions, and she has been with Brighton Musical since the fall of 2019. Sonja loves being part of the Creative Team, is grateful for the program’s incredible volunteers, and adores these students. She hopes the cast's high school theater experiences inspire them to continue to create, explore, and support the arts!
Bella Rabold
Bella is a Brighton Musical alumni. With six years of competitive dance and four years of musical theater under her belt, she is elated to have the opportunity to help choreograph this show. Bella was on stage for multiple productions during her high school career, including Newsies and Cinderella. She began working behind the scenes on The Wizard of Oz as assistant choreographer. She went on to choreograph Guys and Dolls last year. Bella is currently working towards a degree in Secondary Education with a focus in English and a minor in Psychology at Eastern Michigan University. She would like to thank her fellow directors for the opportunity to be a part of this production, and for being such a creative, collaborative team!
Show Synopsis - Wizard of Oz
Act I
Dorothy Gale, a young girl living on a Kansas farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, dreams of escaping her mundane life ("Over The Rainbow"). The family's mean neighbor, Miss Gulch, threatens to impound Dorothy's cherished dog, Toto, so Dorothy and Toto run away. They meet up with kindly Professor Marvel, who subtly convinces Dorothy to return home. Suddenly a cyclone hits, and Dorothy and Toto, seeking shelter in the house, are transported to the Land of Oz.
In Oz, Dorothy meets Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Apparently, Dorothy's house has landed upon - and fatally stricken - the Wicked Witch of the East. The Munchkins, now freed from the Wicked Witch of the East, celebrate and hail Dorothy as their new heroine ("Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead/Munchkin Musical Sequence"). Suddenly, the Wicked Witch of the West appears, interrupting the celebration and seeking vengeance. Unable to reclaim her sister's shoes, which are now on Dorothy's feet, the Witch vows to return and disappears in a cloud of smoke. Dorothy, seeking a way back home to Kansas, sets off to see the Wizard of Oz ("Follow the Yellow Brick Road").
Along the way, Dorothy meets three new friends, each of whom lacks a crucial characteristic: The Scarecrow ("If I Only Had A Brain") The Tinman ("If I Only Had A Heart") and the Lion ("If I Only Had The Nerve"). Together, the four new companions make their way towards Oz ("We're Off To See The Wizard"). The Witch attempts to sedate the travelers with a poisonous field of poppies, but Glinda reverses the spell with healing snowflakes ("Poppies/Optimistic Voices").
Act II
The travelers, arriving at the Emerald City, are delayed by a stubborn Gatekeeper, but Dorothy's tears convince him to relent and let them in ("Merry Old Land Of Oz"). As the group awaits its audience with the Wizard, the Lion boasts he is "King Of The Forest." Finally, they meet the imposing and irritable Wizard, who demands the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West.
The four friends travel deep into the haunted forest. Suddenly, they encounter jitterbugs, who make them dance until they collapse from exhaustion ("The Jitterbug"). The Wicked Witch's flying monkeys swoop down, capturing Dorothy and Toto. At the castle, the Witch vows to take Dorothy's life ("Over The Rainbow" - Reprise). Meanwhile, the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tinman infiltrate the castle disguised as Winkie guards. The foursome and Toto are reunited, but the Wicked Witch interferes, threatening the Scarecrow with fire. Dorothy, dousing the flames with a bucket of water, accidentally strikes the Witch, who smolders and melts into nothing ("Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - Reprise"). The four friends, triumphant, take the Witch's broom back to the Wizard.
The Wizard remains imperious and imposing, but Toto pulls aside a curtain to reveal a meek and ordinary man speaking into a microphone. The Wizard, revealed to be a "humbug," nonetheless grants each traveler's request, giving the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion each a token of his newly-acquired ability. The Wizard offers to take Dorothy back to Kansas in his hot-air balloon, but the balloon accidentally takes off, and Dorothy is left alone and crestfallen. Glinda appears and explains that Dorothy has always had the power to return home. All she has to do is close her eyes, tap her heels together three times, and repeat to herself, "There's no place like home."
Back in Kansas, Dorothy awakens, confused, with a bump on her head. Reunited with all her loved ones, and relieved to learn the storm has left Miss Gulch incapacitated by a broken leg, Dorothy shares the tale of her miraculous journey, celebrating the joy and healing power of home.
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.
