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6 Young St. Louis Actors in Muny 2024 Show
Six young St. Louis actors — Kate Kappel, Grace Moore, Will Schulte, Leia Rhiannon Yogi, Zoe Klevorn and Torri Tripoli — will fill starring roles in the Muny productions of Les Misérables, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Fiddler on the Roof and Waitress this summer on the James S. McDonnell Stage in Forest Park.
The juvenile principals join previously announced starring cast members for the 106th Muny season.
“The Muny has a history of nurturing young talent and introducing our audiences to rising stars,” said Muny Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “We can’t wait for you to see these energetic performers light up our productions.”
Associate Artistic Director Michael Baxter, who leads casting at The Muny, said there’s a wealth of talent across all ages in St. Louis. Of the youth principals, he said, it’s exciting to offer a first professional opportunity to a young actor who is capable of delivering at that level.
Meet the juvenile principals for the 2024 Muny season:
Les Misérables, June 17-23
The Les Misérables creative team is led by Director Seth Sklar-Heyn, with Choreographer Jesse Robb, Music Director James Moore and Associate Musical Director Michael Horsley.
KATE KAPPEL (Little Cosette) was last seen at The Muny in The Sound of Music (Gretl von Trapp) and in the Youth Ensemble of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Sister Act. Kate is 12 years old and just finished the sixth grade at South City Catholic Academy in St. Louis. Kate is a member of the Muny Kids and Muny Holiday troupes.
GRACE MOORE (Young Éponine) is 10 years old and is going into fifth grade, where she sings with her school choir and is a student house leader. Grace studies dance at Performing Arts Centre. She performs with the competition team and is a classroom helper. She studies voice with Kelly Stinnett Studios.
WILL SCHULTE (Petit Gervais/Gavroche) made his Muny debut in the Youth Ensemble of Beauty and the Beast last summer and is so excited to be performing with the Muny Kids touring troupe this summer. Will has also performed with Gateway Center for Performing Arts and was most recently seen as Kassim in Aladdin Jr. at his school. Will studies voice with Katie Kopff and also enjoys playing tennis. He will be attending St. Louis University High School in the fall.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid, July 8-16
The show’s creative team is led by Director John Tartaglia, with Choreographer Patrick O’Neill and Music Director Annbritt duChateau. Disney’s The Little Mermaid is proudly sponsored by Edward Jones.
LEIA RHIANNON YOGI (Flounder) Muny credits include Matilda, On Your Feet!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Beautiful and Sister Act. Outside of The Muny, Leia was the voice of Grace in the local PBS animated series Drawn In. She is a dedicated member of Muny Kids and Teens and has shared her skills through local theatre projects such as Big The Musical (Billy), Moana Jr. (Moana) and The Laramie Project. Outside of musical theatre, Leia has a passion for competitive dance, singing and piano.
Fiddler on the Roof, July 19-25
The show’s creative team is led by Director Rob Ruggiero, with Choreographer Parker Esse and Music Director Darryl Archibald. Fiddler on the Roof is proudly sponsored by the Staenberg Family Foundation.
ZOE KLEVORN (Bielke) Stage credits include Ragtime (Gateway Center for Performing Arts); Caroline, or Change (Noah, Fly North Theatricals); Disney’s Mary Poppins (Fannie, Missouri Baptist University Theatre); and Matilda the Musical (COCA). Zoe, a rising sixth grader, has always been passionate about singing and performing.
Waitress, July 30-Aug. 5
The show’s creative team is led by Director Lili-Anne Brown, with Choreographer Chloe O. Davis and Music Director/Conductor Andra Velis Simon.
TORRI TRIPOLI (Lulu) is 6 years old and attends kindergarten in St. Louis. She belongs to St. Louis Spirits Gymnastics Club and dances at Professional Dance Center, where she is a member of the Ensemble competition team.
“The Muny has been around for 106 years, and youth performers onstage have always been a part of that tradition,” said Tali Allen, director of education at The Muny. “It’s such a huge opportunity for these talented young actors, who are all local, which makes it even more special for us and the Muny audience. This is what they want to do — they have trained for this, and they’re extremely experienced, which allows them to seamlessly integrate into these high-caliber productions.”
The acclaimed Muny Kids and Teens troupes, in which many of these young actors received training and performance opportunities, are among the programs offered as part of The Muny Crawford Taylor Education Initiative, which serves more than 2,000 St. Louis-area students each year.
Season 106 at The Muny includes Les Misérables (June 17-23), Dreamgirls (June 27-July 3), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (July 8-16), Fiddler on the Roof (July 19-25), Waitress (July 30-Aug. 5), In the Heights (Aug. 9-15) and Anything Goes (Aug. 19-25). Performances begin at 8:15 p.m. nightly.
Season tickets are on sale now at muny.org, by calling (314) 361-1900 or at the Muny Box Office in Forest Park. Single-performance tickets go on sale May 20.
