Fall 2023: Little Shop of Horrors
Don’t feed the plants!
Directed by Celeste Kamiya
Music Direction by Phillip Harris and Diana Lee
Choreography by Joe Ayers and Chachi Delgado
Music by Alan Menken, lyrics and book by Howard Ashman
Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, November 3 – 12, 2023
Tucked away on a grim, grimy downtown street is a tiny flower shop and its two mismatched employees: unassuming, green-thumbed Seymour and glamorous, demure Audrey. When the hapless Seymour brings home a strange and exotic venus flytrap, he has no idea that the little plant will grow into a foul-mouthed, bloodthirsty threat to all of humanity. Filled with iconic songs and memorable characters, Little Shop of Horrors is a spooky and delightful homage to 1960s horror films that will leave audiences cackling, toe-tapping, and misty-eyed.
Little Shop of Horrors contains adult language, stage blood, and depictions of domestic abuse and over-the-top violence.
CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
CELESTE KAMIYA – Director
Celeste (she/her) is a San Francisco-born actor, singer, and teaching artist. She began her professional vocal training with the San Francisco Girls Chorus at age 7 and performed with the group for 6 years, appearing during that time in the choruses of Il Tritico: Suor Angelica and Die Tote Stadt at San Francisco Opera. A YMTC alum, Celeste appeared in and worked on SO MANY YMTC productions, from Anything Goes in 2010 to Carousel in 2016 – and she credits Jennifer, Dave, and Pam with instilling in her a deep love and respect for teaching the arts to young people. After gaining her BA in Theater at The New School in New York City and studying acting at the British American Drama Academy in London, she realized she wanted more than anything to return to YMTC and be a part of the astounding work going on with the young artists there – so she came back as a teaching artist in 2018 and to perform in the inaugural YMTC+ production of Next to Normal and hasn’t left since! She was Resident Stage Manager from 2018–2022, becoming Casting and Outreach Director in 2021 and adding Marketing Director to her many titles in 2022. She co-directed Matilda the Musical last fall. Being a part of YMTC has been the joy of her life, and she cannot wait to showcase the work of these astounding young people in Little Shop of Horrors.
When not working at YMTC, Celeste holds a variety of odd jobs, but always keeps performing. She has performed, stage managed, and taught at Contra Costa Civic Theater, West Edge Opera, Oakland Theatre Project, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Custom Made Theatre Company, Theatre Rhinocerous, South Bay Musical Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, and The Mountain Play, where you may have seen her this past summer as Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods. You can catch her next onstage as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shotgun Players, opening March 2024.
PHILLIP HARRIS – Co-Music Director
Phillip (he/him) is a performer and educator who has previous or current affiliations with Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, West Valley College, Aspen Music Festival, Opera Las Vegas, San Mateo Masterworks Chorale and Orchestra, Island City Opera, Mountain Play, Chanticleers Theatre, and The National Association of Teachers of Singing . He holds degrees from the University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. More info is at philliplnharris.com.
DIANA LEE – Co-Music Director
Diana (she/her) is a music director and teaching artist based in the Bay Area. She is a classically trained pianist and cellist, and maintains her own private studio in the East Bay. She has been the Music Director for various theater companies and schools including 42nd Street Moon, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company, San Francisco Arts Education Project, Pacifica Spindrift Players, Spindrift School of Performing Arts, Bay Area Educational Theater Company, Berkeley High School, and Abbott Middle School. She has also been in the pit orchestras and rehearsal rooms at Mountain Play, Woodminster, and Young People’s Teen Musical Theatre Company. She is the Visual and Performing Arts Technician at the Berkeley Unified School District, and the cello coach at Berkeley High School. Diana is the Pit Orchestra Apprenticeship Program Coordinator at YMTC, and is grateful for the continued opportunity to work with the incredible staff and students in this company.
JOE AYERS – Co-Choreographer
Joe (he/him) is an actor, director, choreographer and teaching artist currently living in San Francisco. This is his first YMTC show and it has been a joy! He has had the pleasure of working on and offstage at companies such as Asolo Rep, American Stage, American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco Playhouse, California Shakespeare Theater, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley Playhouse, PlayGround SF, 6th Street Playhouse, Center Repertory Company, and New Canon Theatre Company. You can catch him onstage next as Casey in The Legend of Georgia McBride at Center REP. BA: UC Berkeley. MFA: FSU/Asolo Conservatory. Instagram: @joeayers13.
CHACHI DELGADO – Co-Choreographer
Chachi (he/him) is an actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer in the Bay Area! He is super excited to be returning to YMTC for his second time for choreography! He started with this company when he was about 15 years old and is now a professional actor. Past shows include Hello Dolly (Cornelius Hackl), Follies (Young Buddy), Into The Woods (Jack), and A Chorus Line (Richie Walters). You can catch him next as Benny Southstreet in Guys And Dolls at SF Playhouse. He’d like to thank his friends and family for all of their love and motivation, and he’d also like to thank YMTC for helping him get to where he is in his career today. He hopes you sit back and enjoy this wild show.
BESSIE ZOLNO – Violence/Intimacy Coordinator
Bessie Zolno (she/her) is thrilled to be returning to YMTC after working on Hunchback of Notre Dame this past summer. She currently splits her time between Tel Aviv and the Bay Area and is passionate about helping performers safely navigate heightened moments on stage. She has worked on over 40 productions and is an associate faculty member with the Association of Mental Health Coordinators. Some favorite recent choreography credits include: Hamlet (Vallejo Shakes), Sweeney Todd (Sunnyvale Players), The Girl on the Train (Coastal Repertory Theater), Alexander Penn (Niko Nitai Theater/Tel Aviv), Romeo/ Juliet, Clytemnestra (CoCoSPA/Bay Area), and Newsies (Berkeley Playhouse/ Bay Area). Bessiezolno.com
KATHY ROGERS – Scenic Designer
Kathy Rogers is honored to collaborate with such a talented group of fellow artists on this show! Some of her favorite past designs for YMTC include Matilda, RENT, The Light in the Piazza, Sweeney Todd, and Shrek. She is the principal architect of Sogno Design Group, a residential architecture and interior design firm in Albany, CA.
RICHARD FONG – Lighting Designer
Richard (he/him) is excited to be working with YMTC again after previously designing projections for YMTC’s production of Sunday in the Park with George. His work as a lighting and projection designer spans traditional theater, live concert venues, and beyond. To check out more of his projects please visit rfongdesign.com or @fuzzypandas on instagram.
RACHAEL HEIMAN – Costume Designer
Rachael Heiman (they/she/he) graduated from the California College of the Arts in 2018 and has spent the last decade working as a Bay Area Production Designer and Fabricator specializing in historical recreation costume for opera and musicals. Their individualized BFA melded textiles, sculpture, and fashion. Their fine art background serves them well in productions like this one. This is their 10 time as a costume designer for YMTC, following Les Misérables, The Music Man, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Light in the Piazza, Sweeney Todd, Shrek The Musical, Ragtime, Matilda, Sunday in the Park with George, and hunchback of Notre dame . Aside from design and fabrication, Rachael has worked as an actor, model, and props artist. Previous companies they’ve worked with include: The Great Dickens Christmas Fair, African-American Shakespeare Company, The Speakeasy, the San Francisco Playhouse, etc.
@Rachaelheimanproductions
JAMIE JUANG – Wardrobe Manager
Jamie (she/her) is a hobbyist costumer, maker, digital, and traditional visual artist. She enjoys recreating costumes and makeup looks from her own designs or pop culture and media. She also worked as a contract manager for Kaman’s Art Shoppes and was responsible for orienting, training, and managing employees and daily operations. During that time she specialized in body art and caricatures and worked at amusement parks and zoos across the United States. This will be her first time working with YMTC and is looking forward to the opportunity to learn and work with other artists.
Instagram:@puffycaveman
DAWN NAKASHIMA – Properties Designer/Scenic Artist
Dawn is so pleased to have found a niche in theater stagecraft (props, set dressing, paint & build). One of her favorite pastimes is to “make things” and as the property master she gets to flex her creative, problem solving and resourceful-ness muscles. Turns out Dawn is well suited for this type of work with a BS in Industrial Design (SJSU) and an MFA in Studio Arts (Mills College). Some of Dawn’s favorite YMTC shows to work on for their unique challenges – Light in the Piazza, Shrek the Musical & Matilda. Check out Dawn’s website for her latest creations: www.nakfinearts.com
LUCRTETIA FROKE – Puppet Designer
Lucretia (she/her) is a bay area maker based in Marin and a lifelong Jim Henson fan who has done makeup and practical special effects for a number of films big and small. She has done scenic painting for the Hilbarn Theater, running crew for a variety of theaters, and done painting, set dressing, lighting, fly runner and running crew for Cabrillo Stage for 6 years. This is her fourth time working for YMTC and is looking forward to many more seasons here and of course building more giant puppets! 🙂
Instagram:@emeraldskies42
JEN BROOKS – Hair/Makeup Designer
Jen (She/Her) is a Bay Area performer, Choreographer and Wig Stylist. And thrilled to join the YMTC family. She lived, trained and performed in NYC for 16 years before return to her home in. The bay. AMDA / NY Hair Design Institute grad. Follow her work in all the places- www.JenBrooksOnStage.com. Instagram: @JenBrooksOnStage / @JenBrooksHairArtistry
THOMAS SOTO – Sound Designer/Mixer
Thomas is excited to join YMTC again the 23/24 season. He has mixed for YMTC for their performances of Shrek the Musical, Matilda, and Sunday in the Park with George, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also works with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on various musical projects such as The Apple Tree and Little Women. He currently works at the Fairmont Hotel as an A/V specialist, A1, and Assistant Project Manager. During his down time you can find him gathering magic, running nets, or dungeoning dragons.
BERTRAND BLANK – Sound Engineer
Bert (he/him) is a sound engineer, DJ, and event producer in the Bay Area. He is the founder of By the Bay Productions, an innovative entertainment production company that specializes in sound design, lighting, and audio-visual effects. Bert has designed the sound for productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Be More Chill, Heathers: The Musical, Into the Woods, Matilda, Sunday in the Park With George and Hunchback of Notre Dame. He is thrilled to be working with YMTC again, and very excited to be part of the team bringing Little Shop of Horrors to bay area audiences. Visit bythebayproductions.com for more info.
GABE WILKIE-ROGERS – Stage Manager
Gabe (he/him) continues to ascend. His previous credits as a stage manager include Matilda, Sunday in the Park with George, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (YMTC), The Saint Plays (Reed College), War of the Worlds (JP Radio Plays), and The Night The Aliens Came To A Musical Theatre Revue (RIPP). His apotheosis will continue this spring with YMTC’s Don’t Stop Me.