DeBryant Johnson (Rock Opera): Anderson (SC) University Alum. Recent roles include I Feel Good: A Trip to Motown (DB), Dreamgirls (CC), Choir Boy (AJ), and Lend Me a Tenor (Max). Aside from working on his music, he’s a spontaneous traveler and binger of all things Marvel! Thrilled to be making his Glow debut this season!

Janelle Odom (Rock Opera) is a recent graduate of the illustrious, Howard University where she received herBachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Janelle is thrilled to be making her Glow debut this season. She will attend Savannah College of Art & Design for Graduate School in the Fall. She was  last seen in the DC theatre scene working with Theatre Alliance and Roundhouse Theatre and is excited to make a reappearance in Greenville after four years. She would like to thank her family, friends, and professors for aiding her in a successful post-grad transition and supporting all of her artistic endeavors!

Megan Hannon (Rock Opera) has always been a creative and artistic individual. She started dancing at age three, and attended the Fine Arts Center studying under Jan Woodward after moving to Greenville. Megan graduated from The University of the Arts with a BFA in dance performance and choreography. While in school, Megan performed in several works, choreographed her own, and collaborated with different artists. Being a visual artist herself, Megan jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with painters, graphic designers, musicians, and more. Since living in Greenville SC the past 4 years, she has continued to teach and present her work in both performing and visual arts. She has been a part of creating murals around the city and sells her work online and at different art shows around town. Currently, Megan is actively involved as a contemporary and ballet instructor at International Ballet,  Vaughn Newman Dance and Starmakers. She is an oil, acrylic and mixed media artist and instructor and founded DiVERGENT, a student choreography intensive that started in 2019 under her brand Mena B. Arts. Megan continues to uplift and inspire others with her passion for art and dance, and is always excited to create and share with those around her.  This season marks Megan’s Glow debut!

Hugo Vera (Rock Opera/Passione) is delighted to be returning to Glow. Recent/Favorite credits include Carmen with Glow Lyric Theatre, Madama Butterfly with the Indianapolis Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage (World Premiere) with Arizona Opera, Verdi Requiem with Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and True Concord Ensemble and Orchestra, Tales of Hoffman, Minnesota Opera, Aida, Opera Memphis, The Flying Dutchman with Kansas City Civic Opera, Il trovatore, The Metropolitan Opera and Tosca with Opera Argentario (Italy). He also recently presented recitals as Artist in Residence at Tabor College, University of Arizona and the Lied Center of Kansas. Upcoming: Götterdämmerung with Lyric Opera of Chicago. He is Artistic Director of the Vocal Academy of Orvieto (Italy) and Executive Director of Lawrence Opera Theatre (Kansas). More atwww.facebook.com/hugoveratenor

Marina Harris (Rock Opera, Passione). Heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle for her “knockout combination of vocal power and expressive eloquence”, soprano Marina Harris is quickly establishing herself as a talent to watch. An alumna of the prestigious Adler Fellowship program at the San Francisco Opera, Ms. Harris’ appearances with the company included four world premiere operas; Nolan Gasser’s The Secret Garden (in the role of Susan Sowerby), Mark Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Tamar/Girl/Seeker), Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne (Maid), Jack Perla’s Love/Hate (Samantha), and covering numerous leading roles, most notably the role of Elsa in Lohengrin. Marina has also joined the roster of the Los Angeles Opera to cover the verismo roles of Nedda in Pagliacci and the title role in Madama Butterfly. She has made leading role debuts with Opera Idaho (Tatiana in Eugene Onegin), Pacific Opera Project (title role in Ariadne auf Naxos) and the Southern Illinois Music Festival (Mathilde in Guillaume Tell). Ms. Harris’ international credits include the Festival der jugend Stimmen in Switzerland and as a guest performer with the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China. In 2015, Ms. Harris was awarded the Dorothea-Glatt-Förderpreis in the triennial International Wagnerstimmen Competition, securing her place as one of the top singers of Wagnerian repertoire worldwide. Marina has won numerous other awards for her performances of the Wagnerian repertoire, including the 2015 George London Vienna Prize and the George London-Leonie Rysanek Award in 2014, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation’s Vocal Competition in both 2015 and 2017. Ms. Harris resides in Long Beach, California

Zachary Wilde (Rock Opera) is originally from Asheville, NC but has spent the last several years in Nashville. He just graduated from Austin Peay State University with a degree in Musical Theatre after originally pursuing a Vocal Jazz degree for three years. He’s a massive Judy Garland fan and also enjoys watching stand up comedy in his free time! Zack is absolutely thrilled to be a part of Glow’s season and hopes this experience will bring you the joy & healing we all deserve!

Jenna Elser (The Jenna & Christian Show). Jenna’s focus as a Stage Director is on utilizing lyric theatre to enact social change.  Along with serving as Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Glow Lyric Theatre, she is also a traveling freelance director throughout the Southeast. Recent Directing Credits include: Ella Enchanted (Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre) Spring Awakening (The Warehouse Theatre) Guys and Dolls (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre), Peter Grimes (Northern Arizona University) Summer and Smoke (Converse Opera Theatre) and Hands on a Hardbody (Guilford Arts Collective). Jenna even had her first Zoom directing experiences this year with Proud Mary Theatre Company’s The P*ssy Grabber Plays and Trustus Theatre’s Not Until I Say So. Some of Jenna’s original devised work includes Armed (Glow Lyric Theatre), which reflects on gun violence in the US, and Pulse (AnamCara Theatre), a piece responding to the Orlando mass shooting. Jenna was recently named a semi-finalist for the American Prize in Directing for her productions of The Hot Mikado and West Side Story. She is also a recipient of the Robert Porterfield Directing Award, a finalist for the Drama League New Musicals Fellowship and was chosen for the 2021 Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Observership Program. She holds an MFA in Directing from Florida State University. 

Christian Elser (Jenna & Christian Show) is the co-founder of Glow Lyric Theatre and Executive Director/Resident Music Director.  Christian has performed roles nationally with such organizations as the Chicago Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and Light Opera Oklahoma. He can also be heard on several commercial opera and song recordings by Cedille, Naxos and Centaur Records. Additionally, he serves as  Professor of Music at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, where he is Voice Division Director, Director of Choral Activities, and Director of the PC Opera/Musical Theatre program. DMA (U. of Kansas), MM (Northwestern U.), BM (U. of Wisconsin).

Alan Stogin (Production Stage Manager) is a Las Vegas based Stage Manager and Director. Alan works primarily in Theatre but has been seen wearing a headset and carrying a clipboard in a Big Top or at a Concert. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre: Directing & Stage Management from Eastern Oregon University, he then received his MFA in Stage Management from Univesity of Nevada, Las Vegas. His Las Vegas credits include Stage Manager for Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Blood Wedding at The Nevada Conservatory Theatre, Assistant Director and Assistant Stage Manager at Celestia with Intrigue Shows at The Strat, Lionel Ritchie at The Wynn, and USHER: The Las Vegas Residency at Caesars Coliseum. Outside of Las Vegas, Alan has directed productions such as I Hate Hamlet, The Wizard of Oz, A Grand Night for Singing, Addams Family the Musical, and A Christmas Story the Musical.

Will Ragland (Set Designer) has worked in Upstate theaters for 25 years, mainly as an actor, director, and scenic designer in over 125 productions. Will holds a BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and an MA in Theatre Production from Central Washington University. He founded the Mill Town Players in 2014 and is delighted to serve as Executive Artistic Director.  He was named as one of the Anderson Independent Mail’s 20 under 40 emerging leaders, was a member of Leadership Anderson Class 34, and currently serves as President of the SC Theatre Association. He is grateful for the opportunity to enrich the community through quality, affordable live theater.

Justin Hall (Costume Designer) has looked forward to rejoining the creative team of GLOW ever since he costumed the 2017 productions of Hair and The Crucible. Holding a BA in Performing Arts Studies and Costume Design from Lees McRae College, Justin now acts as the Costume Shop Supervisor and Designer in Residence at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. Over the span of thirteen years, Justin has costumed more than 70 theatrical productions, and has had his work featured not only on stage, but in print, on film, and on television as well. Justin’s keen eye for design has accrued him numerous awards and nominations, both locally and nationally, and has even provided him the opportunity to collaborate with a TONY Award winning director. Costuming credits include Dreamgirls, Chicago, Spamalot, The Wizard of Oz, Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, Pride & Prejudice, and The Great Gatsby.

Dakota Adams (Lighting Designer) is beyond thrilled to be returning to Glow for his 5th season, and is just as elated to be returning to theatre in general after a long, unexpected break. He last worked with Glow as the lighting designer for Carmen during their 2019 season. Before lockdown, Dakota lived and worked in Atlanta as a stage manager and lighting designer with Synchronicity Theatre, and was acting in a children’s theatre tour just before everything shut down. He recently moved to Philadelphia to pursue more on-stage and directing work. Up next, he will be directing a production of Dearly Departed for Allen’s Lane Theatre Arts Center.

Whitney Arter (Props Designer)  is elated to be returning to Glow for her 2nd season, and is just as excited to be stepping back into a theatre a very long unexpected intermission. She last worked with Glow as the electrician and spotlight operator for In the Heights, Fidelio, and H.M.S. Pinafore during their 2018 season. Before lockdown, Whitney had last finished a season as the Master Electrician and Lighting Operator for Big Apple Circus in New York City  and was prepping head back out of the road for a summer theatrical tour.  She recently has started working on her own small business during the pandemic; Smoking Glue Guns, making cosplay props, jewelry, soaps and much more.

Phil Hartsuiker (Sound Designer) Just your average sound dude.

EJ George (Technical Director, Master Carpenter). This is Elijah’s second season working with GLOW, having previously served as Assistant Technical Director and Master Carpenter for the company’s 2019 season of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas/ My Fair Lady/ Carmen. He is a graduate of USC Upstate with a BA in Theatre Production and currently serves as Assistant Technical Director at Converse University. He is excited to work with the team at GLOW to create an entertaining, insightful, and successful show.

Oliver Ellis (Assistant Technical Director, Carpenter) has worked with Glow once before, as Carpenter and Run Crew for 2018’s Fidelio/HMS Pinafore/In The Heights. He is excited to serve as ATD for this season, and looks forward to creating art with good people!

Antoinette Hall (Assistant Stage Manager) returns to Glow after performing the role of Taddy Joe in the 2019 Production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  This time around, she is delighted to be making her stage management debut!  Recent credits include Catch Me If You Can with Greenville Theatre, Dreamgirls and Intimate Apparel with Centre Stage. Antoinette studied Music Education at Converse College with a focus in Clarinet.

Emerald Pham (Assistant Sound Designer) is a sound technician and musical theatre composer, and is happy to join as GLOW’s A2 for the 2021 season!  She received a Bachelors in Theatre with a minor in Music from Converse University, Spartanburg, and occasionally stage manages – but still regularly manages to get things done.

Jordan Montemayor (Carpenter) is a recent graduate of the University of South Carolina Upstate with a B.A. in Theatre Performance and a cognate in Theatre Production. This is her first season with GLOW and she is so excited to gain the experience, knowledge, and peers that this season has to offer!

Brook Nelson (Stitcher)

Madison Wakefield (Electrician) is a Maryland native established in Charleston, SC. She graduated in 2020 with a degree in Performing Arts and is a candidate for her Masters of Business Administration at Clemson University. Madison is a KCACTF region IV nominee for her lighting design of John Proctor is the Villain (premiere). She is credited among the east coast including Mill Town Players, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre and Berkshire Theatre Group. Madison would like to thank her parents, Jim and Lori, her sister, Lauren, and Colby for their endless support and encouragement towards pursuing her craft. www.mnwakefield.com

Zoé Oliphant is a native of Greenville, Sc. She is a 2017 graduate of Riverside High School. She is a Senior at The University of South Carolina Upstate, pursuing a bachelors in Communications Mass Media. Along with pursuing her degree, she is also a Spoken-word artist. She has performed at a number of Galas and events. She has been immersed in performing arts for 13 years and it has become a way of expression and a remedy. She was first introduced to the performing arts by her family and Miriam Burgess. Zoé has been a part of the Instruments of Praise Theatrical Dance Company since she was 9 years old. Over the years she discovered her love and passion for not only dance but also painting pictures with words. She invites the audience to listen while provoking minds to potentially transform. Zoé believes that with a balance of education, exposure and enlightenment of who people truly are, can direct them into a path for a bright future.

Jenna Seubarran (Production Assistant) is a recent graduate of Presbyterian College with Bachelor of Music in Viola and Voice and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Jenna will be working as the Audio-Visual and Front of House Intern for this 2021 GLOW Festival Season. She has past experience in Front of House through the Presbyterian College Music Department Work Study. I look forward to working and learning more with this team.

Hailey Anthum Hunter (Piano, Associate Music Director: Rock Opera, Music Director: Passione, Jenna & Christian Show) is a freelance pianist, répétiteur, and musical director. She has collaborated on productions and performances throughout the southeast and beyond, including regular work with Glow Lyric Theatre, Furman University, Temple of Israel, and KST Studio Of Voice. Recent stage credits include Into the Woods, My Fair Lady, Carmen, In the Silence, and the NYC premiere of Frances Pollock’s opera Stinney: An American Execution at the 2019 Prototype Festival. Hailey holds degrees in Piano Performance (BM) from Furman University and Collaborative Piano (MA) from Middle Tennessee State University, and is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. She is also a founding board member of the new music collaborative Prima Volta and is an active performer of modern music. An Alabama native, Hailey resides in Flat Rock, NC, with her husband Samuel and their calico cat Dinah.

Andrew Welchel (Keyboard I, Bass Guitar) grew up in Duncan, SC and started his musical journey in the Byrnes High School drum line as well as playing the organ in church.  He holds degrees from Clemson in Accounting and Modern Languages and teaches Accounting at Greenville Technical College and Furman University.  He is the music director at Triune Mercy Center, keyboardist for local band Randomonium, and accordionist for the Foothills Oompah Band.  Andrew is thrilled to be a part of his seventh festival season with Glow.

Christian Elser (Music Director, Keyboard II) is Glow’s resident Music Director, having conducted over 300 performances. As a singer he has performed roles nationally with such organizations as the Chicago Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and Light Opera Oklahoma. He can also be heard on several commercial opera and song recordings by Cedille, Naxos and Centaur Records. Additionally, he serves as  Professor of Music at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, where he is Voice Division Director, Director of Choral Activities, and Director of the PC Opera/Musical Theatre program. He is a recent national finalist for the American Prize in Opera Conducting. DMA (Voice) The University of Kansas, MM (Musicology) Northwestern University, BM (Voice) The University of Wisconsin.

Zac Bolton (Guitar) is a native of Blacksburg South Carolina.  He graduated from Winthrop University where he studied jazz guitar.  He has since taught guitar lessons and gigged in the Upstate for the past 10 years.  He is thrilled to be back with Glow this season.

Samuel Kruer (Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keys): This is Samuel’s third production with Glow. Samuel has a bachelor’s degree in Music Theory and Composition from Eastern Kentucky University. He has performed with Darby Wilcox, Phat Lip, The Grateful Brothers, Florence Larue of the Fifth Element, Cravin’ Melon, the late Colonel Bruce Hampton, and countless other bands in the Upstate area.

Tom Dolamore (Drums): is a drummer/percussionist with experience playing several genres of music including R&B, Rock, Jazz, Fusion, Classical, Marching Percussion, and Broadway musicals. Tom started playing percussion with the school band in the fourth grade. From there he moved on to playing percussion in high school, then snare drum in college for the world-renowned Florida State University Marching Chiefs. While playing at FSU, he served two years as drumline section leader. Tom’s most recent musical endeavors include playing for several area bands, teaching high school marching percussion, playing for his church’s praise band, and for several productions staged by Glow Lyric Theater. Tom is thrilled to be playing for this year’s production of “Rock Opera”.

Christian Elser (Co-founder, Executive Director, Music Director: Rock Opera)  has performed roles nationally with such organizations as the Chicago Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and Light Opera Oklahoma. He can also be heard on several commercial opera and song recordings by Cedille, Naxos and Centaur Records. Additionally, he serves as  Professor of Music at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, where he is Voice Division Director, Director of Choral Activities, and Director of the PC Opera/Musical Theatre program. He is a recent national finalist for the American Prize in Opera Conducting. DMA (Voice) The University of Kansas, MM (Musicology) Northwestern University, BM (Voice) The University of Wisconsin.

Jenna Elser (Co-Founder, Producing Artistic Director, Director: Rock Opera, Passione). Jenna’s focus as a Stage Director is on utilizing lyric theatre to enact social change.  Along with serving as Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Glow Lyric Theatre, she is also a traveling freelance director throughout the Southeast. Recent Directing Credits include: Ella Enchanted (Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre) Spring Awakening (The Warehouse Theatre) Guys and Dolls (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre), Peter Grimes (Northern Arizona University) Summer and Smoke (Converse Opera Theatre) and Hands on a Hardbody (Guilford Arts Collective). Jenna even had her first Zoom directing experiences this year with Proud Mary Theatre Company’s The P*ssy Grabber Plays and Trustus Theatre’s Not Until I Say So. Some of Jenna’s original devised work includes Armed (Glow Lyric Theatre), which reflects on gun violence in the US, and Pulse (AnamCara Theatre), a piece responding to the Orlando mass shooting. Jenna was recently named a semi-finalist for the American Prize in Directing for her productions of The Hot Mikado and West Side Story. She is also a recipient of the Robert Porterfield Directing Award, a finalist for the Drama League New Musicals Fellowship and was chosen for the 2021 Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Observership Program. She holds an MFA in Directing from Florida State University. 

Jenise Cook (Director & Choreographer: Rock Opera) is honored and excited to return to Glow this summer.  She is a choreographer and actor from Detroit, MI. Jenise has spent time choreographing in Georgia (Aurora Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, Georgia Gwinnett College), South Carolina (Glow Lyric Theatre), and Missouri (Coterie Theatre). She has also taught dance at the Atlanta Ballet and Performer’s Warehouse. She is currently finishing up her MFA in Acting at the University of Missouri- Kansas City.

Lindsey Brakhage (Box Office & Marketing)

Brandon Graves (Festival Manager): is a familiar face around Glow. He has been on stage in several productions, but audience members usually see him in the lobby assisting them with seating and anything else which needs to be done. In Glow’s off season, Brandon helps to shape young minds while performing here and there for money and fun. “Being back with Glow for 2021 gives the tiniest glimmer of hope that art can succeed and progress despite the current turmoil of the world.

Ashley Benes (Development Consultant)