OLIVER TWIST

Ruby Hull is thrilled to be making her debut with Stapleton! Sparking a lifelong passion for musical theatre, her journey began with Altadena Music Theatre's children's program, where she played Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical. Other favorite roles include Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka, and Alice in Alice in Wonderland at Aveson School of Leaders. Since relocating to Marin, Ruby played Jack Kelly in Newsies Jr. at Throckmorton Theatre, and co-directed her 4th grade play, Loki's Tangled Thread. She is grateful to her family, her New Village School community, and the entire cast and crew of Oliver for their support.

MR. BUMBLE, OLIVER UNDERSTUDY

Truman Wilder Benham (Age 10) is thrilled to take on the role of Mr. Bumble in Oliver Jr. Truman has been performing across Marin County for several years, with experience in ballet, hip hop, and musical theater. He has appeared in multiple productions at the Playhouse in San Anselmo, as well as performances at the Marin Civic Center, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and at the Shakespeare theater in San Rafael. Truman enjoys being part of both multi-generational productions and all-children casts, and he loves the sense of community that theater brings. When he’s not on stage, you can find him mountain biking, rock climbing -- or enjoying his favorite treats, especially candy!

WIDOW CORNEY, STRAWBERRY SELLER, NANCY UNDERSTUDY

Maggie has appeared in 18 theatrical productions since making her stage debut less than four years ago. In that short time, she has taken on a wide range of memorable roles and continues to grow as a young performer. Recent highlights include Annabeth in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical with Marin Shakespeare Company’s Teen Musical program, Medda Larkin in Newsies Jr. at the Throckmorton Theater Teen Class, Cordelia in King Lear with the Marin Shakespeare Company Summer Intensive, Charlie Bucket in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory with Stapleton Theatre Company, and Vivienne in Legally Blonde Jr. with YEStoKids at White Hill Middle School. Maggie is also proud to study with the Stapleton School of the Performing Arts Musical Theatre Conservatory Training Program.

NANCY

Elizabeth Ehm has been performing since she was six years old, starting as a mouse in Stapleton’s Nutcracker and Shere Khan in the Jungle Book.  She performed her way through eight YES Theater performances including as Squidward in Sponge Bob The Musical and as Brooke in Legally Blonde.  She is excited to be performing in her third Stapleton Theater show after playing Mike Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Young Marley in Christmas Carol.  Elizabeth is a 9th grader at Marin Academy who plays field hockey, loves to ski, enjoys being taller than her father and is thrilled that she has had the chance to work with such an amazing cast!

ARTFUL DODGER, CHILD

Nyah Wahle is a cast member of the American Conservatory Theater’s exclusive Youth Cabaret Program. She is a ballet and contemporary dance student at Stapleton. Nyah played Jojo in Seussical the Musical Jr. (YES Theater) and returned to the stage a year later as the illustrious Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins, Jr. (YES Theater). She also appeared in Novato Theater Company’s production of Matilda. This year, she played Tiny Tim in Stapleton’s production of A Christmas Carol. Nyah is happiest when she is on stage telling a story through ballet or musical theater!

FAGIN

Silas Sullivan is excited to be performing in his first Stapleton production. Recent projects include “Jim Hawkins” in Dream Box Productions rendition of Treasure Island at the Great Christmas Dickens faire, “Captain Hook” in Peter Pan, “Buddy” in Elf Jr., “Maui” in Moana and as “Uncle Fester” in the Adams Family. Silas loves how supportive and kind everyone at Stapleton is and says that the moment he arrived for the audition he knew that this cast was family. And finally, Silas shares “ I owe my mom a lot because if it weren’t for her encouraging me to act, I would have never found my true passion.”

BILL SIKES, GANG

Xavier is a sixth grader excited to play Bill Sikes in Oliver! Previous roles include Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice, North Bay Theatrics), Young Marley (A Christmas Carol, Stapleton), Kristoff (Frozen, North Bay Theatrics), and Mad Hatter in (Alice in Wonderland, North Bay Theatrics). Outside of theater, he is a dedicated Taekwondo gold medalist who enjoys playing drums, shooting hoops and riding his bike with friends. He strives to show up as a kind, hardworking human and thanks his directors, cast mates, and family for their support.

MR. BROWNLOW, GANG, AGNES, FAGIN UNDERSTUDY

BET, GANG

Ailey is a student of Stapleton, where she focuses on dance and musical theater. Through her acting career she has acquired many amazing roles both as ensemble and as a soloist.
Ailey has been dancing since age three. She joined Stapleton at age six as an aspiring young dancer filled with a bright, positive attitude. In the third grade her love for singing and acting led her to Susan Zelinsky’s Happy Lane Drama. She landed a starring role as Peter Pan and showcased her talents to a packed audience. After opening night she knew she wanted to act and sing for a long time to come.

MRS. SOWERBERRY, CHILD, GANG, BET UNDERSTUDY

Camille is a passionate, fun-loving and energetic 7th grader who has delighted in entertaining friends and family since her very first steps at 9 months old. Her love for singing, dancing and acting finds its full expression in musical theater at Stapleton. Camille has enjoyed diverse roles in recent years, including Veruka in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Chip in Beauty & the Beast, Deb in Elf Jr., Ladybug in James & the Giant Peach, and Grace in A Christmas Carol. She was the bass player in a pop band her last year in elementary school, and currently sings with the Advanced Chorus at Davidson MIddle School. Camille also dances ballet and contemporary and will be performing in Stapleton’s Nutcracker in December. She is on the debate team at her school and enjoys a good argument – just ask her siblings. A “yes” day for Camille would probably involve eating spaghetti and ice-cream, babysitting her nephews, crafting and knitting, spending time with friends and family and singing in the shower.

NIPPER, OLD SALLY, CHILD

Esmé is a 6th grader at Mill Valley Middle School. She has done two productions with Stapleton and has taken dance at Stapleton since 2023. It feels very special to her to perform in this show because her father played Oliver in his high school's production. She has two older sisters who she loves spending time with. She loved being in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Christmas Carol and is so excited to perform in Oliver! Esmé would like to thank Katie, Bella, and Jenny for their support and guidance.

NOAH CLAYPOLE, MAID, CHILD, BUMBLE UNDERSTUDY

Jessie Wuertz is 11 years old and is in the fifth grade. Her first play was with Stapleton School of the Performing Arts when she was in second grade. Oliver Jr. will be her 6th production with Stapleton and her tenth overall, one play with NorthBay Theatrics and three at her elementary school through the Yes Foundation for the Arts. Outside of theater, Jessie enjoys reading and riding horses.

MRS. BEDWIN, CHILD, GANG, CORNEY UNDERSTUDY

Oliver Jr. marks Audrey Madden’s debut with Stapleton Theatre Company. A dancer with Stapleton for the past four years, she has also performed in local YES productions and grown to love being part of the storytelling magic on stage. Audrey especially enjoyed understudying Widow Corney and learning all the behind-the-scenes pieces that bring a show together. She is so excited to join the cast of Oliver Jr. and can’t wait to share in the energy, teamwork, and fun of bringing the story to life on stage.

CHARLOTTE, CHILD, GANG, MATRON

Rory, she has done several 23 Elephants productions over the years in both ensemble roles and leads (i.e. Ariel in the Little Mermaid) and has been in the last two Brookside Elementary productions (Cats in 2024 and Shrek in 2025). 

Most recently she was in A Christmas Carol as one of the Crachitt kids/Granny Chuzzlewit.

CAPTAIN, KNIFE GRINDER, CHILD, FIRST MAN

Maximilian Gross Smith got obsessed with musical theater after going to Hamilton in SF.  Shortly after, a friend of Stapleton theater invited us to join A Christmas Carol directed by Jenny Boynton, and he has never looked back.  Max's goal is to keep learning about theater, dance, and acting for as long as possible. 

HANDWALKER, ROSE SELLER, CHILD DODGER UNDERSTUDY

This is Freya’s first production with Stapleton Company! She may be recognized from her last performance as Young Elsa in Katia & Co’s production of Frozen Jr. this past Winter. She has also played Annie in Annie Jr., Flounder in The Little Mermaid, Grizabella in CATS, Charlie Bucket in Wonka, Starkey the Pirate in Peter Pan, a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, and Random School Kid #2 in Matilda across various K-8 productions. She has training in dance, vocals, improv and acting. Her passions are theater, marine biology and astrophysics.

MR. SOWERBERRY, CHARLIE BATES, CHILD

Naia Ross is thrilled to be performing as Mr. Sourberry in her first production with Stapleton. Past theater credits include Annie (Miss Hannigan), Cats (Munkustrap) and Shrek (Lord Farquaad) with Yes Theater Company.  Naia is a student at Brandeis School who loves musical theater with a passion. She is grateful to her sister Quilla for all the support. 

CHAIRMAN, GANG, CHILD

Hanna is delighted to be a part of the ensemble cast of Oliver Jr, her debut performance with the Stapleton School. She recently performed as a bat in her elementary school play.

MILKMAID, CHILD, GANG, SECOND WOMAN, FIRST WOMAN

Upon moving to the Bay Area in  2020,  she has studied with various organizations including 23 Elephants, Stapleton Performing Arts Center and at her school, San Domenico. Oliver will be her fifth Stapleton theater production. Zara played the featured roles of Fan in A Christmas Caroland Emily Hobbs in Elf. She was also part of the ensemble in Seussical the Musical and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In addition to her theater work, Zara has been in the Stapleton Nutcracker twice and loves to sing and play the piano. 

DR. GRIMWIG, CHILD, GANG, POLICEMAN 1

Austen Pennington (13) is delighted to be part of this production. A student at Chronos Academy, Austen first tumbled into the world of musical theatre in 2024 as Pigtails in Newsies and has been enthusiastically avoiding a normal hobby ever since. His past roles include Simba in The Lion King, Jafar in Aladdin (no parrots were harmed), and Michael in Elf Jr., along with other Marin productions of varying levels of jazz hands. When not on stage, Austen can be found enjoying Monty Python, and pondering the mysteries of math and science.

LAMPLIGHTER, CHILD, GANG

Milena Gross Smith has a similar story- after going to see Hamilton in SF, she started memorizing and singing musicals wherever she went.  Together with Max they have performed Hamilton songs at their local cabaret, and love to watch and sing musicals together.

POLICEMAN 2, CHILD, GANG, DELIVERY PERSON

Micah is thrilled to make his debut with Stapleton Theater! At just 9 years old, he has already performed with Rhythms Co. in Alice in Wonderland and Beauty and the Beast, where he discovered his love for being on stage. Micah brings big energy, a fun personality, and lots of excitement to every rehearsal. When he’s not performing, he loves making people laugh, sketching, and having adventures. He can’t wait to be part of the magic and make unforgettable memories with the cast and crew!