ECHO Youth Theatre presents:
Anastasia The Musical - Youth Edition
Book by Terrence McNally
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynne Aherns
Her past is a mystery. Her future is an adventure.
This show transports its audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family.
EYT - Directed by youth, for youth
THISTLE WILLIAMS CARSWELL
Director
Thistle is a grade 11 student at Ballenas Secondary. This is her first time directing a musical and she couldn’t be more proud. You may have seen her in previous ECHO youth shows, or recent Ballenas productions. She wants to give the biggest thanks to the entire cast and crew, as well as all the aid from many ECHO mentors!
KAYLA OKADA
Choreographer
Kayla has been involved with ECHO since her performance in TMT’s Fiddler on The Roof Junior in 2023. Now, she is thrilled to step behind the scenes as choreographer. She participates in school theatre, soccer, and was named recently a 2026 Loran Scholar.
AMELIA GROOME
Stage Manager
Amelia is thrilled to be a first time stage manager for this production of Anastasia. She has been involved in theatre since she was in Grade 3, whether it was acting in pantomimes in elementary school, or being involved in ECHO Youth acting and directing in high school. She has loved every step of the way. She is both sad and excited for this to be her last production as a high school student.
CARYS FRIESEN
Anastasia
Carys is honoured to portray Anya - an inspiring character with courage, determination & tenacity in the midst of conflict and years of trauma. Thanks to her mentors: Patricia & Kyle (VVQB Youth Choir), Ms. Kelly (Speech Arts), Ms. Brittany (Dance at QBSD), and Lindsey (Classical Music - heading to Provincials!). Recent roles include Wendy Jo in Footloose, Red Riding Hood/dragon puppeteer in QBSD’s Shrek, and many characters in Annie.
ETHAN LEIDL
Dmitri
Ethan is a passionate music student currently graduating from Ballenas secondary school. He has participated in past ECHO productions such as Mean Girls as Aaron Samuels and Bratman in Holy Pantomime Batman. Ethan will be studying a Bachelors of Music at the University of Victoria in the fall.
ROWAN BALCARRAS
The Dowager Epress Maria Fyodorovna
Born in Richmond and now living in Qualicum Beach. Rowan has been performing as a singer and actor since she was six, including performances in The Lion King, Willy Wonka, Moana, Oklahoma, Mean Girls, The ECHO Christmas Panto Holy Pantomime Bratman and more. Rowan has sung in two choirs at KSS and performs as a solo artist locally. Trained classically with a local vocal trainer, she is excited to work with the EYT team on this year’s performance.
JULY BUGG
Young Anastasia
July is excited to be performing in Anastasia alongside this incredible cast! She has been a member of ECHO and EYT since 2022 and has also been onstage with QBSD! This past summer she had the privilege of competing in the Canada West Performing Arts Festival for speech and dramatic arts and this June she will compete at PABC for voice! She most recently played Jesse Tuck in QBSD’s Tuck Everlasting!
MOLLY PERKINS
Vlad
Molly Perkins is thrilled to be playing Vlad in Anastasia. A lifelong performer, she has been passionate about theatre from a young age and plans to pursue it professionally. She is excited to continue growing as an artist and thanks everyone who supports the arts and keeps theatre alive.
AVA TYNDALL
Ava is excited to be a part of Anastasia. At 13, this is her first production with EYT. She has been on stage at Village Theatre with ECHO Players in Matilda (Bruce), Treasure Island, and was part of the TMT’s Footloose last summer. She will be part of Into the Woods with TMT this summer. She has also been a part of QBSD in The Wizard of Oz, Shrek the Musical, Pepper in Annie and Tuck Everlasting.
EMILY LOSELL
Emily is a grade 12 student at NDSS who is very excited to be part of the ensemble. She’s been singing for 6 years, and you may have seen her as Elsa in NDSS’s Frozen last January. She’s proud to be in this cast and hopes you enjoy the show!
ALINE RIGATTI
Aline is an exchange student from Belgium. Her first language is French. She has done a couple of shows before but it is her first with ECHO Players.
ISABELLE CORFIELD
Isabelle has been in a variety of shows at Wellington secondary school including Dorothy in Wonderland, Hallmarks of Horror, and Where the Sky Meets the Sea. This is her first production outside of school and she is so happy to join this wonderful group. She hopes you enjoy Anastasia!
NORA KAETHLER
Nora is an 11th-grade student at Ballenas Secondary School. She has been involved in multiple productions on and off stage, including Footloose, POPTART, and Grease, and it's fair to say that she loves it! In her free time, she enjoys dancing, baking, watercolouring, and hanging out with her chickens.
JONAS GOETJEN
Avid Michael Buble fan. I'm 16 years young with dreams of pursuing theatre. This has been such a fun journey and has brought so many friendships into my life. I'm so proud of the actors, directors, and everyone who has made this possible.
#TwinMollyR
MOLLY RACZ
Molly is ecstatic to be a part of her third show with ECHO Youth. She initially started her theatre journey in Calgary before moving to Nanaimo, where Molly now student directs at her school; she also plays in her school’s jazz band as a saxophonist and vocalist. She hopes you enjoy the alluring tale of the lost princess Anastasia and the love that follows her.
ANNIKA WILSON
Annika enjoys all aspects of theatre whether it be on stage, in the booth, backstage, or painting sets and creating props. Previously they played Tweedle Dum in Alice in Wonderland (PAPA), and Ren in Footloose (TMT). They have had a great deal of fun working on this show
BRAD DELMO
This is Brad’s third and last show with ECHO Youth, last year he did Mean Girls Jr. and Brothers Grimm. Brad also has done other musicals outside of ECHO such as Footloose, Highschool Musical, Grease, and Matilda. Brad’s next project is TMTs Into The Woods this summer.
REBECCA DOWN
This is Rebecca’s first time performing with ECHO Theatre. She has been in three productions at Nanaimo Christian School over the past few years, including The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, and most recently Fiddler on the Roof. Rebecca is based in Nanaimo, she loves sewing, singing, and creating art.
LUKE DIERINGER
Lighting
CONNOR SMYTH
Sound
MONICA TYNDALL
Producer, ASM
HILARY WHELTON
Vocal Coach