Meet the Cast and Team
of A Sad Tale's Best for Winter
The Cast
Valerie Larsen*, Hermione, Producer, and Composer
Valerie ("Val") Larsen grew up in Salt Lake City, UT in a musical family; she grew up studying voice, acting, dance, piano, harp, beginning to write her own music and participating in local and regional theater. She then went on to attend The Boston Conservatory and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Musical Theater. Valerie is currently represented by Todd Eskin and Robert Miller Jr. at Across The Board Talent and is a member of the AEA and AGVA unions. Recent LA theater credits include Frozen: Live at the Hyperion at Disneyland, The Women at The Group Rep, and Mutt House: The Musical at the Kirk Douglas Theater. She also recently performed a solo songwriting concert with Breaking Sound, and was a co-creator and performer with Beating of Wings' first production, Thinking of Monkeys, in 2017. Val currently lives in Los Angeles with her cat Petra and her many musical instruments. She is a self-taught guitar, ukulele and bass player, and continues to write music and perform locally. Her favorite color is green, she can't handle horror films and loves to journal.
*member of the Actor's Equity Association
Benai Boyd*, Paulina
From Los Angeles, some of her credits include: Creating and performing in Disney’s FROZEN: LIVE AT THE HYPERION; recurring role as Gary Coleman in the Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning HBO hit BIG LITTLE LIES; Lula Buffington in the LA Times Critics Choice & Ovation Nominated VIOLET at Actor’s Co-Op (2018); West Coast Premiere of Henri in THE VIEW UPSTAIRS (2017); Gary Coleman in The LA Times Critics Choice & Ovation Nominated (2013) AVENUE Q and many more. She has appeared with Skylight Theatre Company in the World Premieres of DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA and BRONCO BILLY: THE MUSICAL.
*member of the Actor's Equity Association
Megan Ruble, Perdita and Mamillius
Megan Ruble is an LA actor, singer, and producer and currently serves as Beating of Wings’ Producing Director. Megan's credits range from Sondheim to Shakespeare and include companies such as Sierra Repertory Theatre, Chase What Flies, and New Musicals, Inc. She recently co-produced a producing of “Homeward LA” at The Boston Court Theater and just finished co-producing and performing as Lady Macbeth in “Macbeth LA.” Joshua 1:7-9
Jonathan comes to Southern California by way of South Florida, Chicago and Rhode Island, and holds a BA in Theatre and English Literature from Northwestern University. Some favorite recent theatre credits include: Henry V (as Henry V), The Comedy of Errors, The Winter’s Tale and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare By The Sea); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and a reading of Orpheus Descending (A Noise Within); Elevada, Tribes and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (Chance Theater); Macbeth(Sacramento Theatre Company) and Henry IV Part 1(Shakespeare Orange County). Jonathan has also performed with the Pacific Symphony and the Florida Grand Opera and works as a dialect teacher and coach. Love to Anna, Milly and Leo!
Jonathan Fisher, Leontes
Originally from Sherborn, MA, Tristan has found his home in Los Angeles as an actor, director, and producer. He is the acting director of Occidental College's critically acclaimed Children's Theater, just finishing its 24th season. Recent producing credits include "Homeward LA" at the Boston Court Theater and "Macbeth LA," in which he also played the title role.
Tristan Waldron, Florizel and Jailer
Helen Jane Planchet is a proud member of Beating of Wings. Helen is a musical theatre actress from New Orleans, LA, now based in Los Angeles. Her most recent projects include Musical Theatre West's Guys and Dolls (Agatha) and understudying A Noise Within's 2018 and 2017 productions of Man of La Mancha (Antonia u/s). She also recently appeared as Andromeda and others in A Noise Within's 2019 production of Mary Zimmerman's Argonautika. She also enjoys performing at the Disneyland Resort as a vocalist during the holidays. Some of her New Orleans credits include Jefferson Performing Arts Society's productions of Aida (Aida), Fiddler on the Roof (Tzeitel u/s), and the Rocky Horror Show (Columbia u/s), Theatre 13's production of Legally Blonde (Kate/Chutney), and the National WWII Museum's production of On the Air (Dorothy u/s). Helen recently finished up a summer spent performing with the Tuacahn Theater at the Tuacahn Center for the Arts.
Helen Jane Planchet, Adonia
Monica Ricketts, Emilia
Monica Ricketts (Emilia) is thrilled to be making her Beating of Wings debut! She was most recently seen as Sleeping Beauty in Into the Woods (Hollywood Bowl), as well as the Acrobat in Matilda the Musical (5 Star Theatricals) and as Miss Taj Mahal in Minnie’s Boys (Musical Theatre Guild). She has studied Improv at The Groundlings School and “The Style” at Tim Robbins’ Actors Gang. In her free time, she enjoys vintage fashion design, poetry, and waltzing down the streets of Disneyland. She would like to thank her family, friends and agent Anthony Boyer (DDO) for their incredible support! www.monicaricketts.com IG: @monicadanae
Lucia Joyce is thrilled to be joining Beating of Wings for the female-driven Shakespeare-hybrid experience: A Sad Tale’s Best For Winter. Lucia brings a decade’s experience of touring the world as a dancer and musical theatre actor. Favorite credits include: Sweet Charity with Laura Bell Bundy (Carmen), Sweet Charity National Tour (Helene), 42nd Street National Tour (Phyllis/Lorraine), and iLuminate’s Off Broadway Artist of Light (Jacob/Crony) at New World Stages and on tour. Lucia recently debuted in Paris By Night and can be seen playing several troubled female heroes in three short films by Daniel Fes. Her thanks go out to mentor Greg Sims, Shane and Mom.
Lucia Joyce, Dion
Kit is an LA based gender non-conforming actor who recently placed in the top 3 of LA's Next Great Stage Star of 2018. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting for the Stage and Screen in 2017 from Azusa Pacific University, and favorite credits include Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet; an ASL love story, (which featured a half deaf cast of Broadway veterans from the Spring Awakening Revival), Flounder in The Little Mermaid in North Hollywood, and Janis Ian in Nice Girls; A Musical Parody, which she co-wrote and starred in. You can also catch her Google Nest commercial currently airing on channels across the U.S. Kit started a production company with her twin sister that strives to features minorities and under-represented individuals in media, and you can check out their work at www.thewild.productions.
Kit Meyering, Cleomenes
Brendan Kane, Polixenes
Brendan was raised in an Air Force family and brought up all around the country, and has found a home in Los Angeles. A graduate of Oklahoma City University, he was last seen as Father Welsh in The Lonesome West with Little Fish Theatre. Other past credits include: The Comedy of Errors and Henry V (Shakespeare by the Sea); Lend Me a Tenor (Long Beach Playhouse); California Suite (Noisy Nest); As You Like It (Culver City Public Theatre); Macbeth (Annapolis Shakespeare Company); Much Ado About Nothing (Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre).
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Roberto Williams is thrilled to be making his debut with Beating of Wings, and honored to join such a fantastic cast! A BFA graduate from Emerson College, his favorite credits include Hamlet (Rosencrantz), Othello (Lodovico), The Tempest (Caliban), and Macbeth where he's played Macduff, Banquo, and most recently Ross with 134 West. An avid Shakespeare fan, he's eager to dive into this re-imagining of one of Will's most enigmatic tales, and hopes you'll find as much joy in hearing it as we have in the telling. As always, he's grateful to his friends, family, and cast mates for all their support!
Roberto Williams, Camillo
The Team
Anna Miles, Writer and Director
Anna Miles is the founder of Beating of Wings. Anna is an actor, director, playwright, and theater maker based in the OC/LA area; she has been creating feminist theater professionally since 2013 and on an amateur level since high school. Some of her most recent projects include Daddy Long Legs: The Musical (Director) and Think of Me, Fred Weasley (Writer, Director, Performer). Her plays have been performed at the Chance Theater in Anaheim and her nonfiction and fiction writing has been published in Prompt Magazine and Z Publishing's "California's Emerging Writers" series. Her flash play Girls and Boys, When They Sit in Trees and Share Their Toys was recently published in the Santa Ana River Review. Favorite acting credits include Frozen: Live at the Hyperion at Disneyland (Young Anna/Young Elsa), The Heidi Chronicles with Trinity Repertory Company (Fran/Lisa/Denise), The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant with Brown/Trinity (Karin Thimm), 9 to 5: The Musical and Present Laughter with Summer Repertory Theatre (Roz Keith/Liz Essendine), and The Anatomy of Love with the Chance Theater's OTR Series (Tana Spencer). Anna is also a new ensemble member with "The Imagination Machine," which travels to local elementary schools and performs student-written stories. Anna holds a BA in Theater and Creative Writing from Northwestern University (where she developed and directed her play It Was the Nightingale: Persephone's Play under the tutelage of Lookingglass Theater's founding member, David Catlin), and an MFA in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company's MFA Programs in Acting and Directing.
Himerria Wortham, Choreographer
Himerria Wortham, Berlin born and Detroit educated, is a dancer, choreographer and actress, who’s been creating and performing for the stage and screen professionally since 2008. She is excited to join the ensemble of Beating of Wings, with whom she co-created the multi-medium performance piece Thinking of Monkeys in 2017. Himerria has worked with a variety of artists including Toni Braxton, Shakira, Carley Rae Jepson, and Aretha Franklin, as well as danced in shows such as Crazy Ex Girlfriend, an Apple Commercial with the band Avalanche, the AMAs, the Academy Awards, and America’s Best Dance Crew. Himerria also joined the Disney family in 2010, performing in such stage shows as “Frozen! Live at the Hyperion” and Disney’s hit TV shows “Shake It Up” and “So Random.” As an artist, she has ventured into choreographing music videos, staged concert shows and film collaborating with artists like Animi Design Production. She has a passion for sharing the unique stories of people from diverse backgrounds: most recently she choreographed a music video for Rachael Cantu’s (which featured dancers all from the LGBTQ community), a music video for Miguel’s “Pineapple,” and movement directed the award-winning short fantasy film “Thistles and Thorns.” Other film credits include directing her own short thriller films “Run” and “Confessions,” which explored the everyday challenges of living with mental illness. Currently you can catch Himerria working on site specific dance performances with the Heidi Duckler Dance Theater, with whom she recently traveled to Chile for the International Ideas Festival (Puerto De Ideas) and taught dance at the Chino Women’s prison.
Miranda Clement, Assistant Director
Miranda Kelly Macbeth didn’t really choose theatre so much as theatre chose her. Originally majoring in computer engineering at Brigham Young University, she took her first theatre class to fulfill a GE requirement. Soon enough she was swallowed whole by the theatre arts department. Miranda is now graduated with a Bachelor’s in English and Theatre, with an emphasis on directing. She is an award winning director, playwright, poet, and a new business owner. Her company, The Wit Theatre, hopes to open their doors in Long Beach later this year. Miranda is very excited to be drowning herself in theatre while simultaneously learning to fly with other theatre artists like The Beating of Wings Collective. Who knew you could feel such drastically different sensations at the same time!
Nicki Heskin (Stage Manager) is a proud member of AEA. Favorite Stage Management credits
include Into the Woods and CATS (PSM, Broadway at the Gardens, Lewis Family Playhouse),
Catch Me if You Can (ASM, Musical Theatre West) and most recently ASM of the World
Premiere of Adam Bock’s, The Canadians (South Coast Repertory). She is also a freelance
director whose recent credits include Bad Jews (Ophelia’s Jump Productions), Baby with the
Bathwater (Chino Community Theatre) and Gidion’s Knot and Circle Mirror Transformation
(Women’s Theatre Workshop). Love to her family for supporting this insane and wonderful
career.