BEYOND BROADWAY presents in Association with Main Street Creative Arts Center:

THE GUY WHO DIDN'T LIKE MUSICALS

Music and Lyrics by Jeff Blim

Book by Nick & Matt Lang

Originally produced by StarKid Productions

Licensed for Official Performance with Starkid Productions (DBA Sandhill Productions)

UPCOMING BEYOND BROADWAY SHOWS!

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

June 26-27: Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

September 27: Green Valley Recreation

October 2: Unity of Tucson

January 24, 2027: PHX Third Street Theatre

March 7, 2027: Saint Mark's in Tucson

March 22, 2027: Scottsdale

September 12, 2027: First Christian Church, Scottsdale

FOR MORE INFO VISIT: ZACH WETZEL - Beyond Broadway

THE PLAYERS:

Bill - Jesus Diaz

Paul - David Gunther

Charlotte - Kiley Bisop

Davidson - Nick Gearing

Melissa - Samanta Cuallo

Ted - Tom Mangum

Emma - Lacey Dixon

Coffee Jerk - Nick Gearing

Nora - Kiley Bishop

Obnoxious Teen - Tyler Gastelum

Zoey - Samanta Cuallo

Greenpeace - Samanta Cuallo

Homeless Man - Tom Mangum

Sam - Nick Gearing

Alice - Samanta Cuallo

Deb - Kiley Bishop

Smoke Club Kid - Lacey Dixon

Professor - Tyler Gastelum

News Narration: Zach Wetzel, Steve Velardi, Sarai Allen

Cop 1 - Samanta Cuallo

Cop 2 - Tyler Gastelum

Infected Teen - Lacey Dixon

Soldiers - Ensemble

General - Nick Gearing

Infected Soldier - Samanta Cuallo

Colonel - Kiley Bisop

Nurse - Samanta Cuallo

Carol: Sarai Allen

PRODUCTION:
Beyond Broadway Artistic Director and Production Co-Director: Zach Wetzel

Beyond Broadway Resident Music Director: Jay Melberg

Production Co-Director: Steve Velardi

Choreographer: Sarai Allen

Production Stage Manager: Makayla Enobe

Costumes: Taylor Stroupe

Set Design and Build: Sarah Wetzel

Set Build Apprentice: Julia Wetzel

Lighting Design: Elizabeth Witte

Special Make-Up Effects: Matthew Copley

Special Thanks to Phoenix Center for the Arts and Main Street Creative Arts Center

Special Thanks to Paige Westfall

THERE WILL BE ONE 15-MINUTE INTERMISSION.

THIS PRODUCTION CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND GORE. ALL AISLES AND ENTRANCES WILL BE USED. YOU MAY GET WET. THE SHOW ALSO CONTAINS FLASHING LIGHTS.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE:

This project has been a year and a half in the making, since it was postponed and eventually made its way into the Valley. It warms my heart to see it finally brought to life onstage. The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals holds a special place in my heart because at its core it is about community, a small community. How do we interact at the end of the world in this community? Do we care about petty grudges at this point? No. The purpose of theatre is to be inclusive as well as to entertain, to bring people together. As darkly comedic as this show is, I believe it is also about what happens when a small group of people who don't necessarily get along are forced to work together to survive...in this case...the Musical apocalypse. We have made some interpretive choices in this production that I think you will enjoy. After you laugh, I hope you ask yourself: who can I make peace with? What if the world was ending today? Would I really want to hold onto this grudge? People can change, and the character arcs in The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals provide opportunities for growth. I want to thank my Phoenix community family for their support in this production, particularly my new friends from Ragtime, my colleagues at The Phoenix Theatre Company, and of course everyone from Beyond Broadway. To my creative partner Jay Melberg: thanks for believing and being on the team. To my life partner Sarah Wetzel: thanks for always looking for the good and being part of the ride. Proud of you for designing the set! I would like to also dedicate this performance to my dear friends over at Saguaro City Music Theatre - make sure you catch their performance of Addams Family in Tucson before they close. Well...it's time to start the show. The Apotheosis is upon us!

ZACH WETZEL

Tyler Gastelum

Tyler Gastelum is thrilled to make his Phoenix debut with Beyond Broadway at Main Street Creative Arts Center. A resident of Tucson, Tyler has been performing as an actor and singer for 20 years. Notable credits include Pooh in POOH (Scoundrel and Scamp), Antonio Salieri in AMADEUS (Winding Road Theatre Ensemble), and Padre in MAN OF LA MANCHA (SFCT).

Liz Witte

Liz Witte has been passionate about live theatre since high school. She furthered her tech knowledge at Mesa Community College and has received four certificates including Audio, Lighting, and Backstage Crew. She has had several opportunities to design lighting at Main Street Creative Arts Center including “The Lights Are On” by Owen Panettieri and "Exit, Pursued by a Bear” by Lauren Gunderson both produced by Main Street, and “Lost Girl” by Kimberly Belflower produced by Rebel Phoenix. In her early design career she's also had the opportunity of designing at MCC twice. She did the sound design for their 2024 production “Appropriate” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins which she got nominated for a AriZonie award with. She also did the lighting design for the Student clubs show “Spike Heels” by Theresa Rebeck in 2024. She is very excited to be the lighting designer for her very first Musical with this wonderful team!

Samanta Cuallo

Samanta Cuallo (Alice) is very excited to be doing her first post grad show as well as making her Phoenix debut! she is from Portland Oregon and has just graduated with her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Utah. She most recently performed as Little Becky in Urinetown: The Musical and as an understudy in Spring Awakening through the University of Utah’s theatre department. Some of her other favorite roles include Fantine in Les Miserables and the ensemble of Tuck Everlasting. She is ready to keep up her comedy musical streak and fully dive into these wacky (and slightly tragic) characters.

Steve Velardi

Steve Velardi (co-director) is happy to be making his AZ directorial debut collaborating with the marvelous Zach Wetzel. Favorite directing credits include Merrily We Roll Along, She Loves Me, Sisters Rosensweig, Pajama Game, The Fantasticks, and Frost/Nixon. In Phoenix, Steve has performed with DST, MTAA, and plays the father of the groom in the recurring southwest company of Tony & Tina’s Wedding. Before moving here from Brooklyn NY in 2021, Steve was a bartender/performer for 9 years at the legendary Greenwich Village piano bar, Marie’s Crisis Cafe.

Lacey Dixon

Lacey Dixon (Emma) is excited to be in her third Starkid show after playing Keeri in Firebringer at Phoenix College and Mother in The Trail to Oregon with Valley Players! As someone who has loved musicals all her life, this is definitely her most difficult acting role to date. Past credits also include Lily (The Secret Garden), Nancy (Oliver!) and Rona Lisa Piretti (Spelling Bee). She would like to dedicate her performance to Peanuts the Hatchetfield Pocket Squirrel.

Matthew Copley

Matthew Copley is a native Tucsonan, educator, storyteller, and avid participant in all of the theatre things. He typically feels more at home ON stage, but has been coerced into slinging the blood and guts (and blue crap) for this crazy show. He blames mostly his children. And his friend Mike. Matthew has done bloody stuff for other shows, including PLAYING WITH FIRE, MACBETH, FLAMING GUNS OF THE PURPLE SAGE, THE SINS OF SOR JUANA, and REAL LIVE DEATH, and for the films LEGEND OF THE PHANTOM RIDER, WORMWOOD, THE PARASITE, HELL'S FURIES, and TOUS LES FRANCAIS SONT DES PUTES. Matthew is a big fan of delicious sandwiches and frosty beverages.

Kiley Bishop

Kiley Bishop (Charlotte) is an Arizona-born actor, puppeteer, roller skater, and graphic designer who is excited to be appearing in her first StarKid musical with such a fabulous team. Recent credits include Parody Puppet Princess Bride and Die Hard: A Christmas Carol (All Puppet Players), Kristine in A Chorus Line (MET), and Babe in Crimes of the Heart (Order Chaos). She would also like to put it out into the universe that her dream role is Dinah in Starlight Express. “Am I doing this ‘manifesting’ thing correctly? Anyway, break a leg, everyone!”

Jesus Diaz

JD is thrilled to join the hive in this infectiously thrilling production of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals! Some favorite past productions they have been involved in are Sister Act (Pablo), School of Rock (Doug), In the Heights (Ensemble), Shrek (Pig 1), Scrooge in Rouge (Lottie), Annie (Rooster), Little Shop of Horrors (Puppeteer) and was most recently in The Christians as Associate Pastor Joshua. JD is so honored to share the stage with this group of talented artists and beyond grateful to Zach, Steve and the whole team for their support!

David Gunther

David Gunther is very excited to make his Phoenix debut with The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. He's recently performed in Newsies, Miracle on 34th St, and Side Show at Arts Express Theatre. He's been seen in the Gaslight Theatre productions of A Small Town Christmas and Curse of the Pirate's Gold, and prior to that performed with Invisible Theatre, Winding Road, Scoundrel and Scamp, and Unscrewed Theater, to name a few. Outside of theatre he's an accomplished computer technician, and dabbles in a wide variety of hobbies, such as standup comedy, homebrewing, tabletop gaming, cooking, baking, and anything else odd and eclectic that catches his imagination. He'd like to thank all of you for coming and supporting local live theatre, and hopes your integration into the alien hive mind will be fun, entertaining, and mostly painless!

Tom Mangum

Tom Mangum (Ted)

"You didn't invite me!" Tom grew up in Arizona and has been on stage most of his life. Participating in nearly fifty productions, he is an AriZoni Award winning actor.

Among his credits are The Addams Family (Music Director), Annie (Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks), Beauty and the Beast (The Beast), Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Buddy Holly), Fiddler On the Roof (Perchik), Ghost: The Musical (Sam Wheat), The Great Gatsby (Tom Buchanan), Into the Woods (The Wolf/Cinderella's Prince), Mary Poppins (Mr. Banks), Million Dollar Quartet (Johnny Cash), The Pajama Game (Sid Sorokin), Seussical the Musical (Horton the Elephant), and West Side Story (Riff).

He is thrilled to share the stage again. Enjoy the show!

Sarai Allen

Zach Wetzel

Zach Wetzel is from Los Angeles California. He has been working as an educator and theatremaker in Arizona since 2017. Zach has worked with many prominent Arizona Arts organizations including: The Herberger Theater Center, Arizona Musicfest, The Phoenix Theatre Company, The Phoenix Third Street Theatre, The Musical Theatre Alliance of Arizona, The Gaslight Music Hall, Saguaro City Music Theatre, and more. Regional credits include: FROZEN: THE MUSICAL, MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, MATILDA: THE MUSICAL, CAMELOT, MAN OF LA MANCHA, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER, BRIGHT STAR, TICK TICK BOOM, TITANIC: THE MUSICAL, THE GUY WHO DIDN'T LIKE MUSICALS, and SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL. Education: BM Vocal Performance, Brigham Young University. JD Media Law, USD School of Law. ZACH WETZEL

Jay Melberg

James Melberg has been music directing in Phoenix Arizona for the past 35 years. Graduated from the University of Arizona in 1987 in Music Education. Currently teaching piano and voice at the Phoenix Center for the Arts since 1994. Has directed over 65 musicals and cabarets and past favorites include: Little Shop of Horrors, Million Dollar Quartet, RIng of Fire, Buddy Holly Story, The Great Gatsby, Shrek the Musical, The Full Monty, Ave Q, Spamalot, Man of La Mancha and La Cage Aux Folles. Performs with the band Sacred Blues and has written eight original musicals.