Jenna-Mae White (Ariel) is a dynamic performer with experience across film, television, and theatre. Originally from the UK, she moved to Los Angeles at 18 and has since worked with HBO, NBC, and Disney, and has also trained with the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK. She’s taken on leading roles in award-qualifying films and stage productions like Les Misérables, A Christmas Carol, and Macbeth, and recently had the joy of playing Sandy in Grease. A trained vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, she loves exploring different styles. She is so excited for her first performance with the Nocturne Company and to be trusted with such an iconic character, Ariel, despite her biggest fear being the ocean. Huge thanks to her family and friends for their support no matter where in the world they are. @jennamaewhite 

​

Ben Raanan (Prince Eric) is thrilled to be a part of this show. He’s an LA native who graduated from NYU with a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. He has recently appeared in SoCal as Fred in Madame Scrooge (Nocturne), Barnaby in Hello Dolly! (Musical Theatre West), Bat Boy in Bat Boy (Atwater Village Theater), and Legally Blonde (La Mirada). Favorite roles from NYU include Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast), Cat in the Hat (Seussical), and Lovborg (Hedda Gabler). He’s also a voice teacher, theatre educator, and the Music Director for Culver City Middle School’s musicals. Enjoy the show!

​

Darius Aaron Frye (Sebastian) is multifaceted Entertainer with over 20 years of experience. He began his career as a Hip-Hop dancer and would take this love for movement and use it compete at the age of 15.  Darius holds two national titles as a competitive Hip-Hop Dancer/Choreographer. His love for musical theatre began at a very young age when his Mother introduced him to original West Side Story film. Darius’s love for the arts only grew as he took on Filmmaking , Singing(Bass range) and Acting. He is very excited to be part of this show as this will be his third official show!​

​

Wesley Moran (Ursula) is a Native Angelino and lifelong classically trained entertainer. From Billy Flynn to Figaro their work spans genres. Wesleys passion for drag is lifelong and he is grateful to be able to share this culminative moment with you. This is their inaugural season with The Nocturne Theatre “the A24 of theatre”.  They look forward to many more.  (Ursula was robbed)

​​​​

Nicole Nelson (Flounder) is thrilled to return to The Nocturne. Audiences may recognize her from Shrek, Beauty and the Beast, and Madame Scrooge. Beyond the stage, Nicole has an extensive background in TV and film. She recently starred in Jane Austen’s Period Drama, which earned a 2026 Oscar nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. She first gained recognition as a lead on Nickelodeon’s hit series I Am Frankie. Additional credits include GLOW (Netflix), Swedish Dicks (LionsgateTV), Deadly Daughter Switch (Lifetime), Mr. Student Body President (New Form Digital), and What The Elf?! (Little Bull Productions). She hopes you enjoy the show!

​

Brendan Lynch (Scuttle) is excited to be in his third show at the Nocturne Theater, previously appearing in Jekyll and Hyde, Beauty and the Beast and Shrek. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with degrees in Musical Theater and Electrical Engineering. Brendan is currently working as a software engineer at Amazon Web Services, while moonlighting as an actor. He has previously portrayed Christopher in The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime, Tobias in Sweeney Todd, and Gabe in Next to Normal. Brendan would like to thank his friends and family for all their support.

​

Kelby Thwaits (King Triton) is ecstatic to be back at The Nocturne Theatre in Disney’s, ‘The Little Mermaid!’ He recently portrayed Dom Claude Frollo in Disney’s, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame,’ and Prince Charming/The Wolf in ‘Into the Woods’ (Nocturne Theatre).  Other notable stage credits include starring roles in ‘Jekyll & Hyde,’ ‘Camelot,’ ‘The Rainmaker,’ ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel,’ ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie.’ 

He is a filmmaker and composer, having created original music, sound and lighting design for Nocturne’s, ‘The Eaves’ and an original score for the Sci-Fi Horror film, ‘The Bunker’.  

His latest film, ‘A Curious Woman’ won Best Experimental Film at the Paris International Film Festival. imdb.me/kelby  Kelby is the Director of MSMU LA’s innovative Graduate programs in Film, Television and New Media. www.msmu.edu/film Special thanks to Angela, Ethan, Emily, Maddy, Greta and Minnie!

​

J.D. Wallis​ (Grimsby) is a certified massage therapist, voice-over actor, and graduate of UCSB with a BFA in theater. He has previously performed with Nocturne as Herr Schultz in Cabaret and as Professor Abraham Van Helsing in Dracula. His past credits include Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd), Sky Masterson (Guys & Dolls), Frederick Frankenstein (Young Frankenstein), Harry MacAfee (Bye Bye Birdie), Roger De Bris (The Producers), Jacob/Potiphar (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Max (The Andrews Brothers), Charlie Davenport (Annie Get Your Gun), Lord Oakleigh (Anything Goes).

​​

Christian Lees (Flotsam) began with stage work at age nine, starting on the West End as Gavroche in Les Misérables, and later appeared in Billy Elliot. He transitioned to film and television with Tale of Tales, which premiered at Cannes in 2015. He went on to play Jerry Lee Lewis in CMT’s Sun Records and then Glen Matlock in FX and Hulu’s Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle. His latest role is as Sean in CAITY, set to premiere at Tribeca this year.

​

Jonah Lees (Jetsam) began his career on London’s West End, playing Michael Banks in Mary Poppins. He later went on to star in television and film, including his roles as Jussipo in Netflix’s The Letter for the King, Jimmy Swaggart in CMT’s Sun Records, and Shane in Hulu’s Halloween horror movie Carved, to name a few. Most recently, Jonah stars alongside Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott, and Margaret Qualley as Morty “Knuckles” Rifkin in Blue Moon, and appears in James Gunn’s Superman as Dean Farr.

​​

Andrew Gaxiola (Chef Louis) is thrilled to be making his Nocturne Theatre debut in The Little Mermaid as Chef Louis! Andrew received his B.A. (hons) in Music from ULV and is currently working towards a M.A. in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Wales. Previous credits: Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (RCP), Chef Louis in The Little Mermaid (IVRT) and the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz (IPB). Outside of performing, Andrew teaches private voice lessons and coaches voice for various high schools. Andrew sends his love to his fur babies. @bearitonebear.

 

Kasey Hentz (Adrina) is thrilled to be back at The Nocturne Theatre as Andrina in The Little Mermaid after being in last seasons West Side Story and Madam Scrooge! She is a singer, dancer, and actress based in Los Angeles. She also recently graduated from AMDA LA with her BFA in Musical Theater. Some of her favorite credits include Charity Valentine (Sweet Charity), Rosalia (West Side Story), Hotbox Dancer (Guys&Dolls). She sends lots of love to her family and friends for constant support!!! IG: kaseyhentz

​

Tara Cox (Arista) is a UCLA grad with a BA in Theatre & creator of musical parodies on TikTok that have been shared by Rosie O'Donnell, Leslie Jones, & Shania Twain, garnering over 1 million views & 30k+ followers. She has 2 NAACP theatre award nominations for her roles as Dragon in Nocturne’s “Shrek” & Lettie in the Wallis’ world premiere of “Rapunzel Alone.” Catch me on the UCB main stage performing Improvised Musicals with “Sing Out, Louise” & writing/performing with “Quick & Funny Musicals”-We are taking our “Heated Rivalry” musical parody to Edinburgh Fringe! Find me on instaCLAM: @taraalisecox

​

Catherine Ballantyne (Aquata) (she/her) is a performer based in Los Angeles. She is excited to be back at the Nocturne for The Little Mermaid. Selected LA theater credits include; Shrek at the Nocturne as well as Oklahoma, Bedridden, The Wolves, The Children's Hour, and Harvey. She has also been in various films and voiceover productions and has a BFA in Theater and a BA in Film and Media from UC Santa Barbara. She loves whimsy and the beach and thanks her friends and family for their continued support.

 

Abhaya Krishnan-Jha (Allana) (she/her) is so excited to be returning to The Nocturne Theatre with the cast of The Little Mermaid! Selected theatre credits include Vampiress Soloist (Dracula the Musical), Sarah Brown (Guys and Dolls), Florinda (Into the Woods), and Bina (Gunga Din). Abhaya studied computer science and music at the University of Southern California and has trained under Rod Gilfry, Karen Parks, and Jeanette Sacco-Belli. Follow @abhayarangini for updates!

​​​​

Chelsea Carroll (Attina) studied Ballet at Point Park University and went on to perform in Festival of the Lion King at Disney World where she fell in love with circus arts. She has been performing with Elevation Aerial since 2018 in a variety of shows written and directed by the brilliant Lisa-Marie Burnside. She can also be found backstage as a Physical Therapist at local theatres including the Pantages and Ahmanson. Chelsea was an aerial bartender for M2M’s House of Spirits and is thrilled to make her Nocturne Theatre debut!

​

Taylor Foster (Adella) is excited to be making her debut at the Nocturne Theater. Taylor grew up dancing on the stage, but quickly took her talents to the screen. You may have seen her on an episode of Criminal Minds, Lessons in Chemistry, or even as the lead in Lifetime’s TV movie, Sister with a Secret. Previous stage roles include Charlotte in R&H Cinderella, Cassie in A Chorus Line, and Trixi in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. For more information visit www.taylrfostr.com or follow her online @taylrfostr

​

Andreas Pantazis (Pilot) is returning to the Nocturne Theater. He was last seen in Shrek and Beauty and the Beast (as The Beast) but you might recognize him from Annie Get Your Gun, Pirates of Penzance, and Little Woman on this stage when it was the GCT.  Credits: Les Miserables (Courfeyrac, u/s Marius) Regional Tour and (Enjolras) Center Stage Inc; BATB (Gaston) Candlelight Pavilion/Inland Pacific Ballet; Young Frankenstein (Sasha/Quartet-Bass) San Gabriel Valley Music Theatre; Home For The Holidays (Santa/Ensemble) Knotts Berry Farm; Elf the Musical (Ensemble/u.s. Santa/Greenway) Sierra Repertory Theatre and Cinderella (Ensemble) 5 Star Theatricals. He would like to thank the team and this talented cast for inviting him to the swamp. Big thanks to his family,  friends and you for the continuous love and support. Now enjoy a family fun show and watch out for the Dragon!

Ig: Andreas.a.Pantazis

​

Lisa-Marie Burnside (Aerialist/Aerial Choreographer) is an accomplished aerialist and choreographer known for  performances that blend artistry with aerial dance. With a background in theatre, she brings storytelling to life through dynamic, character-driven work. As the owner of ElevAtion Aerial School and Performance Company, she specializes in innovative aerial techniques, including Aerial Bartending and Story-Driven Aerial Burlesque . Her performances have graced various stages, including her choreography and performance in Dracula and her role in Madame Scrooge here at the Nocturne. Lisa-Marie is thrilled to return and collaborate with the incredible Meyer2Meyer team, lovingly dedicating this performance to her little mermaid, El. @littleburnside

​

Kimberly Butler (Aerialist) is thrilled to return to The Nocturne Theatre! Past theatrical credits include Dracula (Vampiress), Cabaret (Helga), Urinetown (Dr. Billeaux), and Shrek the Musical (Pied Piper). Kimberly holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Chicago College of Performing Arts and has been practicing aerial silks for over 10 years. IG: @kimberly.aerial 

​

​