pantochino teen theatre / Saturday night fever

Max Aliberti (Frank, Jay)

Maya Barnes (Annette) is a 17 year old junior at Notre Dame Prep. She is happy to be performing in her seventh Pantochino Teen Theater production. Her most recent roles include Grandma Georgina in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Bird Girl in Seussical. This year she is also set to perform as Roxie Hart in her school’s production of Chicago. She is happy to be back on stage this year and hopes you enjoy the show!

Robert Berson (Bobby) is from Branford, CT. He is thrilled to be in his eighth and final Pantochino Teen Theatre show! He performed industry readings of the updated Rags in NYC with Stephen Schwartz, was part of the original cast recording of Dandelion and performed at the Stephen Schwartz benefit for The Orphaned Starfish Foundation. He performed at Kansas City Repertory Theatre as Joey in the world premier of Last Days of Summer, Directed by Jeff Calhoun as well as Tiny Tim at Goodspeed Musicals. Robert has appeared in the Investigation Discovery Series and on The Loudest Voice HBO series. He studied dance at Starship Dance Studio and studies voice with Celeste Simone. Robert is represented by Nancy Carson of Carson-Adler Agency.

Bella Cabral (Monty)

Bailey Chapin (Pete, Dance Ensemble). Bailey is excited to be back for her tenth Teen Theatre performance! Previous Teen Theatre shows include The Drowsy Chaperone, Runaways, The SpongeBob Musical, Batboy, Grease, We Will Rock You, The Prom, Chicago and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is a senior at Trumbull High School where she is Co-President of the THeSpian Executive Board and has appeared in 12 Angry Jurors (Juror #1), Footloose, Almost, Maine (for which she received a Halo Award nomination for her role as Rhonda), 42nd Street, The Alibis (Davina Arlington), the premier workshop production of Ernsxt (Wince), Mean Girls and A Simpler Time (Vander Crisp and Gilda). She has been dancing for thirteen years with Connecticut Dance studio. She would like to thank Bert, Justin, Sally, Jimmy and Martha for all of their support and for just being amazing! Congratulations to the entire cast!

Aria Chiaramonte is excited to be taking part in her second Pantochino Teen Theatre show!  Some recent performances for Aria include Zombie Prom (Ginger), It’s A Wonderful Life (Zuzu), Oklahoma Jr. (Gertie), and Christmas Cookies (Camilla).  Aria is a Freshman at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull where she enjoys participating in the Drama Club and the Mock Trial Team.  She would like to thank her parents for supporting her love of theater.

Helen Gallagher is a thirteenyear old seventh grader at East Shore Middle School where she will be playing Adam in their upcoming production of Beetlejuice Jr. Previous roles include Pinocchio in Shrek Jr., Billy in Girl on the Moon, and Pepper in Annie Jr. Helen has been participating in Pantochino summer camps and after school programs since she was seven years old. She is excited to make her Teen Theatre debut in Saturday Night Fever. In her free time, Helen enjoys competitive Irish dance, reading and writing, and singing loudly. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support as well as the incredible Pantochino creative team. She hopes you enjoy the show! 

Fiorella Gargiulo (Pauline) is delighted to be in her eighth Pantochino Teen Theater production. She has previously been a part of The SpongeBob Musical, Bat Boy, Grease, We Will Rock You, the Prom, Chicago, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is a junior at Jonathan Law High School. When she isn’t singing and dancing, she plays soccer, reads rom-com books, and watches hockey. She is very thankful for everything the Pantochino family has done for her, and is excited for more memories!

Patrick Guthrie (Double J) is from West Haven and is currently seventeen years old. He has been in eight Pantochino teen theater productions. His first-ever Pantochino production was Snow Dude! in 2014. His first show in teen theater was Pippin (Theo) in 2020, and his most recent production with Pantochino was Chicago (Reporter). He is a Senior at Notre Dame West Haven, and he played Beast in their production of Beauty and the Beast. He has been fortunate enough to be nominated for three HALO awards. He wants to thank Pantochino for developing him into the performer he is today!

Luke Hatzis (Ceasar) is happy to be making an appearance in Saturday Night Fever as his fifth teen theater show. He is a senior at Trumbull High School and will be playing Joseph in their spring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He can also be seen performing as a pre-professional company member at Rockwell Dance Center. Luke would like to thank the Pantochino community and his family for all their support. 

Wyatt Hughes (Gabriel) is in Eighth grade at Eastshore Middle School. Wyatt is excited to be a part of his second show with Pantochino Teen Theatre.  Wyatt has been participating in Pantochino summer camps and shows since he was 8 years old. Wyatt played Donkey in the Eastshore Drama production of Shrek Jr. the Musical. In addition to theatre Wyatt enjoys playing baseball. He would like to thank his family and the Pantochino team for their support.

Lexi Kochanowicz (Candy) is ecstatic to be part of her third Pantochino Teen Theatre Production. A junior at Foran High School, she was recently cast as the Sour Kangaroo in Seussical. Her previous roles include Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice Jr. at Square Foot Theater and Violet Beauregarde in Pantochino’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lexi is grateful to be surrounded by such an inspiring and supportive cast and crew. She sends a special thank you to musical director Justin Rugg for his guidance in mastering the show’s vibrant disco music.”

Deniz Korkmaz (Joey) This is my first Pantochino show.!Before coming to Pantochino, I was in Beauty and The Beast, High School Musical, Descendants, Mean Girls, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I am currently doing The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson Musical at Jonathan Law High School.

Eleanora Landa is thrilled to be making her debut with Pantochino teen theater.  She attends East Shore Middle School where she has been active in their drama program.  She will be playing the role of Barbara in their upcoming production of Beetlejuice Jr.  Previous roles include The Wicked Witch in Shrek Jr., and Tessie in Annie Jr. She has attended Pantochino summer camps for the past three years.  Off stage Ella enjoys ice skating, sewing, and making her family and friends laugh!

Ginny LaVesseur (Stephanie Mangano) is a senior at Lauralton Hall and is so excited to be playing Stephanie in Saturday Night Fever! This is her second Pantochino Teen Theater production and she most recently played Olive in Lauralton’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Outside of theatre, Ginny is a dance teacher and choreographer at Fairfield Performing Arts Studio. She is so grateful for this amazing cast and hopes you enjoy the show! 

Brenna Murphy is a junior at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield. Saturday Night Fever is her fourth show with Teen Theatre; she has previously done The Prom, Chicago, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Last spring, she was a Whickersham Brother in Notre Dame’s production of Seussical, and will appear as the MC in their current production of Chicago. Additionally, she’s been in community theater productions of Once upon a Mattress and Elf the Musical. She would like to thank her parents for helping her get involved in theater.

Connor Rizzo (Tony Manero) is a senior at Foran High School in Milford and is ready to put on his boogie shoes in his seventh teen theater musical! Recently, Connor has portrayed Billy Flynn in Pantochino’s Chicago, Grandpa Joe in Sacred Heart Academy’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Prince Dauntless in his high school’s production of Once Upon a Mattress. He would like to thank Bert, Jimmy, Justin, Sally, Martha, and the whole Pantochino family for all the love and amazing memories that come with every show, his family for always being supportive, and his voice teacher Rose Coppola for helping him sound the best he can. He hopes you enjoy the show!

Christopher Serrano (Fusco, Frank Jr., Chester Brinson) is thrilled to be part of his eighth teen theater production. A Junior at Jonathan Law High School, Chris serves as Drama Club president and Choir board member. Last year, he was nominated for Best Lead Male (Damian Hubbard, Mean Girls) and Best Supporting Male (Stacee Jaxx, Rock of Ages!) at the 2024 Halo Awards. Chris is currently rehearsing The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, running May 2-4 at his school. He thanks his friends and family for their continued support.

Nora Simonelli (Connie, Maria)  is so excited to put on her boogie shoes for Saturday Night Previous roles include the title role in Annie, as well as summer Teen Theatre productions of The Prom and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She has been a part of the Pantochino family for many years, participating in several of the company's after-school and summer camp shows, as well as mainstage productions of Christmas Carol and The Wicked Witch of the West, Kansas or Bust!  Nora is a freshman at The Williams School in New London, where she is a member of the school dance company. She is so happy to spend time with her brother Rowan onstage as a member of the Teen Theatre company. Lots of love to all her family and friends!

Rowan Simonelli (Gus) is ready to put on his boogie shoes in Pantochino’s Saturday Night Fever. Past roles with the company include: Mike Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Emcee in Chicago, Doody in Grease, Ron in Bat Boy, and the title role in The SpongeBob Musical, for which he was awarded a Broadway World Connecticut award for Best Actor in a Musical. Rowan is a junior at ACES Educational Center for the Arts (ECA) in New Haven, where he has appeared in Blue Eyed Hag, The Labor Project, and most recently- the world premiere of The Accepted. Currently, Rowan is thrilled to be working on The Feminist Theatre Project at ECA, where he is writing, directing, and acting in the performance this April. A special thanks to his sister, Nora, whom he is so happy to share the stage with again, and to Bert, Jimmy, Justin, and Sally. Much love to family and friends.

Aislynn Small (Flo)

Mars Thomas (Shirley Charles) is a junior at Jonathan Law High School. They are the Public Relations for their high school’s choir program. Mars is also involved in their schools drama club, and plays Hades in their current production of The Lightning Thief. This is their third teen theatre production, their first two being Chicago, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Mars enjoys art, fashion, and traveling with their friends and family.

Alitah Visconti (Linda) this is Allah’s first ever role as Linda. A little bit about myself; I play guitar, sing and dance as well. All of which I’m deeply passionate about.

Barrett Welch is thrilled to be boogying into their fourth production with teen theatre! Previous productions here include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (u/s Veruca) Chicago (Harry) and The Prom (u/s Emma). Barrett is a sophomore at West Haven High School. They most notably played Titania in Notre Dame Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for which they received the Halo Award for Up & Coming Performer. They will be playing Alice in West Haven High School Theatre Workshop's upcoming production of The Addams Family. Other notable productions include Beauty and the Beast (Silly Girl/Featured Dancer), Newsies (Elmer), The Little Mermaid (Andrina/u/s Ursula), Frozen (Anna), and High School Musical (Sharpay).

Sally Hong (Choreographer) is beyond excited to join Pantochino Productions. She was a Radio City Rockette for six seasons. She performed on Broadway in Flower Drum Song and in the National Tours of The King and I, Flower Drum Song (Dance Captain), and 42nd St. She has taught in studios and schools nationwide including Yale, Dean, Sacred Heart University, and California State Long Beach, and was one of the first to teach The Rockette Experience at Radio City. She served as Choreographer for Trumbull High School, contributing to their productions winning the Halo Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, two Dance Molinari Scholarships, Best Featured Dancers, and Best Classical Musical. While in the capacity as Dance Director for Notre Dame Catholic High School, Sally secured multiple grants fulfilling her dream to introduce groups of students to Broadway shows and take workshops from cast members. Sally is a co-founder of Rockettes of Color Alumnae and is passionate about diversifying the line for multiple colors to be represented. One of the projects that came from her collaboration with Radio City is the article on their website featuring her for AAPI Heritage Month: https://www.rockettes.com/blog/celebrating-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month/ Sally was elected Rockette Alumnae Association 2nd Vice President in 2023. She has test-solved for Penny Press and Dell Magazines for over 18 years. Thank you Boo for always believing that I was capable of playing in my job. Much love to Bubba and B for the space to share my passion with my people.

Bert Bernardi (Director) is the co-producer and co-founder of Pantochino Productions Inc and has been bringing ‘ridiculously entertaining’ theatre to the Milford since 2010. He is the former Artistic Director of the Children’s Company in Bridgeport and his work has been seen extensively at Cortland Repertory Theatre (NY), The Theatre Barn (NY), Millbrook Playhouse (PA) and the Surflight Theatre (NJ). His work as also been seen at Legacy Theatre (CT), Fairfield University, New York University Steinhardt School, Music Theatre North (NY), the Boston Post Road Stage Company, Arundel Barn (NY) and TheatreWorks New Milford. With composer Justin Rugg, he has penned many, many new musicals, several of which are published, licensed and performed around the country. Bert is a recipient of the Connecticut Critics Circle Tom Killen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre in Connecticut.