September 16 – 18
Animal Farm is a fable with a sting. Much has been written about the threat of Communism, but it remained to the late George Orwell, farsighted British author of the brilliant and frightening 1984, to expose the Russian experiment for what it really is; an idealist’s dream, converted by realists into a nightmare. In staged dramatic reading version of this timely allegory you will meet beasts whose prototypes have dominated news headlines for many fearful years. Opening on a note of joyous triumph for the creatures who have emancipated themselves from the cruel mastery of a human owner, the reading mounts inexorably to a climax of disillusionment. Intermingling humor and drama, Animal Farm wrings the emotions of its listeners, leaving audiences shaken with the tale of a tragedy that happened in a mythical barnyard far away but could happen in our own back yard.
Headshot credit: Andrew and Stephanie Schones
Cast

Cast
Sophia is very excited to be a part of her 5th show at Batavia High School. It is her second show this year as a sophomore. She hopes you enjoy the mystery and humor of this play.

Crew
Tatjana is a junior and is very excited to be props master this year! She has been in numerous shows appearing on stage and behind the scenes. She is excited for you to see Murder on the Rerun and knows you will enjoy.

Cast
T.J. is a senior at BHS, and this is his 8th production in the drama program here. He is so excited for you to experience this wonderful show, and would like to thank everyone involved.


This is Zoe’s 12th and final show at BHS. She is so excited that the audiences gets to experience this one of a kind performance in person. With things finally feeling as close to normal as they can, she hopes that everyone has as much fun watching the show as she did during this process.

Student Musical Director
Lily is so thrilled and grateful to be part of such an amazing production team! As a junior at BHS, she is a part of Chamber Singers, Wind Symphony, and Chromatics. 42nd Street is her fifth production at BHS and her second as the Student Music Director. She is so thankful for her family and friends as well as Mr. Barsch and Mr. Cattero for supporting her!

Cast
Mackenzie is a sophomore. She has done four shows with BHS. She is very excited to be in this show and hopes you enjoy it.

Cast

Cast
This being Matthew’s 5th production at BHS, he considers himself somewhat of a seasoned thespian. Not to mention his many appearances in BHS’ most wonderful improv troupe, But Seriously Folks, over the past year and a half. An amalgamation of all of these skills is sure to leave you amazed by the end of this whimsical tale, especially when one considers the expertise of his fellow cast. Silence your damn phones, buckle your seatbelts, and enjoy; it’s a good one.

Cast
Mitch is in his sophomore year at Batavia High School and has done several plays and a musical. This is Mitch’s 2nd musical. Mitch is super excited for being able to participate in the theater program and having the opportunity to get more experience with acting. He really hopes that you enjoy the show!

Cast
Ravyn is so thrilled to be a part of this show! She loves the script and her character very much. Ravyn feels very privileged to be able to be in a show with a small cast where she can explore new ideas with her acting and create closer friendships to her fellow cast members. She hopes you enjoy the shows!

Crew
Ronni is a Senior here at BHS and is so excited to be apart 42nd street. This is Ronni’s second year doing crew but has been in many other performances on the stage as well. Enjoy the show!

Cast
Sarah Katz is a sophomore at Batavia High School. She has been in a few shows there, including Animal Farm, Nevermore, and was in tech for SpongeBob. She is very happy to be in 42nd Street, and she hopes you enjoy the hard work everyone has put into the show.

Stage Manager
Gabrielle is a senior at Batavia High School and this is her 8th show overall and her second one as Stage Manager. She wants to thank everyone involved in the production and hopes the audience enjoys Nevermore!

Cast
Gemma, a senior, was previously in shows such as I Remember Mama (Christine), Theory of Relativity (Julie), and Animal Farm (Napoleon) at the high school, as well as the play Columbinus (Rebel) at the Albright Theatre. She also studied at Actors Training Center in Wilmette and Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston.


Cast
Jayden, a Sophomore, is excited to be in his 4th show at BHS(Animal Farm, Nevermore, Spongebob, and 42nd Street). Even if he’s just a guy who walks across the stage with a rope, he says, “It’s still a great experience, with lots of friends. Enjoy the show!”

Cast
This is Kate’s fourth show and second musical at BHS. She is so excited for everyone to see 42nd street and would like to thank everyone who worked so hard for it to be possible. Enjoy the show!

Cast
Kayla, a senior, is so excited to share this underwater spectacular with you as the cast dives deep into the meanings of friendship and perseverance. This is Kayla’s 7th and final show at Batavia High School and she couldn’t be happier to end it off with a bang. She hopes you enjoy the show as much as she does!

Crew
Lexie is excited for the show! This is her 4th production at BHS and 3rd as a crew member. She has been involved in both community theatre as well as school shows since she was in third grade. She hopes that everyone enjoys the show!

Cast
Abe is super excited for his last musical at BHS, and is grateful to be a part of such an amazing production. He enjoys being very involved in the amazing music and theatre programs here at BHS. Past productions include Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia!, The Theory of Relativity, Animal Farm, and Spongebob the Musical. He is also on the improv troupe But Seriously Folks…, and enjoys being in Chromatics and Swinsingers at BHS. He thanks his family and friends for supporting him in doing something he loves and will cherish for the rest of his life. Enjoy the show!


Cast
Ashlyn is a senior at BHS and is so excited to be apart of Murder on the Rerun! She has been part of all the shows at BHS so far and can’t wait for you all to be drawn into this mystery! She also had an amazing time assistant directing and is so proud of her fellow cast mates! She is so thankful for everyone who came to watch and hopes you enjoy the show!

Chloe Nelson
Mollie/Mr. Whymper

Cast
Clara is a senior at BHS with 10 productions under her belt. She has thoroughly enjoyed the process of creating this show, and hopes that the hard work of the cast and crew will shine through during the performance!

This is Desert’s 12th and final show here at the BFAC. It’s been one crazy journey these past 4 years but he’s glad to be ending it off playing his personal idol Squidward. He hopes that you will be blown away by this spectacle of a show.

Cast
Erin is a junior at Batavia High School and this is her fourth production at BHS. She is so excited for everyone to see this amazing show and hopes you enjoy!

Stage Manager
Hello! Ben is a junior at Batavia High School and this is their first time stage managing a show at Batavia. They’ve assistant stage managed two previous shows and been in crew prior. They hope you enjoy the show!
Artistic Team
Joshua Casburn is honored to be the director of such an amazing cast. Joshua attended Wheaton College and earned a BA in Communications: Theater, and a BA in English. At Wheaton, he was proud to be part of the“Workout” theatre troupe, as it had a profound influence on him artistically. After college, he and other “Workout” alums developed their own theater, Spendrift Theater Company, based out of Glen Ellyn, IL. Mr. Casburn has directed many plays at BHS. Some of his recent directing credits at BHS include productions of Animal Farm, I Remember Mama and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Mr. Casburn also has experience producing films. He won “Best Picture” and “Best Screenplay” at the Wheaton College Class Film Festival. He spent some time in Hollywood at the Act One Screenwriting program and has also studied screenwriting in Chicago. He also has a Masters of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University, and teaches Creative Writing, Theater Arts, and Film as Literature at BHS. His teaching and artistic endeavors are extensions of his most important, most fulfilling job: being a husband to his AMAZING wife Heidi, and a father to four wonderful kids: Hailey, Logan, Elise, and Brendan. “I’m so proud and blessed to have worked with all of these talented young students.”