Kyle Rankins

Founder, Producer, Managing Director

Kyle has used her theatrical experience, on stage and backstage, in numerous productions with the Wilbraham United Players, in shows such as Anything Goes, You Can't Take It With You, Noises Off, Chicago (in her award-winning role as Roxie Hart), Once Upon a Mattress, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Steel Magnolias. She has worked with numerous area theatre groups, including Ludlow's Exit 7 Players and Youth Players and the Comical Mystery Tour. She has performed for WUP and the Exit 7 Players in the Western MA Community Theatre Association's annual Drama Festival. Kyle is the creator and instructor of the Creative Dramatics after-school program and Theatrecraft, a week-long theatre arts clinic.

She currently runs the administrative side of things and was the director for Carnival, Bye Bye Birdie, The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan, Oliver!, and Barnum.

Deb Trimble

Founder, Artistic Director, Advanced Acting Leader

Director of Once Upon A Mattress

Deb has been directing theatre for the Wilbraham United Players since 1993. Since then she's directed at least one show per season for them, including Anything Goes, Noises Off, Once Upon a Mattress, Arsenic and Old Lace, the award-winning Chicago, Greater Tuna, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Little Shop of Horrors, 1940's Radio Hour, The Diary of Anne Frank, Steel Magnolias, The Fantasticks, The Mousetrap, and Camelot. In 2006, she directed WUP's 50th Anniversary production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. She has also adapted and directed two of Shakespeare's better known comedies - The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing - for the WUP stage. This past spring she brought Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Wilbraham again, this time incorporating both the adult cast members of WUP and current and former WSYTeers in true multi-generational casting. She is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory of Music with a degree in music and vocal performance.

Deb leads WSYT's Advanced Acting Company and serves as technical director and costumer for all of WSYT's productions. She also directed Hello, Dolly! (for which she also served as musical director) Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Seussical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Pirates of Penzance.

Kait Rankins

Graphics/Website, Senior Company Leader

Kait began with WSYT in our inaugural season in 1997 with the role of Stepsister Portia in Cinderella and continued with us until 2002. Favorite WSYT roles include Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly!, Mama Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie, and Mrs. Paroo in The Music Man. She started design for WSYT in 1997 at age 12, when she designed the Company's logo. Since then, she has designed the logo artwork for Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Oliver!, Pirates of Penzance, Barnum, and Once Upon A Mattress. She also maintains and operates the WSYT website. After "graduating" as WSYTeer, she was the Junior Company Assistant alongside Kyle in 2003 and 2004. In 2006, she received her B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she acted, directed, and worked on crew for over thirty productions, including a season of summer stock at the Okoboji Summer Theatre in Okoboji, Iowa. Additionally, she was also on the board of the student-run Warehouse Theatre, and she served as Dramaturge for their 2005-2006 season. She returned to WSYT in 2007 as Workshop Specialist and photographer. In January 2008 she was an actor-participant in Shakespeare & Company's world-famous Month-Long Intensive training program, and was most recently seen as the Acid Queen in The Who's Tommy (Greene Room Productions). She also teaches drama to young actors in MA and CT with Performing Arts Programs and offers private lessons.

This is her fourth year leading Senior Company.

Rachele Cowhey

Box Office Manager, Junior Company Leader

Rachele joins us for her sixth season on staff after being Staff Intern in 2006 and "graduating" WSYT in 2005. She appeared in all of the WSYT productions from 1999 through 2005. Rachele's favorite WSYT role was as Mrs. Mayor in 2005's Seussical. She also appeared as Cogsworth in Ludlow High School's production of Beauty & the Beast, as Reynaldo in Hamlet with Minnechaug Regional High School, and as a part of the ensemble in WUP's 50th Anniversary production of The Mikado. She was a stage manager for WUP's productions of Steel Magnolias and Camelot and continues to serve on the WUP board. She is a 2006 graduate of Ludlow High School and is currently a theatre student at Springfield Technical Community College.

This is her first year leading Junior Company, having assisted for the past four seasons. She also runs the WSYT box office.

Carolyn Averill

Advanced Acting Co-Leader

Carolyn grew up on the WSYT stage, appearing in all of our productions from 1997 through 2003. Her favorite WSYT roles include Irene Molloy in Hello, Dolly!, Julie Jordan in Carousel, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. She is also a WUP veteran, appearing in several productions since her debut in 1995, including Our Town (Emily), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), The Mikado (Yum-Yum), Steel Magnolias (Shelby) and The Fantasticks (Luisa), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator). She appeared in Spoon River Anthology with Springfield Technical Community College, Godspell with the Wilbraham United Church, The Graduate and Bus Stop, both with the Majestic Theater. Carolyn has performed in the CTA Festival competition in WUP's Hold for Three and Telegram for Mrs. Edwards. In 2002, Carolyn was named Best Actress in a Musical by Bravo newspaper for her role as Philia in WUP's award-winning production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This spring she performed the role of Guinevere in Camelot with WUP. You can also find Carolyn online in her commercial for Southworth Paper.

Greg Boilard

Junior Company Assistant

Greg was a WSYTeer for five years before becoming staff intern last year. Favorite WSYT roles include Mr. Brownlow in Oliver, The Baker in Joseph, and Bruce the Pirate in Pirates of Penzance. Greg has been an active student at The Drama Studio for ten years, appearing in Twelfth Night, Less Than Human Club, and Dark of the Moon, as well as being a member of their advanced comedy improv troupe. Greg attends Syracuse University and was last seen there in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as Vice Principal Panch.

This is his first year on the workshop staff. He will be assisting Rachele in Junior Company.

Paul Nesbit

Stage Manager, Staff Assistant

Paul is in his second season with WSYT. He is an experienced teacher and school administrator. A Board Member for the Wilbraham United Players, Paul has participated in their past four productions: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Simeon), Much Ado About Nothing (Singing Waiter), The Fantasticks (Bellomy), and Camelot (King Pellinore). He was assistand director of The Mousetrap in the fall of 2010. Paul holds a BA in Psychology from Westfield State College and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from the Washington (DC) Theological Union. He did further graduate work at Elms College and the University of Dayton.

This is his first year as stage manager for WSYT. He will also be floating between workshops to assist all companies.

Dina Del Buono

Choreographer

Dina is returning for her third season with WSYT. She has choreographed for Black Cat Theater in South Hadley for 10 years, Granby Arts Project, SJCC , Northampton High School and most recently Wilbraham United Players. Her credits include Godspell, Nunsense, Oklahoma, Forum, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, South Pacific, Chorus Line, Anything Goes, Carnival, Gypsy, Give My Regards To Broadway, Beauty And The Beast, Follies, Godspell Jr, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Camelot.

Teri LaFleur

Musical Director

Teri is excited to be joining WSYT this season as Musical Director, having played in the pit Orchestra for Pirates Of Penzance and also WUPÕs production of The Mikado. Teri holds a private music studio in her Ludlow home where she lives with her husband and three children. She is also adjunct faculty at Springfield College where she teaches vocal coaching and is the music teacher at Trinity Nursery School and Kindergarten in Springfield. Teri attended Westfield State College where she studied both voice and violin. She has performed a variety of vocal styles including musical theatre, pop, rock, blues, opera and oratorio. Teri is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing(NATS), a solo-active member of the Tuesday Morning Music Club(TMMC), a member of The Three Sopranos, and a frequent soloist at Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield.

Paul Coffill

Arranger, Orchestra Director

Paul returns to WSYT for his eleventh season. He first joined the Wilbraham United Players in 1996 as conductor for Anything Goes, and in 1998 joined WSYT for Carnival. He has led the pit orchestra ever since! Recent Music Director credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Mikado. Currently, Paul maintains an active music schedule with WSYT, WUP, and several other area groups, as well as working as a private tutor and musician. The rest of his time is divided between his responsibilities as treasurer for The AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts, his online consulting interests, and preparing his catalog of arrangements and original compositions for publication. A native of Long Island, Paul holds music degrees from SUNY College at Potsdam, and the University of Connecticut at Storrs.

John Snow

Choreography Assistant

John is happy to be back for his 10th WSYT production! A former United States Ballroom Dance Champion, John has sung and danced his way through MANY a Wilbraham United Players production, including his WUP debut as the Jester in Once Upon A Mattress (1999). John has also gained national notoriety as a Pageant coach/judge/consultant and is proud to say that 7 of the young women he has worked with have made it to the Miss America stage.

Nate Chivers

2011 Staff Intern

Nate was a WSYTeer for seven years before becoming this year's intern. He has also served as a technician for two years and was a part of The Drama Studio for three years where he had a play produced. Nate has also performed with his school choir and is looking forward to joining the Madrigals this year. He has also played guitar in the pit orchestra of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with the Wilbraham United Players and is a dedicated musician of five years. He will be attending Berklee College of Music in the fall.