Cast
Allison McKiernan (Merriman) is very excited to be part of her first show with Highview Arts Center! Allison recently graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting. Recent credits include; Love, Loss and What I Wore, Brilliant Traces (Rosannah), Men on Boats (Powell). Allison has a love for film; even writing, directing and starring in Vote 4 Albert premiering Phenom Film Fest this past May.
Ann Moss (Lady Bracknell) has a lifelong love of theater and recently also started working in TV and film. Her favorite onstage roles include Mother in A Christmas Story, Starlett O'Hara in The Carol Burnett Show skit "Went With the Wind," and now, Lady Bracknell joins the list with this show! Ann is excited to work with Director, Jay Padilla Hayter, talented cast and crew, and Highview Arts Center for her first play as a Louisville resident!
Clara Burton (Jack) is excited to be working with HAC for the first time! In Louisville she has appeared in The New Mrs. Claus with Bunbury Theatre, Medea with Savage Rose Classical Theatre, Summer Brave and Richard II with Walden Theatre where she also studied from 2004-2014. Clara also has a BFA in Theatre with a focus in Original Work from Cornish College of the Arts, 2019.
Dawn Moretz (Miss Prism) In her 8 years of living in Louisville, Dawn’s had the pleasure of performing in both musicals and comedies at Rose Island Playhouse, Hayswood Theatre, Clarksville Little Theatre, Little Colonel’s Playhouse, and spreading murder and mayhem with Louisville’s Dinner Detective. Dawn’s excited to finish her Kentuckiana acting career at Highview Art Center—It’s special to be onstage in her own Okolona “neighborhood”. Next up: Discovering local theatre in Montgomery County, Maryland!
Jake Rosenberg (Lane/ Dr. Chasuble) is a born and raised Louisville performer who is excited to be working on one of the greatest comedies in the history of earth. He occasionally appears on Thunderdome at Planet of The Tapes as a variety of odd characters and is the host of Unlicensed Professionals. Previously he was Chuepy in The Curse of Blue Moose and a former member of Sketchy Stuff.
Jordan Aikin (Gwendolyn) is excited to return to her old neighborhood and join Highview Arts Center in relaying The Importance of Being Earnest! She has worked with various theatres in the area, from Pewee Valley to Corydon, and has no plans of slowing down. She would like to thank director, Jay, for the opportunity, and friends and family for their support.
Rachel Meadors (Algernon) holds a B.S. in Theatre Arts from UofL. She has served many roles in her time in theatre from actor to stage manager to director to playwright. At UofL she played Adam Trueman in [re]Fashion, Maria and Sebastian in Twelfth Night, and various roles in devised and new works. She is beyond excited to be working with Jay on this side of the stage and would like to thank Jay for believing in her.
Rayann Houghlin Walker (Cecily) (she/her) is delighted to perform with Highview Arts Center for the second time! Recent theatre credits include SHOTZ! (Nova's Ark - Louisville Fringe Festival) and TRAIN TO ESSEX JUNCTION (Highview Arts Center). She has also contributed to several recent films, including WILDCAT, THE BIKERIDERS, MALUM, THE STARLING GIRL, and THE ART OF KILLING. Originally from Bardstown, Kentucky, Rayann can be found relaxing with her dogs and husband, hiking, or reading when she is not acting. Rayann is represented by Heyman Talent, and is thrilled to be a member of the Louisville theatre and film community.
Creatives
Jay Padilla-Hayter (Director) is excited to be working on the second show for the Highview Arts Center in a show she thought she would never get to direct! She has worked in the Louisville theater scene for 15 years starting with her Theater arts degree from UofL. She works with several theater companies in the area as a director, stage manager, and actor.
She is also the main director for Teatro Tercera, credits include: Confesiones (director), Silueta (director), Ogros en el Closet (director), G is for Gato (actor, director), Algo de un Tal Shakespeare (actor), and Henny Penny (Fox Delux, director). Other companies around town are: Commonwealth Theater Center: The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Francisco) and A Streetcar Named Desire (Old woman), as well as being a teaching artist for their outreach programs. The Liminal Playhouse: The Houseguest (Gale). Company OutCast: A Few Good Women (director), Holiday Cabaret (actor), upcoming productions for the company Schoolhouse Rock Live! (Ensemble), A Tuna Christmas (director), Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest (director), as well as being the newest company member. The Chamber Theatre: Around the World of 80 Days (Detective Fix), A Doll’s House (Maria, stage manager). Looking for Lilith: Strangers/Extraños (Lidia), Carefully Taught (Cie).
Cameron Konz (Lighting Designer/Board Op) My name is Cameron and I am new to HighView Arts Center! I am 21 years old and LOVE lighting! I attended Atherton High School in Louisville KY where I was graduating as a Technical Theater kid who loves working with the lights, design and programming all behind the scenes and for shows. From more than 150 lights to working in a new and up in coming theatrical stage; I am EXCITED to be here!
Iris Weaver (Stage Manager)
Taylor Torsky (Set Designer/ HAC Board President) is an active event and wedding planner in Kentucky. Currently an Events Planner at the Galt House Hotel, Taylor spends her days creating and designing weddings, Galas, and Derby Events in the Louisville area.
Prior to arriving in KY, she was a proud member of AEA, and stage managed on and off Broadway, with her longest tenure as an SM for Blue Man Group. Her experiences in NYC were sprinkled with stage managing anything and everything, from NYFW to galas with Billy Joel, movie premiers at Lincoln Center, to being a Parade Captain with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
Taylor has tapped into the local community theatre scene, performing with TheatreWorks, Clarksville Little Theatre, Center Stage and Ballarmine University. A lover of theatre, animals, and bourbon, she and her husband, John, spend their free time with their greyhounds, Barnie and Blaze, singing showtunes to anyone who will listen, and hunting for special bourbons.