CO/LAB-Love Is A Burning Thing - NMU Theatre and Dance

Sydney Baudin is currently a sophomore dance and biology major at NMU. She has been dancing for 17 years and this is her first year in the Co/Lab Dance Company. You may have previously seen her in Home for the Holidays (2024) and Cheers To Love (2025).

Payton Beckering is a sophomore pursuing a double major in Dance and Art and Design, with a concentration in ceramics, and a minor in Psychology. Prior to attending Northern Michigan University, she trained and performed with Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Michigan, where her featured roles included: the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Little Mermaid, Mothra, and the Evil Queen. Payton has also participated in summer intensives with Carolina Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, and Sacramento Ballet. She is very excited to be a first-year member of the Co/Lab Dance Company!

Joshua Bianca is a third year student who is majoring in musical theatre and minoring in dance. He is thrilled to be a part of Rudolph and get the opportunity to work with such a talented group of people. Joshua has previously been seen in, Into The Woods, Cabaret, and the North Coast Dance Festival. Joshua can’t wait to continue his theatre journey at NMU and he is thankful for all of his family, friends, and faculty! @joshuabianca_

Delaney Brennan (Student Choreographer - C-O-MM-O-N) is a sophomore at NMU majoring in biology with a concentration in physiology and a minor in dance! She has trained in various styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, and modern for the past 16 years. Delaney has previously been seen in Home for the Holidays (2024) and Cheers To Love (2025). She is a first year full company member of Co/Lab Dance Company and is thrilled to debut her own choreography on the stage this year. She is forever thankful for the support of her family, friends, and dance mentor Hannah Machado!

Ava Britt is in her third year as a Musical Theatre BFA at NMU. You may have previously seen her in Jesus Christ Superstar, Anything Goes, Clybourne Park, The Holiday Soiree, The Wildcat Theatre Follies, Frankenstein, Cheers To Love and more recently Rudolph! Ava has found so much love in dance since starting at Northern and is over the moon to be in Co/Lab. She has loved working with her incredible peers, choreographers and director. It has been so inspiring to be surrounded by such passionate dancers. Ava hopes you enjoy this awesome production!

Kayleigh Clark is a Junior at NMU majoring in Musical Theatre. Some of her previous shows include Into The Woods, The Last Five Years, and Anything Goes. This is her first year in CO/LAB and she is so excited to share the stage with so many talented and inspirational people! She would like to thank her family and friends for their endless support.

Don'Tae Da'Marcus is a third year student in the Musical Theatre program. He is more than excited to show everyone what the Co/Lab Dance Company has been working on as this piece is a piece everyone can see a little bit of themselves in. "What's so beautiful about Johnny Cash is that it's about love. The love of a human who's seen, felt, and grieved. something that I'm going through, something we all go through, something human, and beautiful." Mitchell said. You can see what he's doing next and keep up with him through instagram @Dontaedamarcuss

Sara Neva (Student Choreographer - C-O-MM-O-N) is a second year student at NMU, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Dance. She grew up dancing at Superior School of Dance in Hancock, Michigan. Sara is thrilled to be a returning member of the Co/Lab Dance Company, and Love is a Burning Thing is her fifth NMU Theatre and Dance production following Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jesus Christ Superstar, Alice In Wonderland: An Immersive Experience and Home for the Holidays. She hopes you enjoy the show!! ig: @sara.madeline.neva

Mark Simons is a Junior musical theatre major at Northern Michigan University. This is his first year in CO/LAB and his first all-dance performance, so he is very thankful to Karina Johnson and the whole company for being so welcoming. Recently, Mark has played Kenickie in Grease at the Woodstock Playhouse, Frank 'n' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, and Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, both at Northern. He looks forward to being in Cupid's Cabaret and 9 to 5 in the coming season.

Cayden Smaka (Student Choreographer - C-O-MM-O-N) is a junior at NMU, majoring in BFA Acting with minors in Marketing and Piano. He is exuberantly thrilled to be a part of the 25/26 Co/Lab Dance Company! Cayden is also really good at Just Dance 3, and his favorite song is "Livin' la Vida Loca." Off stage, you can find Cayden at craft fairs, skipping stones, lying in the dirt, probably biking, or in the woods! He loves his family and friends and is grateful for their constant support. He has had an amazing time working with all these wonderful people on this show, and he hopes you all enjoy it! Instagram: Boomsmakalaka

Caydence Sturtevant (Student Choreographer - Laughing on the Outside & Eleanor Rigby) is in her third year of studying business management and dance at Northern Michigan University. In her collegiate dance career, she is a third-year full company member of Co/Lab Dance Company and played Chaos Alice in Alice In Wonderland last winter. She was also featured in The Rocky Horror Show, Home for the Holidays, Cheers to Love, and Anything Goes. Before her college dance experience, she participated in competitive dance for ten years, receiving Title Champion awards among several other high-point awards. Caydence also had the opportunity to perform in The Great Russian Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet twice before pursuing a degree in dance. IG: @caydencesturtevant

Josie Truckey is a third-year dance major at NMU. Josie grew up in Marquette and starting at the age of 3. She has been heavily involved with the local dance community ever since and has performed in and choreographed for multiple community shows. Josie joined Co/Lab Dance Company as a full company member for their 2024/25 season where she performed in the productions Home for the Holidays and Alice In Wonderland. She also performed as an ensemble member in NMU's production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2025. Josie is very honored to be returning as a member of Co/Lab this year and can't wait to perform in Love Is A Burning Thing.

Natalie Albertson (Apprentice) is a freshman dance major at NMU and is thrilled to be in her very first show here! Natalie is forever grateful for the support of her friends, family, and home studio, and can't wait for her first college performance experience!

Rhea Bar-Ziv (Apprentice) is in his second year at Northern Michigan University and is pursuing a BFA in Acting. This is his first year in the CO/Lab dance company and he is very excited to be able to do his first dance show alongside such a talented and supportive cast. You may have recently seen him perform in Northern's Production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing as Borachio. He was also casted as Magenta in Northern's 2025 Fall Production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Choreography: Chris Houston and the dancers

Costume Design: Elise Wilcox

Music: “Blue Monday” by New Order

Dancers:

Choreography: Caydence Sturtevant

Music: “Laughing on the Outside” by Bernadette Carroll

Dancers:

Choreography: Delaney Brennan, Sara Neva, Cayden Smaka

Music: “Bloodflood” by Alt-J

Dancers:

Choreography & Costume Design: Karina Johnson

Music: “Chan-Chan” by The Buena Vista Social Club

Dancers:

Choreography: Caydence Sturtevant

Music: “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles

Dancers:

Music by Anders Baldwin, Brady Hoffman, Alice Shelton, Luke Barker, Ruby Terry

Dancers:

Music by Tex Williams

Music by Earl Scruggs

Em Rossi (Costume Designer) is an NMU alumnus (2004 BS, 2006 MA). After designing many productions at FRT and other theaters in the Marquette area, she relocated to Detroit where she obtained an MFA in Costume Design from Wayne State University. Em is adjunct faculty in costumes and makeup and also serves as a mentor for costume, hair and makeup design students. Recent and upcoming designs include costumes and puppets for Above the Timberline and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, and costumes for Next to Normal, Grease, Anything Goes, Cabaret, The Rocky Horror Show, Frankenstein, Home for the Holidays, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Into The Woods.

Elise Wilcox (Costume Designer) is a senior in the BFA Theatre Tech and Design program, and she is thrilled to be working on her third Co/Lab production. She has been a dancer from a young age, and has learned a lot about how to make costumes flow, stretch, and flatter on a performer. Past Co/Lab productions include: costumes for Alice In Wonderland (Alice, Queen of Hearts), and costumes for Carnival of the Animals (Peacock, Cuckoos). Elise is so excited for you to see her designs for the piece Blue Monday!

Ambrose Meteyer (Lighting Designer) has greatly enjoyed his first experience as head lighting designer at NMU, and is grateful to have been able to do it for this show in particular as a big Johnny Cash fan. He hopes his lighting helps tell the stories that Karina, Chris, and the student choreographers have spent months crafting, and hopes you will enjoy watching this unique show as much as he has enjoyed lighting it. "Keep smiling through just like you always do, 'til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away."

Ayla Berman (Properties & Scenic Designer) is excited to be the Scenic & Props Designer for CO/LAB's Love is a Burning Thing! This is her 3rd year, majoring in Theatre Technology & Design. This is the 3rd CO/LAB show she has been involved with previously she was on the scenic design team for Alice In Wonderland, and helped with the puppet construction for Carnival of the Animals. She loves working on CO/LAB productions and hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Jim Davis (Sound Designer) is excited to join the Department of Theatre and Dance at NMU this year, having spent the last 25 years on the faculty at Detroit Country Day School, 7 of those as Executive Director of the Arts and the 18 years before that as Technical Director and Resident Designer. Some of his favorite recent shows include Mean Girls, Puffs, Little Shop of Horrors, Spamalot, and Eating Rhode Island, which performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Jim has also designed numerous shows in the Detroit area in his career, and is an active member of USITT and the Michigan chapter of EdTA, where he served on the board for many years. Jim holds a BFA in Theatre from Wayne State University, and a MS in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University.

Ava Hendrix (Production Stage Manager) is so excited to be the Production Stage Manager of Love Is A Burning Thing! She is a freshman at NMU with a BFA in Theatre Technology & Design. Her recent credits include Stage Manager in NMU's CTRL+ALT+Delete, Production Stage Manager in Parkview High School's The Drowsy Chaperone, Angels of Bataan, and Still Life with Iris. Ava is so grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on this production, and she hopes you enjoy it as much as she does!

Rachel Wells (Technical Director) is entering her second year as Technical Director and Scene Shop Supervisor at Northern Michigan University. Originally from Ann Arbor, MI, she’s proud to continue supporting theatre education in her home state. Rachel holds an MFA in Technical Direction from Indiana University, where she served as the Technical Director for Indiana University Summer Theatre for three seasons, managing repertory productions with a dedicated team of emerging professionals. At NMU, she oversees scenic construction, mentors student technicians, and fosters a collaborative and creative shop environment focused on craftsmanship and safety. Rachel is an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and is passionate about helping young theatre artists build their technical skills, confidence, and professional readiness.

Lex van Blommestein (Assistant Scenic Designer) is a theatre designer based out of Marquette, MI. While he currently teaches at Northern, he also maintains a prolific national and international design career. Lex earned his MFA from Wayne State University's Hilberry Repertory Program in Detroit, and has lived, designed, and taught in Edwardsville, IL; St. Louis, MO; Cincinatti, OH; Raleigh, NC; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee, WI; Detroit, MI; Lansing, MI; Windsor, ON; and Amsterdam, NL, to name a few. In addition to his love for scenic design, he enjoys using design to explore audience reaction, interaction, and emotion, and to create experiences involving virtual reality and augmented reality as well as immersive design.

Olivia Mayer (Audio 1 & Stage Manager) is a second year biology major, minoring in theatre and entertainment arts. This is her eighth show at Northern, past credits include Home for the Holidays, Alice In Wonderland, Jesus Christ Superstar, Wildcat Theatre Follies, and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. She is excited to be a part of yet another show with the department.

Rachel Martin (Head Electrician) is so excited to be a part of CoLab this year. She is a senior tech and design major at NMU and her most recent credits have been Into The Woods (Lighting Design), Cabaret (Lighting Design), and Jesus Christ Superstar (Assistant Lighting Design). She is so excited to be a part of this amazing show and to watch her brother perform as well.

Pine Stump (Qlab Operator) is a first year student who enjoys every aspect of tech theatre and is excited to have nee opportunities in each category of technical theatre.

Sophia Thomas (Run Crew) is a freshmen in the NMU Theatre and Dance BA program this year. She enjoys all aspects of the performing arts and tries to fill her life with as much art as possible. She is grateful to get to help make this special show happen. She loves the feeling of working on something and finally getting to share it with an audience. When she is not working on a production you can find her playing guitar, dancing or drinking a cup of tea.

Sophia Selenske (Stage Manager) is very excited to be Stage Managing Love Is A Burning Thing! She is a first year at NMU mostly focusing on lighting but also thoroughly enjoys Stage Managing. While at NMU she was Assistant Lighting Designer for Rudolph, and Light Board Operator for Into The Woods. Before NMU she worked as both Stage Manager, and Lighting Designer at her high school. She also worked as Lighting Designer at a community theatre near her hometown Madison. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Kyo Warren (Wardrobe Crew) They are a second-year student who just happens to be a Wardrobe Crew member who just helps a Cast members one outfit at a time.