Melanie Sullivan (Betty Haynes) is a graduate of Mississippi School of the Arts where her main discipline was Theatre with a minor in Choir. She was in numerous scenes and plays while at MSA, her favorite being The Two Noble Kinsman (The Jailer’s Daughter). With the vocal department she had the pleasure of performing in Carnegie Hall in New York City. Although she took a different route in life choosing a career as a Respiratory Therapist, Melanie never lost her love for the stage. In 2022, she performed in “Bad and Belty 2.0” with Hattiesburg Community Theatre singing “Roxie” and “I Know It’s Today” which led to a role in Beauty and the Beast (Les Filles De La Ville) in June 2023 with Hub City Players, the professional theatre company in Hattiesburg!

 This is Melanie’s second full musical to be a part of and she is so thankful for the opportunity and can’t wait to see what the future holds! Thank you for supporting Sumrall Community Theatre’s production of White Christmas. 

Jessica Sanderford (Judy Haynes) is a graduate of Mississippi State University majoring in Elementary Education and is currently a Kindergarten teacher. Ever since she was little, she has always loved being on the stage and has been singing and performing in community theater since around the age 12.

 A few of her favorite performances she has been in are Stage 2's "Les Miserables" (lovely lady, ensemble), "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (narrator 3), & Meridian Little Theatre’s; "Little Shop of Horrors" (Mrs. Luce), "Elf the Musical" (chorus),  and "Miracle on 34th Street the Musical" (Mrs. Crookshank, ensemble), & Hattiesburg Community Theatre’s "Bad and Belty 2.0"  She was most recently seen as Officer Brophy in Sumrall Community Theatre's "Arsenic and Old Lace"!

Jessica is very excited to be returning to the stage for her second performance with Sumrall Community Theatre and wants to thank everyone for supporting SCT's production of White Christmas!!

After an eight-year break from performing, Casey returns to the stage in his Sumrall Community Theatre debut. His past performances include Mississippi College’s Les Misérables (Ensemble) and productions such as Guys and Dolls! (Rusty Charlie), The Secret Garden (Ben Weatherstaff), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Demetrius), and The Mousetrap (Christopher Wren) with Stage 2 of Meridian, MS. Grateful for the unwavering support of family and friends, Casey is excited to be back on stage as Bob Wallace in White Christmas! 

Galia Mixon is a student and the University of Southern Mississippi, majoring in theater with an emphasis in performance. In the spring of 2024 she’ll be working on her first Mainstage show as an understudy in USM’s “into the woods.” She was most recently seen in Sumrall Community theater’s Arsenic and Old Lace, as the titular “Aunt Abby”, and Steel Magnolias, as “Annelle”. She’s also worked with Hattiesburg community theater, Meridian little theater, and attributes her training to the Conservatory of Annie Moses in Tennessee, and stage-struck performance studio, where she first performed as “the best darn seagull in little mermaid jr” She’d like to thank Brenda Shows for “always being an inspiration”, as well as Dr. Stephen, and Justice Beam for “always believing in me.” 

Jessi King (Rhoda) is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre. She has been a part of many productions both backstage and on stage starting all the way back in Oak Grove High School. While her love for performing has never stopped, she is currently working as an Assistant Director to Suzanne Allmon at Oak Grove for their competition theatre class, as well as an assistant in the other theatre courses offered. This is Jessi’s first production with Sumrall Community Theatre and also her first musical ever! She is super excited to be a part of this show and is so thankful for the opportunity to be a part. She can’t wait to see what comes next! Thank you for supporting Sumrall Community Theatre!

Conner Graham (Ralph Sheldrake) is a senior at Oak Grove High School where he is an active member of the OGHS Theatre as well as an officer and member of the school's chapter of the International Thespian Society. With OGHS Theatre he has been a part of numerous shows, his first two years he was a tech on several including the 2020-21 competition show "The Old Man and The Old Moon" . Starting in the departments 2022-2023 season he began acting, his credits include Peter and Hans Blodels' "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" playing "The old Farmer" and their MTA Theatre for youth production "Jack in the Ruffians" in the role of "Ruffian 3". This year during the 2023-2024 season he has played the lead role of "Wayne Hopkins " in the October production of "Puffs: or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic " , a "Soul" in the 2024 competition show "Through the Depths", and the character "Boo Boo Bear" in this years original MTA Theatre for youth show " Gumbo's Mumbo Jumbo", he will also be a member of the cast in OG's spring musical "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief". White Christmas is his second production with Sumrall Community Theatre, also having appeared as " Officer O'Hara " in the summer 2023 production "Arsenic and Old Lace ". 

Lee Waits (Susan) Lives in the Hattiesburg area. She graduated with a musical theatre degree from Mississippi College.  At MC, she appeared in Les Miserables(Cosette), South Pacific, and Ragtime. Lee is excited to be back at Sumrall Community Theatre after playing (Shelby) in their production of Steel Magnolias. In college, she had the privilege of working for New Stage Theatre as (Wendy) in Peter Pan. She also enjoyed her time at LLT as (Mother) A Christmas Story, (Ensemble) Big Fish. Lee stays pretty busy teaching music and enjoys every minute of it!  

Elise is an emerging fashion designer who specializes in women’s made-to-order clothing. She started acting in high school with the Stage 2 theatre training organization and appeared in Guys & Dolls, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and as The Ghost of Christmas Past in A Christmas Carol. In her free time Elise enjoys reading historical fiction books, snuggling her cats, and starting crochet projects far above her skill that she has no intention of finishing. 

John Tyler Robinson, a seasoned stage performer with over a decade of experience, holds a BA in Theatre Performance from William Carey University. During his academic journey, he graced the stage in more than 20 productions, showcasing his talent in classics like Hamlet, All My Sons, and Wait Til Dark. Notably, he originated the character of Roy in the premiere of Crimson. In his final university year, JT's outstanding portrayal in Hamlet earned him a nomination for the Irene Ryan Actors award. Post-education, he continued to shine in productions such as The Crucible, Noises Off, and Othello. After a hiatus dedicated to exploring diverse interests, JT joyously returns to the stage, making his debut with Sumrall Community Theatre as General Waverly. 

A native of West Chester, PA, Stacy has lived in Sumrall for over 30 years.  She has played a few supporting roles in SCT’s production of “The Best/Worst Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Arsenic And Old Lace”.  However, her most beloved role for them was as Clairee in “Steel Magnolias”.  NYC hasn’t called her by name just yet so she spends her days as a State Farm Agent in Prentiss.   Stacy has two sons and a host of friends that support her!

Jordan West graduated Purvis High School where he participated in show choir, debate, and drama. In 2011, he attended an acting camp in Louisiana where he was awarded the Triple Threat award for his acting, singing, and dancing ability. He has been apart of productions with Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera, Just Over The Rainbow Theatre, Laurel Little Theatre, and the Purvis Masqueraders. With HCLO, he was apart of Willy Wonka (Mike Tevee), The King and I (ensemble), and Jesus Christ Superstar (ensemble) and also The Who’s Tommy (10 YO Tommy/Ensemble). Other productions include The Little Mermaid Jr. (The Captain) and Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (The Boy). With the Purvis Masqueraders he was apart of The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow) and In the competition show “And the Giants Fell” (Terrorist), with PRCC he was in the musical “The Little Mermaid” (Flounder).  

This is Kim’s debut with Sumrall Community Theater. She is a graduate of the University of Texas Arlington with the Bachelor of science in nursing and currently working towards a masters in nursing education. She enjoys spending time with family and friends but her favorite pastime is being “Nana” to her new granddaughter, Lauren. Kim is a member of Coaltown, Baptist Church in Purvis and resides in Petal with her husband, Keith. 

Essence Washington is from Camden, MS.  She earned her BFA from the University of Southern Mississippi where she participated in and later became President of Harlem, a minority based theater group.   She joins us in White Christmas as Ensemble and Michele, the only stage manager for a show this big!

I've been doing theatre for most of my life and love it more with every show.  I've been in many productions and played many roles, some of which include: Sebastian (The Little Mermaid), Father (The Giver), Willy Wonka (Willy Wonka), and soon Beast (Beauty and the Beast). I'm proud to be a part of this production of White Christmas next to all my lovely fellow cast members. Enjoy the show!