Oliver Mayes
Oliver Mayes is a performing arts professional with lifelong dedication to musical theatre. He holds a B.F.A. in Music Theatre from AMDA College of the Performing Arts (Los Angeles/New York), where he later worked as a recruiter and advisor for thousands of students worldwide. He earned his M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from the University of South Dakota, serving as both a mainstage director/choreographer and a graduate teaching assistant in acting, playwriting, musical theatre, and film. A Kennedy Center Directing Intensive scholar and recipient of the 2020 SDC Fellowship, Oliver is an associate member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society. His work as a producer, director, performer, writer, and consultant has been seen across the U.S., including in Arkansas, California, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and South Dakota. At The Premiere Playhouse, his directing credits include Cabaret, Young Frankenstein, Grease, The Little Mermaid, HAIR, Freaky Friday, and The Glass Menagerie. He lives by the words of mentor John Sloman: “Never underestimate the joy of musical theatre.”
Mo Plastow
Mo Plastow is an expressive story-teller who loves the way music and singing connects people. She has had incredible opportunities to perform with many groups on many stages – one of them being Carnegie Hall in NYC. On top of teaching and singing at Effervescent Voice Academy, where she currently serves as the Teaching Team Lead, she is actively involved with the theatre, performance, and music scene in Sioux Falls and surrounding areas. She loves being a musician and playing the electric bass guitar. The Premiere Playhouse patrons most recently saw Mo on the Orpheum stage portraying dynamic characters in Oklahoma! and A Christmas Carol where she not only demonstrated her acting abilities, but her singing and instrumental talents. Folks can soon see her shine in The Premiere Playhouse’s Season 22 finale, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.
Patrick Simonsen
Patrick Simonsen studied musical theatre at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion as well as the Open Jar Institute in New York City. He is a multi-faceted artist who prioritizes his scholarship in musical theatre performance and choreography, holding a resume of several iconic roles in the musical theatre canon and a history of curating visually stunning choreographic moments on the local stage. The Premiere Playhouse fans are very familiar with Patrick’s work, having seen him on the Orpheum stage leading the casts of Cabaret, Cinderella, Grease, and Oklahoma! as well his contributions in choreography and direction through serving as assistant choreographer for Oklahoma! and co-directing The Little Mermaid alongside Oliver Mayes.
Kate Stahl
Kate Stahl recently graduated from Augustana University where she studied Marketing and Business Administration, and will complete an intensive performing arts training program at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York City this summer. She currently works as an instructor at BritZa Performing Arts Studio where she teaches various styles of dance and has spent countless years choreographing for the Canton School District’s theatre program. Kate is a multi-talented performing artist who started in dance, training for several years in various disciplines, then added singing and acting to her skillset because she just couldn’t get enough. The Premiere Playhouse patrons have seen her triple-threat musical theatre talent in productions on the Orpheum stage such as The Little Mermaid, HAIR and Freaky Friday where she starred as Ellie Blake.
