Artist Bios

Grant Bowman

Grant Bowman is an actor, singer, and teaching artist. Credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth (Denver Center for the Performing Arts: Shakespeare in the Parking Lot Tour); Love's Labour's Lost and Cyrano de Bergerac (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Peter and the Starcatcher (Cherry Creek Theatre); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare in the Wild); Carousel and Bye Bye Birdie (Performance Now Theatre Company); and play readings with Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado and Curious Theatre Company. He holds a BFA in Acting from CU Boulder, where he graduated summa cum laude and acted in thirteen productions. Later this summer, he'll rejoin Shakespeare in the Wild for As You Like It. 

Andrew Catterall

Andrew is a (somewhat) recent transplant to the Denver metro area. He was most recently seen as Mitch in Upstart Crow's production of A Streetcar Named Desire. He would like to dedicate his performance to the multi-talented, extraterrestrial thespian known to most as Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton. If you look closely, you'll notice that she's actually playing the featured role of the brick in this very production. She really is that good.

Alex Duty

Alex is proud to be making his Benchmark debut with this incredible ensemble of Stonewall artists. He earned his BFA in Acting and Directing from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2019 and has been active in the Denver scene ever since. Some of his favorite roles over the years include: Warren in This is Our Youth, Jason in Sweat and Lenny in Rumors. He is excited to share this impactful story and amplify the voices within the community as one of the roots of theatre is to hold up a mirror to our society to promote change. Offstage he enjoys a comedic lifestyle binging some of the best shows around with his girlfriend and dog. "Huzzah!"

Hayley Emerson

Hayley is thrilled to be working on such an important and timely show as Stonewall is. She studied theatre at the University of Denver and this is her debut performance at Benchmark. She looks forward to continuing acting and working in the industry in the future. 

Corey Exline

Corey is thrilled to be back at Benchmark for the third time. It continues to be one of her favorite places to work, filled with wonderful people, wonderful talent, and truly wonderful productions.

New York Credits: Into the Woods; Urinetown!; Making Home.

Colorado Credits: A Great Wilderness (Benchmark); Robin Hood (Miners Alley); Small Ball (Catamounts); Meteor Shower (Benchmark); Freaky Friday (Aurora Fox); The Velveteen Rabbit (Arvada Center); Hurricane Diane (Aurora Fox); Tomfoolery (Aurora Fox); Meet Me In St. Louis (Town Hall); Miss You Like Hell (Aurora Fox).

Regional Credits: The Drowsy Chaperone (Priscilla Beach); Working: The Musical (Umbrella Theatre); Pride & Prejudice (Footlight Club); Shrek: The Musical (Wellesley Players).

National & International Tours: Jungle Book; Princess and the Frog; Rumpelstiltskin; The Little Mermaid - USA, Canada, Guam, Korea, and Japan.

Danté J. Finley

Danté J. Finley is very happy to be returning to Benchmark Theatre after their debut in A Great Wilderness. Danté J. is a native of La Junta, Colorado and where they first fell in love with theatre many years ago. Other credits include Franklinland at Curious Theatre Company. Twelfth Night, Midsummers Night Dream, House Arrest, and Comedy of Errors all with Theatreworks of Colorado Springs. Short Eyes and Angels in America with Theatre D’Art. When not onstage Danté teaches an after school/summer theatre program throughout the Colorado Springs, Monument, and the Denver Metro Area.

B Glick

B (like Arthur) is just your typical disabled cancer-surviving non-binary queer agnostic Jewish entrepreneur. They are thrilled to be making their Denver theater debut in Stonewall! They will be seen next at DCPA as Oberon and Theseus in Phamaly's production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. They are the  founder and head of GQue Films  - the first and only non-cis owned and operated film sales/distribution company in the world. Some of the queer films (as this is pride month) that they have handled include I Am Divine, Workhorse Queen, Born To Fly: Elizabeth Streb Vs Gravity,  Southern Baptist Sissies, & Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story. Happy Pride!

Andrew Hensel

Andrew is incredibly excited to be a part of the Stonewall ensemble! Previously, in the recent years he has been seen as Ensemble in Something Rotten and as Ken in Red, at the University of Northern Colorado. He would like to thank his family and friends for supporting him throughout all of his endeavors as well his directors and cast mates who have made this process that much easier. He hopes that you all enjoy the show!

Verl Hite

This is Verl’s first appearance with Benchmark Theatre. Some favorite shows outside Colorado are: Will Masters in Bus Stop; Julian Winston in Cactus Flower; Cladius in Hamlet. In Colorado, some favorites are: John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet; Barney Cashman in Last of the Red Hot Lovers; Mr. Spacky in Mr. Spacky; C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands; George Aaranow in Glenngarry Glen Ross and Abel Brown in Fireflies. Verl would like to thank Cassandra and Debra for all of their love and support over the years.

Andrew Horn

After spending the last two years in the Stage Managers booth, Andrew is thrilled to be sharing the stage with such an amazing group of artists. You may have seen his name on previous Benchmark programs such as A Great Wilderness, The Covid Wife, Our American Cousin, An Octoroon and Elephant. He is grateful to the Benchmark community for allowing him to participate in such impactful work. 

Cayla Izmirian

Cayla is honored to be making her Benchmark debut! She's previously appeared in productions at CenterStage, the Evergreen Players, the Colorado Railroad Museum, and more. She's grateful for her loving and supportive family. In her off time, Cayla enjoys discovering obscure new music genres, playing and singing music, gaming with friends online, freerunning and parkour, and shattering the apocryphal myth known as the gender binary. She will soon front the band The Reckless Thembies! She is grateful to have met lifelong friends and peers in this production; she is grateful to all her castmates for lifting each other up.

Corinne Landy

Corinne Landy (She/They) is a Denver-based actor and singer. She's a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a BFA in Theatre & Dance, with a concentration in Musical Theatre, and a minor in Queer Studies.  Some of her favorite credits include Cindy Fankhouser (Angry Psycho Princesses), Casey (First Date), Leaf Coneybear (The 25th...Spelling Bee), and, most recently, Jo (Late: A New Musical). When she's not onstage, Corinne can be found knitting or bombarding her cat with forehead kisses. www.corinnelandy.com

Frankie Lee

Frankie is thrilled to be making his debut with Benchmark Theater as both an actor and writer for Stonewall. Frankie is a Denver-based actor, writer, director, and improviser. Favorite productions include Twelfth Night (Orisno), Puffs (Cedric), You'll Find Flies (Thomas), The Boys in the Band (Donald), tick, tick… BOOM! (Jon). He also works for Rise Comedy in Downtown Denver where he teaches Improv, produces shows, and writes/performs the sketch comedy team Snack Table. When not onstage Frankie enjoys quality time with his husbands, reading David Sedaris Novels, and getting his ass kicked by the New Yorker crossword puzzle. 

Alicia Millerson

Alicia Millerson is proud to join this incredible creative team for Stonewall at Benchmark Theatre. Alicia was a member of the inaugural BFA Musical Theatre class at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Despite an intense fear of rodents, she then toured the US and Canada as “Queen of the Rats” with Missoula Children’s Theatre. Alicia continues to work with young people at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and has done educational outreach with the Arvada Center and Seriesfest. Previous Credits include: Grease (Columbus Children’s Theatre), Silent Sky, Spring Awakening, Working, A Little Night Music (UAB), Into the Woods (Carriage Place Players) & Pied Piper (MCT). Alicia is a co-founder and member of Queen City Sketch. 

Paola Miranda

Paola Miranda is thrilled to make her debut at Benchmark with this production of “Stonewall.” Born and raised in San Juan, PR, she has been a company member of Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center for 8 years. Leading credits include “Puerto Rican Nocturne” at the Bug Theater, “Mother Goose” At Miner’s Alley Playhouse, “Divorcees, Evangelists & Vegetarians,” at Su Teatro, “Water by the Spoonful” & “Your Molotov Kisses.”

Caleb O’Brien

Caleb is grateful to be starring in his first show at Benchmark and getting the opportunity to work with such an amazing cast. You may have recently seen Caleb in Give 5's production of Footloose as Coach Dunbar. Other productions include Sons and Daughters, Hand of God, Six Song Ellis (tour), 57 Bus, and Fight or Flight at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (CA). 

Dan O’Neill

Dan is proud to appear in his 3rd Benchmark show and is especially excited to appear with these beautiful artists tonight. He is also a proud educator at Graland Country Day school and has appeared on Denver stages since 1991.

Liyah Patrick

Liyah Patrick is an actress and educator in Denver, Colorado. She is our resident Southern Belle having previously performed in shows across Louisiana and Mississippi. She is grateful to her loved ones and amazing castmates for all of their support. Liyah is thrilled for all to see the world premiere of "Stonewall.”

Caden Pazo

Caden Pazo (he/him) earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre from MSU Denver. Caden's areas of focus are acting, stage management, fight choreography, and intimacy choreography. His recent credits include Cyrano de Bergerac with Wheat Ridge Theatre Company, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Pippin with MSU Denver. He is also a board member of the Colorado Theatre Guild. Caden aspires to make art that changes every person who experiences it and is thrilled to be making his stage debut at Benchmark with Stonewall. Gay power!

Barbara Porreca

Barbara Porreca is truly thrilled to be finally making her Benchmark debut. Favorite musical roles include: Hannah in Spitfire Grill, Fraulien Schneider in Cabaret, Ma Strong in Urinetown, Frau Brucher in Young Frankenstein, Mother Superior in Nunsense, Miss Hannigan in Anne and Yenta in Fiddler. Favorite nonmusical roles include Ouiser in Steel Magnolias, Veda in Dearly Departed, Clariee in Steel Magnolias and Gracie in the one-woman presentation of A Conversation With Gracie Horton. Her mostly non-theatrical roles are wife, mom, grandma and friend. She sends love and blessings to all her out of town supporters and hugs to those who surround her daily with their love. The fight is not over, there is too much then in the now.

Andy Ray

With a background in Theatre Education from the University of Northern Colorado, Andy has collaborated with young artists in the region for the past nine years to create, perform, and share their work with friends, family, and community. Andy spends most of his year as the Theatre Director at Overland High School in Aurora, but is grateful for this opportunity to work alongside this group of incredible artists. Andy would like to thank his friends and family for the support that they never cease giving him.

Caleb Reasy

Caleb has been doing theatre since he was a child. Performing in Peter Pan with the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, Caleb also performed in shows directed by Neil Truglio, Alice in Wonderland (2014), Urinetown (2015), Romeo and Juliet (2016). Caleb is currently working on his undergrad at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, a BA in Theatre with a minor in Dance.

Samwell Rose

Samwell Rose (they/them) is an integrated theatre artist with a background in devising, directing, producing, performance, education, and writing. They were born and raised in Colorado, and recently moved back after an 8-year journey in Portland, OR. They graduated with a BA in Theatre and minor in Russian, and studied abroad at the Moscow Art Theatre. They have devised and performed two solo shows (Baba Yaga and Manifesto), and have worked locally with The Denver Center for Performing Arts, Denver Children’s Theatre, The Arvada Center, Creede Repertory Theatre, and Buntport. Samwell is passionate about DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) in the arts and also provides professional DEIA consultation to arts organizations. This is their first of hopefully many productions with Benchmark.  

Chloe Ryan

Ben Stasny

Ben Stasny is a PhD student at CU Boulder studying the intersection of queer futurity, climate communications, and improvisational pedagogy. While in grad school, Ben has developed a series of workshops using theatrical techniques to communicate climate change which he has led in Boulder, Chicago, and London. Ben partnered with NYC’s Climate Change Theatre Action to help produce CU Boulder’s 2021 production of Climate Cabaret. Ben also works frequently as a director, having worked on Twelfth Night, Company, Mamma Mia, Treeson: an eco-musical, The Fall of Man, and several new plays since 2021. A few favorite acting roles include Genie in Aladdin (Disney Cruise Line), Harry in When Harry Met Nancy (Off-Broadway), Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (Arizona Broadway Theatre), Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret (Sierra Repertory Theatre), Zach in A Chorus Line (The Palace Theatres). Thank you for supporting live theatre and the CO queer community!

Carol Timblin

Carol Timblin (She/Her) has been working with Denver area Theatres since 1984. A graduate of Denver’s Loretto Heights College, she has worked with several Denver-area theater groups like the Changing Scene, Fox Theater, Germinal Stage, One Night Stand Theatre and most recently And Toto Too. When not acting, Carol can be found behind the scenes doing theater stage and production management. In her free time, Carol can be found hiking, walking her dog, gardening and doing fiber art.

Neil Truglio

Neil is the Artistic Director of Benchmark Theatre. At Benchmark, he has brought four world premiere scripts to the stage as principal writer/director including Elephant, Our American Cousin: A Nation Divided, The COVID Wife and Stonewall. Additionally, Neil directed 1984, and designed for The Arsonists, Meteor Shower, You Will Get Sick, A Great Wilderness and more. Outside of Benchmark, Neil created Modest Arts, a youth arts organization which produced over 30 plays including the world premieres of Frankenstein, Sons and Daughters and The Trojan War. An avid filmmaker, his feature film directorial debut, We Are the Sea, has played film festivals across the world and Neil’s cinematic efforts continue to serve people across the country as the Director of Education for SeriesFest.

Johnathan Underwood

Johnathan Underwood is ecstatic to be making his Benchmark debut! A born Tennessean (and previous Colorado dweller…yes, he’s a bit of a vagabond) he has been fortunate to play many stages across the country, while making the best of friends along the way. His last stage performance was one of Terrance McNally’s  most powerful pieces of work, “Corpus Christi”, where he stepped into the role of Joshua. When not on stage, Johnathan is either sharing his gift of style and precision as an ABOC optical consultant, or laughing it up with friends over a whiskey neat. Instagram: @wakebrunchrepeat “People will stare. Make it worth their while.”  -Harry Winston. **Happy Pride Everyone**

Character History

Martin Boyce 1969 and 2023

Martha Shelley 1969 and 2023

Seymour Pine 1969 & 2023

Ernestine Eckstein

Marilyn Fowler

Tom Doerr

Marty Robinson

Dick Leitsch

Craig Rodwell

Howard Smith

Lucian Truscott IV

Jill Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson

Bertie Rivera

Danny Garvin

Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt

Madeline Cervantes