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ONE DAY ONLY​
MARCH 1, 2026 at 2pm​​
Theatre NOVA presents:
Reach for the Stars
A MUSICAL CABARET FUNDRAISER
March 1, 2026​ at 2pm​
Be part of the magic at ‘Reach for the Stars’, Theatre NOVA’s Musical Theatre fundraiser. Together, we’ll raise our voices—and the funds—to keep bold, original theatre thriving.
Special Thanks to these very generous volunteers: Directed by Diane Hill, and music directed by Brian Buckner, the cast features Natalie Sevick, Diane Hill, Jacquelyn Blue, Jared Bugbee, Katie Akers, Kristin Clark, Mike Sandusky, Edie Lewis, Ian Nicholas and Alaina Kerr. Jade Guerriero (lighting designer) Sarah Majid and Craig Hane (set), Briana O'Neal (stage manager), Sarah Elisabeth Brown (house manager). Additional thanks to
All Hands Active and Avalon McNew.
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Donor Tiers:
$25 General
$50 Shooting Star (Mention in the program. General Seating)
$75 Northern Light (Mention in the program. General Seating)
$100 Supernova (Mention in the program. General Seating)
$1,000 Galaxy Guardian
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Includes up to eight VIP RESERVED seats
$2,500 – Spotlight Sponsor
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Receive star treatment with up to eight VIP RESERVED seats
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Full-page program ad
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Prominent recognition in our lobby and social media
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Optional cameo appearance in the cabaret
Thank you to our premium ticketbuyers:
Supernova
Peggy Buttenheim, Dan McGraw, Lori Venable, Naomi Woloshin
Northern Light
Sandra Danziger, Nancy Stryker
Shooting Stars
Layla Ananda, Ellen Finch, Erika Keith, Edie Kieffer, David Kiley, Mary King, Edie Lewis, Barbara Steer, David Stockman
Thank you to our silent auction donors:
PROGRAM
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Diane Hill (Director, Performer) has performed at many Michigan theatres, including Detroit Public Theatre, Flint Repertory Theatre, The Fisher, Meadow Brook, MOT, Gem Theatre, Purple Rose, Tipping Point, Encore Musical Theatre, Croswell Opera House, Open Book, The DIO, all three ThumbCoast theatres, and The Ringwald, to name a few of the more recent ones. She won Wilde Awards for Best Actress for WIT (Breathe Art) and THE HOW AND THE WHY (Theatre NOVA), and other acting awards for ‘NIGHT, MOTHER (Breathe Art) and I DO! I DO! (Kerrytown Concert House). Favorite roles include Diana in NEXT TO NORMAL, Margaret in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, and Fraulein Schneider in CABARET. Diane has a Ph.D. in Theatre from WSU and a Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts in Theatre from U of M. Theatre NOVA have also seen her in THE REVOLUTIONISTS, TOTALITARIANS, THE STONE WITCH, FOLLIES IN CONCERT, SING HAPPY, THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT and ADMISSIONS. Diane is the director of this cabaret and is so happy to be collaborating with Brian Buckner (Music Director) and this wonderful, generous cast.
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Brian E Buckner (Music Director, Performer) is an award-winning theatre composer, music director, and pianist in southeast Michigan who loves music of all genres. Recent credits include Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Radio Play (The Dio, Pinckney), August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (The Detroit Rep), Souvenir (The Dio, Pinckney); Obsidian Theatre Festival (Detroit); Passing Strange (Detroit Public Theatre); Blues in the Night (Meadow Brook Theatre, Auburn Hills); and Gem of the Ocean (The Detroit Rep). Mr. Buckner is also Director of Music for the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation (Ann Arbor).
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Edith Lewis is delighted to have an opportunity to perform again at Theatre NOVA. Her last performance at the theatre was in the cast of Sondheim’s FOLLIES. Among the joys of Edith’s retirement are singing in the U.S. and Mexico with a range of choirs and bands. She is extremely grateful to Diane Hill and Brian E. Buckner for their willingness to include her in this production, and to her family and friends for their support and care throughout the years.
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Jared Bugbee is excited to make his Theatre Nova debut in the Reach for the Stars Cabaret. He is a Detroit based singer and actor. Recent credits include Scrooge in Rouge (Lottie) and John & Jen (John) at The Inspired Acting Company, Fiddler on the Roof (Fyedka) at Nicely Theatre, The Addams Family (Mal Beineke) at Rose Above Theatre Company, Rent (Ensemble) and Christmas Carol’d (Fred) at The Dio. He also appeared in the world premieres of Gearheads the Musical and The Brain that Wouldn’t Die. Enjoy the show!
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Jacqui Blue is an Ann Arborite who holds a Bachelors of Music degree from the University of Louisville. A classically trained soprano, her extensive professional opera and theatre experience began while at GVSU where her highlights include the American opera Street Scene (Mrs. Maurrant), as well as Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Marta), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Brenda), and Ragtime (Sarah). Her decade in Louisville, Ky. included opera; like Poulenc’s The Dialogues of the Carmelites (Sister Mathilde); musicals such as The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Edwin Drood), Dreamgirls (Michelle), and The Bridges of Madison County (Marian); and straight plays like the one woman show Open by Crystal Skillman, and Fairview (Beverly). Since returning to the area in 2022, Jacqui has appeared in new work premieres including in Elixir (Madame Buzzard) at The Encore Theatre, and The Brain That Wouldn't Die (Janet), and has performed at The Dio in Pinckney in Doubt (Mrs. Muller), and Avenue Q (Gary Coleman). She currently serves as the Casting and Directing Specialist for U-M's CRLT Players and their applied theatre and film company and would like to thank Babes, Makarios, and Dominic for supporting her busyness, her loud practicing, and helping her run lines!
Katie Akers is so excited to be singing for you today at Theatre Nova! Katie is a metro- Detroit based actor and voice teacher, after graduating with her BFA from Wayne State University. You may have seen Katie’s work previously at Meadow Brook Theatre, The Ringwald Theatre, Michigan Stage and The Boardwalk Theatre. Favorite roles include Summer Eve in “Jingle Babs”, Edith in “Blithe Spirit” and ensemble/ Dawn understudy in “Waitress”. Special shoutout to her friends and family, who always show up to support her, and Diane Hill for the wonderful opportunity.
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Ian Nicholas is a proud patron and performer of the arts and excited to be a participant in the Reach for the Stars Fundraiser for Theatre Nova. Mr. Nicholas received both his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in Music education from Wayne State University. While attending, Mr. Nicholas acted as the first and only Graduate Research Assistant for the WSU Graduate Music department. In his tenure, Mr. Nicholas studied and performed under Dr. Wendy Matthews, Dr. Andrew Kreckmann, Doug Bianchi, and Dr. Emery Stephens. Post graduation, Mr. Nicholas instructed High School band and choir in Downriver Michigan, teaches through the Michigan Arts Access foundation, and has music directed for several community theatres. Currently, Mr. Nicholas performs with the Metropolitan Detroit Chorale and the North Oakland Concert band and has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Opera, Farmington Big Band, and Motor City Brass band. Despite working professionally outside the Music sector, Mr. Nicholas is eager to have fingers in many baskets across the Metro-Detroit performing arts locale and is an avid collector of instruments, both conventional and unique. In his spare time, Mr. Nicholas enjoys arranging and composing music, cooking, and considers himself quite crafty in the home renovation and woodworking domains.
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Mike Sandusky is an actor, singer, director, and music teacher who loves storytelling, working with others, and making intentional art. He has a Bachelor’s in Music Education and a Master’s in Music & Music Education, and those studies continue to influence how he creates and leads in the arts. Recently, he made his first time directing with DJ Whittington’s Kool Kat: A Hip Hop Panto, a project that shows his love for creative stories,and making theater that everyone can feel included in. As a performer, Mike has played roles like Tom Collins in RENT, David in Kairos, Henry in Sanctuary City, and Ton-Ton Julian in Once On This Island, often choosing parts that focus on human connection, identity, and genuine emotion. He sees theater as a great way to connect, reflect, and share experiences, both on stage and outside of it. He’s happy to support this fundraiser through his performance.
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Kristin Clark is thrilled to be back on the Theatre Nova stage after appearing in Sing Happy in 2021. Particularly at home on the classical concert stage, Kristin has appeared as a guest soloist across North America and Europe. Highlights of her 2026 season include a third solo appearance at Carnegie Hall, performing Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and a performance of Verdi’s Requiem with the Dearborn Symphony. Kristin appears as Electre on the GRAMMY-nominated recording of Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle and recently released her solo album Fate & Fury: The Mythological World of Franz Schubert. She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Voice and Chair of Performing Arts at Adrian College, where she received the 2024 Ross Newsom Award for Outstanding Teaching. Her students have gone on to perform on Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, pursue advanced degrees, and teach music at all levels. When she isn’t making music, Kristin enjoys spending time with her husband (and favorite pianist) Phil, and their blended family of five teenagers, and proudly maintaining her long-held title as “the good daughter” of Theatre Nova's Producing Artistic Director Diane Hill.
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Natalie Rose Sevick is delighted to make her Theatre Nova debut as part of the Reach for the Stars fundraiser. As a University of Michigan-Flint alumna, Natalie has graced the stages of many Michigan theatres, as well as performed in the Henry Ford Museum’s dramatic programs at Greenfield Village, Macomb Community College’s museum theatre outreach program, and the Michigan Shakespeare Festival’s high school tour. She is a former teaching artist through the Wharton Center’s Disney Musicals in Schools program, and she also won a Wilde Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance in Evil Dead: The Musical through Sweat Equity Studio at City Theatre in Detroit. Natalie has spent the last several months successfully battling cancer, and is thrilled to return to performing after her brief hiatus.
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Alaina Kerr is an award winning actor, singer, dancer, and artist hailing from Jackson, Michigan. She now resides in metro Detroit, performing all over the state and beyond in theatre (favorite credits include Mimi in RENT, and Esmeralda in Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Dio in Pinckney), in solo singing endeavors like taking home 1st in the Blind Voice Contest or The Arts Beats and Eats Starmaker Showdown by Fusion Entertainment, and as a lead vocalist with groups like Chateau Band - Detroit's premiere, award winning wedding and party band - and Band/j - a high energy combination band and DJ seen at bars, parties, weddings, festivals, even high school proms!
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