Betsy Shirley grew up in Winnsboro and participated in many shows at the Princess Theatre from childhood into adulthood. She received her BA in music performance from ULM where she also performed in several musicals, operas, and straight plays. She is thrilled to once again be active in Princess Theatre productions — acting, volunteering, directing, instructing, and playing music. She lives in Baskin with her husband, son, and cat, and they enjoy spending time together.

Elijah Thornhill is excited to return to the Princess Stage as Bert. He has been seen as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby, along with ensemble roles in Folklore, Matilda and all of the Princess Theatre Christmas Productions. He is the homeschooled, 17 year old son of Shaun and Amy Thornhill of Wisner and calls The Princess his second home.

Raina Henderson is thrilled to arrive back on the Princess Theatre stage as Winifred Banks. Previously, she has performed as a Street Urchin in Little Shop of Horrors, Vi Moore in Footloose, and Gabriella in High School Musical. As singing and dancing are her favorite hobbies, Mary Poppins the Musical is right up her alley.

Kara Kelly has been on stage singing and acting since the age of 5 and she is thrilled to be playing Jane Banks. She started on the Princess Stage in 2020 and she is most known for her role as the pigtail wearing Amanda Thripp in Matilda the Musical. Kara is the daughter of Dock and Rachel Kelly. She is a 13 year old homeschool student and an active member of Crossroads Baptist Church. Kara enjoys participating in NELCHA West Monroe co-op, crocheting, playing the piano and singing. She is often found working on art projects, texting friends or teaching her two sisters to harmonize.

Hollyn Stephens recently moved home from Colorado and felt that getting back into theater was a great way to make friends and get to know the community. Although she is a new member to Princess Theater, she is no stranger to the stage. Her love of theater culminated in her holding the office of President for her high school’s Thespian Society as well as performing in productions such as Crazy for You, Our Town, Grease, and A Night on Broadway. Hollyn has enjoyed many years of travel and entrepreneurship across the US, but is certainly glad to be back in the arms of family. She is anxiously waiting for her spouse, Jess, and canine kiddos, Beauxregard, Tchoupitoulas, Calliope, and her scrappy cat Conway Kitty to join her in the move from the Rockies. 

Brenna Smart is no stranger to the Princess Theater stage. She has been in several past productions including Little Shop of Horrors as Chiffon, Footloose as Wendy Jo, Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, and most recently as Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as many more. Brenna is active in her community as a praise singer at her church and several clubs at her school. She is the daughter of Andy and Beverly Smart and will be a senior in high school this fall.

Susan Ragusa is thrilled to be playing the villainous role of Mrs. Andrew in Mary Poppins. After a long break from the Princess Stage, Susan most recently appeared as Elsa in Red Velvet Cake Wars. Susan has appeared in numerous roles here at the Princess Theatre including Jean in Funny Money; Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense and Nunsense The Second Coming; The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella; Grace in Annie & sequel Annie Warbucks; Denise in the Smoke on the Mountain sequel, Sanders Family Christmas; Marion in Music Man; but Susan says her favorite role would have to be Maria in Sound of Music. Susan is on the Princess Theatre Board of Directors and an active member of FBC Wisner. Susan and her husband, Jeff, are mostly retired and love to travel, often in their own plane. They have 4 beautiful granddaughters.

Kristy Donnell has lived in Franklin Parish for 8 years. She is excited to be able to get involved with community theatre. Her experience ranges from stage performances to movies. She was part of R-Squared Productions for about 4 years and during that time, acted in a couple of movies/short films along with several large drama productions at First West Baptist Church with an audience of about 950 people. You can also see her in the movie DeJa Vu with Denzel Washington down in New Orleans as an extra, as well as other small movies around the state. She enjoys sewing, painting, doing crafts, and taking care of her goats. 

Mendi Cotten has lived in Winnsboro for 19 years. She is married to Landon Cotten and they have three beautiful children. She serves as worship leader at Pentecostals of Wayside and has been a cast member of the church’s annual Christmas dinner theater, Christmas in Cricket County, for over 7 years. She loves to sing, play piano, shop, travel and enjoy time with her family and church. She is super excited to be a part of the Princess Theater productions and to work with such great talent!

Jake Maughon started performing at the Princess Theatre in 2020 when his family first moved to Winnsboro. His past performances include: Ensemble in High School Musical, T’was the Night Before Christmas, Principal Clark in Footloose, Ensemble in Mamma Mia, Young Ebenezer in A Christmas Carol, Escapologist in Matilda, Christmas Around the World, Narrator in Folklore, and Tom Snout in A Midsummer Nights Dream. Jake is the son of Landy and Stephanie Maughon. His favorite musical to be a part of was Footloose and his favorite comedy to be a part of was Midsummer Nights dream. Jake’s favorite hobby is building Lego Landmarks and he likes his coffee iced.

Making his Princess Theatre debut, Cameron Smith is thrilled to play the Policeman. In his personal life, “Cam” enjoys playing his electric guitar, listening to podcasts, untangling Christmas lights, ranting about politics or Star Wars, and drinking excessive amounts of coffee. He is a Business & Technology major at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe and is highly involved in the music, sound, video, and youth ministry at Victory Apostolic Church.

Conner Shows is returning to the Princess Theatre stage as Von Hussler. His acting career started at the Natchez Little Theatre in 2018, and in the following years, he has participated in nine productions at NLT and this is his third at the Princess Theatre. He has acted, helped build sets, and even composed original theme music for The Haunting of Hill House, which was the play that gave him his favorite role, Luke Sanderson. Having been cast as George Banks in Mary Poppins Jr. when he was 13, this show delivered a hearty dose of nostalgia, and feels like the perfect send-off into Conner’s adulthood, as he will be attending college at LSUA this fall. His other hobbies include music creation, writing, photography, and bothering his little brother. 

Mitchell Clark is thrilled to return to the stage as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman. Mitchell made his debut at the Princess as Francis Flute AKA Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mitchell is the father of two and papa of four. He is an IT project coordinator for a healthcare company. 

Paige Cotten steps onto the Princess Theatre stage for the first time in her captivating debut performance as Mrs. Smythe. Passionate about music and the adventure of travel, she marks a significant chapter in her life with a talented rendition of the banker’s secretary. Her other loves are the undeniable allure of coffee, her devoted husband Logan, and their two adorable children.

This is Xander Tipton’s first play at The Princess Theatre, taking the role of Neleus. He started acting at 8 as Christopher Robin in Natchez Little Theatre’s production of Winnie The Pooh. Although, his favorite role was as Donkey in Shrek Jr.. He has done five plays in total at NLT, including Mary Poppins Jr. Xander is going into his Freshman year at Delta Charter School. His other hobbies include programming, drawing, hanging out with his friends, and playing video games. This bio was graciously provided by his older brother, Conner, who he is very excited to work with one last time as he “abandons him” for college in the fall.