Cast Spotlight: Maria Manzano Johnson and Matt Jahnke

MARIA MANZANO JOHNSON (MARIA MERELLI) holds a Master's Degree in Theatre from Binghamton University and has worked professionally as an actress, storyteller, director and teaching-artist. She is thrilled to be reprising her role as Maria Merelli. She performed in Lend Me a Tenor and Love Loss and What I Wore with Stuff of Dreams Productions. She has appeared in numerous productions at the Cider Mill Playhouse including Maria in Lend Me a Tenor, Cassandra in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and as Delia in One Slight Hitch. In seasons past, her roles have included Myra in Deathtrap, Eleanor in Love and Anger, Wendy in It Could Be Anyone of Us, MJ in Inspecting Carol and Jane in Benefactors. Among her favorite roles is Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, which she performed with Michigan Theater Guild. Maria has toured with Creative Theatre of Princeton and the Appleseed Players, a company she co-founded. She has also performed at the Home for Contemporary Theater and Art in NYC and with Scranton Public Theater. She has also worked in film and performed in commercials for television and radio. Maria is a library media specialist at Roxbury Central School and lives in Oneonta with her husband Eric and their crazy dog Paolo.

MATT JAHNKE (MAX GARBER) is happy to be appearing in his fifth Stuff of Dreams/Bigger Boat/Bigger Dreams Production following Never Too Late, Don’t Drink the Water, And Then There Were None, and Lend Me a Tenor. He can typically be found hanging with the cows on a local dairy farm or on stage with Bigger Dreams or Orpheus Theatre where he has been a part of several productions. Past performances include Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show, Donkey in Shrek, The Baker in Into The Woods, Kenikie in Grease!, and Bobby in Company. Most recently he was seen as Mr. Wormwood in the Bold Theatrics production of Matilda, the Musical.