Biographies

The following are brief excerpts from the noteworthy biographies for the cast of Ghost: The Musical.
 
Montana Iverson (Sam Wheat)
Montana is thrilled to return to La Comedia  for his fourth production since 2022. He previously performed as Count Philippe in Phantom, Captain Braid Beard in How I Became A Pirate, and as Jesus in Godspell. Montana then spent two seasons as a singer at Kings Island before moving to Atlanta, Georgia, in 2023, where he worked for Hilton in hotel management. While in Atlanta, Montana was fortunate to return to performing alongside his fiancé, Charmien Byrd. The two have collaborated in 54 Sings: Bo Burnham (54 Below, NYC), A Christmas Carol: Reimagined  (Center Stage Theater, Atlanta), and now as Sam and Molly. The couple is thrilled to be back in Ohio and is eagerly anticipating their wedding day this spring. Montana is also excited to share the stage with his best man, Dylan Lee Jackson, Charmien’s maid of honor, Meghan Slowik, and his pops, Ed Iverson. He would like to thank his family, friends, and God for the opportunities and support and hopes you enjoy the show. "I love you, Molly. I've always loved you."
 
Charmien Byrd (Molly Jensen)
Charmien is overjoyed to return to the La Comedia stage for the fifth time after last appearing as Belladova in Phantom. She moved to NYC in 2019 after graduating from Ohio University with a B.A. in specialized studies in musical theatre performance and media production. She has since appeared Off and Off-Off-Broadway several times, originating the roles of Gluttony in Infernal the Musical (Theater 555), and Kate in You Are Not Alone (Gene Frankel Theatre). She has also recently toured as a Michael Jackson backup dancer for impersonator MJDejaVu. Over the past year, Charmien has had the honor of performing alongside her fiancé Montana in 54 Sings: Bo Burnham (54 Below, NYC), A Christmas Carol: Reimagined (Center Stage Theater, Atlanta), and most importantly, this very show where he’s the Sam to her Molly! Other favorite roles include Kate Monster in Avenue Q, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, and Marcy Park in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She would like to thank her family, friends, and God for all their love and support. "Ditto." www.charmienbyrd.com
 
Dwan Hayes (Oda Mae Brown)
Dwan is thrilled to be making her debut at La Comedia. A native of Winston Salem, North Carolina, she has a B.M. in musical theatre from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Regional credits: Agnus Gooch in Mame, Candy in Saturday Night Fever, Mary Magdaline in Jesus Christ Superstar, Lena Younger in A Raisin In The Sun. Tours: Apollo Performer in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. She was also featured as a supporting vocalist backing Sam Smith at The 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Dwan would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support. www.dwanhayes.com, www.reachforit.net.
 
Elana Danielle Elmore (El More) — (Clara/Ensemble)
Elana, a Dayton, Ohio, native and Hampton University graduate with a degree in music vocal performance, is thrilled to return to the La Comedia stage for her fifth show. A passionate performer since age three, Elana has showcased her versatility in roles such as Medda Larkin in Newsies, Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act, Celie in The Color Purple, and Mama Euralie in Once on This Island. In addition to her stage work, she is the program director at Breakthrough Cincinnati and worship and community life pastor at Central Christian Church. Elana is also pursuing a master’s in divinity from United Theological Seminary. She is grateful for the support of her family and to God for the opportunities that shape her journey. May this show, like music, touch your soul and inspire love in every heart. Follow El More on Instagram: @el_more_sings.
 
Sam Evans (Mrs. Santiago/Ensemble)
Sam is a recent graduate of Wright State University and is excited to be making her La Comedia debut. Most recently, she has been seen as Lizzie in Lizzie: The Musical, Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show, Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Diana in Next to Normal. Special thank you to Becky Barrett Jones, Harris Norton, her family, and the cast and creative team of Ghost.
 
Max Hunkler (Ensemble/ Sam U/S)
Max is happy to be back with La Comedia after appearing as Bob Wallace in White Christmas. He is a recent graduate from Lipscomb University and has also previously appeared as Dmitry in Anastasia. “Enjoy the show!”
 
Ed Iverson (Hospital Ghost / Ensemble)
Ed is excited to return for his seventh show here, most recently performing as Professor Marvel/The Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, and in West Side Story as the cruel, detestable Lt. Schrank. He has also worked as a performance instructor at Centerville's Town Hall Theater from 2011-2024, and had the honor of playing Uncle Diggory/Father Christmas in the Dare2Defy production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Dayton's Victoria Theater.
 
Dylan Jackson (Carl Bruner)
Dylan is excited to return to the La Comedia stage after last appearing as Nick O’Brian in Shear Madness. He has also been seen here as Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Jetsam in The Little Mermaid, Chuck in Footloose, Marcellus in The Music Man, and Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls. Dylan has been in multiple Kings Island stage shows including Retrospect and Swingin’ Into Christmas. Special thanks to his family, Allison, and Dalton for their support. @dylanleejackson.
 
Kevin Ray Johnson (Subway Ghost/ Orlando Jones/ Ensemble)
Kevin is a Two-Time Grammy Award-winning performer with The Metropolitan Opera after performing in their productions of Porgy and Bess and Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones. He also appeared at The Met in X - The Life and Times of Malcolm X, and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Other select credits include - RENT (Mr. Jefferson/ "Seasons" Soloist), Guys and Dolls (Asolo Repertory Theatre), Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Lyric Opera of Chicago), King Lear (Off-Broadway, Royal Shakespeare Co. at BAM), Blues Journey (National Tour, The Kennedy Center TYA on Tour), Oliver! (Bill Sykes), The Little Mermaid (King Triton), and Next to Normal (Dr. Madden). Film - Django Unchained (Dir. Quentin Tarantino). Training - The Juilliard School (Voice, Kurt Alakulppi), Montgomery College (Voice, Molly Donnelly). “Love and thanks to my amazing wife Rachael, this wonderful cast, crew and everyone at La Comedia.” #ActuallyAutistic
 
Sierra Jones (Louise/Ensemble)
For more than 16 years, Sierra, also known as CeCe, has been acting, modeling, dancing, and singing. She began her career at an early age with voice overs and acting for the PBS TV show “Funbunch Playhouse.” She sang as one of the lead vocalists with the Cincinnati Freedom Choir, performing at the Major League Baseball Beacon Awards Luncheon in honor of Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Bill Cosby, and former President Bill Clinton. She has also performed with BeBe Winans during the Major League Baseball Civil Rights game. She continued to pursue her acting and singing education by attending the School of Performing Arts in high school, singing with various groups. After she graduated, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to feature in various movies and TV shows such as The Best of Enemies, Insatiables, Pitch Perfect 3, GreenLeaf, and many more. Sierra is continuing her career with voice overs, as a social media influencer, and on stage.
 
Justin Reilmann (Ensemble)
Justin is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to perform in his first show with La Comedia. Recent credits include Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Footlighters), and Peter in Peter and the Wolf (Madcap Puppets). He would like to thank God, his family, and Marianne for their endless love and support. Special thanks to Lena Andrews and Genevieve Perrino.
 
Meghan Slowik (Ensemble/ Molly U/S) 
Meghan is excited to be returning to La Comedia after most recently appearing in  Saturday Night Fever. Other LaComedia credits include Beverly in The Church Basement Ladies: Plowin' Thru, Betty Jean in The Marvelous Wonderettes, and Punky Olander in Grumpy Old Men: The Musical. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, she is a graduate of the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s in piano performance. She was in a professional children’s choir for 10 years, performed at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and was in the Florida Touring Choir for Josh Groban’s “Stages” tour. She has been in several operas, including Turandot, Suor Angelica, and Blind Injustice with the Cincinnati Opera.
 
Todd Turner (Willie Lopez/Ensemble)
Todd is a junior musical theatre major at Shenandoah Conservatory. He graduated from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School as a musical theatre major in 2022. He is from Pittsburgh, PA, and trained with Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater. Some of his favorite professional credits include Ren McCormick in Footloose (Surflight Theater), U/S Prince Topher, Ensemble, Dance Captain in Cinderella (Millbrook Playhouse), Everett, Dance Couple #1 in Swing: The Musical, and Albert in Newsies (Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center). He would love to thank his family and friends for their endless support and the production team for giving him the opportunity to work on this show. He hopes you enjoy the show.