Les MisAmerica

Erica Anthony Speed

Erica has spent the last 20 years performing in plays, musicals, and various improv teams around the city. Hobbies include being the "Fun" Aunt, reading letterboxd reviews, and eating soup year round (don't @ me!). She received her BFA in Technical Theatre from Columbus State University.

Rachel Garbus Benitez

Rachel is a lapsed actor and comedian who tricked her friends and wife into creating this show with her. A journalist by day, she enjoyed drawing on her arcane knowledge of American politics--and her basic theater kid knowledge of Les Mis--to find a way to laugh about these perilous times in America. Thank you to everyone in this amazing cast & crew who took a chance on this zany idea and turned it into a bona fide show--and especially to her wife, Marcela, a former jock, who now understands why Rachel calls half-time "intermission" and try-outs "auditions." Vive la révolution!

Marcela Benitez

Marcela Garbus Benítez has no idea how she ended up here. She is a scientist who studies monkey behavior and has more experience doing statistics than songwriting. Her theatrical journey began when she met her wife, an experimental thespian. Fast-forward four years, and Marcela is now somehow co-writing musical song parodies and wrangling Fox News videos in her free time. The things we do for love!

Brian Troxell

Brian has been a fan of sketch comedy since he was a little kid and was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning when he discovered Sketchworks in 2009. He joined as an actor in 2010, directed his first show in 2013, and became an owner-producer in 2015.

Brian is an actor and voice artist in Atlanta, appearing in shows such as Hawkeye and Cobra Kai. He has narrated nearly 200 audiobooks so far and is still cranking them out. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science that he never uses anymore and has completely forgotten everything about. Brian’s personal mantra is “#NeverProduce”.

He is owned by his two cats Winston and Malachi. You can check out everything he’s up to at https://linktr.ee/troxbirds.

Nick Edelstein

Nick has performed as music director, pianist and/or guitarist both nationally (Opera Carolina tour) and locally (Actor's Express, Aurora, Kenny Leon's True Colors, Horizon, BUICEntennial, KSU). He is blessed to have played on many notable productions, including The Color Purple at Actor's Express (2018 Suzi Bass "Outstanding Musical, Music Direction"); and Jennie T. Anderson's Next To Normal (2022 Suzi Bass "Music Direction"). Beyond theatre, Nick has played thousands of concerts on keys, guitars, and horns including as MD-arranger-trombonist of the Atlanta Brass Cats ("Best Rock Band" and "Best Dance Band" - Creative Loafing). His stage career includes symphony orchestras, casinos, universities and international festivals, at venues such as Atlanta's Fox Theater and Chastain Amphitheater. In the studio, Nick has produced seven albums and appeared on dozens more alongside GRAMMY-winning and signed artists, and his songs have been featured on TV and radio. He has arranged for many of the Southeast's top bands and scored scenes for film such as Show Me What You Got, which premiered and won Best Film at Italy's Taormina Festival. His engineering credits include the Music Junkies podcast produced by Shawn Williams at WNNX 99.1 FM (99X/Q100). Nick studied guitar, piano, and trombone at the University of Georgia. He is a BMI Songwriter and a voting member of The Recording Academy. Fun fact: he appears in the Warner Bros. film We Are Marshall.

Adrienne Tarrence (Backstage manager)

Adrienne Tarrence is simply a retired athlete giving her inner child the opportunity to do something creative. She isn’t theatrically inclined, but here for a good time. Her gratitude goes out to all these theatre kids that invited her to be a part of this production!

Phil Brankin (1776 The Constitution)

Phil is a proud castoff of the Chicago theatre community. He has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, About Face, Nothing Without a Company, Baliwick, Chicago Opera Theater, Piven Theatre Workshop, Filament Theatre, and Second City where he performed in the musical improv troupe Infinite Sundaes as Tartuffe, the Spry Wonderdog. He currently teaches Theater Studies at Emory University.

Katie Wickline (Femtine/Ensemble)

Katie Wickline is an Atlanta-based actor, writer, and teaching artist. Recently, she was seen in Limelight’s Midsommar Night’s Dream and is part of the house improv team. She also choreographed and performed in a Shakespearean brawl for Atlanta Street Fringe this summer. A few theatre credits include Snowgirls (Out Front Theatre) Robin Hood (Tipsy Tales), Save the Video Store! (Into the Film), Sketchy Solstice and Pop! Goes the Fandom (Sketchworks Comedy), 12 Angry Jurors (Act3 Productions), and The Big Meal (OnStage Atlanta). Touring credits: Energy Endgame (National Theatre for Children). She has a BA in Theatre from Florida State University. Instagram: @ktmariewick

Maurie Speed (Marjorie Taylor Greene/Ensemble)

Maurie has been acting since she was very young and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in HS. She went on to study Theatre Arts and Film/TV at Azusa Pacific University in southern California, graduating with honors. She continued to work in Los Angeles, attending the renowned Groundlings Theater and Upright Citizens Brigade. With a love for comedy and short films, she co-created a production company that produced a web series, a short film and a play. She moved back to Atlanta in 2017 to be repped by the JTA agency and has gone on to book several commercial and film projects (including the Oscar-winning film The Eyes of Tammy Faye).

Caroline Steed (Lauren Boebert/Q-Anon Shaman/Ensemble)

Caroline is an Atlanta-based actor, writer, and director. She has taken writing classes with Sketchworks in the past and has had several sketches featured in shows. She is also involved in the local improvised puppet variety show, Edgewood Avenue. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University and would like to thank her friends and family for their support. IG @thy_noble_steed

Kirsten Krehbiel (Ronald Reagan/Ensemble)

Kirsten did her master class with Sketchworks back in 2016 and has done several shows with them since including one of her favorite roles: Marty in "Vape the Grease Parody." Kirsten couldn't be more excited to do another musical with Sketchworks, where else can she play both Ronald Raegan and Melania Trump in one show?! If you like what she does in this show, check out Sketchworks' A.B.C.s (Adults Being Children) which opens next week. She is thrilled to be directing that ridiculous show.

When she isn't working in theatre, you can find her piddling around her garden with her cats Dobby, Miles, Sprite, and feeding possums with her partner Andy.

Rachel Garbus Benitez (JaLeft/Ensemble)

Rachel is a lapsed actor and comedian who tricked her friends and wife into creating this show with her. A journalist by day, she enjoyed drawing on her arcane knowledge of American politics--and her basic theater kid knowledge of Les Mis--to find a way to laugh about these perilous times in America. Thank you to everyone in this amazing cast & crew who took a chance on this zany idea and turned it into a bona fide show--and especially to her wife, Marcela, a former jock, who now understands why Rachel calls half-time "intermission" and try-outs "auditions." Vive la révolution!

Summer McCusker (Trump puppet/Ensemble)

Summer is an award losing actor, puppeteer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (Center for Puppetry Arts), Vape the Musical (Sketchworks Comedy), Evil Dead the Musical, and Disaster! Proudly repped by AMT. @summermccusker on the socials (and Venmo if you're feeling generous).

Shane Murphy (Trump voice)

Shane Murphy is a local singer, actor, and stock market understander. He thinks his Trump impression is mid but his girlfriend thinks it is funny so if you don't like it just know what you are about to be subjected to was done in love. Please exercise your right to vote.

Stevie Roe (Matt Gaetz/Ensemble)

Stevie is a graduate from the Old Globe MFA program, and studied improv at UCB and People's Improv Theatre in NYC. Since moving to Atlanta she's performed in Medieval ER, Improv D&D, and Drunken Shakespeare. She also hosts trivia twice a week and would love to see you there. She would love to hear from you and probably wants to work on that thing you want to work on.
You can get all the info on instagram:
@stevie_like_wonder

Maurie Speed

Maurie has been acting since she was very young and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in HS. She went on to study Theatre Arts and Film/TV at Azusa Pacific University in southern California, graduating with honors. She continued to work in Los Angeles, attending the renowned Groundlings Theater and Upright Citizens Brigade. With a love for comedy and short films, she co-created a production company that produced a web series, a short film and a play. She moved back to Atlanta in 2017 to be repped by the JTA agency and has gone on to book several commercial and film projects (including the Oscar-winning film The Eyes of Tammy Faye).

Summer McCusker

Summer is an award losing actor, puppeteer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (Center for Puppetry Arts), Vape the Musical (Sketchworks Comedy), Evil Dead the Musical, and Disaster! Proudly repped by AMT. @summermccusker on the socials (and Venmo if you're feeling generous).