2026 Company

Gavin Baggs is an 18 year old performer who will be attending the University of Calgary in the fall doing a double major in Education and Theatre Arts. He is a Para Athlete, notably playing Para Hockey for Team Canada. You might have seen him as The Baker in “Into the Woods” (MPSH), as Prince Topher in “Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (MPSH), and as Young Marley in “Scrooge” (PMP). He is incredibly excited to be a part of YPC this summer and hopes to grow as a performer alongside an extremely talented cast and crew.

Ben Candow is a 20-year-old bass from St. John’s. Completing a conjoint Music and Business degree at Memorial University, he is entering his third year as a voice major, studying under the direction of Dr. Jane Leibel. This unique degree path has given him a valuable perspective on the music and arts industry. On stage, recent credits include Nephew Fred in Peter MacDonald Productions’ Scrooge (2024) and a Who in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical (2025). His choral background includes Holy Heart High School choirs and Shallaway Youth Choir, where he is both an alumnus and choral scholar. Ben is thrilled to join The Young People’s Company for the 2026 season and can’t wait to share the stage with this talented ensemble!

Finley Cavanagh is an upcoming second year student at Memorial University, pursuing a conjoint degree in Music and Business. Finley has been an active member of the music and theatre communities in St. John’s and has been in many local productions. He is so excited to be performing with the Young People’s Company once again this summer. He hopes you enjoy the shows!

Ciara Cheeks is a recent graduate of Memorial University’s School of Music, holding a degree in Piano & Composition. She began her performing arts journey with Beyond The Overpass Youth Theatre Company in Gander, where she developed skills in classical voice, piano, and theatre under the mentorship of Leslie Hewlett and Jamie Harding. Now performing with Theatre Hill as part of the cast of Mean Girls, Ciara is excited to bring her passion for storytelling to the stage. She continues to refine her craft as both a performer and composer, often blending her classical training with contemporary influences. Drawing on her musical and theatrical background, she strives to create expressive, engaging performances and is proud to be part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s vibrant arts community.

Lila Curlew is a student at Holy Heart. This her first year in Young People’s Company! Previously, Lila has been involved with Best Kind Productions, Peter McDonald Productions, and Courtney Fowler Performance Academy. Recent Credits include Alice by heart (Cheshire cat), Spongebob (Patchy), Lightning Thief (Annabeth), and the Chamber Choir and MainStage Company at school in both It’s a Wonderful Life (Townsperson), and Once Upon a Dream (Ursula). Lila is thrilled to be a part of this amazing company!

Rachel Davis is 18 years old and graduating from Holy Heart High School this June. She plans to attend Dalhousie University in the fall to study Medical Sciences. Rachel has been studying voice with Ronalda Hutton MacDonald for 13 years. She has also been training in various dance styles since the age of 4, and competes with Ignite Dance Company. Rachel loves performing and has participated in various local musical theatre productions over the past years, some including Holy Heart’s Mamma Mia! (Donna), Peter MacDonald Productions’ Scrooge (2016, 2018, 2022, 2024), Matilda (Bruce), and Best Kind Productions’ Disney’s Descendants (Evie), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (Narrator), and How Do You Get To Jellybean Row! Rachel is beyond excited to be a part of this year’s Young People’s Company, and share the stage with this amazing cast!

Erin Johnston is a performer and music educator who holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Voice Performance from Western University. Trained in both classical and musical theatre styles, she further developed her craft at the NYU Musical Theatre Intensive, studying with Broadway professionals. Erin teaches private piano and voice lessons at Halliday Music Studio and Sounds of the Cove Music Studio. Since 2010, she has performed in a wide range of theatre and opera productions, including Legally Blonde (Majestic Theatre YPC), Godspell (King’s Players), Let’s Bop (Terra Bruce Productions), Working (DWFOM), 9 to 5 (Atlantic Light Theatre), Falstaff and L’elisir d’amore (Western University Opera). She is a past winner of the N.C. Hutton Junior Vocal Rosebowl and has received multiple scholarships for her vocal and musical work. She is thrilled to be a part of YPC this year and hopes you enjoy the show!

Darcie is a 17-year-old singer, pianist, and dancer from St. John’s, whose passion for music began at age five. Since then, she has developed her talents both vocally and instrumentally, while also excelling in musical theatre, where she combines singing, dancing, and acting to create engaging performances. Over the years, Darcie has earned several accolades, including being a three-time winner of the Peter McDonald Productions Sing-Off and receiving the Mount Pearl Youth Performing Arts Award in 2024. A major highlight of her journey has been performing alongside renowned Newfoundland artists such as The Ennis Sisters and Jackie Sullivan, experiences that have significantly influenced her artistic growth. With strong dedication, passion, and drive, Darcie continues to build her career in the performing arts and is excited to share her love of music and performance with audiences for years to come.

Olivia Lawrence is an 18 year-old graduate of Holy Heart of Mary High School. She’s thrilled to be joining the Young Performers Company again this year! Olivia has been performing from a very young age. She’s a member of the Ignite Dance Company and studies voice with Holly Daley at Tempo music studio. Most recently Olivia performed as Tanya in Mamma Mia (HHM Performing Arts). Other previous credits include Serena in Legally Blonde (Majestic Theater YPC) as well as productions with HHM MainStage, Peter MacDonald Productions, Best Kind Productions and TaDa Events. She hopes you enjoy the shows this year!

Rowan MacKenzie is a 16 year old vocalist who attends St. Bonaventure’s College. Rowan has been singing since she was a child, and is a member of her school’s choirs and instrumental programs, performing as the lead vocalist for her school’s jazz ensembles. Rowan studies under Angela Warren, and has been a featured vocalist with Jazz East. Recently, Rowan is returning from the junior theatre festival of Europe, where she participated with the Canadian All-Stars. Rowan is a proud recipient of the 2026 Junior Vocal Rose Bowl, and is so excited to meet, as well as be a member of the Young People’s Company. She cannot wait to perform with everyone!

Noah Mercer is a 21 year old musician and backstage tech from Stephenville NL. He is thrilled to be joining the Young People’s Company this season. For four seasons with the Stephenville Theatre Festival, Noah filled different roles for many productions. These included paint, backstage, & wireless mic tech for Rock of Ages & All Shook Up; paint, set, & wireless mic tech for Legally Blonde, Lucky Stiff & Next to Normal; paint & set work on 9 to 5, Balloonacy, Disenchanted! & Neverland; and paint on Pinocchio. Most recently, he was FOH sound for Newsies (Intervals), and the upcoming production of Willy Wonka Jr. (Intervals). Also a percussionist, Noah has performed with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, kit with Queens of Country Dinner Theatre (STF), as well as kit and guitar for Made in Canada (STF). Noah has completed his second year of a Bachelor’s in Percussion Performance at Memorial University, studying under Prof. Rob Power.

Lilly Pope, 18, is currently studying voice under Dr. Caroline Schiller at Memorial University’s School of Music. Her past performance credits include Legally Blonde (Young People’s Company); How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Scrooge, Matilda, and Elf (Peter MacDonald Productions); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; How Do You Get to Jellybean Row?; Descendants (Best Kind Productions). Lilly has been dancing since the age of two and continues her training with The Dance Centre. She extends heartfelt thanks to Peter MacDonald, her former voice teacher of nearly ten years, for his continued guidance and support. Lilly is very excited to be working with Young People’s Company once again for a second time and looks forward to sharing and performing the many exciting events the company has planned!

Paige Sargent is a Newfoundland musical theatre performer and opera singer. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Opera at UBC, studying under Krisztina Szabò. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from MUN, where she studied under Dr. Caroline Schiller. Recently, she has had the privilege of premiering and touring the opera Le Phare, working with composer Laurence Jobidon and librettist Maria Reva from workshop to premiere (Opéra en Tournée). Last summer, she played Paulette in Legally Blonde and Mom in Pete the Cat with YPC! She has been lucky to be in many shows and operas over the years. Some credits include: L’enfant et Les Sortilèges as the titular character L’enfant (2024), Mrs. Segstrom (A Little Night Music, 2024), Kate McGowan (Titanic: The Musical, 2024), Heathers (2024), and more. She is so excited to be a part of the second year of YPC!

Kelsie Scott, 18,recently graduated from Holy Heart, where she was in the MainStage program. She studied voice with Peter MacDonald and dances with Ignite Dance Company. Her credits include Sophie in Mamma Mia! (HHM), Princess soloist in Be Our Guest NL concert tour (NL Promotions), Matilda in Matilda the Musical (PMP), Diva dancer in Our Divas Do Christmas (TaDa), SpongeBob in The SpongeBob Musical (BKP), Molly and Nanny Goat in How to Get to Jellybean Row (BKP), Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (BKP), Audrey in Disney Descendants (BKP), Diana in Anne of Green Gables (HHM), and Gretl in The Sound of Music (Opera on the Avalon). She looks forward to training in musical theatre at Sheridan College where she was accepted into Honours BA in musical theatre performance this September.

Claire is a grade 12 student at Holy Heart High School and was accepted to MUN School of Music where she will be attending in the Fall. She dances competitively with Ignite Dance Company, does voice lessons with Peter MacDonald, and is a member of the Holy Heart Chamber Choir. Claire loves performing and has been in several local productions, most recently she performed as Rosie in Mamma Mia with Holy Heart High School. Other productions include Grinch (Dance Chorus and Teen Max), Scrooge (Adult Chorus), Elf (Teen Chorus) and Matilda (Tommy) with Peter MacDonald Productions as well as Our Diva’s Do Christmas (Youth Choir and Dancer) with TaDa and various summer shows with Best Kind Productions in the Dance Chorus. She is so excited and thankful to have the opportunity to perform with YPC this summer!

Noah Spragg is a student at Holy Heart of Mary High School and this is his second time participating in Young People’s Company Noah has performed in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Mamma Mia!” In the Holy Heart of Mary performing arts program. Noah also trains in Courtney Fowler’s Performance academy in both the regular and pre professional programs. He has around nine years of theatre experience in total and is very excited to be part of the upcoming shows!

Kathryn recently completed her first year at Memorial University’s School of Music, where she studies voice under Dr. Jane Leibel. She has been dancing at The Dance Centre since 2011 where she has taken a variety of classes. She has spent the past two years teaching acro jazz. Kathryn also shares her passion for music by teaching voice and piano lessons at Halliday Music Studios. Her theatre credits include Scrooge, Oliver, Elf, and Matilda (PMP); Frozen (Tada! Events); Tosca, Ours, and Dead Man Walking (OOTA); Hurry Hard, How Do You Get to Jellybean Row, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (BKP); and Legally Blonde (YPC). She has also performed in The Nutcracker and Alice in Wonderland with Kittiwake Dance Theatre. Kathryn is thrilled to be back for another summer with the Young People’s Company!

Kayla Vardy is a 16-year-old student at Holy Heart of Mary High School. Along with acting and assistant stage management in HHM Performing Arts productions, Kayla also works behind the scenes as an Assistant Director and Assistant Producer. She enjoys being involved in every part of a production and loves watching shows come together from start to finish. Outside of theatre, Kayla works with the Newfoundland Regiment Hockey Game Day Staff. She has worked on multiple television shows and local film productions in Newfoundland, gaining experience both on camera and behind the scenes. She is excited to continue learning and growing with Young People’s Company!

Lucas White is a 22 year old singer and performer from Placentia, NL, currently based in St. John’s NL. Lucas has been performing for over 15 years and has worked with various production companies such as Opera on the Avalon, The Majestic Theatre’s YPC, and TaDa! Events. Lucas recently graduated from Memorial University with an Honours Degree in Music – Vocal Performance, having studied under Dr. Jane Leibel and David Pomeroy, and will be attending the University of Toronto to pursue a Masters in Opera in the fall.

This program is literally a dream come true. As proud people of this place, I think we all talk about Newfoundland and Labrador’s incredible output of creativity, believing that we punch above our weight in art and culture. We have always had truly phenomenal artists here, driven by inspiration, this place and nurtured by mentors, hard-working teachers, studios, schools, choirs and families. For any young person, age 16-23, who loves this theatre/music world, we wanted to give them a professional experience, un unprecedented job that would pay them, lead them and give them a stage on which to shine. Last summer, we willed this into existence and the result was extraordinary. Knowing we made an impact in these young artists’ lives, we knew we had to keep going. Year 2 is bigger, with more opportunities, more participants and (hopefully) bigger audiences.

The Majestic Theatre Young People’s Company is a program of truly incredible artists. Their brilliance is mind-blowing. To our participants, you’re all exceptional and we’re just happy to be in your orbit on this adventure. To our community and businsses that came on board with support, thank you for believing in this. To our production and creative YPC team, you are amazing humans – thanks for bringing your mad skills, energy and heart. To every single member of our Majestic team who works tirelessly to make this place as special as it is – thank you isn’t enough. You’re superstar collaborators who manage to work your guts out while smiling.

And to our audiences, please enjoy yourselves, come back again and please tell anyone you know to come and support these stellar artists.

Dan Lasby (Artistic Director) is a Performer/Producer/Writer/Director from St. John’s Newfoundland & Labrador. Over the years, he has had the privilege of working with some of the province’s leading theatrical companies such as (Best Kind; PMP) including in his roles as General Manager of Spirit of Newfoundland Productions and TaDa! Events Production Manager. As Artistic Director of the Majestic Theatre’s Young People’s Company, he has the rare opportunity to support and highlight some of the country’s most talented up-and-coming Theatre Artists; for which he is truly grateful.

Emily Pynn is a 4th year music student graduating with her degree in Piano Performance/Composition. She is the owner of Pathways Music Studio in Paradise where she teaches students grades K-12 piano, runs recitals, and has co-created/directed summer camps. She also has many years of experience accompanying and has been the pianist for the Chamber Choir, Trebles Choir, and Low Notes Choir at Holy Heart since 2022. Choir and singing are both big passions for Emily, and she has several years of experience doing both; she spent a decade studying voice with Ronalda Hutton-MacDonald, was/is a member of the Holy Heart Trebles Choir and Chamber Choir, Quintessential Vocal Ensemble, MUN Festival Choir and Chamber Choir, and Lady Cove Women’s choir. Outside piano and voice, she is also a violist in the NSO (sub list!) and a percussionist in the MUN Wind Ensemble and the Scruncheons Percussion Ensemble.

Julia is thrilled to return to YPC this summer as choreographer! She most recently performed as Elsa in Frozen with TaDa Events. You can also catch her at Spirit of NL in Home Sweet Homicide and their newest production, It’s A Nice Day for Dwight’s Wedding! Select credits include: Choreographer – Legally Blonde (Majestic Theatre); Assistant Choreographer – Come From Away (Gander ACC); Cindy Sue – Grinch, Dressing & Gravy (Spirit of NL); Betty – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (TaDa Events); Kit Kat Girl – Cabaret (TaDa Events); Belle – Beauty and the Beast (QVRRDF); Mary Poppins – Mary Poppins (Rhubarb Productions); and Sophie – Mamma Mia! (Theatre St. John’s). Julia is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program. When she’s not on stage, she runs her own personal training business, empowering women to feel strong and confident. IG: @journeytojoywithjulia

Leigh Ann Ryan is delighted to be part of the creative team as Head of Costumes with The Majestic Theatre’s Young People’s Company. A music teacher by profession, she has spent the past three years as Head of Costumes for productions including The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Scrooge, and Elf with Peter MacDonald Productions (PMP), and Frozen, Heathers, and The Lightning Thief with Best Kind Productions (BKP).
Before returning to theatre through costume design, Leigh Ann spent many years performing on stage and working as both an actor or musical director with Theatre Newfoundland Labrador, Theatre by the Bay, Lighthouse Productions, as well as an actor with Feast Dinner Theatres in Prince Edward Island. She is grateful to combine her love of music, performance, and visual storytelling to help bring each production to life. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Molly O’Keefe is an emerging Stage Manager currently completing her BFA in Performance Design and Production with a minor in Events and Live Entertainment Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is a passionate and versatile young professional who enjoys getting involved in all areas of the artistic and production processes. Molly has recently taken on roles ranging from Technical Running Crew, (RISE Dances, TMU, Toronto), Head of Audio (Alit Cabaret, Toronto) and Festival Stage Manager (PeachFuzz Theatre, Toronto). As a Technical Intern with The Young People’s Company last year, Molly had an amazing time helping to produce the season and support the team, assisting with costume creation, lighting design, and prop construction. She is looking forward to taking on a larger role within the team this year, and sharing her excitement and knowledge with this year’s Technical Interns.