Virginia City Players

Returning as the new Artistic Director, this summer mark’s Stephen’s tenth season as a Virginia City Player. Stephen is an interdisciplinary theatre and media artist from Billings, Montana. He is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Artistic Director of the Bank of Commerce Performing Arts Series for The University of Montana Western. He is also the owner of SederMedia LLC, a Montana-based film production company. Stephen holds a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College with a concentration in Performance Creation. While attending The University of Montana he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with a specialization in Acting, and a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts. Prior to relocating to Dillon, Stephen was a technical director and adjunct instructor for Carroll College. From 2012 to 2018, he worked as a company stage manager, designer, and actor for Koch Productions as they operated the Virginia City Players. Stephen has performed for the Myrna Loy Center, Helena Theatre Company, Grandstreet Theatre, Blue Slipper Theatre, Gateway Playhouse, Venture Theatre, Post Playhouse, Fort Peck Summer Theatre, and Billings Studio Theatre. Stephen is thrilled to be back in Virginia City this summer to maintain the beautiful history and traditions of this iconic summer stock theatre company!

Adryan has been performing live theatre since she could walk, starting from Missoula Children’s Theatre to The University of Montana (2015). Later she honed her theatrical design craft at Carnegie Mellon University (2019). Adryan is a Montana-based scenic designer whose work blends design, construction, and performance to create immersive environments that support bold storytelling for the stage. After years of bouncing around New York and Pittsburgh, she’s back home in Montana as an Assistant Professor and the Technical Director of the BOC Performing Arts Series at Montana Western.

Her favorite collaborative creations include:

Design: St. John’s University Queens All Shook Up. Montana Actors Theatre The Rocky Horror Show. The Way Out West. Medea/Shulie. The Three Musketeers; Scenic Charge: Barnard College New York Men On Boats, Stella Adler Center of the Arts New York Awake and Sing; Installation: Tepper School of Business Mural The Collaborative Campus. CMU Alumni Awards 2017-19; Management: Missoula Center of the Arts Dancing with the Stars.

Heather Brunner is thankful to be returning to Virginia City for a fourth summer.  As a year-round resident of Ennis, MT, she finds summers with the VCP a time to expand her musical knowledge of the vaudeville era.  Holding a BM and MM in Piano Pedagogy, Heather is an active part of the local music community.  She owns a busy piano and voice studio, accompanies the Ennis school choirs and soloists, volunteers for the weekly sing-a-longs at the Madison Valley Manor, and plays dinner music at local restaurants.  With over 37 years on the piano bench, she would like to encourage you to continue perusing your musical goals.

‘Chelle is a Butte, Montana native who recently came home after being gone for 36 years. Growing up, it was a yearly family treat to come to a show at the Illustrious Virginia City Players and she always looked forward to the closing act where the players wore the prettiest costumes. Her experiences while away from Butte were to graduate with a BFA from the Performance Production department of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, create and then run for several years the props department at the Missoula Children’s Theatre, in Missoula, Montana and then graduate with an MFA as a Technical Director from UNLV in Las Vegas, Nevada. After that graduation, she worked with Cirque du Soleil for the resident shows Mystère, KÀ and BeLieve. While at those shows, she met the puppet maker Michael Curry and, wishing to move back up north, went to make props and puppets at his company in Oregon. Also, while in Oregon, she worked for StageCraft Industries stitching grand drapes for theaters around the world, at ACME Scenic and Display as a carpenter and scenic painter building sets for houses like the Sarasota Opera and the Eugene Ballet and as a scenic painter at Portland Center Stage. She currently is the Stage Manager for the Mother Lode Theatre and Technical Advisor to the Orphan Girl Theatre, both of Butte, Montana. It’s beyond a dream come true to be home and working behind the scenes for the Virginia City Players and to now be a part of the team that will help to make memories for countless other people this summer.

Adeline has grown a love for theatre since she was cast in MCT productions in elementary school. In her recent years, high school and college have helped grow her passion for backstage theatre work, with a particular fondness for stage management. The last four years she has stage managed a handful of productions alongside Stephen Seder at The University of Montana Western including: SpongeBob The Musical, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Jasper in Deadland, TEDx, and The Play That Goes Wrong. As of May this year, Adeline will be a UMW graduate with a Bachelor’s in English and a Minor in Theatre. She is delighted and grateful to join Virginia City this summer to keep the magnificence of their beloved theatre going, and she thanks you for all your support in helping the arts live on!

Ezra Preston is a secondary education science major at Salish Kootenai college. Ezra is an avid performer; while attending University of Montana Western, he was active in the Chevaliers choir, as well frequently taking the stage for productions such as Trifles, It’s a Wonderful Life, Puffs, and Jasper in Deadland. He has a penchant for playing multiple roles in shows, such as in Puffs (Ernie Mac, A Certain Potions Teacher, 2nd Headmaster, Real Mr. Moody, Sal) and Jasper in Deadland (Virgil, Hathaway, Dante, Brutus). Ezra has been strongly influenced by the screwball comedic stylings of Mel Brooks and Monty Python, as well as the dry wit of Larry David and Norm Macdonald.

Kendel Puccinelli is a recently proud alumni of the University of Montana Western and is excited for the opportunity to transfer to the University of Montana in the fall. Originally from Anaconda, her passion for music started with the violin in the 4th grade. In high school she participated in Blue Bells and Early Birds Jazz choir, leading to her becoming elected as the president of the Choraleers honor choir. Her senior year she had the honor to audition and sing in an All-Northwest Honor Choir in Spokane, WA. Graduating as a TRI-M alumni, her pursuit for music led her to the arts at UMW. With little theater background, including the Open Theater Project and Missoula Children’s Theater, she delved happily headfirst into UMW’s fine arts program. Proud productions participated in include: The Marvelous Wonderettes, Puffs, UMW Improv Troop, Jasper in Deadland, The Laramie Project, The Laramie Project 10 Years Later, and The Play That Goes Wrong.

Kendel would like to thank her family for their unconditional support and is looking forward to working with everyone this summer!

“If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hot dogs.” Greg Universe

Despite a late start into the world of theatre, Austin has yet to cease. Beginning nearly through high school he quickly caught on and took to the stage of the Hamilton Players (2017) before deciding “Yeah, I can work with this” and attending the University of Montana School of Theatre and Dance (2017-2022), now holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the program. Long since graduated, he has been performing all over the country, from frigid Alaska to the cornfields in Kansas, immersing audiences in the worlds of the works he portrays. Austin has spent the last few years on the road with Midnight Creative, and their hybrid cocktail show The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy (2024-2026), where it has taught him the importance of keeping old stories alive, and of getting a good night sleep. Austin is a Montana based theatre & film actor whose heart comes first when it comes to performance, his castmates coming also first, and everything else second. Austin is incredibly grateful to be involved in the Virginia City Players and is looking forward to the upcoming season!

Avery Murphy is excited to make both her Summer Stock and Virginia City Players debuts! She grew up in Allen, Texas, having started theatre in Middle School. She just graduated in early May of this year (2026), earning a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from the University of Central Oklahoma. Some of her favorite roles include Gertrude in Seussical, Clarissa/Queen of Diamonds in Alice by Heart, and Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, cementing her love for both comedic and dramatic roles. Along with singing, acting, and dancing, she picked up technical skills like scenic building, backstage crewing, running lights, stage management, and even directing. Avery is ready to take on the vast world of the theatre industry, and so gracious that Virginia City Players is her first steppingstone. She thanks her wonderful family: Her mom, dad, and little sister Audrey, and the passionate faculty at UCO for helping her get to where she is today.

Mikey Mills is beyond excited to return to Virginia City as a “player” for the third year in a row. Having a deep interest and passion for automatic musical instruments as well as Tin Pan Alley music, Virginia City is a natural fit for him! For the past few years, Mikey has been slowly getting the historic Cremona Photoplayer operational – this being one of only two complete examples on the planet and the only one still working! You can also find him at the Nevada City Music Hall where you can hear many more automatic instruments he has been restoring. Mikey has an extensive background in theater, most recently directing “1776” at the Washington Opera House in Maysville, KY. He is also premiering an original musical in October: “Horseman” for which he composed the music and lyrics with his friend and past Virginia City Player: Michael English writing the libretto. He hopes to continue coming to Virginia and Nevada City for many years helping to keep the musical character and history that Charley Bovey found so important – alive.