Divas! Under the Stars
Divas! is coming back to RLT, but this time we’re celebrating Under the Stars in RLT’s beautiful Stephenson Amphitheatre! Who will be crowned our 2021 Diva? To find out, join us for an evening of glitz, glam, and giving on May 15!
Saturday, May 15, 2021 – SOLD OUT!
8:00 p.m.
If you aren’t able to make it in person, we are planning on having a single camera live feed available the night of the event on our Facebook page!
Directed by Alison Lawrence
Musical Director: Michael Santangelo
Event Chair: Georgia Donaldson
Divas! Under the Stars is presented by Curi.
Click here to view the program! (PDF)
Silent Auction
You don’t have to be present to win our incredible silent auction items! Browse and bid on beautiful paintings, private wine tastings, seagrove pottery, a variety of pickles, and more on our Bidpal page. The auction will close during intermission of Divas! on Saturday, May 15, around 9:00pm. Please bid generously – all funds raised support RLT!
Oil painting of the Rose Garden by David Connell of The Connells – one of the many great items up for bid during our silent auction!
There are also a few packages available as live auction items! Bidding will occur at Divas!, so come prepared to open your hearts and wallets. Preview our live auction items here.
Introducing this year’s Divas!
Click each Diva’s name below to head straight to their BidPal page! Thanks for voting and supporting RLT and your 2021 Divas!
Photos by Jeannine Borzello
Benaiah Barnes
Benaiah aka King Darling III aka KD3 aka YOUR MAJESTY desperately wants to be your 2021 RLT DIVA. He’s kind and generous with his time, he looks amazing in a crown, and most importantly, he cares about the people! He will wear the crown and title with pride knowing that he is able to continue efforts to support his second home, RLT.
Watch Benaiah’s campaign video!
Susannah “Nana” Castle
Susannah “Nana” Castle has loved performing since before she could talk. At twelve, Nana was the youngest performer ever accepted into the UNCSA Summer Vocal Intensive Program. In DIVAS!, Nana will perform as the youngest DIVA in RLT history. Nana’s shows include Alice in Wonderland, Into the Woods, Godspell, and Hairspray. When she is not on stage, Nana barrel races, show jumps, paints, draws, exhausts her family, enjoys her critters, and rocks her academics. Ok, now the unofficial stuff! Nana was born to perform! As an infant, Nana would get a wicked grin on her toothless mouth, draw in a deep breath, and let loose with an “AAAAAAAA” that lasted over a minute, ending in hysterical laughter. Growing up in Jacksonville, NC, Nana began working with local coaches before being accepted into Alison Lawrence’s studio. Nana’s family is from Raleigh and they spent many happy hours enjoying the work of RLT. Nana wants to be crowned as the youngest DIVA! in RLT history to encourage other young performers to get involved and excited about the work that RLT and all community theaters do. Nana has seen how theater arts programs build confidence, responsibility, friendships, acceptance, and bring communities together. Your vote for Nana (youngest DIVA! ever) as the 2021 DIVA! will make history and unite theater lovers from Capital to the Coast.
Christy Connell
Christy is thrilled to be making her RLT debut in Divas 2021! In 2000, Christy traded her character shoes and microphone for high heels and a briefcase, and has loved her career in medical sales – bringing innovative and life saving technologies to hospitals. One good thing that came out of the pandemic is that Christy was able to spend more time focusing on her love of performing, and hopes she is setting an example of the perfect work-life balance for her 12 year old daughter, Ivy. Give Christy YOUR vote so Ivy can see that it’s never too late to follow your dreams! Thanks to David for your unending love and support!
Watch Christy’s campaign video!
Alec Donaldson
Please vote for Alec because he is the oldest Diva competitor this year and winning the Diva crown would help ease him into retirement! Alec appeared as Mushnik in RLT’s “Little Shop of Horrors” in 2018 (Cantey nomination – sorry, I couldn’t resist that!). He played Jules in “Sunday in the Park with George,’ Spoonface in “Spoonface Steinberg”, Sir Henry Saville in “Written on the Heart” and, most recently, King Pellinore in “Camelot” (2019), all at Burning Coal Theatre. He was part of “Miscast” in 2017 and 2018 for North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre. Please help RLT after this very challenging year. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Faith Jones
Faith is thrilled to return to RLT for Divas! She was last seen at RLT as Cathy in The Last Five Years. Favorite credits include The Wild Party (“Queenie,” Company Carolina), Ragtime, She Loves Me (Playmakers), and Caroline, or Change (RLT). Vote for Faith because she’s spent years being a diva-in-training, learning from the best while getting her start in community theatre at RLT in high school! She can bring the fun to the word “diva” and might make you cry as she does it. But in a good way!!!
Noah Sennert
As a child, Noah’s sister would put cereal boxes in his shirt and pretend he was a robot. This is when Noah learned that he loved to be in the spotlight and make people laugh and have fun. He used that energy to join a band and play music. He discovered the joys of theatre during his time at NC State. After graduating, he found RLT and began working on the musical theatre craft. Last year, Noah competed in Divas and had a podium finish. This year is the rise to the Divas crown.
Emily Spain
Why vote for Emily Spain? RLT has been a big part of her life since a young age, and is a big reason she is so in love with theatre. She raised over 11,000 dollars in 2018, making her take home the Divas crown. She would love your support to take home another! Also, why wouldn’t you want to make this Disney lovin, dog lovin, and fun lovin girl a two time winning Diva?
Lauren Tompkins
Lauren is thrilled to be competing for Divas! following her roles as StepMama in Cinderella and Lady Eugenia D’Ysquith in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at RLT. Other favorite roles include Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde, Tina Vitale in Tony n Tina’s Wedding- Raleigh (where she met her fiance!), Abigail Adams in 1776, Woman 1 in Songs For A New World, and Sara Jane Moore in Assassins. When not performing, Lauren enjoys music directing, accompanying and teaching voice lessons – and is a financial advisor during the day!
Watch Lauren’s campaign video!
Natalie Turgeon
Natalie is, at her heart, pink high top chuck taylor lover, a Mighty Duck wannabe, Tombstone pizza crusher, SNL aficionado, turned collegiate division I soccer player, registered nurse, thespian and vocalist. She still enjoys all of these activities, however, in the past difficult and strenuous year, when she was not treating ill patients in a local hospital 40 hours a week, she had a daily rigorous vocal regimen singing into a karaoke app she downloaded on her phone, she kept her body in shape (ish) when she hopped back on her roller blades and proceeded to choreograph an entire one woman show of StarLight Express in all Andrew Lloyd Webers 80s pop/rock glory, AND finally, and most poignantly, took grand lessons from the Diva Herself, Mrs. Moira Rose of Netflix’s acclaimed series Schitt’s Creek by watching all 6 seasons… 3 times.
Watch Natalie’s campaign video!
Aya Wallace
Aya Wallace is a threat! Not only does she sing, dance, and act; she directs, choreographs, educates, and advocates! You may catch her singing a ballet combination to her students at North Carolina Central University! If you were able to snatch a ticket, you saw her in her first performance with RLT playing the role of Felicia in Memphis. She was awarded a Cantey for the lead role. Other RLT roles include Wanda in Crowns and Montego (and choreographer) in Three Little Birds. Aya also directed an audio reading of The Pit and the Pendulum starring Jesse Gephart. She is grateful for the relationships formed at RLT and proud of the work produced and brought to life for audiences to experience.
Brian Westbrook
STOP SCROLLING!!!!!…….phew! Ok good, you’ve now landed on the clear and ONLY choice for RLT Diva 2021. Brian Westbrook has been an enthusiastic presence with RLT since 2014 and will Diva harder than any Diva has ever Diva’d to help support this brilliant and magical place. Whether performing on stage, volunteering back stage, helping to direct or sitting in the audience, Brian brings his all to it ALL. So lay your dollars/votes down TODAY for Brian Westbrook to become the next RLT Diva!!
Thanks to our incredible sponsors!
Title Sponsor ($5,000 level)
Diva Sponsor ($2,500 level)
Cantey and Jim Tanner
Linda and Rob Grew
Diamond Sponsor ($1,000 level)
Poole’s Garage and Tire Service, Inc.
Bason Family
CBC/WRAL Community Fund
Chancy and Keith Kapp
Georgia Donaldson
Judi and David Wilkinson
Mary and Neil Saunders
Michael & Lisa Sandman
Phyllis Parish Howard and Seab Howard
Re Corr Bell Group
Gold Sponsor ($500 level)
Beirne Donaldson and Wood Huntley
Carole and Brad Wilson
Catherine and Mason Williams
Cece and Peter Scott
Debra Robbins
Debra Schafrath
Donald Reynolds
Gail G Smith
Jan and Alex Floyd
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
Judy and Larry Wilson
Leland Little Auctions
Medlin-Davis Cleaners
Nancy & Terry Brenneman
Pam Swanstrom
Raleigh Reclaimed
Richard McElroy
The English Garden
Silver Sponsor ($250 level)
Adrienne Kelly-Lumpkin
Ainslie and Robert Uhl
Anthony Tompkins
AVCON Inc.
Bentley Andrews
Betsy and Frank King
Charlie Moore
Chris & Emily James
David Connell
Dell and George Paschal
Donald Reynolds
Emily Turgeon, owner of Paladin Power and Speed, LLC
Fastenal Company
Favor Desserts
Greg Toft and James Pruden
James Cobb and Olia Korol
Jodi Schwartz and Charles Long
Kathy Lagana and John Gerwin
Ken and Barbara O’Herron
Leah Friedman, owner, Raleigh Green Gables Professional Organizers
Leslie Ann Jackson and Chris Locascio
Linda and Sam Wyrick
Massage Envy
Media Partners
Miller Architecture + Design
Natasha Gore & D.A. Oldis
Raleigh Area Children’s Theatre
Sejal Mehta and Jay Chaudhuri
Suzanne Ruggles and Rod Abernathy
The Morgan-Williams Family
Timothy Locklear
Tony and Eleanor Oakley
Trident Provisions
Women’s Birth and Wellness Center
Special Thanks
Hughes Pittman & Gupton, LLP
IV Design
Jeannine Borzello
Mitchell Casteel for sponsor reception catering
Monkeybravo – Rod & Nancy Rich
The English Garden for the Divas’ flowers
Ticket Information
Tickets on sale now!
Want to vote for a Diva? Select their name when you purchase a Divas ticket.
Show Times:
- DRESS REHEARSAL: Friday, May 14 at 8:00pm
- SOLD OUT: Saturday, May 15 at 8:00pm
Single ticket prices, excluding tax and fees:
- All ages: $25
- Dress rehearsal: $10
If you aren’t able to make it in person, we are planning on having a single camera live feed available the night of on our Facebook page!
Due to current gathering restrictions, a maximum of 250 in-person tickets will be sold for the event (subject to change). Tickets are general admission, but there will be areas marked off for seating to ensure proper social distancing. A ticket is required for all patrons, regardless of age. If you are unable to attend in person, we will also be livestreaming the event free of charge.
If you have questions about tickets or seating, please email BoxOffice@RaleighLittleTheatre.org.
Accessibility Information
Performance is wheelchair accessible. Drop off for patrons in wheelchairs is in the staff lot adjacent to the Rose Garden, which is accessible from the intersection of Pogue & Everett Streets.