Leah Crocetto

World-Renowned American Soprano

Described by the New York Times as possessing an “agile coloratura technique and a feeling for the Italianate style… with warmth, full penetrating sound and tenderness,” American soprano Leah Crocetto continues to astonish audiences with her moving portrayals of opera’s greatest heroines. In the current season, Ms. Crocetto returns to Seattle Opera as Leonora in Il trovatore. She sings her first performance of Bellini’s Norma in concert with North Carolina Opera, and made her debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in recital with pianist Mark Markham, with additional performances in Washington, D.C. and Easton, Pennsylvania. Ms. Crocetto makes her Australian debut with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic she is a soprano soloist in Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand,” under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.

Ms. Crocetto made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2015-2016 season as Liù in Turandot. She also made her role debut as the titular character in Rossini’s seldom performed Semiramide with Opera National de Bordeaux. Additional highlights of the season included Anna in Maometto II with the Canadian Opera Company, Luisa Miller in San Francisco, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Santa Fe Opera. She made her New York City recital debut at Pace University with pianist Martin Katz, and performed a solo recital under the auspices of Washington National Opera with pianist Mark Markham at the John F. Kennedy Center.

Leah Crocetto represented the United States at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, where she was a finalist in the Song Competition. She is a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was the First Place Winner, People’s Choice and the Spanish Prize Winner of the José Iturbi International Music Competition, and winner of the Bel Canto Foundation competition. A former Adler fellow at San Francisco Opera, Ms. Crocetto appears frequently with the company.

“Siena Heights University has always been a part of my life.  One of my first voice teachers was a music professor at Siena Heights. She helped me on my journey into classical music. The theatre program welcomed me to Siena with open arms during the hardest time of my life and taught me the ins and outs of all aspects of what makes the theatre tick and gave me a place to call home. The faculty became some of my most important mentors and friends, and still are today. The Siena Heights Theatre Department epitomizes what it means to be part of a group that will love, nurture and accept you for all your spots and colors, for whatever way of life you’re coming from. You have a place there.”

Natasha Ricketts

Actor/Singer

Natasha Ricketts has been successfully performing in regional theaters all over the US, including Suncoast Broadway, Timber Lake Playhouse, Cumberland County Playhouse, and more.  She was recently 'crowned' runner-up for Broadway World Chicago's Best Supporting Performance for her portrayal as Paulette in Legally Blonde, the Musical.  She continues her success with theatrical performances, cabarets, and concerts around the country. Additional information can be found at: www.natasharicketts.com

Emily Roney

Principal Women’s Dresser, Hamilton on Broadway

Currently living in New York and has been working on Hamilton since it debuted Off-Broadway in January of 2015. Previously, Emily has worked at The Public Theater, The Player’s Theatre and Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

“I have a network now that I never anticipated having; due to Siena's size and community, my professional and personal lives have both benefited.“

Lucas Wells

Actor/Photographer/Videographer

Lucas is a Minneapolis-based actor, singer, songwriter, and photographer. For the past 10 years,  he has been working professionally as an actor across the country. He was part of the First National Tour of Spring Awakening for two years, in which he was the first person to understudy and play all six male roles in addition to his ensemble track. After touring, he spent four years in New York City working in shows Off-Broadway, in workshops, commercials, film and television, including HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

In 2012, Lucas released an all-original pop/rock album titled “Long Drive to the City,” which is currently available on iTunes, Spotify, and other digital markets. He’s currently working on his second EP with a hopeful release in the next year. 

After relocating to Minneapolis, Lucas has worked extensively in the Minneapolis theatre scene as well as on camera/commercials for companies such as Best Buy, Target, Home Depot, Behr Paint, Subway, Bissell, Evine Live, Stella & Chewy’s and many more.

“Siena Heights gave me the opportunity to work on challenging material from the very beginning of my first year of school. The acting training and lessons I received from Mark DiPietro still resonate with me today. He encouraged me to experiment without fear of judgement. Michael Yuen fundamentally changed the way I sang for the the better. Not only did he broaden my vocal range, but he showed me an entirely new way to approach a musical piece from an acting standpoint. I highly recommend students looking into SHU to consider it seriously. Not only are the professors excellent, but the connections with alumni are vast and stretch across the country!”

Michael Kirk Lane

Actor/Cabaret Performer

Michael Kirk Lane is 2005 alum from the Adrian Campus and the recipient of the university’s 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award. Lane toured the country in Joe Iconis' musical "The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks" and appeared as a member of the original off-Broadway cast of the Musical "Hell's Belles".

 He is a two time Manhattan Association of Cabaret Award winner, in 2022 for Best Virtual Presentation and in 2020 for Best Musical Comedy Performer. He is also the recipient of the 2018 Broadway World Cabaret Award for Best Show. Stephen Mosher of BroadwayWorld Cabaret has called Lane “one of the most popular performers and people working in cabaret today.” Cabaret Scenes Magazine has deemed Lane’s work “musical comedy heaven.”

 Lane is an Executive Producer, alongside series creator Jake Bazel, of Duncan The Skunk and the Big Costume Trunk, which originally debuted on Hellosaurus in late 2021. Since 2008 he has served as Associate Producer for No Strings Productions, helping to make puppet films for children in troubled areas of the world. He has been involved in films addressing HIV/AIDS awareness and Gender Equality for Eastern Africa, Child Protection and Public Health for Haiti, and Peace Building and Trauma Healing for Syrian Refugees.

He is the host of the award-winning series “Cabaret Conversations” for The 92nd Street Y, New York. The series explores the art form of cabaret and has included guests such as Lillias White, Jinkx Monsoon, Telly Leung and Chita Rivera. Lane is also a member of the music faculty at 92NY, teaching courses in cabaret performance and history.  In addition he works as a teaching artist, teaching acting, puppetry, musical theatre, and literary arts to children in grades PreK-12 at schools throughout New York City. 

"The comprehensive training I received at Siena Heights University has helped me to not only find work as a performer but also almost every other job I’ve had in NYC.  From the hours spent in the shop, to teaching in the child drama program, my time off the stage at Siena has become just as important to me as a working artist as everything I learned on stage as a performer.”

Andrew Staton

Actor/Technician/Stunt Coordinator

Andrew Staton is a Los Angeles based actor, technician and stunt coordinator in film, television and stage. His past film credits include The Dark Knight, Death Bed, American Scream 3 and The Message. His most recent television credits include Criminal Minds. Andrew’s stage credits include King Lear, Cyrano, Romeo and Juliet and Men Exposed. Andrew has an extensive resume of stunt coordination credits for film, television and stage and is a recognized actor/combatant by the Society of American Fight Directors in multiple weapons and forms of combat.

“I’ve always had respect for both sides of doing a production, but being at Siena, really solidified it. I wore a lot of hats at Siena and helped build pretty much every show I was in starting my senior year of high school. That mindset and the skills I applied during that time have kept me afloat in my journey into the vast business that is professional entertainment. When I moved to Chicago, I became a theatrical rigger and then got to apply that knowledge to stunts and technical theatre when I started coordinating. “