Meet the Cast of The Spitfire Grill

Darla Briganti (Hannah in The Spitfire Grill) Originally from Orlando, Florida, Darla attended the University of Florida on a full acting scholarship and received a BFA in 1982. Her career in the entertainment industry spans 30 years where she has worked as an actor, singer, dancer, director, choreographer, and acting coach throughout the southeast. Darla enjoys sharing her passion for acting with students of all ages at her acting school, A Class Act Studio as well as ECTC’s EDU classes. Many of her current and past students are successfully pursuing their careers in larger markets including Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and Los Angeles. Spitfire Grill marks Darla’s fifth production on the ECTC stage. She is thrilled to get back on the boards to “practice what she preaches” to her students.

Larren Woodward (Percy in The Spitfire Grill) is thrilled to be performing for the first time with Emerald Coast Theatre Company! A proud native of Valdosta (a town so south in Georgia it’s practically Florida), she first set foot on a stage at the tender age of two years, nine months when her mother enrolled her in dance classes. She first found her passion for musical theatre in high school after being cast in her very first musical, All Shook Up her freshman year. However, it was playing the role of Janet van de Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone two years later that convinced her she wanted to pursue a career in theatre. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Valdosta State University in 2016 with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Since graduating college, Larren has had the privilege of performing professionally all over the country! Some of her favorite credits include Laurey Williams Oklahoma!, Katherine Plumber Newsies, Minnie Fay Hello, Dolly!, Consuela West Side Story, Alice Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and the “real boy” himself in Pinocchio not too far away at the REP in Seaside. As always, she wants to thank her mentors, family and friends for being the wind beneath her wings! Enjoy the show! www.larrenewoodward.com

Caitlin Artrip (Shelby in The Spitfire Grill ) is thrilled to be making her ECTC debut! Caitlin wants all glory and praise to go to Jesus for giving her this wonderful opportunity! (Psalm 30:12) Caitlin is a recent graduate of the University of West Florida where she received her BFA in Musical Theatre. Some of her favorite roles include Janet Van De Graaff from The Drowsy Chaperone, Babette from Beauty & the Beast, Maud Dunlop from The Music Man, and Helena Landless from The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Caitlin also has the pleasure of being an educator for ECTC as well. Caitlin loves living in Florida, and is very grateful for all of the supportive and loving people in her life. Caitlin hopes this show helps you see the good in everyone and encourages you to follow your heart!

Michael McLendon (Caleb in The Spitfire Grill) is an Atlanta based actor originally from Edison, Georgia. He has performed across the country from the halls of his high school shooting a feature film to the converted cotton warehouse, Cotton Hall in Colquitt, Georgia to a rooftop in Brooklyn, New York. He earned an MFA in Acting at Regent University where he met his wife, Micaela De Lauro. His focus on film and television roles pulled him from New York City, where he lived for four years, back to the south where he and his wife continue their acting journey. He is excited to be making his debut with Emerald Coast Theatre Company in The Spitfire Grill. Visit michaelmclendon.com for reel, resume, and more.

Destinee Steele (Effy in The Spitfire Grill) is a Panama City native with a passion for all things theatre.

After graduating with her Bachelors degree from the University of West Florida (UWF) in 2015, she is excited to be apart of her first professional acting gig. You might have seen her in the Gulf Coast State College production of The All Night Strut or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Destinee has also appeared in Kaleidoscope’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Shop of Horrors, and the UWF production of Pericles, and Anton in Show Business. After earning her Bachelor's degree, Destinee went on to complete her Masters program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Wig and Makeup Design. Shortly after the run of the show, she will go on to be the Wig and Makeup Supervisor of the 2018 National Tour of The Sound of Music. She would like to thank everyone that has helped her to this point in her career and you, the audience, for welcoming her back to the stage.

Cameron Gray (Joe in The Spitfire Grill and Man in the Yellow Hat in Curious George: the Golden Meatball) is thrilled to have this wonderful opportunity to play Sheriff Joe Sutter. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Musical Theatre from The University of Alabama. His recent credits include Master Goodsole The Elves and the Shoemaker, Dorante The Liar, Hans Frozen, Danny Zuko Grease, Dentist Little Shop of Horrors, and Jay Gatsby The Great Gatsby. He would like to thank God, his family, and his friends for always supporting and believing in him.

Allen Walker (The Visitor in The Spitfire Grill) is excited to be returning to the ECTC stage. He is a Panama City native, and graduated from the University of West Florida with a degree in International Politics with a minor in the Japanese language. He currently teaches Latin and Roman History at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach. He was last seen at ECTC at the NWFL Theatre festival performing Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson's An Iliad. He has been also been seen as Scrooge in ECTC's A Dickens Christmas and has performed in various local productions with the Martin Theatre, Gulf Coast State College, and 9 Muses Theatre. He would like to thank God for the blessings in his life, ECTC for the opportunity to be seen and not heard, and Christina, the Monday Night Bible Study, and his students for all their support. Enjoy the show!