Meet The Cast

Roxanna

Roxanna Peakssen is played by Roxanna Demers and she, with her brother, is the leader of The Rusty Bucket Kids.

Roxanna has been acting on stage and for film since age two. Most recently, she played the role of Brigitta in NC Theatre‘s, “The Sound of Music,” and in several of Raleigh Little Theater‘s productions of “Cinderella,” as well as, Playmaker Theatre‘s “The Music Man.”

She has worked on a number of industrial videos, PSA‘s, commercials and voice-overs. She enjoys hand bell choir and Suzuki violin, but most of all, she loves singing.

 

JohnColeman

JohnColeman Peakssen is played by JohnColeman Demers who, with his sister, leads The Rusty Bucket Kids.

JohnColeman began his acting career in home plays under the constant direction of his older sister, Roxanna. His first stage appearance was in two Raleigh Little Theater‘s productions of “Cinderella” and a number of school productions at Emerson-Waldorf school in Chapel Hill, NC.

He enjoys acting out stories and characters, riding his go-cart, and fishing.

 

Myles

Myles is played by Akin Williams.
Akin is a nine year-old Apex, NC native. He is a trained dancer with the Academy for the Performing Arts and has performed in several local shows and competitions such as “Showstoppers” and “Hall of Fame.”

In his free time Akin enjoys playing soccer and writing short stories.

 

 

 

Melissa

Melissa is played by Annie Prentice.

Annie has been acting since she was a toddler. It all started with puppet shows and plays that she organized for the neighborhood kids. She has been active in community theater since the age of four and never misses the opportunity to help a production come to life.

She sings, plays piano and a little guitar. Annie has appeared in commercials and print for Food Lion and ESPN and made her film debut as another ‘Melissa’ in “Cold Storage.”

 

Evan

The Sidewalk Artist, Evan, is played by Evan Lopez.

Evan Lopez was born December 5, 1991 in Bradenton, Florida. He developed a passion for acting at a very young age and only recently discovered his artistic abilities. He has been in a couple films and lots of on stage performances.

Evan likes having fun, hanging out with friends and skateboarding.

 

 

 

Ethan

Jacks Player Boy, Ethan, is portrayed by Ethan Jamieson.

Ethan has been acting since 2008. He has co-starred on “One Tree Hill,’ had a supporting role in “Personal Justice” crime series on TLC, appeared in a Cici’s Pizza commercial, and numerous other acting and modeling projects.

 

 

 

 

Noelia

Jacks Player Girl, Noelia, is portrayed by Noelia Martinez.

Noelia is 8 years old. She is an A honor roll student and is in the AIG program at her school. This year she has been elected as the Student Government representative of her class. After school Noelia loves to dance.

She also enjoys living near the ocean and taking her two dogs for walks on the beach.

 

 

 

Drew

Checker Boy, Drew, is played by Drew Prentice.

Drew caught the acting bug after his community theater debut as an Oompa-Loompa in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Drew loves to play guitar and skateboard in his spare time.

He also does great voice imitations including Napoleon Dynamite and Homer Simpson.

 

 

Jake

Trey Lower plays Jake.

Trey is making his first TV appearance, but has always been a participant in the Arts. Trey made his acting debut in Raleigh Little Theatre presentation of “Cinderella” in 2004. He then appeared in “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”and “Alice in Wonderland” on the same night with the Garner Towne Players.

Trey has also reappeared in “Cinderella” and in a RLT production of “Peter Pan.”

 

 

Emily

Emily is played by Marissa Begin.

Marissa has been performing since she was five years old where she had her first acting role in a church play where she played a mouse. She has preformed in over seven plays and numerous singing and acting competitions. Marissa has enjoyed the roles of Marian the librarian in “The Music Man,” Gertrude in “Seussical Jr.,” and Sophia in Neal Simons “Fools.”

Marissa has enjoyed being a part of the Rusty Bucket Kids and co-writing and singing two songs on the soundtrack.

 

Michael

Michael is played by Michael Greene.

Michael was born March 10, 1994. He is in the tenth grade at Friendship Christian School in Raleigh North Carolina. Michael’s credits include: “The Rusty Bucket Kids,” ”Jennifer Junction,” “Four the Roses,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Muppets from Space.”

He like sports. His favorite college basketball team is the Duke Blue Devils and his favorite baseball team is the Atlanta Braves.

 

 

Jimmy

Chris Roberts plays Skateboard Jimmy.

Chris is primarily a skateboarder who caught the acting bug starring in a PSA for Operation Lifesaver.

 

 

 

 

Abby

The Checkers Girl, Abby, is played by Arrington Taylor Savard.

Arrington lives in Apex, North Carolina with her family and is currently nine years old. “The Rusty Bucket Kids” is Arrington’s first TV role. Arrington enjoys sports and horseback riding. She enjoys weekend trips to Washington DC to visit museums and hockey games.

She would like to become a chemist when she grows up.

 

 

Grandpa Peakssen

Charlie Gaddy plays Grandpa Peakssen and starts the travelers on their adventure.
Charles Gaddy, news anchor and senior editor for WRAL-TV’s newscasts for 24 years spent more than 30 years in broadcasting. Gaddy has been inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame. A graduate of Guilford College, he is a recipient of the Silver Circle Award presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 1994, Pembroke State University presented Gaddy with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Other awards include two United Press International honors for radio documentaries and the 1984 Radio/Television News Directors Association of the Carolinas “Best Documentary” award. He received an Iris award for a documentary on “Fishermen of England,” and in 1989 the WRAL-TV5 6 PM News was judged the “Best in Nation” by UPI for the 1988 tornado coverage. Gaddy received the Edward R. Murrow Award for the documentary “Troubled ‘Waters,” and in 1992 was awarded an Emmy for News Excellence. Gaddy retired from WRAL in 1994.

 

Grandma Peakssen

Genie Demers plays Grandma Peakssen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young Grandpa Peakssen

James Brady plays 10-year old Grandpa Peakssen.

James is 12 years old and has lived in NC for eight years. He has an older brother and a younger brother. When he is not in school, he is probably at a pool practicing his diving. His favorite event is platform where he made it as far as Nationals last year.

James also likes mountain biking especially in Wyoming.

 

 

 

Middle-Aged Great-Grandpa Peakssen

Thomas Haynes plays Middle-Aged Great-Grandpa Peakssen.

Thom Haynes was born in Chicago, IL in 1959. He spent his childhood outside Cleveland, OH, then went to college in Ft Worth, TX, receiving a degree in Biology. After two years of medical school in Galveston, he decided instead to go into computer science. His wife, Andrea, and he moved to Chapel Hill, NC, and two years later, Masters degree in hand, he started with IBM back in Texas. Twenty years later he is still with Big Blue, and has boys now aged 17 and 19. Thom is very active with all aspects of the Cary Players Community Theatre, and is represented for film by the Talent One agency

He loves reading, acting, movies, singing in the Concert Singers of Cary symphonic choir, running, music, and making beer.

 

Old Great-Grandpa Peakssen

Jule Shanklin plays Old-Aged Great-Grandpa Peakssen.

Jule Shanklin made somewhat of an auspicious start in life, being born 1 January 1937, listed as the first baby of that year born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He attended school for basic education in Raleigh as well, moving on to North Carolina State University (NCSU) from 1955 to 1962, punctuated by a hiatus for active duty in the US Navy from 1957 to 1959. Soon after completing his education, he married Mary Lou Wood in Charlottesville, VA on 14 August 1965, they have been together ever since.

Following the marriage, Jule returned to the NCSU School of Design to learn to be a designer and a draftsman. He spent most of his business career in that role, working for the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources until retirement in 1999. Jule has two sons, Ian and Alex, and a number of granddaughters to keep him busy off the screen. His acting debut in The Rusty Bucket Kids was as much a surprise to him as anyone else, but he came through, as you see on the screen, as a real trooper.

He is an avid railroad hobbyist, amateur photographer, and enjoys sailing when he can.

 

Rodolfo

Pablo Vega plays Rodolfo, a mysterious stranger interested in time travel.

Rusty Bucket Kids is Pablo’s first appearance in front of the camera. He was involved in many plays and musicals at Chapel Hill High School, but has dedicated his life to music.

He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in Music Composition, and is working as the Composer and Lead Sound Designer for the video game company Arcen Games.

 

Carlina

Irene Santiago is Carlina, Rodolfo’s companion.

Irene Santiago is a versatile, seasoned actor, voice-over talent, host and model with several commercial, radio and print ad credits nationally, and internationally. Ms. Santiago has appeared on popular TV shows and feature films: “High School Musical 1,” “Hounded,” “One Tree Hill,” and “Touched by an Angel.”

Ms. Santiago has had the rare opportunity to be a guest actor, five times at the Sundance Institute Directors, Writers and Theater Lab.

 

Other Strangers

• Shadow Man…………………….Tom O’Larnic

Nate Weaver

Nate Weaver, Town Manager is played by Mark Roberts.

Mark Roberts has worked for more than 25 years in radio and television news. He spent 17 of those years at WRAL TV in Raleigh. His acting credits include HBO’s “East Bound and Down,” the independent film “Mistreated” and “The Rusty Bucket Kids.” He is also the host of WRAL’s “Brain Game” quiz show, and the host of WRAL.COM’s “Off The Mark.”

He recently started his own company Mark Roberts Enterprises, which provides media talent and public speaking services.

 

Mary Sue Ellen

Mary Sue Ellen is played by Cathy Sewell.

Cathy began her career in the entertainment business and has since worked as a TV Host, actress, radio personality, producer, filmmaker, and singer.

She is probably best known as co-host of Sanford, North Carolina’s local cable program “Live at Nine” and played roles as Ms. Naomi Newman in the kickoff Travelocity commercial for the roaming gnome, Patricia McCormick on Psychic Detectives in the episode “Lost in Transit,” the head nurse on the BBC series “Days That Shook The World-Pearl Harbor,” and Nancy, the mother of Linda Meeker on the TV show “NC Wanted.”

 

Miss Tuttle

Miss Tuttle is played by R.T. Crowley.

R.T. Crowley is very much in tune with cinema and acting. He appears in local independent productions and operates a business called Front Porch Associates, handling press, publicity, and some management for local actors.

He is also Producer of the Peak City International Film Festival and a number of other theatrical and music events around the area.

 

 

Silvia

Silvia, the Invisible Magic Store owner, is played by Amber Deelon Rustin.

Amber is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill in Performance Studies. She has acted on stage in college and local theatre in NC and in Utah. Because her formal acting training focused more on the use of public performance to advance social understanding, she has made “Education through Entertainment” her acting mission statement.

 

 

 

The Pharmacist

The Pharmacist is played by Jess Barbour.

Jess is a recent graduate of Elon University with a BFA in Theater Arts. She resides in Raleigh, NC. With interests in both theater and film she has performed for local theaters as well as touring companies. Some of her favorite television credits include “Law and Order: SVU” and “Days that Shook the World: Pearl Harbor” with the History Channel.