La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts Presents MEAN GIRLS
by: David Elzer
Published: March 16, 2026
LA MIRADA...LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT are thrilled to announce full casting for the Southern California regional theatre premiere of the totally “fetch” queen bee of hilarious modern musicals, MEAN GIRLS, book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, based on the Paramount Pictures film Mean Girls, musical direction by Anthony Zediker, and direction and choreography by Dana Solimando. MEAN GIRLS will preview on Friday, April 10 at 8 pm and Saturday, April 11 at 2 pm, have its official Press Opening on Saturday, April 11 at 8 pm, and run through Sunday, May 3 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada.
MEAN GIRLS is the brutally hilarious musical from book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”). This queen bee took Broadway by storm and has joined the musical in-crowd. Adapted from Fey’s hit 2004 film, MEAN GIRLS was nominated for a staggering 12 Tony® Awards. Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on “The Plastics,” a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a queen bee without getting stung!
ABOUT THE CAST AND THE CREATIVE TEAM
The Cast of MEAN GIRLS will feature: Katie Roche as “Cady Heron,” Adrianna Rose Lyons as “Regina George,” Sarah-Anne Martinez as “Gretchen Wieners,” Grace Fluharty as “Karen Smith,” McKenna Michael as “Janis Sarkisian,” Gavin Leahy as “Damian Hubbard,” Eric Myrick as “Aaron Samuels,” Shailen Patel Braun as “Kevin Gnapoor,” Daryl C. Brown as “Mr. Hubbard,” Daniel Dawson as “Coach Carr,” and Gwen Hollander as “Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George.” The Ensemble will feature (in alphabetical order) Sabrina Astengo, Alyssa Anne Austin, Eugene Boyd, Augusto Guardado, Brandon Halvorsen, Emmy J. Lane, Jenna Luck, Keturah McIntyre, Caroline Moulios, Barbara Ann Reed, Eric Renna, and Clayton Michael Walker. The Swings will be Kevin Corte and Bailey Renee Miller.
DANA SOLIMANDO (Direction/Choreography) returns to La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts after choreographing Legally Blonde last season. Some select choreography credits include: Jersey Boys, Irena (Teatr Muzyczny Poznań), Pippin, Cabaret, American Idiot, Rent, Spring Awakening, Billy Elliot (LADCC Award nomination), Ragtime, Parade, Damn Yankees, The Addams Family, Hairspray, All Shook Up, Miss Saigon (Macau International Arts Festival), and the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (NAACP Theatre Award nomination). Additional regional credits include: Hair, La Cage, The Wizard of Oz (Sacramento Music Circus) and the world premiere of Little Miss Scrooge (Rubicon Theatre Company). Additional awards include three L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards & seven nominations as well as three L.A. Drama Critics Circle nominations. Solimando also served as co-writer, director, and choreographer for Crystal Cruises and directed and choreographed the world premiere/national tour of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical.
ANTHONY ZEDIKER (Musical Director/Conductor) is a Los Angeles-based music director, conductor, and pianist. He recently made his debut at the Pantages Theatre as a keyboard sub for the Broadway national tour of Some Like It Hot. Recent highlights include Jersey Boys and Into the Woods (Musical Theatre West), Sweeney Todd, The Little Mermaid and Frozen (La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts), The Civility of Albert Cashier(Colony Theatre), An American in Paris (The Cape Playhouse), and Tick, Tick…Boom! (International City Theatre). Mr. Zediker also appeared as a recurring guest star in HBO's “Big Little Lies” and was Jim Carrey's hand double in Showtime's “Kidding.” He holds a B.M. from DePaul University in Chicago and a M.M. from the University of Southern California.
TINA FEY (Book) is a writer, actor, and producer known for her award-winning NBC series “30 Rock” and for nine seasons on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (‘Weekend Update,’ ‘Sarah Palin,’ ‘Mom Jeans’). Her films include Sisters, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Date Night, and Mean Girls (her first screenplay). In 2010, she became the youngest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Her book Bossypants has sold 2.5 million copies. She co-created “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix) and was an Executive Producer on “Great News” (NBC). She was thrilled to make her Broadway debut as a writer and not as a dancer in CATS as previously stress-dreamt. She lives in NYC with her husband Jeff Richmond and their two fancy daughters.
JEFF RICHMOND (Music) is an award-winning composer, songwriter and producer for television, theatre, and film. He served as composer and an Executive Producer on NBC’s “30 Rock,” winning three Primetime Emmy Awards alongside his wife Tina Fey. He was a musical director at The Second City in Chicago and at “Saturday Night Live,” where he spent five seasons composing original songs for stars including Jack Black, Queen Latifah, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Jeff’s New York theatre credits include his musical Melancholy Baby, the inaugural production of the Ars Nova Theater, and the score for Fully Committed on Broadway starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson. He executive produced, directed, and scored episodes of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” in New York City, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters.
NELL BENJAMIN (Lyrics) co-wrote the score to Legally Blonde The Musical with composer Laurence O'Keefe, which received Tony Award nominations, Drama Desk nominations, and the Olivier and Helpmann Awards for Best Musical. Nell wrote the lyrics to MEAN GIRLS, which received multiple Tony Award nominations, including for Best Original Score and Best Musical. Nell's play, The Explorers Club, won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant. Nell has written the book and/or lyrics for Pirates! (or Gilbert and Sullivan plunder'd), Sarah, Plain and Tall, Cam Jansen (Drama Desk-nominated), I Want My Hat Back, How I Became a Pirate, The Mice, Because of Winn Dixie, Huzzah!, Life of the Party, and Dave. Television writing includes “Unhappily Ever After,” Animal Planet's "Whoa! Sunday with Mo Rocca," "Electric Company," "Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris," "Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway," and "Julie's Greenroom." Benjamin is the recipient of the Kleban Foundation Award and a Jonathan Larson Grant.
The Design Team for MEAN GIRLS is as follows: Scenic Design by Stephen Gifford; Lighting Design by Steven Young; Sound Design by Josh Bessom; Projections Design by David Murakami; Costume Coordinator is Adam Ramirez; Hair/Wig Design by Kaitlin Yagen; Properties Design by Kevin Williams. The Casting Director is Julia Flores. The Production Stage Manager is Talia Krispel.
MEAN GIRLS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND PRICING
MEAN GIRLS will preview on Friday, April 10 at 8 pm and Saturday, April 11 at 2 pm, have its official Press Opening on Saturday, April 11 at 8 pm, and run through Sunday, May 3, 2026 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada.
Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 8 pm; and Sundays at 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm. There is no performance on Sunday, April 12 at 6:30 pm.
There will be an Open-Captioned performance on Saturday, April 25 at 2:00 pm. Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 pm.
Tickets range from $23 - $115 (prices subject to change) and can be purchased on La Mirada Theatre’s website
www.LaMiradaTheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Group, student, and military discounts are available.
Recommended for ages 12 & older for language and subject matter. Children under 3 will not be admitted into the theatre.
LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue where the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Parking is FREE.