Meet the Cast of Ten November: Part 5

Gabi Benindito

Gabi is thrilled to be making her post-graduate debut at the Grange Theatre! She just graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in acting. Her most recent credits are Baltimore Waltz (Anna) and the Syracuse Stage Children’s Tour production of Red Riding Hood (Wolfgang). Outside of theatre she loves to rock climb and enjoy nature. She’d like to thank her parents and Kevin!

Role: Actor Eight/Webster

Where are you from?
Cincinnati OH

How/why did you get into acting?
I started doing the musicals at my grade school in Ohio and I fell in love! I never wanted to stop!

What does it mean for you to be in this show?
For me, theatre is most meaningful when it brings a community closer together. Being here and being able to act with and engage with members of the community is so unique and fulfilling.

Can you tell us one fun fact about yourself?
I can put my leg behind my head!

John Emery

John is currently a fourth year medical student at Dartmouth. John grew up on the Great Lakes in upstate NY and he has been acting since middle school in various plays and musicals in school and in the community. Following a brief hiatus from the theater due to serving as a submarine officer in the Navy, John rediscovered his love of acting in 2019, appearing in a production of “Dial M for Murder” by Home Made Theater in Saratoga Springs NY. Despite his best efforts to re-entrench himself in the community theater world, a global pandemic and the first three years of medical school had other plans. So this is his triumphant, and hopefully permanent, return to involvement in community theater! John is thrilled to be working with such a talented team to bring to life such a moving piece about life and loss on the Great Lakes.

Role: Actor Four/Sailor/Murphy

Where are you from?
I am originally from a small town in central NY called Mexico. We are right on lake Ontario and we have 2 traffic lights in town.

How/why did you get into acting?
I got into acting when I was a kid because my mom performed in high school and then in community theater up until she had me. My sister and I were always raised with various musical theater soundtracks playing in the house. So when it came time to audition for my first play in middle school, I did and I've been doing it ever since.

What does it mean for you to be in this show?
This will be my first production since COVID! I am very excited to be back on the stage. Growing up on the Great Lakes, I heard the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald many times. Having served for 8 years in the Navy after college, I am also very familiar with the harsh environment of the sea and how unforgiving it can be. To tell the story of these Sailors who made their livelihoods on the lakes and ultimately now rest there is an honor for me.

Can you tell us one fun fact about yourself?
One fun fact about myself is that as a submarine officer in the Navy, I drove the (at the time) newest submarine in the Navy through the Panama Canal on our way to Pearl Harbor.