Meet the Cast

 Leigh Ellis Beauchamp has been a teacher for Augusta County Schools for over two decades. Her passion for theatre was ignited when she was cast as Mrs. Muffin in her 2nd grade play, Do You Know The Muffin Man? However, murder mysteries have a special place in her heart, as she previously performed professionally in this medium for 10 years with Clever By Half Productions. Additionally, Leigh is a self-made thousandaire, and one day hopes to be as happy as the women in yogurt commercials. 

 Jenny Howard is pleased to be murdering on the train, which is a sentence she never thought she'd type. She is a local actress appearing with Oak Grove, ShenanArts and Waynesboro Players and has played, among other things, a 14-year-old boy, an alien and a cow. Doesn't get much more fun than that. In her spare time she doesn't enjoy her day jobs, but she does enjoy escape rooms, travelling (12 states yet to visit!) and heaping love on Momma Cat...a feral cat who came in from the cold after 10 years outside.

 Renée Wagner Polen has been involved in theater for many years, through acting, singing, and costume design. Her recent roles include Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret and Chief Inspector Hubbard in Dial M For Murder. Other roles include, Babette in Beauty and the Beast and Velma Von Tussel in Hairspray. Renée lives in Waynesboro, is an abstract artist, and enjoys spending time with her daughters and granddaughters in her free time. 

Robb Zahm (he/him) is a local director, actor, and vocalist, who originally

hails from Western New York. He received degrees in Musical Theater and English Literature

from Niagara University, a Teaching certification from Canisius College, and a Juris Doctorate

from the Law School at Washington and Lee University. He most recently directed Cabaret on

the ShenanArts stage, and has performed various roles with ShenanArts, the Waynesboro

Players, the Wayne Theater, and Opera Roanoke.

Gregory Brent Bussey (Brent) is a local actor, producer, and technician. Brent received his

formal Theatre education at James Madison University. In addition to acting on the rails, Brent

was recently seen on stage as Oz Fudge and others in Come from Away at Oak Grove Theatre.

He has also performed for ShenanArts, Waynesboro Players, and Theatre Bristol. When he’s not

arguing with his four children, he volunteers his time at Stuarts Draft High School as volunteer

technical director, production manager, and acting coach.

When Chris Martin was born, he was just a baby. Then time passed, and now he's a full-

grown man.

He spent his childhood romping around the streets of Waynesboro, VA. He was in 6th grade

when he first took a role in a play, and he immediately loved being on stage. He continued

to act in school and community plays through middle and high school.

He went to college at Virginia Tech where, as one would commonly predict from a kid who

loved the theatre, he majored in physics. While there, he also somehow ended up on a TV

special about American football that aired on Chinese national television. (He only

mentions this to prove he’s just as famous as the Chris Martin from Coldplay).

He continued to take part in community theatre on breaks from college and into adulthood.

After getting his master's in education, he began his career as a physics teacher and

robotics coach at Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School, where he still works today. He

lives in Staunton with his wife, daughter, and cats. When he’s not working or pretending to

be a murder suspect, he coaches youth recreational soccer, goes on hikes, and looks up

videos on YouTube to learn how to fix the various broken things around his house.

Amy Neal Bussey is a Theatre actress, director, and teacher. She is active in local community

and professional theatre as an actress and director, working with the Wayne Theatre, Oak Grove

Theatre, and Waynesboro Players, among others. Amy was last seen onstage at the Wayne

Theatre as Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest. When not onstage, she is the

Theatre teacher at Stuarts Draft High School where she directs six plays a year, including

leading Draft’s competition one act team to a state championship win in 2025. Previously, Amy

served as Director of Education and Resident Director for Theatre Bristol in Bristol, TN. She

has also worked at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA (the State Theatre of Virginia), American

Shakespeare Center in Staunton, 540 Productions, and James Madison University.

Alan brings over 25 years of theater experience to the team with credits in traditional stage plays, musicals, Shakespearean works, and improvisation.  Recent local productions include Can’t Feel at Home with JoeBob Productions, Come From Away with Oak Grove Theater and Agree to Disagree by Jon Stewart.  He has also appeared on screen in Field of Lost Shoes for PBS and John Adams with HBO.  Alan recently directed Shakespeare’s Shorts with EMS theater and works with Act One at Court Square Theater in Harrisonburg.  At home are four great kids, a wife holding it all together, one pretentious cat, and one blissfully unaware Golden Retriever.

Mikey has born in a small town with visions of stardom. He attended VCU and got his BFA in Performing Arts with an emphasis on Movement and Stage Combat. 

  After graduation, he took a “crash” course in stunt work in Seattle before settling in Orlando to work as a stunt performer at Universal, even opening the Tri-Wizard Spirit Rally at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. He also worked two different stunt heavy dinner theater shows as well as being a puppeteer for various shows at Disney World. 

  After several years of that, he packed up and moved to NYC and quickly made his way into the world of film and television where he became a professional union stunt man with SAG-AFTRA. 

  Five years later, He moved back to Virginia to marry his wife and start a quieter life and family in the beautiful mountains. He worked a bit still in film and television until his children were born when he took a step back from the hectic life and is now working as an actor throughout this region.