Why Bonnie & Clyde?
Bonnie & Clyde Director’s Notes
By Leah Arington
Why Bonnie & Clyde? The answer is simple. Ethan Brown decided not to wrestle this winter. Ok, well...maybe there is a bit more to it. Alexis Verzal had “a little” to do with it too.
It will come as no surprise that Bonnie & Clyde is never seen on season announcements for children’s theatres. It was an obvious choice, though, for Lincoln Children’s Theatre. Formerly Theatre Arts For Kids, Lincoln Children’s Theatre has made a name for itself in Lincoln and surrounding communities over the past fifteen years. We are known for authentically meeting every child where they are when they roll through our doors. We champion every child by learning who they are and what they need in order to be the best version of themselves on stage and off.
Our recent rebranding has everything to do with this. Throughout the years, people have asked me which of my students will make it big on Broadway. I cringe inside and then reply that if I can help it, all of my students will “make it big,” but I could care less if it is on Broadway. I just want them to be good, strong, capable, happy people doing what they love. I am not afraid to hold my students to a high bar. Raise the bar for kids, and they will reach it onstage and off. Sometimes that bar feels a little frustrating…sometimes a lot…sometimes even hellish.
So, I doubt it was a shock to anyone that we are not afraid to “Raise A Little Hell” (a favorite song from the show) with this production of Bonnie & Clyde - the result of a high bar I set for Alexis Verzal almost ten years ago.
I met Alexis Verzal in 2018 doing an after school production of Jungle Book Kids at Kloefkorn Elementary. She was cast as the snake. Her mother, Tiffany, came to talk to me before the class began to let me know that she would be with her that day as the provider hired was sick. I wasn’t sure why someone had to be with her at all times, but we had just met. So, I didn’t question it right away. I did finally tell Tiffany that having a provider with her was not necessary in my opinion. It wasn’t until much later that I learned that on their journey, they met many that were afraid of Alexis’ challenges and required her to have assistance in order to participate in different activities. I didn’t understand why this was, but continued to ask lots of questions about Alexis because I always want to know as much as I can about a student so that I can help them succeed. I won’t lower the bar, but I will relentlessly find new approaches to help any child reach it.
Alexis was as capable as every other child in the production. And they all had as many challenges as she did. Theirs just weren’t as obvious. In any case, that was the beginning of an ending that I will NEVER accept. So, she is stuck with me FOREVER.
It is hard for me to read the “Leah” parts of Tiffany Verzal’s, “Alexis’s Bonnie and Clyde Story” attached. I do not make accommodations for any child in my life for press, praise or halo polishing. Most know that I am far from any angel references being on my tombstone. I just do all the things because I would never want anyone in my world to feel that they were being treated differently because of a challenge they had. And I teach resilience and solution finding. Life is this great big puzzle and figuring it out is great fun.
I didn’t approach Alexis with kid gloves. I knew that singing was going to be her thing and that she had to learn how to match pitch immediately in order to be taken seriously. This is when the learning began for me. I could write a book about what I learned through the process of teaching Alexis Verzal to sing.
Since I’ve known her, Alexis has been OBSESSED with Bonnie & Clyde. I cannot tell you how many times I heard her sing, “Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad” in the early days of teaching her. I finally told her we would need to shelve that song until she learned to sing consistently in tune and had better diction. I clearly remember saying, “Then, maybe we can do the show.” I don’t mince words and she has a special “Leah just told me something I didn’t want to hear” face. I saw it that day. I know, though, when I see that face that it won’t be long until she achieves the next goal. She’s a fighter, and I love that because so am I. And so, here we are.
When Alexis asked me early on if I knew of the musical, Bonnie & Clyde, I was shocked that she knew of it because it only ran for thirty six performances on Broadway. I was lucky enough to have seen one of those, and that gained me some serious respect in Alexis’s eyes. It was one of my favorite things I have ever seen on Broadway. I had also seen the very well done production of it that she saw at the Stage Theatre that sparked her fire for it.
I've listened to her Bonnie & Clyde research for years, and she never fails to amaze me with all she knows, and that this is not just some passing fancy or hobby for her. I knew of her plans to direct and star in the show one day. It was not until after I announced that we would be doing Bonnie & Clyde that Tiffany told me about the visceral response Alexis had to the show that started all of this. This intrigues me, and I am now obsessed with learning more about how fear lives in our bodies and how well-done theatre and music can create such responses for us. I hope you will find the time to read more about Alexis Verzal’s story below.
Alexis is an adult now. And you aren’t young enough to play Bonnie Parker forever. So, when Ethan Brown told me that he wasn’t wrestling this winter, I knew it was time. This was an opportunity that could not be passed up.
Ethan Brown is a Junior at Lincoln East High School. He plays football and is on the student council. He will also be completing his Eagle Scout this coming year. He has been part of Lincoln Children’s Theatre since he was five years old. Beyond being an amazing performer, Ethan is my right hand man! He is a valued LCT staff member and mentor to countless children that look up to him.
Ethan Brown has been part of Alexis’s story for years.Long before Bonnie & Clyde, he was her wingman—quite literally—helping her walk during Shrek when she played the Dragon. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t make it a “thing.” He simply showed up, again and again, with strength, steadiness, and respect. Ethan has made Alexis, this theatre program and me his priorities for years. He is a rare young man—with a heart of gold, herculean strength, and a fierce voice. Ethan and Alexis have a special friendship rooted in theatre and humanity.
There is so much heart in this production of Bonnie & Clyde. It is an amazing group of parents, current and former students, as well as the infusion of some new talent and great people. I sincerely hope you enjoy Bonnie and Clyde as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.
Alexis’s Bonnie & Clyde Story
By Tiffany Verzal
Alexis Verzal has always loved theater. By the age of 18, she had already appeared in more than 20 productions. But it was 2018 that became the turning point—the year everything changed.
That year, Alexis first worked with Leah Arington in an after-school production of Jungle Book Kids. It was also the year she saw Bonnie & Clyde for the first time at the Stage Theater in Hickman, Nebraska.
At that time, the Stage Theater was housed in a small building with an intimate stage. Handicap seating was placed directly in front, putting the audience little more than an arm’s length from the performers. Alexis attended the show with her dad, Brandon, and her Aunt Jen to support close family friends, Amy and Taylor Sharpe. Amy had warned them ahead of time that the show was “pretty intense.” But Alexis had already seen so many musicals that, as parents, we didn’t think much of it. We knew the story of Bonnie and Clyde—just not how deeply it would affect her.
As the curtain rose and the audience was met with a car riddled with bullet holes, Brandon knew immediately that he was in for a ride.
When Alexis suffered a traumatic brain injury at just 14 months old and began the long process of healing, not everything rewired the way it once had. Her right arm became very stiff and difficult to control. Early on, we noticed that when Alexis felt scared or anxious, her right hand would fly up uncontrollably. A therapist once explained it simply: the fear center of her brain had rewired through that arm. Which brings us back to that ride.
Whoever sits on Alexis’s right side has an important role—especially during live theater, where unexpected lights, loud sounds, and sudden moments can trigger that response. That night, Brandon found himself holding her arm down as the show launched straight into a death scene. And that was all it took.
Alexis was hooked.
There was extraordinary music and remarkable talent on that stage, but what truly sealed Alexis’s love for Bonnie & Clyde was the character of Buck, Clyde’s brother. His death scene—full of blood and gunfire—played out right at Alexis’s feet. Completely engulfed in the story, ten-year-old Alexis cried out, “Nooooooooo!”
What makes this moment even more special is what was happening backstage. Because of the theater’s size, cast members watched monitors to catch their cues. On the night Alexis was in the audience, the cast wasn’t just watching the stage—they were watching her. They could see every reaction as she lived fully inside the story. Alexis was having an impact—the very thing every actor hopes to create.
After the show, Alexis took photos with many of the cast members, who quickly became her idols—and her friends. It wasn’t long before she had a script in her hands, practicing lines with Brandon for the day she would play Bonnie. The Hamilton soundtrack that once played on repeat was swiftly replaced by the Broadway cast recording of Bonnie & Clyde. The recorded Stage Theater production on YouTube also saw its view count climb—rather suspiciously.
Alexis dove headfirst into the history of the 1930s. Her fifth-grade research project focused entirely on Bonnie and Clyde. We had an exact replica of Bonnie’s iconic dress custom-made for Alexis. Brandon, who also loves history, and Alexis began traveling together, following the outlaws’ path through the South and Midwest.
Their journey included:
• Dexter, Iowa – the Dexter shootout and museum
• Platte County, Missouri – the Red Crown shootout
• Joplin, Missouri – the Joplin hideout and museum
• Stringtown, Oklahoma – the Stringtown shootout
• Grapevine, Texas – the Easter shootout
• Dallas, Texas – Bonnie’s school, the Barrow service station, and the graves of Bonnie and Clyde
• Roscoe, Illinois – a museum housing rare artifacts
• Gibsland, Louisiana – the shootout site and museum where Bonnie and Clyde were killed
• Primm, Nevada – home of the infamous death car and additional artifacts
Beyond the learning and travel, this show—despite its violence and grit—created some of the most meaningful moments in Alexis’s life. She was photographed at the café in Gibsland, Louisiana, where Bonnie and Clyde had their final meal—and she ate the exact same meal herself. Through her research, Alexis learned that Bonnie’s niece, Rhea Leen Linder, dedicated her life to having Bonnie and Clyde buried together. Alexis wrote her a letter and received a beautiful response. Since then, Alexis and Rhea—now in her late 90s—have corresponded several times by email.
Over the years, Alexis has received graded historical trading cards of Bonnie and Clyde from people who learned of her passion. She even has custom cards made, including one featuring the signature of Jeremy Jordan, who played Clyde on Broadway. For her 16th birthday, Sean (Buck) and Lindsey (Blanche) from the Stage Theater production came to sing songs from the musical with her.
Alexis has also leaned on this show through some of her most difficult moments. She has used it to get through multiple major surgeries—entertaining surgeons and nurses with historical facts and singing songs as she emerged from anesthesia. Her neurosurgeon often spent lunch breaks in her room, listening as Alexis talked about her plan to someday star in and direct the show. She used Bonnie & Clyde as motivation to learn to walk again—after hip surgery and again after spinal fusion.
And that was always the plan. Someday—though we didn’t know when—Alexis would put on this show herself, and she would be Bonnie Parker. Costumes were collected. Songs were sung. Her younger sister, Abby, was cast as Young Bonnie for years.
Which brings us back to Leah Arington.
From the moment Leah met Alexis in 2018, she believed in Alexis’s musical and acting abilities—often more than Alexis believed in herself. Leah made sure Alexis walked and stood in productions. Ramps were built. Stages were modified. Accommodation after accommodation was made so Alexis could fully belong.
So as Alexis steps into a new chapter as an adult, it was no surprise that Leah chose to make one more accommodation—one more dream come true. Alexis will play Bonnie Parker in Bonnie & Clyde. Clyde will be portrayed not by Brandon, but by longtime friend and supporter Ethan Brown.
We truly believe it has taken all these years to prepare Alexis for this role. Carrying a lead like Bonnie requires years of memorization, private lessons, discipline, and devotion—watching and studying the show again and again.
Thank you to Leah and to everyone involved in this production who is helping make Alexis’s dream a reality. It has been a long time coming, and there is no partnership more powerful—or more meaningful—than Leah and Alexis.
