In 2004, Tina Fey was the first female head writer and "Weekend Update" co-anchor on “Saturday Night Live.” She reached a career milestone that year when she wrote and co-starred in the teen comedy “Mean Girls.”
The musical is onstage at The Belle Theatre in Cape Coral through Oct. 17. Members of the cast some Tina Fey trivia you may not know.
“I play Janis Sarkisian,” said Ella Balzano. “I’m the social outcast in this story, which appropriately enough, Tina Fey based on a 2002 self-help book titled, ‘Queen Bees & Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence.’”
Balzano was previously seen in “Footloose: The Musical” at Cultural Park Theatre.
“I play Regina George,” said Grace Koltz. “I am the undisputed queen bee of North Shore High School. Oddly enough, Tina Fey based my character on her mother, Zenobia Fey, who would lavish insincere compliments on people and then laugh at them behind their backs.”
Koltz, an equity eligible actor, is music and vocal director at The Belle Theatre. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from the University of Southern Indiana in 2022. Since graduation, she has trained under the direction of several Broadway actors. Her recent credits include multiple roles in “Glitter & Gold,” Sam in Joey Contreras’ pop musical “Pieces,” Christine Colgate in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Inga in “Young Frankenstein,” Liesl Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” Sister Mary Robert in “Sister Act,” Marty in “Grease,” Babe Magrath in “Crimes of the Heart,” Olivia in “Twelfth Night,” Silly Girl in “Beauty and the Beast,” Beverly Brown in “The Mad Ones” and Marsha in “The Seagull.”
“I play Regina’s second-in-command, Gretchen Wieners,” noted Megan Iwaniec. “My character was played in the movie by Lacey Chabert, who is now Hallmark royalty, having appeared in more than 40 films for the romance franchise. Talk about fetch!”
Earlier this season, Iwaniec appeared in the ensemble of “Frozen the Musical” at Fort Myers Theatre.
Camila Guedes plays Karen Smith. “I’m the Plastics’ designated airhead,” said Guedes. “Amanda Seyfried played her so well in the movie that people now use the name Karen to refer to all ditzy, entitled women. It’s a façade, baby. Karen is a much better judge of character than you might think.”
Guedes’ stage credits include Helen in “Carrie the Musical” at Belle Theatre, Sally Bowles in The Belle Theatre’s 2025 production of “Cabaret,” Sister Margaretta in “The Sound of Music,” River in “In Pieces” and the ensemble of “Young Frankenstein.”
“I play Cady Heron,” added Patience Cole. “A lot of people think Tina Fey based Cady on herself. Not so. Tina Fey was actually one of the mean girls in high school. No, Tina Fey based Cady on her college roommate.”
Cole has been previously seen as Anna in “Frozen,” a featured vocalist in “Encore! A Broadway Revue,” Alex in “In Pieces” and the ensemble of “Rent” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
For tickets, visit https://thebelletheatre.com/ or telephone 239-323-5533.
MORE INFORMATION:
“Mean Girls” revolves around Cady Heron. After her parents relocate to Chicago from South Africa, she decides to finish her high school education at North Shore High after previously being homeschooled by her mother. At North Shore, Cady is desperate to fit in and find friends. Janis and Damian befriend the new girl. When The Plastics set their sights on Cady, Janis convinces naive Cady to be their “friend” in order to bring down Queen Bee Regina George’s reign. Along the way, Cady loses herself, her friends, and her crush, all for the chance to be popular and loved. When dethroned Regina gets revenge by releasing the Burn Book, Cady is brought down and must mend her broken relationships with Janis, Aaron, and even Regina. With dynamic songs for young performers, “Mean Girls” is an anthem to friendship, loyalty, girl power, and being true to yourself.
Fey named several other characters in “Mean Girls” after people she knew. For example, Glen Coco is the real name of a friend of Fey’s brother, and the real Janis Ian is a musician who was “Saturday Night Live’s” first musical guest.
In addition, several of Fey’s "SNL" castmates starred in the film, including Amy Poehler, Tim Meadows and Ana Gasteyer.
More than 22 years after the film’s release, its legacy — and cult following — continue to transcend the test of time. The reason, according to Fey, is the story’s universal relatability.
“It has this little net that catches girls as they pass through preteen and high school age,” Fey has said. “Girls will come up to me and say it helped them get through a terrible year.”
The Cast
Cady Patience Cole
Regina George Grace Koltz
Janis Ella Balzano
Janis u/s Brittany Ringsdore
Damian Robbie Gosling
Damian u/s Justin Price
Gretchen Wieners Megan Iwaniac
Karen Camila Guedes
Aaron Josh Malpica
French Teacher Jadamari Claudio
Mrs. Heron McKenzie Anderson
Ms. Norbury Marie Baptiste
Mrs. George Marie Baptiste
Mr. Duvall Terry Foster
Mr. Heron/Coach Carr Michael Hulbert-Foster
Kevin G DeVaughn Parris
Mathletes Moderator Ava Jennings
Ensemble Dylan Frink, Adriana Skorzak and Ruby Wise
Bus Ensemble Beckie Gould, EmmaJean Jones
McKenzie Anderson, Jadamari Claudio
Peyton McCarthy
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
