If excitement could kill, we'd be in trouble... Announcing the cast for our upcoming rock opera Murder Ballad! Playing in the Upstairs Theatre from April 8 to May 3, 2026.
The next show of our 25/26 Season will be the bold, electrifying, and rarely produced Murder Ballad, playing from April 8 to May 3, 2026. Conceived by and with Book and Lyrics by Julia Jordan, and Music and Lyrics by Juliana Nash, the production will be directed by our very own Executive Artistic Director, Cynthia Fleming, back to lead the team after her direction of last summer's hit The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive; and music directed by David Evanoff, whose recent work at SLAC includes R+J: Star-Cross'd Death Match, Fun Home, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Murder Ballad will star Collette Astle* as Sarah, Mckenzie Gray Aydelott as Tom, Latoya Cameron* as The Narrator, and M. Scott McLean* as Michael. The remainder of the creative team will be announced shortly!
Murder Ballad is a rock opera about a love triangle that goes wrong. Sexy with a sharp wit and the driving force of a noir thriller, it explores the complications of love, the compromises we make, and the betrayals that can ultimately undo us.
Get to Know the Actors:
Collette Astle* (she/her)
Collette made her SLAC debut in last season's Whitelisted. After living in NYC for the past several years, she’s excited to be back performing in Utah. Her favorite role thus far in life is Auntie Coco to her two beautiful nieces. Check out her original music on Spotify & Apple Music. “Lead With Love!” @ColletteAstle
Mckenzie Gray Aydelott (he/him)
Raised in Kaysville, Mckenzie Gray Aydelott’s work spans television, film, and stage. Television credits include co-starring roles on Kingdom, Days of Our Lives, Everwood, and Touched by an Angel, as well as a Top 8 Group Finalist on The X-Factor and a regional finalist placement on American Idol. Gray has appeared as Benny in In the Heights, Seaweed in Hairspray, Roger in RENT, Marius in Les Misérables, and Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me, Kate. As a musician and songwriter, he has opened for Harry Connick Jr., The Temptations, Tony Bennett, Brett Michaels, and Cyndi Lauper, and was a songwriter for Universal Records from 2017-2019. Gray is a proud co-owner and singer in “Red Hot Revolution”, an international corporate event band. He is grateful to tell this bold and powerful story alongside such brilliant talent and vision. "Love one another!"
Latoya Cameron* (she/her)
Latoya Cameron is thrilled to be back on the SLAC stage! SLAC Credits: R+J: Star-Cross'd Death Match (2015 & 2025), Beloved King (NPSS), You Will Get Sick, Passing Strange, Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet, Form of A Girl, and Stupid Fucking Bird to name a few. Other Credits: Grasmere (Voodoo Theatre Company), Just Add Water, The Clean-Up Project (named the Utah Review's Top Utah Enlightenment Moment in 2022), Singing to the Brine Shrimp, A/Version of Events, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch to name a few (Plan-B Theatre Company); Rocky Horror Show (2014 & 2015), Elf the Musical (2013), RENT (Pioneer Theatre Company); Shakespeare in Love, As You Like It, Henry V, Mary Poppins (Utah Shakespeare Festival); The Color Purple, Closer (Wasatch Theatre Company); A Christmas Carol (Denver Center of the Performing Arts); Shelter the Musical (New York Musical Theatre Festival); HAIR (Egyptian Theater). Directed: Whitelisted (co- directed with Tito Livas), Sankofa, This Journey: Go Back and Get It! (Salt Lake Acting Company); Town Hall (University of Utah); Title of Show, Dreamgirls (The Grand); RENT (The Ziegfeld Theater). The second season of her podcast Sistas Unscripted with her two sisters is live now (follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook!), a proud member of Actors' Equity, and signed with Talent Management Group. Socials: IG: @Loyaness_Roar
M. Scott McLean* (he/him)
Off-Broadway: New York Classical Theatre - ‘Angelo’ in Measure for Measure, ‘Macduff’ in Macbeth, and ‘Willmore’ in The Rover. Regional Theatre: Everyman Theatre, Baltimore MD - ‘Gabe’ in Dinner With Friends, ‘Michel’ in Murder On The Orient Express; Denver Center Theatre Company, Denver CO - ‘Fred’ in A Christmas Carol, ‘Happy’ in Death of a Salesman, ‘Mick’ in Grace Or The Art Of Climbing; Merry Go Round Playhouse in Auburn, NY - ‘Emmett’ in Legally Blonde the Musical. Graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NY (AOS Degree) and The National Theatre Conservatory, CO (MFA Degree).
Tickets are available online, or by contacting the Box Office at (801) 363-7522. Following preview performances on Wednesday, April 8, and Thursday, April 9, the show will play Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM, with Sunday matinees at 1 PM and 6 PM, from April 10 to May 3. Additional performances on Tuesday, April 21, at 7:30 PM, and Saturday, May 2, at 2 PM.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
