Spring Musical Cast Profile: Evan Euripides and Joe Guyton

Fredericksburg, Virginia—STEP VA, Inc., the local 501(c)3 non-profit that empowers people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration, takes its mission seriously when it comes to casting for its Spring Musical Experience. The creative team takes into consideration for which role each cast member auditioned, as well as the actor's skills—both theatrical and personal—and each person's personality as well.

For the fourth year in a row, the over-riding reaction to the cast list was that most of the actors were perfectly cast for the parts they landed in the organization's staging of Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo, Jr.” That sentiment applied to Evan Euripides and “Big Joe” Guyton, who will share the role of the Bloat Brothers, member of the tank gang that befriend Nemo after he's been abducted by Professor Sherman.

Euripides is in his second Spring Musical Experience. Last year, he led the Wickhersham Brothers in “Seussical Jr.,” and he returned this year because “It’s lots of fun,” he explained. “Many of my friends are here. I am always learning something new. Everyone is so friendly.”

His character—Bloat Brother Bert—has almost as many friends within the sea as Euripides has on land. Bert (and Bob) are part of the tank gang, with Gil, Gurgle, Deb, and Peach. They form a sort of friendship family, as eclectic yet tight-knit as the members of STEP VA. A convivial person, Euripides—like many others on cast—enjoys the social side of rehearsals. When asked what his favorite part of the weekly practices are, he said, “Spending quality time with my friends.”

As someone who “loves to join new adventures,” Euripides also participated in the tech theater classes, helping build the sets and props that will be used in the shows this weekend. Having been in front of the crowd before, working backstage was a different kind of challenge, and one Euripides was looking forward to when interviewed at auditions. Now, with the show in just a few days and having worked both sides of the curtain, he's excited for the show—to see and have others see how all the hard work paid off.

“Watching how everything comes together,” he said, when asked what he was looking forward to with the show. “I can’t wait to see all the artwork from the Tech class we created all these months. I can't wait to be on stage!”

Cast opposite Euripides is Joe Guyton, who is an “OG” STEP VA Spring Musical Experience cast member. In 2021, when Noah Finch wrote the original STEP VA spring musical, “A Special Covid-19,” he cast “Big Joe” as the main character, Tim Croakee. From there, he went on to play Pumbaa in Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!,” and Grandpa Snoopy in “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” Last year, he took on the role of The Grinch in “Seussical, Jr.”

Guyton accurately describes his connection to the STEP VA Spring Musical Experience. When asked what brings him back each year, he confidently stated: “Well, I'm part of the STEP VA organization.”

His cast mates agree with the assessment, stating that, “He's one of the funniest friends you can count on and one of the best cast mates to be around. Without him, STEP VA wouldn't be [as] much fun.”

For Gutyon, the STEP VA experience as a whole echoes that of many of his cast mates, as he says his favorite aspect of rehearsals is the friendships that form and his friends clearly agree. One of them describe him as “having a big heart that matches his personality.” Recently, Guyton was recognized at rehearsal with a “STEP UP” Award for supporting his castmates when rehearsal got overwhelming.

Curious, creative, and naturally funny, Guyton easily draws upon his imagination. When asked what he was most looking forward to with the show, he said “I'm looking forward to being underwater.”

There's no doubt that his portraying the Bloat Brother Bob will convince the audience they're underwater as well.

Come see how Euripides and Guyton fare onstage, but under the sea, as Bert and Bob, the Bloat Brothers help their friends in the “Tank Gang,” bust out of STEP VA' s adaptation of Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo, Jr.,” April 12 & 13, 2025 at Courtland High School. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation available for audience members at the show on Saturday, April 12 (6 p.m.). Tickets are $15 (kids under five are free) and are on sale now. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets. Flowers for cast members are also available for advanced purchase, HERE.

For more information or to donate to STEP VA, visit www.stepva.org.

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STEP VA, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sensory-based theater and arts programs for individuals with disabilities. Its vision is to transform the world by offering each individual the opportunity to flourish in the community.