STEP VA Cast Profile – Carson Baiz and Noah Finch
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
by Brigid O'Leary
FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Every stage performance starts with a story and every story needs a good narrator. STEP VA Inc., the local 501(c)3 nonprofit that “empowers people with disabilities and their families through creative expression and sensory exploration” has chosen to have not one but two storytellers helping to steer the action when the organization hosts “Shrek the Musical JR.” this weekend at Courtland High School.
Carson Baiz is cast as one of those storytellers, and it's a role with which he has some familiarity. He's been participating in the STEP VA Spring Musical Experience since he played Zazu, Mufasa's loyal advisor, in Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!” The following year, he served as one of the storytellers, in the form of Charlie Brown's conscience, for “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” For “Seussical Jr,” Baiz was one of the five Wickersham Brothers before becoming a turtle in a half shell as Yertle the Turtle the Elder, presiding over Horton the Elephant's trial at the end of the show. Last year, he took a step back and served on the tech crew for Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo, Jr.” but returned to the main cast this year in a fairly big way.
Whether in front of the crowd or behind the scenes, Baiz returns each year, he says, “just to be with my friends and enjoy the musical.”
A young man who lives in the moment, his reason for returning is what he looks forward to most about the Spring Musical Experience: having fun and enjoying it.
Now he's stepping back into the spotlight. What's it like for Baiz come back to the front?
“I feel pretty great,” he said, admitted that he's “a little nervous to return to the stage.”
Nerves aside, it should be no surprise that Baiz's favorite song in the show is “I'm a Believer.”
“I don’t think there is any challenges because I’m doing great with my lines and learning the dances,” he added.
Learning the lines and dances alongside Baiz is Noah Finch, who, in many ways, is the reason STEP VA hosts the Spring Musical Experience. During the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, Finch—under the tutelage of what is now the Spring Musical Experience Creative Team—channeled his feelings into song, eventually writing and scoring “A Special COVID-19,” a complete, in-house production and the first musical STEP VA ever brought to life. “A Special COVID-19” was staged in the spring of 2021, and as that show wrapped, Finch asked STEP VA leadership what musical the organization would do the following year, leading to the Spring Musical Experience.
And he's never missed a musical. Finch was one of the two actors who played Rafiki in 2022, when STEP VA waded into the waters of the licensed musicals with Disney's “The Lion King, Kids!” Though he decided to forgo the spotlight in favor of working on the tech crew in “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” he auditioned again for “Seussical Jr.,” and landed the lead role: Horton, the Elephant. He pulled double duty in Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo, Jr.” last year, as both Nigel the Pelican and Crush, the iconic sea turtle.
Returning for “Shrek the Musical JR” was an obvious decision for Finch.
“Shrek is one of my favorite characters and I have seen the musical before,” he said.
Despite being the founder of the program and a seasoned actor, he admits that not everything comes easy to him.
“The most challenging part is learning the dance to 'What’s Up, Duloc,'” he explained.
Finch is team “Freak Flag,” when it comes to the song he enjoys the most, and it makes sense that he would choose a song about being proud of who you are and uplifting each other. For Finch, the experience is just that—the experience. He's less concerned with the outcome, because he knows the cast will come together and do the best they can, just as they always do.
“I’m looking forward to being with my friends again,” he said.
Come hear Baiz and Finch weave the story of “Shrek the Musical JR.” at Courtland High School this weekend, April 18 (6 p.m.) and April 19 (3 p.m.).
Tickets on sale now at www.stepva.org.
