Biographies (in alphabetical order)

Nikki Ciciora is 37 years old from Hattiesburg, MS. She moved to Vicksburg with her husband, David, in 2011. Together, they have two dogs, Tiberius and Chewbacca. Nikki is a photographer (Classic Edge Concepts by Nikki Ciciora). She has 23 years of theater experience. With VTG, Nikki has portrayed a Can-Can Cutie, Rose and Mamie in "Gold in the Hills," Serena in "Legally Blonde the Musical," Eddie in "Mamma Mia," Mona in "Chicago," Miss Prism in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Doctor Doom and Volstagg in "Marvel Spotlight," Eric in "Two on the Aisle, Three in a Van," Liz and Jeter in "Footloose," Inga in "Young Frankenstein," Second Witch in “Macbeth,” and The Unicorn in "Through the Looking Glass."

Andrew Cochran has been a part of the Vicksburg Theatre Guild for about 9 years now and is happy to be a part of this production of War of the Worlds. He has been in several shows such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Addam’s Family, Mamma Mia, and Into the Woods. This is his first show back since introducing a new baby into his family.

Ace Dixon is an 8th grader at Vicksburg Junior High School. He swims for school and year round with Delta Aquatic Club, and plays school baseball. His time at VTG began in 2018 as Pete the Rat in Gold in the Hills. Since then he's also played Slick Steve in Gold in the Hills, was part of the chorus in Mamma Mia, Young Siward in Macbeth, Hans in Frozen Jr, and ran the spot light for Chicago, Nunsense, and Through the Looking Glass. He loves helping with the tech side of theatre.

Shanna Dixon moved to Vicksburg in the summer of 2017 with her now 14 year old son, Ace. They have a dog named Fiona. She is the Secretary for Vicksburg Church of Christ, a swim lessons instructor and Swim Coach, and works at Dave's Custom Meats during deer season. She began her time at VTG in 2018 as a Can-Can Cutie in Gold in the Hills. Since then she has also portrayed Mother Alexandros in Mamma Mia, June aka 'SQUISH" in Chicago, Gertrude in The Importance of Being Earnest, Mamie in Gold in the Hills, Sister Mary Leo in Nunsense, Coach Dunbar in Footloose, the noble Banquo in Macbeth, Katherine Blake in Freaky Friday, the Musical, and Humpty Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass. Shanna serves as the Director of Membership on the Board of Directors for Vicksburg Theatre Guild, and is the Can-Can Director for Gold in the Hills. Her favorite thing about theatre is that it's an experience she shares with Ace.

Don Hill (Director/Sound/Lights/Music), a native of Vicksburg, has been on the stage in some fashion or another since he was 16. His previous roles have been Old Thor in "Marvel Spotlight," Vondo in "Two on the Aisle, Three in a Van," Slade in "Gold in the Hills,", Igor in "Young Frankenstein: The Musical," Assistant Director for "Clue," and one of the brothers in "Into the Woods." Don's wife Lisa, and two children Logan and Sam also are involved in productions with VTG. Don also enjoys designing posters, and hosts a bi-weekly Jam at the Roof at 1311.
"War of the Worlds" is his directorial debut.
Photo courtesy of David Day, Vicksburg Daily News

Ashleigh Holliday is a veteran of the theater. She has been participating in Gold in the Hills for almost 20 years, in various roles- Can-Can Dancer, Barbara, Nellie, and Mrs. Vanderlop, and now serves as Gold’s associate producer. Despite her many years of experience in Gold in the Hills, “War” is only her second mainstage show at VTG. She was in school plays every year from 7th-12th grade and has more recently performed in Hawkins UMC’s dinner theaters, Death Takes a Major Holiday and The Widow’s Might. Ashleigh was a VTG Board Member for 5 years, first as Director of Marketing and later as Fairy Tale Theatre Producer. She has directed 3 shows for Fairy Tale Theatre- Alice 911, Alice 912, and Fairly Tall Adventure. She has been married to her biggest fan, Porter, since 2014, and they have 5 fur-babies together- Beau, a Golden Retriever, and 4 cats named Mittens, Sox, Smoke, and Piper. She is an Administrative Assistant at ERDC, and in her free time she enjoys baking, painting, drawing, and spending time with her husband and fur babies.

Brian Jordan. Mr. Jordan is from the Ross Barnett Reservoir area and a graduate of Mississippi State University. He has no performing experience aside from hosting live events such as costume contests, boxing matches, and karaoke in Starkville, MS.

Hope King (Props and Costumes). This is Hope’s second season with VTG. She has performed in Young Frankenstein and Clue. She is the prop queen and can make anything she is asked to. She has been involved in costuming and/or production in Beauty & the Beast Jr., Young Frankenstein, 1940’s Radio Hour, Clue, MacBeth, Always…Patsy Cline, Percy Jackson, Frozen Jr. She is also involved with the Westside Theater Foundation and has helped with Into the Woods and Rocky Horror Picture Show. In her spare time you can find Hope reading a book on her front porch or tapping into her creative side. She has been married to Jason King since 2009. They have two children Zac and Harper and have called Vicksburg home since 2016

Jason King (Assistant Director/Stage Manager) is relatively new to the theatre scene. Clue was his second role on the Vicksburg Theatre stage, with his first being Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein: the Musical. Jason and his wife, Hope, have worked on the set building and prop crew crew for both Clue, Young Frankenstein, and prop creation and costuming for the VTG's children's production of Beauty and the Beast. In his day job, Jason is a Program Manager specializing in cybersecurity and operational support for Bowhead Business & Technology Enterprise Solutions. His wife, Hope, keeps him busy and they have two children, Harper and Zac, who is an avid gamer and holds a position on Hinds Community College's eSports team. They have lived in Vicksburg since 2016.

Preston Lanier. Even though acting has always been in his blood, as his mother was a Drama Major in college, and seeing as traveling drama ministry was what brought his parents together in the first place, it was not until late 2020 that Preston Lanier finally caught the acting bug full on.
After unintentionally landing the lead role in The Importance of being Earnest, Preston has yet to shake the itch of acting and staying involved at VTG, whether on-stage or helping backstage whenever needed.
Some of his other production credits include: Gold in the Hills; Two in the Aisle, Three in the Van; Freaky Friday; Young Frankenstein; (and now) War of the Worlds.

Jai Reaves has been taking the stage for nearly 20 years, it is a place where she finds her heart and soul. Her most notable roles include The Wicked Witch of the West in the "Wizard of Oz" and Magenta in "The Rocky Horror Show." She thrives in taking on chaotic roles. Jai currently works as the Office Manager at the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, a home for art and entertainment. Jai has a BA in English and enjoys writing, painting, and joyfully pestering her husband in her spare time.

Willie Thomas, Jr. is 27 years old from Vicksburg, MS. He moved to back to Vicksburg, in 2019 after graduating from Mississippi State University. He has a cat named bad cat named Tesla. With VTG, Willie has portrayed a Pepper in "Mamma Mia," Sgt. Fogarty in "Chicago," Max Detweiler in “The Sound of Music,” Algernon Moncrief in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Daniel in "Two on the Aisle, Three in a Van," Chuck in "Footloose," and The Monster in “Young Frankenstein.”