Spring Musical Cast Profile: Jax Lunsford and Katie La Salle
- Step VA, Inc.
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
by Noah King and Brigid O’Leary
FREDERICKSBURG, VA--There are a lot of fish in the sea, and there are a number of fish in the tank as well. It’s no different for STEP VA Inc., the local 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers people with disabilities, and their families, through creative expression and sensory exploration. Like in a fish tank, each person has something different to bring to STEPVA’s stage community. This year, the organization’s Spring Musical Experience, Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo, Jr.”, features several organization veterans in the “Tank Gang”, including Jax Lunsford and Katie La Salle, both of whom have something special to bring to the stage.
Jax Lunsford
Like his castmate, Joel Ayo, Lunsford is making his first foray in front of the audience this year, after having served strictly on the stage crew before.
Lunsford likes Disney, but most specifically, the parks. Coincidentally, both American Disney parks (Disney World in Florida and DisneyLand in California) have a Nemo attraction. Disney World has The Seas with Nemo and Friends at EPCOT, while DisneyLand has Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Lunsford will be playing Gill, the leader of the “Tank Gang,” whom Nemo befriends at the Sydney Harbor Aquarium (changed from Dr. Sherman’s orthodontist office in the film).
“I like being the leader of a group,” Lunsford said. “It’s a cool role to have.”
Lunsford has said that the choreography and lines are the hardest for him. We know, based on his past work, however, that he will do a great job!
Katie La Salle
La Salle is no stranger to the STEP VA stage, having first tread the boards with the organization as Shenzi, one of the hyenas in Disney’s “The Lion King, Kids!” The following year she was Violet Grey in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” This year, she’s taking on the role of Deb, the striped damselfish in the “Tank Gang,” whom she says is “pretty cool.”
Like many others in the cast, she returns to the Spring Musical Experience for the social opportunity.
“My favorite thing about rehearsal is spending time with my friends and supporting each other,” La Salle says, adding that “[There are] a lot of us and sometimes it’s hard to focus. Some of us don't follow directions very well.”
One of the few in the cast to list “Just Keep Swimming” as her favorite song, La Salle is looking forward to “Seeing all my friends perform,” and wants the audience to know that “We all work so hard for this.”
STEPVA invites you to just keep swimming with Jax, Katie, and the rest of the cast at their production of Disney/Pixar's “Finding Nemo, Jr.,” April 12 & 13, 2025 at Courtland High School, with 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 available for advanced purchase HERE, through Friday, April 11.
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.