Carmen Cusack the standby, Jemma Rix, had been given the lead role. Cusack was with the company from June 10 to July 10, 2009. She left to begin rehearsals for "South Pacific". In 2009, Cusack played Nellie Forbush in the first national tour of "South Pacific". Based on the 2008 Broadway revival, performances began September 18, 2009 in San Francisco. For this role Cusack was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Non Resident Production. In 2012, she played the role of Miss Gardner in the Off-Broadway revival of "Carrie - The Musical", which began performances at
Nellie Zabel Willhite Nellie Zabel Willhite Eleanor "Nellie" Zabel Willhite (Born November 22, 1892 in Box Elder, South Dakota – September 2, 1991) was the first deaf woman to earn a pilot’s license, as well as South Dakota’s first female pilot. Willhite became deaf at age two due to measles. She earned her pilot's license in 1928. She was a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, an organization which was founded in 1929 with 99 female pilots as founding members, and is dedicated to the advancement of aviation and support for women in aviation. Willhite started the first South Dakota chapter of the Ninety-Nines