Micah-Shane Brewer (Founding
Artistic Director)- Micah-Shane Brewer has directed, produced, or
appeared in over 75 productions throughout East Tennessee for
companies as varied as Walters State Community College, Rose Center,
The Actors Co-Op, Greeneville Little Theatre, Rogersville Playhouse,
Newport Theatre Guild, Kingsport Theatre Guild, and Theatre Guild of
Morristown. His directorial credits include such works as Beauty and
the Beast, Proof, Dinner with Friends, Jesus Christ Superstar,
Cabaret, Noises Off, Death of a Salesman, The Last Five Years,
Assassins, Into the Woods, Absurd Person Singular, The Laramie
Project, and A Streetcar Named Desire among many others. Some of
Micah-Shane’s favorite stage credits include George Seurat in Sunday
in the Park with George, the Emcee in Cabaret, Sweeney in Sweeney
Todd, Tony in West Side Story, Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, and
Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He is also a
featured writer for The Sondheim Review, a national publication
dedicated to the works of Stephen Sondheim. He holds degrees in
drama and music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
He currently serves as Secretary for the Mountain Empire Theatre
Alliance and also works as a free-lance artist throughout the
region.
Heidi Stansell (Executive Assistant)- Heidi Stansell has
worked in various aspects of theatre and event production for over
10 years. Her credits include Props Master (Clarence-Brown Theatre),
Lighting Technician (Dollywood), and Event/Tour Manager (Oasis
Productions). She has also been seen in local and regional
commercials, industrial videos, and print ads. On stage she has
appeared in Crimes of the Heart (Babe), Proof (Claire), and in
Nickelodeon’s Big Helpers in Action. Heidi holds a Bachelor’s Degree
in Drama from Carson-Newman College and is currently working on a
Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language.
Kyle Biery - Kyle holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Kyle's work includes designs in set, lights, and costumes for a wide range of plays and musicals. Kyle has designed and directed for Walters State Community College, Carson Newman College, Brevard College, among others.
Lisa Biery is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro with a teaching degree in Theater. She is married to Kyle and they have a
rambunctious toddler, Luke. After teaching in Brevard, NC Kyle, Lisa, and Luke returned to Knoxville to be near family. She is not a stranger to theater in Morristown. Lisa graduated from West High where she competed on the Forensics team. Lisa attended Walters State for two years where she was involved in many productions Lisa has also performed on the Theater Guild stage. Credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, A Flea in her Ear, Love's Labour's Lost, A Christmas Carol, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Jerry Finnegan's Sister. She currently teaches Drama and coaches the Forensics team at East High School.
Robin Carpenter combines her love of working with children
with her love of the arts. She is a language arts teacher at Hancock
County Middle High School as well as a children’s choir director at
First United Methodist Church in Morristown. Robin holds a degree in
liberal arts from Anderson University and studied vocal performance
at Indiana University. In addition to singing in the First United
Methodist Church Choir, Robin has appeared on local stages in roles
as diverse as Cinderella in Into the Woods, Gussie in Merrily We
Roll Along, Lily in The Secret Garden, and as a featured soloist in
Children of Eden. Robin has also performed professionally, appearing
in the American premiere of Handel’s Tanerlane, and was accepted
into the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.
Susan Christophel began acting on Morristown stages in 1990,
and, thirty-five shows later, she continues to serve this community
by helping to ensure quality live theatre thrives as an active,
growing, and vital part of the arts scene in the Lakeway area. Susan
has enjoyed performing in comedies: Noises Off, Bargains, Drop Dead,
Private Lives, The Man Who Came to Dinner, and Rumours. She has
relished the dramas: Dangerous Liaisons, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
Romeo & Juliet, and The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the
Universe. And she has loved being in musicals: Into the Woods,
Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, The Music
Man, Oliver, My Favorite Year, Bat Boy, Sweeney Todd, and Smoke on
the Mountain. Susan is a wife and mother, and is also the Projects Coordinator of the Lakeway Area Red Cross, where hundreds
of young students know her as the “Scrubby Bear Lady.”
Michele Green – Michele Green has been a part of local community theatre both on and behind the stage. Her various roles on stage include Ma Joad in
The Grapes of Wrath; various characters in The Laramie Project; Mary Jo Kincaid in
A Piece of My Heart; Mrs. Carlisle in A Christmas Carol; Stella in
A Streetcar Named Desire; Truvy in Steel Magnolias; Maggie Cutler in
The Man Who Came to Dinner; and Dori Grossman in Grandma Sylvia's Funeral. Previous behind the scenes works included box office and public relations detail. More recently, Michele served as stage manager for Encore's production of
CATS and served as stage manager during Encore's presentation of
The Zoo Story at the Tennessee Theatrical Association's 2007 festival in Jackson, Tennessee. Additionally, Michele is currently a member of "Broadway, E.T.C." and a volunteer with the United Way, serving as a loaned executive. She is a Deputy Clerk with the Hamblen County Chancery and Probate Courts and is the mother of Stephanie and the Nana of Scout, Tate, and Halah.
Kathy Jones-Terry has been active in local theatre for over
25 years, in all aspects of production and performance, from
directing to performing to building costumes & sets. Her stage
credits range from Blanche DuBois in A Streecar Named Desire, Lady
MacBeth in Macbeth, to Sally Bowles in Cabaret. A former high school
English teacher, Kathy is currently the Clerk and Master for
Chancery and Probate Courts in Hamblen County. She is the President
of State Court Clerks Association of Tennessee, member of board of
directors for County Officials Association of Tennessee, the past
president of East Tennessee Court Clerks. Kathy serves on the Board
of Directors of the Morristown Boys & Girls Club, and is a former
executive committee member and past president of the Board of
Trustees for All Saints' Episcopal School.
Cookie Larkin is a community activist with a long history of
supporting the arts. She is the Community Outreach Coordinator at
ALPS Adult Day Services, and is currently on the Healthy Woman
Council of Lakeway Regional Hospital, an Ambassador for the
Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce, and a board member at New Hope
Recovery Center. She has formerly served on the Board of Directors
for ALPS, Girls, Inc., Hamblen Adults Working for Kids, CEASE, MATS,
Rose Center, and Rose Service Guild.
Gerald Maloy is an Associate Professor of Music and Theatre
at Walters State Community College. He holds graduate degrees from
Belmont University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,
with postgraduate studies at the University of Mississippi and
University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. A Jerry’s
vast directing credits include Big River, The Tempest, Search for
Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Hamlet, Carousel, The
Lion in Winter, the college premiere production of High Society,
West Side Story, Into the Woods, and The Secret Garden. He was the
founding director for the Rose Center Summer Players’ productions of
Narnia and Peter Pan. Some of Jerry’s favorite stage credits include
Curly in Oklahoma, Billy in Carousel, Fagin in Oliver, and Harold
Hill in The Music Man. Having taught music, art, and theatre at all
levels often in the Lakeway Area, he has also worked in church music
for over 30 years.
Drew Ogle (Managing Director) - Drew Ogle trained in theatre
management and performance at the Boston Conservatory of Music in
Boston, Massachusetts. He has been a part of over 20 productions in
the Lakeway area in the last five years. Currently, he is the
Executive Director of the Lakeway Area Chapter of the American Red
Cross. Drew holds a degree in finance, and sits on the board of EBO,
Inc., which manages retail developments in the Sevier County area.
Prior to moving to Morristown, he was the owner/operator of
Christopher Place, an award-winning four diamond resort in the Smoky
Mountains. He holds the designation of Certified Hotel Administrator
from the American Hotel/Motel Association.
Gregg Perry, M.D. began his professional music career with the Florentine Opera Company of Milwaukee while still in high school. After working on a number of musical comedy and opera productions, he moved to Chicago where he arranged and produced commercial music for United Airlines, Sears, and other clients. This was followed by a move to Nashville where he ultimately became Musical Director for Dolly Parton. He spent 7 years traveling the world with Dolly and working on her stage show, records and movies including arranging and producing her hit records,
"9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." After many wonderful experiences in the entertainment business, Gregg decided to move his life in a different direction and graduated from Vanderbilt School of Medicine in 1991. Currently, Gregg is the Director of Psychiatric Services for Cherokee Health Systems and remains active musically with various projects.
Laura Ritter is the Director of Choral Activities and
Associate Professor of Music at Walters State Community College. She
is also the Artistic Director of the Lakeway Children’s Choir and
active volunteer in the music ministry at First United Methodist
Church. She holds degrees in music from Furman University and the
University of Illinois. She has served as music director and
accompanist for many productions in the Lakeway Area.
Mabel Smith is a long time teacher and an extraordinary
soprano who trained at Westminster Choir College. She holds her
Doctorate in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at
Boulder, and has sung all over the world, including a recent
ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. She has
numerous directing and acting credits. Two of her favorite stage
roles include Mama Rose in Gypsy and The Witch in Into the Woods.
Travis Stansell earned his Bachelor’s Degree from
Carson-Newman College in Drama with a minor in Music. He has acted
professionally in Forever Plaid (Frankie), The Complete Works of
William Shakespeare (Abridged) as himself, and was a Host for
Nickelodeon’s Gamelab and U-Pick-Nick kid’s shows. Other credits
include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Joseph),
Hello, Dolly! (Cornelius Hackl), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s
Prince/Wolf), The Glass Menagerie (Gentleman Caller), The Diviners
(Buddy Layman), and The Rainmaker (Starbuck). He is currently a
police officer for the City of Morristown.
Suzanne Terry is the Drama and Forensics teacher at
Morristown West High School, where she has directed 17 mainstage
plays. Suzanne’s educational accolades are many: Educator of the
Year for Tennessee District 1 (2006), WBIR Educator of the Week
(2005), Eight Time Winner of Coach of the Year for Tennessee High
School Speech and Drama League for District 6, and High School
Speech and Drama League Teacher of the Year (2000). She is most
proud of her students’ accomplishments: 37 students qualified to
National Forensic League Competitions, and two student finalists and
numerous semi and quarter finalists in that same competition. She
and her students have brought home seven state championships from
the One Act competitions hosted by the Tennessee High School Speech
and Drama League and four state championships in the Oct Act
competitions from the Tennessee Theatre Association. Suzanne is an
alumnus of Morristown West High and the University of Tennessee. She
is married to Steve, and they are the proud parents of Tanner and
Sydney.
Debra Williams has been involved in theatre in the Lakeway
Area both as a performer and behind the scenes since 2003. She is
the General Manager of the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce.
Debra is a graduate of Carson Newman College and the U. S. Chamber's
Institute for Organization Management. She has served on the Board
of Directors of the United Way, Lakeway Regional Hospital, Keep
America Beautiful, the Downtown Morristown Association, and Girls
Incorporated, serving as President of that organization in 1998. She
currently serves on the Hamblen County P-16 Council and the
Morristown Tree Board.
Frank Williams got his start in theatre in Morristown in
1977. He moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1981 where he was
involved in professional theatre, movies, television, commercials
and industrial films. His professional experience includes acting,
directing, stage management, house management and technical aspects
of theatre. Frank also owned and operated New Orleans Snowballs &
Frank's Pizza in Carolina Beach, NC. In 2001, he married and
returned to Morristown where he has been involved in local theatre
and has served as a Loaned Executive for the United Way of Hamblen
County. Frank is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.
