Bios
Bios
Lauren Alleman (Stage Manager) has been unseen stage managing in Austin and Asheville over the years. For TMT: The Wedding Show, fix, The Last Laugh, Rock Saber.
Steph Anie (Actor) is the Managing Artistic Director for different strokes! PAC, for which she directed the acclaimed Love! Valour! Compassion! She manages the Women's Wellness & Education Center, and serves on the boards of WNCAP and The Magnetic Theatre. For TMT: The Wedding Show, When Jekyll Met Hyde (1960s version), The Witches’ Quorum.
Lauren Bacchus (Set Designer, Prop Designer) is a designer, object-maker and lamp enthusiast. For TMT: The Labyrinth (prop design), The Witches’ Quorum (set design, prop design), Shangri-La (prop design).
Josh Batenhorst (Director), a 2001 graduate of Southwestern University's School of Theatre and Communication, has been working in Asheville area theatres since 2002. His directing work includes Noises Off (ACT), Nerve (Bat & Horse Theatre Arts/NC Stage Catalyst Series), Birth (NC Stage Catalyst) and dozens of productions as lead Theatre Arts teacher at ArtSpace Charter School. He can also be seen monthly at the Magnetic Field as a member of Asheville's premiere improv troupe Reasonably Priced Babies. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Mandy Bean (Actor) is a graduate of Appalachian State University. She has acted with the Montford Park Players, ACT, Dark Horse Productions, and several other local companies. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Scott Bean (Actor) is a graduate of Appalachian State University. He has acted with the Montford Park Players, ACT, Dark Horse Productions and most recently with the Different Strokes! Performing Art Collective. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Julie Becton-Gillum (Choreographer) has been dancing for almost 50 years--everything from rap to butoh. She teaches butoh, modern dance and performance art at Warren-Wilson College. For TMT: Ruth, When Jekyll Met Hyde (1950s & 1960s versions).
Dylan Bolin (Playwright) lives in Wisconsin. For TMT: The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Michael Boulos (Actor) got on stage for the first time at age fifty. Favorite roles have included Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, Giles in The Mousetrap, Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, Scanlon in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Father Welsh in The Lonesome West. By day, he is a Certified Financial Planner professional in the downtown Asheville office of Wells Fargo Advisors. For TMT: Shangri-La.
C.J. Breland (Actor) has appeared in the NC Stage Company Catalyst shows A Perfect Ganesh, Birth, The American Dream, and The Glass Menagerie, and in the SART productions of To Kill a Mockingbird, Incorruptible, and Steel Magnolias. Most of her time is devoted to the roles of Theatre Arts Director at Asheville High School and director of the NC Educational Theatre Association. For TMT: Ruth.
Peter Brezny (Actor, Company Videographer & Photographer) an Asheville native, has been performing annually with Asheville community and professional theatre groups since 1976, including Montford Park Players, Blue Plate Special, North Carolina Stage Company, Bittersweet Productions, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre and Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. Peter received the "Best Cinematography" award for his camera work on "Gromance," a 2009 Asheville 48 Hour Film Festival short film that also received the "Audience Choice" award that year. For TMT: The Wedding Show, Ruth, When Jekyll Met Hyde (1960s version).
Tiffany Cade (Actor) was in It’s a Wonderful Life at NC Stage. She has been in theatre productions throughout Germany, California, and the southeast. She was a member of the award-winning West Coast Ensemble in Los Angeles as well as the acclaimed Groundlings. Film and TV credits include Scrubs, The Act, Solitude, and Happy Accident. For TMT: The Family Tree.
Mondy Carter (Playwright, Actor, Director) has been a professional actor for many years and also owns a beeswax candle business. For TMT: The Wedding Show, The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (playwright, actor), When Jekyll Met Hyde (50s version) (actor), The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (playwright, director, actor).
Dianne Chapman (Actor) was recently seen at SART as Daisy Werthen in Driving Miss Daisy. She stays active throughout the year with Bittersweet Productions in various venues throughout North Carolina. Dianne appeared in AnywhereUSA: the Movie, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and she won Best Supporting Actress at the 2009 Strasbourg International Film Festival. For TMT: Shangri-La.
Brian Claflin (Music and Sound Design, Actor) is an independent recording artist, producer, actor, and comedy writer. For TMT: When Jekyll Met Hyde (music, sound design), The Labyrinth (actor, sound design), The Family Tree (sound design), The Witches’ Quorum (music, sound design), The Last Laugh (sound design), Shangri-La (music and sound design), Brief Encounters 2011 (sound design).
Mike Coghlan (Actor) has been doing theatre in Asheville for over 6 years. For TMT: fix.
Claudia Carter Covington (Actor) has spent most of her professional theatre career working with new plays as an actor, dramaturg, and literary manager. She studied acting with Sanford Meisner and has performed many wonderful roles in theatres in NC and around the country. For TMT: Shangri-La.
John Crutchfield (Associate Artistic Director, Playwright, Actor, Director) is a poet, playwright and performer now based here in Asheville. His plays have been produced regionally, and his one-man show, The Songs of Robert was the recipient of an award for Outstanding Solo Performance at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival. In addition to his theatre work, he teaches part-time at Warren Wilson College and works freelance as a literary translator. For TMT: The Songs of Robert (playwright, actor), The Wedding Show (actor), Ruth (playwright), The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (actor), When Jekyll Met Hyde (1950s and 1960s versions, actor), The Labyrinth (playwright), Rock Saber (actor), Brief Encounters 2011 (Director).
Lilian Crutchfield (Actor) teaches writing and literature at Warren Wilson College part time and writes fiction. For TMT: fix.
Elizabeth Dana-Wunderlich (Actor) has worked professionally in traditional opera and theatre, as well as avant-garde productions, and with Grammy, Emmy, Kennedy Center and Pulitzer recipients. A new resident to western North Carolina, Elizabeth has had the pleasure of singing with the Asheville Lyric Opera. For TMT: fix.
David Dietrich (Actor) was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, but has been in Asheville for close to 2 years. He initially pursued an interest in theatre in high school and college, where he combined both a theatrical discipline with video production. After a brief hiatus, he returned to acting, appearing recently with the Montford Park Players. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Lucia Del Vecchio (Associate Artistic Director, Playwright, Actor) received an MFA in Playwriting and Theatre from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been developed, read, and produced in North Carolina (Asheville and Raleigh), Virginia, Texas, Florida, and New York City. For TMT: The Wedding Show (co-writer and actor), The Family Tree (playwright), The Witches’ Quorum (actor), The Last Laugh (director), Shangri-La (playwright), Rock Saber (actor).
Stephen Dougherty (Actor) studied theatre at Southern Oregon University. He has acted in over 40 plays ranging from community theatre to professional productions and tours. For TMT: fix.
Justin William Evans (Stage Manager) is a Warren Wilson College Graduate in Creative Writing. For TMT: Shangri-La.
David J. Eshelman (Playwright) teaches in the Speech Program at Arkansas Tech University, where he runs the Arkansas Radio Theatre. His other plays include A Taste of Buffalo, Vim and Vigor, Who’s That Ghoul?, and Sonny and Cher. His writing has been published in Text and Performance Quarterly, Theatre Topics, Liminalities, and Ecumenica. For TMT: The Witches’ Quorum.
Xanath Espina (Costumes and Makeup) does makeup, wardrobe, and details, details, details. She has worked on numerous movies and stage plays, styled photo shoots for several photographers, and designed and constructed costumes for Bootstraps Burlesque and the legendary Cookie LaRue. For TMT: When Jekyll Met Hyde, The Labyrinth, The Family Tree, The Witches’ Quorum, The Last Laugh.
Sara Fields (Actor), a native of Asheville, has served as the director of marketing and events at Market Connections for the past five years. Sara has been performing in Asheville since the age of eight, and holds the title of ACT’s Diva 2011. She serves on the boards of ACT, The WNC Nature Center and The Asheville Affiliates. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Scott Fisher (Actor) has worked in dozens of theatrical productions across several states over the last ten or so years, functioning as an actor, costumer, electrician, and designer. For TMT: The Witches’ Quorum, fix.
Jennifer Gatti (Actor) has been a working actor in television, film, and theater since 1983. A native of New York City, Jennifer’s career began when she was a young teen working in soap operas and professional theater. Eventually her career led her to Los Angeles, where for 16 years she worked primarily in episodic television, film, and classical theater. After 25 years of working in the “industry,” Jennifer left the Hollywood grind and moved to Asheville to reinvent a new life. For TMT: fix.
Landon Godfrey (Actor) Has also appeared in Peter Handke’s Offending the Audience at the Bebe Theater. Also a poet, Landon’s debut collection, second-skin rhinestone-spangled nude souffle chiffon gown was published in 2011. For TMT: The Labyrinth.
Chall Gray (Producer, Playwright, Director, Actor) is a WNC native and the owner of The Magnetic Field. In recent years, he has produced shows locally at the BeBe Theater, Diana Wortham Theatre, The Grey Eagle, North Carolina Stage Company, Warren Wilson College, and 35below, as well as at regional venues and in New York City. He co-hosts Magnetic Midnight with Steven Samuels. For TMT: The Songs of Robert (producer), The Wedding Show (producer, co-writer, actor), Ruth (producer), The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (producer), When Jekyll Met Hyde (producer), The Labyrinth (producer), The Family Tree (producer), The Witches’ Quorum (producer), fix (producer), The Last Laugh (producer), Shangri-La (producer), Rock Saber (producer, director, actor), The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (producer).
Annette Griffin (Scenic & Prop Designer) is a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she concentrated in experimental art and installation. In the past she has worked as a field assistant and technical hand for Insignia Films and the International Opera Theatre. For TMT: The Last Laugh, Rock Saber.
Monika Gross (Director) is a director, writer, actor. BFA Drama, UNCSA. She has been a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique since 1985. In NYC she was the Artistic Director of Theatreworkers (1982-90), and of Smarty Pants Theatre (1990-2001), directing and performing in her own plays and adaptations, as well as being an original member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. In Asheville she has directed for the BeBe Theatre Butoh Festival and Runaway Circus’ Portal Party Clown Act and taught at the Stella Adler School of Acting. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Kathleen Hahn (Choreographer) began her dance training in the womb with her mother who watched a lot of Soul Train. She continued on to the UNC School of the Arts for high school and college for her B.F.A. Kathleen moved to Asheville two and half years ago, after living in NYC for seven years, to start her business IDoDances.com, choreographing personalized First Dances for couples getting married. For TMT: Shangri-La.
Tabatha Hall (Actor) has performed with Gotham City Improv in NYC. While living in L.A. she performed with the Sacred Fools Theatre. Now living in Asheville, she has appeared in 35Below acting in Kimberly Akimbo, Short Order Durang and Scottch Tomedy IV. For TMT: The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
David Brendan Hopes (Playwright) is a writer, actor, playwright, and Professor of Literature at UNCA. He has worked with most of the theater companies in the area, and with Monday Morning Productions, GayFest, Theater for a New City, the Barrow Group, and Sunnyspot Productions in New York City, as well as Bailiwick theater in Chicago. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Alphie Hyorth (Actor) has been involved in theater in Asheville since...for quite some time, with a number of different groups, including as Toby Powell in Match at 35below. For TMT: When Jekyll Met Hyde (1950s version), The Family Tree, Shangri-La.
James W. Johnson (Scenic Designer) has worked from Seattle, WA to Charleston, SC. After receiving a B.F.A. in Scenic Design from the University of Idaho he co-co-co-created Animal Fire Theater Group in Seattle. Locally, he has designed numerous shows at NC Stage and Flat Rock Playhouse. His design for Rabbit Hole was showcased at the Kennedy Center, and he won an NWDC Scene Design Award for his work on Marat-Sade (U of I). www.jwjdesign.com. For TMT: Shangri-La.
Tracey Johnston-Crum (Actor), an Asheville native, holds degrees in Theatre and English Literature. A professional actress (NYC, national tours, regional houses), she is currently the Executive Director of Asheville Bravo Concerts and serves on the board of The Magnetic Theatre. For TMT: The Wedding Show, The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular, When Jekyll Met Hyde (1950s version), The Witches’ Quorum, The Last Laugh, The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Jim Julien (Actor, Playwright) has been doing performance-based artwork since 1972 while he was attending Carnegie-Mellon University. He has been part of the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival since its inception ten years ago. He has used movement, puppetry, multimedia and lots of pudding (and some dog urine) in his work. He likes his science shaken, not stirred. For TMT: Rock Saber (actor), Brief Encounters 2011 (playwright).
RoseLynn Katz (Actor) wrote and starred in the one-woman show, The Devil Touched My Tongue: The World & Wit of Dorothy Parker. She has directed and acted in many productions with The Autumn Players and with Asheville Community Theatre. For TMT: Shangri-La.
Travis Kelley (Actor) will appear in the feature film The Hunger Games. Thank you for supporting live theatre and ask Ken, the best bartender in town, for a drink. For TMT: fix, Brief Encounters 2011.
Ken Klehm (Sound Designer) is an award winning electronic composer, and sound designer who hails from Chicago. His work has been heard in dozens of places including The Sundance Film Festival and Steppenwolf Theater, and has been known to make puppets dance, and humans cringe. These days he plays in the bands Crappie and +48V and Her Phantom Powers. For the Magnetic Field he has crafted The Beet Down, El Pipila, M.F. #1 Cup, and many other intoxicating beverages. For TMT: Rock Saber.
Leslie Klingner (Set Designer) is a design historian by training and a theatre enthusiast by nature. For the Brooklyn-based Drama of Works she designed historically inspired sets and projections and delved into the supernatural depths of spooky shadow puppetry. She currently works as Curator of Interpretation at Biltmore Estate. For TMT: The Wedding Show, When Jekyll Met Hyde.
Katie Langwell (Actor) acted in Dead Man’s Cellphone and On The Verge with Immediate Theatre Project and A Doll’s House with NC Stage. She received Best Actress award for “Agnes Fairbottom” in the 2007 48 Hour Film Festival. Before moving to Asheville, Katie appeared in the original Pulitzer Prize-winning production of How I Learned To Drive; wrote, directed, and performed with the sketch comedy troupe Hits Like A Girl; and was a founding member of adobe theatre company, where she produced and performed in dozens of original plays. She currently teaches Drama and French at Hanger Hall School for Girls. For TMT: The Family Tree.
Ryan Madden (Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Master Electrician, Actor, Playwright) has been working in the community as an actor, stage manager, designer, and director for the past six years. For TMT: The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (lighting designer), When Jekyll Met Hyde (lighting designer), The Songs of Robert (lighting designer), Ruth (lighting designer), The Labyrinth (lighting designer), The Family Tree (lighting designer), The Witches’ Quorum (lighting designer), fix (master electrician), The Last Laugh (lighting design), Rock Saber (lighting designer, actor), Brief Encounters 2011 (playwright), The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (lighting design).
Darren Marshall (Actor) acts all over town (and on street corners and barstools throughout the greater Asheville area). For TMT: The Wedding Show, The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular, When Jekyll Met Hyde (1950s version), The Labyrinth, The Family Tree, fix, Rock Saber, The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Erik Moellering (Actor) is an English teacher and performer living in Asheville. Recent theatrical credits include On The Verge and Two Rooms (NC Stage), and several performances with the Moving Women dance company. For TMT: The Wedding Show, Ruth, The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Spectacular, The Family Tree, Rock Saber.
Casey Morris (Actor) has worked with the Montford Park Players, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, as well as at North Carolina Stage Company. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
A. D. Reed (Actor) has appeared in productions ranging from the long-running Murder Mysteries on the Great Smoky Mountains Railway, to The Grapes of Wrath in Kiev, Ukraine, to numerous shows at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater. He has directed for Hendersonville’s Belfry Players, Montford Park Players, SART’s ScriptFest new play festival, and ACT’s 35Below. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Glenn Reed (Actor) is a recent graduate of Warren Wilson College, where he majored in English/Theatre. For TMT: The Labyrinth, Brief Encounters 2011, The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Steven Samuels (Artistic Director, Playwright, Director, Actor) managed and acted with New York’s Ridiculous Theatrical Company, and served as senior editor of TCG Books and American Theatre magazine and artistic associate at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. He co-hosts Magnetic Midnight with Chall Gray. For TMT: The Songs of Robert (director), The Wedding Show (director, actor), Ruth (director), When Jekyll Met Hyde (playwright, director), The Labyrinth (director), The Family Tree (director), The Witches’ Quorum (director), The Last Laugh (playwright, actor), Shangri-La (director).
Ira Sargent (Actor, Assistant Stage Manager, Stage Manager, Playwright) attended Appalachian State University. For TMT: The Labyrinth (actor), The Family Tree (Assistant Stage Manager), The Witches’ Quorum (Stage Manager), Brief Encounters 2011 (playwright).
Steve Shell (Actor, Company Graphic Artist/Designer) is the 2011 Poetry Slam Asheville Grand Slam Champion and the vocalist for the Asheville based hardcore band JUST DIE! He currently teaches children the world would like to forget and serves as the graphic artist/designer for The Magnetic Theatre. For TMT: Rock Saber.
Kevin Smith (Set Design) has been doing it for 35 years, everything from Annie to Zorba and Acting to Zcenery. He writes and composes original stage musicals, has produced about a dozen, and recently completed 263 Prinsengracht, about an 82-year-old Anne Frank. For TMT: When Jekyll Met Hyde, The Family Tree.
Lisa M. Smith (Actor) is an Asheville native, recently returned to town after a long stint in Massachusetts gaining knowledge. She moved back into town for the sake of the highly enjoyable theater community and will continue to partake in it as much as humanly possible. For TMT: The Labyrinth, The Family Tree, The Witches’ Quorum, fix.
Rodney Smith (Actor) is an actor, comedian, musician, husband, father, and graphic designer (not necessarily in that order and sometimes all at the same time). He has recently acted in several shows for the Montford Park Players. For TMT: The Last Laugh.
Trinity Smith (Actor) has acted for many companies in Asheville and WNC, including NC Stage, HART, ACT, and most commonly Montford Park Players. For TMT: The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular, The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Victoria Smith (Costume Design) has many years' experience costuming for Montford Park Players and other various groups in town. For TMT: The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Hope Spragg (Director) has produced several productions with the former Scapegoat Theatre Collective including Asheville Vaudeville. She has been seen on stage at 35Below, Montford and several Scapegoat productions. Her previous directing experience includes References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot at NC Stage. For TMT: fix.
Karen Stobbe (Playwright, Director) has worked in diverse theatre jobs across the country. With an extensive background in improvisational theatre, she currently uses theatre and improv as a tool for teaching healthcare professionals and families how to better care for person with dementia. For TMT: The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Barbara Taggart (Costume Designer) majored in Theatre at the University of Connecticut and apprenticed at the Westport Country Playhouse. She's worked at Theatre Guinevere and the American Place Theatre in New York and in Asheville with Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre and NC Stage. For TMT: The Wedding Show, Shangri-La.
Kathryn Temple (Actor) appeared at North Carolina Stage Company four times in It’s a Wonderful Life, with which she also toured regionally. A professional oil painter and portrait artist, she is the author of Art for Kids: Drawing and Art for Kids: Drawing in Color. For TMT: Ruth, When Jekyll Met Hyde (1960s version), The Labyrinth, The Witches’ Quorum.
Rachel Thomas-Levy (Actor) is a 2010 graduate of Warren Wilson College with a BA in Theatre and a concentration in Directing. She was recently an ensemble member in the Asheville Shakesperience with Montford Park Players, and is an active member of the Warren Wilson Legacy Butoh Company with Julie Becton-Gillum. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Katie Anne Towner (Associate Artistic Director, Stage Manager, Director) is a Warren Wilson College graduate in English/Theatre. For TMT: The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (stage manager), When Jekyll Met Hyde (stage manager), Ruth (stage manager), The Labyrinth (stage manager), The Family Tree (stage manager), The Last Laugh (stage manager), Brief Encounters 2011 (director), The 28th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular (stage manager).
Jorja Ursin (Actor) was recently seen in Hendersonville in the one-woman show The Lady With All The Answers, directed by Francis Cullinan, and, before that, played the role of Hannah Pitt in NC Stage Company’s production of Angels In America, directed by Angie Flynn-McIver. For TMT: Shangri-La.
Julian Vorus (Playwright, Actor) is a local writer and performer. Julian also proudly holds stewardship of the used bookstore, Downtown Books & News. For TMT: The Wedding Show (actor), When Jekyll Met Hyde (1960s version) (actor), fix (playwright, actor), Rock Saber (playwright, actor).
Devin Walsh (Playwright) is a UNCA-educated transplanted Texan with an MFA in Playwriting from Adelphi University in Long Island. His plays have been performed in New York and San Francisco. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Jason Williams (Lighting Designer, Actor) has previously designed lights for the Magnetic Theatre's production of Ruth in it's initial engagement for NC Stage's Catalyst series. Jason has also designed lights for Parkway Playhouse, Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre, Asheville Community Theater, BioFlyer Productions, Diff'rent Strokes, and Montford Park Players among others. He is a Graduate of UNCA in Drama. For TMT: The Wedding Show (lighting designer), Ruth (lighting designer), Shangri-La (lighting designer), Rock Saber (actor), Brief Encounters 2011 (actor).
Anthony Wood (Playwright) lives in Wisconsin. For TMT: The 27th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular.
Adam Blake Wright (Director) is an Asheville native who has directed in Chapel Hill, New York City, and San Diego. Currently he is a professional teaching artist with Asheville City Schools and directed Big Love at the Anam Cara Theatre Company. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.
Alison Young (Actor) was most recently been seen in Asheville Lyric Opera's Madame Butterfly chorus and the Montford Park Players' Julius Caesar. For TMT: Brief Encounters 2011.