WILLIAMSTON THEATRE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Technical Director / Scenic Designer
Aaron has worked in both professional and academic theatre since 2013. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelors in Entertainment, Design, & Technology in 2017. He has been a member of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival (2014-2018), working as a Master Carpenter and Production Technical Director. In 2018, he joined the Williamston Theatre as an apprentice, and in 2019, became its first in house Technical Director. He resides in the Lansing area, and is an avid painter and poet.
Bio
Aaron T. Moore, AEA, MFA - Aaron directly thanks Carrie, Madeline, and Anthony for their love, sacrifice, and support throughout his now 24-year career as a theatre practitioner: actor, director, designer, and choreographer for numerous theatre companies worldwide and as an instructor of theatre for colleges and universities in the United States. Aaron is a proud member of the International Actor's Ensemble, Actor's Equity, and currently serves as Artistic Director for the World Artists Coalition. Most importantly, Aaron is a Full-time Care Provider for his severely cognitively impaired son, Anthony. Aaron dedicates his work to his family.
Bio
Adam is so excited to be back to live theatre! He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2020 with a degree in Entertainment Design & Technology, with a minor in Arts Management. Adam has worked professionally for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival as a carpenter and props designer. He has also worked at the Encore Musical Theatre as an assistant stage manager. Some of his favorite recent productions include Much Ado About Nothing (EMU, Stage Manager), Still Life with Iris (EMU, Scenic Designer), The Tempest (MSF, Props Designer), and King Lear (MSF, Props Designer).
Bio
In addition to his role as the Assistant Production Manager for University Musical Society (UMS), Alex freelances as lighting designer within the S.E. Michigan professional and educational theatre community. Recent design credits include Mad as a Hatter (Roustabout Theatre Troupe), Memoir (Williamston Theatre), Milvotchkee, Visconsin (Kickshaw Theatre), All Childish Things (Roustabout Theatre Troupe), Murder for Two (Williamston Theatre), Dream Deferred: Detroit 1967 (Matrix Theatre), Summer Retreat (Williamston Theatre) and Invasive Species (Tipping Point Theatre). Alex is an alumnus of Eastern Michigan University as well as a proud former Williamston Theatre Apprentice.
Bio
Alexandra Taylor is a Brooklyn-based actor who is thrilled to be making her Williamston Theatre (and regional) debut! Some favorite past roles include Mal in Javi Rivera DeBruin's Luciérnagas with National Queer Theater, Aufidius in Coriolanus with Hudson Shakespeare Company, General Morgan in Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon at FringeNYC, and Antonia in Barefoot Shakespeare Company's Julia Caesar, which was nominated for several 2021 BroadwayWorld Off-Broadway awards. Alex is also an SAFD-certified actor combatant.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Costume and Scenic Designer
Bio
Amber Marisa Cook (she/her) is a costume and scenic designer. She is currently the Coordinator of Design and Technology and Associate Professor of Design for the Dobbins Conservatory at Southeast MO State University.
Along with Williamston Theatre, Amber's regional design credits include The New York Musical Festival (NYMF), Manhattan Repertory Theatre (NYC), The Black Hills Playhouse (SD), The Ohio Light Opera (OH), McLeod Summer Playhouse (IL), North Dakota Shakespeare Festival (ND), Oak Ridge Playhouse (KY), The Performance Network, Tipping Point Theatre, Flint Youth Theatre (MI), and many academic institutions. In addition, she has worked as a design assistant/technician Off-Broadway and around the country, including stitching costumes for the Tony Award winning The King and I at Lincoln Center Theatre.
Amber holds an MFA in Production Design from the Department of Theatre at Michigan State University, is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829, Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC) and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). Her book, Digital Design for Custom Textiles: Patterns as Narration for Stage and Film is available through Focal Press.
Bio
Brian is a Detroit native who holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Sound Recording Technology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. While pursuing his degree Brian also served as a sound and lighting technician at Interlochen Center for the Arts where he gained his technical experience from not only working at Interlochen but also working as a stagehand with national tour stops such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sheryl Crow, Darius Rucker and many more.
Prior to his technical career Brian grew up as a musician which cultivated him to play in several churches, bands, and orchestras as a percussionist and a keyboardist. He graduated from the Detroit School of Arts which sparked his craft in the arts.
Before joining the Wayne State he served as a technical coordinator at Bethesda Christian Church and also while at Bethesda he also worked at PSAV at the Renaissance Center as a audio visual technician.
His love for Detroit and the arts is what keeps him striving to cultivate the community.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Lighting Designer
Bio
Bruce Bennett first became known around here in community theater, then at professional theaters like the BoarsHead and Stormfield, winning a lot of local theatre awards along the way. Here at the Williamston Theatre, Bruce played Ernie the Moocher in Guys on Ice in 2007, Yvan in Art in 2008, and won a Thespie award for Best Featured Actor in a play for about a dozen different roles in Leaving Iowa in 2009. Bruce also did prop design here, winning a Pulsar Award for Shirley Valentine and a Wilde Award for boom in 2013. He resides in Chicago, Illinois now.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Actor / Founder / Staff Member
- WT Co - Founder / Managing Director / Actor
Bio
Chris Purchis is an arts administrator, photographer and actor. She started working in professional theatre the summer of 1989 as the Business Manager for the Cherry County Playhouse (Traverse City, MI). Before helping to co-found the Williamston Theatre, Chris was the Company Manager for The Purple Rose Theatre Company (Chelsea, MI) for a little over 13 years. In addition to her Managing Director duties, she is the Williamston Theatre's production photographer. As an actor, Chris appeared on the WT stage in The Woman in Black, The Dead Guy and for two performances of The Smell of the Kill. Other favorite productions include Noises Off!, Orphan Train: An American Melodrama, Godspell, Hank Williams: Lost Highway and The American Plan. Chris received her Bachelor's Degree in Arts Management from Eastern Michigan University.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Scenic and Lighting Designer
Bio
In a 30 year career, Dan has worked on over 300 productions at more than 30 theatres (including the majority of past and present Professional Theatres in southeast Michigan), and in a dozen states. He has been an Artistic Director (Performance Network), Chair of a Theatre Department (Albion College), and has taught at 7 different colleges and universities. Dan has worked as Production Manager, Set/Ligting/Sound/Costume Designer and Technician, Stage Manager, Stage Hand, Technical Director, Architectural Theatre Consultant (on 6 different theatres), Dramaturg and Literary Coordinator. His honors and awards include the Larry Divine Award for Contribution to the Detroit Theatre, and a Governor's Award for Excellence In the Arts In Michigan. He also received Best Director of a Comedy for Shooting Simone, and Fuddy Meers from the Ann Arbor News, and numerous Best Design awards and nominations from Detroit Free Press, Encore Mi, The Lansing State Journal, City Pulse, and The Oakland Press. He was the first National Champion of the U.S.I.T.T. Technical Theatre Olympics. He received an MFA in Theatre from The University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in History from Washington University In St. Louis.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Lighting Designer
Job Titles:
- Actor / Designer / Founder
- WT Co - Founder / Executive Director / Actor
Emily is an actress and arts administrator. Appearances on the WT stage include Out of Orbit, Doublewide, Summer Retreat, Too Much, Too Much, Too Many, Miracle on South Division Street (2015 Wilde Award, Best Actress in a Comedy), End Days, The Usual: A Musical Love Story (with music by her late brother Mark Sutton-Smith), The Smell of the Kill, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (2009 Best Actress Thespie Award, Lansing State Journal), Maidens, Mothers and Crones and Additional Particulars. A New York City native, she has worked onstage at almost all the Equity Theatres in Michigan, including the Purple Rose Theatre, Performance Network Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, the Detroit Rep, Boarshead Theatre, the Jewish Ensemble Theatre, and MeadowBrook Theatre. Emily is a proud member of the Actors' Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA. Film and TV credits include: The Funeral Guest, Gifted Hands, Butterfly Effect: Revelation, The Prince of Motor City and Nevermore. Emily is the narrator of over 185 audio books (available on Audible.com), studied acting at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York City, and holds a Grande Diploma in Pastry Arts from the French Culinary Institute. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Michigan State University.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Costume Designer / Box Office Assistant
Bio
Holly is a costume designer, textile artist and photographer. She has been a professional costume designer for over 20 years. Her work has appeared on the stages of Williamston Theatre, Stormfield Theatre, BoarsHead Theatre, Riverwalk Theatre, OHS, Peppermint Creek Theatre Company and MSU to name a few. Some favorite shows include, an all tie-dyed production of The Comedy of Errors (BHT 2005) for which she received a Thespie Award for best costume design from the Lansing State Journal, The Taming (WT 2017) which won a Wilde Award for best costume design and Doublewide (WT 2018) which marked her 100th professional show as a costume designer. Holly is a graduate of Sienna Heights University where she studied fashion merchandising, textile art and philosophy. She has also studied historic costume and textiles at MSU and website design and computer programming at LCC. Holly has enjoyed being a part of the Williamston Theatre team as the Box Office Assistant for the past decade or so as well.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Actor / Designer / Director
- WT Co - Founder / Actor / Director / Sound Designer
John has been acting professionally since he joined the Screen Actors Guild in 1991. Over the years, he has worked at such venues as The Signature Theatre in New York, St. Louis Rep, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Gem in Detroit, and Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. He has also been featured in over 20 films and Television series. John received his BA in Theatre from Michigan State University and his MFA in Acting from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Recent appearances on Michigan stages include Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune (Thespie Award, Best Actor), This Wonderful Life (Pulsar Award, Best Actor, Wilde Award, Best Actor), Leaving Iowa (World Premiere, Thespie Award, Best Actor, Detroit Free Press Award, Best Actor), Bus Stop (Wilde Award, Best Supporting Actor, Detroit Free Press Award, Best Supporting Actor). Since opening the Williamston Theatre, John has directed over 15 plays including The Lion In Winter, Talley's Folly, The Effect of Gamma Rays…, While We Were Bowling (Pulsar Award, Best Director and Best Play) and Ebenezer (World Premiere). John is also an adjunct professor at Michigan State University, where he has served as guest host for the MSU Federal Credit Union Guest Artist Series, and interviewed Brian Bedford and Tony Kushner at the Wharton Center. He lives in Williamston with his wife, son and daughter.
Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune: Thespie Award for Best Actor in a Play: John Lepard
Bio
Karen Kangas-Preston , Senior Academic Specialist, instructor of costume design and technology, and Head of Design at Michigan State University, received her BFA in costume design and technology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her MFA in costume design from Illinois State University.
Her designs have been seen around Michigan at Williamston Theatre (selected: 900 Miles to International Falls, Silent Sky, Our Lady of Poison, Decade Dance, and the Greater Tuna series), Meadow Brook Theatre (Fancy a Country Jukebox Musical, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Stick Fly, and Mom's Gift), Summer Circle Theatre (Fallen Angels, Mr. Burns a Post-Electric Play, and The Drunken City), and MSU's Department of Theatre (UrineTown, Oklahoma!, Cyrano De Bergerac, and Stage Door).
Bio
Katherine Banks is an actress, known for No Sudden Move (2021), Mindhunter (2017) and Qwerty (2012).
Bio
Kinza is a Williamston local who graduated from Adrian College in 2021. She has degrees in Art and Theatre, and is hoping to learn more about production design during her apprenticeship here at the Williamston Theatre. In her spare time, Kinza experiments with all sorts of crafts, and dotes upon her two beloved cats: Bagheera and Zeit.
Job Titles:
- Properties Designer / Set Dresser
Job Titles:
- Director
- Stage Manager
- Director of Young People 's Theatre
Bio
Paige Conway is a director of Young People's Theatre. She graduated from MSU with a BFA in Theatre in 2015. She is a proud member of the Actors' Equity Association and stage manages with both Williamston Theatre and Kickshaw Theatre. Recent stage management credits include Really with Kickshaw Theatre, Taking Shakespeare with Williamston Theatre, and 1984 with Williamston Theatre. Paige also directs summer shows with Young People's Theatre in Ann Arbor, and has recently taken over as the Director of the Chelsea High School Theatre Guild.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board
Bio
Sarab Kamoo is thrilled to be returning to Williamston Theatre this upcoming season and remounting the one-woman show 9 Parts of Desire (Critic's Choice Award- Between the Lines). Sarab has also been seen at Williamston in Silent Sky, boom (Best Comedy- Between the Lines) and Panache. Other theater highlights include: Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear, Smart Love, and The Underpants at the Purple Rose Theatre; Dancing Lessons at the Jewish Ensemble Theater; Falling, and Luce at Meadow Brook Theater; God of Carnage, and Sonia Flew at The Performance Network; and Comedy of Tenors and Don't Dress for Dinner at Tipping Point Theatre. Film credits include Happiest Season, Stone, Conviction, Trust, The Giant Mechanical Man, Won't Back Down, Secrets in the Walls, Lovestruck the Musical and episodes of Detroiters, Low Winter Sun, Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. In addition to her acting, Sarab is also a part-time school social worker in the Rochester School District.
Job Titles:
- Stage Manager, Props Designer
Bio
Steve DeBruyne is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC and the co-founder of The Dio - Dining & Entertainment, an intimate dinner theatre company located in Pinckney, Michigan, now in its ninth season. For two years and 433 performances, Steve was seen as Malcolm on the national tour of the Broadway musical, The Full Monty. He originated the role of Clarence, the bumbling Guardian Angel, in Kathie Lee Gifford's original musical version of It's a Wonderful Life. Other favorite credits include Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at The Encore, Nick Bottom in Something Rotten at The Croswell Opera House and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at The Dio, for which Steve received the 2019 Wilde Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
Job Titles:
- Actor / Designer / Director
- WT Co - Founder / Artistic Director / Actor
Tony has been honored to direct over 70 professional productions at wonderful places such as the Williamston Theatre, City Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, Performance Network Theatre, Meadow Brook Theatre, Gem Theatre, Purple Rose Theatre Company, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, Urban Stages (Manhattan) and Studio Arena Theatre (Buffalo, New York). Other notable credits include serving as Associate Artistic Director for The Purple Rose Theatre Company, and directing the world premiere of Mitch Albom's play Ernie, at the City Theatre in Detroit. He's been named Best Director for various productions by several publications including the Lansing State Journal, the Detroit Free Press and the Ann Arbor News, and has won Wilde Awards for directing 1984, 900 Miles to International Falls, boom, Oedipus, It Came From Mars, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol and Take Me Out. A Michigan native, Tony received his degree in Theatre from Eastern Michigan University, and is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the union for professional stage directors. He lives in Williamston with his wife Jeanne, children Max and Maggie, and dog FlipFlop.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Actor
- Support for the Williamston Theatre Comes from