People

Charlie has proudly carried on the theatrical traditions and values of Walden Theatre founder Nancy Niles Sexton, his mother, since her retirement in 1999. He was among the first class of Conservatory students, and he performed in, directed, and wrote numerous Walden Theatre productions before receiving his B.F.A. from Southern Methodist University. Prior to returning to Walden, Charlie was the Education Director for Wheelock Theatre in Boston. During his tenure as Artistic Director, Charlie has created the largest performing arts summer training program in Louisville as well as the Young American Shakespeare Festival, which was the first of its kind in the nation. He has also expanded professional opportunities for Conservatory alumni through alumni and staff productions, touring shows, and Outreach Education programs. Charlie’s resume includes many artistic accomplishments as an actor, director, and playwright, but his proudest achievement is the professional training and mentoring of thousands of students through the Conservatory program. His students have been accepted into the nation’s best college theatre programs, including Juilliard, Carnegie Mellon, New York University, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater. Notable students include Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games), Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter), Jess Weixler (The Good Wife), Wes Ramsey (Charmed), Tom Graves (The Rude Mechanicals), Gisela Chipe (Asolo Rep’s Hamlet, Prince of Cuba), and Adam Wesley Brown (Once on Broadway). Charlie and his wife, costume designer Laura Patterson, have two sons: Aaron & Ian.

Alison led the merger process between Walden Theatre & Blue Apple Players to create Commonwealth Theatre Center. After a decade with Walden—and now CTC—she has overseen unprecedented growth of the organization, alongside Artistic Director Charlie Sexton. Alison currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 arts & culture plan and as Co-Chair of its Cultivation Committee. Her latest volunteer project is Founder/Board President of the new nonprofit start-up Elevator Artist Resource, a hub for multidisciplinary artists & creators in our community to gain access to resources, professional development, and the promotional tools they need to elevate economic growth & community engagement. Alison is also helping to lead an initiative to establish the nation’s first Collective Impact model for the arts & culture sector through her work Co-Chairing the Impact Committee of the Arts & Culture Alliance (ACA), a membership association of 100+ regional organizations. She spent the last two years as President of the Board of Directors for ACA and recently served on the Board of Directors of Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI). Alison has spent the last several years as a community advisor for Louisville Visual Art (LVA)’s Education Committee and was honored as the inaugural recipient of Fund for the Arts’ Allan Cowen Innovation Fund for Advancement of the Arts, through which she attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program for Nonprofit Leaders. In addition, Alison was honored to be named to Business First’s 2014 “Forty Under 40” list in recognition of her leadership and accomplishments. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a specialization in nonprofit management from University of Louisville.

Donna joined Walden in 2013 to manage accounting & business affairs. Previously, she was Controller for Air Logistics Inc., a logistics provider of fueling and ground handling services to the airline industry where she was responsible for accounting and financial operations. Donna also worked as an IT Systems Analyst with Kforce Inc. where she specialized in problem research, solution planning and software recommendations to meet business requirements. Donna attended Bellarmine College; coursework included Business Administration and Computer Science.

Heather joined Blue Apple Players in the spring of 2006. As Outreach Director at CTC, she oversees programming, including the design and development of new projects. Heather has led development of 6 new scripts for Blue Apple audiences. In 2014, the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood invited her to be a plenary speaker at the Ready Kids Conference, where she also co-presented a session on process drama in the early childhood classroom with Dr. Kathryn Whitmore, Director of the University of Louisville Early Childhood Research Center. In 2009, Heather joined Walden Theatre as a director for summer academies, including Grimm Tales, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Law & Order: Fairy Tale Unit, The SeussOdyssey, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She was proud to appear as Hypatia in Misalliance and as the Grocer’s Wife in Rhinoceros. As a Co-Artistic Director of Le Petomane Theatre Ensemble, Heather co-created over 10 new plays. Heather is a proud alumna of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. She has worked with Missoula Children’s Theatre, Kentucky Shakespeare, Louisville Science Center, Frazier History Museum, and other Louisville theatre companies. Heather holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Northern Kentucky University.

Meg has been a teaching artist with Walden Theatre’s Education Outreach programming since 2012. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and the M.A. in Communications and Theatre from Morehead State University. At Morehead, she worked as both the box office manager and the tour manager for their children’s theatre troupe “The Little Company.” She moved to Louisville in 2007 where she worked as a teaching artist and tour actor for Kentucky Shakespeare. Meg has performed with several local theatre companies as well as working special events at the Louisville Zoo. She is a proud alumna of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) and worked for the program every summer from 1999-2016.

Lindsay recently joined the staff as resident costume designer after designing CTC shows Henry VIII,  Cyrano de Bergerac, Pinocchio, A Bright Room Called Day, Henry VI Part 3, and Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Lindsay began in costumes as a Halloween designer in California. When she moved to Louisville, she began designing for theatrical productions. She’s worked with several local companies including Looking for Lilith, Pandora Productions, Theatre [502], Actors Theatre of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Josephine Sculpture Summerstage, and Hardin County Performing Arts. She recently designed Alice in Black and White for 59E59 Theaters in New York.

Mera Kathryn Corlett began her work the company as a member of the Blue Apple Players touring company in 2011. As an Artistic Associate for Commonwealth Theatre Center she has written three original plays for young audiences, directed the past three StoryTime Theatre touring productions, and directed last year’s Young Company show. Mera Kathryn’s focus in the Outreach Department has primarily been programming that serves Early Childhood and Elementary age learners. In the Conservatory she teaches Imagination, Studio and the Musical Theatre curriculum for Performance level students. Prior to her work with the company, she worked for Kentucky Shakespeare as a touring actor, workshop facilitator, and lead teacher for Camp Shakespeare. Mera Kathryn is active in the Louisville theatre community and has appeared with many local companies throughout the city. Upon graduating Cum Laude from Hanover College with degrees in theatre and theology, she received the Henry C. Long Citation for Scholarship and General Excellence, the most distinguished award a female graduate can receive.

Jacqui is a singer, songwriter, music therapist, and thespian from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her 1st role as Hamlet in her 4th grade production of Shakespeare led her to study opera performance and appear in countless stage and film productions. Now with a UofL degree, Jacqui practices music therapy, mothers twins, and appears in local musicals and films, having last starred in The Alley Theatre’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 2017.

Jess holds a BA in Theatre and an MFA in Acting, both from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She has recently moved to Louisville from New York City, where she developed a studio practice in devising Shakespeare – coaching a range of ages from pre-school students to Broadway performers. As an actor, regional theatre credits include Great River Shakespeare Festival, Chautauqua Theater Company, Clarence Brown Theatre, Reign Or Shine, Rogue and Peasant Players, and Kentucky Shakespeare, among others. As an educator and behavioral therapist, Jess has taught all ages and abilities, using art as a bridge to unite neurodiverse demographics. This year, she will be teaching a variety of classes both in the Conservatory and Outreach programs.

Hallie serves as Associate Artistic Director at Commonwealth Theatre Center after having worked with Walden Theatre since 2006 and Blue Apple Players since 2008. She is proud to have taught at every level of the Conservatory over the years.  Most recently, Hallie has been leading up the pilot year of “Resiliency” for the Outreach Department; a drama curriculum intended to destigmatize trauma and introduce an arsenal of positive coping mechanisms to children who have experienced high levels of Adverse Childhood Experiences.  She is also thrilled to be heading up a three year project funded by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art that is intended to increase tolerance and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim members of the Louisville community.  Hallie will be directing Top Girls and A Streetcar Named Desire for the mainstage season. Additional directing credits for the company include: Macbeth, The Trojan Women, A Bright Room Called Day, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and Johnny Appleseed (outreach touring productions), Kafka’s Metamorphosis (premiere), The Beaux’ Stratagem, Harvey, Six Characters in Search of an Author (premiere), Connecting Cultures 2013 & 2014, Quilters, A Night of Poe (with the Young Company), and countless Summer Academy and Junior Academy shows. Hallie is a proud Walden Theatre alumna, and she holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Gerald Kean is CTC’s Technical Director. Formerly a freelance light and set designer, he’s recently designed for such groups as Bunbury Theatre, Smoked Apple Theatre, Faith Works Productions, Sacred Heart Schools, Providence High School, and the Miss Kentucky Pageants. He lives in Louisville with his wife and two daughters and is thrilled to have worked with CTC on several productions spanning recent seasons. 

Paul co-founded Blue Apple Players in 1976 with his wife Geraldine Ann Snyder, and has directed over 100 musicals & worked in virtually every aspect of theater administration with organizations including the Coconut Grove Playhouse and the Miami Philharmonic. He’s directed & performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and Miami Dade County Auditorium. Paul has also been active in the community networking with the arts & culture community and among social service organizations. Serving as Co-Chair of ACA’s Education Committee with Alison Huff, he’s helped lead an effort to illustrate the value that member organizations bring to the community. Paul has worked with politicians & CEOs of major corporations as a speech coach and has produced & directed industrial theater productions for conventions from Las Vegas to Toronto. Mr. Lenzi has a B.A. in Theatre from Florida State University and has been a member of Actor’s Equity for over 40 years. Favorite roles include Iago in Othello, Duperret in Marat/Sade, and Sheriff John Wolf in The Three Pigs: The Wild West Will Never Be The Same.

Kenneth has worked most of the previous 15 years for a local fabrication company, building sets for stage, locally produced films, and corporate events.

Jay first started with CTC in the fall of 2016 with the fall touring show The Boy Who Cried Wolf. She’s glad to be back at CTC in a part time administrative position. She graduated from UofL with a BA in Theatre Arts and English. Jay has worked with several different theaters around town in acting, directing and stage managing. Some of the groups she works with are Teatro Tercera Llamada, Company Outcast, The Chamber Theatre, Looking for Lilith, Theatre (502), and The Liminal Playhouse.

Jen holds a BFA in Acting from University of Michigan and an MFA in Theatre from the University of Tennessee’s International Actor Training Academy. She just got back from Scotland where she studied Voice/Speech with Kristin Linklater and Louis Colaianni. Jen, having transplanted from Los Angeles, has worked with companies all over the country including: South Coast Rep., P.S.Arts, EastLA Classic Theatre, Idyllwild Arts Academy, Michigan Theatre Festival, Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, Tennessee’s Clarence Brown Theatre, Arizona Shakespeare Festival and many local companies. Currently, Jen is an actor with The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, serves on the board for PAL Coalition (Federal Drug Free Communities Support Grant) and is a member of VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association.)

Margaret is excited to be one of the newest staff, having joined in August 2015. After more than a decade as an editor & freelance journalist, she began grant writing in 2009—providing her a basis for translating her passion for storytelling into the cultivation of funding sources and grant proposals. She’s crafted successful proposals for Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Volunteers of America Mid-States, Frazier History Museum, Kentucky College of Art & Design at Spalding University, the Center for Accessible Living, and for Squeeze Art Collective in Long Beach, Calif.  Margaret holds a M.F.A. in Writing from Spalding University and a B.A. in English from U of L.

Kathy Preher Reynolds is an Actors Equity Association Stage Manager and has been Stage Managing for over 20 years around the country. Her primary home has been Actors Theatre of Louisville, however, it all started at Walden Theatre in the mid 80’s where her passion for theatre was sparked. She continued to fan the flames by working in every aspect of theatre she could get her hands on and finally settled into Stage Management. She worked locally for a few years before doing her internship at Actors Theatre of Louisville. After her internship her career was launched, and the theatres she has worked for include: Shakespeare and Company, BStreet Theatre, Orlando UCF Shakespeare Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Stage One, The Kentucky Opera, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Contemporary American Theatre Festival and many more. A few of her favorite shows are: any Shakespeare show, Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Elemnopea (Humana Festival), Crime and Punishment, 43 Plays for 43 Presidents, Kite Runner, A Christmas Story, Santaland Diaries, and the list goes on. Kathy gets the most satisfaction out of teaching as it allows her to share her passion for theatre along with passing on knowledge from her many years of experience.

Aletia joined CTC in the summer of 2018. Her past professional training is rooted in social services, wherein she has served children and families from all socioeconomic backgrounds and abilities, both in direct service roles and agency administration. She holds a Master’s degree in Women’s and Gender studies from the University of Louisville and has focused her research on Louisville’s history of women’s activism and community organizing. Aletia is also a visual artist, primarily in the fiber arts. She is a contract artist with The Special Project, a social justice art making project that focuses on supporting families affected by incarceration. Additionally, Aletia led Kentucky’s part in a global initiative called the One Million Bones project that used art as a tool to teach tolerance, and bring awareness to the atrocities of genocide in central Africa. Aletia is an active volunteer in her community. She serves on the Board of Directors for SeniorCare Experts and is a long time contributor to the development of a community Coalition working to support the development of family friendly policies in Metro Corrections. She is also the head coach for River City Junior Roller Derby, and an active skater with the Derby City Rollergirls. 

Isaac joined the company in 2009 and manages public and press relations, marketing, art direction & design (including development and deployment of all print/email/web assets), social media & web content, and other communications. Two posters hs designed and art-directed for CTC’s Young American Shakespeare Festival were collected in the recent book Presenting Shakespeare: 1,100 Posters from around the World. He’s an internationally published arts and culture writer whose feature article about Turkish artist Serkan Ozkaya was collected in Today Could Be a Day of Historical Importance, a limited-edition book packaged in a large tin can. Isaac was a freelance arts/culture writer; contributed interviews for art gallery guides; wrote for Forbes; reported for public radio; and spent years in the books biz as a trainer and store-launch specialist. He holds an M.A. in Arts Journalism from Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a B.A. in Humanities (20th Century Culture) from University of Louisville. Isaac is an avid reader, a baseball and soccer fan, and a visual culture enthusiast.

Allie joined the CTC team as Development Manager in 2019, coming from a previous position in development at Actors Theatre of Louisville. A native Hoosier, she earned degrees from Butler University (B.A. Music Performance) and Indiana University (M.A. Arts Administration). Allie’s career as a violinist, cellist, and vocalist has taken her across the country and overseas, playing with artists such as Carrie Newcomer, Michael Bublé, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Her passion for fundraising ultimately led her to Louisville, where she has proudly resided since 2017. In her (increasingly rare) spare time, Allie serves on the board of directors for Green Hill Therapy and spends time volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She shares her life with a beloved Siamese cat, Claude.

Beth Tantanella is a Colorado native holding an MFA in Performance Arts from the University of Louisville and a BAs in English literature and theatre arts from Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. Beth has worked in house management and was box office manager for ASU theatre arts program for four years and served has a leading administrative associate. Since living in Louisville she has worked for numerous theatre education programs around town and served as an adjunct professor at Spalding University. Beth is also a registered yoga instructor and has been joyfully teaching for nearly a decade!