Who We Are

Meghan is excited to join the WCT family as Producing Director. She graduated magna cum laude with her BA in Theatre Studies and Dance from Wheaton College in Norton, MA where she was recognized for Excellence in Acting and awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Meghan also received a Certificate in Performance Studies and Movement from the Moscow Art Theatre School in Moscow, Russia. As a freelance Director, Actress and coach, Meghan spent several years teaching communication and performance skills to young artists across America and then traveled to Istanbul, Turkey for five summers where she created and managed the performance portion of the Robert College Summer Program. Currently Meghan works as a Director, Actress and Coach in the Boston area. Past directing credits include: Project Flux (an original production that debuted at Wheaton College), Beauty and The Beast, Sleeping Beauty Jr., Into The Woods Jr, Romeo and Juliet. Her next production is Twelfth Night at Newton North High School in Newton, MA.

Originally from Canada, Kelly movedt to the Boston area after spending the 4 years living just outside Washington, D.C. Before joining the WCT staff, Kelly worked at Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, in the theatre’s Education and Outreach department, both as a teaching artist and as an administrator. She also worked with a variety of other arts organizations during her time in DC, some of the most memorable being The Folger Shakespeare Library, Contradiction Dance, and dog and pony dc. Kelly is looking forward to sharing both her passion for education and her administrative abilities with the talented staff and dedicated volunteers of this outstanding organization. She and her husband, Mike McDonald, live in Waltham.

Deidre Purcell received her BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University, and her MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College. This will be her 8th season with WCT, and her fourth season as Publicity Manager. She works as a peer tutor at Lesley University where she is currently pursuing an MA in Professional Counseling.

Jessica is thrilled to be joining WCT after working on the 2011/12 season’s Charlotte’s Web. She received her BFA in Stage Management from Boston University. Locally, she has worked with several theaters including Boston Children’s Theatre, SpeakEasy Stage, and American Repertory Theater. She also spent time in Ithaca, NY, working as Asst. Production Manager and Stage Manager for the Hangar Theatre. When not at WCT, Jessica spends her time working for the Arsenal Center for the Arts or at the aquarium watching the penguins.

Kathi has worked with WCT since 2006. In her non-WCT time, she is a self-employed studio potter at the Harvard Ceramics Program. Her ceramic work has been represented in galleries and private collections throughout the country. She also sings with the Spectrum Singers choral ensemble and dances with Muddy River Morris dancers. In any remaining spare time, she is an avid bead crochet artist. She and her husband Jerry live in Cambridge, while their son Joel studies at Vassar College.

Evin is an actor, director, fight choreographer and writer from Kalamazoo, MI. Evin has worked with all formats and genres of film and theatre. He is also the Managing Director for the Open Theatre Project. He has worked with such companies as: The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company, Playbox Multimedia Group, Dog Story Theater, Tiptoe Productions, Vokes Players, StarPilot Productions, Rough Water Films, and Open Theatre Project.

Kathleen is happy to be working with the team at WCT. She has a Bachelor’s degree in scenic and lighting design from Hampshire College and a Master’s degree in scenic design from Temple University. Kathleen also completed a two year internship program at the Kalamazoo Civic Theater. Design credits include: Damn Yankees, Prince and the Pauper, Singin’ in the Rain, Alice in Wonderland, Dracula, The Outsiders, The Devils, Our Lady of 121st St, Buried Child, Lovers, Beyond Therapy, The Devil in His Own Words, A Lesson Before Dying, Arcadia, and A Raisin in the Sun.

Julie is excited to be a part of the WCT team. Originally from Maryland, she has spent most of her career in the Boston area as a performer, choreographer, and costume designer. She received her BA in Theatre and Dance at the University of Richmond where she was a recipient of the John D. Welsh Theatre Scholarship, won awards in acting and costuming, and traveled to London to study Theatre and Art History. She also studied Theatre Education at Emerson College. She has worked at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, Modlin Center for the Arts in Virginia, and local companies including Actor’s Shakespeare Project, Apollinaire Theatre Company, and South Shore School of Theatre. She is currently the resident Costume Designer at Eastern Nazarene College. Favorite past productions include Gypsy starring Lorna Luft (Dolores), West Side Story (Velma/Dance Captain), and Much Ado About Nothing (Hero).

Kaley is thrilled to be joining the Watertown Children’s Theater this winter, and hopes to bring exciting new music and empowering vocal technique to The Pajama Game! Praised for singing with “heart” and “sensitivity” (Boston Musical Intelligencer, July 2011), composer, mezzo-soprano and teacher Kaley Lane Eaton is quickly gaining recognition around Boston as a promising artist in new music. Recent accomplishments include an acclaimed performance of her string quartet Highway 12 with the Boston New Music Initiative; the premiere of her chamber ballet, Eva and Emmy, a collaboration with choreographer and playwright Gabrielle Orcha and the Across the Ages Dance Project; the premiere and numerous performances of her song cycle Red, White, and Black with the lauded pianist Christopher M. Orzech; and numerous other recitals of new music with Mr. Orzech, dance solo collaborations with Ms. Orcha, as well as occasional improvisatory collaborations with artists of other mediums. Ms. Eaton currently serves as Composer-in-Residence with the Orcha Dance Theatre and is resident vocal coach, accompanist and music director of the Joyous Works Theater Company. Current projects include an as-of-yet unnamed one-act opera, with music and libretto by Ms. Eaton herself, which will be seeking production in 2013-2014. A sought-after pedagogue, Ms. Eaton has taught voice, piano, and composition privately in Boston for the last three years. She holds a B.A. in Vocal Performance, summa cum laude, from Whitman College, and will receive her M.M. in Vocal Performance from the Longy School of Music of Bard College in May of 2013. www.kaleyeaton.com

Shayna has been an active member of The Watertown Children’s Theatre since starting out as a lost girl in Peter Pan (2006) when she was in fourth grade. Since then she has been in many shows including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2007), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2008), and The Wiz (2010). Shayna’s most recent show was Singin’ In the Rain (2011) where she played an enthusiastic radio announcer and one of four featured tango dancers. Along with performing in many WCT productions she was also a part of the “Techie” crew for Alice in Wonderland (2010) and assistant stage manager for The Prince and the Pauper and The Hobbit (2011). Now that she is at Watertown High School, too old to be a cast member, she is very excited to join the backstage crew and help out in many shows to come!

Claire (pictured as Trim in Cinderella, Winter 2012) has been an enthusiastic member of the Watertown Children’s Theatre community since 4th grade when she played Charlotte Braun in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2009). Her continuous involvement with WCT has encompassed 6 musicals, 3 Play Factory, and several Summer Stage productions. Favorites include Fantastic Mr. Fox (2010), Singin’ in the Rain (2011), Poe! Poe! Poe! (2011), Oliver! (2012), and playing Alice (small) in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2010). In addition to being on stage, Claire loves learning about sound and lighting and other “behind the scenes” aspects of putting on a show. Outside of WCT she plays the flute and djembe and is involved in theater productions at Watertown Middle School. Claire is excited to expand her horizons and give back to WCT as a Page to Stage intern, helping to inspire and encourage a new group of young actors.

Elizabeth is delighted to return to the terrific Watertown Children’s Theatre team as the Play Factory Director of Poe! A native of Providence, RI, she was an original member of The All Children’s Theatre Ensemble where students fully participated in all production aspects. Elizabeth went on to earn her BA in Playwriting, Directing and Theatre Education from Sarah Lawrence College, and her MFA in Playwriting from Actors Studio Drama School. Off-Broadway productions of her plays include Stand-Up Girl at Bleecker Street Theatre and CenterStage NY, Dawning at The Producers Club and On Dry Land at The Blue Heron Theatre. She has taught English and Drama and history at Gann Academy, Cushing Academy and Rikers Island and Beaver Country Day School. Additionally, Elizabeth has performed stand-up comedy all over New England and New York.

Mary has experience in many facets of theatre including: teaching, acting, directing, playwriting, costuming, make-up and props. She has a BA in Theatre from Vanguard University in Southern California and a MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College in Boston. She has taught workshops at a number of theatre festivals, adjudicated at the METG theatre festival, taught and directed at Atlantis Playmakers Summer Studio and is a part-time high school theatre teacher and director at Triton Regional High School in Byfield.

Nancy (pictured at her sewing machine, circa 1970) is delighted to be back with the Watertown Children’s Theater after costuming Damn Yankees, The Prince and the Pauper, Singin’ in the Rain, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Wiz and Phantom of the Opera. She also recently costumed the MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players production of The Secret Garden. This fall she will be teaching a sewing class for beginners right here at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. Other costume credits include: Hairspray (Chelsea High School), The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, The Mikado and Sweeney Todd (MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players).

Jennifer has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Lesley College, 1988 and a Master’s Degree in Theatre Education from Emerson College, 1994. She began her dance career with The Boston Ballet at age 5, and danced in their production of The Nutcracker Suite. Jennifer has been teaching dance to preschoolers since 1994 in several nursery schools and dance studios in the Boston Area including: The Dancing Arts Center in Holliston, and Creative Steps Dance Studio in Newton. Jennifer also enjoys performing for the Reagle Players in Waltham and takes ballroom dance lessons with her husband, David, at The Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Belmont.

Carter is thrilled to be back with the dedicated and wonderful team at WCT. Carter works as a technician and designer in theatres throughout Massachusettes and Southern New Hampshire, and has recently taken the position of Master Electrician with the New Repertory Theatre. Although currently plying his trade in professional technical theatre, Carter feels very strongly that his future lies in theatre education, and believes that WCT is the perfect place to combine these passions!

Bio coming soon!

Asako has a Bachelors degree in Music from Osaka University of Arts with majors in piano performance and musicology and a Masters Degree in Music from New England Conservatory of Music in piano performance. She studied with Randall Hodgkingson, Svetla v Protich, Jyungi Tatsuno, Yasuko Yamada, and Toshiko Kobayashi. Asako has performed for the 20th Century Composers Piano Festival at William Hall as well as the 35th Anniversary Festival at Osaka Symphony Hall, which was broadcasted. At Piloti Hall, she performed in the Osaka New Artists Concert. Asako has been accompanist for choruses and string ensembles at the Hosmer, Lowell and Cunniff elementary schools in Watertown; for musicals at the Watertown Childrens Theatre and for many local vocalists and string players. She is an active private piano teacher for many years. WCT Musical Director: Singin’ in the Rain, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Wiz, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Beauty and the Beast, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pinocchio, Cats, The King and I,and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Littes’ Musical Director/Instrumentalist: The Music Man, Pirates of Penzance, Annie Warbucks, and Fiddler on the Roof.

(pictured as Body of the Caterpillar, “E,” in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Fall 2010)Since her first role in third grade as a Dish in Beauty and the Beast, Catherine has been delighted to be a part of the WCT community. Her other performances include Alice in Wonderland, Singin’ in the Rain, Cinderella, and the Summer Stage productions of Fantastic Mr. Fox and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Catherine is thrilled to add a new role to her involvement at WCT, as a Junior Players intern. She thoroughly enjoyed her first experience working with WCT’s youngest actors in Oliver! and looks forward to many more productions in the future. Catherine is a student at the Watertown Middle School, and her interests outside of WCT include tennis, track & field, and softball.

Stephanie has over nine years of teaching experience in the performing arts and has worked in the childcare profession as a private nanny for over seven years. She recently graduated from Emerson College with her master’s degree in theatre education and theatre teaching license PreK-12. She loves working with the youngest of students and has chosen to specialize in early childhood education. She is an instructor at BabyCakes, an enrichment center in Charlestown. Stephanie is passionate about facilitating creative programming and supporting the adult-child bond so crucial to early development.

Rebecca is an active teacher in Boston, where she has had the pleasure of teaching both private and group music classes to children and adults alike. Areas of teaching include: beginner and intermediate piano, classical voice, musical theater voice, pop, jazz, and vocal audition preparation- including high school and university vocal exams. As a performer, Rebecca has performed operatic roles in Canada, the USA, as well as Europe. Highlights from 2011-2012 include performing the roles of Cherubino in Mozart’s, Le Nozze di Figaro, Annio in Mozart’s, La Clemenza di Tito, and a residency with the Banff- Opera as Theatre program. Upcoming performances include the role of Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen, singing the Alto Soloist in Handel’s Messiah, as well as performing with Dell’Arte Opera in New York City. Rebecca is a graduate of the Longy Conservatory of Music of Bard College (MM- Opera), the University of Western Ontario, as well as the Opera Studio program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

Emily is thrilled to be working as an intern this winter after having participated in five summer productions at WCT. Emily is in her sophomore year at Lexington High School after graduating from Belmont Day School, and is looking forward to pursuing her love of theatre. In addition to Watertown Children’s Theatre Emily has participated in shows through Lexington Youth Summer Theatre, Belmont Day School, and Lexington High School, including Beauty and the Beast, Hello, Dolly!, Grease, Bye Bye Birdie, Urinetown, and many others. Emily is excited to work as an intern with some of the youngest WCT participants this winter

Jennifer is thrilled to join the staff of Watertown Childrens Theatre. Jennifer is currently in her third year as a Director of Theatre Productions for the Brookline Public Schools where she currently runs a Glee Club for students in grades 3-6 and also served as Middle School Drama Teacher and Kindergarten Music Teacher. During the summer, she is the Upper Camp Drama Director at the Kaleidoscope Arts and Science Camp at the JCCGB in Newton. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and English from the University of New Hampshire, an M.A. in Theatre Education from Emerson College and is presently completing her M.Ed. from Lesley University.

President
Alison Roberts

Vice President
Jessica Wright

Treasurer
Doris Halvorson Coe

Secretary
Jeannette Belcher-Schepis

Miki Abelow Madolyn Allison Stephanie Chamberlain Ellen Cross Mike Denneen Ann Forbush Lisa Gabel Marcia Haines Roger Herzog Eileen Hsü-Balzer

Sandy Jaffe Dinah Lane Theresa McGoldrick Karyn Miller-Medzon Vincent Piccirilli Carole Roche Janet Trumble Christopher Wright Karen Young