Melissa-Anne Blizzard

Past costume design credits include Christmas in Naples (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Bacchae 2.1 (The Flea), Endgame (The Miranda Theatre), The Song of Songs (Greenwich Street Theatre), Moon Over Buffalo (The Sandbox Players), The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Forever Plaid, Blithe Spirit, and Little Shop of Horrors (Palace Theatre) and Proof, Parallel Lives, Three Viewings, and Almost, Maine (Atlantic Stage).  In New York, Melissa-Anne worked at the costume house Barbara Matera Limited where she constructed costumes for Broadway shows including Lion King, Spamalot, and Wicked.  She also worked as an assistant to William Ivey Long, Tony award winning costume designer, as assistant costume designer on Hairspray and The Producers first national tour.  She continued working for William in North Carolina where she was the Costumer for The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama.  Melissa-Anne received her B.A. in costume design and technology from Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA.  Melissa-Anne is the Costume Shop Director for Coastal Carolina University Department of Theatre.

Brian Carter, a native of North Carolina, moved to Conway in 1997 from Wilmington, NC where he worked with Opera House Theatre Company, Thalian Hall Center, and UNC Wilmington, among others. Since relocating to the Grand Strand, Brian holds the position of Resident Lighting Designer with Theatre of the Republic, the oldest community theatre in Horry County, and is currently an Assistant Technical Director for Wheelwright Auditorium at Coastal Carolina University; where he has served as a guest lighting designer for their Theatre Department. Brian has also worked as an Assistant Designer and lighting programmer for The Palace Theatre; including four seasons with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; as a full time Lighting Director with The House of Blues and has toured with Hootie and the Blowfish.

Seth Cox has worked in the audio field for 16 years, including in recording studios, on cruise ships (Premier Cruises), in live theatre (Legends in Concert) and in radio and television (Crook and Chase Morning Show and Country Countdown). He is currently the sound designer and technician for CCU's Wheelwright Auditorium while also working with Beach Church and MC Sound, Light and Video.

Steve Earnest is Professor of Theatre at Coastal Carolina University. A member of SAG and AEA, he is a  founding member of Atlantic Stage and has appeared in Dinner With Friends, Almost, Maine and the company’s first production, Art.  Steve has worked professionally with Los Angeles’ award winning Performance Riverside (Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot), The Burt Reynolds Theatre (A Day in Hollywood…), Maltz Jupiter Theatre (Hello Dolly, Sugar Babies), Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre (42nd Street), The Colorado Shakespeare Festival (3 seasons), and the Riverside Theatre of Vero Beach (Carousel). Also a published author, Steve’s works include a book, The State Acting Academy of East Berlin (Mellen Press, 1999), and numerous articles and reviews in journals such as Theatre Journal, Theatre Symposium, Western European Stages, The Journal of Beckett Studies and Communications of the International Brecht Society. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Colorado and an M.F.A. from the University of Miami.  Steve also has a growing film and television resume and recently appeared in a major role in the movie Bloody Homecoming that will be released in Fall 2011.

Marc McIntyre was born in Pittsburgh, PA but started his theatrical career while in high school in Raleigh, NC.  While in Raleigh, Marc worked on and performed in numerous productions with local community and professional theatres including; Raleigh Little Theatre, Theatre in the Park, Raleigh Ensemble Players, Soloman Isaacs Productions, Burning Coal, TheatreFest Repertory, Jeff West Productions, and The Magic of Jim Passe.  Marc also appeared in some Raleigh area commercials, several industrials and even did a little voice-over work for documentaries.  After graduating from NCSU with a degree in Theatre, he moved to Richmond, VA where he worked with Henrico Theatre Co. and Theatre IV, again both as an actor and a technician.  In 2001, Marc moved to Myrtle Beach and worked briefly with The Magic of Allen Valentine before being hired by Coastal Carolina University as the Technical Director at Wheelwright Auditorium. He continues to work as both an actor and designer with Atlantic Stage. Marc has performed in The Complete History of America (abridged), Almost, Maine and Moonlight & Magnolias, was the set designer for Parallel Lives and Dinner with Friends, and was the sound designer for ART.  He is a member of USITT and is currently working on a Masters in Arts Administration.  Whenever he can find time in his schedule, Marc also enjoys freelance design, production and consultation work.  He currently lives in Myrtle Beach with his wife Kris and their two “children” Ellie and Bailey.

Kristi Rau McIntyre has worked in theatre professionally for 14 years, was most recently seen in Atlantic Stage's productions of Dinner with Friends, Almost Maine, Proof and Parallel Lives, and directed The Complete History of America (abridged) and Moonlight and Magnolias. Kris also teaches in the Theatre Department at Coastal Carolina University, and directs in the Summer Arts Academy. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Theatre, and from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.  Kris recently received her Meisner Technique teaching certification, and is also a Yoga Alliance Board certified yoga instructor. She spent three years at Theatre Virginia where she got to be a part of such great shows as Scandals (World Premiere), Communicating Doors, Moon Over Buffalo, Much Ado About Nothing, Last Night at Ballyhoo, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and the musical version of It's a Wonderful Life.  While at Coastal Carolina University she has acted in A Lie of the Mind, Hamlet, and directed Baby with the Bathwater.  Some of her honors include the Thompson T award for greatest contribution to theatre, the Raleigh Theatre Endowment Board’s Best Actress Award, and she was a Top Five Finalist for Coastal Carolina University’s Professor of the Year Award.

Marjorie Craig Mitchell is a founding member of Atlantic Stage who for the first three seasons stage managed most of the Atlantic Stage productions and directed one, Dinner with Friends. As she leaves production to take over the reigns as Managing Director, Marj is counting on her theatre management graduate classes, a committed board and some serious networking to keep the theatre on the right path. A long time supporter of the regional theatre model, Marj likes to quote August Wilson, “I believe in the American theatre. I believe in its power to inform about the human condition, its power to heal ... its power to uncover the truths we wrestle from uncertain and sometimes unyielding realities." Thank you for joining us in our journey.

Mindi Blackburn Penn most recently appeared in Dinner with Friends, Eleemosynary and Parellel Lives at Atlantic Stage. She also serves administratively as the Box Office Manager. Mindi has been acting professionally for 17 years, holds an M.F.A. from the University of South Carolina and has appeared regionally at Charlotte Repertory Theatre, South Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Trustus Theatre (Columbia, SC), Theatre Three (Dallas, TX), WaterTower Theater (Dallas, TX) and the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Roles of note: Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at WaterTower Theatre - 2003 Leon Rabin Award, Best Play. She also received accolades in productions of Racing Demon and June Moon at Theatre Three, both chosen as Best Play by the Dallas Observer in 1997 and 1998. Directing credits include All in the Timing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Comedy of Errors, Guys and Dolls, Annieand High School Musical. Mindi is an original company member of the improvisational comedy company The We're Not Your Mother Players. She is a National Board Certified Theatre teacher at North Myrtle Beach High School where she selected as Teacher of the Year for 2006-2007.

Thom Penn has been acting professionally for 19 years and directing professionally for 10 years. He has an MFA from Southern Methodist University and has appeared regionally at Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre in Chillicothe, Ohio; Trustus in Columbia, South Carolina; the Dallas Theater Center, Kitchen Dog Theatre, the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, Theatre Three and WaterTower Theater in Dallas, Texas; and the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Thom received a prestigious 2000 Leon Rabin Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of the villain Iago in Othello. Atlantic Stage acting credits include Art, The Complete History of America (abridged), The SantaLand Diaries, and Moonlight and Magnolias. Thom’s fight choreography has been featured in productions of Hamlet, I Hate Hamlet, Batboy: the Musical, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cabaret. Directing credits include Moon over Buffalo, Still Life with Iris, All in the Timing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Comedy of Errors, Overtones, The Flattering Word, The Cinderella Syndrome and Pizza Man. Atlantic Stage directing credits include Parallel Lives, Almost, Maine, and Three Viewings. Thom is committed to arts education and believes in the power of the arts to enrich and revitalize a community. As the Artistic Director of Atlantic Stage, he hopes to contribute to the growth of a lasting cultural legacy here on the Grand Strand.

David Russell has many years of acting experience and trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York. Most recently he performed as Horton the Elephant in Tricycle Production's Seussical, Jr. and Richard in Moon Over Buffalo. Other roles include Alceste from The Misanthrope and Henry Drummond from Inherit the Wind. David is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University, where he works as a Production Manager in the Media Services Department. He also directs the university's television show Coastal Today.

Robin Russell received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of South Carolina. She also did a one-year professional internship at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C . Productions for the Shakespeare Theatre included Richard III with Stacey Keach, Othello with Avery Brooks, Andre Braugher, and Fuente Ovejuna with Josie De Guzman. She also toured an adaptation of As You Like It directed by Daniel Fish through the Washington,D.C. schools. She is also the host and lead public relations personality for Coastal Today.

Sandi Shackelford earned an MFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University and studied for two summers at the National Theatre of Great Britain. Professional stage credits include productions at The Alley Theatre in Houston, the Philadelphia Drama League, Riverside Shakespeare Co. in NYC, and the Delaware Theatre Company. Film and television credits include Sleeping with the Enemy, New Best Friend, White Squall, Unsolved Mysteries, Army Wives, and Eastbound and Down. Sandi toured two one-woman plays for over five years, performing at Piccolo Spoleto and in 5 states and Washington, DC.  She has been teaching acting, movement and voice for 30 years.

Dawn Drake Toney has recently been the Technical Director at Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City, and at Signature Theatre in Arlington VA.  She attained her MFA from the Professional Theatre Training Program at University of Delaware.  She has worked in several regional theatres and Off Broadway, as well as Broadway scenic houses working in automation and stage electrics.