Molly is an advertising professional. She is a Wittenberg University alum, where she attended on a theatre scholarship. Since graduating, Molly has performed in both theatre, dance and improv groups across the country. She loves attending live performances and hopes her passion for writing will inspire others to get back to the theatre, as well.
Neil is a Cincinnati-based theatre artist, director, and producer who returned home after six years in Baltimore, where he worked as a clinical researcher. He is the Director of OTRimprov and the Improv Festival of Cincinnati. Over the past decade, he has worked across many areas of theatre, including stage management, house management, technical roles, and the occasional bartending at Know Theatre. His experience on both sides of the curtain shapes how he approaches and writes about performance.
Willie Caldwell has worked as a professional actor, musician, artist, and educator for over 20 years. He trained at AMDA and has appeared in national touring productions, theater, film, and television. He arned his BM in Music and Music Management from Berklee, and has an MFA rom Virginia Tech. Willie is the VP Marketing and Client Engagement for PLAY Audio Agency, a creative audio advertising agency in downtown Cincinnati. Willie has also served as FT faculty at Miami University's Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship Program. He's earned the Beckmann Research Award in Arts Entrepreneurship presented by the Society of Arts Entrepreneurship Educators (SAEE).
Christy is a local actor, influencer and digital marketer. She enjoys theatre and dance. You can follow her on Instagram @christypcarson
Bryna has a lifelong love for the stage, being raised in a theatrical family. She attended CCM as well as SIUE for design and dramaturgy. An amateur playwright, her work has been performed in OH, CA, NV, and numerous fringe festivals. Her writing and design background led her to marketing, where she is a Digital Marketing & Communications Coordinator.
Emily is a transplant to the Miami Valley, originally from northern Minnesota. She has been involved in theater companies in Fargo, N.D. and Tokyo, Japan, most often on the technical side with stage management, production management and prop design.
Shelby has a background in theatre education and dance, including the Director of Artistic and Educational Programs with the Surry Arts Council in North Carolina where she directed, choreographed, designed and taught for students throughout North Carolina and Virginia. Shelby has a background in teaching students diagnosed with various physical, mental, and learning disabilities. Shelby has taught at various institutes across the country including Lexington Children's Theatre, Shooting Stars YouTheatre, Missoula Children's Theatre, StageRight MTC Inc, Morehead State University, Surry Community College, Cincinnati Public Schools, Boone County Public Libraries, Kenton County Public Libraries, Grant County Public Libraries and now The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati.
Kyrié Eleison is an Indigenous writer with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of California, Riverside, and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Cincinnati. An excerpt of her personal narrative was published in Waxing and Waning. Additional publications include World Literature Today, Lunch Ticket, The Nasiona, et al. Kyrié is an alum of the Antioch Writers Workshop and the McCormack Writing Center Summer Oregon Workshop. In her free time, she is the co-owner of Excess in Moderation, a home bar. Find her in the void: @mskyrieeleison and kyrie-owen.com
Lara Gonzalez has degrees in music, chemical engineering and business. By day, she is part of the hair care team at a very large, local CPG firm, and by night she is a director, musical director and contributor to local theatres.
Doug is an avid, lifelong theater fan with an extensive collection of original cast albums. He also teaches classes on musical theater at OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute).
Alan is a professional writer, college instructor, and playwright. The author of four full-length plays, he also explores life through compressed formats (i.e., one and ten-minute plays). These shorter plays have been performed locally, nationally, and internationally. One is published in “One-Minute Plays: A Practical Guide to Tiny Theatre.” Alan is also a Comics Scholar, working on a podcast entitled “The First Century: A Personal History of Comics in America.”
My passion lies in writing. I embarked on a writing quest once a mysterious typewriter appeared on my family's porch in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Constantly engulfed in art, drawing, music, and after years at many, many, odd jobs as fodder for many diverse stories to come; it was a natural progression. Visit my website: https://about.me/christopher.j88
Chase Johnson is a local Playwright, Historian, and Theatre artist. He has been involved in theatre in some way or another since childhood and is happy to be a new reviewer for LCT.
Ariel Mary Ann is a local theatre artist, actor, and playwright. Since high school, she has immersed herself in Cincinnati's theatre community through performance, playwriting, and arts leadership, including work with CCM's Transmigration Festival, Know Theatre, the League of Cincinnati Theatres, and Ghostlight Stage Company. A Black, queer, trans theatre artist, Ariel is committed to amplifying voices often pushed to society's margins. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati's Women and Gender Studies program, she brings a lifelong passion for performance, storytelling, and community building to her work.
Shawn Maus is a Cincinnati-based writer, award-winning screenwriter, and communications professional with a deep passion for storytelling in all its forms. Holding an MFA in Screenwriting and a BFA in Electronic Media, Shawn brings a cinematic eye and narrative flair to his theatre reviews. As the owner of Shawn Maus Copywriting and Marketing, he manages digital content, social media, and newsletters. In his reviews for the League of Cincinnati Theatres, Shawn blends his love for theatre and classic cinema with a keen appreciation for live performance, offering readers insightful and engaging perspectives on the local theatre scene.
Amanda McDonald is the Chief Development Officer at Cincinnati Works, where she leads fundraising, marketing, and communications. She brings more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, including senior roles with ArtsWave, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, CHNK Behavioral Health, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. An advocate for the arts and community, Amanda serves on the boards of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts and the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation. She is also a grants reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, a member of Rotary Club 17 and the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council. Amanda is a proud alumna of the University of Cincinnati and C-Change Class 13.
A Cincinnati native and College-Conservatory of Music graduate, Lynn brings a lifetime of musical expertise to theater and opera reviewing. With more than 40 years as Director of Music for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, she has shaped the region’s choral and liturgical music landscape. As a choir director, piano and voice teacher, and vocal coach, Lynn understands the craft of performance from the inside out — experience deepened further by time on the community theater stage. That combination of educator, musician, and performer gives Lynn Meisberger a uniquely informed perspective on the art of theater.
Noah graduated from CCM's Arts Administration program. Noah is a playwright with a lifelong love of theatre in all its forms. They found their love of reviewing through Cappies of Greater Cincinnati and eventually served on the board of directors. Follow along with their thatregoing adventures on Instagram at @noahseestheatre!
With a background in film production and a passion for the stage, Afshin offers insightful reviews centered on performance, direction, and audience experience. Holding an MBA from Benedictine University and a BA in Filmmaking from Arizona State University, he brings a unique perspective to theater criticism, blending artistic appreciation with critical analysis.
Katrina is a local performing artist and directress and serves as copy editor for Rob Bucher’s Behind The Curtain Cincinnati. Her company, Harley Quinn Studios, produces old-timey radio show content and provides the place “where the voices in your head come to play.” When not doing the artsy thing, she works for Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CABVI) as their Contract and Pricing Manager. Contact: harleyquinnstudios@gmail.com
Whitney is a Client Service Associate for a local financial advising firm. A 2011 Miami University grad and Cincinnati native, she has a passion for music and theatre, developed before, during and after Miami. Whitney lives in Loveland with her husband, Dan, and their small herd of cats and dogs. If Whitney is not working, watching a Bengals Game or attending a play or music concert, she is with one of her 10 nieces and nephews.
Aiden is a graduate of the School for Creative and Performing Arts with a background in visual arts and theatre. She was a recipient of the Corbett-Mayerson Award for Drama and the Billy Shukas Award for Technical Theatre. Acting/Stage Managing in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area is how she spends her free time. She has a degree in Computer Network Engineering, and is also proud to have been a Girl Scout.
Nathan is a Cincinnati-based playwright and musician. Nathan works as a freelance trumpeter and pianist, performing in pit orchestras, churches and pop groups throughout Cincinnati. He holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor’s degree in Trumpet Performance from University of Idaho. Nathan has collaborated with several playwrights as composer/lyricist, as well as musically directed several shows and workshops. His two original plays received workshop readings with Cincinnati LAB Theatre, The Secret Life of Bros (2019) and Of Dudes and Nudes (2022), the prior receiving a production in 2021.
Sherri holds a M.Ed. She is a retired high school teacher, a veteran, and a lifelong theater enthusiast, helping to raise another generation of theatre enthusiasts.
Ella Widau is from Springboro, OH, and is passionate about dance, theatre and art. They are a Junior at University of Dayton. Ella has managed LCT Social Media for the '24/'25 theatre season.
Colton is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist and recent Miami University graduate. Colton holds BAs in Theatre and English, and a certificate in Devising Theatre for Social Justice from Fringe Benefits Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Based professionally in Cincinnati, Colton is an Assistant Stage Manager at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Teaching Artist with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Coulter’s compilation gives the songs room to become something else, revealing connections across five decades of Schwartz’s work and, ideally, enticing audiences to seek out more of it.
“When we tell the stories of The Guys, we remember them not only for how they were lost but also for how they lived. We make history human.”
