Alanis Morissette’s
Jagged Little Pill

DIRECTOR

HE/HIM | Ethan is a NYC based multi-disciplinary artist/director, making his Fort Salem Theatre debut with Jagged Little Pill. 

Originally from Parkland, Florida, Ethan believes in community-based storytelling and highlighting universal themes in individual stories. He is a recent graduate of the Syracuse University Department of Drama (Class of '26). It is his dream to continue making challenging and innovative works of theatre that ask audiences to lead with empathy in hopes of fostering societal change. 

He recently made his Off-Broadway debut as the directing intern for the new musical Monte Cristo (The York Theatre), directed by Peter Flynn and starring Sierra Boggess and Norm Lewis. Additional directing and creative credits include The Spitfire Grill (Syracuse University Department of Drama), John & Jen (Black Box Players), Goodbye, Nyle: A New Musical (54 Below), Once (Assistant Director, Syracuse Stage), Bend Toward The Light (Associate Director, Syracuse Department of Drama) and Head Over Heels (Assistant Director, Syracuse University Department of Drama). Upcoming projects include Pathways: A New Musical (in development).

A happily retired actor, Ethan previously appeared as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Syracuse University’s production of Guys & Dolls.

Ethan sends his thanks to Kyle, all of his collaborators and the entire team working at FST. As always, he sends his eternal love and thanks to his family, friends and mentors for their endless support and guidance. Lastly, he also would like to thank his partner Weller for always pushing him to do things he is scared of!

MUSIC DIRECTOR

Fort Salem Theater Debut! Matt Durland is a 3rd-year MFA Acting Candidate at Michigan State University. He has had the honor of working as an actor, director, and music director for various colleges, theatres, and programs in the U.S. Performance credits include The 39 Steps, Eurydice, Island Song – a new musical, A Piece of Monologue, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, 10,000 Cigarettes, Oliver, Hair, 25th Annual... Spelling Bee, and several others. As a director, Matt has worked on projects such as Mame, Contractions, Honk, Rock of Ages, Spelling Bee, Romeo and Juliet, High School Musical, Legally Blonde, and others. His work as a music director has been seen in Cabaret, Mamma Mia, A Funny Thing Happened...Forum, 13, Little Shop of Horrors, Matilda, Sister Act, Is There Life After High School, How to Succeed…Without Really Trying, and many others. Thanks to Kyle and the entire Fort Salem community for welcoming him!

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

THEY/SHE | Amelia is a multi-disciplinary artist and emerging director from Glens Falls, NY, and is excited to be making their Fort Salem Theatre debut.

A recent graduate of SUNY Fredonia (Class of '25), Amelia's work spans performance, direction, dramaturgy, and stage combat. By combining their experience on and off stage, they strive to create collaborative and innovative theatre that challenges expectations of what the world can be.  

Most recently, they made their directorial debut in the Charles R Wood Theater's 24 Hour Play Festival, where they were awarded Judges' Choice: Best Director.  Additional credits include Dolls of New Albion (Assistant Director, SUNY Fredonia), Princess Hamlet (Dramaturg, Circle Theatre Festival), The Baltimore Waltz (Dramaturg, SUNY Fredonia), Fairview (Dramaturg, SUNY Fredonia), Steel Speaks (Fight Director, SUNY Fredonia), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Choreographer/Fight Captain, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), and Candide (Choreographer, SUNY Fredonia).

As a performer, Amelia most recently appeared as Viola in Twelfth Night at SUNY Fredonia.  They are also an Intermediate Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, holding certifications in unarmed, single sword, rapier & dagger, broadsword, and quarterstaff.  

Amelia would like to thank everyone on the team at Fort Salem.  They are also so grateful to their family, friends, partner, and mentors for all of their love and support.

CHOREOGRAPHER

SHE/HER | Sarah is thrilled to be back at Fort Salem, where she recently directed “Ripcord,” directed and appeared in “Our Town” in 2024, directed and choregraphed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2023, and appeared in “Pride and Prejudice” (Mrs. Bennet) in 2022. Sarah has also appeared at Hubbard Hall as Kate in “Dancing at Lughnasa,” and directed Sarah Ruhl's “Eurydice.”

Sarah is co-director of Tiny Box Theater with whom she has participated as dramaturg, story collaborator, voice artist, performer, and tiny box operator in New York City and on the road in Massachusetts, Toronto, and at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Sarah directed “Romeo & Juliet,” “Comedy of Errors,” “Macbeth,” and “As You Like It” at the Browning School in Manhattan, where she also wrote and directed several very short plays for very young actors. Some of Sarah’s favorite acting appearances have been with Bakerloo Theatre Project in Round Lake, Troy, and New York City (Beatrice in Much Ado; Viola in Twelfth Night, Varya in The Cherry Orchard, Masha in Three Sisters and others) and at the theater at Bread Loaf in Ripton, VT (Cassandra in “Troilus and Cressida,” ensemble in “U.S.A.”). 

Sarah has trained in a variety of dance forms since age 4, and is not physically capable of hearing 90s music without moving. She is delighted to bring this side of herself to Fort Salem.

INTIMACY CHOREOGRAPHER

SHE/HER | Hannah Williams was recently named Managing Director of the award-winning Chester Theatre Company in the Berkshires, and directed Fort Salem Theater’s production of “The Bridges of Madison County” this season.

In 2025, Hannah served full time as Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Audience Engagement Manager, while working across the country as a freelance director, intimacy choreographer and intimacy coordinator, nonprofit arts consultant, and producer. She has directed a section of Kerrigan-Lowdermilk’s THE MAD ONES as a member of their groundbreaking digital lab, Romeo and Juliet (Samuel-Lancaster Productions); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Montford Park Players); The History of the Devil (Brainchild Creative); and assistant directing Green Day’s American Idiot (Encore Theatrical Company) and the regional premiere of Once (Centre Stage).

Hannah is Associate Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education and has worked as an intimacy choreographer and coordinator across New England, the Southeast, New York, and China, working as one of the first intimacy coordinators in the country.

She works with arts organizations on audience development, relationship building, equitable policies and procedures, and leads summits prioritizing work culture and future planning. Hannah holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University. 

*Indicates Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

LIGHTING DESIGNER

HE/HIM | Henry is a theatre lighting designer currently pursuing his BFA in Theater Design and Technology at Syracuse University (class of 2026).

With a passion for storytelling through light, he strives to create immersive and dynamic visual experiences that enhance the narrative on stage. His design work includes productions such as "What The Moon Saw," directed by Danyon Davis, and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," directed by Kyle Hejlik, where he has explored the interplay of color, texture, and movement to bring each production to life.

In addition to his design experience, he has worked as an assistant lighting designer and technician on various productions, developing strong skills in Vectorworks, EOS console programming, and lighting networks. He is always eager to collaborate with directors and creative teams to push the boundaries of theatrical lighting and create unforgettable moments on stage.

www.hcklightingdesign.com

SOUND DESIGN

HE/HIM | Andre Valverde is excited to be back with Fort Salem behind the boards of The Bridges of Madison County. This is his third show with them after last year's "Kinky Boots" & "Newsies Jr.". He also ran sound for their 2026 Season Announcement Show. Andre is a 2024 graduate from Suny Schnectady Community College with an AS in Audio Engineering. He also works for R'ville Stage Creations, where he recently lent his talents to their production of "The Addams Family"

RESIDENT SCENIC DESIGNER

HE/HIM | Charles/Chuck is a well-rounded artist with experience in creative writing, HDR photography, graphic design and 3D rendering, improvisational piano, original song composition and scenic design for theater. While attending Southern Vermont College 2001-2005 (bachelor’s in liberal arts) he worked summers at Old Castle Theater in Bennington, VT (2000 to 2005) where he learned, by observation, the creative nuances of set design as he worked as a stagehand. Charles is currently the Resident Scenic Designer and an Artistic Associate for Fort Salem Theater where, in October 2021, he debuted a design for The Diary of Anne Frank. In the 2022 season, he went on to design: Little Shop of Horrors, Steel Magnolias, Pride and Prejudice, Grease, The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition, Bright Star, I Love You Because, Spring Awakening, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Footloose,  The Little Mermaid Jr., The Pirates of Penzance, The Rocky Horror Slow, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into the Woods, Beethoven, Godspell, Mary Poppins, The Drowsy Chaperone, Kinky Boots, and Tick, Tick…Boom!, along with designing Grant’s Ghost for Hubbard Hall on the side. Charles has also directed Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus in 2004 at his then-former High School, and The Glass Menagerie at Southern Vermont College in 2009.

Prior to his work at Fort Salem Theater, Charles has over eight years of set design experience, artistic/stage directing, assistant directing and serving as a theatrical creative-solutions consultant (for a local high school drama club). Shows he has designed there include: The Diary of Anne Frank (2007), Once Upon a Mattress, Rumors, The Importance of Being Earnest, Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, Twelve Angry Jurors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, And Then There Were None, The Sound of Music, Noises Off, Shrek the Musical, and ended his run there with The Mousetrap (2015).

After taking some time away from theatrical design Charles feels truly thankful and honored to reignite his passion for design at Fort Salem Theater and is very honored to have helped design Grant’s Ghost for Hubbard Hall.

AUDITION ACCOMPANIST & MUSICIAN COORDINATOR

HE/HIM | Jared has been both onstage as a performer and behind the scenes as a music director or pianist. Onstage, he was most recently seen in “Footloose” (Reverend Moore), “Bright Star” (Daddy Murphy), “Pride and Prejudice” (Wickham/Collins) and “The Diary of Anne Frank” (Otto Frank) here at Fort Salem, “A New Brain” (Roger) at OhLook Theatre and “A Man of No Importance” (Sully O’Hara) at Brick Road Theatre. Other favorite roles are “Ragtime” (Younger Brother), “Guys and Dolls” (Sky Masterson) and “Cabaret” (Cliff). 

Jared has recently appeared behind the keys for “Rocky Horror,” “Kinky Boots,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Grease,” and “Little Shop of Horrors” at Fort Salem, “Ebenezer Scrooge “at Pocket Sandwich Theatre and “White Christmas,” “AIDA” and “Gypsy” at Firehouse Theatre. 

PRODUCER

SHE/HER | Courtnie is a theatre artist, director, and designer who is proud to call Washington County home. Originally from Greenwich, NY, Courtnie studied Business Administration at SUNY Adirondack before graduating from The Institute for American Musical Theater in New York City (Class of 2019). After a few years in NYC, she returned upstate “just for a few weeks” in March 2020—and never left. Since then, she’s continued building a full and varied career in the performing arts, right in her own community.

Courtnie’s theatre experience spans acting, directing, lighting design, stage management, and hair/wig design, with credits ranging from NYC’s Hudson Classical Theater to regional companies like SLOC, GF Community Theater, and Fort Salem Theater—her second home.

She’s performed in roles like Alice Murphy (Bright Star), Martha (Secret Garden), and Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods), and directed productions including Godspell and Footloose. She was named an Artistic Associate at Fort Salem Theater in 2022, became the Secretary of the Board in January of 2025, and currently serves as the organization’s Interim Executive and Artistic Director.

In addition to her theatre work, Courtnie has been the Head Teller at Arrow Bank in Salem since early 2024, balancing her creative work with a strong connection to the local community. She’s grateful to be part of a theater that values collaboration, inclusivity, and heart—and looks forward to helping Fort Salem Theater continue to grow and thrive.

CO-PRODUCER

HE/HIM | Kyle has three decades of creating award-winning theatre under his belt, working as a producer, director, choreographer, designer, and performer. His work has been seen all across the US, from Cape Cod, to Boston, Arizona and Dallas, to New York and has been recognized by the AriZoni Awards of Excellence, BroadwayWorld Awards, Column Awards, Annie Award, MET Awards, and MHSDG Awards, among others.

Most recently, Kyle took a brief sabbatical from Fort Salem Theater to serve as Company Manager for the esteemed Williamstown Theatre Festival, where he led a company of 350 artists and staff members. There, he worked alongside the talents of Pamela Anderson, Amber Heard, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Susan Sarandon, Kate Walsh, Chris Messina, Brandon Flynn, Whitney Peak, William Jackson Harper, Elizabeth Lail, Tonatiuh, Jensen McRae, among many others.

At Fort Salem Theater, he has directed and choreographed “Salem Under The Stars,” “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” “Next to Normal,” “There’s No Business Like Snow Business,” “Grease,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Agnes of God,” and “Mary Poppins” and has designed costumes for FST’s “Pride & Prejudice,” “Grease,” and “Bright Star.” Other direction and choreography credits include “Hairspray,” “Evita,” “White Christmas,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Guys and Dolls,” “The Music Man,” Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “West Side Story,” “Into the Woods,” “RENT,” “The Rink,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “A Chorus Line,” “Chicago,” “La Cage aux Folles,” and “Cabaret.”

Kyle is humbled to be the executive and artistic director of Fort Salem Theater, and in June 2023, was named one of the Top 10 New York State LGBTQ+ Leaders by I ❤️ NY.

*Indicates Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society