Author: STAGES Youth Theater

Lauren Murphy has loved singing for as long as she can remember! Her family was super supportive of her singing, leading to her participation in Maine District and All-State Festivals, taking private voice lessons, participating in Musica De Filia girl choir, Singing in operas, and touring Europe with the United States Youth Ensembles while in high school.

She went on to get a degree in Music Education at The University of Southern Maine in 2013. She has been teaching in public schools since then as well as performing when she can, including in Ogunquit Playhouse’s 2016 production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

At school, she directors multiple choirs, and group voice lessons. She also directs musical theater productions and does private voice coaching as needed. Her voice coaching students have gone on to the Maine District II festival, the Maine All-State Festival, Port Opera Chorus, The Nutcracker at Maine State Ballet, and many other exciting opportunities. 

Lauren believes that all students can and should sing and that focused effort is the key to successful singing. She helps to foster individual vocal development by showing students the anatomy of their voices and how everything should work together to make sound through vocal warm-ups. She thinks music is at its best when it is used to tell a story. In her lessons, she includes acting coaching as well as vocal coaching.

Lauren joined the STAGES team in 2022. She is a director and music director for STAGES productions, and is now offering voice instruction in the STAGES private lessons studio!

I came into Stages by the side door when I said “I’ve got some free time this summer if you need a sub.” and they said “Yes!”  Now I’ve choreographed and directed for Stages and I couldn’t be happier to have found this organization that shares my views on the creative arts and how important they are in a person’s life.  

I grew up playing make believe and never stopped; it turned into acting and dance. In addition to countless plays and dance shows, both school and professional; I worked at summer arts camps, founded Sticky Tape Theater company in Bangor, lived in NYC to dance, earned a BA in theater from USM, founded and still work with Vivid Motion Dance in Portland, direct the drama club at Lincoln Middle School, teach dance at Scarborough High School, choreograph for local groups, design and create costumes, and have recently found myself back onstage as a performer with Lyric Theater and Portland Players.  

As a young person I had phenomenal teachers and mentors that encouraged me to love the process of performing, to be creative, and who gave me a voice. I try to honor that legacy and help my students to create, to speak out, and to be proud of themselves.

When I’m not doing something directly related to the performing arts I can be found planting native species of plants, researching and trying out edible flowers, recreating the middle ages with the SCA, or trying my hand at coding “choose your own adventure” games.

Brigitte joined the STAGES team in 2022. She is a director and choreographer for STAGES musical theater productions, and is a Teaching Artist in our after school programs across multiple locations!

Thalia Wolff (she/her) is a dancer, director, playwright, and teaching artist from the Pacific Northwest captivated by the unique capacity of the performing arts to enable individuals to boldly, playfully imagine and embody new worlds together.

She has taught and supported classes with Seattle Children’s Theatre, the Central Stage Theatre of Central Kitsap, Reed College, and Portland Stage Company on topics ranging from collaborative playwriting to movement-based acting, from creating for the camera to devised dramatic play.

She is thrilled to be working with the wonderful teachers, staff, and student-artists at STAGES this year!

Thalia joined the STAGES team in 2023. She is a Teaching Artist and on the directing team for the ACTING ADVENTURES program for 8-9 year old students!

Makenzie, who also commonly goes by Max, is currently an amateur performer with a dream of directing and performing professionally. She is studying at the University of Southern Maine, and is one year away from earning her B.A. in Theatre with a Double Concentration in Technology/Design & Performance. 

She has done most of her performing in educational spaces, but she hopes to branch out and work with theaters around southern Maine very soon!  

Zoë is super excited to join the STAGES team! She loves connecting with young people and seeing them grow both on and off the stage. 

Zoë studied American Sign Language Interpreting and Theatre: Stage Management at the University of South Florida -Tampa. After graduation, she moved to Maine for an internship at Portland Stage, loved the area, and decided to stay. Zoë has been blessed to work on productions in many different roles in Florida, Massachusetts, and Maine. 

At STAGES, Zoë is a teaching artist and director – and recently joined the STAGES Board of Directors! When not at STAGES you can find Zoë planning weddings, fundraising/planning events for numerous non-profits, and hanging out with her family and friends. 

Mary Kate is an actor and an artist based in Portland. She studied Theatre at the University of Southern Maine, and joined the STAGES crew in 2021. Her first ever job was in children’s theatre and she’s thrilled to be back!

When not teaching young people or stomping around the stage herself, Mary Kate enjoys hiking, embroidering, and spending time with her partner and their three wonderful pets. 

Mary Kate joined the STAGES team in 2021. She is a Teaching Artist working in all STAGES locations, a costume designer, and a co-director of the Acting Ensemble program.

Campbell (Cami) Gibson is a performer/director/theater educator in the Portland area who currently holds a B.A. in Theater and minor in Dance from the University of Southern Maine.

She has performed and directed at various venues across Maine including: Waterville Opera House, Deertrees Theater, Lakewood Theater, USM, Mad Horse Theater Company, Monmouth Community Players, and School House Arts. In the past couple years Cami has also performed with Lime Arts Productions in LA, performing virtually with other artists nationwide.

When Cami is not performing, directing, or teaching at STAGES, she is currently working on writing her one woman play or reading scripts. She is very excited to be working at STAGES and teaching improv and other forms of storytelling!

Cami joined the STAGES team in 2021. She is a Teaching Artist, and has been on the directing team for our Freeport IMPROV Ensemble since it began!

Here at STAGES, we continue to evaluate and assess our commitment to celebrating diversity and inclusion. In that spirit, we recognize that – like many other organizations – our programming schedule over the years has been directly influenced by the Christian holiday calendar. Earlier this fall, we created more space in our calendar for young people, their families, and our staff to observe a wider array of additional holidays without missing out on STAGES programming. A list of holidays appears below. 

We are excited to learn about more of the traditions and celebrations that make the STAGES community unique, and we are committed to recognizing and celebrating different cultures throughout the year.

Kyle grew up in a small town outside of Erie, PA.  It was there, at the Erie Playhouse, that he found his passion for all things musical.  From there, he obtained his BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia, moving right into an international children’s theatre tour upon graduation.  For 2 years, he traveled the US and Canada, teaching over 5000 students and traveling over 25,000 miles.  In 2013, he found his way to Maine and has been here ever since!

Over the last 8 years, Kyle’s work has been seen on stages up and down the coast line as an actor, music director, fight choreography, playwright, director, pit musician, and private coaching.  While off stage, he is very interested in theatre history and exploring the topics of classical musical theatre and drama and how they are still relevant in today’s world.  He also has a slight obsession with Sondheim musicals… very slight.  But whether he’s on or off stage, he’s just thrilled to be in the theatre.  It’s been his home for over two decades and he can’t wait to help more students find the home of their own!

Kyle joined the STAGES team in 2020. He has been a Teaching Artist and Music Director, and is the co-director for the 2021-22 Shakespeare Ensemble.