Heather is from Cleveland, OH. She moved to Asheville to attend UNCA where she played soccer (Go Bulldogs!) and graduated with honors with a BA in Psychology. Heather started the Asheville Performing Arts Academy in 2009 in order to bring theatrical training to the children of the Asheville area. Since then she has directed over 100 productions and won many awards including the Freddy G. Award for Teaching Excellence. Heather has also been Irish Dancing since the age of 4. Her Irish Dance program is a part of the award-winning Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance.
KURT CAMPBELL
Music
Kurt Campbell has been working with the Asheville Performing Arts Academy on and off since 2007. He has music directed shows like Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Once on this Island, Chorus Line and many more. He is a 4th grade teacher at Rainbow Community School. He is the proud dad to two kids, Amethyst and Jack, and his dog, Chance.
CONNOR DALTON
Voice
Connor Dalton is an operatic baritone and voice teacher based in Asheville, NC. Connor’s musical journey began as a member of the APAA, and has since appeared on international stages. Role highlights include Giovanni Belletti in the UK premiere of Barnum’s Bird, Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, Marcello in La bohème, The Zombie in the world premiere of My Days As a Zombie On Earth, and Count Almaviva in Le Nozze Di Figaro.
Previously, Connor was the voice teacher at Top Hat Stage School in London, UK, overseeing the instruction of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art musical theatre course. In the voice studio, Connor prioritizes communication and collaboration, while creating an environment that is safe for students to explore the dramatic and technical aspects of singing. Drawing inspiration from voice teachers of the past, students learn singing techniques that encompass a wide variety of music styles.
Connor holds a Master of Performance in voice from the Royal College of Music, London and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Mars Hill University.
RACHEL GORDON
Tech
Rachel has been involved with various elements of theatre her entire life. As a child she was immersed in dance, but also loved to draw and paint. This developed into a passion for design through the annual creation of complex and unique halloween costumes. She received her BA in drama from UNCA in 2011 and has continued to participate in theatre both as a performer and costume designer. She then quickly found that her true niche was in set painting. In 2016, she did a summer intensive at Cobalt Studios where she learned to hone her craft and has been painting for the stage ever since. She has lived in Asheville since college, and has worked with Heather and APAA on and off in numerous capacities since then.
AMANDA HAMEL
Stage Manager
Amanda has been with the Asheville Performing Arts Academy since 2012. She started off as an Academy student during her sophomore year of high school and then became the technical theatre intern from 2013-2015. While the intern, Amanda stage-managed the Academy and Youth Community Theatre shows. She graduated from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance where she received her BFA in Design and Production with a concentration in Stage Management and received her MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises from Northwestern University. In addition to being apart of the APAA family, Amanda is currently teaching elementary school in Asheville Catholic School.
MARY KATHERINE O'DONNELL
Acting
Mary Katherine is a working actor who started out as a student at the APAA herself!
Since graduating from the APAA in in 2010, she has attended Greensboro College for Acting Performance where she received training in Fitzmaurice technique, Alexander Technique as well as a firm foundation in classic, contemporary and musical theatre. Some of her favorite theatre roles include Nora in the world premiere of DOLL, Rifkele in INDECENT, Thomasina in ARCADIA and Marianne in the world premiere of WAKE-WALKING.
From there she has worked on National television shows such as SALEM (wgn) YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE (IG network) as well as film with GOOD THINGS DEVILS DO, LUKE AND JO, NIGHT OF THE WILD, BRUISER and festival award-winning shorts BLOOD SPOOK and THE UNBEARING.
In between acting for the stage and screen, she has been teaching and directing at the APAA. She hopes to not only encourage each performer to reach their full potential, but help them discover a love of theatre and the joy of expressing themselves freely.
ERIN ULMAN
Dance
Erin Ulman (she/her) is a multi-hyphenate performer and teaching artist. She grew up as a child actor in Dayton, OH, and at the age of 17, won the Stephen Schwartz Musical Theatre Scholarship Competition. Erin then earned her BFA in Musical Theatre with a Minor in Dance from Otterbein University. After college, Erin moved to NYC and interned with the Broadway casting office Tara Rubin Casting and was lucky enough to get to work with Andy Blankenbuehler and Andrew Lloyd Webber on the Broadway Revival of CATS. Erin has worked as a performer at Regional Theatres, National Tours, Off-Broadway, Film, and TV. Some of Erin's favorite roles include Chloe (Bubble Boy The Musical, NYC Off-Broadway), Maureen (RENT), The Witch (Into the Woods), and Blanche Devereaux (That Golden Girls Show! A Puppet Parody). She is also a puppeteer who has been featured on multiple TV and Film projects including a show on Adult Swim. Erin lives in Asheville with her Fiancé and their Dachshund, Poppy.
HEATHER GALLAGHER
