Morgan (she/her) joined the Traveling Players community in 2007 as a student in the Thespian Ensemble and remembers well the days of being “a middle school theatre kid.” Today she is the Head of our middle school programs, fondly called our Thespian programs, teaching acting classes and directing plays throughout the year, including directing our Thespian Ensemble over the summer. This is her seventh year on staff. She spent six summers as a camper (Thespian and Shakespeare Ensembles, as well as Commedia and Shakespeare Troupes).
As the Director of Communications & Marketing, Morgan lets the community know about our programs and opportunities - as well as the ways the Traveling Players community can be a transformational experience and a touchstone for the rest of their lives.
Morgan has taught and developed new curricula for our community and middle school classes including Preparing a Role [Thespians] and Scene Study & Acting Technique [Thespians]. She co-developed and now leads our workshop “Embedded Bias in Classical Literature” (with Ryan Fields).
In 2022 she launched and now leads the Greater Washington Middle School Theatre Festival. This festival, hosted by Traveling Players, is exclusively for Middle School students and designed to help them connect and learn with peers from other schools while celebrating the joy of theater.
Recent Traveling Players directing credits include Carlo Gozzi's Green Bird, King Stag, and Blue Monster, Molière’s Learned Ladies, Tartuffe, The Odyssey by Gregory A. Falls & Kurt Beattie, PUFFS by Matt Cox, and The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, adapted to the stage by James DeVita. Previously, she served as our Assistant Director on Jane Eyre, The Learned Ladies, The Doctor In Spite of Himself, Tartuffe, Rumpelstiltskin, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Morgan also designs and constructs props for Traveling Players productions and mentors the Technical Theatre Apprentices during the academic year.
Other artistic work includes directing Mojo at Studio 115, and Assistant to the Director for Smile Lines at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, where she also worked in the box office for many years.
Jeanne (she/her) founded Traveling Players Ensemble to give theatre students a joyful, rigorous, and nurturing artistic community to grow up in. She serves as both Producing Artistic and Executive Director, including vision and creative leadership for all educational and artistic activities, organizational direction, and staff management. She collaborates with staff on programming and marketing. She coordinates with the board on partnership development, finances, budgeting, fundraising, and strategic planning.
Jeanne continues to teach and direct all year long for Traveling Players, including directing Shakespeare Troupe in the summer. In her 36-year teaching career, Jeanne has taught for The Folger Shakespeare Library, Catholic University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Loyola University (MD), Chapin School (NYC), and Interlochen Center for the Arts (MI), where she directed the Shakespeare program. Jeanne has worked in camping for 37 years, directed two other camps, and is a certified Camp Director (American Camp Association) and Instructor with the American Red Cross.
Often doubling as choreographer and sound designer, Jeanne has directed over a hundred theatrical productions. Recent productions include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Commedia Christmas Carol (her own adaptation), Comedy of Errors, Hecuba (Kenneth McLeish’s translation of Euripides), Taming of the Shrew, Antigone by Jean Anouilh (based on Sophocles), Dust by Sarah Daniels, and Cymbeline.
An expert in mask, Commedia dell'Arte, and physical training for actors, Jeanne has presented workshops at the National Conference of the American Alliance for Theater & Education (AATE). She holds an MA in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MFA in Directing from Catholic University.
She served as a judge for Theatre Washington’s Helen Hayes Awards as well as the English-Speaking Union’s Shakespeare competition. She served as a panelist for Virginia’s Commission for the Arts and Maryland’s Council for the Arts & Humanities. Her lesson plans are published in The American Girls Collection, a Teacher’s Guide. She was selected as one of ArtsFairfax’s three 2015 Middle School Artists-in-Residence, and she also received ArtsFairfax’s 2016 Strauss Artist Award for her distinctive fusing of physical and classical theatre.
Isaiah (he/him) is a graduate of Christopher Newport University, where he earned a B.A. in Theatre with concentrations in Acting and Arts Administration. While there, he worked as a Student Technical Assistant at the Ferguson Center of the Arts and was Vice President of the improv comedy troupe “Laugh Out.” He previously taught Theatre and Photography/Videography at The Marshall School in Fredericksburg, VA. Some of his favorite roles from the past include Caliban in William and Mary College’s production of A Tempest, Conrad in Christopher Newport University’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, and Dr. John Prentice in the Glen Allen's Cultural Art Center's production of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Outside of work, you can find him playing video games or fumbling with his camera.
Emma (she/they) is the Head of our Elementary School Programs, teaching and directing our youngest students all year long, including our summer Mythology Ensemble. She is our Director of Programs and registrar, assisting families as they navigate the website and join the community. They started teaching with Traveling Players during the summer of 2019.
Growing up she was consumed by her love of Greek Mythology – reading whatever she could get her hands on. She studied Latin in school and even went to a Greek Mythology camp. She was also (and still is) a lover of the outdoors. From sleepaway camp to Girl Scouts, to white-water rafting, horseback riding, hiking, and high ropes courses, she loves adventuring in the great outdoors.
Her passion for theatre began with Musical Theatre – training in voice, dance, and even cello. Her interest in music and movement continues to inspire her directing. She loves creating rhythmic ensemble moments that allow students to work as a storytelling unit.
Through her time at Traveling Players, Emma has been lucky to direct four World Premieres written by our playwright-in-residence, Judith Walsh White: Orpheus & Eurydice, Eros & Psyche, Heracles, and Atalanta. Other Judy plays Emma has directed include Persephone, Ariadne’s Thread, and Pandora’s Fire, as well as Alice in Wonderland by William Glennon and Dracula: A Comic Thriller by Kent R. Brown.
She teaches Acting and Improv classes and is the lead teacher for our Girl Scout theatre badge program.
Previously, Emma was assistant director for Learned Ladies, Green Bird, Commedia Christmas Carol, King Stag, The Odyssey, Blue Monster, Ariadne’s Thread, and Pandora’s Fire.
She is a graduate of James Madison University, where she earned her BA in Theatre.
Emma (she/they) is the Head of our Elementary School Programs, teaching and directing our youngest students all year long, including our summer Mythology Ensemble. She is our Director of Programs and registrar, assisting families as they navigate the website and join the community. They started teaching with Traveling Players during the summer of 2019.
Growing up she was consumed by her love of Greek Mythology – reading whatever she could get her hands on. She studied Latin in school and even went to a Greek Mythology camp. She was also (and still is) a lover of the outdoors. From sleepaway camp to Girl Scouts, to white-water rafting, horseback riding, hiking, and high ropes courses, she loves adventuring in the great outdoors.
Her passion for theatre began with Musical Theatre – training in voice, dance, and even cello. Her interest in music and movement continues to inspire her directing. She loves creating rhythmic ensemble moments that allow students to work as a storytelling unit.
Through her time at Traveling Players, Emma has been lucky to direct four World Premieres written by our playwright-in-residence, Judith Walsh White: Orpheus & Eurydice, Eros & Psyche, Heracles, and Atalanta. Other Judy plays Emma has directed include Persephone, Ariadne’s Thread, and Pandora’s Fire, as well as Alice in Wonderland by William Glennon and Dracula: A Comic Thriller by Kent R. Brown.
She teaches Acting and Improv classes and is the lead teacher for our Girl Scout theatre badge program.
Previously, Emma was assistant director for Learned Ladies, Green Bird, Commedia Christmas Carol, King Stag, The Odyssey, Blue Monster, Ariadne’s Thread, and Pandora’s Fire.
She is a graduate of James Madison University, where she earned her BA in Theatre.
Jeanne (she/her) founded Traveling Players Ensemble to give theatre students a joyful, rigorous, and nurturing artistic community to grow up in. She serves as both Producing Artistic and Executive Director, including vision and creative leadership for all educational and artistic activities, organizational direction, and staff management. She collaborates with staff on programming and marketing. She coordinates with the board on partnership development, finances, budgeting, fundraising, and strategic planning.
Jeanne continues to teach and direct all year long for Traveling Players, including directing Shakespeare Troupe in the summer. In her 36-year teaching career, Jeanne has taught for The Folger Shakespeare Library, Catholic University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Loyola University (MD), Chapin School (NYC), and Interlochen Center for the Arts (MI), where she directed the Shakespeare program. Jeanne has worked in camping for 37 years, directed two other camps, and is a certified Camp Director (American Camp Association) and Instructor with the American Red Cross.
Often doubling as choreographer and sound designer, Jeanne has directed over a hundred theatrical productions. Recent productions include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Commedia Christmas Carol (her own adaptation), Comedy of Errors, Hecuba (Kenneth McLeish’s translation of Euripides), Taming of the Shrew, Antigone by Jean Anouilh (based on Sophocles), Dust by Sarah Daniels, and Cymbeline.
An expert in mask, Commedia dell'Arte, and physical training for actors, Jeanne has presented workshops at the National Conference of the American Alliance for Theater & Education (AATE). She holds an MA in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MFA in Directing from Catholic University.
She served as a judge for Theatre Washington’s Helen Hayes Awards as well as the English-Speaking Union’s Shakespeare competition. She served as a panelist for Virginia’s Commission for the Arts and Maryland’s Council for the Arts & Humanities. Her lesson plans are published in The American Girls Collection, a Teacher’s Guide. She was selected as one of ArtsFairfax’s three 2015 Middle School Artists-in-Residence, and she also received ArtsFairfax’s 2016 Strauss Artist Award for her distinctive fusing of physical and classical theatre.
Traveling Players Studio
Tysons Corner Center – D1L
1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons, VA 22102
P.O. Box 1315
Great Falls, VA 22066
