Meet the Teaching Team
Youth Production Class Stage Manager
Natalie Garvis
A Loudoun County local, Natalie grew up participating in children's choir where she reveled in the discovery of harmonies and performed in various roles, including a mafia-esque rumor weed and Vanna White look-alike. In more recent years, she's participated as an extra in renditions of Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, played the role of Edna in An Inspector Calls, and has worked as a Stage Manager for both An Inspector Calls and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Beyond theater, she works in school administration and spends her free time reading, learning about fashion history (unsurprisingly heavily featuring the 1940s recently), or watching historical dramas with friends.
Taking the Stage Lead Teacher | Stage Combat Teacher
Jane White
Jane is a graduate of Patrick Henry College and has been with JTC since its first production in 2019. She worked with PHC's Eden Troupe in A Man for All Seasons (Alice Moore), Macbeth (props master), Little Women (stage manger), The Winter's Tale (director), Anne of Green Gables (director), The Importance of Being Earnest (props master), and The Three Musketeers (Mme. Cocquenard). Her credits with JTC include As You Like It (Jacques), Love's Labor's Lost (Rosaline - twice!), Much Ado About Nothing (Balthazar, assistant director), The Importance of Being Earnest (Gwendolen), Hunchback (co-director), Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (Cornelia Skinner), and The Fezziwig Ball (Mrs. Fezziwig, costume manager), The Scarlet Pimpernel (director). Currently, she is directing JTC's winter 2023 show, Jane has served as a teacher for JTC's teen classes since 2021.
Youth Production Class Lead Teacher/Director
Anne Bittner
Anne has been involved in theater for 30+ years. Originally traveling with a repertory theater troupe, teaching workshops and performing across the U.S. and abroad, she eventually settled down, had kids, and began homeschooling. She founded Lighthouse Drama in 2008, taught and wrote plays for ages 8 to 18 and directed workshops, camps, community outreaches, and productions until 2020. She most recently acted with JTC in As You Like It (2019), An Inspector Calls (2022), and Hunchback (2022). She loves helping children see their potential, hone their craft and grow in character development. She currently works at HSLDA Compassion as a grant administrator and enjoys developing stories about the families they serve.
Youth Acting: Intro to Theater Lead Teacher
Emily Marr
Emily has been acting on stage for over 16 years. She has several years of theater experience in puppeteering and full-scale shadow puppetry, which taught her various techniques on expressing emotion through silent movement and body language. She has coached younger actors in both official and unofficial capacities in homeschool speech and debate learning environments. She has been an assistant teacher with Classical Conversations and helped coach students on memorization, preparation of material, and physical presence on stage, and has experience in editing and performing classic literature pieces, from Shakespeare to Jane Austen. Emily's credits with Jupiter Theater Company include Love's Labor's Lost, Much Ado About Nothing, Hunchback, and The Fezziwig Ball.
Taking the Stage Assistant Teacher
Genna Pratt
Genna started acting at a young age and began teaching as an assistant for classes with Lighthouse Drama in 2015. She continued working with them as a lead teacher and assistant director until their closure in 2020. Genna has been a part of Jupiter Theater Company as an actor since 2019, and as a teacher since 2021. She has always loved working with children — she spent her teenage years babysitting and teaching children’s ministry at her church. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and has worked at Harrison Street Academy since 2018. She is excited to have her love of teaching and love of drama come together once again. She looks forward to meeting the students and watching them discover the world of theater which she herself has come to love.
Youth Production Class Assistant Teacher
Elias Gannage
Elias Gannage holds a B.A. in History with a music minor from Patrick Henry College and has been acting with JTC since its founding in 2019. He has filled roles on and off stage in over twenty productions with various local theater troupes, including Love's Labor's Lost (Moth), Much Ado About Nothing (Antonio), The Importance of Being Earnest (John Worthing), Hunchback (Poussepain), Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (Leo McAvoy), The Fezziwig Ball (Bob Cratchit), and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Citizen Chauvelin). He has a personal love for Oscar Wilde’s comedies and has directed both The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband. When he’s not doing theater, Elias enjoys playing board games, swing dancing, and practicing fiddle, ukulele, and jazz piano.
Youth Acting: Intro to Theater Assistant Teacher
Sydney Vaughn
Sydney began acting at a young age through theater classes with Lighthouse Drama and Jupiter Theater Company with a goal of becoming comfortable being in front of people. And it worked wonderfully. She has since developed a passion for performing through theater and music. Sydney was an assistant teacher with JTC this spring and can’t wait to do it again with Genna Pratt. Sydney's credits with JTC include: Hunchback (Fiddling Vagabond), Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (Stewardess and Musician), and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Various characters with and without various instruments). When Sydney is not on stage, or backstage, she is practicing swing dancing, running her music studio, picking up some new fiddle tunes and trying to keep her only plant alive.
Interested in teaching with us?
Contact our Director of Education at education@jupitertheatercompany.com.