Sandra Millet – Director
Meet our Director! Sandra Millet Loves being a theatre teacher. She currently teaches 7th-12th grade drama at ALA. She holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in English and Theatre and a Master’s degree in Theatre History, Theory, and Criticism, all from BYU. A founding member of Salem Community Theatre, she has directed community theatre productions as well as many, many school plays. Every year she coaches students for theatre competitions including the Utah Shakespeare festival high school competition, the International Thespian Festival, the UHSAA region and state competitions. Sandra has four wonderful daughters, two very cool sons in-law, and 5 perfect grandbabies. When she’s not in rehearsal, she enjoys reading, road trips, and renovating her “new” historical home.
Bethany Staheli – Choreographer
Next up, the choreographer! Bethany Staheli has been performing for as long as she can remember. Her first role was the purple cat in ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?’ when she was 4. She has been trained in singing, acting, and several styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, and ballroom. Bethany has a degree in Secondary Education from UVU and loves to work with kids of all ages. She loves spending time with her husband and three adorable kiddos watching Star Wars and baking sweet treats.
Madelyn Brooks – Production Manager
Maddie is our Production Manager and is one of those somewhat paradoxical people who loves being around theater and all of the craziness that is involved with that but absolutely hates the thought of being onstage. She has been in shows before, but has found that the real enjoyment for her comes from facilitating the drama rather than being the one to perform it 🙂 In the last 10 years Maddie has fulfilled many behind the scenes roles including House Manager, Assistant Director, Costumer, and Stage Manager as well as earning her Master’s Degree in Arts Administration. She loves Mexican food, Shakespeare, and spending time with her nieces and nephews.
Elden Brooks – Marketing Director and Music Assistant
Elden has been a music nerd for years, starting piano lessons at the age of 8 and teaching himself guitar in high school. He auditioned for his high school’s spring musical his senior year (after convincing his little brother to join and working up the courage to sing in front of people). He loved theatre from then on, and he loves the chance to help other young performers build their own confidence. Elden is a little bit of a renaissance man and is grateful to his wife, Madelyn Brooks, who helped him to get involved in current productions for Halfpenny. He’s been having fun ever since!
Esther Slaeker – Music Director
Esther has been in the music and theater world since she was a child. The only thing she loves more than being on stage herself is watching her students shine from her seat in the audience. She began training for classical voice at age fourteen, and appeared in many productions. One of her favorite roles was “Yum-Yum” in The Mikado. She continued her studies in Voice and Choral Music Education at Florida State University, even dabbling a bit in Child Psychology. Since moving to Utah, Esther has both appeared in multiple productions and served as music director for several theaters. When she’s not at the theater, you can find Esther teaching private voice lessons from her home in Santaquin, hobby writing and painting, or spending time with her husband, two beautiful children, and goofy dog.
Elisabeth Blevins – Production Assistant
