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Loriann Schmidt has done theater all her life. Starting in 2nd grade with an appearance in The Music Man, the theater bug (and lighting bug) has always been with her. Her first light board was her own invention (in high school) made with rheostats and an old suitcase, a ton of soldering lead and a whiff of smoke. A long string of shows both professional and community as costume designer, light designer, stage manager, assistant director and director followed and the rest, they say, is history. Loriann has directed shows at Pentacle, Keizer Homegrown Theatre and a private school in Beaverton. She serves on the board at Keizer Homegrown Theatre and has been active in other areas of Albany Civic Theater as Lighting Manager, costume designer and all-around Helpful Person. She made her directorial debut at Albany Civic Theater last season with The Great Gatsby.

Director’s email: loriann.c.schmidt@gmail.com

Shauna Kiefiuk has been involved with ACT since 2002. Previously, she has directed The Dinner Party, The Unexpected Guest, Rabbit Hole, The Butler Did It, The Odd Couple and Independence. Shauna has been onstage in several shows as well as musicals. She was the assistant director for Fat Pig, Hay Fever, The Game’s Afoot and A Little Piece of Heaven. Shauna also serves on the ACT Board.

Director’s email: theatregirl21@yahoo.com

Stephanie Schwarz (also known as Violet) has been involved in theater at ACT since 2013. She has been onstage for several performances such as The Butler Did It and Little Women. She has costumed plays like Peter Pan and run lights for Moon over Buffalo. Violet has been involved in other theaters as well and was the music director for Matilda at Majestic and a co-director for Jefferson High School many years in a row. Most recently she was the assistant director for Peter and the Starcatcher. 

Director’s email: schwarzwerks@gmail.com

Peter and the Starcatcher was Mirinda Keeling’s ACT directorial debut last season. She also co-directed The Prom, with Christi E. Sears. Mirinda co-directed School House Rock at ACT and directed Animal Krackers, Magic in Me, and The Shoemaker and the Elves at North Albany Elementary. Mirinda has assistant directed Something Rotten, Murder on the Orient Express, Clue, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, High School Musical, and Excalibur: The Story of Young King Arthur at ACT. Her resume includes additional crew positions of vocal director, production assistant, set dressing design, set dresser, set design, hair and makeup designer, props designer and costumer in over 30 productions and has performed on stage in an additional 20. She has performed with her husband, Dean Keeling, as well as her two sons, Braden and Adam.

Director’s email: r_mirinda@hotmail.com

Rick Wallace has been acting and directing in the Corvallis area for over 50 years. He is the retired Director of Theatre at Corvallis High School, where he staged nearly fifty productions, including West Side Story, Eclipsed, The Importance of Being Earnest, Grease, Bang Bang You’re Dead and Much Ado About Nothing. His 2005 production of Oklahoma! was the last musical staged at the old CHS. Rick has appeared on the OSU Theatre stage in some 30 roles and annually plays Godfather Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker for the Regional School of Ballet. His last ACT appearance was in the staged reading of Educating Rita with Harriet Owen-Nixon, directed by Charlotte Headrick.

Director’s email: wallace8726@gmail.com

Johanna Spencer first directed Nickel and Dimed at Albany Civic Theater in July 2008. She has directed and appeared in many other productions at Albany Civic Theater in addition to adapting a couple of radio plays for ACT during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been acting and directing in the mid-valley since 1982 and is a graduate of the Oregon State University theater program. She resides in Albany with her spouse, Rus Roberts, and is semi-retired after 35 years with the federal government.

Director’s email: johanna.spencer@gmail.com

Christy Anderson is no stranger to ACT’s stage. She was Jackie Cochran in Fly Babies, Gillian in Bell, Book and Candle and choreographer for Addams Family the Musical. Christy also directed Little Shop of Horrors for SAHS at West Albany HS. She is the theater teacher at South Albany High School and lives in Albany with her husband Josh, son Shepard, daughter Ellinore, and corgi Riley. Christy’s hobbies are dancing, singing, watching movies, chasing her kiddos, and going to Disney World.

Director’s email: tuffy1299@comcast.net

Erik A Esrael has been acting and performing since before the turn of the century including as Otto Von Bruno in Slocum House Theater Company’s production of Bullshot Crummond in 2004. He has been seen on the ACT Stage as early as 2006 in Steve Martin’s Underpants.  This is his directorial debut with Albany Civic Theater. He works for Salem Health and lives in Salem with his wife, 3 dogs, and 2 cats.

Director’s email: pilesofpencils@hotmail.com

Jillian Alden first appeared at ACT in 2010 with her portrayal of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Her onstage presence continued with Meet in St. Louis as Esther Smith, Singin’ in the Rain and Sweeney Todd as an ensemble member, Fly Babies as Peggy Taylor, and Moon Over Buffalo as Rosalind Hay. She has also helped backstage on several projects, including costuming for Fly Babies and for University of Washington’s production of Next to Normal, which unfortunately never performed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She supported ACT’s production of Something Rotten! as an assistant director, and she partners with South Albany High School, serving as vocal director for their production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Jillian is a passionate mental health advocate and is nearing the beginning of her clinical practice as a mental health counselor and a drama therapist. She has combined her professional and personal passions to help her serve on ACT’s diversity and inclusion steering committee, and is committed to supporting programs, workshops, and training at ACT which make the theater a more welcoming and safe environment for people with marginalized identities. Karlaboy will be Jillian’s directorial debut with ACT.

Director’s email: jillian.alden@outlook.com

Christi E. Sears has a string of hit musicals and plays to her credit, including: Something Rotten!, Clue, Altogether Now (Special Event), The Secret of Chimneys: ACT Radio Play, Mamma Mia, The Addams Family, Annie, Big Fish, Shrek, Young Frankenstein, Avenue Q, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Curtains, Steel Magnolias, The Producers, The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, The Rocky Horror Show, Pirates of Penzance, Into the Woods, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Bell, Book and Candle, Auntie Mame, and Greater Tuna at ACT. Christi also directed at CCT: Cinderella, Damn Yankees, and Little Shop of Horrors. A long-time administrative member at ACT, Christi has served four terms as president and two terms as treasurer. She currently serves on the ACT Board as Production Manager. Christi resides in Albany and has worked for over 29 years as the Accounting/Payroll Manager at Palm Harbor Homes.

Director’s email: cirsey@comcast.net

Mirinda Keeling is making her ACT directorial debut this season with Peter and the Starcatcher. Mirinda co-directed School House Rock at ACT and directed Animal Krackers, Magic in Me, and The Shoemaker and the Elves at North Albany Elementary. Mirinda has assistant directed Something Rotten, Murder on the Orient Express, Clue, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, High School Musical, and Excalibur: The Story of Young King Arthur at ACT. Her resume includes additional crew positions of vocal director, production assistant, set dressing design, set dresser, set design, hair and makeup designer, props designer and costumer in over 30 productions and has performed on stage in an additional 20. She has performed with her husband, Dean Keeling, as well as her two sons, Braden and Adam.

Director’s email: r_mirinda@hotmail.com