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 35-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 36 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, she also received ArtsFairfax’s 2016 Strauss Artist Award for her distinctive fusing of physical and classical theatre.
In collaboration with the Producing Artistic Director, Robin (she/her) manages financial reporting to the board and funders, fundraising and grants, payroll, bookkeeping, and operations. Robin has worked in arts and nonprofit management for over 18 years. She served on the board of the Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts from 2005-2015 and managed ArtSpace Herndon on a volunteer basis from the arts center’s launch in 2008 through 2012. She has worked for Traveling Players since 2015.
With a BA in Public Policy and Political Science from Duke University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Robin’s professional experience is in banking, marketing, strategic planning, and finance. In 2013, Robin was honored as one of three “Women in the Arts” by the Council for the Arts of Herndon and was recognized by the Town of Herndon with a Distinguished Service Award. She completed the Leadership Fairfax Lifetime Leadership Program in 2015. She has served on the Arts Education and the Teaching Artist Roster Panels for the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Robin’s mother Ruth was one of the first physical education (PE) teachers in the US, in addition to being a Girl Scout leader and camp director. Robin spent her youth in North Carolina exploring the outdoors with her family. The Ruthie Award, named in honor of Robin’s mother, is given out every summer to a residential camper and staffer who embodies Ruth’s spirit – boldly navigating the great outdoors while educating others to revel in our natural world.
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 35-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 36 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, she also received ArtsFairfax’s 2016 Strauss Artist Award for her distinctive fusing of physical and classical theatre.
In collaboration with the Producing Artistic Director, Robin (she/her) manages financial reporting to the board and funders, fundraising and grants, payroll, bookkeeping, and operations. Robin has worked in arts and nonprofit management for over 18 years. She served on the board of the Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts from 2005-2015 and managed ArtSpace Herndon on a volunteer basis from the arts center’s launch in 2008 through 2012. She has worked for Traveling Players since 2015.
With a BA in Public Policy and Political Science from Duke University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Robin’s professional experience is in banking, marketing, strategic planning, and finance. In 2013, Robin was honored as one of three “Women in the Arts” by the Council for the Arts of Herndon and was recognized by the Town of Herndon with a Distinguished Service Award. She completed the Leadership Fairfax Lifetime Leadership Program in 2015. She has served on the Arts Education and the Teaching Artist Roster Panels for the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Robin’s mother Ruth was one of the first physical education (PE) teachers in the US, in addition to being a Girl Scout leader and camp director. Robin spent her youth in North Carolina exploring the outdoors with her family. The Ruthie Award, named in honor of Robin’s mother, is given out every summer to a residential camper and staffer who embodies Ruth’s spirit – boldly navigating the great outdoors while educating others to revel in our natural world.
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, our Thespians, teaching acting classes and directing plays throughout the year, including 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 and 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, 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.
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, our Thespians, teaching acting classes and directing plays throughout the year, including 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 and 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, 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.
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 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.
Ryan (they/he) is the Co-Head of the High School Programs (with Jeanne Harrison), teaching year round and directing our Shakespeare Ensemble over the summer. This is Ryan’s seventh year on staff. In addition to being a teaching artist, he is our Outreach Manager, connecting us with the local schools. He represented Traveling Players in ArtsFairfax's DEIA Cohort program in 2021-2022.
Ryan’s a Traveling Players alum, and his closest friends remain those that he made as a high schooler performing Shakespeare with Traveling Players. He is a veteran of our Thespian and Shakespeare Ensembles, as well as Commedia and Shakespeare Troupes, and performed with Traveling Players at the Reston Multicultural Festival and the International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap.
Ryan directs our Shakespeare Ensemble over the summer, breathing new life into Shakespeare’s plays: As You Like It (their favorite play), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry IV, Part 1 (Shakespeare’s first history that Traveling Players produced), and Midsummer Night's Dream. Ryan directed Jane Eyre for Traveling Players' 2024 Thrills & Chills festival. Ryan has also been an assistant director on Commedia Christmas Carol, and Hecuba as well as working on earlier productions of Two Gentlemen of Verona, Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Jack and Beans.
Ryan has developed new curricula for our community and high school classes, including Scene Study & Acting Technique, Preparing a Role, and Ryan's Playlist (an introduction to queer & female playwrights). They co-led two workshops: Embedded Bias in Classical Literature (with Morgan Shotwell) and Directing 101 (with Jeanne Harrison).
Ryan is a Muhlenberg College graduate in Theatre and English. While an undergraduate, Ryan starred in Allentown Public Theatre’s production of The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona.
Ryan (they/he) is the Co-Head of the High School Programs (with Jeanne Harrison), teaching year round and directing our Shakespeare Ensemble over the summer. This is Ryan’s seventh year on staff. In addition to being a teaching artist, he is our Outreach Manager, connecting us with the local schools. He represented Traveling Players in ArtsFairfax's DEIA Cohort program in 2021-2022.
Ryan’s a Traveling Players alum, and his closest friends remain those that he made as a high schooler performing Shakespeare with Traveling Players. He is a veteran of our Thespian and Shakespeare Ensembles, as well as Commedia and Shakespeare Troupes, and performed with Traveling Players at the Reston Multicultural Festival and the International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap.
Ryan directs our Shakespeare Ensemble over the summer, breathing new life into Shakespeare’s plays: As You Like It (their favorite play), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry IV, Part 1 (Shakespeare’s first history that Traveling Players produced), and Midsummer Night's Dream. Ryan directed Jane Eyre for Traveling Players' 2024 Thrills & Chills festival. Ryan has also been an assistant director on Commedia Christmas Carol, and Hecuba as well as working on earlier productions of Two Gentlemen of Verona, Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Jack and Beans.
Ryan has developed new curricula for our community and high school classes, including Scene Study & Acting Technique, Preparing a Role, and Ryan's Playlist (an introduction to queer & female playwrights). They co-led two workshops: Embedded Bias in Classical Literature (with Morgan Shotwell) and Directing 101 (with Jeanne Harrison).
Ryan is a Muhlenberg College graduate in Theatre and English. While an undergraduate, Ryan starred in Allentown Public Theatre’s production of The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona.
Charlie is currently a Partner at Strategy for Humanity, a consulting firm that works with mission-driven organizations and those who fund them. He brings expertise on strategic planning, program and institutional evaluation, program development, and communications and advocacy campaigns. He has two children who are currently Traveling Players students.
Lynda serves as the Director of Development for a local nonprofit providing early childhood care. She is experienced in strategic planning, organizational development, and program and project management – working with diverse teams to correctly identify and resolve issues that help the organization succeed in meeting its mission. Her daughter performed with Traveling Players and remains in our community.
A middle school math teacher at St. Patrick’s Episcopal School, Beth’s expertise is in project management, operational efficiencies and marketing. Beth is also the parent of a Traveling Players alum, currently earning a BFA in Theatre.
Alex Mountfield was a student at Traveling Players between 2014 and 2016. Since then, she has served Traveling Players as a volunteer, a teaching artist, a camp director, an office administrator, and a staff leader. She is an award-winning writer, editor, and researcher, currently working as a senior associate at an environmental policy firm. More info: https://alexmountfield.com/
Robin serves in the capacity of Director of Development and Operations.
Jeanne serves in the capacity of Executive Director.
Traveling Players Studio
Tysons Corner Center – DL01
1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons, VA 22102
P.O. Box 1315
Great Falls, VA 22066
