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Board Members

President / Executive Director
Terry Kelley

Vice President / Volunteer Coordinator 
Cora Connelly

Artistic Director
Andrea Holliday

Associate Artistic Director 
Steve Bice

Children’s Theatre Director
Education Director
Melanie Brown

Secretary
Carter DeShazo

Treasurer

Annual Volunteers

Publicity and Donor Relations
Carter DeShazo

Social Media Manager
Cora Connelly

Website Manager
Kimberly Farr

Newsletter Manager
Georgia Hare

Playbill Creator
Ross Blair

Ticketing Manager
Julie Wells

Members at Large

Georgia Hare
Rebecca Miller

We are always looking for commited volunteers to help in big and small ways.

Fill out our Volunteeer Contact Form or
email auburnact@gmail.com and let us know how you’d like to get involved.

Season-long jobs that we’d love to fill are listed below!

Season Volunteer Openings

Photographer

Social Media

Community Liason

Fundraising Coordinator

Donor Care

Intermission Host

Poster Coordinator

Educational/School Liaison

 

Cora Connelly
Cora Connelly
Carter De Shazo
Carter De Shazo
Melanie Brown
Melanie Brown

Terry Kelley – President / Executive Director

Bio coming soon!

Andrea Holliday – Artistic Director

Bio coming soon!

Steve Bice – Associate Artistic Director

Bio coming soon!

Melanie Brown – Children’s Theatre Director and Education Director

Melanie has had over 34 years of experience working with and teaching children. She began leading the ACT I classes in 2009 and hasn’t slowed down since. She has directed 13 children’s productions for AACT.  She serves on the AACT Board of Directors as the Education Chair. In this capacity, she manages and helps teach the AACT Academy classes and summer camps. Desiring a more formal theater background, she is currently enrolled as a student at Auburn University pursuing a BA in Theater. In addition to the time she spends with AACT she is the Drama Director at Lee-Scott Academy where she has directed 3 four shows. She is passionate about the power of “Play” and using theater as a tool to teach essential life skills. When not doing something for the theater, or homework she can be found helping at the Kreher Preserve, working in the yard, or taking care of her family.

Cora Connelly – Vice President / Volunteer Coordinator

Cora began with a love for theatre in high school, on stage and designing sets. After completing a degree in Psychology and Art, she went on to work as a Special Education teacher, home-school her own children, move around the world, and eventually land in Texas. There her theatre involvement got a fresh boost through her children and The Theatre Company.  After painting larger sets there and performing together as a family, the first activity she looked for upon moving to Auburn in 2008 was a community theatre, and she’s been with AACT ever since.  After several years working primarily with children’s shows designing sets, coordinating technical staff and volunteers, she joined the board.  As an empty-nester, she has more time to devote to a variety of background tasks, such as marketing, producing, and coordinating year-round jobs. Occasionally she still slips on stage, most recently as Gramma Addams at New Horizons Theatre, and as Masha at AACT. In her other job, she is a dyslexia tutor and wife to an Auburn professor. 

Carter De Shazo – Secretary

Carter deShazo is a resident of Opelika and has volunteered with Auburn Area Community Theatre since 2015 and has served on the Board of Directors since 2017. She is a graduate of Auburn University and works locally as the Office Coordinator for First Team Construction Co., Inc. She serves on the board of Keep Opelika Beautiful and the local chapter of PFLAG as treasurer. She is also an alum of Opelika’s 20 Under 40 program. Carter has been on stage for past AACT productions as well: Spamalot!, The Red Velvet Cake War, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Last Round-Up of the Guacamole Queens, and Hands on a Hardbody.