Staff

Ginger Poole is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association and an Associate member of the
Stage Directors and Choreographers Union. She has studied, taught, choreographed, and performed throughout the U.S. She has worked in GA, HI, FL, MS, SC and VA with, Theatre in the Square, The Alliance City Series, Theatre Gael, Synchronicity Performance Group-GA, Mill Mountain Theatre-VA and SC Children’s Theatre. Originally from Atlanta, she has worked with the N.F.L. and The Atlanta Falcons as their director and choreographer and The Atlanta Opera.

Prior to coming to Mill Mountain Theatre, she was based out of North Carolina where she has worked with Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina, in over 25 productions. She was a part of the Education program at Flat Rock Playhouse for 5 years where she taught for their Apprentice Companies and their Conservatory Program in Acting, Dance, and Musical Theatre.

Ginger has taught at The University of Southern Mississippi, Western Carolina University, William Carey College, Mississippi University for Women, and currently teaches at Hollins University.

With Ginger’s strong background in dance she finds herself not only acting and dancing on stage but also directing the choreography and classroom skills for her students. Ginger holds her M.F.A. in Acting Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi and continues to teach acting and dance.  She has worked with students that range in age from kindergarten through professionals.

Ginger has worked in commercials, voice-overs, film, stage, and the classroom, and was profiled in the book FIRESTARTERS as “the actor”.

Ginger serves on the following Board of Directors: South Eastern Theatre Conference (SETC Secretary, Second Term), Junior League of the Roanoke Valley (Past President and Current Nominating Committee, Second Term), Burton Performing Arts Advisory Board, The Roanoke City Public Schools Education Foundation, and she has served on the Review Panel for the
Virginia Commission for the Arts. She was the recipient of the DePaul’s Women of Achievement Award in the Arts in 2013 and was named the 2016 Kendig Award recipient for Individual Artist. Ginger is also a guest host with WSLS, the NBC affiliate, Daytime Blue Ridge television show, and is the host of the new Mill Mountain Theatre Podcast, Meet Me at Mill Mountain. She is very proud to be a member of the Mill Mountain Theatre team and looks forward to its continued growth, success, and artistic influence in the region.

Suzanne Cresswell is a fundraising professional with over 15 years experience in the nonprofit sector. After graduating in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a BA in Drama, concentration in stage management, Suzanne first came to Mill Mountain Theatre as a Stage and Company Managment Intern. The following year she became Company Manager and in 2004 joined Actor’s Equity Association as a professional Stage Manager.

Suzanne went on to work throughout the northeast in Stage Managment and Company Managment roles at Tri-State Actors Theatre, the Olney Theatre, The O’Neill Theatre Center and the Barnstormers Theatre. She periodically returned to MMT until making the transition from theatre to fund development in 2008.

Suzanne has worked in development for several nonprofits in Roanoke since moving back to the area in 2010, including the Alzheimer’s Association and the Roanoke Valley SPCA. Most recently she was Development Officer with the Carilion Clinic Foundation. Suzanne is excited to combine her love of theatre with her strong relationship building skills to ensure MMT can continue to bring thought-provoking, quality professional theatre to southwest Virginia.

As a graduate of the University of Buffalo with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting, Larry spent most of his career in the financial field within the wholesale and retail industry in his native area of western New York. He relocated to Roanoke in 2000 to assume the position of director of financial planning and analysis with Advance Auto Parts. He later held a similar role with the Sheraton Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center until his retirement in 2015. Larry began his career with Mill Mountain Theatre by volunteering his services as the theatre house manager before he was employed as the business manager.

Matt Shields is a native of Virginia, having grown up in Loudoun County, he first moved to the region in 2013 to attend school at Radford University where he graduated with a BS in theatre.  After working for a few other companies, Matt is happy to call MMT his artistic home. In the past few years Matt has served in a variety of jobs around Mill Mountain, including Props Master, Costumes Manager, Teaching Artist, Scenic Designer, and Company Manager.  Matt is very happy to now be serving MMT as the Production Manager and is grateful to MMT for all the faith they have put in him over the years.

Originally from Norman, OK, Chris served as the Creative Artistic Director for the Award-Winning Red, HOT…& Blue! Show which ran in Branson, MO for 20 successful years.

Graduating with Honors in 1994, Christopher received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Musical Theatre from the University of Oklahoma. With over 30 years of professional experience in the entertainment industry, he derives most of his expertise from working professionally throughout the country and around the world in Regional Theatres, Theme Parks, Casinos, Resorts, and Dinner Theatres. He has also traveled the globe as a featured Guest Entertainer on several international cruise lines with his production of Red, HOT…& Blue!

Working with top industry professionals, Christopher was blessed with the opportunity to work with Radio City Productions out of New York City, which produces the “Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes!” each Christmas Season for 11 years. Christopher had been employed as the Assistant Company Manager for Radio City on several of their touring productions. Working consistently with Radio City Productions, he managed casts nationwide in Denver, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and, of course, Branson, MO.

In 2019, Chris was hired on as the Theatre General Manager in Myrtle Beach, SC at the Legends in Concert Theatre at Broadway at the Beach. He was there until 2020 when Covid-19 shut the theatre industry down.

Currently, Chris has assisted at Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, VA with the Front-of-House department. His success, however, would be null and void without the love and support of his family, friends, and some of the most talented people he’s ever seen and had the pleasure of working with on and off stage!

Francesca Reilly is a Virginia-based performer and educator whose love for theatre began at 9 years old after seeing the Broadway musical, Wonderful Town.

A Northern Virginian turned Roanoke native Francesca moved to the star city after graduating from Hollins University where she received her Bachelor’s in Music with a focus in Vocal Performance. Last year Francesca decided to continue her studies and is currently working to complete her Master’s of Music Education from Shenandoah University. Other accolades include a certificate in Music Theatre Performance.

Francesca has been a member of choir for over 10 years and has sung in select ensembles at the county, district, and state levels. A few of her favorite acting credits include Mouse from Goodnight Moon the Magical Musical, and Junie from Junie B. Jones the Musical. Off the stage, Francesca likes to get her Zen on as a certified yoga instructor, extending her love of the arts and teaching to the yoga studio and specializing in children’s yoga instruction.

Francesca is excited to be a part of the MMT family as the Director of Education!
francescareilly.com

Bethany Costello is the Conservatory Music Director at Mill Mountain Theatre, where she is thrilled to bring the magic of musical theatre to conservatory students and audiences alike! In addition to her role at MMT, she is the proud Engagement Manager at Moss Arts Center, where she works out of Virginia Tech to bring equitable and engaging arts education experiences to PK – 12 students across the state of Virginia.

Bethany is a dynamic music director and educator based in Roanoke VA. A proud BFA Musical Theatre graduate of the SC School of the Arts, Bethany shares her love for creating accessible art for young people both locally and nationally.

Her career has taken her to collaborate on regional premieres, national tours, and projects with organizations like The REV Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, Florida Repertory Theatre, Virginia Children’s Theatre, Lexington Children’s Theatre, Missoula Children’s Theatre, CentreStage, and Anderson University. Some of her favorite credits include MATILDA, SHE LOVES ME, SISTER ACT, FINDING NEMO JR., THE ADDAMS FAMILY and ALICE IN WONDERLAND, among others.

Through her work as an educator, Bethany is dedicated to empowering students by listening to their stories, equipping them with tools for connection, and reminding them of their greatest power: themselves. She can’t wait to see you in class, shining bright!

www.bethanycostello.com

Savannah Woodruff was born and raised in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where she was encouraged to become involved in technical theatre in high school. Savannah is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and received a BFA in Technical Production. Prior to joining the Mill Mountain Theatre staff, she worked as a member of Weston Playhouse Theatre Company’s Intern Company. Savannah is grateful for the support of her family (and especially her cats) in her endeavors, and is thrilled to be able to continue working and growing with Mill Mountain Theatre.

Trenten Woods has spent most of his life just outside of Richmond, Virginia. Prior to coming to Mill Mountain, He graduated from Longwood University in 2021 with a B.A. in Theatre. Besides this, Trenten has worked professionally as a carpenter both in and out of the theatre. He would like to thank his family for their support. Trenten is super excited to join the Mill Mountain team and continue to work and grow.

Richard enjoys being behind the camera as much as the folks he records enjoy being on the stage. Over the past 15 years, Richard has recorded countless shows on both the Trinkle Mainstage and Waldron Stage for archives as well as clips that actors use in their reels. Over the years, many of the promotional videos for MMT social media have been recorded and edited by Richard along with B-Roll footage  for TV stations around the valley. In his spare time, Richard gets great pleasure and satisfaction working with several local churches in and around the Roanoke valley; helping with their audio and video solutions. Richard is most happy when he is hanging with one of his four children or eleven grandchildren.  He would like to thank Mill Mountain Theatre and Ginger Pool for giving him this opportunity to be a part of what the Mission Statement says…”Mill Mountain Theatre strives to inspire, entertain, enrich, educate and challenge audiences of Southwest Virginia through high-quality, professional theatrical productions and experiences.”

Everyone comes to Roanoke with a story. After twenty years in private practice as an optometrist in West Chester, PA, I was recruited by Johnson & Johnson to join a new spectacle lens company in Roanoke. Our youngest children grew up in Roanoke. My wife and I recently moved back to enjoy all of our kids and grandkids. I have been photographing since 1970 carrying a camera to many parts of the world and have studied with Ralph Gibson, Mark DePaola, Mark Cohen and Michael Smith. When venturing out to photograph, my kids tell me that “I look like a tourist in my own town”. It suits me well.