Meet Our Instructors – Spring 2025

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. This year Francesca also completed her Master’s of Music Education from Shenandoah University.  Other accolades include a certificate in Music Theatre Performance. 

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. 

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

Cindy Blevins is a director and performer.  She earned a BA in Music from Emory & Henry College.  She taught general music and choir outside of Richmond, VA for 5 years before augmenting her skill set to earn a MS in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University Health.  While in the Richmond area she taught voice and piano both privately and in public school systems and also sang with different groups in and around Richmond, her hometown.  After moving to the New River Valley, she continued performing with Opera Roanoke, Summer Musical Enterprise, Mill Mountain Theatre, Blacksburg Master Chorale, Virginia Children’s Theatre and Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts.  She stays busy as a collaborative pianist/accompanist with individuals and groups, and as a director and coach with music makers of all ages. She was the Chairperson for Summer Musical Enterprise, headquartered in Blacksburg, from 2009 to 2024 and led the organization through the last 16 musicals, two relocations (2010 and 2011) due to electrical issues at Haymarket Theatre,  and COVID.  During her tenure with SME she has performed on stage, and also served as Vocal Director, Stage Director, Musical Director and Executive Producer.  Her Stage Directing work includes: Beauty and the Beast and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2023 (SME).  Her Musical Directing work includes: Bye Bye Birdie,  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2009, A Christmas Story the Musical, Forbidden Broadway, From SME To You: A Musical Revue, All Together Now (all with SME); Bat Boy the Musical (Radford University).  Cindy is excited to be returning to Mill Mountain Theatre in support of the current production of Annie.  Other MMT productions include: Jersey Boys, Elf the Musical, 60^th Anniversary Concert (Keyboard 1) and Cabaret (Musical Director); Sound of Music (Nun, 2019) Timeless Twenties (Zelda Fitzgerald, 2020), To Kill A Mockingbird (Mrs.Dubose/Townsperson, 2024).  In addition to her musical life, Cindy is a Licensed Professional Counselor with Life In Balance Counseling Center in Christiansburg.

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 

Kipp Dunn, a Virginia Tech graduate with a BS in Computer Science, is a professional software engineering consultant with a passion for the performing arts. This passion was ignited in early childhood when 4-H introduced him to drama and improv. He has performed in minimalist Shakespearean productions and was deeply involved in his 4-H improv club. Kipp has served as a judge for public speaking, presentation, and extemporaneous competitions. Additionally, he has taught guitar lessons to students of all skill levels and tutored a variety of subjects, including math and computer science. Having made Roanoke his home for the past four years, Kipp is excited to contribute his unique blend of analytical thinking and creative expression to the vibrant community at Mill Mountain Theatre.

Kaitlin is a Roanoke, VA native and is excited to be making her Guest Artist Teaching debut at MMT! Her favorite recent accomplishments include receiving her master’s degree in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky and spending the 2023-2024 season as the Artistic Director of Halestone Dance Studio in Lexington, VA. Since receiving her bachelor’s degree in Dance from James Madison University in 2018, Kaitlin has been empowering students of all ages and abilities to be stronger and more confident- inside the studio and out. She believes that dancing is so much more than getting the steps correct and seeks to create a fun, encouraging, and safe environment where anyone can learn to dance. She’s taught at Dance Place, District Dance Arts, Imagination Stage, Virginia Children’s Theatre, and Halestone Dance Studio and has choreographed multiple productions, her favorite being Peter Pan Jr. at Virginia Children’s Theatre. Kaitlin has taught movement to all ages, from infants to 79 years old, and is driven by the unique, authentic connections that are made in the studio. She’s taught Creative Movement, Contemporary/Modern, Tap, Improvisation, Ballet, Jazz, and Musical Theatre, but her favorite styles are Jazz and Contemporary/Modern! She can’t wait to see you in the studio!

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 Director of Production and is grateful to MMT for all the faith they have put in him over the years.