Dan Leary grew up on the outskirts of the mighty metropolis of Snowville, Virginia. An avid reader, he was once forbidden to bring books to school. Dan's thespian experiences include Pulaski County High School's Appalkids and the outdoor historical drama The Long Way Home. A veteran of Uncle Sam's grand tour of the world, Dan now lives in Hiawassee with his son, an aging puppy, and a plethora of cats. For some unknown reason, his nieces and nephews refer to him as crazy uncle Danny. Dan plays upright bass in a variety of ever-changing old time and bluegrass bands as well as Pulaski soft rock band Audio Rain.

RANDY KIRCHNER - Costume Mistress - Community Liaison

OUR BOARD MEMBERS

MARK CURTIS - Member at large. Past VP. 

Q. ELLIOTT PETRY, Education

LINCOLN SKLAR - Business & Marketing Manager

DAN LEARY - Vice President of Artistic Development

FAITH TAYLOR - Treasurer

AJ BRIGHTMAN MOOSE - President

AUSTIN DOWNS - Radford University Liaison - Technical Theater Specialist

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, AJ has been active in theater & music productions for over 40 years. A charter member of Christiansburg Community Theater back in the 1980's, AJ is comfortable with both sides of the stage as actor and director. She is an experienced music and choir director and has directed theater and choir groups ranging in size from 5-5000. She has deep roots in the community having served twice as the Marketing Director of the Blacksburg Chamber of Commerce and has owned an antiques estate consulting business in Montgomery County for the last 20 years. She earned her MBA from Strayer University out of Washington DC with a focus on marketing and finance and has spent the past 18 summers with Across The Way Productions out of Floyd County developing music and wine festivals to include Floyd Fest.

(540) 585-4295

P. O. Box 6363 Christiansburg VA 24068 US

ANNA DALTON - Wardrobe Manager

JOSH MARRETT - Technical Theater Specialist

NEW RIVER STAGE

I am lifelong resident of Christiansburg, along the way getting my BS from RU and raising two sons. During the 1980s I dreamed of a career in theatre, doing both technical and stage at RU, CCT, and as alumni cast at Christiansburg High School. My only paying gig was The Long Way Home back in 1984, where I learned over 44 nights the true meaning of the phrase the show must go on. A few years later I made the choice to get a real job, leaving behind a radio dj gig for a 24/7 job in a factory. To my surprise, that move turned into a career, where I found enjoyment and meaning by supplying product for a customer, embracing teamwork, and continuous improvement practices.

The need for theatre, of course, never went away so on weekends I ran a mobile DJ business, to keep the creative juices flowing. Then, after 20 years of spinning tunes I decided my weekends were more fun coaching my boys sports teams, so I turned off the theatre switch, sort of. Instead of acting I became..dad. That meant nightly story-telling, animal impersonating, and sound effects making that kept two little boys on the edge of their seats and my heart full doing the greatest role of a lifetime. Now that my kids are mostly grown, I have more free time to participate in other things I enjoy.