School of Rock The Musical

Adam Burke (Director) is overjoyed to be in his eleventh season as the Artistic Director at Children's Theatre of Charlotte, where he gets to come every day and do what he loves. Prior to this role, Adam was the artistic director of the Scioto Society, which produces the outdoor drama Tecumseh. Before that, Adam was the artistic director of the Chicago Theatre for Young Audiences, an artistic associate at Childsplay Theatre in Tempe, Arizona under the Theatre Communication Group's New Generations fellowship program and the director of theatre programs at the Jewish Community Center in San Antonio, Texas. While at Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Adam has directed Miracle on 34th Street, The Reluctant Dragon, Shrek the Musical, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Magic Kite, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, and Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz Age Cinderella. Adam thanks the production team, who works brilliantly and tirelessly to bring these productions to life, and he sends much love to his amazing children and wonderful wife. Read Full Bio.

Holly Nañes is a multi-disciplinary Latinx artist from SW Texas. She has a MFA in Directing at Texas State University, and received her BA in theatre from Smith College. Holly has been working steadily in the theatre field for over fifteen years wearing the many hats in the profession onstage and off, creating new works and old. As a Director she gets the opportunity to create an environment of collaboration, tolerance, and inclusivity with the many theater makers in the field. She would like to thank Children's Theatre of Charlotte for choosing her as a recipient of the Page Johnston Thomas Directing Assistantship. She is so excited to work with CTC!

Jess Borgnis is excited to be working with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte again after previously music directing THE INVISIBLE BOY with CTC in 2019. She also just wrapped up music directing CTC’s Resident Touring Company’s THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS! Other music directing credits include ROCK OF AGES, THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK CHRISTMAS MUSICAL, and LIZZIE with Actor’s Theater of Charlotte. She is a collaborative pianist with Charlotte Ballet and enjoys performing in a variety of bands that span several genres from Americana/folk to jazz. She also maintains a private teaching studio and is happy to have one of her students performing in this show as Laurie. Jess studied classical piano and vocal performance in college before developing a love for writing music and performing in bands. Her musical career has taken her across the world and to venues and stages of all sizes. She has been a featured vocalist/songwriter on TV, in movies, and she has even performed background vocals for Snoop Dogg. Her musical path closely echoes the story of SCHOOL OF ROCK THE MUSICAL, and she is very excited to be taking this musical journey with you. When not performing music, you will find Jess on her yoga mat or spending time with her daughters.

A Charlotte native, Ashlyn Keller-Silver is thrilled to be choreographing for CTC’s Mainstage again. At CTC, Ms. Keller-Silver has previously choreographed GRACE FOR PRESIDENT and numerous OnStage productions as well as summer production camps. As a Teaching Artist, Ms. Keller-Silver has taught for SOTT (School of Theatre Training) at CTC, Charlotte Ballet, Piedmont School of Music and Dance and public schools throughout NC. In addition, Ms. Keller- Silver has been a lead Teaching Artist for NC Arts In Action, an affiliate of the National Dance Institute, in Durham, NC. Ms. Keller-Silver has performed with the Louisville Ballet, NC Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) and the NC Savoyards. She holds a BFA in dance from UNCG and an MA in Pedagogy and Curriculum Design from Wayne State.

Tom Burch is thrilled to return to CTC where previous shows have included DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, BOB MARLEY'S THREE LITTLE BIRDS, DISNEY AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S MARY POPPINS, JOURNEY TO OZ, JACKIE AND ME, CORALINE, and the annual THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL, among others. He also developed a short puppet adaptation of Peter Reynolds' THE DOT which toured locally a couple years ago. Local work includes shows at Burning Coal (Raleigh), Warehouse (Greenville, SC), and Cape Fear Regional (Fayetteville), among others. Regional work includes shows at American Repertory (Boston), Pasadena Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Play House, Milwaukee Rep, and many others. NYC credits include the off-Broadway production of MISTAKES WERE MADE (Barrow Street Theatre), and THE HYPOCRITES' PIRATES OF PENZANCE (Skirball Center, NYU). International projects have taken him to England, Italy and Taiwan, and Czechia. He teaches at UNC Charlotte where he recently directed his own adaptation of the German expressionist movie The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, with table top puppets.

Aimee is glad to be back working with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte (CTC) for her ninth year. She has designed such hits for Children’s Theatre of Charlotte CTC as PINOCCHIO, NARNIA THE MUSICAL, DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!, SHREK THE MUSICAL, PETER PAN, ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL, GRACE FOR PRESIDENT and DISNEY AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH'S MARY POPPINS. Other regional theater’s Aimee has designed for are Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Capital City Theatre, Media Theatre, Forward Theater, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Kristy Leigh Hall is a Costume Designer who has worked in Chicago, Washington, DC, New York and regionally. She has worked on Broadway as an assistant and technician, and off-Broadway as a lead designer. Off-Broadway designs include Woody Harrelson's: BULLET FOR ADOLF, performed at New World Stages, FEATHER: A MUSICAL PORTRAIT at Signature Theatre, and I FORGIVE YOU, RONALD REAGAN at Theatre Row, WORSE THAN TIGERS, LUCKY BREAKS, and THE EMPLOYEES with the Mill Theatre at both The New Ohio and The Brick. In Washington, DC, some highlights are: AMERICAN VOICES (Infinite Stage), GENESIS REBOOT (Synetic Theatre), MINNIE THE MOOCHER (Pointless Theatre), and THAT FACE (Studio Theatre). In Chicago she has designed: AMERICA, V.2.1: THE SAD DEMISE AND EVENTUAL EXTINCTION OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO, AN OCTAROON (with Goodman Theatre), BYHALIA, MISSISSIPPI (at Steppenwolf) and A DOLL’S HOUSE, all with Definition Theatre Company, where she is an ensemble member. Regionally she has designed CATCHING THE MOON: THE STORY OF A YOUNG GIRL’S BASEBALL DREAM with Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. www.kristyleighhall.com. Read Full Bio.

Jason Romney is excited to be involved in another season at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte as the Sound Designer for SCHOOL OF ROCK THE MUSICAL. His love for rock music began at a young age while listening to Casey Kasem host the American Top 40 every week on the radio. At 8 years old he bought his first cassette tape: Starship’s Knee Deep in the Hoopla with money he earned doing chores around the house. Over the next several years he amassed a large collection of tapes and CD's through the BMG Music Club, and read Rolling Stone Magazine every month. By the age of 15 he was working as a DJ for live dances, parties, and weddings, carefully curating a playlist of music for each event. In high school he played keyboard and saxophone in a rock band for one weekend; long enough for them to write and record one song to impress a girl, but not long enough to figure out a name for the band! Between the DJ work, music, and theatre experience, a career as a sound designer was inevitable. Jason now works as the Director of Sound Design in the School of Design and Production at the UNC School of the Arts. He has trained over 100 sound designers and engineers who work all over the world, some with the biggest music acts on the planet. Some of his students even mixed the sound for the 1st National Tour of the SCHOOL OF ROCK Broadway show!