Meet your GCT Teaching Artists!
Musical Theatre
Mac White, Musical Theatre Instructor for Beginner Students
Mac White is a Memphis native who got her start in Annie at Playhouse on the Square at age 11, since then she has been hooked. She was recently seen as Frenchie in Cabaret at GCT, Dorothy Gale in Wizard of Oz, and Frenchy in Grease. She got her start teaching at Temecula Performing Arts Company in Temecula, California. She loves everything that is theatre and she’s so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work alongside some of the very best!
Class: Mondays, 3:30-4:20pm
Jeremiah McDonald, Musical Theatre Instructor for Intermediate/Advanced Students
Jeremiah is so excited to join everyone at GCT to help educate the youth! Jeremiah was born and raised in Clinton, Mississippi and traveled all the way to memphis to receive his BFA in Theatre with a concentration in musical theatre. He is graduating soon in the spring of 2025. He has been doing theatre for over 7 years and recently just attended Playhouse On The Squares summer conservatory as a group leader. He has also been in a handful of productions within the community. His most recent theatre credits include playhouse on the squares production of Punk Rock Girl! (Dudley) Parade (Ensemble/Jim Conley U/S) Theatre Memphis’s production of Grease (ensemble, Sonny/ Johnny casino US) Theatre Memphis’s production of Cinderella (ensemble), Playhouse on the square’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (ensemble) and the University of Memphis’s Electra (Orestes). He is very excited to be apart of such a lovely community!
Class: Mondays, 4:30-5:20pm
Dance and Creative Movement
Christi Hall, Tap Instructor for Teens/Adult
Christi Hall has been dancing her whole life. She has trained in jazz, ballet, tumbling, baton, lyrical, and contemporary, but her specialty is tap. She owned a competitive dance studio for years until she retired to concentrate on doing more theatre gigs. She has choreographed several tap shows for local theatre and loves being able to share her love for dance to all levels.
Class: Sundays, 6-7pm
Micaiah Roker, Creative Movement Instructor
Micaiah “Mickey” Roker is a native Memphian. After graduating highschool she moved to New York City to study Musical Theater and Acting at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. There she found her dormant passion for dance and new found love for teaching. After returning home due to the pandemic, she began using her talents at local theaters in the area. You may have seen her in various shows at theaters throughout the city, including GCT’s production of Cabaret last season. You may also see her at the Orpheum Theater box-office working with patrons. Over the past two year, she has helped develop the dance program at Libertas Montessori School in Frayser and looks forward to bringing her skill and talents to the Germantown area. She was recently inducted into the 2025 Teaching Artist cohort facilitated by the Orpheum Theater and plans to expand her wealth of knowledge so that she can pass it on to her students. She looks forward to joining this wonderful staff!
Class: Wednesdays, 5-7 yrs old 3:30-4:20pm, 8-10 yrs old 4:30-5:20pm
Acting and Storytelling
Eliana Mabe, Acting (All Levels) and First Pages: Toddler Storytime Instructor
Eliana is ecstatic to teach this semester at GCT alongside such talented, local theatremakers. Originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Eliana graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rhodes College in 2023 with her B.A. in Media Studies and a double minor in Theatre and Religious Studies. She served proudly as the president of Rhodes Theatre Guild and fell in love with storytelling on the stage. After graduating, she has zealously performed in and produced shows in the Memphis Community. Some of her recent credits include Texas in Cabaret (GCT), Ashlee in Dance Nation (LoneTree Live), Stage Manager for GCT’s Annie Jr., and Sully/ensemble in A Monster Calls (New Moon, Ostrander Winner for Best Ensemble). She has taught youth theatre for over four years in several local schools and has taught all ages from as young as 12 months to adult. She now proudly serves as GCT’s Education Director. Eliana has a passion to nurture and care for the next generation of storytellers: actors, designers, crew members, directors, playwrights – everyone! Empathy is the cornerstone of her pedagogy, and she hopes you experience for yourself all the GCT Education program has to offer.
Class: Musical Theatre (all levels) Mondays 10-10:50am, Acting for the Stage (all levels) Tuesdays 10-10:50am, Acting for the Stage Beginner 3:30-4:20pm, Acting for the Stage Intermediate/Advanced 4:30-5:20pm, First Pages: Toddler Storytime Wednesdays 10-10:45am
Technical Theatre
Emma White, Stage Management and Technical Theatre Instructor
Emma is a native Memphian and a lifelong maker and lover of theatre. She holds a BA in Theatre from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA, where she acted in several productions each year and served as President of the Theatre Arts Group. Emma considers herself a sort of “jack of all trades,” having been an actor for most of her life before branching out into virtually all other theatrical departments during college. Her experience in technical theatre began when she was hired in her school’s lighting department and scene shop, where she performed maintenance on lights, hung plots for productions, and constructed scenic elements, eventually teaching underclassmen how to do the same. This soon led her to stage management, where she found she could combine her technical knowledge with her communication skills as a support system and leader within productions. Shortly after graduating, she joined the team at Playhouse on the Square as the Resident Circuit Stage Manager, where she has stage managed 6 shows per season and honed her skills further. Emma has worked as a stage manager for the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions for 3 years, and in 2024, she was awarded an Ostrander for her work as Stage Manager of The Lehman Trilogy at the Circuit Playhouse. The heart of theatre is community, and Emma is excited to extend her knowledge and passion to the next generation of theatremakers!
Class: Wednesdays, all levels, 3:30-4:20pm
Private Vocal Instruction and Audition Coaching
Jacquelene Cooper, Voice Lessons and Audition Prep
Jacquelene Cooper (she/her) is delighted to be teaching voice at Germantown Community Theatre! A graduate of The University of Memphis in Music Education, Jacquelene has appeared on the GCT stage in Cabaret; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; and Quark’s Through the Looking Screen. She has also served as music director for Annie Jr. (2024) and this season’s production. Beyond GCT, Jacquelene has performed with Opera Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and on stages including the Orpheum, Levitt Shell, Theatre Memphis, and Playhouse on the Square. Jacquelene is passionate about creating a positive and encouraging space where singers of all ages can grow, explore their voices, and find joy in music.
Click here to book a time with Ms. Jackie that works for you!
Kaylea Jo Egnor, Audition Coach for BFA/Collegiate Programs
Kaylea Jo is a second-year candidate for a Master of Fine Arts with a focus in Directing at the University of Memphis. A coal miner’s daughter from the hills of Appalachia, she is a proud graduate of West Virginia University, where she earned dual BAs in Theatre and Criminology. There, she was recognized as the 2023 Outstanding Graduating Senior by the Canady College of Creative Arts. She has also trained with the Tectonic Theatre Project, Theatrical Intimacy Education, and The Lessac Institute. Before moving to Memphis, she served as the Director for the 2023-2024 West Virginia University Youth Theatre Academy. As a director-actor-educator, you can currently find her teaching Theatre at University Middle School and U of M, learning her lines for The Revolutionists (New Moon Theatre Company), and in pre-production to direct The Night Witches (University of Memphis). She also plays on a co-ed softball team, because, you know, balance.
Kaylea Jo is thrilled to join GCT in supporting young performers as they chase big dreams and grow into the artists they’re meant to be.
Email Eliana Mabe (education@gctcomeplay.org) to schedule your slot today!
A Stage for All Theatre Initiative (ASATI)
Will Lowery, Lead ASATI Instructor
Will is so excited to be working once again with GCT, but this time in a completely new role in their Department of Education! As a Memphis native that actually performed his first musical on the GCT stage back in the late 2000s, he is honored to accept this full-circle position getting to step back into the place that gave him his roots and allowing him to plant new ones with GCT’s inclusive theatre education initiative for the neurodivergent community. Will recently graduated in May 2025, from the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga with a B.M. in Vocal Performance with multiple years of music therapy training on the side. In Chattanooga, he served as president of the UTC Chamber Singers and Chattanooga Singers, as well as being a founding member of the Guthrie Male Quartet. Will is no stranger to the stage himself; some of his favorite credits include Munkustrap in Cats (UTCTC), Davey in Newsies (CTC), Bobby in Cabaret (GCT) and singing and dancing in the ensembles of shows like Little Shop of Horrors (Harrell), Your Arms Too Short to Box with God (POTS) and The Producers (TM). Will’s favorite role of all time is being little brother to the brightest joy of sunshine a big bro could be, regardless of any disability. Because of the impact and the testament of his brother, Will is exhilarated to be combining his passion for theatre with working alongside individuals amongst the neurodivergent community. He hopes to foster a safe environment for any and all individuals to feel welcome in exploring the magic of live theatre through song, dance and acting opportunities.
Class: Saturdays, 9:30-11am
Kate Peckham, Assistant ASATI Instructor
Kate was born and raised in Memphis, and began performing in local theatres in 1997. She made her Germantown Community Theatre debut in 1999 with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and has since appeared in numerous productions, with standout favorites including Cabaret and The Smell of the Kill. A proud graduate of the University of Memphis, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and German, Kate brings her love of language and storytelling into every performance. Beyond the stage, she is passionate about sharing the magic of theatre with others and joined GCT’s Full Spectrum program as a teaching assistant in 2023. Whether acting, teaching, or cheering from the wings, Kate is happiest when she’s helping bring stories to life.