aBOUT THE creative team

Toby’s of Columbia; Reverend Mother Mary Regina, Nunsense, Toby’s Baltimore. Having gotten her start in children's theatre as a child, working with Encore “on the other side of the table” makes a nice circle.

Gary Hauptman (Lighting Director) has been Encore’s resident lighting designer since 2012. His first experiences with lighting were shortly after high school, running spots for community ice shows and for an AC Spark Plug sales convention. Design credits include dance companies, rock bands, cabarets, fashion shows, and magicians. And locally, for Teatro de la Luna, Unexpected Stage, Pinky Swear Productions, The Arlington Players, Port City Players, Requiebros, and Hexagon. Gary contends that the most important preparation for working with Encore’s talented young performers and technicians was his time as a counselor at Michigan’s Camp Tamarack.

Kevin A. Curry (Sound Consultant) is currently retired from The Boeing Company. Over the last 40+ years, Kevin has worked on over 350 productions for both professional and community theaters. In that time, he has had 10 Alliance of Community Theater nominations for Best Lighting, Set Design, or Special Effects. He has won four times, most recently in 2003 for Springfield Community Theatre’s production of Godspell, for which he also earned a nomination for Best Lighting from WATCH.

Riley Dennis (Stage Manager) is excited to be stage managing for the third time as well as working on a world premiere show. He has previously stage managed Annie Jr and Treasure Island and was Lumiere in Beauty and The Beast Jr in January.

Aidan Pritchard (Front Of House Manager) is thrilled to be the Front of House Manager for What Makes a Winner. His second time on Front of House Crew, he has loved interacting with patrons more directly. This is his eighth Encore production and his twentieth overall. In addition to having served twice on Backstage Crew, previous acting credits include Lendall in Almost, Maine, Mr. Green in Clue, and Harlequin/Grovel in Commedia Cinderella. A senior at Washington-Liberty High School, he enjoys singing and studying foreign languages when not in the theater. He hopes you enjoy the show!

aBOUT THE theatre staff

Sara Strehle Duke (Executive Director) has led Northern Virginia’s largest, award-winning children’s theatre since 2010. She was recognized as one of Leadership Center for Excellence's 40 Under 40 in 2015. Previously, she worked for the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia and Round House Theatre in Bethesda. She is a Board member for Embracing Arlington Arts, a member of Leadership Arlington, Class of 2014, and a dedicated volunteer with several youth serving organizations. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the College of William & Mary.