Lisa Ellis // Founder, Lead Director
lisa@fireandlightproductions.com
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Communications from Butler University in Indianapolis. She has acted on various Fort Wayne stages since she was 12. She formed Fire & Light in the fall of 2010 at the request of several families who knew she had a heart for kids and a love of theatre. Favorite shows to direct have included, Seussical Jr., 42nd Street, and Korczak’s Children. In addition to productions such as Emma, Turtle Soup and Radium Girls, Lisa also performed at First Presbyterian Theater and the Youtheater. Kids are her passion, she and her husband, Terry, have five of their own.
Sara Scantlin // Lead Director, Parent Liaison
Sara and her children have been actively involved with Fire & Light since its inception in 2010. Sara has a strong background in music, youth and women’s ministries. Over the years, she has lead ensembles, served in the tech booth and provided administrative assistance for our growing organization. Sara is also an associate with Keystone Realty.
Terry Ellis // Build Team Lead, Instructor
Terry has been working alongside and supporting Lisa's endeavors with Fire & Light since its beginning. He has recently retired from his role as a Sr. Sales Engineer for various software companies specializing in legal discovery and information governance software. With Fire & Light he has taken on the role of Build Lead. In addition to helping design and construct sets for two shows per season, he manages the build space and warehouse and coordinates with other builders to develop standards and shop safety requirements.
Laura Maxwell // Director, Choreographer, Stage Management Lead, Instructor
Laura has been involved in the arts since she was seven years old. Her love of performing came from her involvement with local dance group Fort Wayne Tänzer, where she has been a member for 12 years. She has been with Fire & Light since 2016 and has enjoyed many roles both on and off the stage. She has been part of 25 shows with Fire & Light, some of her favorites being Tuck Everlasting, Newsies, Around the World in 80 Days, and Clue. Her involvement with Fire & Light over the years has helped spark her love for dancing and choreography, specifically in partner work and tap. She has been a local stage manager for the past two years and cannot wait to work on this upcoming season.
Melissa Ferguson // Assistant Director, Administrative Assistant, Show Photographer
Melissa has had a passion for the arts, music, and theater (especially musicals), for as long as she can remember. She minored in Art, has participated in various choirs, and thoroughly enjoyed being in one of her favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof. She loves all of the details of theatre, from character development and building believable subtext, to the colors and details of the costumes, to capturing magical moments as they take place on stage. Most recently she Costumed F&L’s Fiddler on the Roof, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and Seussical Jr., and Assistant Directed 42nd Street and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. She considers herself quite blessed to be a part of Fire & Light with her children, and enjoys encouraging and building relationships with the students, and being among so many beautiful souls doing amazing things together.
Bailey Heilshorn // Assistant Director
Bailey is thrilled to be serving as Director for Fire & Light. She has been involved with the company for over four years, both onstage and behind the scenes. Some of her favorite past roles include Anna in Frozen, Anne in Anne & Gilbert, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof. She is currently studying Art Education at Saint Francis University and enjoys participating in local theater whenever she can. Bailey would like to thank the Fire & Light staff for their continued trust and support—it's a joy to grow and create alongside such a dedicated team.
Randy Beery // Assistant Director
Randy graduated with a Business Administration degree from Indiana University, Fort Wayne. After a long career in logistics, he recently retired and was introduced to Fire & Light when looking for volunteer opportunities to tap into his creative side. He jumped in assisting in various capacities on the Elf Jr and Finding Nemo productions. Randy is a member of Emmanuel Community Church where he has served as an Elder, a long-time vocalist in the church’s Worship Ministry, and a member of the Emmanuel Theater Company. He also sang for nine years as a member of A Few Good Men, an octet of male vocalists performing contemporary Christian music. He is honored to be participating in Fire & Light Productions, a first-class organization. It is a joy for him to watch the kids blossom and shine on stage!
Holly Hemsoth // Assistant Director, Set Design, Set Artist
Holly has been crafting and creating since she was little - so helping with sets and set design has been a seamless fit. All four of her children are involved in the Fire & Light Academy, so while they are learning to tell the story, Holly is right there beside them working with the Directors to bring the stories to life through incredibly meaningful sets. There is no design too large or detail too small that Holly can’t take on!
Greg Otis // Vocal Director
Greg’s experience runs the gamut; from a private vocal coach, to participating and coaching barbershop quartets, to serving in music ministry as the Director of Worship Arts for Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntington. He has served as vocal director for such productions as The Sound of Music, Carousel, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, and Annie. Greg has also been active with the Huntington Theater Guild, conducting performances for The Sound of Music, working as Music Director for Li’l Abner, and electronically creating the orchestral accompaniment for Cinderella. These days he seeks to fill his free time by traveling, often to attend theatre, musical theatre, and concerts.
Doug Reynolds // Vocal Director
Doug has been the Director of Parish Ministry at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne since January, 2021. Prior to that he was Family Life and Music Director for 21 years at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne. He also currently has a VERY part-time job as a Shipping Specialist at Sweetwater, and accompanies the A Capella Choir at Concordia Lutheran High (CLHS). He has played the piano in several high musicals at CLHS, his favorites being Fiddler on the Roof and Newsies. Doug got involved with Fire & Light as Vocal Director with the High Schoolers in Matilda, and with the Elementary show Beauty and the Beast, Jr.
Audrey McCann // Instructor
Audrey has been acting and dancing since she was five, however she’s been around the arts her whole life. She earned an outstanding performer award and ranked first for a theater scholarship to what is now Purdue Fort Wayne. Audrey taught dance for many years as well as instructing dance, acting, and sign language for a special needs theater company named Jesters. She has performed at local shows and helped direct 9 productions for her alma mater before coming to Fire & Light. Recently she directed F&L’s Godspell, Korczack’s Children, and Seussical Jr.When she’s not at theater, she’s spending time with her husband, or doing therapy for children on the autism spectrum and in foster care.
Sally McGovern // Costume Rentals Coordinator
Sally has been with Fire & Light for several years. She is a homeschool mom who learned to sew many years ago and picked it back up because her kids wanted to get into F&L. Her talents quickly flourished and she became an invaluable lead for the costume team. She has created many specialty pieces for shows over the years. Sally is also a bit of an organizational genius. She has spent countless hours organizing and labeling F&L's costume stock, and she knows it better than anyone. Her children have graduated from F&L, but she has continued on to lend her expertise, establish connections with other theater costume teams, and to facilitate and organize costume rentals.
Jeanette Hendrix // Lead Costumer
Jeanette earned her bachelor's at Purdue University in Apparel Design and Technology with a Minor in Art and Design - theatre has always been a special calling. The creativity, compassion, prayer, insight, servant nature, growth, and experience in this group (from the young to the not quite as young) is a joy to behold. For a long time Jeanette has felt loved and humbled as she remembers the verse in Ephesians that says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 KJV
Gwen Hyde // Bookkeeper, Show Photographer
Lifelong theater-enthusiast, Gwen is grateful to have a handful of her five children involved in various ways with Fire & Light. If the word "organization" is involved, Gwen is probably not far behind. Graduate of Miami University (OH) with a degree in Organizational Communication, she can be found compiling receipts and calendars, coordinating and budgeting to her heart’s content, or crashing the costumers backstage during tech weeks.
Special Thanks to our Loyal Board Members:
Lisa Ellis, Executive Director, Fire & Light Productions
Travis Hemsoth, President of the Board
Terry Ellis, Vice President, Fire & Light Productions
Jeanne Nolan, Treasurer, Self-Employed Bookkeeper
Active Members: Kenneth Loechner, Bill Munsie, Sara Scantlin, and Dustin Shaw
Fire & Light is always in need of volunteers! As a nonprofit organization here in Fort Wayne, we’re actively seeking vocal directors, set builders, choreographers, and technicians who have a passion for God, for youth, and the mission of Fire & Light. If you or someone you know can help, please get in touch here.