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, and 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, Build Instructor, Set Rentals Coordinator
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, Tap Instructor
Laura has been involved in the arts since she was seven years old and has enjoyed many roles both on and off the stage. She grew up dancing, specializing in tap, musical theatre, and folk dancing. She joined Fire & Light as a student in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the program. Some of her favorite roles with F&L include Aouda in Around the World in 80 Days and Mrs. White in Clue. She started working in stage management in 2020 for various companies and joined the F&L staff in 2023. Since then she has been honored to serve the organization in many different ways, never finding herself with a dull moment as she pursues choreography, directing, and stage management all at the same time. She loves getting to share her passions and watch students discover who they truly are as actors. Laura was also named best choreographer by Fort Wayne Broadway World Awards for her work on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Melissa Ferguson // Assistant Director, Administrative Assistant, Show Photographer
Melissa has had a passion for the arts, music, and theatre (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. She 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 Assistant Director for Fire & Light. She has been involved with the company for over five 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. She recently Co-Directed F&L’s You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. 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 have been 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, Vocal Instructor
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.
Tamra Schaaf // Vocal Director
Tammy is the Organist/Music Director at Trinity Lutheran Church. She has organized music for the church's summer worship series for about ten years, bringing small groups and soloists to Franke Park. She also directs a handbell choir. She graduated from Ball State with a degree in music education and worked at Washington Elementary School for five years. Tammy has three grandchildren in Fort Wayne and loves to spend time with them. She is so excited to join the Fire & Light family this year!
Zoe Heilshorn // Choreographer, Little Stars Instructor
Zoe is a recent graduate from the Fire & Light Academy. She has been lighting up the Fire & Light stage with her dancing since 2019. Her favorite roles include Lily in Annie, and Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain. Now as an alumni she is continuing to share her gifts with the students as a choreographer and Little Stars Instructor.
Jaida Henderson // Assistant Choreographer
A 2026 Fire & Light alumni, Jaida is so excited to be working as an assistant choreographer this semester. A lover of dance she has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. Jaida has also been involved in Fire & Light productions since her first show, The Little Mermaid Jr. in 2022. Some of her favorite roles through the years have been Tammy in Matilda, Brigitta in The Sound of Music, and Hannah in Mill Girls.
Jeanette Hendrix // Costume Lead
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
Mary Cramer // Costume Lead
Mary appreciates the fact that life is full of plot twists, just like a great play. She never imagined the title "lead costumer" would apply to her, but she also couldn't be more grateful for the opportunities she has had with volunteering for Fire & Light! She walked into the costume room to offer help in the spring of 2021 and hasn't looked back! She loves everything about theater, and credits the Academy with being the brightest spot in her family's homeschool journey. During a show you can find her either backstage with the costumers or sitting as close to the front row as possible! Whether a performance is making her laugh or cry, she loves how they each reflect elements of light and truth, and ultimately point us back to our loving Creator.
Jennifer Wheeler // Costume Lead
Jennifer has always loved music, creativity, and the arts. After following her youngest daughter into theater, she soon discovered that her other kids loved it too. She started as a door monitor, but quickly realized that standing at the door gave her far more anxiety than a room full of costumes, so she found her way into the costume room instead—thinking she’d just be organizing, and discovered a love for costuming along the way. Married to her high school sweetheart and mom to seven, Jennifer enjoys all things creative. When she’s not homeschooling or at the theater, you may find her creating something for her shop. She especially loves capturing the emotion and movement of a production through show photography. Jennifer feels incredibly blessed to serve alongside the Fire & Light family and is thankful to be part of something that reflects God’s love through creativity and storytelling.
Brook Sullivan // Costume Assistant
With a lifelong love of all things music, dance, and theater, Brook made sure that life in the Sullivan house was like a real life musical where her seven kids could openly sing at the top of their lungs or dance theatrically at any given moment. Naturally, joining Fire and Light in 2020 was a perfect fit for the Sullivan family. Brook has worn many hats throughout her lifetime and enjoys helping out wherever needed in the costume room. From assisting with costume plots, fittings, organization, and crafty projects, to helping with quick changes backstage and greeting guests in the front of the theater, Brook is honored to work with so many talented people who love the Lord and want to share their energy and creativity to bless others.
Kasi Teasdale // Costume Assistant
Kasi is an extroverted enneagram nine that has a deep love for musical theatre. She has been homeschooling her three children for the past 7 years. She has a degree in early childhood education and loves teaching young children. She enjoys performing and was last seen in Rent at The Local Archive and Freaky Friday at the Fort Wayne Embassy. When she isn’t homeschooling or participating in community theatre, she is often reading, hiking, or crocheting. She absolutely loves to sing and you will most likely hear her singing to herself from the costume room.
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, and 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.
Mikayla Boericke // Stage Manager, Bookkeeper
A Fire & Light alumni herself, Mikayla has been involved with performing arts for almost as long as she can remember. She graduated college in 2022 with her BS in Business Administration, and has since been honing in on what she loves most - teaching, training, and empowering the people around her. Mikayla volunteered with Fire & Light throughout college, but took a break to focus on her career upon graduating. Ultimately, she was drawn back to the program as a way to gain more practical experience working with students in an environment she already knows and loves.
Audrey McCann // Improv & Dance 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.
Kathryn Peperkorn // Foundations Instructor
Kathryn Peperkorn has been teaching voice privately and in various colleges since 1993. From 2016-2021 she taught music and drama for the PACT academy of Natomas Charter School, California. Mrs. Peperkorn’s directing debut was with Dallas Lutheran High School in 1994 with Annie Get Your Gun. Since then she has directed and conducted many shows including over 20 operas with South East Wisconsin Performing Arts, a youth opera training program that she founded. Since 2021 she has taught music for students from preschool through 8th grade, as well as directed musicals, for Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran School in Fort Wayne. More recently she has been doing the music portion of the middle school musicals for Concordia Lutheran High School. Mrs. Peperkorn has performed numerous operatic roles in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Italy, including Mimi in La Boheme, Mauregerite in Faust, and Norma in Anna Bolena, to name some of her favorites. She loved her time singing with the Florentine Opera Chorus and was thrilled to be part of the Grammy winning cast of Elmer Gantry.
Sarah Baxter // Service Teams Coordinator
A lifelong musician, Sarah happily fiddles away in Fort Wayne's (not so) Terrible Orchestra and wears multiple musical hats, including vocals, with Indy's own Foxtægele. A self-proclaimed talker since birth, she utilizes her gift of gab into organizing, delegating, and helping Fire & Light parents find their perfect groove in the community. When she isn't wrangling schedules or hitting high notes she is backed by her ultimate fan club: an adoring husband and five sons, three of whom are proud Fire & Light students.
Josh Kellenberger // Facilities Lead
Josh more or less stumbled into this role as Facilities Lead and is quite grateful for it. Not only does he get to help maintain good relations with the church where F&L rehearses, but it gives him an "in" to his five daughters' theater life and their friends (and their friends' parents - the best part!). Josh knows the benefits of theater from the four musicals he was part of in high school. They transformed him from a shy, homeschooled kid into a goofy, confident teen, which eventually led him into a life where he speaks in front of kids and adults as a teacher/trainer; he's currently an English teacher at the Allen County Juvenile Center. While he enjoys teaching German, and can tolerate teaching English literature, his favorite content to train in is relational brain skills that enable humans to interact meaningfully with each other and God.
Jewels Johnson // Marketing Outreach
Jewels is thrilled to be joining the marketing outreach team for the 2026-27 season. As a donor liaison, she looks forward to connecting with and expressing gratitude to the generous supporters who make these incredible opportunities possible for our young performers. While her connection to theater began through her daughter, Jewels has developed a deep appreciation for the arts and loves to support local theater. She enjoys fundraising and bringing people together to support meaningful causes that create opportunities for children to shine.
Gwen Hyde // Bookkeeper Support, 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: Sara Scantlin, Jerry Miller, Jeff Salisbury, 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.