PRODUCTION & STAFF BIOS
Kelly Hunter (she/her) - Director
Kelly Hunter has performed major roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, and English Touring Theatre, and has worked extensively in film, TV, and radio. From 2001 to 2006, she ran Touchstone Shakespeare Theatre, which she founded to bring Shakespeare to children with little access to the arts. During that time, she directed Dreams and Voices, a film documenting her work with autistic children, now available on the Routledge Performance Archive. Since 2009, she has worked with students on the autism spectrum at The Village School in Brent and directed The Tempest for children with autism, performed in Stratford-upon-Avon and Columbus, Ohio. Kelly has directed numerous Shakespeare productions for students in the UK and US, including King Lear, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and teaches Shakespeare internationally. Her book Cracking Shakespeare: A Hands-On Guide for Actors and Directors was published by Methuen in 2015. She is the creator of the Hunter Heartbeat Method, a series of sensory drama games using Shakespeare to support autistic individuals. This method forms the basis of a long-term study at Ohio State University. Kelly is also the founder of Flute Theatre, which creates accessible Shakespeare productions for neurodivergent and underserved communities.
She has an MBE for her services to theatre and holds an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham.
Megan Wilson (she/her) – Stage Manager
Megan Wilson is elated to be working with PTC for the third time. Her first show, Miss Holmes, was exactly one year ago and she has loved every moment of creating with Phamaly! Megan is an advocate for education, compassion, and collaboration in and outside of theatre spaces. She is grateful to her mentors and her family who have never stopped encouraging her.
STAFF BIOS
Corinne Melon (she/her) – Managing Director
Corinne is an arts administrator, vocal coach, and opera stage director dedicated to bringing equity to the arts and advocating for performers. Prior to working at Phamaly, she served as the Executive Director for the Arapahoe Philharmonic, bringing a renewed focus on artistic excellence to the company. Corinne founded and served as the Executive Artistic Director of Denver Immersive Opera, a company dedicated to supporting female identifying and LGBTQAI+ artists while creating immersive operatic productions that resonate with modern audiences. She has also served as the Production Manager for Boulder Opera Company and Company Manager for Boulder Music Institute. Corinne holds a Performer’s Certificate in Voice from the University of Denver, a dual MM in Opera and Musical Theatre Performance from Arizona State University, and a BM in Voice Performance with a minor in Theatre from Middle Tennessee State University. Corinne lives with anxiety and depression.
Ben Raanan (he/him) – Artistic Director
Ben Raanan is a disabled theatre maker and advocate originally hailing from Chicago, Illinois. His artistic focus is centralized around creating artistically rigorous theatre with, for, and about the disabled community. Ben is the Artistic Director at Phamaly Theatre Company, the longest running disability theatre company in the United States. Ben received his BFA from Drake University with a concentration in directing/musical theatre, and his MFA in directing from DePaul. Some of his favorite directing credits include: Spring Awakening, My Name is Asher Lev, Spitfire Grill (Phamaly Theatre Company), Cost of Living (Renaissance Theatre Works + Curious Theatre Company), Macbeth (Spectrum Shakespeare), Antigone: Born Against, Eleemosynary, Bob: A Life In Five Acts, Crumble: Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati) Mockingbird (Falcon Theatre).
Erin Banthoff (she/her) – Operations Manager
Erin is a Denver-based theatrical artist always searching for the next creative opportunity. By day she navigates the creation of stigma abolishing theatre with Phamaly Theatre Company, on staff since 2019, proudly working as the Operations Manager. By night she is trying to find time for everything else: performance, podcasting, costuming, design, directing, and learning to cook better than your mama can. Every day she is thankful for her supportive circle and partner in crime, Jeremy Althoff. Erin lives with Hashimoto’s Disease, Fibromyalgia, and Anxiety.
Annie Jacobs (she/her) – Technical Production Manager
Annie joined Phamaly in December of 2019. She moved to Denver from Connecticut where she had been the Director of Production at ACT of Connecticut. Prior to that, she had spent over a decade production managing in New York theatres, including APAC, Queens Theatre, and Prospect Theatre Company. Her time in New York also included working at Showman Fabricators. While there, her projects included Broadway's Sweeney Todd, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Disney World's American Idol Experience and NBC's The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. Annie is an alumnus from the Theatre School at DePaul University and the School of Drama at Yale University.
Lauren Lynch-Eidson (she/her) – Marketing & Communications Manager
Lauren (she/her) hails from Clarksville, TN and earned an MFA in Arts Administration from Texas Tech University. She has had a passion for accessibility in the arts for many years, spending three+ years volunteering in-person and virtually for A.B.L.E. Ensemble, a Chicago-based theatre for, with, and by individuals with developmental disabilities, and volunteering at Phamaly before becoming a full-time employee.Lauren is also an Adjunct Professor in Arts and Culture Management at The University of Denver, and a newly published playwright. Previously, she had the privilege of working at Wonderbound Ballet, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center among others. When she's not at work, you can find her playing board games, singing with the Denver Women’s Chorus, or stealing cuddles from her dog, Harry Pupper, and her husband, Eric. She lives with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depressive Disorder.
AJ Watson (He/Him) – Production Accessibility Manager
AJ is very excited to be entering his first year with Phamaly. Originally from the east coast and earning his chops in the world of film and television, serendipity brought him to the company after walking down the street, newly arrived in Denver and deciding to go to a performance of Alice in Wonderland presented by Phamaly! From there he volunteered backstage for Vox Vergere and then A2’d for Spring Awakening.
Grace Tate (She/Her) – Community Engagement Manager
Grace is originally from Houston, Texas and attended college in Boston, Massachusetts earning a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is passionate about community building and engagement, fostering accessibility in the arts, and the importance of mutual aid. She also pursues all sorts of personal artistic endeavors! She embroiders, sews, and paints in her free time, and has a background in scholastic lighting design. She is excited to join Phamaly and create meaningful connections.
