About Us
Hey! We’re the West Jessamine High School Theatre.
Find out more about us below!
Our Story
Our program was founded in 2003 at West Jessamine High School by Hallie Brinkerhoff after going nearly a decade without a theatre education program of any kind. She founded the program with the goal of not only bringing accessible theatre education to impoverished and under-served students, but empowering and preparing students both for theatre and life in a way they had never been before. Over a decade later those goals are still at the center of our program.
We fully believe in the power of arts education and the influence it can play on a students life. We believe that all students of every age should be exposed to art and be provided the opportunity to explore it unencumbered. We provide opportunities for any student to be involved in our program, whether it be on-stage or off. We firmly believe in and support a rounded theatre experience where all students have the oppurtunity to explore and develop skills as a performer, designer, and technician. We disagree with the notion that the art is only on-stage and fully believe that the art is created by everyone involved in a production. We pride ourselves on create space for students to explore and flourish in whatever role or area they choose.
We produce three shows a year: a fall play, a winter, student-led play, and a spring musical. Our program serves over 150 students every year, ranging from grades 9-12. We are committed to providing quality, affordable theatre education to any student that wishes to pursue it.
35+
Shows
5,000+
Lighting Cues
250+
Gallons of Paint
80+
Rolls of Tape
10,000+
Cups of Coffee
Our Staff
Mary Grogan
Program Director
An alumna of the University of Kentucky, Department of Theatre, Mary Christopher Grogan is currently an active theatre director and educator in central Kentucky. She holds an MA in English Education (2006) and an MA in Theatre (2014), both from the University of Kentucky. Her research interests lie in musical theatre villainy, the cognitive sciences, and Audience Response Theory.
Beginning her undergraduate career with a focus in stage management, she eventually found her passion in educating and directing. Some of her directing credits include: Our Town, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, You Can’t Take it with You, Silhouettes of Broadway: A Musical Revue, Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story, Beyond Therapy, Once Upon a Mattress, and Elf, Jr: The Musical. Other recent notable credits include serving as the Assistant Director for Lexington’s premiere production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, writing and directing “Outings: A Ten Minute Play” which was selected and produced by the Kentucky State Fair as part of their 2012 New Kentucky Works series, and making her film acting debut as “Piper” in the independent film Jane’s Everlasting Heart Condition.
Additionally, she is extremely passionate about education, particularly arts education and literacy. She currently teaches introductory and history courses in theatre at the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, and Bluegrass Community & Technical College, as well as reading, writing, and study skills courses at the local community college. A huge supporter of youth arts programs, she has also taught high school drama and art history courses, as well as Theatre in Diversion classes through the Fayette County Juvenile Court system. In the summers she spends her time teaching drama and English at the BCTC Upward Bound Program, as well as directing the end-of-summer Talent Show at the Singletary Center for the Arts. In 2013, she received the “Most Influential Teacher” Award from the students and staff at the Upward Bound Program. In 2014 she won the prestigious “Humanitarian” Award, also from Upward Bound. Most recently she became a guest artist and director for U.K. Opera Theatre’s Academy of Creative Excellence, which strives to teach acting, dance, and vocal performance to students 1st through 12th grade in Lexington, Kentucky.
