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ABOUT AVLMT
MISSION STATEMENT
Asheville Musical Theatre is a queer-led company creating bold, accessible musical theatre that engages diverse artists and audiences, challenges perspectives, and celebrates stories from every walk of life.
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VISION STATEMENT
We envision a cultural landscape where musical theatre inspires, connects, and transforms communities. Guided by queer leadership, we amplify diverse voices, break barriers to access, and spark dialogue through every production.
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OUR VALUES
Accessibility- Theatre is for everyone. We break down financial, social, and cultural barriers so that all audiences and artists can experience and create transformative theatre.
Courage- We take risks in storytelling, production, and artistic choices, challenging norms and pushing boundaries to inspire new perspectives.
Community- We build connections between artists, audiences, and our wider community through inclusive, engaging, and collaborative experiences.
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Excellence- We strive for the highest quality in every production, performance, and interaction, honoring the craft of musical theatre and the talent of those involved.
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EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
Asheville Musical Theatre believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion should be essential elements of all activity within the organization. We are proud to be a preeminent theatre in one of the most diverse cities in America and strive to represent that both on and off-stage.
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We believe that the most interesting and successful theatrical pieces are those that allow us to identify with human characteristics we relate to and enlighten us about aspects of the human experience that are different from our own. We are strongly committed to producing work that is made by and tells the stories of, a wide range of voices from all walks of life and to making that work accessible to all audiences, including those that have historically lacked access to the arts and cultural sector.
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We understand that to perpetuate growth and development, it is imperative that leadership, staff, and artistic teams consist of people with a mix of ideas, perspectives, and values who come from diverse backgrounds. We have made it a priority to create and maintain an environment that is equitable to and supportive of all individuals regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender identity, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, military or veteran status, etc. Asheville Musical Theatre is dedicated to treating humans as humans, as everyone deserves this respect.
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We acknowledge that this statement will always be a work in progress as we set out to achieve racial justice and equity.
OUR TEAM
Executive Director & Co-Founder
J. Ethan Henry
Ethan was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He has had the privilege of working as a Director, Producer, Designer, and Performer across the United States. In addition to him working creating AVLMT Ethan is also a Creative Costumer for Walt Disney World. Ethan had the privilege of working with JPKNYC on many Broadway productions such as Head Over Heels, Frozen, Tootsie, Diana: The Musical, Come From Away, The Band's Visit, The Big Apple Circus, and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Film/TV: Fosse/Verdon, and Dickinson, and projects with Disney and Marvel. Recent Directing credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Last Five Years, First Date, And Then There Were None, and Flip Flop: A New Musical. Recent Costume Design credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sisters of Swing, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, First Date, The Last Five Years, The Who's Tommy, Bonnie and Clyde, and more! Ethan holds a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Lees-McRae College and an MS in Performing Arts Leadership and Management from Shenandoah Conservatory.
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Artistic Advisor and Resident Director
Destini Fleming
Destini Nichol Fleming (she/they) is a Charleston, SC-based director who recently graduated from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing with a master’s degree in directing theatre. They are excited to work with Asheville Musical Theatre again and join in on this dream! After spending the majority of the last decade working in educational theatre, Destini is grateful for the opportunity to branch out with ALVMT. Most recently, she directed an original workshop production with The Void Theatre Company for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. She is so excited for the second season at Asheville Musical Theatre!
Company Manager and Co-Founder
Richie Barrella
Richie Barrella is excited to be a small part of the creation of Asheville Musical Theatre. Originally from the Jersey Shore, Richie holds BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts for Drama as well as an MFA in Acting from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. After graduating, he worked professionally in many regional theatres as well as in New York. Some of his favorite credits include Robbie Hart (The Wedding Singer), Hawker (The Who's Tommy), Hanschen (Spring Awakening), Matt (bare - a pop opera), Abraham (Altar Boyz), and Joey (Saturday Night Fever). He had worked as the Company Manager, Casting Associate, and Intern Director at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre for the last two years and worked behind the scenes and on stage for the company, specifically in their productions of The Last Five Years (Jamie) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo's Voice). While working at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, Richie also completed his Masters of Arts in Teaching: Education for teaching middle and high school drama.