Madison Hagler - Adjudicator - After receiving his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM,) Madison Hagler moved back to Alabama to take over as the director of the DeKalb County Fine Arts Theatre program where he teaches theatre to students in grades nine through twelve and directs their fall and spring productions. Madison is also a Certified One Voice coach who works with students to radically change their understanding and application of their singing voice through private lessons and workshops using a revolutionary new framework for the voice. When school is not in session, Madison works as a professional actor. Favorite roles include Gabe in Next to Normal, Lord Pinkleton in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden, and Judas/John the Baptist in Godspell. You can catch Madison on stage this summer at Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama as Barry Mann in Beautiful: The Carol King Musical.
Rhonda Wilson - Adjudicator- Ms. Wilson is the Founding Executive Director of the Star Center Theatre in Gainesville FL. She founded the Star Center without any funding, just a vision and a hope of bringing arts opportunities to the community. Rhonda is a graduate of the University of Florida and a Middle School Educator. For the past 24 years, she has volunteered her time, energy and resources to the community by using the arts to educate and empower. She has directed and produced over 150 shows. She understands the need for making space, not only as a Producer/Director/Educator, but as a performer who didn’t find many spaces on her journey as an artist. Not only is Rhonda behind the scenes, but an award-winning actress as well. Rhonda has been recognized nationally, regionally and statewide. Rhonda has been featured in USA Today and a TEDx speaker. She was an Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award and Carnegie Mellon Finalist, named National Youth Director of the Year (AATE), recipient of the Allstate National Champion for Good, received the Sara Spencer Child Drama Award (SETC), a Florida Distinguished Career Award, the State Cultural Affairs Diversity and Inclusion Award, the Governor’s Award for Community Investment in Youth, and more. Rhonda’s mission is to continue providing a platform where everyone can SPARKLE and SHINE!!
Jocelyn Claborn - Judges' Hostess This is Jocelyn's fourth year as the Judges Host. She has been a part of AYTE since 2015! Jocelyn currently attends The University of Alabama majoring in Creative Media. Her studies at Bama are focused on cinematography and live video production. This past summer she interned at CNBC in New York working with Wall Street and other Financial Professionals creating marketing and social media content. Jocelyn's passion is in storytelling, no matter what form that may be in. She loves videography, writing, and of course, theatre! She is excited to watch all of the amazing performances and to be back in her hometown helping out at AYTE 2024!
Ajia Jones - Concessions Manager Ajia is a current college student studying elementary education. When she’s not in school, she is a manager at Four Knights Coffee in Arab, AL and Assistant Director of Arab Musical Theatre. This is her 5th year volunteering at AYTE. She is very passionate about all things musical theatre and can’t wait to see all the amazing companies performing this year!
Trey Gilliland- Facilities Manager- Trey is from Oneonta, Alabama. He is the Business Office and Public Relations Manager for the Northeast Alabama Community College Theatre! There he attended Oneonta High School where he was a marching and concert band captain, a trumpet section leader, a drama club member, and was captain of the tennis team. After high school he attended the University of North Alabama where he was a member of the Pride of Dixie Marching Band and he was president of the Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association. He was also a member of the Audio Engineering Society. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of North Alabama with a B.S. in Entertainment Industry Business, a minor in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. Trey loves music and plays trumpet and guitar in his spare time. This is Trey's first time at AYTE and we could not be happier to have him with us!
Caleb Brooks-Stage Manager-Caleb has been the Artistic and Technical Director at Spark Theater Company in Dothan, AL since 2014. In his near decade of leadership, Spark Theater has staged 10 Best in Show productions at various Theatre Festivals including The Junior Theater Festival, AYTE, The Alabama Conference of Theater and the Southeastern Theater Conference. In his tenure over 30 of his students have been awarded Performance or Technical Scholarships to Colleges across the country. Caleb has a passion for the arts and growing the next generation of artists. This is Caleb’s 10th AYTE and he cannot wait for 10 more!
Leah Case- Box Office Manager- Leah has served AYTE as our Box Office Manager for four years! She is an employee of the State of Alabama. She enjoys music, concerts, the beach and spending time with friends. She has two children, Ethan, a Junior at Guntersville High School, who enjoys musical theatre and directing and Emma, a 5th grade student at Guntersville who enjoys basketball and soccer. Make sure to stop by and see Leah before the shows!
Mandy Barkley-Food Manager- Mandy serves as our Food and Beverage Manager and takes care of stocking and managing the concessions and meals for our guests! She has been part of AYTE for four years in this role. Mandy is a Primary School PE Teacher and serves 1100 students a day at Albertville Primary School. She has been nominated for Teacher of the Year on multiple occasions. She was an integral part of the Former Aggie Theatre where she served as Stage Manager and Aggie Theatre Liaison for the Albertville City Schools Foundation. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, dancing, and road trips!
Karson Nesbit - Technical Director - Karson is from Albertville, Alabama and is the Founder/President of Nesbit Events LLC. Karson has been our Technical Director for AYTE since 2019. Karson fell in love with theatre in 2016 when he helped with Aggie Theatres production of Les Miserables School Edition at Albertville High School. Following High School, Karson continued his education and theatre career at Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) on a Technical Theatre Scholarship. While at NACC, Karson was the Lighting Designer for their productions of “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Christmas Carol.” He was their Master Electrician for their production of “The Old Man and The Old Moon.” Karson graduated from NACC in 2020 with two Associate Degrees, one in Business and one in Theatre. He transferred to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to continue his education. Karson graduated from UAH in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration!
Ben Prather- Assistant Technical Director - Ben is an 11th Grade student from Section, Alabama. He has a large number of production credits under his belt as, not only, a technician, but also an actor. He has operated sound, lights, and worked on productions at Northeast Alabama Community College for a number of years. His most recent credits include Sound Operator for She Kills Monsters and Percy Jackson -Lightning Thief. He will also serve as Sound Operator for their upcoming production of Anastasia. Ben will graduate from Section High School in 2025 with not only his High School Diploma, but TWO Associates Degrees!