GINGER POOLE
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Actor, Choreographer, Teaching classes in Theatre, Dance, and Musical Theatre

Ginger Poole is a proud member of Actor’s Equity. She has studied, taught, choreographed, and performed throughout the U.S. She has stayed busy the past couple of years working in GA, FL, MS and VA with, Theatre in the Square, The Alliance City Series, Theatre Gael, Synchronicity Performance Group-GA, Mill Mountain Theatre-VA and SC Children’s Theatre. Originally from Atlanta, she has worked with The Atlanta Falcons as their director and choreographer and The Atlanta Opera. She is based out of North Carolina where she has worked with Flat Rock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina, in over 25 productions. She was a part of the Education program at Flat Rock Playhouse for 5 years where she taught for their Apprentice Companies and their Conservatory Program in Acting, Dance, and Musical Theatre. Ginger has taught at The University of Southern Mississippi, Western Carolina University, William Carey College and The Mississippi University for Women. With Ginger’s Strong background in dance she finds herself not only acting and dancing on stage, but also directing the choreography and classroom skills for her students. She recently finished teaching this past semester at The Mississippi University for Women in Columbus as a guest professor in dance. Ginger holds her M.F.A. in Acting Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi and continues to teach acting and dance. She has worked with students that range in age from kindergarten through professionals. Ginger has worked in commercials, voice-overs, film, stage, and the classroom, and was profiled in the book FIRESTARTERS as “the actor”. She is very happy to join the Mill Mountain Theatre team and looks forward to building the program as the Director of Education.

SUSAN BRADEN
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Actor, Singer, Teaching classes in Musical Theatre

Susan Braden is a soprano concert artist, pianist, composer and arranger, and voice teacher. In Roanoke, you may have seen her in several productions at Mill Mountain Theatre, or singing with the Roanoke Symphony, or in many churches across the valley. She has served as Music Director for the Showtimers’ production of “Sweeney Todd”, and at Mill Mountain Theatre for “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, “The Stinky Cheese Man”, and the Mill Mountain summer music theatre camps. Susan is a professional singer and actress, and has appeared at Mill Mountain Theatre in both versions of “Soup, Soap and Salvation” and “the Sound of Music” and “Music Man.” Susan has performed, recorded and directed in professional theatre and churches in Arkansas, Louisiana, Houston Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, Virginia, and Los Angeles, California. She has served as Music Minister and Interim Music Minister in 3 churches – Van Nuys, California, and in Roanoke. Susan’s career has included producing the “Original Living Christmas Tree” in Los Angeles; Musical Director of the Moody Theatre in Los Angeles, Session singer with the Johnny Mann Singers, and for Hosanna/Integrity records. She has performed with Lee Greenwood on “God Bless the USA” for then President Reagan, has opened cabaret shows for Robert Guillome (of the old “Benson” tv sitcom) and has performed for Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson, as well as for Bob Hope when he was honored by the Boy Scouts in Los Angeles. She has sung for the Olympic Festival in Los Angeles, and for the Los Angeles Christmas Spectacular. She has written and arranged four original musical dramas for churches, and will be in concert this year in several churches and music organizations throughout the valley and beyond. She was also the youngest ever televised in the role of the Mother in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at age 16 on the ACTS network- televised world-wide. Since then, she’s worked as a pharmacist’s assistant, newspaper journalist, Music Minister, Producer, Jingle singer, voice and piano teacher for a Conservatory in Tennessee, and Director of Industry for the Roanoke Rescue Mission.