Amy Spadafore - Managing Director

Amy was born and raised in Saginaw County. She holds a BS in Arts Management from Western Michigan University, is a stage manager by trade, a director by choice, and an actor by force. Amy was an active Pit & Balcony volunteer prior to taking the helm in 2016 and is a member of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council’s 2019 class of Rising Leaders. Amy is thoroughly engaged with the arts community and enjoys advocating for arts & culture initiatives on local, state, and regional levels, collaborating with economic developers, and creatively working toward a more vibrant, inviting, and inclusive community.

Amy is a member of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors and the Saginaw Downtown Development Authority board. At the state level she is a board member for the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan as well as a Governor-appointed member of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council. Most recently, Amy was elected to the board of directors for Arts Midwest, the Regional Arts Organization that serves nine Midwestern states.

Amy believes in the power of art to inspire, create, connect, heal, and celebrate and is continuously seeking opportunities to creatively solve problems through collaboration and artful innovation. When she is not using art to change the world, Amy loves sports, cooking, painting, and any reason to be outside with her husband, Dylan, their son, DJ, and her loyal sidekick, Orville the Theatre Pug – whom everyone knows is the real boss around here.

Linsey Morrell - Director of Customer Experience

Linsey is a lifelong resident of Saginaw. In 1998, Linsey was cast in Cinderella at Pit and Balcony when she was 8 years old. From there, Linsey’s love for the arts continued to grow, eventually leading her to become deeply involved in community theater both on stage and behind the scenes. Upon graduating from Northwood University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Linsey was the Operating Manager of Dawn of New Day Coffee House and Cafe for over 10 years before finding her way back to Pit. Growing up within the walls of Pit and Balcony has given her the opportunity to create lifelong friends, passions, and value in her life. Her deep-rooted connections to Saginaw, her theater background, and business experience all contribute to her unique approach to customer service. Linsey is passionate about fostering meaningful connections with customers, making sure each experience is personalized and memorable.

Outside of the theatre, Linsey enjoys watching the Detroit Lions, kayaking in the summer with her pup, Odie, browsing the local library, gardening and golfing with her partner, Michael, and bopping around town with her mom.

Spencer Beyerlein - Administrative Assistant 

Spencer has been involved with Pit & Balcony, and community theatre in The Great Lakes Bay Region, for just about 10 years now. He started at Pit & Balcony in 2016 in their production of Legally Blonde the Musical, caught the community theatre bug, and hasn’t been able to shake that fever since. In a few short years he went from being “just an actor” to a Stage Manager, attempted to be a Lighting Designer (which unfortunately his fear of unsecured heights and of dropping and breaking precious equipment prevented him from pursuing), Director, Costume Designer, and now Box Office Administrative Assistant. Whether that last one was the Theatre Bug or the opportunity to work for and give back to his home theatre is anyone’s guess. Regardless, he is very excited to get to work in a place he holds so dear to his heart, and that he gets to make connections with the patrons in the Box Office, who are a large part in helping keep the arts alive in this region. If you don’t see him in the Box Office, chances are you will find him onstage or behind-the-scenes here at Pit & Balcony or one of the other many theatre organizations in the area.

Quinn Nichols - Technical Fellowship Mentor

Connor Wieland – President

Conner is excited to be on the board at Pit & Balcony. He graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with his BA in Theatre. He has been a volunteer at Pit & Balcony for several years, most recently as Fight Choreographer for SWEAT. Conner is excited to be a part of this wonderful organization and watch it continue to grow and prosper. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, playing soccer and sitting under the warm sun.

Todd Thomas – Vice President

Kailen Piper – Treasurer

Kailen Piper is from Western New York and moved to Saginaw, Michigan in 2018. She has a bachelor's degree from St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York where she also played NCAA Division III field hockey. Kailen then went to law school at Michigan State University College of Law. After graduation, Kailen moved to Saginaw where she lives with her husband, Mitch and their dog, Vera. Kailen is an attorney at O'Neill, Wallace & Doyle, P.C. where she practices general civil litigation. Kailen enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, exercising and golfing.

L'Oreal Hartwell – Secretary

L’Oreal Hartwell is an author and an entrepreneurial free spirit who was born in Detroit. She attained a Master of Science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, Orlando, and has ever since been active in the world of entrepreneurs, where she has helped many of them to build their digital presence with a variety of innovations. She has also created an insurance company with her husband, The Hartwell Mutual Group, and has helped countless families financially prepare for the future through life insurance, financial planning, annuities and other financial services.

L'Oreal is also a writer, something she has done for many years. In the past she has produced several blogs and written articles that have been featured on peer-reviewed sites. She has helped other authors to self-publish their books and also provides editing services, book cover design services and website development.

Her own book,The Gold Mind: Think & Grow Happy, Healthy & Wealthy,is designed to help readers realize their potential by exploring their limitless possibilities, instead of embracing self-imposed limitations, using simple, time-tested principles to unlock the power of the mind.

Today, L’Oreal lives in the small town of Freeland, Michigan, with her husband and their 5 children. When she isn’t working she enjoys plenty of family time and the fun side of life, playing card and board games, watching movies and riding roller coasters when she feels like having an adrenaline rush.

JR Bornemann – Board Member 

JR is a self-proclaimed “Jack of all Trades, Master of none” when it comes the technical theatre, though anyone who has collaborated with him knows this to be an understatement. Completely self-taught, JR has a unique approach to design and is one of the area’s foremost lighting designers. A true collaborator, JR brings a director’s vision to life on stage. A longtime advocate of technical theatre and technical theatre education, he is currently the Auditorium Director for the Midland Public School system. There he helps mentor students about everything, technical theatre. JR recently finished working on is 120th show in 25 years.

Trashan Donald – Board Member

Trashan is a passionate community theatre advocate and lover of the arts, with a strong enthusiasm for supporting local cultural initiatives. A resident of Saginaw, MI, Trashan has been a volunteer at Pit & Balcony since 2018 and is a former employee of two years. As a board member, she continues to foster the growth of community theatre in the area. Outside of her theatre involvement, Trashan is a proud mother of two children and shares a loving partnership. Currently, Trashan is pursing a nursing degree at Delta College, balancing academic goals with her devotion to family, theatre, and the arts.

Matt Kehoe – Board Member

Matt Kehoe has been involved with Pit & Balcony since 2016 and has been involved in numerous productions as an actor and props master. He has a BS in History from Eastern Michigan University and has been working for Morley Companies since coming to Saginaw from the Flint area in 2015.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys skiing, golf, travel, and spending time with his family.

Christopher Mason – Board Member

Chris was born and raised in Saginaw and went to Valley Lutheran High School. He was active in hockey, baseball, and golf and still enjoys hitting golf courses with friends and playing in a weekly golf league as well taking part in men’s hockey league the past 4 years.

Chris graduated college in 2023 from Southern New Hampshire University with a bachelor's in communications. He is a Senior Relationship Specialist at Dow Credit Union's Saginaw branch where he assists members with new and general account inquiries, consumer loan applications, and is also a business specialist for the credit union on their business account side. Outside of work Chris enjoys time spent with his wife Jourdan, and his daughter Trystyn. He is very active in his daughter’s sports activities - especially hockey, her biggest passion, where he assists in coaching through her league where she’s played the last 5 seasons. Trystyn has also been involved in theatre activities within her school both having roles on stage and behind the scenes.

Abby Welsh – Board Member

Abby Welsh is originally from the Port Huron area and moved to Saginaw, Michigan in 2018 to attend Saginaw Valley State University. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Abby currently works as a Marketing Associate at Tri-Star Trust and is active in the Saginaw Young Professionals’ Network and Dale Carnegie. Outside of work, she enjoys seeing theatre productions, as well as reading, writing, and spending time at the movies.