ABOUT NEW MOON THEATRE COMPANY
New Moon Theatre Company was originally formed in 2004, and since then, New Moon has cemented its place in the Memphis community as the theatre company where you can catch unique shows you won't catch anywhere else in town. Acclaimed productions include King Lear, Haint, Killer Joe, Eurydice, Lizzie, and Shockheaded Peter.
New Moon Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Gene Elliott
Artistic Director
Board Member since 2006
Gene has always been attracted to the strange and bizarre and quickly found a home with New Moon! He’s very proud of the productions produced here and can’t wait to sink his teeth into the next show! Some roles Gene has appeared in several productions of ours including The Moors as the Mastiff, The Ghost in Hamlet, J.D. in The Rainmaker, Cornwall in King Lear, and the sheriff in Trip to Bountiful. He has also directed many productions in for New Moon including Quills, Buried Child, Frankenstein, Bug, ‘Night Mother, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and The Maids. Gene also serves on the executive board of Theatreworks.
Melissa Andrews
Board Member since 2016
Melissa Andrews is a higher ed administrator by day, a freelance lighting designer and stage manager by night, a very part-time graduate student in data science, and the McCoy Theatre Coordinator at Rhodes College. She is patiently supported in her endeavors by her loving husband and a menagerie of rescued pets.
Kevin Cochran
Board Member since 2022
Kevin has spent time acting for Gamut Theatre Group (Harrisburg, PA) and Hampstead Stage Company (Center Barnstead, NH), as well as directing for Theatre Memphis, Germantown Community Theatre, and New Moon Theatre Company, locally, and is excited to join the Board of Directors! For New Moon, Kevin has directed productions of Shockheaded Peter (Ostrander Nomination for Best Direction of a Musical), The Pillowman, and Killer Joe, as well as appearing onstage in our production of 'Art'. Other favorite acting credits include Twelfth Night, The Normal Heart, and The Physicists (Ostrander Award for Supporting Actor in a Drama).
Jeff Kirwan
Board Member since 2018
After a 20+ year absence from theatre, Jeff returned to the stage in 2017 as Tilden in New Moon’s production of Buried Child. After performing in all three New Moon productions of the 2017-2018 season (Buried Child, Eurydice, Othello), he joined the Board of Directors in 2018. His other New Moon credits include Dr. Royer-Collard in Quills, Assistant Director on Quills and Shockheaded Peter, and Director on Art. Before joining the New Moon Board, Jeff served two terms as Treasurer of the Tennessee Equality Project. During daylight hours Jeff is employed as the Manager of Application Development for a major logistics company.
Kell Christie
Board Member from 2015-2020, and since 2023
Kell Christie is an area director and actor, and the theatre teacher at Houston High School. Past credits with New Moon include Othello, King Lear and Bug. A few productions she’s directed include Amadeus, Jesus Christ Superstar, 42nd St., and Fiddler on the Roof.
Amy Rush
Board Member since 2023
Amy Rush is an actor, puppeteer and improviser. Her wife's doctoral program moved them to Memphis from Prague in 2020 and she quickly found an artistic home with New Moon in their production of Shockheaded Peter, after having learned about the cult classic in her puppetry circles. She next appeared that season in Art. Amy earned an M.A. in Puppet Arts at University of Connecticut. She was a resident puppeteer at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, performed in many puppet projects while living In New York, and appeared in English language theatre while living in Prague. She has studied and taught improv comedy in Atlanta, New York and Prague and is a member of Bluff City Liars Improv. During the day, she works in medical simulation.
Chris Sterling
Board Member since 2013
Chris has designed the sets for Shockheaded Peter, Pillowman, Lizzie, Buried Child, Killer Joe, Haint (Ostrander winner for Best Set Design), Bug and The Rainmaker. He has been seen on several local stages over the years, and for New Moon he has appeared in their production of The Rainmaker. He has also appeared in The Secret Garden, Newsies, and The Importance of Being Earnest at Theatre Memphis; The Hollow and The Mousetrap at GCT.
Mystie Watson
Board Member since 2017
After moving to Memphis in 2005 and taking a break from the stage, Mystie started to search it out again and now spends a lot of time acting as a Stage Manager. Mystie has been the Producer and Cast Leader/Director of the Rocky Horror Memphis group Absent Friends and the Assistant Director and Stage Manager for New Moon's 2022 fall production of Evil Dead: The Musical. Mystie's first love is musical theatre and was the stage manager for New Moon's productions of Shockheaded Peter in 2021 and our first ever produced musical in 2019, Lizzie. Mystie has a BFA in Theatre Production and performance from U.T. Knoxville and can semi-frequently be found in the halls of Evergreen Theater, Theatreworks and Theater Memphis for different projects. She currently serves as the New Moon board secretary. Whether she is acting, directing, stage managing, or even creating costumes, she has truly loved being a part of each and every show. Who knows what will happen next!