FACULTY AND STAFF
Brenda Shows
Owner / Artistic Director
Brenda discovered a love for musical theatre at R.H. Watkins High School in Laurel where she performed the leading female roles in The Sound of Music and Annie Get Your Gun under the direction of Michael Howard. She went on to play Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Abigail in The Crucible at the University of Southern Mississippi. At Laurel Little Theatre and Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera she has played such quintessential leading ladies as Maria Von Trap, Nellie Forbush, Mame, Dolly Levi and Mama Rose. In 1989, she was selected Best Actress by the Mississippi Theatre Association for her portrayal of Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy which she also produced and directed. She reprised this role with Laurel Little Theater in 2014. In 2019 she played Mother Superior in Hub City Player’s production of Sister Act. Brenda has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern Mississippi where she studied theatre, voice, radio, television and film and received her teaching certification in English, Reading and Speech. She is perhaps best known as the former host of MIDDAY, a local community affairs and interview television program she hosted for 10 years on the local NBC affiliate where she also served as Marketing Manager.
Jennifer Timidaiski
Music Director / Software Administrator for Amilia and BAND
Jennifer is currently the elementary music teacher at Longleaf Elementary School and the children’s events coordinator for FestivalSouth. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Choral Conducting from The University of Southern Mississippi. While a student at Southern Miss, Jennifer was a member of The Southern Chorale, Carillon Handbell Choir, and Chamber Singers. She traveled extensively with those performing ensembles including tours of Italy, France, Scotland, Estonia, and Jamaica as well as many stateside tours. Prior to attending graduate school at Southern Miss, she served as the choral director at Bayou View Middle School in Gulfport. She previously served as the StageStruck Music Director from 2014 to 2017. Her experience at StageStruck includes Into the Woods Jr., Shrek Jr., The Lion King Jr., and Madagascar A Musical Adventure Jr. She resides in Hattiesburg with her husband, Grayson, and children, Margo and Cannon.
Kevin Thiel
Middle/High School Acting, Theatre, and Vocal Instructor
Kevin is a professional actor, singer, and voice teacher with over eight years of experience helping students develop their unique, authentic voices. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Otterbein University and an MFA in Performance from The University of Southern Mississippi.
Kevin has performed across the country with companies such as the Texas Shakespeare Festival, The Barnstormers Theatre, and in numerous Off Off Broadway productions in New York City. His stage credits include leading and featured roles in King Lear, Pride and Prejudice, The Tempest, Something Rotten!, Hamlet, CoComelon Live!, and Into the Woods, among many others.
His teaching approach blends strong technique with artistic exploration, empowering students of all levels to find confidence and joy in their singing.
Rachel Claire Stevens
Movement Instructor/Assistant to the Director
Rachel Claire Stevens from Sumrall, Mississippi, began classes at StageStruck at age 4. She played leading roles in various productions, participated in the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, and served as Assistant Choreographer at StageStruck Performance Studio.
In high school, she was captain of the award-winning A Capella group Traces Of Blue and a member of Concert Choir. She continued performing with Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera, Southern Opera and Musical Theater, and Hub City Player.
Rachel Claire sang with USM’s Southern Chorale, acapella group, and studied voice under Dr. Jonathan Yarrington. She now freelances as a musician in Hattiesburg and teaches at StageStruck.
Hannah Reid
Assistant to the Director
Hannah Reid has recently joined the staff of Stagestruck Performance Studio as an assistant instructor in movement and acting. She was a student at StageStruck for six years where she played The Mad Hatter in Shrek Jr, Zazu in The Lion King Jr., Julian in Madagascar, A Musical Adventure Jr. Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast Jr. and the Genie in Aladdin Jr.
Hannah also painted the murals you see on the walls at StageStruck.
She is now attending Jones College and wants to further her studies to pursue a career in the field in mathematics.
Hannah is the oldest of five sisters and her hobbies include painting drawing and dancing!
Rachel Boutwell
Choreographer / Social Media & Website Management
Rachel has been involved in music, dance, and performing arts since early childhood—including performing in StageStruck’s first production of Annie Jr. She continued performing throughout high school with the Golden Spirits Dance Team and CenterStage! Show Choir, as well as in regional competitions.
She started college at Mississippi State University as a member of the Pom Squad and later earned her business degree from The University of Southern Mississippi, where she also found an interest in marketing and design.
Today, Rachel combines her creative background and professional skills by choreographing and designing marketing materials for StageStruck shows. Her credits include Shrek Jr., Madagascar Jr., Beauty and the Beast Jr., Elf Jr., Aladdin Jr., Frozen Jr., The Wizard of Oz, and The Little Mermaid Jr. She lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her family and works full-time for Yates Construction.
Jo Ignatius
Costume Design/Construction
Jo is a native of Sutton Coldfield, England. She came over to the United Stages in 1997 on a golf scholarship to the University of Mississippi. She was a 4-year letter winner while earning a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After graduating college, Jo moved to Chicago where she worked as a Sales and Marketing Director for a national golf management company. In 2006, Jo moved back to Mississippi, and currently lives in Hattiesburg with her husband Joe and her two children, Caldwell and Bodacious. Jo first got involved in building costumes for StageStruck Performance Studio’s The Little Mermaid Jr. in 2013, and has since designed and built costumes for StageStruck’s productions of Seussical Jr. (2014), Shrek Jr. (2015), The Lion King Jr. (2016), Madagascar a Musical Adventure Jr. (2017) and Beauty and the Beast Jr. (2018), Elf Jr. (2018) and Aladdin Jr. (2019).
Brittney Hawkins
In addition to her role as the Data Management Coordinator for the University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School, Brittney has also contributed her skills to StrageStruck Performance Studio in the past by assisting with costumes and props, constructing, and painting sets, and serving as the liaison for parent volunteers during the Spring performances.
She has helped with past productions such as Frozen Jr., The Wizard of Oz, and The Little Mermaid Jr.
Brittney resides in Hattiesburg with her children Magee and Holly.