WHO WE ARE

In 2018, we began the application process for the next step of natural growth within our theatre environment, giving us House.  House Theatre Inc. is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization.  It is our hope to minister to and equip young learners with lifelong experiences, skills, and opportunities.  Additionally, this allows us to further minister to our community throughout the Lowcountry, including Summerville, Charleston, North Charleston, Hanahan, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, and surrounding areas by providing wholesome entertainment, uplifting performance environments, and opportunities to use our resources and talents for the greater good.   

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OUR STORY

 
 
 

VOLUNTEERS

Our volunteers are a crucial part of our success story!  They have generous hearts and offer a large gamut of skills.  When these multi-skilled persons and diverse backgrounds join together, the true magic of theatre happens.  From tireless planning to organizing lesson plans, we are endlessly thankful for each individual who has given their time, talents, and hearts! 

Please read more about each of our volunteers!


LAURIE GRINNELL

FOUNDER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | STAGE HOUSE SENIOR | HOUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS, CO-DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Laurie, a lyric soprano with an extension of range, first encountered the stage at the young age of six and has been involved in the field ever since. Early on, Laurie began performing in community theatre earning multiple vocal performance awards, including People’s Choice, for her acting and musical talents. Laurie is an experienced choral section leader, competitor, and conductor. Laurie earned her BM in Vocal Performance from East Tennessee State University in 2001 and MEd from the University of Dayton in 2005. Her favorite roles include Monica of Menotti’s The Medium, Madame Goldentrill of Mozart’s The Impressario, Gretel of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Papagena of Mozart’s Die Zauberflote. She has performed as the soprano soloist in Faure’s Requiem. Her choral, theatrical, and solo work has taken her throughout much of the States and beyond with some of the most formative choral performances being hosted at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Grand Ole Opry, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Laurie has an extensive background as a private vocal instructor.

    In addition to her musical endeavors, Laurie was an educator for six years working with general education, music education, and special needs students in grades K-12. That seems like many moons ago though. Presently, Laurie continues to enjoy working on stage and behind the scenes. She is thrilled to have directed “Mary Poppins Jr.”, “Moana Jr.”, “Junie B. Jones Jr.”, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”, “Narnia”, and Stage House’s GOAT Series! She is the co-director of “House for the Holidays”. Laurie soaks up most of her days with her favorite kiddos and husband, Mark.

RACHEL PREMO

MUSIC DIRECTOR | CHOIR HOUSE DIRECTOR | HOUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS, CO-DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Rachel Premo was homeschooled throughout grade school, along with her five younger siblings. She then attended Anderson University, where she received her Bachelors of Music Education (Vocal/Choral) in May of 2015. During her time in Anderson, she received multiple performance-related honors and scholarships for piano and was a featured guest soloist with the Anderson Symphony Orchestra. She was also privileged to be one of the founding members of the breakthrough piano ensemble, Noteworthy, and served as the accompanist and music director for multiple collegiate performances, including Barnum, Mary Poppins, and The Corn Is Green. Rachel completed her student teaching clinical by directing five choirs and teaching AP Music Theory in one of the top choral programs in the state at Seneca High School. Since graduating college, Rachel has become an entrepreneur music teacher, performer, and arranger. She gives private vocal and piano instruction in her home studio and is blessed to be able to play and sing in many capacities, including dinner parties, weddings, and a large variety of school and professional accompanying opportunities. Rachel works as the Administrative and Worship Assistant at her home church and is also an active singer in the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Taylor Festival Choir. She enjoys working as an “arranger-for-hire” in her spare time and has completed two books of hymn arrangements, multiple collections of wedding music, and an orchestral reduction for a musical theater production. As a director, Rachel has been privileged to conduct multiple homeschool choirs in the Lowcountry area since 2015, and she is currently the music director and vocal coach for SHEEP Musical Theater. She is thrilled to now be a choral and music director for House Theater Inc. Since July of 2016, Rachel has been happily married to Craig Premo, who is a local real estate agent. They enjoy long evening walks, reading novels out loud together, eating homemade pizza, camping in the mountains, and spending quality time with their families. Rachel is extremely passionate about music and loves the thrill of serving others through her playing, singing, and directing.

 

Amy Campbell

BAND HOUSE DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Amy Campbell has been playing guitar and leading worship for over 30 years; she has written, recorded, and released multiple albums nationally and internationally and served as Musical Director for multiple churches, training musicians in music and worship leading. With over three decades of teaching both in traditional school settings and homeschool, Amy has a deep understanding of how to inspire and engage others. Her ability to communicate complex ideas, foster creativity, and guide individuals toward their potential has seamlessly translated into her musical leadership. As a performer and ministry leader for more than 35 years, she brings the same disciplined yet innovative approach to music, creating connections that resonate both on stage and with her audience. She also has a focus to raise up the next generation of worship leaders who are passionate about worshipping God and making sure that He alone gets the glory from our worship. She has taught multiple bands comprised of both students and adults in the art of musical worship, focusing on having a God-honoring and humble heart posture when leading worship.

SARAH FRALIN

STAGE HOUSE JUNIOR, DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Sarah's love for musical theatre and filmmaking started with watching "The Wizard of Oz" daily in her early years, much to her parents' exhaustion. Her passion led her to explore theatre and filmmaking in middle school, joining community theatre, and taking art, band, and vocal lessons. By high school, she was deeply involved in theatre production, co-directing her first 90-minute show in her junior year. This experience ignited her desire to bring all production elements together.

    Although Sarah initially wanted to pursue stage performance, she found her calling in filmmaking. She took filmmaking courses at a local college and worked on the historical film "The Patriot" during her first semester, which honed her production organizational skills. Throughout college, she worked on various film, commercial, and TV productions while teaching theatre at a local church from 2006 to 2016. This role allowed teenagers to develop their theatrical skills in a God-focused environment, bringing 1 Corinthians 10:31 to life.

    Today, Sarah is a photographer, photography instructor, film teacher, social media manager, and homeschool mom.

 

BETHANY WILLIS

DANCE HOUSE, LEAD INSTRUCTOR

 
 
  • Bethany Willis grew up as a homeschooled LCHEA student with her 3 siblings. Bethany began her dance experience at Metro North Dance in the Cecchetti method of Ballet and passed Cecchetti exams 1-6. She then trained at Robert Ivey Ballet Academy in the Vaganova method of Ballet. Bethany is also trained in Modern, Jazz, and Tap. She graduated from the College of Charleston with a BA in Psychology and Dance, concentration in performance and choreography. Upon graduating college, she began dancing professionally with a local Modern dance company called Annex Dance Company. She also teaches dance at SHEEP, LC3, and Robert Ivey Ballet as well as being a part-time nanny to two sweet girls. Bethany has been teaching dance in the Lowcountry for 10 years and has a passion for teaching students to use their dance abilities for the glory of God! She currently lives in North Charleston with her husband, Justin, and Husky pup, Juneau. Bethany is beyond excited to teach dance with House!

ADELAIDE LOVELADY

STAGE HOUSE SENIOR, CO-DIRECTOR | SUMMERTIME, DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Before moving to South Carolina in 2015 Adelaide lived in Georgia, and this is where her passion for the arts began to grow. Her first musical was in 8th grade: The Little Mermaid Jr and she played- can you guess?- Sebastian! She quickly realized that theatre was a huge outlet for her creativity! After a couple more years in Georgia, she moved to South Carolina where she really honed her skills. From high school through college, she found every opportunity to perform and has done a variety of shows: straight plays, improv, musicals, cabarets, and reviews! She performed as Gertrude in The Seussical, Connie Miller in 1940's Radio Hour, and Golde in Fiddler on the Roof just to name a few! One of her most memorable moments was co-writing and directing a CSU show, Dis Connected, during the height of Covid-19. Adelaide graduated from Charleston Southern University in May of 2021 with a degree in Marketing and Theatre and currently works as a Communications Specialist at the David M. Gilston Agency.

    She enjoys Orangetheory Fitness, authentic ramen, and moments alone on the beach. One of her lifelong goals is to hike the Appalachian Trail in one go! She feels blessed to be given an opportunity to connect with talented individuals in House Theatre and is looking forward to the growth of this amazing program.

 

JOSHUA LONG

THE CREW, SET DESIGNER

 
 

ROBIN WOOD

STAGE HOUSE ELEMENTARY, DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Robin Wood spent most of her vagabond childhood with her nose in a book. Her love for great stories merged with her love of music when she saw South Pacific at ten years old. From then on, she was hooked on musical theater! Robin was involved in as many plays, musicals, and choirs as she could through high school and college. The Lord saved her when she was nineteen at Texas Tech University, where she received a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and where she met her husband, Timothy.

    Believing that her theater career was long behind her, Robin began homeschooling when her oldest was five. It has been a great joy for her to be able to come alongside her three children as they have ventured into Stage House. Graciously, the Lord allowed her to have a small part in Summertime House’s production of Mary Poppins, and she has been delighted to serve at the Stage Manager for Little House on the Prairie. She is over the moon excited to be able to serve the students and families at House, as House has truly become her home.  

 

RACHEL BALAKRISHNAN

STAGE HOUSE JUNIOR, MUSIC COORDINATOR |
SUMMERTIME, CO-DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Rachel Balakrishnan was homeschooled from pre-k through high school, which allowed her to pursue her passion in music. From a young age, Rachel Balakrishnan loved assisting her mother with learning and leading music at vacation bible school at their church. This love grew to a passion for learning to sing, play piano, guitar and pipe organ. After taking private lessons in these various instruments, by high school Rachel was assistant directing the children’s choir at her church. At age 16 she became a part time pianist and six months later, a full time organist. After graduating high school, she worked at a summer camp, leading the creative arts track group each week. She was then a barista for three years, all while continuing as a pianist, now at the military base chapel. She has sung with several church and community choirs, and been on mission trips which included teaching music to orphan children in India. Rachel has studied under Rachel Premo for the past two years, learning to direct choir, while also fine tuning her music skills. She currently works at Chic-fil-A as a team leader, while continuing with her many music ministries. One of her favorite Bible verses is Psalm 96:1-2 “Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

SERENA MADDEN

STAGE HOUSE SENIOR, CHOREOGRAPHER | SCRIPT INSTRUCTOR

 
 
  • Serena Madden was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school, and she loved the opportunities that it provided her. Her parents and grandparents established a love of musical theatre in her from a very early age! She grew up watching musicals like My Fair Lady and Singin’ in the Rain, and loved reenacting them in her living room. She began her dance training at the age of 5 and continued to study ballet for the next 10 years. She also studied jazz, tap, lyrical, ballroom, and musical theatre dance. She discovered the magic of theatre in high school and continued to pursue that passion in college. While in college, she was presented with many opportunities which ranged from playing Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to directing a mainstage production of Steel Magnolias, and even writing and directing a Vintage Variety Show for her Dean’s Commendation Project. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in theatre performance and minor in music from Coker University in May of 2021. Since then, Serena has worked as a preschool performing arts teacher, performed in the 24 HR Musical Fundraiser, and has performed in some of House’s productions, including House for the Holidays. She is currently working as a ballroom dance instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studio, and she loves sharing her passion for dance and music with her students there. From very early on, Serena knew that she was called to be a teacher in the arts. Being a part of theatre in high school, she saw the healing and growth that took place in her fellow students over the years. She saw how the arts could be used as a ministry to share the love of Jesus with people – both those in the audience and  those on stage. Serena could not be more excited to be a part of a ministry as special and close to her heart as House Theatre.

 

Judi Boudreaux

THE CREW, ASSISTANT SET DESIGNER

 
 
  • Judi has over 40 years experience in the arts to include, dance, vocal performance, acting and technical theatre. She spent over 12 years training student technical teams to design, build and run a show. She enjoys teaching children to use their creativity to honor God.

    Judi has a 27 year old son from a previous marriage. She and her husband, James, have been married for 17 years and are parents to Anjolie, age 14, who has been exposed to and participated in shows since she was an infant and has a love for horses and the arts. Judi and James relocated to South Carolina from Florida in 2016 where she served on the worship team of Crossroads Community Church and was the Children’s Director for ages K-5. She currently teaches private voice lessons while homeschooling Anjolie.

    With a passion for health and wellness, Judi is enrolled in school and working toward completing her clinical in homeopathy and natural health. She is excited to come alongside the Crew director to assist in training up the next generation in the area of technical arts for the Glory of God.

KAYLEIGH-ANN RUTAN

STAGE HOUSE ELEMENTARY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

 
 
  • Kayleigh-ann Rutan is thrilled to work with talented children in the field she loves most and help lead the young leading ladies and gentlemen of House Theatre reach their full potential as performers. Kayleigh-ann always wanted to be in theater. She was homeschooled and spent many free hours daydreaming and telling stories. She would walk around outside and act out whole scenes from her imagination. She memorized, rehearsed, and performed entire movies for her mother. As time went on, she became the official bedtime book reader for her younger siblings, doing each character’s voice. Last year, Kayleigh-ann auditioned for Little Women with House Theatre and got her dream role: Meg March. She made new friends, grew in her gifting, and had a blast! She fell in love with the creative culture and excellence of House Theatre. She knew right away that she wanted to be a part of this amazing group of people in any way she could. She was delighted to be a narrator for House for the Holidays and when the opportunity is available, sings her heart out in the House Community Choir.

    Kayleigh-ann works as a special care assistant for her younger sister, Isabella, who was diagnosed with profound autism. Since she has the opportunity to work from home, she participates extensively in the homeschooling of her younger siblings, from teaching parts of speech to making maps for history. Kayleigh-ann also loves helping her siblings practice scenes and songs for musical theater, and cannot wait to use her experience to help grow and develop other young students in the joy of musical theater.


 

Board of Trustees

Our board consists of members who adhere to our Statement of Faith and Code of Conduct.  Qualifying persons are passionate about the effects of ministry, homeschoolers, and performing arts. 

Board Members

Laurie Grinnell (Chair), Buck Browning (Vice Chair)

Patti Menges, Charlie Franklin, Angela Smits

Noelle Dill, Gretchen McMillin

House Administration

Questions for our Administrators? We’d love to hear from you:
Laurie Grinnell, Executive Director, Email
Gretchen McMillan, Treasurer, Email
Angela Smits, Administrator, Email
Sarah Fralin, Marketing and Tech, Email
Marybeth Sgambelluri, Sponsors and Donors, Email