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Board of Directors

Ron Gallegos

President

Ron is excited to join the MTS Board of Directors. Ron has been very active in the theatre community since returning to Albuquerque in 2012, performing in shows not only at MTS, but others as well. Ron graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh with a BFA and brings extensive performance experience in the theatre and performed in many venues across the US. Ron knows the operations of what it takes to make a professional theatre production company thrive and Ron believes MTS is on a clear path to continue to have high professional standards. Ron's goal is to help MTS continue to reach an even higher standard than it ever has.

Ron Gallegos 

President

[email protected]

Ashli Saenz

Vice President

Ashli Saenz has been an active member in Albuquerque classical arts for nearly two decades as both a professional opera singer and music enthusiast. Growing up in NM and attending UNM has given her the opportunity to meet many of the incredibly talented musicians around town. Ashli has a Master of Business with certifications in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and related subjects. It is her passion to ensure she is doing all she can to make MTS the most inclusive and equitable theater in New Mexico.

Ashli Saenz

Vice President

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Adrianne Elkins

Secretary

Adrianne Elkins is a local school principal, teacher, mom, and theatre volunteer. She holds a Master's degree in Education and an Ed.S in Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico, where she also began doctoral work in 2017 before opening an APS Magnet School. Adrianne now serves as principal and teacher of an award winning local K-8 program. Adrianne has performed in many local productions with MTS and other local theatres. Favorite roles include Belle (Beauty and the Beast, MTS), Blanche (Bonnie and Clyde, MTS), Sandra Bloom (Big Fish, MTS), Gingy (Shrek the Musical, ALT) and Marty Maraschino (Grease, ALT); however, her favorite role will always be any which enables her to work on behalf of others, and she is excited to serve Musical Theatre Southwest and our extended community family.

Adrianne Elkins 

Secretary

[email protected]

John Stephen

Treasurer

John Stephen is a local actor, singer and community servant. John is a native Buqueno, and began his relationship with MTS, in ACLOA’s 1977 production of Oliver, as
liver. John has been performing on and off for more than four decades. Some of John’s artistic highlights include a guest appearance on Grizzly Adams and singing with Barry Manilow and the rock band Foreigner. John is also a member of the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus and serves as Music Director at Metropolitan Community church. John is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and has spent the last 10 years of a 30-year career at Cedars-Sinai Medical Canter, in Los Angeles California as manager for government programs and collections, before retiring and returning to New Mexico in 2010.

John Stephen

Treasurer

[email protected]

Luana Berger

Director

Luana is an opera singing gymnastics judge with a degree in Astrophysics.

When she isn't laughing at Star Trek memes or talking about how much she LOVES Iron Maiden (and boy! Does she love Iron Maiden!), Luana sings a lot. She is a contract singer for the Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus, soloist for the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Albuquerque, and a guest singer with the Tucson based Irish band, The Out of Kilters. She has performed with Opera West, Revolutions International Theater Festival, the Early Byrd Consort of Viols, the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Southwest, Musical Theater Southwest, and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. In the summer of 2023 she will perform the role of Niklaus in Les Contes d'Hoffmann with the International Lyric Academy.

When she's not singing herself, she's helping other people sing as a voice teacher and music director. She has music directed such shows as Les Miserables with Cibola High School, Don't Pretend Your Normal Dinner Theater with Rumble Productions, and a Christmas concert with an adorable homeschool choir in Rio Rancho. During the pandemic lockdown, she was Operations Director for World's Harmony, an international musical collaboration, for which she also directed and film edited their music video. She was also stage manager for Opera West's production of Madama Butterfly in Santa Fe in 2021.

Luana used to be a competitive gymnast and even though her creaky body can't do those fancy things any more, she teaches other people how to do those fancy things and then judges them for it. She's been a competitive gymnastics coach since she was 14 and is a nationally accredited women's gymnastics judge with USA Gymnastics and NCAA. She also holds a BS in Astrophysics from New Mexico Tech because....why not...and worked for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and VLA before she decided to focus on her performing arts career.

Luana Berger

Director

[email protected]

Jordon Embree

Director

Jordon Embree studied at The Southwest University of Visual Arts, majoring in interior architecture and design with a minor in advertising and marketing. He gained years of experience in residential design as the head In-House Designer at a local custom home builder. He also gained further knowledge of graphic design and production as the production manager at a large format print shop. He has loved theatre since childhood and has found many creative outlets through volunteering with MTS over the years. Now, his focus is on improving and streamlining the processes we use in our theatre.

Jordon Embree

Director

[email protected]

Jenni Hipolito

Director

Jenni Hipólito

Director

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Danny McBride

Director

Danny loves service and has a strong passion for community building and volunteering. With a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Colorado State University, he has since focused his efforts towards the service of others, working as a firefighter in Los Alamos. While there, he developed a community involvement team that used off-duty firemen to assist senior citizens who lived alone. At his former church he coordinated a program that gave homeless families temporary housing, while assisting them in finding a permanent home and employment. He also has spent thousands of hours volunteering in other programs for the homeless, the developmentally disabled community, animal rescues, and youth sports programs.

Though relatively new to the theater community, Danny has been on stage in several of our shows here at MTS, and looks forward to helping our theater grow from behind the scenes as a director on the board. He is thankful for the support of his lovely wife of 22 years, Angi, and their three amazing children.

Danny McBride

Director

[email protected]

Raul Saenz

Director

Raul was born in El Paso, Tx but has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2010. He graduated from Cathedral High School in El Paso, TX and attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM where he majored with a bachelor’s in Business Administration in 2013. He is nearing completion of his Master’s in Business Administration from Western Governors University and wants to help Musical Theater Southwest expand and further their success. Currently, Raul is a program manager for the government bringing experience and professionalism. His admiration and dedication to music comes from having sung in high school in the All-Men’s Choir as a bass and his wife, Ashli Saenz, who is a professional opera singer. He is excited to be a part of MTS as the Amigos Committee Chair.

Raul Saenz

Director

[email protected]

Our Staff

Theresa Carson

Theatre Manager

Theresa A. Carson is our new Theatre Manager. Theresa is an Adjunct Instructor with the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance. She recently moved to Albuquerque from Durango, CO, where she was visiting Faculty in the Theatre Department at Fort Lewis College. Previously, she served as Artistic Director and Theatre Manager for the Durango Arts Center (DAC) for 5 years as well as Artistic Director of Sandstone Productions (Farmington, NM) for 6 years. She has taught at Minnesota State University Moorhead and San Juan College (Farmington, NM). She earned a B.A. from the University of Iowa in Theatre Arts: Acting and Communication Studies and a M.F.A. from the University of Utah in Theatre Arts: Directing. She has been with her wonderful partner for 18 years, and loves to cook, dance, hike, and read (long novels!).

Theresa Carson

Theatre Manager

[email protected]

Gwen Garger

Production Coordinator

Gwen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Adams State University, with emphases in Design & Technical Theatre, Creative Collaboration, and Performance. They have stage managed a wide variety of productions including traditional plays, devised work, and the Neo- Futurists’ Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Gwen has served as Light Designer for upwards of ten productions. Their production management experience is highlighted by their recent work as Production Stage Manager of Adams State University’s Theatre, as well as serving as Master Electrician for two years. Gwen is delighted to be continuing their career in production management as Production Coordinator with Musical Theatre Southwest.

Gwen Garger

Production Coordinator

[email protected]