Taylor Knuppel, Artistic Director
Taylor Knuppel (Mrs. K) serves as the Artistic Director & is one of the founders of Trussville Children’s Theater. She has taught music in all forms (general music, theater, choir, etc) for 5 years. Taylor graduated from the University of Alabama in May 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Music Education. Other certifications & credits include Orff-Schulwerk Level I (2021) & II (2022) certificates, Alabama Music Educators’ Association Elementary Festival Director (2023-2024), & Musical Director for “Seussical the Musical” at the Actor’s Charitable Theater (2018). In her free time, Mrs. K likes to spend time with her husband, Mr. K, & their daughter, Emerson Jo (“JoJo” - 3).
Ben Short, Board Chair
Erin Piper, Board Secretary
Board of Directors
Mitchell Knuppel, Executive Director
Mitchell Knuppel serves as the Executive Director & is one of the founders of Trussville Children’s Theater. He is currently a software engineer for Southern Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from The University of Alabama as well as a Master of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Auburn University. Additionally, he is pursuing his Master of Business Administration degree at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Mitchell was heavily involved in the arts throughout school, participating in both state and national level competitions.
Natalie Johnson, Board Member
Hunter Birdyshaw, Board Vice Chair
Mandi Adams, Board Treasurer
Amber Cooper, Board Member
Heather Cates, Board Member
TCT Staff
Heather Sims, Studio Manager
Heather Sims (Ms. Sims) serves as the Studio Manager at Trussville Children’s Theater. Heather has worked with children in various capacities for 17 years. Music and theater is a big passion for her starting back in middle school band and then onto playing in the high school Symphonic, marching and jazz bands as well as in the orchestra for several different musicals. She has served as Stage Manager in “Pirates the Musical” and “Willy Wonka Kids” at Paine Elementary School. Heather loves watching the shows come together and seeing the children have a blast on stage and off. She loves seeing the bonds formed within the cast and is very excited to see the great things that TCT will achieve in our community.
Addie Hendricks, Choreographer
Addie Hendricks is a dedicated dance instructor, choreographer, and performer with a lifelong passion for the art of movement. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, but her true calling has always been in dance.
With 26 years of dance performance experience, Addie spent eight seasons with Alabama Ballet, where she performed in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, including the coveted lead role of Marie. Her love for dance extends beyond the stage, as she has spent the past eight years sharing her expertise through instruction and choreography at Miss Kelley’s School of Dance, specializing in tap, jazz, ballet, and lyrical.
In addition to her work at Miss Kelley’s, Addie has dedicated five years to choreographing for the Hewitt-Trussville Middle School dance team, helping young dancers refine their technique and stage presence. She was also the choreographer for TCT’s production of Matilda & Disney’s “The Little Mermaid JR,” bringing her creative vision to the world of musical theatre.
When she’s not dancing, Addie cherishes time spent traveling with her husband, Kerry, and their two children, Sawyer (6) and JJ (4).
Lawson Lowe, Rising Star Director & Class Instructor
Lawson Cribb (Mrs. Lowe) is the Director of our Rising Star Series & is also a class instructor at Trussville Children’s Theater. She’s also a kindergarten teacher at Paine Elementary. She loves teaching, and loves to combining the arts with her passion for teaching! She has participated in musical theater programs since she was 13 years old & started out studying musical theater at Samford University. Lawson is excited for the many opportunities through TCT!
Carrigan Myers, Acting & Voice Instructor
Carrigan Myers (Mrs. Carrigan) studied Musical Theatre at the University of Montevallo for 3 years. She has been doing shows since she was 15, but can now be found performing at Birmingham Children’s Theater. Some of her past credits include Wendy in Peter Pan, Lucille in Junie B. Jones The Musical, and Duck in Peter and the Wolf. She is so excited to be a part of TCT!