Our Team
MEET US
Haley Beech
Executive Director
Haley Edwards Beech serves as the Executive Director of The Green Room Community Theatre, having previously held the role of Marketing Director from 2017 to 2024. The Old Post Office Playhouse feels like “home” to her, as she spent countless hours nearby at her grandparents’ furniture store on the square. She fondly remembers walking the block to check Box 405 and collect the mail—sweet memories that continue to greet her each time she enters the building.
A proud Catawba County native, Haley graduated from Bandys High School in and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a minor in Music (Voice) from Meredith College. During her college years, she led worship and played guitar for the campus ministry, Cru, throughout all four years at Meredith and NCSU. Her passion for education has been evident in her volunteer work at Tuttle Elementary, where she served multiple years as PTO President and worked as a contracted tutor for three years.
Haley has been married to her husband, Jason, since 1999. The two met during a summer mission project with Campus Crusade for Christ in Branson, MO, and later served on staff with Cru in Wilmington, NC. Among her many roles, Haley cherishes being ‘Mama’ to their two sons, Landon and Gabriel. It was Gabriel’s involvement in a second-grade production at The Green Room that first drew Haley into the world of theatre—ultimately leading to her own debut in The Dixie Swim Club in 2016. Today, she leads the theatre with a deep sense of purpose and a heart rooted in community.
John David Brown III
Creative Director
John David Brown III is the Creative Director at The Green Room Community Theatre. With a background in Theatre Education, David started The Green Room’s Creative Works after-school drama program. He also cofounded The Green Room Summer Shakespeare Theatre Institute and is a founding member of The Green Bean Players. David has directed and co-directed many shows at The Green Room including Bye, Bye, Birdie, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Annie, and Beauty and the Beast. He is also a playwright (The Clockmaker’s Child, Isabella at the Circus, The Quirky Quest to Find the Unicorn’s Ukulele) and costume designer (MTA Award winner for Into The Woods 2012) David also designs the show posters at The Green Room and the quarterly newsletter.
Originally from Mount Olive, North Carolina, David has a degree in Theatre Education from Appalachian State University with an English endorsement and a concentration in elementary arts. He also has an associate’s degree in Graphic Design from Catawba Valley Community College. He has participated in the Shakespeare Lives program with North Carolina School of the Arts and the Keenan Institute through which he spent time studying at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
When he is not working at the theatre, David can be found in his art studio. He is a painter and illustrator. He paints whimsical storybook style pieces of art. He has also illustrated a children’s book No, No, Miss Kitty Kat by Michele McCreary and created a companion board game to his play The Quirky Quest to Find the Unicorn’s Ukulele.
Autumn Dagenhardt
Marketing and Communications Manager
Autumn is the Marketing and Communications Manager at The Green Room Community Theatre, where she handles all public-facing communications, including email campaigns, social media, press releases, and more. Her work ensures that the theatre’s message reaches and engages with the community.
Autumn has a long-standing connection to The Green Room, having grown up participating in their programs. She first fell in love with theater as a preteen at Camp Shakawaka, and her passion has only grown since then. Most recently, she performed as Margot in Legally Blonde at The Green Room.
Before joining the staff, Autumn earned her BS in Public Relations from Appalachian State University, where she served as Chapter President of PRSSA and worked as a Marketing and Communication Assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences. Her professional experience includes internships with Blumenthal Arts and Blue Ridge Energy, as well as a lead brand ambassador role with Boston Beer Company.
Autumn is proud to have the opportunity to give back to the theatre that shaped her, and she hopes to inspire others to find their own “home away from home” at The Green Room through her work.
Matthew Pedraza
Administrative Assistant
Matthew has a strong background in both IT and Marketing, blending technical expertise with creative problem-solving. He enjoys running sound at The Green Room Theatre, where every show carries its own special meaning.
Learning new programs and finding innovative ways to streamline workflow is one of his greatest passions. For Matthew, theatre is more than entertainment—it is a way of giving back to the community. He especially enjoys working with children and seeing their excitement come alive during shows, reminding him of the joy and wonder that theatre brings to people of all ages.
He sees The Green Room as a place where people can escape the real world, immerse themselves in excitement and adventure, and experience something truly meaningful. Blessed with the skills to contribute behind the scenes, Matthew takes pride in using his talents to support the arts and strengthen the community through the magic of theatre.
Ashley West-Davis
Education Director and Production Manager
Ashley West-Davis is the Education Director and Production Manager at The Green Room Community Theatre. Prior to joining the TGR family, she spent nearly a decade teaching collegiate voice. Ashley has taught for a number of institutions, including Lenoir-Rhyne University (where she currently serves as an adjunct professor), Winthrop University, ST-ARTS Academy, Texas Tech University, Coker Community Music Program, Jumpstart NYC, Oakbrook Elementary Performing Arts Club, GATEWAY (Gifted and Talented Education With Artistic Youth), and her own company, West-Davis Voice Studio.
In addition to teaching, Ashley has spent many years performing in everything from opera to contemporary musical theatre. Her love for the performing arts took her into roles behind the scenes as well, serving as Director, Music Director, Vocal Coach, and Stage Manager, to name a few. Professional highlights include Flora in La Traviata with Opera Carolina, Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show with Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, and Vocal Coach for the Off-Broadway premiere of Here There Be Dragons: A New Musical Quest, which ran at the Players Theatre in NYC in 2022. Favorite roles in community and educational theatre include Paulette (Legally Blonde), Miss Honey (Matilda), Mother Abbess (Sound of Music), Truly Scrumptious (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Wendla (Spring Awakening), Lucy (You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown), and Alice Beane (Titanic). Ashley has performed with The Green Room, Lincoln Theatre Guild, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, Opera Carolina, Palmetto Opera, Moonlight Musicals, Winthrop Opera Theatre, New York University Opera, The Village Playhouse, Operafestival di Roma, La Musica Lirica, Flowertown Players, and Manhattan Opera Studio, where she was a soloist in concerts at the National Opera Center and Carnegie Hall.
Ashley holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance from Texas Tech University, a Master of Music in Voice Performance from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Coker University. While not on stage, backstage, or in the classroom, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband Bill, her son Oliver, their corgis Tucker and Loki, and the newest West-Davis, a cat named Mabel.
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