Wheaton Squier is a thespian farmer. He's deeply involved in theater and music arts, acting in dozens of plays in Rutland and Bennington counties, and singing as a core member of Northern and Village Harmony, the Washed Up Beulah Band and others. Having grown up with Theater in the Woods as an audience member, actor and director, he is very excited to be able to continue bringing this wonderful experience to the next generation of young actors. Wheaton is a firefighter on the Tinmouth squad and also has worked many fire seasons out west: his deep knowledge of the natural world and comfort in the woods is a boon to camp.
Meg Bouchard has been a professional actor since childhood, with credits on both coasts. From 2018-21 she was the Educational Director of Off The Hook, the educational outreach wing of Falconworks, based in Brooklyn (Community Theatre of the Year, The Village Voice, 2016). In that role, Meg conducted theater workshops, mentored young playwrights, and directed the student-created one-acts. As a boon from the universe, Meg jumped into our first camp in 2016 with all her heart and as a volunteer, teaching acting and clown work, and curating and co-directing the original play, The Unknown Tale. She moved full-time to Middletown Springs in 2017, the better to pursue Theater in the Woods' creative endeavors. She has directed the TITW Troupe in Our Town, Dancing at Lughnasa, and in several rounds of 10-Minute Plays.
Rainbow Squier is a veteran of Theater in the Woods plays at SolarFest for 15 years as an actor, costume designer, and singing between scenes. Music, art and theater play a big role in her life; sharing this passion with kids is a natural calling. Rainbow also co-directed and cooked for Garden Camp at the Tinmouth Elementary school from 2012-15. When she's not doing camp or acting, Rainbow is a landscaper and artist. She's excited to be a part of Theater in the Woods Camp where she can pass on the unique and enriching experience she grew up with. Her bubbly spirit and breadth of understanding of our world bring out the best in kids.
Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman has worked with hundreds of children in performance arts: as music teacher at Long Trail School for eleven years, director of homeschool and after-school choruses in Middletown Springs and Tinmouth, music director for musicals at Long Trail School and Mill River UHS, for many years as the choral elective teacher at Green Mountain Suzuki Institute in Rochester Vermont, and currently as the alto in the quartet Ah! Cappella for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra's Music-in-the-Schools program. Melissa directed the first four years of SolarFest Theater in the Woods plays. Melissa has extensive administrative experience: as co-executive director of SolarFest and later President of its board for many years, as SolarFest’s volunteer coordinator for 15 of its 20 years; as President of the board of Counterpoint for two years; as Chair of the Long Trail School’s Arts department for several years. She created and executed for four years a curriculum for Long Trail’s middle school students that incorporated teamwork, self-knowledge and connection to the woods, culminating in overnight stays at her home woods.
Her passion is to help young people build true connection to the natural world and to know themselves in it.
ANNOUNCING OUR ABSOLUTELY ABLE ASSISTANTS
Hakan Brosnan is back! Hakan was with us in 2018 and 2019, and we are super excited that he will be with both Bobcats and Wolves camps this year. He brings his amazing artistic ability in many mediums, his easy laugh, his perpetual sense of wonder and PLAY. Olivia Lane Returns! Since we started in 2016, we've had the immense fortune to have Live Lane, of Long Trail School and then University of the Arts, aid and abet all things from art table and intricate skin adornment to snack slinging to singing to improvising and most of all laughing.
They will be with us for Bobcats in 2023!
Malindi Chesnut-Tangerman Malindi is teacher and Emotional and Social Learning specialist at Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro. She holds a Florida State Teaching Certificate and brings her educational experience as an ESL and subject teacher for six years in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. She is well versed in theater and music and our camp, with acting and stage managing experience at SolarFest, Long Trail School, Hamilton College, and most recently stage managed our production of Dancing at Lughnasa..
Emma Luikart, This will be Emma’s fourth year with us as a (no longer junior) counselor. She brings a widening wealth of experience from theatrical productions at UVM back to her stomping grounds. She is our very able, imaginative, competent and kind assistant for Bears, Bobcats, and one week of Wolves.
Emma Weatherhoggis a para-educator in speech pathology, as well as assistant coach for varsity soccer, the middle school basketball coach and Ultimate Frisbee at Mill River UHS. She joined us in 2021 when it became clear that we needed a person to help with the Covid-19 daily intake and protocols, and we can't let her go!
We are fortunate to have several recent campers join us as junior counselors and counselors-in-training.
Theater in the Woods Vermont Co. is a 501(c)(3) organization 72 Sundog Lane, Middletown Springs, VT 05757 theaterinthewoodsvt@gmail.com 802-235-2050