PROGRAM Staff
John Middleton-Cox - Executive Director
John Middleton-Cox has a wide range of musical theatre experiences. As an artistic director, he has directed HAIRSPRAY, KISS ME KATE, BEAUTY & THE BEAST, WIZARD OF OZ, GUYS & DOLLS, BYE BYE BIRDIE, WEST SIDE STORY, SOUND OF MUSIC, EVITA, FAME, FOOTLOOSE, and TITANIC. As a professional musician, he sings, conducts, composes, arranges, teaches and accompanies. He is a trained tenor having studied opera at the Boston Conservatory. He has sung in and around Boston in professional theatres, operas, and churches including Jordan Hall, Boston Center for the Arts, The Emerson Majestic, and The Old North Church. Currently, he is in charge of the Burlington Music Department. As a professional pianist, he has played for SpeakEasy Stage Company and Lyric Stage of Boston and many private functions, including the Wedding Cake House. John has worked with Broadway performers and won awards for Outstanding Musical Direction. He has music directed at the Walnut Hill Summer Theatre, Wachusett Theatre, Middlesex Summer School of the Arts, debut DAVID, THE MUSICAL, Merrimack College and Pentucket Players. Some of his favorite shows have been TITANIC, CAROUSEL and PETER PAN. As a composer, John music directed and co-produced his composition, THE BIG TIME. John has arranged music for the Thayer Symphony Orchestra.
Erin Lane - Workshop Director
Erin received her Bachelor's Degee in Music Education from The University of Maine, Orono and her Master's Degree in Music Education from UMass Lowell. Erin has taught general music for grades K-8 and directed choruses at the Elementary, Middle and High School level. Currently, Erin teaches at Innovation Academy in Tyngsboro where she leads the High School and Middle School Choruses. She is also a Youth Choir Director at North Parish Church in North Andover where she resides with her family. Erin joined the BEST workshop staff in 2013 and looks forward to working with the staff and students again this summer.
Designers and Production Staff
Peter Waldron - Scenic Designer & Technical Director
Peter Waldron has designed the sets for BHS’s LES MISERABLES, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, WIZARD OF OZ, TITANIC, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and KISS ME KATE as well as all of the past seasons of BEST. Peter has been designing scenery and lighting for over 25 years, and was a Professor of Theatre at Merrimack College. He has earned a BFA in Theatre from the University of Texas, Austin, an MFA from NYU in Theater Design, and an MA in Arts Administration from Goucher College. Prior to Merrimack College, he was a professor at Bradford College and resident designer at The Evergreen State College and at Reed College. He also designs for the Boston Conservatory, Watertown Children's Theatre, and other theaters in the Boston area. His scenery for "I Hate Hamlet" at StageWest won a best design award. He was a founding member of Artists Repertory Theater in Portland,OR, and he has helped to create several non-profit arts organizations that continue to flourish.
Counselors
Our Senior and Junior Counselors are skilled high school and college students who have a talent for mentoring and a passion for education and theatre. All of our Counselors have distinguished themselves in some area of theatre and performing arts, whether performance or production. They provide support to the teaching staff, help run rehearsals, and make BEST a fun place for the students to go each day!
