Monday Night Instructors
Brady Craddock – Acting 101: 8 to 10 (A)
Catherine Blevins – Acting 101: 11 and Up
Taylor Wingerter – Improv 101: 8-10 & Improv 101: 11 and Up
Tuesday Night Instructors
Ari Dotson – Stagecraft: Costume Design
Taylor Wingate – Acting 202: 8 to 10
Amelia McCabe – Acting 101: 8 to 10 (B)
Wednesday Night Instructors
Amelia McCabe – Page to Stage: Spooky Spectacular
Lily Segars – Page to Stage: Spooky Spectacular
Friday Night Instructors
Amelia McCabe – Tiny Thespians: Broadway Babies
Amanda Hammer – Tiny Thespians: Broadway Babies
Brady grew up in rural West Tennessee, where he spent his childhood and adolescence performing in local community theatre productions. He moved to Knoxville in 2017 to attend the University of Tennessee, where he graduated with his B.A. in Theatre in 2021. He has acted in productions at various theaters in the Knoxville area and now enjoys sharing his passion for the performing arts as an instructor at Knoxville Children’s Theatre, where he encourages students to explore creativity, confidence, and collaboration through storytelling.
Taylor Wingerter is a lifelong comedienne; improvising since 2007, and instructing since 2010. She taught in Denver, Colorado, at the Bovine Metropolis Theater (closed in 2020) and then at Rise Comedy through 2022. Taylor also trained at the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. She is excited to teach improv in Knoxville at Manatee Vanity Improv and Knoxville Children’s Theatre. You can see her performing with Pretend Friends Improv and Fish Sticks Comedy locally and nationally.
Ariana Dotson (Costume Design Instructor) is thrilled to be working with Knoxville Children’s Theatre for the first time! A proud Knoxville native, Ariana’s love for theatre began at Bearden High School, where she discovered a passion for art and prop making. That creative spark led her to costume design, and in 2021 she earned her Associate of Fine Arts degree before graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s in Theatrical Technology and Design, specializing in Costume Design. Over the past few years, Ariana has contributed her talents to a variety of theatre companies, including Tennessee Stage Company, River & Rail Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, The WordPlayers, and Pellissippi State Community College. This year, she became the resident costume designer for The WordPlayers and premiered her second fashion collection at Fleurish, Knoxville’s only sustainable fashion show. Some of Ariana’s notable credits include SWEAT, Trouble in Mind, Twelfth Night, King Lear, HAIR, A Doll’s House, Silent Sky, and Freaky Friday. Outside the theatre, she enjoys spending time with her supportive family and pursuing her independent fashion design projects. Ariana extends her heartfelt thanks to her mentors at Clarence Brown Theatre for connecting her with KCT, and to her students for inspiring her daily and allowing her to share her craft with them.
Amanda studied Musical Theatre at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. She went on to train at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Michael Howard Studios and Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC. When she isn’t at KCT, she is creating magical musical experiences for Alexa devices at Amazon. You can often find her testing out new classroom material with her two own budding young performers: Bobby (4) and Peyton (6).
Lily Segars is thrilled to be joining the Knoxville Children’s Theatre instructing team. A longtime member of the KCT family, Lily’s journey with the theatre began at just six years old when she took her very first class, Page to Stage, in 2014. Since then, she has participated in more than twenty productions both on and off stage and has been deeply involved in nearly every class offered through the KCT Academy.
As the theatre’s first Academy Intern, Lily helped develop and expand the internship program to strengthen KCT’s educational mission and provide new opportunities for young artists. Currently a senior at West High School, Lily serves as Dance Captain for the school’s musical theatre program. Lily is honored to share her passion for performance, storytelling, and arts education with the next generation of KCT students in the very place where her own love for theatre began.
Taylor comes to us from Louisiana, where she served as the Education Coordinator and House Manager for the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts and the Class Coordinator for CYT Baton Rouge. Outside of the Columbia and CYT, she is a theatre artist and educator who has worked as a director, fight choreographer, actor, and hosted a wide range of workshops for various theatres in southeastern Louisiana. She has 4 and a half years of experience in the classroom teaching both English and Theatre. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Education from the Mississippi University for Women. She is thrilled to be a part of the KCT family!
