ABOUT NEW MOON THEATRE COMPANY
New Moon Theatre Company was originally formed in 2004, and since then, New Moon has cemented its place in the Memphis community as the theatre company where you can catch unique shows you won't catch anywhere else in town. Acclaimed productions include King Lear, Haint, Killer Joe, Eurydice, Lizzie, and Shockheaded Peter.
New Moon Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Gene Elliott
Artistic Director
Board Member since 2006
Gene has always been attracted to the strange and bizarre and quickly found a home with New Moon! He’s very proud of the productions produced here and can’t wait to sink his teeth into the next show! Some roles Gene has appeared in several productions of ours including The Moors as the Mastiff, The Ghost in Hamlet, J.D. in The Rainmaker, Cornwall in King Lear, and the sheriff in Trip to Bountiful. He has also directed many productions in for New Moon including Quills, Buried Child, Frankenstein, Bug, ‘Night Mother, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and The Maids. Gene also serves on the executive board of Theatreworks.
Melissa Andrews
Board Member since 2016
Melissa Andrews is a higher ed administrator by day, a freelance lighting designer and stage manager by night, a very part-time graduate student in data science, and the McCoy Theatre Coordinator at Rhodes College. She is patiently supported in her endeavors by her loving husband and a menagerie of rescued pets.
Kevin Cochran
Board Member since 2022
Kevin has spent time acting for Gamut Theatre Group (Harrisburg, PA) and Hampstead Stage Company (Center Barnstead, NH), as well as directing for Theatre Memphis, Germantown Community Theatre, and New Moon Theatre Company, locally, and is excited to join the Board of Directors! For New Moon, Kevin has directed productions of Shockheaded Peter (Ostrander Nomination for Best Direction of a Musical), The Pillowman, and Killer Joe, as well as appearing onstage in our production of 'Art'. Other favorite acting credits include Twelfth Night, The Normal Heart, and The Physicists (Ostrander Award for Supporting Actor in a Drama).
Jeff Kirwan
Board Member since 2018
After a 20+ year absence from theatre, Jeff returned to the stage in 2017 as Tilden in New Moon’s production of Buried Child. After performing in all three New Moon productions of the 2017-2018 season (Buried Child, Eurydice, Othello), he joined the Board of Directors in 2018. His other New Moon credits include Dr. Royer-Collard in Quills, Assistant Director on Quills and Shockheaded Peter, and Director on Art. Before joining the New Moon Board, Jeff served two terms as Treasurer of the Tennessee Equality Project. During daylight hours Jeff is employed as the Manager of Application Development for a major logistics company.
Chris Sterling
Board Member since 2013
Chris has designed the sets for Shockheaded Peter, Pillowman, Lizzie, Buried Child, Killer Joe, Haint (Ostrander winner for Best Set Design), Bug and The Rainmaker. He has been seen on several local stages over the years, and for New Moon he has appeared in their production of The Rainmaker. He has also appeared in The Secret Garden, Newsies, and The Importance of Being Earnest at Theatre Memphis; The Hollow and The Mousetrap at GCT.
Mystie Watson
Board Member since 2017
Arriving in Memphis in 2005, Mystie took a break from the stage, but soon searched it out again to spend her free time acting like a Stage Manager. Mystie currently also serves as the New Moon board secretary and production stage manager. Her first love is musical theatre and her musical credits with New Moon include being the Assistant Director and Stage Manager for New Moon's 2022 fall production of Evil Dead: The Musical, Shockheaded Peter in 2021, and New Moon’s first-ever produced musical in 2019, Lizzie. Mystie has also been the Producer and Cast Leader/Director of the Rocky Horror Memphis group Absent Friends which has been running since 2010. Whether she is acting, directing, stage managing, or even creating costumes, she will cherish all the memories and take them all with her wherever she may end up.
