Class of 2015 
B.S. in Biology & Geology 



What is your favorite memory/show/experience with the Chantilly H.S. Drama Department?

I have to say that the final day of each New York trip, where everyone wakes up completely exhausted and heads down to Central Park to play clumps by the fountain, was one of my favorite things to do every year. There's something so delightful about doing something so ridiculous and joy-oriented in a public space- it makes it more enjoyable both for us as players and for people who are just going about their day, I think.

How do you think taking theatre arts has helped you with your current job? 

I currently am working on managing the back side of college-level STEM labs, and I've found that it's almost just like stage management. I work with all kinds of crazy personalities, manage inventory, and keep things running on the clock and correctly while labs like fetal pig dissections and fossil identifications are happening around me. It's a ton of logistics and organization that happens in real time, and I wouldn't have had those skills without my stage management experience in high school, which was really my first introduction to that particular brand of organization.

What was your favorite show that you worked on at Chantilly H.S. and why?

I loved working on Day Six for the VHSL competition. Something about the high pressure nature of travel, a time crunch, and the structure of rules of the competition really brings out the best in people. It can really narrow people's focus and it was always so exciting to see people put their game faces on. Especially for a comedy show like Day Six, I think it really drove my friends and fellow actors to up the ante in terms of humor, which audiences tend to reward. Being in a competition environment really helps elevate a show's energy level, which is exhilarating.

Additional thoughts...
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I think people may not realize how important theater skills can be in all kinds of environments. In my current job I'm known as the "fix it" person- I handle all kinds of problems from all kinds of people every day. My managers and the professors I work for really appreciate that about me- and it's a theater skill through and through. The adaptability I have is entirely due to my experience backstage and onstage- and I wouldn't have had those skills without Mr. Monk and Ms. Spicer.

Class of 2017
Theatre Arts Major & Psychology Minor at Virginia Tech 

Sydney as Harriet Stanley in
​'The Man Who Came to Dinner' 

Class of 2017
Theatre Major at Radford University 

What advice would you pass down to current HS Theatre Students?
I would say to never give up, even if it seems like there are not enough opportunities or things are pulling you down. Don’t lose that passion and drive to get better. Having the motivation and love for something as amazing as theatre is the best feeling in the world and to be able to do it everyday with talented and genuine people is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

What is your favorite memory/show with the Chantilly HS Theatre Department? 
My favorite memory was coming to theatre class and sitting in Ms. Spicer's office with a few other friends just talking and goofing around to start out the morning the right way. It was always fun to have that interaction with everyone because we were/still are one big family.

How would you describe your college experience as a Theatre Arts major? 
It’s very different in college. As a performance focus I am required to audition for every show. Nobody likes auditioning so it’s kind of ugh. But in the end it’s giving me the experience I need in order to be successful later in life. My schedule purely depends on what i have going on in my classes or rehearsals so i have to dictate everything else around that. As well as being in a fraternity. All of the shows i have been in at Radford have been so much fun and i have learned so much from each of them.

What was your favorite show that you performed in at Chantilly High School? 
My favorite show at Chantilly was Peter and the Starcatcher. It was an amazing experience to play Ted because he was such fun and outgoing kid to play. The rehearsal process was probably the most fun i had on a show in high school and i also got to work with my best friends.
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Class of 2018
Design Student at Virginia Commonwealth University

What advice would you pass down to current HS Theatre Students?
Talk to everyone you can, make friends, be nice. You never know who is going to help you through the door, and return the favor! Help others, in a collaborative field (that's really REALLY small) being a good person is just as or more important than your talent!

What was your favorite show that you worked on at Chantilly H.S. and why?
My favorite show was Millie! Being able to choreograph a show was a huge challenge but it was the most rewarding experience being able to see it come together and knowing that I helped create something really fun!

Feel free to add anything else here you think is important that I have missed!
Techies, don't forget how important you are! No show would look good or happen without us! If you're interested in design DRAW EVERY DAY! look at art, practice your research skills, send your resume out, email every theatre you know of and ask if you can get onto their overhire list! It's really hard if you're used to being backstage to put yourself out there, but do it!! And make as many actor friends as you can because you can help each other work on more shows!

Claire Fogel 
Class of 2005 
Stage Management 

What advice would you pass down to current theatre students? 
Learn the basics of every department. You may find something new you love, and it’s always good to be well rounded (especially on the tech side). Everyone should know how to focus a light, fix a small tear in a costume, etc.

What is your favorite memory from the Chantilly HS Theatre Department? 
I didn’t technically graduate from CHS, but I was given an honorary senior award when I left and was welcomed back to the awards when my friends were graduating. CHS drama showed me my passion!! I wouldn’t be where I am now without Ms. Spicer and Mr Monk telling me to stage manage shows. Also my nickname was fun, "Chips"!!

What are your daily struggles and success stories as a Stage Manager? 
So far, I have worked on traditional theatre and events. My daily schedule can really change from show to show, but I’m almost always in rehearsal. One of the things I hadn’t really thought about until I was close to graduating college was the fact that you’re always on the job hunt when you’re freelancing in theatre. Jobs last 3-4 months, and then you’re onto the next. It keeps you on your toes and forces you to keep up with updating resumes/portfolios. Each show comes with its own successes and struggles, it’s part of the fun of live theatre! One thing that kinda sucks is that there will always be people who don’t do their job well or who take their frustrations out on you. Theatre is a people business and so much of what I’ve been learning outside of college is about managing different personality types.

What was your favorite show that you worked on with the Chantilly Theatre Department?
My favorite show was, 'Evita.' It was my first show as an ASM and I loved the experience. It was an absolutely beautiful show and I remember feeling so honored that I got to be a part of it. I still talk about it and say it was the most beautiful show I worked on in high school!

Marley (Monk) Giggey 
Class of 2006 
Stage Manager 
​Currently obtaining MFA in Stage Management

What advice would you give to current theatre students? 
Your attitude and work ethic will be more valuable to you than almost anything else. Do you show up on time, take initiative, say "please" and "thank you", empty the trashcan without being asked to? Those are the things that lead you to get hired or cast a second time and beyond. When you walk in the door day one of college NEVER assume you know more than anyone else, especially your fellow freshmen, you are there to learn and work even if it means reviewing something you already know take it all in and then be the best you can. If it's old hat then there's no reason you shouldn't excel.

What is your favorite show memory from Chantilly High School? 
Choreographing the scenic transitions for the 2006 production of Auntie Mame! It was a massive set and I was very proud to have made sure each and every one of those transitions had as much thought and vision as the scenes in the play. It certainly has come in handy as that has been a part of my professional life for over 10 years now.

What have been some of your most interesting adventures as a Stage Manager? 
I worked in the DC Theatre professional theatre community for 9 years before recently starting grad school to earn my MFA so that I can teach stage management at the university level! I've worked on a lot of things from venue management, to musicals, devised movement pieces, jazz at the Kennedy Center, a cat circus, and a lot of things in between! I spent five seasons as the resident stage manager for a physical theatre company which is never what I would have guessed leaving Chantilly!

Candice Shedd-Thompson 
Class of 2010
Actress 

How would you best describe your life as a performer? 

This could honestly be a thesis paper. It's as hard as everyone says but also it isn't. It's not linear at all and yet, there is a more linear path to "success" than outsiders realize.
Some years will be wildly successful, and other years you'll get called in for big things again and again and book none of them. You must be your biggest advocate. No one will reach out to someone they don't know and offer them a job. You must make them remember you by CONSTANTLY (and I do mean constantly) submitting your materials (headshot/resume), by updating your performance materials on youtube, by updating your website, and most importantly, by going out and auditioning.
You cannot book a job if they don't even know who you are. There are so many days where I think to myself "what are you doing you crazy person why have you chosen this career," and other days where it all makes sense.
You're allowed to have days of doubt, and you're also allowed to have your dreams change. I have friends who completed their musical theatre degree in college and now don't use it. They changed. Their dreams and life plan and desires changed. It happens. If you wake up one day after years of pounding pavement and realize you'd rather have a stable job with good health insurance, literally NO ONE will blame you or call you a failure. Things I've worked on: cruise ships as a singer, theme park, summer stock, regional theatre at both union and non-union houses. Degree is in Musical Theatre from JMU.
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What was your favorite show that you worked on at Chantilly H.S. and why? 

Bat Boy! Playing a character that I was wildly too young for and being exposed to new material that I wouldn't have found on my own.


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Nicole Paladeua
Class of 2013 
Works in Marketing for the Kennedy Center 

What is your favorite memory with the Chantilly Theatre Department? 

Is this a trick question? I'm supposed to choose ONE? I'd have to say my favorite thing is the friends I made - most of us are still close today, 6 years after graduating. We all grew up together in CHS Drama and learned how to treat people with respect, work hard, and not take each other too seriously. There have been a couple times when we have reflected on how crazy it was that we were all constantly in competition with each other, but still supported one another and just had fun.

How do use the skill sets you learned with Chantilly Theatre in your current job at the Kennedy Center? 

I've worked at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for almost two years, first in fundraising, and now in marketing. I've learned a lot about what happens "behind the curtain," if you will. SO many factors go into making a show come to life: the actors, production, theater managers, fundraising to actually pay for the show, marketing so people know the show is happening, finance, concessions, IT, ushers, data analysts so we can better understand our audience, etc. There are so many players in the process, and something that I wish I would've known in high school is that you don't have to be a performer to be involved with the performing arts!

What advice would you give to current high school theatre students? 

I did not go to a performing arts school (University of Mary Washington, Class of 2017) or major in performing arts (majored in historic preservation & french), but I stayed involved with the arts by taking some theater classes and joining the dance company on campus.
My advice would be to just KEEP doing it! I did not want to major in theater or dance, but felt a little empty without them after having been so heavily involved with both my whole life.

The Chantilly H.S. Theatre Department was founded in 1974 by director Ms. Elaine Wilson and over the past 45 years, we have had thousands of incredible actors and technicians create memories on our stage. 
We are thrilled to follow up with all of our alumni as they share their stories of how high school theatre lead them to their current college majors, careers and the invaluable skill sets they learned and implement in their current profession.  ​