Our Staff

Kelly Haas was born and raised in southern California and recently moved to the Asheville area. She studied Sociology in college at UCSD and then earned her Masters degree in Film at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. While in California, one of her four children became very interested in musical theater and joined a junior theater company, which she absolutely adored. She began to land lead roles at the age of six and spread her wings into community theater as well, but then everything came to a grinding halt when covid shut down musical theater across the globe. As a mother of a gifted actor without a stage to perform, she decided ENOUGH was enough and set out to create an amazing musical theater program for those who have been excluded over the past two years. She hopes that the program will morph over time into an unparalleled performing arts space, with informative classes and extraordinary summer camps run by experts in various fields. As Kelly often does, she also threw herself head-first into making the Broadway-inspired costumes/props and sets for shows such as Seussical Jr., Aladdin Jr., Willy Wonka Jr., Frozen Jr., Matilda the Musical (twice) and will bring her experience to good use at AJT!

Erin Roberts has dedicated her life to uplifting children. She has worked in educational and community theater since childhood and remains passionate about the arts. She has worked on many productions, including Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof, Bye Bye Birdie, Jesus Christ Superstar, Damn Yankees, Godspell, Once on This Island, Sound of Music and others. She spent many years in the world of competitive dance, winning countless 1st and 2nd place awards at the national level. As a high schooler, she won the Triple Threat award from the esteemed Syracuse Stage Summer High School for the Performing Arts program. The friendships and learning experiences gained throughout all of this have stuck with Erin for life. She is excited to create a space for today’s children to feel this same sense of joy, belonging, and creative expression.

Melena began playing piano at the age of eight. She served as an accompanist for her school’s choirs in middle school and began studying voice at age 13. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and Piano Performance from Mars Hill University, and did her Master’s Degree work at The Ohio State University in Community and Educational Leadership. She has spent the last 20 years as a lessons instructor and professional musician. She joined AJT as the Music Director for Finding Nemo JR and The Wizard of Oz: Young Performers Edition. Her true passion is helping the next generation of young artists come into their own and discover the magical world of musical theater.

Jordan began her involvement with AJT with Finding Nemo Jr as a parent volunteer, with a bossy streak. With The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition, Jordan was dubbed “Assistant to the Directors”, performing a myriad of administrative tasks, errand running, coordinating volunteers, creating spreadsheets and communication threads galore! With Frozen Jr Jordan has stepped into the role of Stage Manager, brushing off knowledge and experience from high school and church theater. Jordan enjoys being a part of the magic that is AJT, watching the kids grow throughout the performances and being a part of her son’s theater experience.

Jennifer Montgomery joined the AJT team as Assistant to the Set Designer. Several productions later, she is honored to step into the role of Set Designer for Frozen JR. A local mother, artist, herbalist, homesteader, and doula, she is a “Jen of all trades”. With a special interest in design coupled with a passion for sustainable creativity, Jennifer focuses on creating versatile, up-cycled, and captivating set pieces that pull the audience into the story on stage. The part of set design she treasures the most is the joy and excitement of AJT’s junior actors when they see the world they have been rehearsing come to life!

Em Grimes is a vocalist, dancer, and multi-musician with a BA in Music and Culture from Arizona State University. Em is a member of the Tech Team at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts and has been a production assistant for NC Stage Company’s production of “Witch” and “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help” this season. Em has performed original solo compositions in small venues throughout the country and performed in ensembles at Arizona’s Gammage Auditorium and the Diana Wortham Theatre.

Geoff Roberts is excited and pleased to serve as Stage Crew Coordinator for Asheville Junior Theater. His professional life is dedicated to education; he has served his communities as a teacher for 1-12th grades for the last 19 years. He has high expectations for his students and loves that the culture at AJT holds children to similar standards and encourages them to strive for excellence. He was thrust into the world of musical theater by his wife, Erin, and all of his children who have been part of AJT since its inception… Now he can’t imagine life any other way! He feels proud of every production and loves being part of the ‘behind the scenes’ scene.