Staff

Anne Wilson – Manager

Anne became the manager of the Colonial Arts Center in June of 2022. Her love for the arts and for performing has always been part of her life, but when she was eleven years old, her mother took her to a performance at the Old Brick Playhouse, a theatre in Elkins, WV with a program for school students in 6th-12th grade. This sparked a passion in Anne that she took and ran off with; she performed in every show the playhouse presented from the following year up until she graduated from Elkins High School.

One of her first jobs was with the OB Playhouse, Warner Brothers, and the Durbin Greenbrier Valley Railroad on The Polar Express as a dancing chef. After graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in theatre arts administration from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2019, she remained local to Buckhannon. Her favorite roles she has held before were with the internships she completed for her degree; she was a box office associate and social media intern for the outdoor drama Unto These Hills in Cherokee, NC and a marketing/box office associate for the New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire. Anne has held other positions during her time in Buckhannon, including a barista, a hotel front desk associate, and a bartender. In her free time, Anne really enjoys doing anything outdoors, especially exploring waterfalls.

Jakob Spruce – Fine Arts Facilitator (2022-2023)

Jakob is a theatre artist with experience in costuming, lighting, stage management, and set construction. He is also a trained actor of eight years, a trained dancer of six years, and a trained singer of three years. With an emphasis on restorative justice and theatrical intimacy practices, Jakob seeks to create safe and inclusive work environments to allow for positive, collaborative artistic expression.

In his time at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Jakob earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts (Tech/Design) with minors in Musical Theatre, Gender Studies, English, and Honors. Professionally, he has worked as a costume and lighting designer at Theatre West Virginia and on the wardrobe staff at The Glimmerglass Opera Festival. Currently, Jakob is pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing for the Screen & Stage at Point Park University and serves as the Fine Arts Facilitator for Upshur County Schools in WV.

Colonial Arts Center Board of Directors

John Waltz, Chair

Erika Kolenich, Vice Chair

Keith Buchanan, Fundraising Committee Chair

Alisa Lively, Programming Committee Chair

Randy Sanders