Theater beyond the expected
Our mission is to bring our community productions it has yet to experience. Every show we stage is a rare experience, chosen with intention and made to stand apart. Above all we cultivate a creative home where every artist has the space to shine.
Meet our team
Charissa serves as Producer and Co-Founder at Marquee Theater Company. Her passion for musical theater started as a child and has grown over the years. She has studied dance and singing for most of her life. Her inspiration to start Marquee Theater Company came from a place of great love and passion for giving local performers the space to shine.
Charissa holds a degree in Marketing paired with a minor in Music. As a classically trained soprano and expressive dancer, Charissa is no stranger to the stage. A few of her favorite stage credits include: Dream Laurey in Oklahoma!, Irene Molloy and Ernestina in Hello, Dolly!, the White Witch in Narnia the Musical, Claire in Ordinary Days, and Ensemble/Bilhah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Having spent plenty of time on both sides of the footlights, Charissa understands the artistic heart of a show just as well as the behind-the-scenes hustle. She uses her business background to elevate Marquee’s vision, advocating for local talent, and building a theater that welcomes artists so they can have a space to shine.
Erin is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Marquee Theater Company, bringing a lifelong passion for the stage to every production. Erin’s love of theater began in childhood and has continued through community and professional stages as a performer, director, and educator.
Erin’s performing credits include Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, a role she first played her senior year of high school and later reprised as an adult; featured singer with the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra; Jane in Oh, Boy!; and Frankie, Miss Jessie, and Cassie in Quilters. She has also directed and co-directed productions, including a children’s production of Descendants.
Erin holds a BA in Musical Theatre and Opera and has spent years teaching voice, acting, and musical theatre. Her teaching and directing experience includes children’s theater productions and classes at a children’s performing arts school. She loves helping young performers build confidence, develop their skills, and find their own voice.
Co-founding Marquee Theater Company was a natural next step: a chance to build a place where that same love of performance, storytelling, and growth could be shared with the whole community.