Meet The Team

Michael Temple

For Michael, community theater in Trafford is not just a place for his passion for acting; it is a family affair. Michael has been on our stage numerous times and has embraced every new role in which he has been cast — and not all involving acting. In addition to being on stage with his daughter Lexi, (and wife Ashley backstage somewhere) and recently on TTF's MainStage, Michael is often found helping out with the box office and book raffles in the lobby. He has also dipped his toe in assistant directing, and now will be directing his first KidWorks show, with a little help from his friends.

Sarah Bender

Sarah paints and designs sets, creates the program for each show, and is responsible for the theatre’s graphic design. During the day, she works in marketing at Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, where she writes news stories and helps with social media, the newsletter, and events. She has also worked with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and a literary agent who publishes middle grade and YA fiction. In Trafford, she has co-directed several shows, including Annie Jr. and The Jungle Book Jr. (some of TTF’s largest summer camps to date!) and also has experience teaching a variety of different art lessons and workshops. Her favorite thing about community theater is her amazingly talented paint crew!

Theresa Ross

Theresa has been involved in more than a dozen theatre productions over the last 5 years. She has run lights/sound for multiple children’s shows and camps. She has also stage managed a show and a KidWorks camp at TTF, as well as assisted with painting sets for many shows. When not backstage or in the booth, Theresa works as a Physical Therapist, is involved in her school’s PTO, and in the Trafford Middle School Drama Club. One of her favorite aspects of being involved with community and children’s theatre is the shared pride that forms when all the pieces of a show finally come together!

Allisha Zeman

Allisha’s love of theatre started way back in high school and continues to be a passion today. She can be found volunteering for the Trafford Performing Arts Center in a plethora of different ways! She has been on our stage side by side with her daughter, has run sound in the booth (including microphones for Beetlejuice!), volunteered as assistant stage manager, helped with front of house, and done whatever is needed to make productions successful. When not at the theatre, Allisha works full time for Westmoreland Community Action, another nonprofit that strengthens communities and families to reduce poverty.

Josette Gordon

Josi has been a part of local community theater for over a decade and has stage managed, and directed for both adult and children’s shows. She has been doing box office since the time of paper tickets and paper seating charts. Her day job as an educator as well as her volunteer work allows for connections to Duquesne University and the Foster Love project to name just a few. She has directed at other theaters as well, giving her a wide base of experiences to draw from. Fun fact: A play she wrote was performed at the Theatre Factory and has been copyrighted at the Library of Congress.

Angela Bender

After running TTF’s KidWorks program for 10 years, Angela has become an expert at all things children’s theatre. Scheduling, show selection, costuming, photography — she does it all and then some, and is particularly gifted at those many invisible, thankless jobs that set everything else in motion. Previously, she ran the Bushy Run Service Unit of the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, and has also had numerous roles with local PTOs, other community theaters, and the Penn-Trafford Band Parent Association. Children’s theater is near and dear to her heart because of all it has done for her children over the last two decades — and now she herself has become the heart of TPAC's program. It wouldn’t exist without her.

Beth Minda

Beth has been the choir director at Springdale Jr-Sr High School for 25 years and has directed and/or music directed more than 30 shows there. Here in Trafford, she has music directed and acted in many adult and children’s shows, including musicals and summer camps. You can often find Beth in the lobby helping out with box office and making sure you find your seat easily! In addition, she served as Business Manager for The Theatre Factory, helping keep the lights on. Fun fact: Beth is a grandma and loves spending time with her beautiful grandbabies!

Dan Shaffer

Dan was a part of the Theatre Factory since day one. He has directed and acted in more shows than you can even imagine. He has also been active at other local theatres throughout the year, including Apple Hill and GCT. His most recent role was as the official builder of all KidWorks sets. Dan has directed several shows at KidWorks, and we often also find him on stage in a disco suit or Bermuda shorts taking on some really fun roles. Never afraid to step up for whatever is needed, Dan is an integral part of what we do & how we do it and his family is right there with him!

Kat Shaffer

Kat holds a BA in Theatre Performance and Scenic Design from Seton Hill University. She has been doing theatre in the Pittsburgh area for longer than she's willing to admit. Some of her favorite projects include My Way: a Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and of course Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (She is known to be a lifelong Alice in Wonderlands groupie!) Kat can be found directing, stage managing, ushering or just hanging around the theater at any given time. Her entire family has made this community theatre home.

Ashley Temple

Ashley is a lifelong theatre lover whose journey has happily shifted from occasionally being onstage to thriving behind the scenes. With over 15 years of experience in community and educational theatre, she has served in a variety of leadership roles including stage management, crew coordination, and box office operations—always ready to jump in wherever she’s needed to help bring a production to life. As a certified teacher, Ashley enjoys working with children and student productions. She believes theatre is one of the most powerful places for young people to grow in confidence, creativity, responsibility, and teamwork. Watching students discover their voices—both onstage and off—is what keeps her coming back show after show. When she’s not calling cues or organizing backstage chaos, you can usually find her cheering from the wings, supporting fellow volunteers, and soaking in the joy that live theatre brings to her family and community.