Taking Flight Theatre Company

Shannon Khatcheressian (Artistic Director)

A founding member and President of 2nd Flight Productions Theatre Company. Shannon received her B.A. in Theatre Arts in 2001 from Virginia Tech and has been working as a theater teacher in Fairfax County for nine years along with teaching private acting/public speaking courses and holding an endorsement in speech.

Recent regional directing & choreography credits include, Aida (2FP), BatBoy:The Musical (2FP), Jesus Christ Superstar (2FP), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamCoat (2FP) and A New Brain (KAT-WATCH Nominee). Recent acting credits include: Anna in Boston Marriage (ESP-WATCH Nominee), Closer (2FP) and Evita (VTC). She also Produced Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (CCT/2FT) and bare: a pop opera (CCT/2FT).

Natalie V. Safley (Managing Director)

A founding member of the College Community Theatre (CCT), Natalie has directed over 30 productions throughout the Washington DC metro area. She holds a M.A. in Directing from Roosevelt University in Chicago, as well as a M.A. in Theatre Education and a B.A. in Theatre, both from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. During the day, she is a Professor of Communication Studies and Theatre at the NOVA Loudoun Campus, where she also serves as Assistant Dean.

Michael Schaaff (Communications Director)

Michael has worked on every Taking Flight show since the CCT and 2nd Flight Theatre Company merger. He joined the board after Flight of the Lawnchair Man in 2009.

Michael’s local stage credits include Alan in bare:a pop opera (CCT2FT); NASA Official in Flight of the Lawnchair Man (CCT2FT); Private Augenti in Passion (ESP); Trent in Six Degrees of Separation (CCT2FT); Reefer Zombie in Reefer Madness: The Musical (DS). Technical credits include Props/Running Crew for Elephant Man (CCT2FT); Props/Set Dressing for Hansel & Gretel (ESP:TFYA); ASM/Asst. Costumes for 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress (CCT2FT); Asst. Costumes for Flight of the Lawnchair Man (CCT2FT); Publicity/ASM for Six Degrees of Separation (CC2FT); Asst. Props for It’s A Wonderful Life (ESP:TFYA)

Ryan Khatcheressian (Director of Audience Development)

Ryan is a founding Member of 2nd Flight Productions and Taking Flight Theatre Company.

Local stage credits include Big Jack Preston in Flight of the Lawnchair Man (CCT2FT); Peter in bare, a pop opera (CCT2FT); Roger in A New Brain (KAT-WATCH nomination);Radames in Aida (2FP);Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man…(VTC); Bat Boy in Bat Boy:The Musical (2FP); Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar (2FP); Che in Evita (VTC-WATCH Recipient) and Jekyll/Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical (TAP-WATCH nomination).

Matthew Randall (Season Director)

Matthew has directed La Bete, Harvey, Bat Boy: The Musical (with Natalie V. Safley), Fifth of July and Glengarry Glen Ross for CCT. He has also directed Reefer Madness: The Musical and The House of Blue Leaves for Dominion Stage.

Local acting roles include Flanders Kittredge in Six Degrees of Separation (CCT2FT), Sterling in Jeffrey (DS), Tartuffe in Tartuffe (Vpstart Crow), Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Vpstart Crow), Norman in The Dresser (PCP, WATCH Outstanding Actor nominee), half the cast of Greater Tuna (ESP), Selsden in Noises Off (2FP), Dale Harding in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (CCT), Captain Keller in The Miracle Worker (TAP), Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter (CCT), twins John and James Jekyll in Love! Valour! Compassion! (ESP, WATCH Outstanding Actor nominee), and Dr. Sloper in The Heiress (LTA).

Matthew serves on the boards of Taking Flight, Dominion Stage, and WATCH. Matthew is a photographer (www.allrand.com), and teaches photography classes through NOVA Loudoun’s Office of Continuing Education, and at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Erin Anderson King (Secretary)

Local stage credits include: Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (TF); Kitty in Six Degrees of Separation (CCT2FT); Georgeanne in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (CCT2FT); Reggie in Some Girl(s) (2FP); Sunny in The Last Night of Ballyhoo (RCP); Brooke/Vicki in Noises Off! (2FP). In what little spare time her theatre schedule allows, Erin enjoys pole dancing at DivaFit, knitting, cooking, and Hokie football. She is also an aspiring novelist.

Kevin King (Finance Director)

Kevin began his amateur theatrical career running a spotlight for his middle school’s production of Oliver. Since then he has designed sets and/or lighting for over 30 productions. Some of his favorite scenic designs include: Flight of the Lawnchair Man (CCT2FT), Tick! Tick! Boom! (ESP), bare: a pop opera (CCT2FT), and Batboy: The Musical (2FP). Some of his favorite lighting designs include Batboy: The Musical (2FP) and Jesus Christ Superstar (2FP).

Kevin purposefully stays behind the scenes after his last stage appearance, which saw him dancing in tights in Once Upon a Mattress. Kevin graduated from Virginia Tech in 2004 with a degree in Systems Engineering and ended up the Finance Director because he is the only Artistic Team member that can do math.

Colleen Stock (Production Manager)

Colleen’s local Stage Managing credits include Reefer Madness (Dominion Stage) Flight of the Lawnchair Man, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, and bare: a pop opera (CCT2FT), Christmas Carol (Vpstart Crow). She served as the company Stage Manager for the Downtown Cabaret Children’s Theatre (Bridgeport, CT), Production Stage Manager for the Jekyll Island Musical Theatre Festival (Jekyll Island GA), Stage Manager for Surflight Theatre (Beach Haven, NJ) and as Stage Manager for Le Pas D’Acier at Princeton University (Princeton, NJ). She was the Producer for Six Degrees of Separation (CCT2FT). Colleen is a graduate of Virginia Tech where she received her BA in Theatre and had a concentration in Stage Management.