Becky Freader has been involved in theatre for over 20 years. She has loved performing since she was in grade school. Her first solo performance was singing "It's my party" at a school assembly. Since her first performance she has preformed in over 40 productions or concerts, performed in an Improv Troupe, and directed over 30 productions.
In high school she performed in only one play, Alice in Wonderland. Sadly the school started a remodel and the stage was torn down to build a new space. This was not finished until later in her senior year. But the acting bug had bit and she started looking for colleges with a theatre degree.
After touring several colleges Becky chose Northeastern Oklahoma A & M in the small Route 66 town of Miami, Oklahoma. She attended for three years and received her Associates of Arts degree in Speech and Theatre. At NEO she preformed in 5 musicals, 7 plays and 1 opera. She was also Tech Crew for 4 productions. In all the productions she also worked as tech helping with set building, costume production, prop production, lights or sound. Her favorite production was Lend Me A Tenor where she played Marie Merelli. To this day Marie is still her favorite character she has ever played.
After NEO Becky moved to Arizona. Shortly after her move she got a job directing theatre for an after school program. She came across an opportunity to audition for Lend Me Tenor at Central Arizona College. She got to reprise her role as Maria once again. In 2009 she started attending CAC pursuing a degree in Graphic Arts. Becky now works at CAC as a Production Assistant in the Pence Center. While attending CAC she got involved with a community theatre and started directing more productions and teaching Art classes. She has now lost track of how many productions she has been a part of, after reaching 100.
In 2015 Becky was approached by community members in Coolidge and asked if she would be interested in directing youth theatre. She jumped at the opportunity and started community theatre in Coolidge in 2015. With a lot of work by family and friends, ACT 1 became an official 510(c)3 in 2017. Becky now directs both youth and community theatre as well as teaching art, acting, and voice for ACT 1.
Connor Freader has been a Live Sound Technician, Sound Engineer, Stagehand, and Instructor with ACT1 since 2015. Connor co-hosts the weekly podcast The Gaming Discourse (available where all podcasts can be found) and has written music for bands he has been apart of.
When he is not juggling his many hats Connor enjoys playing in Jam Bands, playing D&D, writing creative short stories, and especially enjoys a good Netflix binge.
Ms. Kelly is a mother of four, who works full time as a Administrative Assistant. Kelly's first experience with the stage was when she played the Ghost of Christmas Past in her 6th grade class's production of A Christmas Carol. Since then, Kelly has focused on all that goes on backstage. She became involved with ACT 1 as a typical "stage mom." Hoping to encourage her daughter and grandchildren to find joy in performing, Kelly began helping out backstage. She helps with costumes, sets and organizing activities on show nights. She enjoys the excitement of every part of putting together a show. She delights in watching the expressions of pride and self-confidence appear on the faces of the performers when they hear that audience applause. Kelly is also a member of the ACT 1 Board.
Josh Steed is a professional Tenor and Voice Teacher. He studied Opera at the University of Utah. Throughout his studies, he performed for Utah Opera and Utah Symphony in various Operatic productions and classical choral concerts. Josh currently teaches Choir, Piano, and Drama at Coolidge Jr High and High School. He lives happily in Coolidge with his wife Amanda and two daughters Belle and Salem.
Amanda has loved to dance since she was young. Having participated in ballet for 5 years she branched out to other forms of dance such as lyrical, ballroom, and jazz. Amanda loved singing and dancing so much she went on to study Musical Theatre at the University of Utah. Therefore expanding her performance repertoire under the direction of Phantom of the Opera Associate Choreographer, Denny Berry. She has performed in several different states singing and dancing in shows such as The Addams Family, Candide, The Producers, etc.
Amanda currently lives in Coolidge, AZ with her wonderful husband Josh and two beautiful daughters Belle and Salem.