Executive
Natalie DeLancey became the Executive Director of City Springs Theatre Company (CSTC) in 2021 after previously helping to form the company as the Managing Director beginning in 2017. She is responsible for overseeing overall operations, fundraising, and artistic vision for CSTC, including raising over $2 million annually for the organization and serving roughly 50,000 patrons and students each season. Before City Springs Theatre Company, Natalie was the Director of Arts Education & Community Outreach for ArtsBridge Foundation, the arts education outreach arm of Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Natalie managed four types of programs including: Field Trips, Master Classes, Family Performance Series & the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards. In addition, Natalie produced and directed the annual competition for the Shuler Awards and she received the program’s first-ever Southeast Regional Emmy Award for her 2017 Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards production. Prior to ArtsBridge, Natalie served as the Artist Partnerships Manager at Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center. Before joining Woodruff, she served as the Manager on Duty at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre in the Cobb County Civic Center complex. Natalie has a performance background in musical theatre and received a BA in Theatre & Performance Studies from Kennesaw State University’s College of the Arts. Natalie was a member of Leadership Cobb’s Class of 2016, selected for the inaugural 30 Under 30 program with the International Association of Venue Managers in 2015 and a member of the 2014 Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta class. Natalie was also the recipient of the 2016 Ernest Barrett Award from the Cobb Chamber for her commitment to excellence. She currently serves as the Chair-Elect of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a member of the 2024 Leadership Perimeter class. Natalie is passionate about high-quality entertainment and arts education, and is thrilled to be in a community that fully supports those initiatives!
Artistic
Shuler Hensley has been with City Springs Theatre since inception with a mission to connect the company to the Broadway district! Shuler is currently starring in Brodway’s The Music Man playing the role of Marcellus Washburn. Most recently he starred as Tom Kettle in Broadway’s The Ferryman and was seen in the New Group’s production of Sweet Charity opposite Sutton Foster. He previously starred on Broadway in No Man’s Land (also Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Waiting For Godot, in repertory, opposite Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Billy Crudup, as The Monster in Young Frankenstein (also the U.S. National Tour), Kerchak in Tarzan, Jud Fry in Oklahoma! (also at The National Theatre and London’s West End- Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards) and Javert in Les Misérables. He has been seen Off-Broadway: Assassins (Encores!) How The Grinch Stole Christmas at Madison Square Garden, Carousel at Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic, The Most Happy Fella and Fiorello! (Encores!), The Whale (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards; Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Drama Desk nominations), Silence! The Musical, Sweet And Sad (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble), That Hopey Changey Thing, The Great American Trailer Park Musical. His other credits include the Kennedy Center’s production of The Guardsman, directed by Gregory Mosher, Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County (Alliance Theatre), All About Us (Westport Playhouse), The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (Hamburg, Germany), The Most Happy Fella (American Songbook/Lincoln Center). Opera appearances include Wozzeck (Curtis Institute Of Music), Regina (Kennedy Center). Shuler has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony Orchestra. TV credits include: “Murder of a President”, “Shades of Blue,” “Banshee”, “The Americans,” “Ed,” “Deadline,” “Gary Powers,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Criminal Intent,” “The Jury.” Film includes: The Greatest Showman, After.Life, The Legend of Zorro; Van Helsing; Monday Night Mayhem; Someone Like You; The Bread, My Sweet; Opa! Proud Equity member. Shuler was awarded the “Stage Performance of the Year” by New York Magazine in recognition for his work in The Whale. Shuler is also the namesake of the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
Jalise is a proud New Orleans native who relocated to Atlanta in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. She is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, where she earned her BFA in Musical Theatre with a minor in Community Action & Social Change. During her studies, she worked as an administrative assistant for the Theatre Department. In 2014, Jalise performed her first professional union gig at The MUNY Theatre in St. Louis, where she earned her actor’s equity card and became a proud member of the union. She went on to sign with a talent agency in New York City, and perform throughout the NY tri-state area. In 2017, Jalise transitioned into cruise ship performing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Productions, where she earned the rank of Vocal Captain. She has developed a diverse skill-set through both performing and business roles throughout her career.
Business
Steve Hauser joins the CSTC team after a lengthy career as an in-house lawyer and senior executive at The Coca-Cola Company and general counsel of CONA Services, a Coca-Cola system IT services company. With a background in entertainment and marketing law and business development, Steve handles overall legal support for CSTC and also works on partner alliances and other strategic business matters. A founder of CSTC and its former board chair, Steve’s actual theater experience consists of playing sax in the pit orchestra for college productions of Carousel and 1776! Steve has been actively involved in the arts and non-profit activities in Atlanta, including board membership with Habitat for Humanity Georgia and Atlanta Lyric Theatre and support of various non-profits through the Atlanta Pro Bono Legal Partnership. Steve and his wife Susan live in Sandy Springs.
Nejra is a graduate of Kennesaw State University with degrees in Accounting and in Management Information Systems. At KSU she was on both the Dean’s and the President’s lists. She previous has worked as an accountant for Lippman & Company, LLC, and as a Senior Advisory Associate for Maudlin & Jenkins, LLC. Nejra is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs.
Marketing
Mason is a New Orleans native who has been designing and producing digital content for the arts since 1996. His 21st century clients have included Trevanna Entertainment, Spotify, The Red Bull Music Academy, Renaissance Hotels, The Apollo Theater (Harlem, NY), The National World War II Museum (New Orleans), WYES-TV (New Orleans), and the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts. For eleven years, Mason worked as the Director of Video Production for Intersection, an Alphabet-owned media and technology company in New York City. His background in video production began in broadcast news, as an Emmy-winning producer for ChicagoLand TV News, before moving on-camera as a reporter-anchor for WAFB-TV, the CBS affiliate in Baton Rouge, LA. Mason served as the Director of Marketing for the historic Saenger Theatre in New Orleans from 2001-2005. Occasionally he has appeared onstage as an actor, including roles in 1776, Amadeus, Into The Woods, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The 39 Steps, Young Frankenstein, Shrek, and Monty Python’s Spamalot. IG: @masonwoodvideo
For all press and media inquiries, contact Lesley Gamwell of Rountree Group Communications at 404-309-6915, or via email at lgamwell @ rountreegroup.com
Production
Mike has been the lighting designer for most City Springs productions since the inception of the company in 2018. After several years in Tampa, New York City, and Nashville, he relocated to Sandy Springs with his wife Katie and two cats, Dwight and Chloe to take over as Director of Production for CSTC in July 2021. An accomplished designer, educator, and technician, Mike’s work has been seen on stages, screens, and in classrooms throughout the United States. While the bulk of his work has been in live theatre, he has experience in nearly all genres and departments in live entertainment. He has been honored with several awards and nominations for his lighting work. In addition to his residency at City Springs, he has also served as the resident Lighting Designer at freeFall theatre in St. Petersburg, FL and the resident Sound Designer for the inaugural season of the Denizen Theatre in New Paltz, NY. Mike has served on the design and technology facilities of Marymount Manhattan College, The Collegiate School NYC, Hillsborough Community College, and Howard W. Blake School of the Arts. At several of these institutions, he also served as production manager, technical director, and many other roles. His former students have gone on to careers in all facets of the industry, and many of them continue to work with Mike professionally today. In addition to his design and education work, Mike has designed and managed control systems for both new and retrofit installations ranging from small black box theatres to large performing arts centers and educational institutions. Mike is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local USA829 and holds an MFA in Theatrical Design / Technology from The University of Memphis as well as a BA in Theatrical Design from the University of South Florida. See more of Mike’s work at www.mikewoodld.com and @mikewoodld on Instagram.
Clay is a Georgia native who received a BA in Theatre from Georgia College in 2017. After graduating, Clay moved to New York to work as a sound mixer and company manager, then returned to Georgia to work in production full-time at Georgia College. While there he was able to train and lead undergraduate students towards becoming young professionals in the industry, as well as design many shows at the university and around the community. Now as an Atlanta resident, he hopes to bring that same spirit and commitment to the audiences and people of this city in a meaningful way. To quote an overheard conversation during a load-in while in undergrad: “If you’re not having fun, there’s no point in any of this.” Past Shows include: Ride the Cyclone (Sound Designer, GCSU ’21), Anything Goes (Audio Mixer, City Springs Theatre ’22), On the Town (Sound Designer and Mixer, City Springs Conservatory, ’22), Puffs (GCSU ’21).
Photo and bio coming soon!
A native of Conyers, Georgia, Sam Skelton has been active on the Atlanta music scene for well over three decades. Mr. Skelton graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State University with a degree in Jazz Studies. During his course of study at GSU, Sam was a Montgomery Music Scholar and a two-time fellowship recipient to the Aspen Music Festival. He continued his saxophone studies with Kenneth Radnofsky at Boston University in 1991 focusing on classical saxophone and music education. Other teachers include David and James “Dub” Hudson and Jeff Benedict. Sam is currently Director of Jazz Studies and Senior Lecturer in Saxophone at Kennesaw State University. He is also Artistic Director of GSO Jazz and GYSO Jazz. Sam served as Professor of Saxophone at Georgia State University from 1991 to 2004 and was Jazz Ensemble Director at Georgia Tech from 2002-2004 and Artist-in-Residence at The University Of Georgia Jazz Department. He served as Visiting Professor of Saxophone at Furman University 2001-02. Professional associations include: The Jazz Educators Network, Georgia Music Educators Association, Georgia Association of Jazz Educators, National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (voting member) and the American Federation of Musicians. For his contributions to the city’s cultural life, Atlanta Public Broadcasting named him a “Lexus Leader in the Arts” in 2003. Sam is proud to be a Conn-Selmer and D’Addario Artist.
Patron Services
Tony Hayes originally came to City Springs Theatre, via Elf : The Musical as a performer. His performance history with CSTC also includes Billy Elliot, Hairspray, and Holiday Inn.” Tony has many regional theatre credits along with participation in national tours of The Sound of Music, Beauty & the Beast, and Promises, Promises. In addition, he was a featured vocalist for 10 years with Princess, Regent, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Most recently, Tony enjoyed a 12.5 year tenure at Emory Healthcare as an Applied/Behavioral Training Specialist, Supervisor of Business Operations in the Department of Orthopaedics, and Operations Manager at the Emory MSK Spine Center. He is quite thrilled to be back at City Springs in the capacity of Patron Services/Office Manager to serve our staff and patrons with such an outstanding organization.
Education
Originally from Hughesville, Pennsylvania, Jenna received her BFA in dance education and musical theatre from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Jenna joined the national tour of “Sesame Street Live,” performing the role of Ernie and Live Dancer for two seasons. She then became the performance director for two domestic and international tours of “Sesame Street/USO Experience” for military families. Jenna serves as the assistant stage manager for City Springs Theatre Company as well as a performer for various companies throughout Atlanta. She loves helping students discover their artistic passions and dreams as they find their voice in life.