Executive Producer & Artistic Director - Sara D. Avery
Director/Choreographer - Kate Morran
Associate Choreographer - Joseph Fierberg
Vocal Music Director - Brian Pia
Orchestra Director - Emmett Drake
Scenic Designer - Rorie Fitzsimons
Festival Manager - Felicia Link
 Producer Emeritus - Haig Shahverdian

 Sara Demos Avery - Executive Producer & Artistic Director

Sara Demos Avery has been the Artistic Director of SAF since 2010.  Her history with the program includes Best of Broadway ‘96, Anything Goes ’99 (Bonnie), 42nd Street‘00 (Dorothy), My Favorite Year ‘01 (KC Downing), Wonderful Town ‘05 (Stage Manager), Gypsy‘10 (Co-Artistic Director), Thoroughly Modern Millie '11, Hairspray '12, Guys & Dolls '13, and On the Town '14, West Side Story '15, Beauty and the Beast '16, Pippin ​'17, The Addams Family ​'18, Legally Blonde '19, ​Mamma Mia! '21, Something Rotten! '22, Into the Woods '23, and The Little Mermaid '24 (Artistic Director). Sara was the Chair of Performing Arts and Productions at Northwest Catholic High School until 2021, and served as the Director of Theater from 2003-2021.  She still teaches English full-time at the school, and holds her CT Professional Educator Certificate in both English (7-12) and Theater (K-12), along with a degree in Educational Administration. Sara works as the costumer for Hall High School Productions, including Pops n' Jazz!   She lives in West Hartford with her husband Dan, and her four children, Charles, Penny, Beatrice and Ruby.  ​

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Kate Morran - Director/Choreographer

​Kate Morran has over 25 years of experience in theater education, where she integrates creativity and mindfulness into every project. Having worked with hundreds of students of all abilities, she is a relationship driven educator and an empathetic leader. Since 2010, she has directed and choregraphed the West Hartford Summer Arts Festival (www.westhartfordsaf.com)  From 2004 until spring 2021, Miss Kate was co-director and choreographer of the Northwest Catholic High School Dramateurs where she served on performing arts faculty and developed mindfulness centered leadership training via the nationally recognized LINK Crew Program. She has worked on productions with the Hartt School Community Division, Bay Path University and Simsbury High School.  She is the director of the highly successful Hall High School Jazz Dancers, and choreographs Pops n' Jazz ​yearly! A 2012 graduate of the West Hartford Yoga teacher training program, Miss Kate offers private in-home instruction, corporate mindfulness facilitation and custom mindfulness workshops for young artists. Follow her on Instagram @twogalstheatricals and @misskatewh.

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Rorie Fitzsimons - Scenic Designer

Rorie Fitzsimons has been a part of SAF since 2010 and enjoys working with such a talented and energetic team. Rorie served as the Senior Technical Director for Undergraduate Production at Yale University from 2001 to 2018. Additionally, he was the Set Designer/Tech Advisor at Northwest Catholic High School for over 25 years, and his work has also been seen locally at TheaterWorks (Hartford), Hartford Children's Theatre, and Playhouse on Park, Conard High School, and Hall High School, among others.  ​

Haig Shahverdian - Producer Emeritus

Haig Shahverdian retired from his position as Supervisor of the Fine and Performing Arts for the West Hartford Public Schools in 2012. Haig taught for 12 years at King Philip Middle School before transferring to Hall High School in 1991 where he produced and directed Pops ‘n Jazz for 25 years. He continues with his passion for arts education as a member of the Gifts of Music Advisory Committee and a Trustee of the Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust. He founded the Summer Arts Festival in 1977, which he produced and directed for 20 years.