LEADERSHIP
President - Ray Manfredi, LUTCF, FSCP, MBA, PhD
Ray comes to Stage Door Productions as a Board Member who has roots in the theater, starting as a child television commercial actor at the age of eight, and expanding his on screen career, holding small roles in several movies, and ultimately becoming a stand-up comic and theatrical performer. He has performed on many a stage, across the country, and even a few times locally, including with Stage Door. Ray has received several acting awards from industry organizations for his work on stage including a ‘Best Comedic Actor' and 'Best Male Lead' awards, as well as a Writing award. His adaption of ‘A Christmas Carol’ will be performed at our theater annually. He has been married to Catherine since 1987 and a proud father of two children, Thomas and Noelle. Ray holds a Doctorate in Metaphysics as well as a Master’s in Business Administration, with an emphasis on economics and corporate ethics. His involvement with Stage Door has been very analytical, with a goal to bring our foundation to the next level when it comes to community sponsorships and community impact. He is a welcomed fresh face filled with ideas that will surely put a spotlight on all those who get involved with Stage Door Productions.
Ray owns and operates an Allstate Insurance Agency in Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and DC, and has authored several professional trade manuals and customer advisory books on both customer service and risk management. His agencies are ranked in the top 3% nationally among his peers for service scores.
Ray’s agency, Manfredi Insurance Group / Allstate of Northern Virginia happens to be a primary benefactor for Stage Door, and responsible for the $60,000 redesign of our 6,000 square-foot theater space, including the new 44-foot stage, 8-level 200-seat tiered seating auditorium, and many other improvements. If you haven’t seen a show lately, you're going to be amazed when you come in. We even now have a bar and concessions stand.
Vice President and Publicity - Laura Echevarria
Born in Alabama, Laura moved with her family to Fredericksburg when she was nine-years old and grew up in the Fredericksburg area. She was a biology major planning to attend medical school when her freshman speech professor pulled her aside and told her she should consider changing her major to speech communications.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a concentration in public speaking and a minor in the interpretation of literature (and a minor in Biology). She has completed some hours toward a Masters in English. Bitten by the acting bug in college, Laura’s favorite role was Tweeny in her college production of “The Admirable Crichton.” Laura is a communications professional working in Washington, D.C. but lives in Fredericksburg with her husband (who is also heavily involved with Stage Door Productions) and three children. She has performed in several Stage Door Productions plays including the Nurse in “Romeo and Juliet,” Polly in “Play On,” the Duchess in “Othello,” Mrs. Fairfax in "Jane Eyre" and Aunt Ev in "The Miracle Worker."
Treasurer - Alex Beach, CPCU, SCLA
Alex has been passionate about community theater his whole life. He met his wife, Amy, while they were both performing in Evita at a community theater in his hometown of Bradenton, Florida. While there, he helped found a small blackbox theater troupe and directed Rent in their first year. He particularly enjoyed being on the improv team. Alex is currently a claims supervisor at GEICO. For him, the greatest aspect of his being on Stage Door's board is that he can continue to bring "theater for everyone" in Fredericksburg.
Secretary - Cathy Manfredi
Catherine is' related' to the theater through marriage and motherhood. One might say she was dragged into the behind the scenes work after being married to a thespian and
raising another for many years. Occasionally hosting a cast party, she has now started to take on more and more active roles. She has on several occasions Stage Managed a production for Stage Door Productions. We expect soon to have her join the other actors in the spotlight - on stage one day. Catherine sits on the Foundation Board of Directors and along with her husband owns and manages an Allstate Insurance Agency in Springfield Virginia, which supports this theater financially.
Artistic Director - Amy Beach
A Virginia transplant from Florida, Amy is thrilled to be working with Stage Door Productions! She has worked in several theaters around the country as an actress, but has also had other roles such as Directing, Box Office, House Management, and Stage Management. She has also performed in Germany, The Bahamas, Washington, Florida, and now Virginia! Her favorite theatre memory is tap dancing along the sides with Mickey Rooney in George M! Her true love (second to her husband) is Musical Theatre. Amy looks forward to providing you with a rich and excellent season!
Accessibility Committee Chair - Collette Riddle
Collette Riddle is a proud alumnus of Catawba College's Musical Theatre B.F.A. program where she was an active member of Alpha Psi Omega and the Blue Masque Theatre Society. Collette has, since, performed in several plays with Stage Door and has directed "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," "Peter and the Starcatcher," and "The Crucible." She enjoys her time on the board and is constantly amazed at the talent and community that Stage Door inspires.
Cultural Committee Chair - Debbie Harris
Debbie Harris is the Chairperson of the newly formed Cultural Committee for Stagedoor Productions. Her show credits include "The Jungle Book" (Assistant Director), "Jane Eyre" (Assistant Stage Manager), Corin in "As You Like It," One acts (Director), and "The Wizard of Oz" ( Assistant Director). Debbie moved to the Fredericksburg area from Northern Virginia seventeen years ago. Debbie has enjoyed a long career with GEICO. After attending a performance by invitation, Debbie became involved in theater and found her passion for production. She is most comfortable behind the scenes watching the unfolding of a show and all the actors’ work.
Outside of the theater, Debbie helps her husband Mack run his commercial cleaning company, Eastern Enterprises. They have been married for 30 years and have 3 children, 7 grandchildren, all of which can be found at any given time, volunteering at the theater.
Shakespeare Chair - Bill Green
In the last half century, Bill Green, a retired English professor living in Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia, has written poems, stories, articles, and books. He has written, directed, or acted in well over a hundred plays, produced videos, and written, performed, and recorded music, sometimes for money, but mostly out of love for creating.
Props Management - Kitt Murphy
Kitt moved recently to Fredericksburg from Williamsburg Virginia. She attended Longwood College majoring in Technical theater. After raising her family, she was able to get back into theater at the Williamsburg Players. She has stage managed many shows, in addition to building sets, lighting, props and anything else pertaining to any part of the theater.
She is very happy to be able to contribute and be a part of Stage Door Productions.
Volunteers - Molly Lucas
Molly is an experienced actress, talented singer, and hardcore gamer, with performances in 11 plays, as well as cast member in The Virginia Renaissance Fair, where her improv ability shines. Molly has quickly developed skill in swing dancing, auto maintenance, and cosplay.
Stage Door Founder - Kimberly Kemp