Annaliese Hinkin is delighted to be directing for First Company again! Her first directing debut was Heidi (2019) followed by, Secret Garden: The Musical (2022). Not only does she love directing, but she enjoys performing, acting coaching, and overall the production side of theatre. When she isn’t helping or putting on or being in a production, she can be found during the school year, reading aloud to 6-12 year olds as a K-6th Librarian at TCA East Campus. However, when she isn’t involved with either, she and her husband (who proposed to her on this very stage), can be found playing complex board games, paddle boarding when weather allows, traveling, enjoying delicious food, walking, reading, listening to books, volunteering at church, pickling and baking, and enjoying time with family and friends. She seeks to love Jesus and others well in all she does.

A "near" Colorado native, Abby's musical background began at 5 years old, when her parents began giving her and her older sister piano lessons, a skill she continued to develop throughout high school and college, obtaining her Bachelor's in Piano Performance from Pensacola Christian College in 2007. Over the years, her musical and theatrical interests have led her to wear many hats, ranging from worship leader, conductor, music director, pit director, actor, and accompanist. She currently serves as worship director at the Community Center Chapel on USAFA, and is interim conductor for the Out Loud Men's Chorus, and performs and accompanies professionally throughout Colorado Springs.

Tammy didn’t write her bio in time, so she invites you to invent one for her. Get creative! Maybe this is her first time ever on stage. Maybe she has done three shows a year every year of her life (except for leap years. Never in a leap year). Or was she in that thing you saw at that place six months ago? That musical about a frog who was really an undercover cop dreaming he was a frog who wished he were a cop or an astronaut or John Travolta (you weren’t really sure what was going on.) She was good in that. Or maybe she’s not really here at all. She’s merely a fig newton of your imagination, and you don’t know why you’re suddenly trying to write a bio about someone who may or may not exist, or used to exist. It truly is a wonderful life.

Paula West It’s a Wonderful Life is actually Paula’s most favorite movie of all time, so she’s delighted to get to help out a bit on this production! Paula’s no stranger to theatre, having been involved in many shows in her lifetime. She’s currently enjoying her sixth season in the Glen Eyrie Madrigal Singers, and recently directed Anastasia with Starz. She’s performed on this First Company Theatre stage in She Loves Me, Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Steel Magnolias. Working with Annaliese Hinkin (Paula’s daughter) and Tammy Gant (friend for life), has been a particular joy! Paula’s also grateful to be currently serving on the board of First Company Theatre, bringing beautiful shows to life at FUMC! Soli Deo Gloria!

Jamie Foster dove into theater about a decade ago with The Sound of Music being his first show (playing Franz). Favorite roles in Colorado Springs have included Grandpa Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Elevate Productions), Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables the Musical (Elevate), a number of roles in It’s a Wonderful Life: Live Radio Play (Village Arts), and Sam in Lovesong (Springs Ensemble Theatre). Lately he's been trying out behind the scenes efforts such as music director for The Wizard of Oz (Rise) and set crew in Cinderella (Village Arts). Jamie also enjoyed being a Member of the Board for First Company from 2019 though 2022.

Though Ryan Bowman currently daylights as a Product Line Manager, don’t let that fool you. With more than a decade of lighting experience for major artists in LA, he’s the rare talent who can both manage a product roadmap and build a lighting plot. Now, he’s swapping Gantt charts for gobos, bringing the lighting magic to It’s A Wonderful Life. This holiday season, Ryan’s ready to dazzle you with a visual experience (and maybe a PowerPoint or two if you’re not careful). Because really, why settle for one world when you can shine in two?