Who We Are
Tara Burke, Founder/Managing Director/Marketing Manager
(Technical Director: Heathers, RENT, A Chorus Line, Spring Awakening)
Tara, has a BA in Advertising from the University of Nevada, Reno and has worked behind the scenes in community theater for over 30 years. Tara started in the spotlight booth at age 12 and worked with her father, Jeffrey Scott, to learn lighting design and operation. Tara is the owner and graphic designer for the award-winning Computer Artistry Graphic Design in Minden, Nevada and she is the graphic designer for six local theater companies.
Sierra Scott, Founder
(Past Artistic Director/Choreographer: Heathers, RENT, A Chorus Line, Spring Awakening)
After earning a BFA in Theater Arts from the Conservatory at Webster University in St. Louis, Sierra worked throughout the country as a professional actor and member of the Actors' Equity Association in touring and regional theater productions including the revival of Oklahoma! (1st national tour), Cats (Prather Productions), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Gateway Playhouse), Anything Goes (St. Louis Repertory Theatre), and Titanic (Maine State Music Theatre). She then moved to Los Angeles where she worked in casting for feature films, television shows, and pilots. Sierra was an Associate Casting Director with Emmy award winning Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer Casting and cast projects for Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Sony, NBC, ABC, CBS, TNT, and the CW.
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Marshall Jones
(Past Music Director: RENT, A Chorus Line, Spring Awakening)
Marshall holds a BM in Vocal Performance, a BA in dance, and a BA in Theatre, all from the University of Nevada, Reno and has been teaching and performing multiple styles of music for over 20 years. When living in California, Marshall toured with the Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps for four years before joining the United States Marine Corps, and worked with numerous music and dance ensembles such as Fred C. Beyer High School, Ustach Middle School, Thomas Downey High School, Grace Davis High School, Live Oak High School, Los Banos High School, Granite Bay High School, Sheldon High School, Elk Grove High School, Fairfield High School, Sacramento State University, Precision Percussion, and Vanguard Winter Percussion, and Mandarins Entertainment.
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Anthony Mendoza
(Past Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Consultant: RENT, Spring Awakening)
Anthony Mendoza has been involved in theater in the Reno area for nearly a decade. Primarily an actor, he has also been involved in directing, sound design and producing. He is currently producing Perspectives: a multicultural playreading series with Reno Little Theater. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) work within the theater community has become a passion and he currently serves as the chair of the IDEA Committee at Reno Little Theater. He is excited to work with Wild Horse to advise on community outreach and casting with a focus on the principles of IDEA.
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Thomas Rao
(Past Intimacy Director Spring Awakening)
Thomas Rao is an actor, improviser, and intimacy choreographer. He recently graduated from UNR with two bachelor’s degrees; Theatre and Gender, Race, and Identities. In addition to his university education, Thomas attended workshops from Theatrical Intimacy Education to learn the foundations around intimacy choreography. He recently worked with Good Luck Macbeth on their production of Evil Dead: The Musical as their Intimacy Director. Hoping to continue in theatre, Thomas plans to move to Chicago and get involved with Second City Improv while working as an Intimacy director.
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Carol Scott, Executive Director Wild Horse Productions
Carol Scott holds a BA Degree in Arts Management from SUNY. Carol has been involved with different aspects of the arts and arts education for over 30 years. She has acted, directed, produced, designed, and managed over 300 productions. For the past 11 years, she has been Executive Director for the nationally award-winning children’s theater company, Wild Horse Children’s Theater, in Carson City, NV. Carol has founded and been Executive Director of two other non-profit children’s theater companies: BAC Stage Kids in Carson City, NV and Little Tomato Children’s Theater in Ontario, Canada.
In 2023 Carol was recognized as one of "Carson City's Extraordinary Women" by the CC Chamber of Commerce and also received the highly coveted honor of being the recipient of the 2023 Freddie G. Fellowship for outstanding theater educators by Music Theater International and ITheatrics.
Over the years Carol has spearheaded many new artistic and educational programs and was a teaching artist in the Learning Through the Arts Program through the Royal Conservatory of Music in Ontario, Canada. Carol also served as Program Director at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City, NV and was recognized in 2018 as one of Northern Nevada’s Most Powerful Women.
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Michelle Van Geel, Executive Producer Wild Horse Productions
Michelle grew up in Gardnerville and received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and her Master’s in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Nevada, Reno. She spent 25+ years working for the Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau in various roles, including policy analysis, project management, and managing budgets. Michelle began volunteering with Wild Horse Children’s Theater in 2009 when her youngest daughter began performing with them, which introduced the entire family to the amazing and magical world of theater. Michelle has served as a board member since 2011. She lives in Carson City with her husband, John, and two daughters, Nicole and Christina (both of whom will be off to college soon).
“I love it when you go to see something, and you enter as an individual, and you leave as a group. Because you've all been bound together by the same experience.”
― Tom Hiddleston