Artists

Caitlin graduated from FPCHS in 2001. While there she dedicated most of her time to the theatre department. She put a majority of her work into technical aspects and was also employed by Flagler Auditorium to assist in setting up and providing extra support for a variety of touring and local acts. Caitlin was the president of the Thespian Troupe for two years and even appeared onstage a couple of times. Her favorite production was Little Shop of Horrors, where she was the puppeteer for the man-eating plant, Audrey II.

After high school, Caitlin attended the Florida State University for a B.A. in Theatre where she concentrated in Stage Management and Lighting Design. Her working knowledge of the theatre that she learned from Flagler Auditorium quickly gained her respect and helped her to earn title positions on School of Theatre shows. While there, she designed numerous student productions, many graduate projects and a FSU sponsored touring show. She stage managed regular season shows in all three venues, including her final project, Metamorphoses, which appeared in the Lab Theatre complete with a pool. In her senior year, she was also the Production Manager for student productions.

Upon leaving Florida State, Caitlin moved to Orlando. She first worked at SeaWorld Orlando as an intern in Environmental, Health and Safety. After the summer, Caitlin notched a job as a Special Effects Technician at Universal Orlando where she still works. She has been a part of building and running almost every marquee event, including Mardi Gras, Grad Bash, Rock the Universe, Halloween Horror Nights, the Macy’s Holiday Parade and Grinchmas. She has also had the honor of working on a handful of Grand Openings including the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter where she has recently spent most of her time. Caitlin has been given a special assignment as an Assistant Stage Manager for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event and is excited to show them the skills she first learned at Flagler Auditorium.

I have fond memories of my time at Flagler Auditorium. I considered it my home away from home during my four years at FPCHS. I was extremely lucky not only to have an array of talented classmates, but also teachers and staff members that cared so much about education and the performing arts. These people inspired me to pursue a career in theatre. And of course, a state of the art facility didn’t hurt either. I didn’t realize just how lucky I was to have these resources until I went to college and learned just how rare and special they truly were. I still remember my first year where upper-classmen such as Katie Ahern and Karen Williams showed me how much theatre could really be.

My favorite production that I was a part of came in my Junior year when we did the musical Little Shop of Horrors. I got to puppeteer one of the leading characters, Audrey II, and walked the line of being both a technician and a performer. Currently, I am excited to be working with the amazingly talented Ale Martinez who played the leading lady, Audrey, in that same production. The performing and technical talent that comes out of Flagler Auditorium could only be rivaled by schools that list “Performing Arts” in their title.

Jesse Chapman, 25, grew up in Palm Coast, Florida. The summer before high school, he joined Flagler-Palm Coast High School’s summer theater program. “It was one of the most important decisions I ever made,” he recalls. “Mary-Lou Beale’s summer theater program was paramount in me discovering who I was, and what I wanted to do in life.” He maintained a consistent theater career through high school, primarily receiving character-actor roles: Martin Vanderhof in You Can’t Take it With You, Ben Weatherstaff in The Secret Garden, Cornelius in Hello, Dolly!, and Giles Corey in The Crucible. For his role as Cornelius, Jesse gained Seaside Music Theater’s attention and they awarded him their esteemed Blazing Star Award. After high school, Jesse attended the University of Central Florida and majored in Film Production. He directed numerous short films, most of which were accepted into film festivals across the nation. His senior thesis film, The Exposition Report, won for best comedy at the Hyart Film Festival. Jesse currently resides in Hollywood, California and works in the editorial department on the Emmy-winning HBO show Entourage and plans to become a film and television editor.