Jim Thigpen, Co-Founder/Artistic Director, received his training at the University of Illinois, Furman University, the University of South Carolina and City College of New York. Jim has been an award-winning educator, including local and state Educator of the year. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities award and is a master teacher designate. Jim has spent over 40 years in the business as a director and actor. Kay Thigpen, Co-Founder/Managing Director, comes from a theatrical family; her father is Lou Kaplan and her mother, Hazel, was a makeup artist. She holds degrees in theatre from Columbia College and an MLS from USC. After 20 years of teaching in public schools in South Carolina, New York and Wisconsin, she and her husband, Jim, decided to start a professional theatre in 1985 and she has been serving as its Managing Director since then. Kay infrequently appears onstage and has appeared at Trustus in Frankie & Johnny in the Clair De Lune, Torch Song Trilogy, The Woolgatherer, The Food Chain, Talking With, Rabbit Hole and the Late Night production of Mavens. Larry McMullen, Technical Director, has seen it all after 40 years of theatre productions, and radio and television jobs in Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska. He finally received his B.F.A. in Theatre in 1988 from Nebraska and completed his M.F.A. in Theatre from USC in 1991. He has been involved with the Trustus family since 1991as actor, director and techie. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Cayce and Barbara works for the Lexington County Sheriff’s office as a sworn officer and administrator. Brandon McIver, Assistant Technical Director, received his B.A. in Sociology from USC-Aiken so it only seems logical that he would become involved in theatre. As assistant to Technical Director, Larry McMullen, he has worked on almost every show since joining Trustus, and designed his first set for Trustus for No Place Like Home. Joe Morales remains the Box Office Manager at Trustus, and could not be happier. Joe has worked for the theatre in many capacities over the years, from building sets to acting and everything else in-between. Joe was last seen on the Trustus main stage as Dominick in Copy Man, and was involved in two of the three Youth Theatre productions, A Christmas Carol and The Meaning Of I during the last season. He also appeared in the NiA production of Dr. Fish. In addition, Joe has performed at other theaters around Columbia. Joe is married to the love of his life, Elena Martínez-Vidal, and they share their home with two cats: Max & SaraBella. Chad Henderson has just completed his first year on staff at Trustus Theatre, after graduating from USC and the Honors College. He is currently the Production Manager for both spaces, the in-house graphics designer, and the Artistic Director of the newly formed Trustus Youth Theatre. In his time here at Trustus, he has directed various shows including Cycle of Their Fathers: A New Rock Musical (2006), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2007), A Christmas Carol (2007), Southern Baptist Sissies (2008), and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead (2007), which was named "Best Local Production" by readers of the Free Times. Chad is very excited to be directing The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Rocky Horror Show in the 2008-2009 Main Stage Season, as well as Assistant Directing Elephant's Graveyard with Robert Richmond. Other credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (USC), All In The Timing (Spartanburg Next Stage), Wonder of The World (SNS), and The Pied Piper of New Orleans (Spartanburg Youth Theatre). Chad will be traveling to Key West in July 2009 to direct an original piece that will be produced at TSKW (The Studios of Key West). Jon Tuttle is Trustus’ Playwright-in-Residence and Literary Manager and Professor of English at Francis Marion University. His plays have received over 100 productions in 25 states and include Trustus Playwrights Festival winners Holy Ghost (2005), Drift (1998) and The Hammerstone (1994). His other published plays include The White Problem, Terminal Café, A Fish Story and Sonata for Armadillos. Jon and his wife Cheryl live in Florence and are the very proud parents of Staci, Jill and Josh.