Joel Mercier (Executive Artistic Director), a NH native, has worked all over the country at notable theaters such as the Goodspeed Opera House in CT, Northern Stage in VT, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in ID, the Great Lakes Theatre and Playhouse Square in OH, American Music Theatre and Center for the Arts in PA, and NYC’s Duplex, Westbeth Off-Broadway & Nokia Theatre Times Square. Prior to returning to NH part time in 2010, Mercier started his career in NYC as a professional Equity Actor, but quickly found himself working all facets of the dramatic arts, including vocal coaching, music direction, composition, orchestration, arts administration, and stage direction.
As an Artist, Mercier has been seen on stage in hundreds of famous character roles, in the orchestra pit conducting all over the country, and behind the scenes directing bold interpretations of well-known works as well as new pieces. An award winning composer and playwright, Mercier has written several musical adaptations including Ghost Hunting, which premiered in NH at the NH Theatre Factory, A Christmas Carol which can be seen annually in NH at the Palace Theatre, and a plethora of fairy tale musicals which are performed throughout New England.
Locally, Mercier has worked with the Palace Theatre, the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Dartmouth College where he was a Guest Artist for four years, New London Barn Playhouse where he was Artistic Associate for seven, Saint Anselm College where he was the Director of Musicals for five, and of course NCCA where he directed Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Always Patsy Cline, Titanic, Cinderella, The Sound of Music in Concert at Loon, Clue the Musical, Cabaret, and our annual production of A Christmas Carol, the Musical Ghost Story.