The MTC Team

Mountain Theatre Company is made up of a dedicated group of staff and Board of Directors.

Scott Daniel

Executive Artistic Director

Scott is an award-winning director/choreographer, playwright, designer, and actor (BroadwayWorld, Norton, and Edinburgh Fringe). Scott has been fortunate to create content for the Las Vegas Strip, theme parks across the nation, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Broadway. You may recognize Scott as the “better half” of the internationally acclaimed mother and son cabaret act, The Scott & Patti Show. Before coming to Highlands, Scott spent several years developing and designing shows for Norwegian Cruise Line. Scott is thrilled to now make Highlands, NC and Mountain Theatre Company his home.

Emanuel Carrero

Company Manager

Emanuel is thrilled to serve MTC as the Company Manager. Emanuel came to Highlands from Tampa, FL where he worked in the arts professionally for over ten years. After graduating from The University of Tampa, he served as the Company Manager for The Patel Conservatory. He has also worked as a stage manager, professional wig master, and house manager for many arts organizations across the state of Florida. He has performed all over the country in regional theaters, national tours, cruise ships, and theme parks. Audiences will recognize him from recent MTC shows, including last season’s hit production of Jersey Boys. Emanuel is thrilled to call Highlands home as a full-time resident.

Lindsay Garner Hostetler

Director of Marketing & Outreach

Lindsay joined the MTC team as the Director of Marketing & Outreach in 2022. Lindsay arrived to Highlands with a wealth of experience in marketing and the performing arts. After studying stage management at the University of Central Florida, she spent over 15 years at Camp Merrie-Woode in Sapphire, NC where she handled all marketing and media for the camp. In addition, she served as the camp’s Performing Arts Director, managing all staff and programming for the theatre, dance, and music programs. She has also worked as a teaching artist for various educational institutions including Flat Rock Playhouse, Asheville Community Theatre, and Summit Charter School. Lindsay is thrilled to be a part of the MTC team and bring professional theatre to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau.

Lea Gilbert

Production Manager

Lea is thrilled to join Mountain Theatre Company. She is a theatre artist from Asheville, NC where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Drama from UNC Asheville with concentrations in Arts Management and Accounting. She joined the SETC team (Southeastern Theatre Conference) in 2021 as their Membership Services Manager and was later promoted to Program Management Specialist where she handled all events and personnel. Lea is the co-founder and director of Skysail Theatre, an award winning production company. Their show, Tithonia: A Lesbian Space Opera, received accolades from BroadwayWorld, Asheville Fringe, and Tampa Fringe. Lea has also studied with the SITI Company and took an original, devised piece of theatre to the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival which won Fringiest Show among its category. She is thrilled to return to the Highlands area where she served as the Membership Coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau from 2020 – 2021 and the Production Manager at Camp Merrie-Woode’s theatre program in Sapphire, NC in 2019. Lea is excited to assist MTC in bringing professional theatre to the mountains of North Carolina.

Josh Helms

Development Director

Josh joined the Mountain Theatre Company team in May 2023, bringing varied non-profit experience from youth-serving, healthcare providing, and educational organizations. Josh has been a resident of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau for fifteen years. His most recent non-profit experience was as Executive Director of Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau in Cashiers, where he led the campaign for a multimillion-dollar facility expansion. In addition to performing arts, Josh also enjoys visual arts and outdoor recreation. He can often be found on a hiking trail in Panthertown or Black Balsam. He is drawn to organizations that enrich community life and is excited to be a part of this new chapter in Mountain Theatre Company’s history.

Julia Rifino

Graphic Artist

Julia is a freelance artist and graphic designer currently based out of Tampa, FL. This is her second season creating the graphic art for Mountain Theatre Company’s productions. As a graduate of the University of Tampa with a degree in Musical Theatre and Studio Art, Mountain Theatre Company has given her a beautiful opportunity to merge her dual passions of performance and design! Since childhood, Julia has found joy in mediums such as oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, graphite, charcoal, and most recently digital design. Her gallery credits include featured realism exhibitions at Your Arts Desire Gallery and Woodfield Fine Art Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL. Audiences may remember seeing Julia perform in the MTC’s 2021 production of Music in Motion. Julia looks forward to seeing Mountain Theatre Company’s artistic vision come to life this season and is so grateful to be a part of this creative team!