Staff & Lead Volunteers

DEBBY ASH  |  Founder/Executive Director/Choreographer

Debby is co-owner of Forever After Productions and works as a Producer and Choreographer for the company. Debby has choreographed a number of shows including Seussical, Peter Pan, Aladdin Jr., Beauty & The Beast, Annie, Les Miserables, Willie Wonka Jr., West Side Story, Mulan Jr., Singing In The Rain, My Son Pinocchio, Hairspray, The Wizard of Oz, Little Women, Grease, Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter Pan Jr., Oliver, A Christmas Carol,  Shrek and recently Tarzan and Amelie.  Debby owns and operates Dance BEAT Performing Arts Center in Plymouth where she directs and instructs recreational and competitive dance programs and is an award winning choreographer. Debby has worked as a professional instructor/choreographer and local business owner for over 25 years and resides with her husband in Canton.

KYLE KAUFMANN  | Founder/Executive Director 

Kyle is Co-Owner, Producer and Technical Director at Forever After Productions. Kyle also works as the Technical Director at the Birmingham Campus of Kensington Church.  He is a Lighting & Scenic Design Free Lancer in the Metro Detroit area.  Kyle has extensive experience is stagecraft specializing in lighting and set design.  Kyle resides with his wife Allison In Madison Heights, MI.

SHIRLEY AUTY | Office Administrator

You will find Shirley in our PARC rehearsal studio assisting customers with program registration, ticket sales and quality customer service.  She has a background in Accounting and Office Management.  Originally from the United Kingdom, Shirley has also worked with our students at Forever After Productions as the British dialect coach for a number of productions - Peter Pan Jr, Mary Poppins, and Beauty and the Beast and Oliver Jr. She also enjoys being on the stage and has been in all twelve years of A Christmas Carol and most recently was in the smash hit, Something Rotten!  Shirley currently resides in Brighton with her husband, Andrew.

SARAH CHAPMAN | Director

Sarah has directed many junior stage shows - most recently Wizard of Oz and Newsies Jr and is the lead instructor for our summer camps.  Sarah has an extensive background in dance, theater & performance.  Sarah is a graduate of Wayne State University and currently is employed as an English High School teacher in Canton. Sarah's expertise is in improving performance qualities and encouraging her students to become comfortable on stage. She also loves to perform in many Forever After Productions shows and is currently rehearsing and enjoying some stage time with her mother, Beth in Young Frankenstein!

LAUREN HUMMER | Junior shows Music Director

Lauren has performed in many of our shows and has transitioned to music direct our junior shows. She is currently studying Vocal Performance and Music Education at Oakland University and will continue to music direct junior shows for us.

SOPHIE TORRES SZCZOTKA | Music Director for Harmony Singers and Shows

After growing up in Canton, Sophie moved to New York City to pursue her musical career. She graduated magna cum laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, specializing in music theatre. Sophie has been formally trained in varied genres including music theatre, jazz, pop/rock, and classical. During her time in Manhattan, she had the privilege of collaborating with countless musical powerhouses including, Janis Siegel (of the Manhattan Transfer), Lauren Kinhan (of the New York Voices), and Chandrika Tandon (creator of Shivoham: the Quest). Sophie has also had the privilege of performing in some of the most famous venues in the world, large venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the Skirball Center in New York City, as well as smaller more intimate venues such as Zinc Bar and 54 Below. Today, Sophie has returned to her Midwestern roots. When she is not working or teaching, she enjoys backpacking, camping, knitting, and crocheting.

KEVIN RYAN | Music Director

Kevin Ryan is a professional music director, pianist, and community arts administrator based in Canton, Michigan. After years of private study in piano and trumpet, Kevin attended Albion College in Michigan where he graduated with a B.A. in Music Performance in 2007. He then attended Ithaca College in New York to study Orchestral Conducting with Dr. Jeffrey Meyer, graduating with a Master of Music in 2009. Throughout his career, Kevin has been involved in music theater and opera, having performed in the pit orchestras for numerous shows including Bye Bye Birdie, Wizard of Oz, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, and Mozart's opera, La finta giardiniera, as well as serving as conductor or assistant conductor for the Albion College Symphony Orchestra, Tecumseh Pops Orchestra, Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, and the Ithaca College Sinfonietta. He is also founding Music Director of the annual American Cancer Society Life is a Cabaret fundraiser at the Village Theater in Canton. As a pianist and choir director, Kevin served for 15 years as a music director in the Archdiocese of Detroit and maintains a private studio of piano students. He currently resides in Canton and works as the Community Program Director for the Partnership for the Arts and Humanities, which owns and operates the Village Arts Factory in Canton, Michigan.

NOAH BOYE | Director

Noah Boye found his love for theater at Forever After Productions in our 2013 production of Willy Wonka Junior. Noah completed his degree in performing arts at Schoolcraft College (2021). With extensive experience including opera, stage combat, lighting, directing, choreography and vocal performance, he has assisted in many productions within the last three years, including directing Singing In The Rain, assistant directing many junior shows and performing most recently as Quasimodoe in our production of Tarzan.  Noah believes that the arts shaped him for the better as a young man and strives to do the same for our students too. He married his childhood sweetheart. Sarah this year and currently is directing Young Frankenstein.

ELIZABETH ASH | Choreographer

Elizabeth is a trained dancer in multiple disciplines with a strong background in theater and performance.  Elizabeth recently studied Dance at Eastern Michigan University and has trained during her competitive dance career with leading professional choreographers including professional artist DJ Smart. Elizabeth has additional experience teaching Theater and Dance Camps. Elizabeth was casted as a lead dancer locally in: Newsies (2018), High School Musical (2017), A Christmas Carol (5 Annual Productions 2012 - 2016), Bring It On (2016), Chicago (2013), Les Miserables (2013), Tarzan (2013), Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2012), Footloose (2012), Grease (2012), Cinderella (2011), Little Women (2011), Wizard of Oz (2011), Camp Rock (2011).  Elizabeth is currently a choreographer and instructor at Dance BEAT where she leads a competitive youth team and has Choreographed Annie Jr (2017), Elf Jr (2017), Mary Poppins (2018), Shrek Jr (2018) and will be choreographing Aladdin Jr soon.

JOE ASH  | Technical Director

Joe volunteered with Forever After for 9 years and has been involved in more than 50 productions.  Joe enjoys the technical aspects of working in the theater and can be found building and moving sets plus assisting the production in countless ways.  Joe's Family is very heavily involved in the productions and it has become a fantastic way to spend time with his children, their friends and friends families.  

Lead Volunteers

AARON WELCH | Sound Engineer

PAUL BROMNICK | Scenic Painter

MICK SIMON/RYAN ANDERSON | Master Carpenter