he/him

TUCKER TOPEL (Artistic Director) Tucker is currently a freelance scenic designer and teaching artist based in Pittsburgh, PA after growing up in Southern Wisconsin. He has worked with several companies in the city such as Point Park University, Mercyhurst University, Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, off the WALL, Little Lake Theatre, and more.

Tucker’s most recent design credits include: Grease (Pittsburgh Musical Theatre), The Threepenny Opera (Mercyhurst University) , The Height of the Storm (FUSION Theatre Company) ,and Crave (ELSEWHERE Theatre Company.

As a queer artist he wants to challenge the dominant narratives and representations in media and art, and provide a space for marginalized voices to be heard. He hopes to foster understanding, empathy, and connection among audiences, encouraging them to question societal norms and embrace inclusivity.

His objective for ELSEWHERE is to amplify the voices of new and existing Pittsburgh theatre artists along with working with the ELSEWHERE founders.

she/her

AMBER LEITSCH (Executive Director) Amber is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in the Pittsburgh area. She holds a BSED Degree in Music Education and a BFA in Vocal Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being a freelance Vocal instructor, Music Director, Arts Program Consultant and Teaching Artist, Amber serves as the Director of Education/Company Manager at The Collective and Affiliated Faculty at City Music Center of Duquesne University.

Previously, Amber was a full time Educator in Chicago, Illinois. During her time there she developed an even deeper passion for Arts Administration when she worked at a startup arts school on the South Side. Through her students reciprocating the same level of support they were given by her, she decided to move back to her hometown of Pittsburgh, to pursue some dreams of her own.

Currently completing a MFA degree in Performing Arts Leadership and Management through Shenandoah Conservatory, Amber is thrilled to be part of the founding team of ELSEWHERE, where individuals can openly express themselves on stage and feel truly authentic.

he/him

MICHAEL CAMPAYNO (Director of Performance) Michael is an actor, director, and theatre educator in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Michael is a Pittsburgh native and grew up the youngest of 6 children. Like many other youth, Michael struggled to find where he belonged… until he stood on stage. Through outlets such as public speaking and theater, he found his stride, an audience that valued his expressions and his voice was heard.

After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater from Carnegie Mellon University, he moved to NYC to perform as “Rolf” in The Sound of Music Live on NBC. From there Michael worked on Broadway as “Fiyero” in Wicked the musical and was able to create an original role as “Rob Camiletti” in The Cher Show. Michael has also been seen on TV Shows such as The Other Two / HBOMax, The Good Fight / CBS and others… but he found himself, once again, emotionally distant from the work he was doing and wanted to redirect his energy back to what (and where) made him thrive. After 10 years in NYC, He moved back to Pittsburgh to start his new journey in theatre education.

College and foundational training in acting changed Michael’s life. His teachers helped him find a deeper sense of self, how he perceives and interprets the world, and encouraged his imagination and goals to have no limits. He wanted to create a safe space for many more young artists to have that experience, so he created a pre-professional theater academy for young artists called The Collective.

Michael wants his legacy to be his passion for theatre education and creating young artists who define their own meaning of success, know the power of their individuality, and feel personally proud of their art. He hopes to continue to cultivate those themes in ELSEWHERE and looks forward to creating engaging conceptual theater that will spark conversation, hold a mirror up to our audience, and allow viewers to viscerally experience unfamiliar themes.

she/her

AMELIA STEVENS (Company Manager) is a theater-maker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is the Company Director of Elsewhere Theatre Company. She caught the theater bug all the way back in second grade, when she took that stage for the first time as the littlest reindeer in her elementary school production of “The Littlest Reindeer.” Although she initially pursued an on-stage career, while studying to obtain her bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Indiana University of Pennsylvania she also discovered a love for all the elements of theater production. As a theatrical jack of all trades, she had the opportunity to further expand her horizons as the Artistic Administrator for Footlight Players, a summer youth theater camp in Indiana, Pennsylvania. This experience inspired her to get a Master of Arts Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Since moving to the city of Pittsburgh for graduate school from her hometown of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, she has continued to work as an actor, an artistic director, and a stage manager in the local scene. She is honored and very excited to be a part of Elsewhere, and can’t wait to create art with a group of such amazingly talented, deeply passionate, and dedicated artists. She is looking forward to the future and to continuing to grow and learn as a theater-maker.

he/him

FORREST TRIMBLE (Technical Coordinator) Forrest (he/him) is a theatrical practitioner who is coming up on 10 years as a professional in the industry. As a young artist, Forrest began his career at IUP in Indiana PA doing small shows in the student run black box theater with a close knit group of artists. After school He immediately began working in the lighting design field, cutting his teeth with the many small companies that Pittsburgh has to offer. He worked in fabrication, design, events, and with the local stagehands union to build experience and study as much as he could from the professionals around him. Today, Forrest has become a sought after designer in the Pittsburgh area, becoming a resident designer and assistant designer, a touring crew head, and an accomplished stagehand. He has worked in venues across the city including the Benedum Center, the Byham Theater, the August Wilson Center, the Ken Gargaro Theater, and Carnegie Stage, not to mention the many found spaces, music venues, and theaters outside of Pittsburgh he has worked in over his career. As time has passed Forrest has felt the pull to find that close group of artists again, working in small spaces to create big powerful art. As he steps into his role here at ELSEWHERE, he hopes to create that space to experiment, discover, and transport audiences to places where they can do the same.

she/her

CARLY TRIMBLE- LONG (Director of Production) is a theatrical and event professional working here in Pittsburgh. In school she studied technical direction with skills in carpentry, welding, drafting, rigging, and costume repair. Through these many skills she found a love for creating and building her vision onstage. The joy of sitting back and saying “yes I built that”.

Carly holds a BFA in Technical Direction & Management from the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University. Her skills carried her beyond her education as she began work with the local Pittsburgh Theater community working as a technical director, props designer, even a seamstress for a local vintage clothing shop. As she led technical teams, her excellence in management became known and she started work in production management as well. The knowledge, skill, and care for the creative process behind the scenes, drives her to continue to push the boundaries of what art is onstage. As a leader for ELSEWHERE Carly can’t wait to see her own influence woven into the fabric of this new endeavor with her fellow founding member.