Meet the Staff
Courtney Sarre
Artistic Director
Courtney Page Sarre, is originally from Toronto Canada. Since 1995, her training and career have been focused on working with children and teens, developing them to become the best
version of themselves, regardless of their personal circumstances. Her early experience as an artist includes studying theater at Douglas Anderson School for the Arts in Jacksonville, which propelled her to work as a live performer with The Walt Disney Company. Upon graduating from the College of Charleston with a degree in Children’s Theater at the College of Charleston she established the Musical Theater School for Washington D.C.'s Ballet Petite. There, she produced performances for "The White House Easter Egg Roll" two years in succession. In 2007 Courtney, returned to Mount Pleasant where she co-founded the Musical Theatre Center. Under her direction, their students went on to achieve national recognition for their performance skills. In 2018 Courtney struck out on her own to found the Charleston Academy of Musical Theatre (The Academy), with the goal of developing three key skills among all she works with. Their mantra is to ensure that no child who wants to train will be turned away. Courtney dedicated to the belief that all children have talent waiting to be awakened and is determined to provide theatrical development in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment. In addition to her professional work, Courtney Sarre is a wife and mother of two with a deep commitment to the Charleston community. She is an active community organizer and an advocate for the arts and special education for dyslexic children in our school system.
Diana Flaherty
Music Director/Vocal Coach
Formerly an opera singer of international renown, Diana Flaherty has been recognized for the ‘exceptional beauty” of her voice and the “expressive and dramatic” quality of her portrayals. The soprano’s career has encompassed the demanding title roles of Puccini’s Tosca and Turandot, as well Verdi’s Leonora in Il Trovatore, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, Luisa in Luisa Miller, Lina in Stiffelio, Desdemona in Otello, Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Maddalena in Andrea Chénier, Giorgetta in Il Tabarro, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Nedda in I Pagliacci, and Micaëla in Carmen. Ms. Flaherty has frequented the regional opera houses of the United States, Europe and Hong Kong. In addition to opera, Ms. Flaherty has performed extensively in concert with New York Grand Opera Orchestra in New York City’s Central Park, Cleveland Suburban Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, New Jersey Opera Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony among others. She is honored to have been selected to record a solo CD of operatic selections from Verdi and Puccini in Krakow, Poland’s with the renowned Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. Upon receiving the Lys D’or Award in Paris, France, Ms. Flaherty performed a solo operatic recital with concert pianist Yuri Boukoff in Paris. Ms. Flaherty is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Jerome Hines’ esteemed Opera Music Theater Institute. She is very fortunate to have studied and worked with some of the industry’s most respected vocal teachers and coaches, among them Jerome Hines, Thomas LoMonaco and Jerome LoMonaco. In addition to her vocal training, Ms Flaherty studied acting with Actor’s Studio luminaries Robert Lewis, Charles Kakatsakis and Carol Rosenfeld. Since retiring from the stage to raise her daughter, Ms. Flaherty has maintained an active and successful private vocal studio. Her students have been the recipients of national awards of recognition, college scholarships and are regularly admitted to leading leading musical theater programs in colleges and conservatories nationwide. She has a great passion to develop the full potential of her students, and feels blessed to impart the breadth of her professional experience and training to her students.
Michelle O'Donnel
Director of Operations
Michelle has a B.A. from Mount Saint Mary's University. She was Southern Region Export Manager in the steamship industry before getting married and becoming a mom to two wonderful children. She got involved with fundraising for their school early in their education and held many volunteer positions, eventually becoming the Home and School Association President of Christ Our King - Stella Maris School. Michelle began working as Director of Operations for Charleston Academy of Musical Theater in it's inaugural year, and enjoys working with the instructors and Courtney to grow the company.
Cara Dolan​
Education Coordinator / Choreographer
Cara is thrilled to be joining the CAMT family. Her love of the stage started at a young age at Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina. In between acting classes and voices lessons, she trained in many styles of dance including tap, jazz, and ballet. She received her BFA in Music Theatre from Florida State University. She worked as an actor at several regional theaters around the country before settling in Mount Pleasant, SC. After starting a family, Cara switched her focus to choreography. She has choreographed over 30 shows for Charleston Stage Company since 2011. She is looking forward to working with the talented group of performers at CAMT!
Stephanie Jackson
Production Shop & Studio Director
Stephanie has been working with CAMT for nearly a year now, first coming on board as a parent volunteer in 2024. After assisting with our move and organization of our shop, she began working to create costumes and props for our shows, eventually coming on as a staff member in January of 2025. She is a beloved member of the CAMT family, and parent to two precious teenage children.
Kay Everhart
Teacher/Dance Instructor
Kayleigh began dancing at Great Gig Dance Co. in Kennesaw, GA at age 3 and danced competitively until 2021. She is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and modern, but is especially proficient in tap. She began teaching in high school and continued through college, teaching both youth and adult classes as well as choreographing for performing company members. She graduated of the University of Georgia where she was heavily involved in the Department of Dance and their performances.
Kay is in her second year teaching at CAMT, and enjoys leading students in Dance Technique and Tap, as well as musical theatre classes.
Mekhi Gaither
Teacher
Coming from Rock Hill, South Carolina, Mekhi is one of Charleston’s dedicated theatre educators and a performing arts advocate. In the Fall, he’ll begin serving as the theatre teacher at East Cooper Montessori Charter School, where he will continue to inspire students through creativity, discipline, and a deep love for the stage. Mekhi earned his bachelor's degree in theatre education from the College of Charleston and holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in the Performing Arts. With a passion for both education and performance, he brings energy, empathy, and professional insight to every classroom and rehearsal. You’ll find Mekhi watching a sporting event or catching him at the nearest burger spot when he's not in the theatre. His favorite musical is a tie between Newsies and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and his dream role is Donkey from Shrek!
Harley Smith
Instructor/Choreographer
Harley will be working with our out reach program at East Cooper Montessori Charter School this year, teaching choreography to budding performers in grades 1-6. She has been doing theater since she was 7, performing as a featured dancer and Co-Dance Captain for many of her shows, which included Mean Girl’s Jr, Legally Blonde Jr, The Music Man Jr., High School Musical Jr, Frozen Jr, and Into the Woods Jr.
Kelsey O'Donnel
Assistant Stage Manager
Kelsey has been assisting Charleston Academy of Musical Theatre's Performance Companies since it's inception in 2019. She was Stage Manager for CAMT's production of Seussical Kids and Assistant Stage Manager for CAMT productions of Xanadu Jr, Mean Girls Jr, The Music Man Jr, Matilda Jr, The Little Mermaid Jr, Legally Blonde Jr, and Annie, Jr. She also assists with classes, workshops and summer camps at CAMT. Her passion is working behind the scenes, but Kelsey was also a performer with CAMT's Teen Performance Company, where she has performed in James & the Giant Peach, Jr., High School Musical, Jr., Spring Extravaganza 2021, Frozen, Jr., and Into the Woods, Jr. Kelsey, a recent graduate of George Washington University in D.C., still assists with the Summer Camp program at Charleston Academy of Musical Theatre and works remotely with our school.
Nina Merchant
Assistant Stage Manager
Nina began assisting with CAMT's performance companies this past year, and has been performing with the Teen Performance Company since 2024. She has performed in All Shook Up, Bye Bye Birdie, Beauty and the Beast Jr, and Footloose. She enjoys assisting with CAMT's camps and classes.
Nora Richards
Assistant Stage Manager
Nora is a Senior at Academic Magnet High School. She began assisting with classes and summer camps in 2023 and is currently assisting with CAMT's performance companies, stage managing Madagascar A Musical Adventure JR. Nora is also a Teen Performance Company Member, performing with CAMT since 2020. Most recently she played Mrs. Potts in Beauty & the Beast JR. Other shows include Crazy for You: Youth Edition, Grease: School Edition, Legally Blonde Jr, The Music Man Jr, Into the Woods Jr, Annie Jr, and High School Musical Jr. Nora loves all the opportunities CAMT provides both in performing and helping other companies with their shows.
Henry Himes
Choreographer
Henry, a junior at Lucy Beckham High School, has been performing with CAMT since it's inception in 2019. He has experience as Dance Captain in CAMT's production of Beauty and the Beast Jr, as well as performing in shows such as Xanadu Jr (Sonny), Crazy for You YE, Grease SV, Legally Blonde Jr, The Little Mermaid Jr (King Triton), Matilda Jr (Trenchbull), The Music Man Jr, Frozen Jr (Olaf), Seussical Kids (Horton), Annie Jr, James and The Giant Peach Jr, High School Musical Jr. Henry has taken on an instructor role for some of CAMT's workshop classes this past year, working on mini-staged performances of Beauty and the Beast and Shrek.
Eva Kilbride
Reception
Eva has been a performer with Charleston Academy of Musical Theatre since the program began in 2019. She has performed in All Shook Up YE, Beauty and the Beast Jr, Finding Nemo Jr, Grease SV, Xanadu Jr, Shrek the Musical Jr, Mean Girls Jr, The Little Mermaid Jr, Frozen Jr, James and the Giant Peach Jr, Crazy for You, Annie Jr, and Matilda Jr.