Community theatre has a way of bringing people together in unexpected and deeply meaningful ways. Long rehearsals, shared creative goals, and the trust built behind the scenes often create bonds that extend far beyond the stage. For many, theatre isn’t just a hobby—it’s where they met their partner, built a relationship, or found a shared language that helps them stay connected. In this collection, Beyond Theatre Collective (BTC) highlights real couples who met through theatre or continue to do theatre together, proving that sometimes the greatest love stories begin at places like auditions, tech week, or the callboard.
*Stories below are listed in alphabetical order by last name
Jerry Beasley (he/him) and Kevil Bell (he/him)
Indianapolis, IN
How did they meet?
Jerry and Kevin were both in the same theatre-related Facebook group. They commented on the same post and then started messaging each other. They’ve been together for eight years and married for four.
Do they both work in theatre today?
They work in both professional and community theatre. Kevin serves on the Board of Directors of Footlite Musicals and also works as an actor, director, and choreographer. Jerry is an actor, set designer, director, and producer. They are both working on a production of Funny Girl at Footlite Musicals.
Any cute details about shows they’ve done together?
Their first show together was the musical Yank. Kevin was still living in Cincinnati, but Jerry convinced him to audition, and they ended up getting cast together. They were both in a small group and had to tap dance…Kevin does not tap (he faked it really well, though).
What do they do outside of theatre today?
Jerry works in the printing industry, where he uses his college training in Graphic Design, and he recently started a fashion brand called “Dapper by Design.” Kevin has been teaching ballet for 30+ years while working for IU Health as a Simulated Patient. Kevin also facilitates after-school theatre arts programs, where they serve as a first exposure for young actors to live performance and theatre.
Why do they like doing theatre together?
CW: Abuse of a minor by a trusted religious figure
*jump to the next section if you would prefer not to read this
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Theatre has served as both an escape and a way to meet new people for both of them. Kevin has a much deeper connection to theatre [and the performing arts], which has helped save his emotional well-being and mental health. Kevin is from the deep South and felt stifled and suffocated, without a way to be creative. Growing up, he was abused by a clergy member who had ties with his family, and he couldn’t tell anyone, but performing (theatre, ballet, singing) gave him autonomy over his body and allowed him to express himself in whatever production he was doing. Theatre continues to give Jerry and Kevin LIFE and offers different perspectives on the world.
Eirann (they/them) and Jenna (she/her) Betka-Pope
How did they meet?
Eirann and Jenna met teaching summer camp together at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre in June 2015. Eirann was the Director, and Jenna was the Set and Props Instructor. They started meeting up outside of camp to discuss production details, and those sessions turned into many hours-long conversations. By the end of the summer, they were official! They have been together since August 2015 and married since October 2018.
Do they both work in theatre today?
They sure do! Jenna works at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre as the Director of Education and Outreach. Eirann is also a teaching artist and director at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. They run their own production company, Betka-Pope Productions LLC, together.
Any cute details about shows they’ve done together?
While they haven’t performed in a full-length production together, they work on many shows together at Circle Theatre, Civic Theatre, and their production company. They serve various roles, including performers, directors, stage managers, producers, and more. During the summer they met, the shows’ themes revolved around Michigan. On the final day of camp, they both got each other (and only each other) Michigan-themed gifts.
What do they do outside of theatre today?
They love to travel and spend time with their dog, Cornelius. They parallel play with Eirann playing pinball and Jenna reading. They like spending time with both of our families, exploring nature, and working on house projects together.
Why do they like doing theatre together?
They both have creative and logistical brains. Their relationship includes bouncing ideas off each other in such a deep format. They both have a great understanding of the theatrical world, and they complement each other well. When one of them is struggling to figure out a creative or logistical detail, the other can usually solve it!
Dave (he/him) and Jenn (she/her) Byers
How did they meet?
Dave and Jenn met during a production of The Addams Family at the Woodstock Opera House. Dave plays drums/percussion and had played numerous shows at the Opera House until that point, while Jenn recently moved to the area and wanted to meet people (so she started looking for theatres!) They have been together since the end of 2017 and married since January 2023.
Do they both work in theatre today?
Yes! Jenn is the creator of the website you are reading this from (Beyond Theatre Collective [BTC]), and works locally in Indianapolis, IN, as a freelance stage manager and props designer. She recently served on the Board of Directors of two community theatres, where she was head of marketing, and has worked in four different theatre box offices. Dave plays drums and percussion in various musicals, most recently in a high school production of Carrie: The Musical.
Any cute details about shows you’ve done together?
After The Addams Family, Jenn got a job at the theatre’s box office. Dave was playing the next production, Shrek the Musical, and kept finding excuses to visit her at the Box Office. On their first date, they spent most of the time talking about theatre, and the date lasted 5+ hours!
What do they do outside of theatre today?
As mentioned above, Jenn runs BTC and is also a freelance marketer through Byers and Beyond Marketing. Dave is a Technical Account Manager with Mercury Marine. They both love hiking, boating, and listening to musical soundtracks on the many road trips they take to visit friends and family. Jenn loves knitting and reading, while Dave likes video games and getting his hands dirty with home projects.
Why do they like doing theatre together?
For Dave and Jenn, theatre has become a way to express themselves while establishing roots in a new city. They haven’t done a show together since working on a production of Matilda the Musical in 2020, whose performances were cut short due to the pandemic. They hope to work on a production together again someday.
Andy (he/him) and Kenzie (she/her) Conrad
How did they meet?
They met as cast members in a production of Hello, Dolly! in the summer of 2016. Kenzie played Minnie Fay, and Andy played Ambrose Kemper. Ironically, the musical is about a professional matchmaker, but the characters were paired with different people in the show and never really interacted on stage. However, Kenzie was attracted to Andy right away, and after a couple of random conversations during breaks in rehearsals, they developed a friendship that grew stronger throughout the production. After the production, they started hanging out more and playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) together. It became apparent over time that they both had feelings for each other, so after four months of trying to ignore said feelings, they finally started dating.
They started dating in the fall of 2016, which is now a decade! They got married on October 21st, 2022, in Lake Geneva, WI (considered the birthplace of D&D). It was awesome to have a couple of tables-worth of theatre friends at our wedding and standing by our side during the ceremony; theatre folk know how to party!
Do they both work in theatre today?
They both work professionally in healthcare, even though it has nothing to do with theatre. Kenzie remains active in community theatre, as an actor and music director, as well as the co-founder and former president of the Lou Awards, a non-profit awards committee for community theatre in the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago. Andy hasn’t been on stage in a bit, but he is still incredibly supportive of Kenzie’s aspirations and their friends in the industry.
Any cute details about shows they’ve done together?
Hello, Dolly! is the only show that they’ve done together (so far), but they’ve had some overlap in our past shows. For example, Andy played Cinderella’s Father in Into the Woods when he was in high school, and Kenzie played Cinderella’s Stepmother in a community theatre production just a few years ago, so they like to joke that they basically played opposite each other, just seven years apart.
What do you do outside of theatre today?
They’re both still very into D&D and gaming in general. Andy has been a Dungeon Master (DM) for a D&D campaign they play with other theatre friends for just over two years now, and he also paints miniatures for tabletop games while working on his third novella. Kenzie took up ballet a year and a half ago, which has been a wonderful creative and athletic outlet for her, and she does some casual crafting and content creation. They’re both creative types, so it makes sense that they met through theatre.
Why do they like doing theatre together?
They met while doing theatre together. Although the stars haven’t aligned for them to do a show together again, they are hoping it will happen!
Mike (he/him) and Pat (she/her) Fails
How did they meet?
Mike and Pat met back in May 1970 at Mike’s apartment. Mike worked nights during that time, and could only offer a quick “Hi, great to meet you!” before leaving for work. hey married in May 1973 and have been married for 53 years.
Do they both work in theatre today?
Both are active volunteers with Attic Theatre, Inc. Mike usually volunteers at the Will Call ticket window. While Pat is usually on stage, she helps out wherever needed, from ushering to run crew to helping paint sets.
Any cute details about shows they’ve done together?
In H.M.S. Pinafore, the sailors needed to have shirts with the special tie. Mike was in the Navy and knew how to tie that square knot. He was drafted into the cast and helped all the men tie their square knots properly. He now has a rule: don’t go to auditions with Pat, otherwise he will get cast in the show!
What do they do outside of theatre today?
Mike is retired, so not much! Pat works part-time at a local hardware store and tries to keep up with all the theatre stuff and the home front. They both love going to local theatre shows whenever they can.
Why do you like doing theatre together?
The biggest reason is that it gets them out of the house. They can talk to anyone about theatre, the latest productions, and the latest auditions. They’ve even managed to get other people involved with theatre!
David Housemann (he/him) and Madeline Jones (she/her)
How did they meet?
Maddie had initially seen David perform as an ensemble member alongside her sister in Dogfight 2015, about a year before they spoke for the first time. Flash forward to 2016, when Maddie gets to see David center stage, smothered in eyeliner, hair spiked, and singing about sticking it to the man in American Idiot, she knew she had to know this man. She was initially bummed she couldn’t audition for the show because of a family wedding that conflicted with performances. She was determined to cross paths, and after a brief interaction and a cast after-party at the Apartment Lounge, Maddie began her friendship with David that night, not knowing David also felt he had to meet Maddie.
While the timing in both of their lives wasn’t aligned for them to be together just yet, theatre would bring them together again down the road. During callbacks for Circle Theatre in March 2017, she sat across the room, listening to him sing, and decided that if the timing wasn’t right in her life, she had to make it right. Over the next six months, David and Maddie began talking; he helped her move apartments; they began hanging out, talking until 5 AM; and before they knew it, they knew. They will be getting married on their ninth anniversary in October 2026.
Do they both work in theatre today?
They both still volunteer for our local community theatres. Things may look a little different now with pets, and hopefully kids, so they may not get to do as many shows together anymore, but getting to support each other through truly understanding the commitment it takes is something really special they’re not sure every couple gets to experience. They both went on a bit of a hiatus to “settle down” a bit, but Maddie was able to be a part of two productions in 2025, and David is finally back on stage for his first show in FIVE YEARS, currently rehearsing for Dance Nation at Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids.
Any cute details about shows you’ve done together?
Maddie is 5’0″, and David is 6’3″; people usually find that pretty cute. During the pandemic, in early 2021, Maddie and David had the opportunity to perform in a three-person show at Gilda’s LaughFest. Tensions were high pandemic-wise, so the show was livestreamed without a live audience, and face masks were worn by all crew and backstage. But because they were a real-life couple living together, they got to share our first (and so far ONLY) on-stage kiss. They played Gilda Radner and Alan Zweibel in Bunny, Bunny.
What do you do outside of theatre today?
David is a waterproofer at City Basement and also dedicates a lot of his energy to mastering his music and production skills. Maddie fills her time in many different ways professionally; she is an event makeup artist, a licensed esthetician, a lash artist, a permanent makeup artist, and a professional residential cleaner.
Why do you like doing theatre together?
For Maddie, there isn’t necessarily one specific reason. It’s the feeling she gets watching David perform, or running lines with him, or watching his character come together before her eyes. To her, it’s almost a form of intimacy getting to talk about characters and choices beyond the rehearsal space; they can really dissect and talk openly about what they are thinking, and that usually translates so beautifully onto the stage. And they both love being silly, and theatre lets us get all of that out.
Last Updated on: February 17, 2026
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