Merrie has been part of Circle Arts Theatre for the past 20 years as a parent, patron, and volunteer. As a former school principal, she brings administrative experience, an appreciation of organized chaos, and a passion for people to the Executive Director role at Circle Arts. Beyond the theatre, Merrie serves on the Board of Directors for Riverside Pride and volunteers with Family Promise, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and her church choir.

Mckynzie is our Technical Director and has a BFA in Theatre from Texas State University. Some of her previous credits include, [Title of Show] where she was the first undergraduate at Texas State to direct a full musical independently, the assistant director for 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Broke Thespians Theatre Company, and the director for one of her favorite stories, The Giver. She has multiple technical credits too, like costume and set designer, Fly Master, Lead Carpenter, and Stage Manager. She is excited to learn and grow with Circle Arts Theatre and do what she can to transport the audience into the magical world of the show!

Heather is the newest member here at Circle Arts Theatre! She is the mom of two girls, Maggie and Hazel, and wife to Josh. For the past 15 years, Heather has been in education, teaching both reading and theatre. Her passion for the stage started in high school, and she feels lucky to continue to be a part of the magic that theatre creates for everyone involved! Heather graduated from Texas State University with a BA in Communication in 2007 and is excited to help Circle Arts continue to grow and remain an important staple in New Braunfels.

Lisa has lived in New Braunfels since 1999 and has been active in the community ever since, volunteering with parenting groups, PTA, Friends of NBISD P.A.C., and the Comal County Child Welfare Board. Her whole family has performed on Circle Arts’ stage at some point, and you may have even seen them onstage together from time to time! Now that she’s retired from her careers as a professional photographer and real estate transaction coordinator, you’ll find her traveling with her husband and visiting her children at college.

Martie has lived in New Braunfels since 1987. She retired from the New Braunfels ISD after 36 in education, 25 of those years in NBISD as a Special Education Director, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology and an Educational Diagnostician. She was introduced to Circle Arts Theatre by watching her nephew perform and then by watching her son grow up in this theatre, performing in Fantasy Factory, the Inner Circle and other major productions. Martie has served many years on the Circle Arts Theatre Board and has also been in several productions, and hopes to be in many more. Since retirement, Martie also volunteers on the New Braunfels Downtown Association Board serving as the membership chair.

In 1972 Steve Burney performed in the fourth season of Community Actors Theatre, later to be become Circle Arts Theatre, in the role of Hero in “A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum.” After graduating from New Braunfels High School in 1973, he went to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He pursued the life of an actor for several years, performing in regional theatres and appearing on Broadway in 1980 in “Fearless Frank”. After relocating to Seattle, Washington and starting a family, he worked at the Mayflower Park Hotel from 1987 until 2004, first as a bartender and later on as a lounge and restaurant manager. He opened a barbecue restaurant, Burney Brothers BBQ, and operated it from 2004 to 2020, growing it to three locations and adding a separate cafe, Burney’s Wine Corner. He wrote a book called Purty Dang Good about the experience of opening the restaurant and published it in 2021. In that same year, he and his wife relocated to Texas to retire, settling in Bulverde. Since returning to the area he grew up in, he has performed steadily in plays and musicals at Boerne Community Theatre, Bulverde Stage, Fredericksburg Theatre Company, and Wonder Theatre of San Antonio. At Circle Arts he was in “Clue, The Stage Play” and “All Shook Up” in 2022, a full fifty years later from when he had done his first role away from high school on the very same stage. It is an honor to serve Circle Arts Theatre and support this historic treasure of the community.

Cody Huffman is an accomplished senior executive and dynamic leader with extensive experience across diverse industries including retail, real estate, sports, tourism and entertainment sectors. Cody has demonstrated expertise in business innovation, revenue development, marketing, advertising, and event management.

A native Texan, Cody made New Braunfels his full-time home in 2020 after relocating from the New York/New Jersey Tri-State area. A devoted patron of the arts and arts education, Cody has enjoyed unique access to numerous shows and live theatre events across the world.

Outside of his love for live theatre and the arts, Cody is a passionate college sports fan and avid traveler. Cody is always looking for ways to merge his passions into unique experiences and has sung the National Anthem at numerous sporting and community events across the country for the past 25 years.

Joy walked in the doors of Circle Arts Theatre in the late 1980s, and never left. She has continuously served on our Board of Directors for almost three decades and is passionate about our mission to entertain, educate and inspire through theatre arts. A successful entrepreneur, Joy contributes a variety of business skills and experience to the Board’s management of theatre operations. She recently took a smaller role as co-owner of Vertex Solutions Group and of Lindsey Properties, to fulfill a teenage dream of being a Southwest Airline Flight Attendant. Other interests include hiking, adventure travel, doodling on napkins and being Omy to her four grandchildren. Joy can often be found on our stage and makes every role unforgettable!

Diana (Di) Schmidt was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. She and her husband met at a concert in Lake County, CA. After getting engaged, Di moved to Lakeport where the two resided for 17 years before escaping and retiring in New Braunfels. They arrived Labor Day weekend of 2019. They heard about New Braunfels while on a trip to Belize where they met a group from Texas. Steve asked them where they would retire to and they all responded “to New Braunfels!”. On their next vacation, Di and Steve flew to San Antonio, rented a car, and drove around NB to wherever people told them to go check out! They fell in love with the area and the rest is history! While living in Lakeport she joined the Lake County Theater Company performing in numerous productions over those 17 years. She served on the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and chaired the Events Team coordinating such events as Oktoberfest, Sea Plane Splash-In, and Stars of Lake County. For seven years she co-directed, co-choreographed, and performed in the annual “Celebrity Lip Sync” show channeling celebrities such as Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, and Diana Ross, to name a few! She also choreographed and performed in “A Night at the Speakeasy” and was an actor with “Murder Us Productions”. One of Di’s requirements for moving to a new area was that there was an active theater company. Hence, Di is looking forward to many happy years sharing her experience with Circle Arts Theatre and is honored to sit on the Board of Directors. Di has a B.A. Degree in Communications from California State University, Sacramento, and a degree in Fashion Merchandising. She is also a Certified Meeting Professional and continues to hold her CTA (Certified Tourism Ambassador) certification. In her spare time she enjoys riding around in her 1965 red El Camino!