OUR MISSION
Free Reign Theatre Company fosters collaboration between ambitious artists to create heartfelt, inclusive, and diverse theatrical experiences. 
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From Ancient Greek plays, to Renaissance works, to modern-day productions, original works and adaptations, we set out to make our stories live, breathe, and have a heartbeat. These stories are the greatest gift we can give to you, and we want you to be part of them.

Through the presentation of performing arts to the general public, theatrical workshops, and outreach to regional schools, our goal is to help educate our community through our exploration of the history and breadth of the human experience.

Why Free "reign"?

The phrase is supposed to be spelled "free rein," implying a bridled horse able to run free
without anyone controlling it. However, due to the pride we have in our presence
in Charlotte, the Queen City, the "reign" spelling best describes us.

MEMBERS

Charles holmes

CEO & founder
​technical director, fight director
Charles is an actor/actor combatant and the owner of Feint and Parry Stage Combat. He has enjoyed being the resident Fight Choreographer for Shakespeare Carolina (2013-2017) and has choreographed and directed fights for local and regional companies including Actor's Theatre of  Charlotte, Theatre Charlotte, Georgia Renaissance Faire, and the Atlanta Shakespeare Company.

DAVID HENSLEY

multimedia​
David is a 2008 graduate of Winthrop University, where he received his bachelors degree in theatre performance. In addition to working with Free Reign, he is also the owner and creative director of Long Walk Productions, a Rock Hill, SC based film and multimedia company. David is a director, writer, actor, editor, photographer, and filmmaker, who loves storytelling in all forms.

CARA HAYES

corporate & community bookings, stage management
Cara received her first BA in English from Wingate University and her second BA in American Studies from Queens University of Charlotte. She recently received her Master’s degree in History from Southern New Hampshire University. A relative newcomer to the world of theatre, she played a guard in Amy Scheide’s adaptation of The Man in the Iron Mask. Cara appreciates theatre’s ability to bring people together with stories that are both timeless and universal. 

ROBERT BRAFFORD

treasurer & grant writing
A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Robert fell in love with Charlotte’s theater community while in college. Since 2012, he has been performing regularly in the Metrolina region as an actor in pieces classical, modern, and, once, musical. When not onstage, he works in the financial services industry. To paraphrase CS Lewis, we appreciate art not for its survival value, but because it gives value to survival.

aLEX CREECH

education manager
Alex Creech graduated with her BFA in Theatre Education from East Carolina University in 2010. She currently teaches English full-time in Charlotte and has been a part of the Charlotte theatre community since 2013. It is her firm belief that theatre and the arts should be open and accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. As Oscar Wilde said, "theatre is the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being."

Shelby Patterson

secretary, stage management
Shelby Ray Patterson is a graduate of East Carolina University where she earned her BFA in Theatre For Youth – Performance. She has been involved in the Charlotte-Metro theatre community for almost a decade; working with companies such as Liberty Mountain, Appalachian Theatre Company, and Children's Theatre of Charlotte as a member of their Touring Company. Shelby is very excited to join the Free Reign team as its new secretary!

chelsea hunter

fundraising, community outreach
After graduating from UNC Charlotte with a degree in Theatre, Chelsea absconded to Chicago to pursue comedy and storytelling. She enjoyed ten rewarding years in Chicago performing, directing, writing, and improvising at The Annoyance Theater, iO Theater and The Second City. She’s thrilled to be back in NC and diving into swords and Shakespeare with Free Reign. When not making theatre magic, she spends her days working in the higher education field and her nights running Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.