Crown Founders

Andreá Smith 

(Co-Producing Artistic Director)

Andreá has been active in the Austin theatre scene for nearly two decades as an actor, director, producer, set designer, costumer, and choreographer. She’s worked on a range of theatre productions, from Shakespeare to musicals, and everything in between, and has garnered 10 B. Iden Payne nominations (and a few wins) along the way, including: Best Director of a Play for Youth, Wiley and the Hairy Man, (Second Youth Family Theatre), Outstanding Set Design, Wiley and The Hairy Man, (Second Youth Family Theatre), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for Youth, Charlotte’s Web, (Scottish Rite Theatre), Outstanding Small Cast Performance, Storm Still, (The Vortex), Outstanding Cast Performance, The Rover, (Hidden Room Theatre). Andreá is a former board member of the Hidden Room Theatre, and Penfold Theatre, as well as a company member for The Vortex and Shrewd Productions. By day, she works in Human Resources at a tech company, and she is the founder of an official 501(c)3 nonprofit, bakingforgood.org; which uses the power of flour to raise funds for Austin-based nonprofits in need.  

Professor Tobie Minor 

(Co-Producing Artistic Director)

Tobie is an Associate Professor of Practice, the Director of Stage Combat/Intimacy, and teaches Movement and Acting at The School of Theatre, Dance, and Film at Texas State University. He is also the co-founder of Violent Crown, a physical theatre training and performance group. He is a member of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators (ATME), a certified Vocal Extremes Teacher/Coach with VCT (Vocal Combat Technique), and  has been a certified Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) since 2000. He has choreographed violence at Texas State, Zach Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, Austin Playhouse, Hidden Room Theatre, and Penfold Theatre to name a few. He has been nominated and won many awards both locally (B. Iden Payne) and internationally (Falstaff Award), and his choreography has been featured at the Blackfriars conference and on The Globe stage in London. He is an award wining actor who's credits include several short films, commercials, voice over work, and a rather lengthy list of stage productions in Austin, Chicago, Colorado, and many points between, working with theaters like Creede Repertory, Austin Shakespeare, Zach Theatre, Austin Playhouse, Chicago Shakespeare, Stage Left Theatre, Looking Glass, Hidden Room, and Penfold Theatre. 

www.tobieminor.com 


Amy Minor  

(Managing Director/Education Director) 

Amy began touring in Germany with the American Musical Theater Company as Luisa in the Fantasticks when she was 16 yrs old in bilingual German/English production. She holds a B.F.A. in theater from Stephens College and lived in Kansas City and Chicago for many years acting at various theater companies (Coterie, American Heartland, Chicago Shakespeare, Chicago Jewish Theater, Lifeline Theater, Barrel of Monkeys). Her favorite roles include Hen in the original musical ‘Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type’, and Petra in Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’, and most recently Jenny Hill in ‘Big Fish’ at the Austin Playhouse Theater. Since moving to Austin in 2008, in addition to being a busy realtor and mentor, she has been diligently working on her other favorite role, being a mom to her two sons: Aiden and Liam.  Amy is a founding member, and the managing director, for Crown Theatre and has served on the boards of several other amazing theater companies in Austin (Hidden Room Theatre and Penfold).  


Jennifer Jennings, M. Ed 

 (Founder)

 Jen is honored to be a founding member of The Crown Theatre with her beloved quaranteam. Fairly new to the production side of theatre, she served as director for the Vortex Rep’s Summer Youth productions of MR. BURNS and an original devised work entitled ANOTHER GREAT DEPRESSION. Favorite shows include A MILLION MORE TO GO (Jarrott Productions), ALABASTER (Shrewd Productions), WILD HORSES (Vortex Rep; 2018 B. Iden Payne Outstanding Actress in a Drama; Robert Faires' Top 10 (+1) Theatre Riches of 2017; 2018 Austin Critics Table Outstanding Performance by an Individual), STORM STILL (Vortex Rep), TERMINUS (Vortex Rep), SING MUSE (Vortex Rep), LEAR (Vortex Rep), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Penfold Theatre and Present Company), and AGENT ANDROMEDA (Sky Candy). By day, Jen is a middle school counselor, with a Masters in Education, with 20 years’ experience in public education and a mom to five-year-old Selah Jane. 


Tyler Rouse 

(Founder-Music Director)

Tyler began his music and acting journey in the DFW metroplex at a young age where he performed in numerous musicals. Since moving to central Texas in 2018, Tyler has continued his musical passion through accompanying, directing, composing, acting, and teaching. He has served as the music director for Crown Theatre since its founding, but his contributions extend beyond our theater; Tyler has been honored to collaborate with La Fenice, Different Stages, TexArts, and is also a guiding force at RMT Music LLC, Buda United Methodist Church, and the Paramount Theatre Education program.