About

Denis Lawrence, Jr. Co-Director Denis' DHTC credits include Murder at Luigi’s, which he specifically re-wrote for Dartmouth High School, The Odd Couple (Female Version), Elephant’s Graveyard, Seussical the Musical, Miracle on 34th Street, Legally Blonde, Return to Sender, A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Chicago, Babes in Toyland, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Fools, Elf, Jr. the Musical, Last Stop ‘til Christmas, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Story, Footloose the Musical, A Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, We Will Rock You- The Queen Musical, Christmas in New England, which he wrote, Shrek the Musical, Matilda, Mamma Mia, and Grease! Denis is the Co-Founder of SouthCoast Children’s Theatre (SCCT) and serves as its Executive Producer. For SCCT, he has directed Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Disney’s Mulan, Dear Edwina, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Wiz, Peter Pan, Shrek the Musical, Annie, Seussical the Musical, Disney’s Mary Poppins, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and The Diary of Anne Frank. He has directed Private Lives, Barefoot in the Park, Deathtrap, God’s Favorite, The Foreigner, and The Nerd regionally. He has also directed the child Munchkin Ensemble for the National Touring Company of The Wizard of Oz for the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. Denis majored in Theater Arts at Bridgewater State College. He has performed with local and regional theater companies, such as The Gateway Playhouse, The Spouter’s Theater Company, Your Theatre, and the Little Theater Company of Fall River. Denis is the recipient of two Academy of Regional Theatre Arts Awards as Best Actor in the musicals West Side Story and Chicago. He is the recipient of a Drama Masque Award for his portrayal of Van Helsing in Dracula. Denis has successfully produced and directed live radio broadcasts of A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Auntie Scrooge and A New Bedford Christmas Story, which he wrote for WBSM.

Shirley Byers Co-Director & Musical Director Shirley’s DHTC co-directing credits include Murder at Luigi’s, The Odd Couple (Female Version), Elephant’s Graveyard, Seussical the Musical, Miracle on 34th Street, Legally Blonde, Return to Sender, A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, Chicago, Babes in Toyland, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Fools, Elf, Jr. the Musical, Last Stop ‘til Christmas, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Story, Footloose the Musical, A Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life, We Will Rock You- the Queen Musical, Christmas in New England, Shrek the Musical, Matilda, and Mamma Mia! Mrs. Byers is a music educator for the Dartmouth School System. She is a diverse musician and performs repertoire as an organist, pianist, and vocalist. She studied organ performance at the New England Conservatory and voice and music education at UMASS Dartmouth where she obtained a bachelor’s degree. She also holds a Music Education Certificate from the Massachusetts Department of Education. She obtained her master’s degree in music education from Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island. She is the organist/music director at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Shirley was the SouthCoast Children’s Theatre vocal director for their productions of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Disney’s Mulan, Dear Edwina, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Wiz, Peter Pan, Shrek the Musical, Seussical the Musical and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Lauren Enoksen Choreographer Lauren has been involved in DHTC for many years serving as the assistant choreographer for the DHTC's productions of Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Footloose the Musical, We Will Rock You - the Queen Musical, Shrek the Musical, Mamma Mia, and Grease!  She is also the advisor of the DHS Dance Club. Lauren is a social studies teacher here at DHS teaching AP World History, AP Psychology, and Psychology CCR. She currently takes jazz, ballet, and contemporary classes at Attitude Academy of Performing Arts in Dartmouth. While in college at Clark University, she was a co-director of Variant Dance Troupe for three years and competed for two years in ballroom dance at the collegiate level with the Clark University Ballroom Dance Team. As a student here at Dartmouth High, she was a member of the DHS Marching Band, DHS Indoor Percussion Dance Team, and the DHS Theater Union under the direction of Juan Rodriguez in the Productions of The Secret Garden, Bat Boy, Titanic, and Smokey Joe's Cafe