Children's Musical

Cherie has been around Oakwood since her family became involved in the 80's. She personally got involved in 1997 after years of participating in her high school drama productions under the direction of Tom Mason. She did a number of straight shows and musicals until taking a break when starting her family in 2005. Then her children were introduced to Oakwood when they were old enough to participate in the children’s show, in which they have been participating since. She became the Children's Show Director in 2022. Cherie is a wife and busy mother of 4 very involved children. She is also a Biology teacher in Pennsville HS where she serves as Science Fair advisor and a class advisor. 

Amber is super excited to be choreographing not only Shrek Jr., our children’s’ musical, but also Anything Goes, our mainstage musical. Her recent credits include choreographing Anastasia at Kingsway Regional HS, and Descendants at Pennsville Memorial HS. When she’s not making up dances for the shows, she can also be found painting sets, or making Instagram reels for our social media. Amber cannot wait to meet our casts and get started on rehearsals !

Katie is a Salem County Native who  fell in love with theater as a  PGHS Red Devil Player. There  she played the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland and Laurie in Oklahoma!. After high school, Katie joined Oakwood Summer Theater playing roles such as: Lily St. Regis in Annie, Lola in Damn Yankees and Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain.  She strongly believes in OST’s mission and devotes herself to instilling confidence in Salem County’s youth as the assistant director of OST’s children’s production.  Outside of theater, Katie serves as moderator of the First Baptist Church of Salem. She is passionate about community service and volunteers with Code Blue of Salem County and is the director of the Mickey Bowman Food Pantry. Professionally, Katie has been with Parker Jewelers in Salem for over 14 years as the customer service manager.  She has also been a florist for thirty years which has helped her bring a high level of  creativity into all other parts of her life.

Lizzie Hitchner is a recent alumna of Woodstown High School and is currently pursuing a degree in music education at Rowan University. She is excited to be joining Oakwood Summer Theatre as an assistant director this season. Lizzie has been actively involved in theater both onstage and behind the scenes. During her senior year, she appeared as Rusty in Footloose, and she directed The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, an experience that solidified her passion for directing and deepened her interest in continuing to work in theater. She also has a strong background in technical theater, with a particular love for lighting design, and has served as a lighting director for multiple productions in South Jersey. In addition to her production work, Lizzie serves as secretary of the Woodstown Curtain Call Club, where she helps promote and support theater within her former school district. She is excited to continue growing as a director and to be part of the Oakwood Summer Theatre team this season.

Dana Mae Gayner, soprano, is a lifelong resident of Salem, NJ. She began her formal training in singing at the age of 9, and continued her study of music through high school and college, earning a B.A. in voice from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Since 2003, Dana has enjoyed teaching private vocal lessons to students as young as 9 years old, and as young at heart as 90 years old. She owns, manages, and teaches private voice lessons and Kindermusik classes at The Manningon Music School.

Victoria Bucksar is a dedicated educator and community leader with 22 years of experience in the classroom. Her passion for supporting her children’s interests eventually led her to Oakwood Summer Theatre, where she now serves as the Treasurer and the Producer for Children’s Shows.

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Victoria’s commitment to service is a career-long theme; she has previously served as a PTO President, a Youth Ministry teacher, and a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels. When she isn’t managing theatrical productions or balancing the books, she treasures quality time with her friends and family. She also enjoys getting lost in a good book, taking walks with her dog, Murphy, and traveling with her husband, Ryan, and their two children, Jack and Bryn.