Alana Smith came to CharacterWorks from the theater department at Virginia Tech. While studying acting, she also discovered a love for teaching. God’s plan sent her back to Richmond to continue pursuing her passion in her hometown. Some of her favorite roles include: Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, the title role in Eurydice; on the local stage with Quill Theater as Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing and the Evil Queen in Cymbeline; and with Virginia Rep as Red Dog in Go, Dog, Go! She has been teaching with CharacterWorks since 2008 and has had the wonderful opportunity to direct many CWorks shows since 2010. She lives in Midlothian with her husband, Daniel, and their 3 sons.

Tracia Everton Austin received a Bachelor of Music Education from James Madison University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University. After teaching music in both public and private schools, she began teaching classes for CharacterWorks and for almost two decades has served as one of the Music Directors. Tracia also works in film and TV as a casting assistant at Anne Chapman Casting, has a private vocal studio and has helped coordinate the Kings Dominion Festival of Music for over three decades. She and her husband, Terry, who has conducted several pit orchestras for CWorks, love to travel and have twin sons, Joshua and Seth, who are CWorks alums.