Children's Theater Workshop

   We so are excited to welcome Naomii Hayes as the Drama Coach for our 30th Annual Summer Theater Workshop! Naomii brings a breadth of hands-on experience to the Workshop, having worked with young people of every age and skill level.

   Currently, Naomii is on the road with Bright Star Touring Theatre and traveling across the region to bring live professional theater to school audiences.  This included a stop right here in Oriental earlier this year, where she presented live theater to all the 2nd graders in Pamlico County. After the play, Naomii led a Q&A session where the kids had thoughtful questions about her start in theater and life on the road with a traveling theater troupe.

   Before joining Bright Star, she spent three years at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in Rocky Mount, NC. Naomii taught drama to children ages 5–13, creating curriculum, leading workshops in acting, choreography, costuming, and technical theater, and guiding students from the first rehearsal all the way to opening night. In the fall of 2025, at Athens Drive Magnet High School, Naomii was the student-teacher for a drama program of 75 students across various class levels, and taught them how to analyze and perform Shakespearean text.

   Naomii earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education from Appalachian State University and holds a current North Carolina Teaching License in Theater Arts. She knows how to meet young performers where they are, whether they are stepping on stage for the first time or ready to take on a more challenging role.

   We are looking forward to what she will bring to our students as we celebrate 30 years of Summer Theater Workshop in Oriental!