Come Kick It With Us!
The team at Barking Legs Theater is unique. Not only do we handle all the venue things like bookings, marketing, and operational support — we’re also performing artists.
Our combined venue management and performing arts production experience makes us uniquely positioned to provide artists & patrons with an amazing experience at Barking Legs.
Meet Our Team
Ann Law, Founder & Executive Director
Ann Law is an improvisational dancer, choreographer/director, dance educator and arts activist. For the past twenty-four years she has cultivated thoughtful audiences and built a strong community in art activism.
“After many years of intense teaching, reflection, and research, I realized that I was sitting on information important to artists of all disciplines. Through my passions of collaboration, creativity, and experiential learning, I decided to develop an arts teaching practice that includes taking risks, supporting the space for others to create, experiencing new joys in learning, and scaffolding every moment inside lots of surprises. What better way to serve artists in their desire to become teaching artists and support them in their creative process as well.”
Bruce Kaplan, Music Director
Bruce has been pretty fanatical about music since his childhood in Miami. After shortlived study of classical guitar, he graduated to the world of garage rock in junior high, circa 1970. He dipped his feet into the world of free improvisation in the mid-eighties, participating actively in NYC’s downtown community from 1987 until moving to Chattanooga in 1990 to practice neurology. Under the spell of Appalachia, he become obsessed with playing fiddle tunes on the mandolin. He has become reacquainted with the guitar in the past few years, making a stab at learning rudiments of jazz guitar.
His programming of music at the Legs began in earnest in 1997, with a huge assist from Fletcher and George Bright. Since then, musical offerings have been increasingly diversified, with focus on three main areas: modern and traditional acoustic music, jazz, and the avant-garde. “I am increasingly interested in bringing more and more people from the community into being part of programming at Barking Legs. Consider that an invitation!”
-
Marcus Patrick Ellsworth
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR
-
Holly Morse-Ellington
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR
Holly Morse-Ellington is a producer, director and playwright from Paducah, Kentucky. She is the Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Next Exit Productions, a new works and storytelling company that produces plays, films, and true storytelling events.
As a writer and playwright, she's published over 100 articles in national and regional media, including American Theatre Magazine, Baltimore Style and The Washington Times. Her plays include, Free To Go (premiered at Manhattan Repertory Theatre), Exiting A Man's Cave (published in The Furious Gazelle), and plays co-written with Jason Tinney that include 50 Miles Away (winner of Frostburg State One Acts Fest), Girl With Diamonds In Her Eyes: A Cowgirl Musical (premiered at Pumpkin Theatre) and Let Em Play. Holly received an Individual Artist Award in Playwriting from the Maryland State Arts Council.
Holly's been a storyteller for The Stoop Storytelling Series (Baltimore’s Center Stage) and Deep Roots: Oklahoma Authors Oral History Project. She is the marketing director for Cast Iron Storytelling, created by Jason Tinney. Prior to joining the Barking Legs team, she was a digital marketing strategist and copy chief for international marketing firms.
Barking Legs Theater was her first “home away from home” when she moved to Chattanooga in 2017. She directed and acted in the Muse of Fire Project, a kids write/adults act new works series at the Legs. As Co-Managing Director, Holly spearheads the Fringe Festival, develops marketing, and manages grantwriting and fundraising initiatives.
She’s a passionate advocate for sustainable pay for performing artists and arts programming. Holly is a myth buster who believes in championing locally and regionally created art.
-
Mixy Mixon
FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER
Mixy Mixon is a local independent theater artist who highlights community, connection, and the human experience in their work.
Mixy received a B.A. in Theater and a B.A. in Women's and Gender Studies along with a curricular certificate in Playwriting in 2021 from Sewanee: The University of the South. During their time at Sewanee Mixy was awarded the Tennessee Williams Fellowship in the Arts, performed in roles such as Fraulein Kost in Cabaret, Mercy Lewis in The Crucible, Major John Wesley Powell in Men on Boats, and Shiobhan in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and worked as a gender equality activist specifically highlighting advocacy for survivors of sexual assault.
In 2023 they joined Art's Build's Periscope: Chattanooga Entrepreneurship in the Arts program. Being a part of the first Periscope Cohort gave them new opportunities to connect with Chattanooga's Artists. It was here that Mixy became connected with Ann Law and met other great artists, mentors, and leaders such as Courtney Cholovich, Cherokee Ellison, and TJ Hanretta of Playful Evolving Monsters. This program stemmed a connection to Barking Legs Theater where they began as an Artist in Residence in Educational Music Directing for Normal Park's The Spongebob Musical.
In May of 2025 Mixy presented their original staged play Night & Day, in collaboration with Seed Theater. Mixy has developed a close relationship with Seed Theater, as they align with their mission of activism and advocacy in art. Mixy also works closely with Next Exit Productions, a local partner with Barking Legs committed to developing new works. Currently, Mixy is a playwright, actor, director, drag-lesque performer, and musician. They're passion is to care and advocate for Chattanooga's working performance artists.
-
Cherokee Aaron Ellison
FACILITIES MANAGER