Wake MTC Staff
Joseph Byrd (Technical Theatre)
Joseph Byrd graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Theatre Education. He teaches Technical Theatre and Beginning Acting at Enloe Magnet High School as well as being the Technical Director for all of the productions and events at the school. Under his guidance, the Enloe Musical Productions consistently receive recognition through the Triangle Rising Star Awards for Outstanding Set and Lighting Design. In his free time he enjoys hiking throughout North Carolina with his wife, Leah.
Heather Copley (Voice)
Heather Copley has been the choral director at Apex High School for 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Voice from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Each year Ms. Copley is the Music Director for the Apex Fine Arts Department's Musical Productions. She is also a member of NCMEA, MENC, and ACDA. In 2017, Mrs. Copley was awarded the NC Music Educators Conference High School Chorus Teacher of the year. She has been a guest clinician at All County Choirs throughout the state. Ms. Copley has also taught at Canon Music Camp at Appalachian State University, as well as, Raleigh Little Theater. She also serves as an MPA adjudicator each year. Mrs. Copley serves as member of the NCMEA Executive Board. Her choirs have toured all over the world, including Germany, Italy, Austria, England and Hawaii.
KoKo Thornton (Acting)
After graduating from the WCPSS in 1993, Miss Thornton received the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship to UNC-Charlotte where she received her BCA in Theatre Education and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1997. While in college, she worked as an actor and professional costumer including being a dresser for the National Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. After teaching theatre at Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte where she was the recipient of an NCTC award for Outstanding Direction, Miss Thornton returned home to Raleigh and served on the NC Department of Public Instruction’s committee to rewrite the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Theatre Education. The 2021-2022 school year will mark her 22nd year teaching Theatre at Enloe Magnet High School where she is the Arts Department Chair and directs the musicals. Some of her directing credits include: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 Capital Award for Outstanding Musical), Little Women (2008 Capital Award for Outstanding Direction), Once Upon a Mattress (2013 TRS Award for Best Musical), Thoroughly Modern Millie (2014 TRS Award for Best Ensemble), Miss Saigon, Into the Woods (2016 TRS Award for Best Musical), and Ragtime (2018 TRS Award for Best Musical). Miss Thornton is the immediate past President of the North Carolina Theatre Arts Educators and the NCTAE 2017 Teacher of the Year.
David Wilson (Piano, Voice)
David Wilson, a native of Raleigh, began his piano studies at age 10, following in the footsteps of his mother and sister. These lessons, as well as his music experiences in public school, set him on a musical path that would eventually lead to Appalachian State University, where he graduated with a B.M. in Music Education, with concentrations in both Piano and Voice in 2014. He currently teaches Music Theory and Piano Classes at Enloe High School. In addition to his work at Enloe, David maintains a close working relationship with the teachers and students throughout Wake County, and frequently collaborates with other high schools on musicals, concerts and other educational experiences. He has a passion for empowering growing musicians through the acquisition of music literacy skills and, as a collaborative pianist, serving as a knowledgeable support in their musical endeavors. He also serves as the pianist at Umstead Park United Church of Christ, a position he has held since 2016.