Staff & Board Profiles

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

Connar Klock

They/Them

Artistic Director

Connar Klock is a queer, Michigan rooted director, producer, facilitator, and advocate, whose work puts new plays, queer and working class perspectives, and humanist values at the center. In 14 years of theatre involvement, Connar has worked on over 60 shows, directed for 11 companies and 12 new play festivals. Recent credits include: She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen at Three Rivers Community Players (Director) Angels in America by Tony Kushner at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre (Intimacy Coordinator) Let's Have a Satanic Orgy at Queer Theatre Kalamazoo (Devisor) and Before the Shooting by Denise Miller at Queer Theatre Kalamazoo (Co-Creator) a one-act choreopoem exploring the effects of parents, white privilege, toxic masculinity, and gender roles on gun violence.

Connar is the Services Manager and Workshop Facilitator at one of Michigan’s largest LGBTQIA+ resource centers, OutFront Kalamazoo, and currently serves on committees for Theatre Kalamazoo (Member, Finance), Kalamazoo Non-Profit Advocacy Coalition (Board Member, Tenant Relations), Kalamazoo County Opioid Coalition (Member, Harm Reduction), and Ludington Area Pride (Board Member).

Connar holds a BFA in Theatre Performance (Acting, ‘18) from Western Michigan University where they contribute as a Cultural Competency Consultant in the School of Theatre and Dance.

They currently serve as the Artistic Director of Queer Theatre Kalamazoo.

"C" Heaps

They/Them

Managing Director

"C" Heaps is a theatre artist and scholar who has worked on dozens of productions in every role possible, specializing in directing and translation/playwriting. Before moving to the Midwest, "C" helmed FACE Theatre Company as Artistic Director and New Play Project as Executive Director, both in Provo, Utah.

They received their PhD in Theatre History, Theory, and Literature from Indiana University in 2019 before teaching at Kalamazoo College for several years. Their research specialties include postcolonialism, cognitive linguistics, translation theory and practice, virtual performance, and gender studies.

After serving as a board member since 2019, "C" has moved into the position of Managing Director for Queer Theatre Kalamazoo. They are also currently an independent researcher and Board Game Master at Voss Media Board Game Cafe.

Elizabeth Clark

She/They

Marketing Coordinator

Elizabeth Clark is an award-winning poet, journalist, and marketer who first came to Kalamazoo in 1992 to study journalism at Western Michigan University and was thrilled to discover the thriving arts community here, which was a major factor in her remaining a Kalamazooan upon graduation. They joined the Kalamazoo Gazette in 1998 as a community journalist and editor, where they relished the opportunity to spread the word about local music, theatre and more for the Gazette’s Arts & Entertainment section and the FRIday magazine. Elizabeth’s writing has also been featured in dozens of other local and regional publications, and she’s served as a reporter and editor at NowKalamazoo since 2024. While primarily an audience member, they’ve been known to grace the stage occasionally, and last performed onstage in a late 2010s production of “The Vagina Monologues” at WMU.

When not working, you can typically find Elizabeth enjoying a concert or a show; spending time outdoors hiking, foraging, cycling, swimming, or boating; board-gaming with friends and partner Andrew; or fawning over animals, including their beloved Chorkies, Leelu and Thor, baby goats and otters.

Amelia "Mia" Patmore

They/Them

Production Assistant

Amelia "Mia" Patmore was born and raised in southwest Michigan, and gained an interest in theatre at a young age through local community theatre and cosplay. They received a BFA in Theatre Design and Technical Production (with a focus in Costume Design) at Western Michigan University in 2021. Amelia has worked on shows in Kalamazoo at Farmer's Alley Theatre (Lifespan of a Fact; costume coordinator), Dormouse Theater (Rhinoceros; props fabricator) and Queer Theatre Kalamazoo (Merry, Queer and Bright; set and props coordinator). When not in the theater Amelia can be found cooking for their friends, reading, or petting their cat, Rocket.

Raquel Hellenga

She/Her

De Facto President, Board of Directors

Raquel Hellenga, MA, brings a lifetime of performing arts passion and nearly two decades of living, working, and relating, in Kalamazoo to the QTK Board. A lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan, she grew up steeped in performing arts culture as a competitive dancer, acting in upwards of 20 local theatre productions, along with vocal, piano, and pageantry experiences.

She received a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from WMU where she participated in the Women’s and Grand Choruses. She has taught communication courses at various colleges and universities in Michigan for over ten years and utilized her deep knowledge of the Kalamazoo community across many roles and industries over the years. She also is very involved in chronic illness advocacy as a nearly-life-long Rheumatoid Arthritis patient and uses this experience to help make the arts more accessible.

Being a proud, long-time member of Kalamazoo’s queer community, alongside her passion for the local performing arts scene, helps Raquel bring a focused and impactful voice to QTK’s board. She is currently also active with The Kalamazoo Civic, Crawlspace Eviction, and BSD Dance Studio.

Cody Watson

He/Him

Director of Transparency, Board of Directors

Cody is an empathetic, authentic, and community-oriented actor, activist, and nonprofit emerging leader. He strives to be approachable to others and create a safe space for all, even if it’s just in his presence. As a queer trans man, he embraces fluidity in his expression and enjoys breaking the barriers of societal norms, toeing the line and questioning what is expected of him. He is active in the community, and lives for the connections and expression he gets from participating in the arts and being around like-minded people.

Cody has recently been seen onstage in QTK's 2025 Queer Shorts Festival, at the Kalamazoo Civic as Sparky in Forever Plaid, Drake/Apple Seller in Annie, and as David/Billy Idol/Ensemble in Wedding Singer, and at the Grand Rapids Civic as Carbuckety in Cats. He has also worked in stage management for productions including Angels in America: Part 1 at the Kalamazoo Civic. As someone deeply passionate about both theatre and trans & queer rights, Cody is thrilled to combine these interests through his work with QTK.