Presenter Profile

Aaron Galligan-Stierle is an accomplished actor, director and producer with critically acclaimed work that ranges from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare. He is also a highly sought-after audition coach providing exclusive workshops and one-on-one training for professionals in the Broadway community and at top universities across the country.

Galligan-Stierle debuted on Broadway as Papa Who in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas followed by a wide range of performances including Henry Ford in the Tony-nominated revival of Ragtime and Mike Nulty in the National Tour of White Christmas. Galligan-Stierle was selected by Hal Prince to replace the longest-running actor in a Broadway show, taking over the role of Monsieur Andre in The Phantom of the Opera. Additionally, Galligan-Stierle won the prestigious Best Actor SALT award for his performance of Leo Frank in Parade at Finger Lakes Musical Theater.

Galligan-Stierle is well-known across the country in premiere regional theaters that develop new works and top Shakespeare companies including 7 seasons for the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. He was Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Late Night Cabaret at the Utah Shakespearean Festival and his commitment to new works development includes serving on the selection committee for the New American Playwright’s Project and the York Theater Developmental Reading Series. He also works regularly as a director for the NYU Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program.

Some of Galligan-Stierle’s highlights as an actor include Dromio in The Comedy of Errors, Feste in Twelfth Night, Smee in the regional Premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher, Clown #1 in The 39 Steps, Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice, Leo Davis in Room Service, Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew, Mordred in Camelot, Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes, Lt. Billis in South Pacific, Frankie in Forever Plaid, Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Utah Shakespeare Festival), Motel in Fiddler on the Roof (Maine State Music Theater), Daryl Grady in Curtains (Papermill Playhouse and TUTS), Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), and Ted in the World Premiere of Island Song (Adirondack Theater Company).

Aaron was an Executive Producer and Casting Director for feature film Ruin Me (currently featured as a AMC’s SHUDDER exclusive) and served as Associate Director for Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas at The Grand Old Opry and Madison Square Garden, as well as Twelve Angry Men and Charlie’s Aunt at The Utah Shakespeare Festival. Aaron directed The Tempest at Sacramento Theater Company and the world premiere of new musical Under the Bodhi Tree at The Royal Family Theater a block from Times Square in NYC.

Galligan-Stierle is the East Coast Director for MaxTheatrix, NYC’s premiere audition coaching company. Described by clients as “a dedicated heart-healer and champion of the creative spirit,” he has also taught at U. of Northern Colorado, Penn State, Shenandoah and William Jessup University. He holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Shenandoah University and an MFA in Acting from Penn State. He currently lives in New York City with his wife and two children. Unions & Affiliations: AEA, SAG-AFTRA

Aaron M. Wood is a choreographer, educator, dancer, and mixed-media designer. From 2007-2014, Aaron danced with the world-renowned Repertory Dance Theatre, where he had the pleasure of performing the works of such dance legends as Merce Cunningham, Glen Tetley, Doris Humphrey, Michio Ito, José Limon, Murray Louis, Daniel Nagrin, Yvonne Rainer, Anna Sokolow, Shapiro & Smith, Charles Widman, and Laura Dean. He has had the opportunity to work with such esteemed teachers/choreographers as Tandy Beal, Ellen Bromberg, Della Davidson, William (Bill) Evans, Abby Fiat, Zvi Gotheiner, Susan Hadley, Satu Hummasti, Andrea Miller, and Peter Pucci. He has performed on stages throughout the US and abroad such as The Joyce Theatre (NYC), The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.); The White Wave Dance Festival (NYC); The American Dance Guild's 50th Anniversary (NYC); The International Choreographer's Showcase (Madrid, Spain). As a freelance dancer, Aaron has guested with Ririe Woodbury Dance Company where he enjoyed performing the works of dance innovator Alwin Nikolais. As a choreographer, his works have been seen internationally and nationally with appearances at the 2015 Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition and the 2016 Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival. Together, with fellow educator Sarah Donohue, he continues to further his choreographic and performance skills in their emerging dance company My Turkey Sandwich.

HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE I’ve been teaching accent workshops and accent coaching productions in high schools across the country for almost a decade. I’ve coached more shows that will fit here, but a few of my all-time favorites include Mary Poppins, Shrek, Steel Magnolias, Noises Off, Peter and the Starcatcher, Guys & Dolls, Arsenic and Old Lace and many more. I’ve been teaching accent workshops at high schools for almost 10 years. I’ve also coached school productions throughout the country including Mary Poppins, Shrek, Steel Magnolias, Noises Off, Peter and the Starcatcher, Guys & Dolls, Arsenic and Old Lace and many more.

Alan Ostrander has been a professional theatrical artist since 1988, working on stage/film/live productions around the world.  He has been a consultant/artist/representative for Mehron, Inc makeup for many years, and is the owner of AEO Studios, a makeup/fx, production facility based out of Orlando FL.  He is well known as an expert guest lecture/teacher in the Theatrical and Haunted Attraction Industries.  Past clients include WDE, Universal Studios-Orland, Ocean Park-Hong Kong, Toshimaen Park-Tokyo, Six Flag Amusement and more. 

Alexander Evert is a Denver-based theatre director, writer, producer and actor. He co-founded Fearless theatre, and served as Artistic Director from 2014-2019. His Fearless directing credits include Bent and Mosque, as well as bold re-imaginings of Titus Andronicus and High School Musical. Fearless Theatre was formed in the summer of 2014 with the mission of producing a wide variety of shows designed to stimulate modern theatre audiences, and to forward social change. Alexander continues to work as a theatre artist for companies such as Pandemic Collective and Arts in the Open.

Alexis Black is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Adams State University, where she teaches acting, directing, theatrical movement and stage combat.  As a professional actor, she has worked with regional theaters, international tours, and in numerous shows in NYC.  On the small screen you can find her on AMC and The Discovery Channel.  

As a fight director she has choreographed in Europe, South Korea, regionally in the US, for the NY Fringe, Off-Off Broadway, Off Broadway, and served as Assistant Choreographer for Fool for Love on Broadway, starring Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda.  

Alexis received her MFA in Performance Pedagogy with an emphasis in movement from Virginia Commonwealth University.  She is a certified teacher in the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique, an associate member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and a member of Actor's Equity Association. 

Andrea is a local Equity musical theatre actress, vocal coach, and theatre teacher.  Acting work includes Evita (Lone Tree Arts Center), Tarzan (Arvada Center), Ragtime (Pioneer Theatre Company, UT), Jekyll and Hyde (Westchester Broadway Theater, NY), Ariel in Disney Dreams (Disney Cruise Line), The Blonde Muse in Hercules (Disney Cruise Line).  Andrea has been a vocal coach for 20 years and currently owns her own studio in Centennial, CO.  Andrea taught theatre in Douglas County School District for several years. She earned a Bachelor's in Theatre Education at Brigham Young University. 

Andrea Kehler is the Producing Artistic Director of Broadway Training Intensive, and the Marketing Director of Broadway Bound Kids in NYC. She began her professional performing career in her teens when she appeared with the National Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrea has been honored to work along-side legendary entertainers including Ann Reinking, Ben Vereen, Terrence Mann, Alix Korey, and Charlotte d’Amboise. Favorite performing credits include Drama Desk Nominated Cut to the Chase (Little Angela), The Gregory Hines Tribute, How to Succeed… (Hedy La Rue), Cinderella (Anastasia), Nunsense (Sr. Robert Ann), Wizard of Oz (Toto puppeteer), Snoopy (Woodstock), and Peter Pan (Tinkerbell). Directing and choreography credits include Broadway Comes To Denver, Seussical, Dear Edwina, All Shook Up, Bye Bye Birdie, and many more. Andrea trains professional voice teachers to coach acting for songs, is a college audition coach, teaches dance and acting in private lessons and classes, and has taught in many universities, theatre programs, dance studios, and public and private schools across the country.

Andrea Moon is an Associate Professor of Theatre and the head of Theatre Studies at the University of Northern Colorado where she teaches movement and dramatic literature. Andrea is a playwright, performer, poet and teacher. Her theatrical work has been produced at theatres and Universities across the country as well as in Italy and China. Most recently her newest full length play was workshopped by the Apprentice Company at the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. Her written work has been published by Dramatic Publishing and Applause Books. She has an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in Theatre History and Criticism from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Andre Rodriguez–Teaching Artist–Andre is a Teaching Artist at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. After receiving his B.A. in Theatre Education at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), Andre returned to UNC to earn his M.A. in Theatre Education. Past directing credits include Tarzan: The Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher, Just Like Us (chosen for True West Award), RENT (Bobby G. Award for Best Direction), Avenue Q, Eurydice, In The Heights, Almost, Maine, Xanadu, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and The Laramie Project (selected best play and direction by the Greeley Tribune).

Dr. ANNE M TOEWE is a Professor of Theatre Arts with her specialty in Costume Design. Dr. Toewe joined the faculty in the School of Theatre Arts and Dance in 2003 where she serves as the Resident Costume Designer and the Head of Design and Technology, as well as the Production Manager for UNC’s Little Theatre of the Rockies in the summers.  Since her arrival at UNC Dr. Toewe has enjoyed the opportunity to design costumes for a broad variety of productions, including Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Jekyll and Hyde, Titanic, My Fair Lady, and The Elephant Man, to name a few.  In 2009, Dr. Toewe made her directorial debut at UNC with STAD’s production of Eclipsed.  Prior to her arrival in Colorado, Dr. Toewe designed and taught in a variety of venues on the east coast, including theatre, opera, film, print, and television.  While designing in Miami, FL, Dr. Toewe received a Carbonelle award for Best Costume Design for GableStage’s production of The Dead. Prior to her residence in Florida Dr. Toewe worked as a project manager at the notable Broadway costume build house Parsons-Mears.  Dr. Toewe holds her bachelor’s degree in Biology from The College of William and Mary in Virginia, her MFA in Costume Design from Tulane University in New Orleans, and her PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Additionally, in 2014, she published her first book, “Flowers in the Desert”: Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas 1998-2012. She is also a member of United Scenic Artist local #829.

Annika is a graduate of UNC's Acting Program and of the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. While living in New York City, she earned her SAG card and sang with some of broadways finest in the Stars of Broadway Chorus for the Drama League. Her return to Denver resulted in her being cast in the Denver Premiere of the musical 'Bonnie and Clyde' as Bonnie Parker herself. She has since been cast in the Regional Premiere  of 'The Toxic Avenger' and has fronted cover bands performing at weddings, festivals and corporate events around Colorado. She has also adjudicated for the Bobby G program for the last three years. She has a passion for coaching high school musical theatre and is thrilled to be back with the Thespians!

Autumn grew up in Orlando, FL where she performed with Orlando Ballet's The Nutcracker on tour at the young age of 12 and danced at Walt Disney World. She then performed with the Radio City Rockettes for 7 years, negotiated contracts as their union representative and was one of the main Rockettes chosen to give interviews for radio, newspapers and television. Autumn has also danced for Tokyo Disneyland in Japan, Holland America Cruise Lines, Perichoresis Dance Company in NYC, the Olympic Game Opening Ceremony and internationally in Kenya and Romania. Her other appearances include: musical group Outkast, The Today Show, CNN, Waterboy, Rosewood, The Division, America's Health Network, Dance Studio Life, Dance Teacher and First Women Magazines. Along with her dance career, Autumn graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in Telecommunications and a Minor in Theatre. She then continued her education in NYC at The Kane School for Pilates, Stella Adler Studio of Acting and The School for Film and Television. She is also a commercial voice over artist for radio. Autumn has 23 years of experience teaching ages 4 through adult and has taught at The Joffery School of Ballet, The Orlando Ballet, The Rockette Dance Intensive, Project Dance NYC, Dance Masters of America, Fox Theatre’s Rising Stars, The Atlanta Ballet, New York Backstage, Boulder Jazz Workshop and at the Texas Dance Educators Association. Some of her students’ credits include: Broadway: Anastasia, Tootsie & Prom the Musical, Mamma Mia on Tour, Industry Dance Awards, Alvin Ailey’s Pre-Professional Program, Young Arts National Arts Finalist, Joffrey & Juilliard Summer Intensives, So You Think You Can Dance, The Juilliard School, AMDA, The Royal Central School in London and Point Park University. Autumn has also enjoyed being a convention teacher with Celebration Talent and Beyond the Stars, high school dance team coach, adjunct professor at Brenau University and the producer of Project Dance Atlanta for 4 years. Her favorite musical is The Drowsy Chaperone. Autumn was thrilled to choreograph this production in Georgia where she won numerous choreography awards, including receiving first place at the Shuler Awards. Around the country Autumn currently guest teaches and choreographs, judges competitions and is a director with Project Dance. In Colorado she adjudicates for the Bobby G Awards, teaches at Broadway Training Intensive and dance studios around the state. AutumnMorgenstern.com

Becca is a Programming Specialist with Arapahoe Libraries where she leads monthly theater workshops.  During her time in the Denver area, she has guest taught with Curious Theatre Company, Englewood Summer Drama Program, Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids, and the Actors Academy for the Performing Arts in both Denver and Boulder.  After graduating from CU Boulder with degrees in English, Theatre Performance, and Secondary Education, she taught Drama at Abraham Lincoln High School for several years.  During that time, she was a founding member of the Colorado Alliance of Technical Theatre Educators (CATTE). She holds a Masters in Arts Leadership and Cultural Management from Colorado State University. 

Benjamin Reigel is a professional actor, director, and fight choreographer, as well as a member of the performance faculty at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. Originally from Wisconsin, Ben has lived and worked all over the country, and has scores of credits at theatres from coast to coast including Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, DE’s Resident Ensemble Players, Mill Mountain Theatre, Maine Shakespeare Festival/Penobscot Theatre Company, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and many others. Recently credits include Tom in The Glass Menagerie, Karl/Steve in Clybourne Park, and Caleb in The Whipping Man (Farmers Alley), Marlowe in She Stoops to Conquer, Antonio in 12th Night, and Salisbury in King John (Michigan Shakespeare Festival), the title role in Hamlet (Backbone Ensemble), as well as directing Cyrano de Bergerac for the Texas Shakespeare Festival, and The Christians for the Aspen Fringe Festival.

Before coming to Colorado, Ben taught for 5 years at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and before that for 3 years at Shorter University in Rome, GA.

As an actor, director, and teacher, Ben is deeply committed to the works of Shakespeare. He has performed, directed, or choreographed over 50 productions of Shakespeare’s plays. Both in the classroom and in his professional work, Ben continues to test the teaching and performance opportunities made possible through a study of the First Folio texts, and an exploration of original Shakespearean practices.

Ben earned his B.A. from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and his M.F.A. from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program. Ben is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. 

Blake is a graduate of Denver School of the Arts and the University of Northern Colorado's Acting programs. Blake is currently the Associate Director of Recruitment for the New York Film Academy. Additionally, Blake is the founder of 383 Productions, an independent film production company headquartered in New York, NY. Recent projects include an award winning a feature length documentary I Heart Jenny and award winning short film Sunday 1287. Blake also directs plays. In his New York directorial debut Blake won a 'best play' award for his direction of emerging playwright Josh Billig’s Benefit of Friends at the American Globe Theatre. Blake's Off-Broadway acting credits include Baylis in Blackbird, Berowne from Love’s Labors Lost in the 45th Street Theatre’s annual Shakespeare Festival, and Joe/Syrup in the premiere Dan Savage’s of Seeking Savage Love at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.  Blake has also worked closely with Oscar and Tony Award Nominee Murray Schisgal (Tootsie) on a reading of his new play Wallstreet Fandango.  Other past theatre credits include roles in Flags, A Servant of Two Masters, Suburbia, Lover’s and Other Strangers, and The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare.  TV and Film credits include Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX), Mr. Wiskers (web series), Bottom Feeders (web series), and Passed Over (web series).

Brian Curl is a NYC based actor/choreographer.  He has performed in 49 of the 50 states and across Canada.  As a performer he has worked off-broadway, off-off-broadway, national tours, regional, theme park, and summer stock.  He's been a choreographer and workshop presenter at the International Thespian Festival, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, New Jersey, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, and New England.  A big kid at heart, Brian enjoys working with the future of the theatre industry.  briancurl.com

Brian Hapcic is a Professor of lighting and sound design at the University of Northern Colorado.  He has worked in the entertainment industry for over twenty-five years, with nearly 250 design credits in multiple performance genres.  Brian has a BA in English from Ohio University, and an MFA in Design and Technology from the University of Montana. He is a member of USITT and I.A.T.S.E. local #339.  In 2004 he was awarded the KCACTF faculty fellowship for meritorious achievement as a professor of lighting design, and in 2015, his scenography for the UNCO production of Medea was selected for presentation at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Space and Design.  His current research interests focus on the use of projected media as light source in performance, as well as the use of projection and sound in performance installations. 

rian received a BFA in Theater Performance from the University of Colorado. He has studied and performed the art of improvisation for more than 20 years, including five years spent in New York with the Upright Citizens Brigade, The People’s Improv Theater, the renowned Armando Diaz and more. He performed locally with Impulse Theater for five years, and as a cast member for several seasons of the Denver Center’s Off-Center show Cult Following. He is currently a founding cast member of the new Comedy Sportz Denver at the Avenue Theater. Brian teaches improv classes for teens and adults at the Denver Center Academy, presents workshops annually at the Colorado High School Thespian Conference and Jeffco Improv Festival and acts as a guest teacher at many schools in the region including Lakewood High School, Smoky Hill High School, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Castle Pines/American Academy, Discovery Canyon, and more. Brian is the recipient of the Colorado Thespian’s 2017 Distinguished Service to Educational Theater Award.

Bud Colemanis the Roe Green Professor of Theatre at the University of Colorado Boulder and former Chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance.  A former dancer with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Fort Worth Ballet, Kinesis, and Ballet Austin, he has directed and choreographed many musicals.  In 2008, he directed and choreographed the musical Companyin Vladivostok, Russia, was selected to be a 2009-10 Fulbright Lecturer in Japan, and directed the Thai premiere of Fiddler on the Roof at Mahidol University in 2017. 

With co-editor Judith Sebesta, they published Women in American Musical Theatre:  Essays on Lyricists, Writers, Arrangers, Choreographers, Designers, Producers, and Performance Artistsin 2008.  Coleman and Pamyla Stiehl co-wrote Backstage Pass, A Survey of American Musical Theatre(2013).  

Cara Lipford is a Bachelor level Social Work student at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is currently interning at Rainbow Alley working to provide an inclusive space for LGBTQ+ youth of Colorado. 

Cherity Koepke:   Director of the Opera Colorado Artist in Residence Program

Ms. Koepke, a full lyric soprano, began singing at the age of 15 and has performed such iconic roles as Eponine and Fantine (Les Misérables), Guinevere (Camelot), Maria (The Sound of Music) and The Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods). In 2004, Ms. Koepke won the prestigious Thespian Tribute award for her performance of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. She attended the University of New Mexico, where she earned a double Masters in Vocal Performance and Child Psychology & Behavioral Studies. Ms. Koepke also minored in theater, receiving additional training in directing and improvisation. In 2001, Ms. Koepke began working as a behavior specialist with the Albuquerque Public School System where she incorporated her training in music and theater into her student’s curriculum. She continued to study theatre, becoming a Shakespearian trained actor through the Addison program in Houston, TX. She has performed such roles as Katherine (Taming of the Shrew), Ophelia (Hamlet) and Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing). In 2002, she joined the Santa Fe Opera as an artist-in-residence where she performed roles including Norma (Norma), Liu (Turandot), Musetta (La bohème) and Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel). In 2006, Ms. Koepke began to focus her career in stage directing. Well-versed in the genres of opera, musicals and theater, Ms. Koepke has directed productions such as The Cunning Little Vixen, Madama Butterfly, A Little Night Music, The Pirates of Penzance, Inherit the Wind, The Tempest and A Lion in Winter.

Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ms. Koepke joined Opera Colorado in 2007, where she serves as the Director of Education & Community Engagement and the Director of the Opera Colorado Artist in Residence Program. In addition to abridging and designing productions for the company’s Opera on Tour program, she has served as stage director for Opera Colorado’s touring productions of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Cinderella, Bizet’s Carmen and Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love. In 2012, Koepke directed the student matinee production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. In February of 2015, Koepke directed the world premiere concert reading of Lori Laitman’s The Scarlet Letter and in 2016, Ms. Koepke helped produce the 10th Anniversary Gala concert of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.  In the summer of 2017, she made her debut with Opera Steamboat as the stage director for Jonathan Dove’s, The Enchanted Pig.

Chip Persons appeared in: Švejk and Andorra with Theatre for a New Audience; Hell: Paradise Found at 59E59; Foodstable at HERE; Cold at Bank Street Theatre; Richard III at La MaMa ETC; and Godard at the Ohio Theatre.  Credits elsewhere include: the title roles in Richard II and Richard II, Angelo in Measure for Measure, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing, and Bob Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Lee Blessing’s solo play, Chesapeake; Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency; Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons at the Arvada Center; the Old Globe Theatre; Lamb’s Players Theatre; Stories On Stage; and Write Out Loud.  Chip was an expatriate in Prague during the 1990s and continues to perform there, where credits include: HoME Theatre; Misery Loves Co. (including the Eastern European premiere of Angels in America); Kašpar Theatre; and Theatre on the Balustrade.  His screen credits include Law & Order and network commercials.  Chip’s on the Advisory Board of Culture Current in Helsinki, the Artistic Ensemble of Boulder Ensemble Theatre Co., and the faculty of the University of Colorado.  He holds an MFA from Columbia University and BFA from UC Santa Barbara.  

I have been in the video business since 2000. Much of my experience has come from working daily in television news and in school districts as a Photojournalist – telling people's stories through video every day.

I spent 2000 – 2008 working as a Photojournalist in Colorado Springs and then Denver. Every day was a new story. My job was to make it interesting. I took a break from the news business for four years to learn the production side of things. I produced commercials and promotional videos. 

My love of storytelling eventually drew me back into the news business at KUSA in Denver. I worked alongside some of the most talented people in the industry. I have won three Emmys, three Edward R. Murrow awards, Colorado Broadcaster's Association awards, and several Nation Press Photographer Association (nationally and regionally) awards through the years.

These days I am telling the stories of the amazing students in the Douglas County School District. It's a perfect fit having three boys with my wife that are or will be in the district.

Chris Parr, is the Executive Director of the St Vrain Theatre Company. He has worked with dance companies, high school theatre companies, and community theatres all over the state. Helping them with everything from set design and stage management to ticket sales and social media promotion. He is also an accomplished actor and director.

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CJ Greer is thrilled to have joined the Music and Music Theatre faculty at UNR to build a Musical Theatre degree program!  She carries an MFA and MM in Musical Theatre and Classical Performance & Pedagogy from Penn State University. CJ has performed around the world from theme park to Broadway. She is a singer, actor, teacher, and conductor with an undying love for storytelling, and inspiring others to find their unique voice in the music. CJ frequently presents at conferences, including ‘Bel Canto Can Belto’ – an experiential weekend workshop introducing voice teachers to musical theatre vocal pedagogy. She also teaches high school and collegiate workshops, and is the vocal instructor for The Broadway Artist Intensive – a summer MT training program. Broadway/National Tour credits: Sister Act, Les Misérables, The Producers, Ragtime, I Love A Piano, The Buddy Holly Story; Regional Credits: Mamma Mia (Casa Mañana), Annie* (Olney), Chess (NC Raleigh), The Happy Time* (Signature Theatre), She Loves Me, The Addams Family, Into the Woods, Secret Garden, and more. 

Claudia Carson has been at the DCPA for 17 years in a variety of roles: Stage Manager at the Galleria Theater, Production Manager for Girls Only, and Executive Assistant to President Randy Weeks. Claudia took over the reins of the Bobby G program in 2014. She has Directed, Choreographed and Stage Managed the Bobby G Ceremony since the program started.  In 2016, Claudia began coordinating the High School One Act Playwriting Workshops and Competition. She loves working with Colorado’s High School educators and students on both of these programs and is in awe of the talent she sees daily in her work.  Claudia was the K-9 Theatre teacher at Graland County Day School and directed and choreographed the 4^th and 9^th grade musicals as well as performances in all grades throughout the year. She has choreographed and acted at the Arvada Center, The Aurora Fox, and The DCPA.  She has been a teaching artist at The Arvada Center, The Mizel Center and the Aurora Fox Summer Theatre. Claudia is excited to get back to her roots as an educator/teaching artist and is honored to be part of the amazing team here in the Education department. 

Colorado State Thespian Board is excited to offer workshops that advance the students knowledge about the Individual Events Process, and the University Scholarship process. Students will hear from the adjudicators and organizers of these events, and be provided with useful advice to support their participation in the conference experience.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Courtney has been part of the New York theatre scene for the past decade. In addition to local and regional acting, she has worked in marketing and development roles at several Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters, including Circle in the Square and Atlantic Theater Company. Joining the Samuel French team in 2013, Courtney serves as the Marketing Manager for Social Media and Community, managing social media engagement (@SamuelFrenchNYC), editing Breaking Character Magazine (breakingcharactermagazine.com), and producing community events. Proud alum of Carnegie Mellon University. Twitter and Instagram:  @courtkochuba.

MORE ABOUT SAMUEL FRENCH
Samuel French is the world’s leading publisher and licensor of plays and musicals. The company’s catalog features some of the most acclaimed work ever written for the stage and titles by writers at the forefront of contemporary drama. Samuel French is proud to have served as a leader in theatrical publishing and licensing for over 180 years and is committed to the future by championing for playwrights, innovating the industry, and celebrating all those who make theatre around the world.

Dallas James Pritt is an entertainment professional who is based in "Music City", Nashville, TN. In the competitive show choir world, Dallas works as a choreographer, show designer, and vocal coach for ensembles in Alabama, Indiana, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Maryland, Illinois, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Ohio. His groups have won many awards including Best Choreography, Best Show Design, and Best Vocals along with becoming consistent finalists and top placers in their divisions. He is the recipient of the national 2018 FAME Aspire Award for Best New Choreographer, after being nominated in 2017. As an actor, singer, and dancer, he has been seen across the country at regional theatres, theme parks, and on television. Most recently, Dallas returned from training and performing off-Broadway at the York Theatre Company in New York City. Currently, he is recognized for starring in the national Toyota Tacoma Mall Terrain commercial, the online Curology Pimple commercial, and co-starring as Chet alongside Billy Ray Cyrus in season two of 'Still The King' on CMT. Theatre: Fiddler On the Roof touring company, Sorg Opera Company, Theatre West Virginia, and Huron Playhouse. Theme Parks: Cedar Point, Six Flags Over Georgia, Valleyfair, Kings Island, and Coney Island. Dallas holds a BFA in Musical Theatre after studying at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts and Lipscomb University's College of Entertainment and the Arts. www.DallasJamesPritt.com

Dan P. Hays is an educator, actor, director, music director, choreographer and highly sought-after clinician. He is currently serving as the Director of Theatre Activities at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. 

Mr. Hays serves as an Associate Director for The Young Americans, a professional performing group that comes from California and performs all over the world. He has served as a clinician for many theatre and music festivals, including a Regional All-State Chorus in Pennsylvania.  Dan also serves as the director of the All State Musical for the Nebraska Choral Directors.

Before his career in education, Dan spent many years in the professional world of performing as an actor/dancer/director/singer/choreographer. Dan is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association, the professional actor's union.  

Dan has received many awards including: Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Nebraska Kearney, Show Choir Camps of America Teacher Of The Year, Nebraska Choral Director Outstanding Director Of The Year, Nebraska Music Educator Of The Year, Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education and the Sertoma Club Man Of The Year Award.

Dan Hiester is a professional theatre artist and educator who has been working in Colorado theatre for the past four decades. He worked as a director and casting director at the Denver Center Theatre Company, founded and was the Artistic Director of CityStage Ensemble, is the chief resident director for Shakespeare-in-the-Sangres and L'Alliance & Co, and has worked as a director, actor, writer, producer, and designer at venues all over Colorado and on the East Coast. He has presented and directed over 300 theatre workshops in over 50 venues, is a working teaching artist, and regularly teaches at UCD. 

Recently moved to Colorado, and am looking for opportunities within the Colorado Thespian Festival.

I had been involved with Florida State Thespians for the last 15 years as both a judge of IE's, Scholarships and presented workshops.

I was actively involved with the Vero Beach Theatre Guild of Vero Beach Florida from 1989 – 2014.  During that time I played many lead roles in musicals and plays.  Most noted performances were: Curly in Oklahoma!, The King in The King and I, Marco in Carnival, Billy Bigelow in Carousel.  My directorial endeavor of Mame during the 1999 – 2000 Season, garnered 10 Genie Awards (a local acting award), including Best Show.

I know it is late in the game, but if you have need of a judge, or a presenter, even perhaps on an on call emergency basis, I would love to be of service.

I have presented the following workshops:

It's a Musical – Keep Singing, Keep Smiling –  Ever found yourself as a member of the chorus in a musical, or playing swing roles?  What you can do to stand out to your director and audiences, without blatantly stealing the show.

Audition Tips – Professional Audition tips – What's the director looking for, deciding what role you are suited for (not one that just  suits you) – picking the right music,  Preparation for auditions.

Character Development – A tool for you to develop full characters that are not just one dimensional.  Interactive workshop, using printed materials, improv, and show resources.

Darrell has a degree in Costume Design with a minor in vocal performance from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  His work in professional theater has taken him on 20 national tours to 49 states and 6 countries on two continents as Wardrobe Supervisor for the tours of ANNIE, Cats, West Side Story, Rent, The Sound of Music, and Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life.  He was the Star Dresser for the First National Tour of Jersey Boys (completing 648 performances).  Darrell toured as a hair and make-up assistant on the second First National Tour of The Producers for two-and-a-half years.  Darrell has been lucky enough to work with Chita Rivera and Ann-Margaret.

Darrell has designed costumes for the University of Wyoming, UNC at Greely, and St Norbert College (De Pere, WI). He designed the costumes for Jim Olm’s The Magdalene, which ran Off Broadway.  Darrell was commissioned to design the costumes at Casper College for the world premiere of Arthur Giron’s St. Francis in Egypt.  His work as a costume designer includes Music Man, West Side Story, Godspell, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

In his “off time,” he climbed Mt Fuji and learned to scuba dive off the coast of Hong Kong.  He is blessed with a very patient and understanding family and several special friends that have allowed him to “run away and join the circus” as each opportunity presents itself.

He is currently pursuing an MFA in Costume Design from the University of Idaho.

David is in his 17th year as a DCPA Education teaching artist. Before moving to Denver, he interned in education departments at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and The Coterie Theatre. He was last seen on the stage as Polonius in Nirvamlet for the Band of Toughs. This summer, he directed The Jedi Doth Return for the Middle School Performance Program. David received his BA at The Colorado College and his MFA in Theatre for Youth at Arizona State University.

Dee Covington is a founder of Curious Theatre Company, now celebrating its 21st Season.  As an artist at Curious, Dee serves as an actress, director and the Education Director of the innovative high school/college playwriting program, Curious New Voices.  Curious Theatre Company produces regional and world premieres with social and political relevance, illuminating community concerns and providing avenues to insight and deeper discussion.  As an artist, Dee brings this goal of mission-driven theatre-making into all aspects of the creative process.  Other theatre work includes Artistic Director of Break the Cycle; a touring teen theatre company creating devised work to address community concerns and Artistic Director of Synergy's On The Ball Players; a touring teen theatre company housed in a homeless and runaway youth shelter in Kansas City, MO.  Now at Curious Theatre Company Dee is committed to making Curious an artistic home for young artists as they expand their knowledge of the field and develop their own creative voices.

Devon Glover is a teacher, rapper, poet, playwright and actor from Brooklyn New York. He performs Shakespeare's Sonnets in a dynamic way through Hip-Hop in schools, universities, and theaters to young audiences nationally and abroad.  As The Sonnet Man, Devon has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, BBC, and Educational Conferences and Shakespeare Festivals throughout the world, including Oregon, Stratford, Ontario, and Stratford-upon-Avon.  The release of his debut video “Hip-Hop Hamlet” was selected for the Shakespeare Short Film Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon.  In April 2016,  Devon went on a #SonnetMarathon tour through the US, UK, and Morocco—where he rapped all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets in succession on April 24th. Some of the notable roles Devon has played is Touchstone in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” (Southern Shakespeare Company), Flute/Thisbe in ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Yosemite Shakes), Lyons in “Fences” (Canopy Roads), and Clarence/Tyrell in “Richard III” (Salty Shakespeare). In the Fall 2017, Devon co-wrote “A Town Divided”, an adaption of “Romeo and Juliet” that was based on the racial divide in Tallahassee, FL.  In the Spring 2019, Devon was commissioned by the University of Warwick and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to write a hip-hop adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” for high schools. For more information, visit www.SonnetMan.com

Ed Reggi coaches Viola Spolin Theater Games internationally. He got his start studying at Second City and with its founder Paul Sills. Today, Reggi performs with Paper Slip Theater, his professional improv company and is an acting coach for the Oprah Winfrey Television Network.

Elise Kulovany serves as the resident costume shop manager in the CSU costume shop as well as teaching and designing productions for the School of Theatre, Music and Dance. Elise is a Fort Collins native. After graduating from Rocky Mountain High School, Elise went on to get her B.S. in Theatre Education from the University of Evansville where she participated in many productions as well as taught theatre classes at various high schools and middle schools in the Evansville Area. She then earned her M.F.A in Costume Design from Southern Illinois University. While at SIU Elise worked as a draper, stitcher and craftsperson in the costume shop. She also designed Ragtime, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Radio Golf and RENT in addition to teaching Introduction to Costume Construction and Makeup for the Theatre. After earning her MFA, Elise served as a costume shop apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera for two seasons. She then worked as the draper and costume shop manager at The Arkansas Repertory Theater before joining the faculty and staff at Los Rios Community College where she taught scenic construction and designed sets for Raisin in the Sun and The Velveteen Rabbit. Selected credits include: The Little Mermaid, Macbeth, Bridges of Madison County (Regional Premiere), Mary Poppins, Elf the Musical, and Memphis the Musical. Her passion lies in creating art and working with students. Elise thoroughly enjoys working at CSU and sharing her knowledge of pattern making, dyeing, tailoring and more with anyone wanting to learn. You can view Elise’s work at www.elisekulovany.com

Beth Rand is a high school theatre Operations and Safety Coach and a Lighting Designer.  She recently moved to the area from Seattle and is now based in Westminster. Beth began her technical theatre career at her own high school theatre and has worked in educational and professional technical theatre for over 30 years.  Most recently Beth served as a High School Theatre Manager for the past 7 years, and has been designing lights for school plays and musicals for over 20 years. She has also consulted on the construction and/or equipment upgrades of several school theatres. Beth now teaches an online course for Drama teachers on High School Theatre Management, and offers other services to high school theatres through her company PRESETT.  Beth’s bachelor’s degree is in Stage Lighting and her master’s degree is in Entertainment Business.  She has teaching certification in Theatre Arts and also is available to sub for area Drama teachers.  Beth can be contacted through www.PRESETT.org.

Emma Dehner is an accomplished make up artist. She has worked with several companies all over the state but works primarily with the Longmont Theatre Company and the St Vrain Theatre Company. She is elementary teacher in the St Vrain Valley School District. She most recently taught her makeup skills at the Colorado Community Theatre Collation Festival as well as to the local theatre communities. 

Eric Hernandez is a local filmmaker, currently working as a Producer, Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Drone Operator and Editor for Rocky Mountain PBS. His passion for storytelling began when he was nine-years-old and continues to grow. Since then, Eric has written/directed a variety of short films, documentaries, music videos, and commercial content.

After graduating from Elon University with a BFA in Cinema & Television Arts, Eric was selected as one of three people across the nation to Write & Direct a commercial for Coca-Cola & Regal Cinemas as a part of their Coca-Cola Regal Films Challenge. Since then, Eric has had a lead role in producing Colorado Experience; an Emmy-Award Winning documentary series dedicated to preserving and celebrating Colorado History. 

The stories we tell, and the films we make have the power to educate, inform and inspire. They are representations of who we are, and the larger questions we strive to answer. They can be shared with the world, and, they are lots of fun to make! But most importantly, they bring people together. So, let's make something!

Dr. Eric Prince, Professor of Theatre, Colorado State University, Director of CSU’s Center for Studies in Beckett and Performance, is a writer and scholar who specializes in the theatre of Samuel Beckett as well as teaching acting, directing, and playwriting. Prince has directed his own highly experimental plays in venues as diverse as London, Edinburgh, Leeds, York, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Berlin, San Diego, and Enniskillen, Northern Ireland as well as directing six of his own plays for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe including Kafka's Last Request and Wildsea Wildsea for the British National Student Theatre Company. Both these plays were awarded the prestigious London Sunday Times Playwriting Award. Prince worked for many years in association with the distinguished playwright and director Sir Alan Ayckbourn. Two plays by Prince Red Roses and Love Is In The Air were commissioned by Ayckbourn and produced professionally by the acclaimed Stephen Joseph Theatre. Prince has now directed more than thirty productions for Colorado State University and the Bas Bleu Theatre of Fort Collins including such works as The Importance of Being Earnest, Oh What A Lovely War, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Mother Courage, Private Lives, The Birthday Party, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, Waiting For Godot, Endgame, Noises Off

Comic Potential and is currently at work on Charles Mee’s postmodern ancient Greek craziness called Big Love.

Estee Dechtman is a former International Thespian Officer and Colorado State Thespian Officer. She is currently studying at Barnard College of Columbia University, double majoring in theatre and human rights. She is former member of Troupe #5869 and could not be more excited to be here, in her home town, with the incredible Colorado Thespians! Come find Estee during festival if you have any questions about thespians, leadership, arts advocacy, or Barbra Streisand- she will be happy to talk about all three! 

Gail has been in the Denver area for 32 years as a Lighting Designer.  Gail have won while being Denver area five Best Lighting Design awards including two Henry Awards.  Gail is currently Lighting Design Instructor and Technical Director for The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at Red Rocks Community College.

Garrett Ayers has worked for over a decade as a professional director, acting coach, and memory expert, and has trained or collaborated with some of the world’s foremost theatre companies, including The Wooster Group, The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski & Thomas Richards, SITI, and others. He is the founder of New York-based Project: Theatre, where from 2004-2006 he directed The Great American Desert, Language of Angels, Something I’ll Tell You Tuesday, and The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year. In addition to his work as a freelance director, Garrett is also a special assistant professor of Acting and Directing at Colorado State University. University directing credits include: Spring Awakening, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), The Glass Menagerie, and, in spring 2016, Reefer Madness (The Musical). He is the founder of The Actor’s Dream, an online memory training program for actors and theatre educators. His essays related to memory training have been featured in Howlround, American Theatre, and TCG Circle, and he has taught workshops at theatres across the country, including Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab, Denver Center Theatre Company, and the Utah Theatre Festival. Garrett also hosts a weekly podcast called Stage Directions, composed of interviews with theatre artists, educators, and thinkers. Currently, Garrett is developing a mobile app aimed at helping theatre directors take rehearsal notes more efficiently. He is an alumnus of the 2009 Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and was the Charles Evans Fellow (Directing) at the Tony Award-winning McCarter Theatre in Princeton, N.J. for their 2010-2011 Season. He lives in Fort Collins with his wife and three children. His degrees include a B.A. from Western Michigan University, and an M.F.A. from Naropa University.

Originally from Colorado, Gavin Mayer is an award winning professional theatre director and veteran teacher. Gavin is a resident director at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, a regional LORT B theatre, where he has directed the world premiere and regional premieres of numerous musicals.  Some of his directing credits include: I’ll be Home for Christmas(Henry Nomination for Best New Musical) The Mountaintop(Henry Nomination for Best Director of a Play), White Christmas(Henry Nomination for Best Director of a Musical), Disney’s Tarzan, She Loves Me, The Great Gatsby, A Christmas Carol the Musical, Curtains(Henry Nomination for Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical),Miracle on 34th Street andLegally Blonde(True West Award winner for Best Musical and nomination for Best Director of a Musical.)  Other professional credits include Baby Dance, 4000 Miles, Over the River and Through the Woods(Cherry Creek Theatre), Guys and Dolls: in Concert (Lone Tree Arts Center) and Forever Plaid (Post Playhouse). Other favorite directing experiences include Company, Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar, Bus Stop, Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, Urinetown, Run for Your Wife, West Side Storyand the high school world premiere of The Laramie Project. Gavin also served as the Founding Co-Artistic Director for the Historic Elitch Theatre New Works Festival at the 125-year-old Elitch Theatre.  Gavin currently serves as the Director of Musical Theatre at the University of Nevada in Reno.

Gillian currently serves as Professor of Theatre Education at the University of Northern Colorado where she teaches K-12 pre-service teachers, graduate level students, and produces TYA plays for the local community. She is the recipient of the Alliance for Colorado Theatre’s 2011 Higher Education Theatre Educator of the Year Award. Her writing has been published in Youth Theatre Journal, Stage of the Art, Incite/Insight, and Theatre for Young AudiencesToday. She serves as Vice President of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. 

Heather earned her Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and has served in various roles in public education over 14 years, including bilingual classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, instructional coach, and facilitator.  She loves working with students of all ages and is passionate about fostering the love of learning, critical thinking, mindfulness, and fun inside and outside the classroom.

She is a Teaching Artist at the Denver Center for Performing Arts and a guest teaching artist at local schools. She performs with ComedySportz Denver at the Avenue Theater and is the co-founder of the comedy dance troupe, At the Barre. Heather is Board Chair of the GroupMind Foundation (GMF), a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission it is to accept and heighten the Denver community through improv education, performance, and outreach. GMF produces the annual Denver Improv Festival in November.
 

James Arthur Ray is considered one of the world’s foremost leadership and performance advisors, coaches and consultants.  

He began his career consulting with C-Level Executives at the AT&T School of Business.  It was here that he realized his purpose for helping others find their unique gifts, and then leveraging them to take their life and business to new levels.  

His extensive study of behavioral sciences, experience as an entrepreneur, and tireless quest for spiritual knowledge gives him a unique and powerful ability to address issues in both life and business from an integrated level; much deeper and more fulfilling than most can accomplish.

His company hit The Inc. 500 in 2009 as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. James was featured in the film documentary “The Secret,” a ground-breaking feature-length film, and New York Times bestseller.  

James has been interviewed in numerous national media outlets including a full-feature article in Fortune Magazine, People Magazine, Larry King Live, Piers Morgan, the Today Show, CNN and Oprah.  

He is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Harmonic Wealth:  The Secret to Attracting the Life You Want which focuses on his principle of Going Three For Three: how to effectively bring your thoughts, feelings and actions into harmony with bold application. James states vision without bold action is a total waste of time.

James’ new book Redemption: The Price of Leadership in Both Life and Business is scheduled to be released in 2018.

In 2009, after rising to the top of the industry, James was involved in a terrible incident that claimed the lives of three of his clients who he cared about deeply.

True to his own teachings, James maintained an attitude of Absolute Responsibility coupled with resilience, mental toughness, and emotional strength to get back up and climb back up. 

James has been exposed to extensive studies of great philosophers, psychology, physics, spirituality, physiology and business, coupled with a never-ending in-depth self-analysis and self-awareness.   

As a result, he has defined a new approach to radically disrupt traditional thinking and present a fresh and dynamic approach to being successful in both life and business. 

In 2016 a CNN documentary film Enlighten Us a story on his life, debuted at Tribeca Film Festival as well as Mountain Films in Telluride, Colorado. The film is now being shown worldwide on Netflix.

He describes himself as a Catalyst to help you create action both at work and in life. Through James’ instruction, his clients learn how to powerfully lead both their life and business.

James has coached and consulted hundreds of thousands of people and companies, from 145 different countries around the world to master a more successful series of strategies and results in both their life and work.  

James’ personal and business experiences have caused him to be considered an expert in leadership, entrepreneurship, mental toughness, resilience and emotional strength. 

His experience proves time and time again…that it’s the challenges, adversity, and often crisis, that present the ultimate opportunity for growth and greatness if we’re only willing to utilize and leverage them in that way.

James Olm is Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, and the coordinator of the Musical Theatre program at Casper College in Casper, Wyoming. He has directed over seventy dramas and musicals, from professional theatre to high school. He is also a composer/playwright, having written four musicals, with one, The Magdalene, that opened Off-Broadway, with Richard Maltby, Jr. as overseeing director in 2011.

Janine earned her Communications and Theatre degree from CU Boulder and taught a total of 28 years at Wray High School and Boulder High School, respectively.  With 96 productions under her belt, she also managed to fit in time to extend her love of theatre education. Janine was an original board member for Colorado Thespians and served as State Director for six of the 18 years on the board.  She also expanded her leadership duties by serving as a Territorial Director for EdTa for three years and a Leadership Coach for six years.  She is an inductee of both the Colorado State Thespian Hall of Fame and th EdTA Hall of Fame.

Jared Januschka graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2011, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance and in early 2012 began to produce and direct internet commercials. Within his first year of work, he'd helmed over 30 different ads and won international competitions. Some of his clients included Chevrolet, Coca Cola, Campbell's Soup and Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas. Over the next 2 years he created five short films (The Men of Santa Muerte, See How They Run, Cleveland's Cookie, The Sure Shot and Gostando Dela), while continuing to make commercials. He recently completed his first feature film, Shooting in Vain, that won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film at the Dances with Films festival located in Hollywood, California.

Jason Watkins has been teaching Technical Theatre and Fine Arts courses at Niwot High School since 1997.  During this time, he has earned a Master’s Degree in Education, licensure in Administration and a CTE Stagecraft certification.  Jason is married to the best of wife’s and the best of women, Kim. Jason and Kim are the proud parents of their beautiful son, Daniel.

Jeffrey Parker is a Certified Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork® and a Certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework®.  An actor, director, vocal coach, and educator of national renown, Jeffrey currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Theatre at MSU Denver, and a Teaching Artist at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.  MFA – University of California, Irvine  BA – UCLA.

Jenna Moll Reyes is an Equity Actor, Teaching Artist, and An Aspiring Director, based in Denver.  Jenna was last seen performing the Denver Center Performing Arts’ production of Wild Party at the Stanley Hanger. You may also recognize her as Elma in Bus Stop (Arvada Center).  

Other Credits include: Jessica/ Jolene – Hand to God, Orangutan – Water by the Spoonful (Curious Theatre Company), Grandma in Sweet and Lucky (Denver Center of Performing Arts), Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (DCPA; Education), Serena – Legally Blonde the Musical, Dee Lee – Smokey Joe’s Café (Town Hall Arts Center), Amanda/Lily – 4000 Miles (Miners Alley Playhouse, *Westword’s “Best of Denver” for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy), Elizabeth Cursa/Connie – Saturday Night Fever (Arvada Center), Tilly Evans – She Kills Monsters (Aurora Fox Theatre), Mimi Marquez – Rent (Ignite Theatre) and Nina Rosario – In The Heights (Vintage Theatre). She is also a proud former Colorado Thespian Student State Officer (2006-2008). Jenna Moll Reyes graduated high school from Denver School of the Arts, received her B.A. in Musical Theater from the University of Northern Colorado, and is currently being represented by Radical Artists Agency. Feel Free to go to jennamollreyes.com for more info on her and upcoming projects.

Jennifer McCray Rincón received her BA in Theatre Studies from Yale University and an MFA in Directing from the Yale School of Drama. She was recipient of an NEA Directing Fellowship at Playwright’s Horizons in NYC and a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship in Bogota, Colombia. After many years in New York, Ms. Rincón came to Denver as the Head of Acting at the National Theatre Conservatory, where she remained from 1991 through 2008. At the DCPA Ms. Rincón taught acting in the 3-year MFA Acting program and directed over 100 productions including Equus, Othello, The Laramie Project, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, The 365 Project, Monte Carlo, and Expedition 6 by Bill Pullman. Locally, Ms. Rincon has directed for El Centro Su Teatro, Shadow Theatre, The Historic Old Elitches Theatre, and was Founding Artistic Director of the Lizard Head Theatre Company in Telluride.

Since founding Visionbox Studio in 2010 Jennifer McCray Rincon has taught acting to Denver student and professional actors in five week sequences culminating in  performances at The University Club of Denver. She has also developed and directed a number of workshops and productions for Visionbox including: The Wild Hunt by Bill Pullman, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley, Lydie Breeze by John Guare, After the Fall by Arthur Miller, 2xTENN by Tennessee Williams, A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas with William Youmans, The Othello Project, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello and My Two Sisters, an adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters.

Jeremy Kent Jackson, originally from Colorado, graduated with a BFA in Acting from the University of Oklahoma School of Drama and completed a six level improvisation program at Minneapolis’ Dudley Riggs’ Brave New Workshop where he then performed as an improviser in over one hundred shows. He has also performed professionally in over sixty plays in six states and has Guest Starred and Recurred on Network Television Shows including ER, CSI, Las Vegas, CSI:Miami, American Dreams, Happy Family,Drake and Josh, Without a Trace, and Friends With Benefits. For three seasons he regularly recurred as Douglas Davenport on Disney XD’s Lab Rats and continued the character for another year in the spinoff series, Lab Rats: Elite Force. In addition to his stage and television credits, Jackson has been seen in nearly fifty national commercials including major campaigns for Pizza Hutand Burger King, served a two year term as Best Buy’s in-house spokesperson, performed in several feature films including one with master-director, David Lynch, and lent his voice to dozens of video games, most notably as the lead character, Joker, in the motion capture project Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Alongside his career as a professional actor, Mr. Jackson has made a consistent commitment to the classroom. He has taught acting, improvisation, voice & speech, stage-combat, stage-movement, playwriting, audition technique, and acting for the camera for arts organizations in Oklahoma, Ohio, Minnesota, and California. Additionally, Mr. Jackson has helped to develop theatre education curriculum for Silva’s Fine Arts, The Columbus Junior Theatre, Homeward Bound Theatre, Stages Theatre, and The Glendale Center Theatre. In 2006 Mr. Jackson co-founded DiscoveryOnstage, an arts education consulting company now in long-term residency at Providence High School in Burbank. He continues to serve as DiscoveryOnstage’s Co-Creator/Creative Director helping to create, develop, promote, and maintain unique arts education programming on behalf of schools, business, and communities area wide.

Jodi Youmans-Jones is the Coordinator of the Dance Program and Resident Choreographer for Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance. She graduated from the University of Wyoming with her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance, and from the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana with her Master in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Performance and  Choreography. She has performed, choreographed and taught Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre and African. She was a member of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and did many freelance performances with additional companies. Her choreographic credits include theatre productions such as The Tempest, and musical theatre productions such as Oklahoma, Chicago, Peter Pan, West Side Story, Singin' in the Rain, Footloose, Legally Blonde, How To Succeed, and most recently Mary Poppins. Jodi has been awarded the Judith Bailey Scully Award for Teaching Excellence, Who's Who in Collegiate Teaching, and has been awarded for the Rosenthal Teaching Excellence Award 2018 at Casper College. Jodi also serves as the institutional coordinator for the National Association of Schools of Dance, which granted national accreditation to Casper College in Dance in 2013 under her guidance. 

Shauna Marble and Joe DeMers are champion Swing Dance instructors from Denver, CO. They’ve toured the world teaching, performing, and choreographing dance, including the International Thespian Festival, Colorado ThesCon, Indian ThesCon, and more. Their classes are some of the most popular workshops around! They’ve choreographed for and performed in many theater productions, including SWING! the Musical, In the Heights, and Hairspray. Shauna is the Artistic Director of Prairie Playhouse in Brighton, CO. Joe is the 2015 National Dance Teacher of the Year. They’re known for their professionalism, humor, playfulness, approachability, and ability to teach all levels of dancers.

Reach them at http://www.ShaunaAndJoe.com, ShaunaJoeDance@gmail.com, or (303) 931-1246.

Julie is a Professor of Theatre Arts at Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she teaches Musical Theatre, Acting for the Camera, Voice Over, Voice and Movement, and Film Studies courses.  She received her MFA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and has been a working actor for more than 20 years, in musicals, voice overs, commercials and film. 

JUSTIN WALVOORD is a Teaching Artist & Education Program Coordinator, Teacher Professional Development with the Denver Center for The Performing Arts Education Team. He has worked as a professional actor coast to coast in theatre, television, film, commercials, voice over work and as atmosphere talent. Over the last 35 years Justin has performed with various companies including: DCPA Theatre Company, Curious Theatre, Boulder Ensemble Theatre, Aurora Fox, TheatreWorks (Colorado Springs), Frequent Flyers, Queens Theatre in the Park, Algonquin Theatre, Magic Theatre, Kennedy Center, Baltimore Theater Project, Vermont Stage Company, South Coast Repertory, Smithsonian Institute- Discovery Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Artists Repertory Theatre, and Disneyland Resort-CA and more. Television/Film credits: “Law and Order: CI” and Looking for Sunday. Recent directing credits include: Technical Difficulties (HS Playwriting Finalist DCPA Education) Judevine, The Man of Mode (Denver School of the Arts) He has taught acting, improvisation, movement and physical comedy at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Education Department, the Professional Performing Arts School (NYC) as well as Denver School of the Arts. He received his BA from California State University, Fullerton and his MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory.

I am a professional photographer in Highlands Ranch CO, originally from the Philadelphia area. I have my undergraduate degree in Theatre from Temple University and my masters from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, in Theatre Performance and Directing. I am a mentor to high school and middle school students as well. I have been a photographer since 2001, but officially opened my own business, Kate Schwindt Photography (KSP) in 2012.

A good bit of my time is spent donating my photography services for the high schools, and through my interactions with the teachers and students, I began writing this class in order to provide information, tools and resources and hope to the high school students who want to continue performing after high school. I can’t wait to help you Be Seen & Market You!

Kathy Morath is a Broadway actor, director and educator, specializing in Musical Theatre Performance and Musical Theatre History.  She is currently a faculty member at AMDA in New York City.  A 25-year veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway and Regional Theatre, Ms. Morath has also directed for the stage and served as Dialogue Coach for PBS-TV’s Peaboy Award winning series, WISHBONE.  Ms. Morath also teaches American Musical Theatre abroad, through her company Sing Smart Act Smart, most recently in Los Cabos, Mexico and Buenos Aires, Argentina.  A former Peer Reviewer for The National Endowment for the Arts and member of the ASCAP/BMI Workshop and The Dramatist’s Guild, Ms. Morath is a Colorado native and Brown University Graduate

Kevin Inouye teaches acting, movement, and stage combat at the University of Wyoming. He is a Certified Teacher with the National Michael Chekhov Association, Certified Teacher/Theatrical Firearms Instructor/Rocky Mountain Regional Rep for the Society of American Fight Directors, and a CO Local SAG-AFTRA member and elected delegate. He hosts the UWYO Stage Combat Workshop every year, has published journal articles, a chapter, and a full book, and is a freelance Actor, Fight Choreographer, Armorer, and more.

Kevin Wolfgang is a professional Lighting and Costume Designer. He is currently the Master Electrician and guest Lighting Designer for the University of Northern Colorado. Previously, Kevin managed the TechStyleLAB, a digital fabrication maker space, for Kent State University. His research includes maker communities, entrepreneurship and digital reproduction methods for historical textiles. He has produced the Fashion/Tech Hackathon, the Stage Technology Hackathon and the Kent State Maker Faire.

Kris Johnson has spent the major portion of her life recreating historical costume with an anachronistic twist as well the comic book characters that captivated her. She has been a part of the cosplay community for nearly 20 years, and currently spends her holidays as a member of a small story telling troupe sharing the adventures of the Nordic gods and heroes. 

Kristina attended and graduated from Emily Griffith Technical College for Professional Sewing and Fashion Design before moving on Red Rocks Community College where she received her AAS is Theatre Technologies before joining their staff as an instructor. 

As the Resident Costume Designer and Instructor for Red Rocks Community College she shares her passion for textiles, sewing, millinery, and design with her students.

Kyle Thomas is the Assistant Director of Performing Arts at Midland University in Fremont, NE. Before moving to Nebraska, Kyle worked as a professional director, music director, and choreographer in Minneapolis for organizations such as Tyrol Hills Music, Young Artists Initiative, Artistry MN, and Freshwater Theatre. A Kansas City native, Kyle has also worked with MTKC, Starlight Theatre, and Chesnut Fine Arts. He holds an M.Ed in Secondary Education and a B.F.A. in Theatre Direction.

I do things. Stuff happens. Sometimes the things I do make the stuff occur. 

Originally from Denver Colorado, Leah started acting, moving, and creating as soon as she could walk. In the last decade she has had the opportunity to cultivate her artistic craft at Denver School of the Arts, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, The School at Steppenwolf, Denver Center of Performing Arts, and The University of Colorado.

7 years ago she began to investigate aerial arts, first with pole and most recently with low dance and static trapeze. While living in Los Angeles she had the great pleasure of training, teaching, and performing various apparatus at The Choreography House under the instruction of Kelly Yvonne. Her current passion is integrating the worlds of movement, theatre, and aerial arts.

Her favorite author is J.K Rowling, her favorite food is sushi, and her primary passion is storytelling.

Linda is on the faculty of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, (Voice and Speech Department Chair), South Coast Repertory, and Theatricum Botanicum, where she teaches voice, speech and dialects. At The Academy, production coaching includes Anna K, Arcadia, Dancing at Lughnasa, Kentucky Cycle, Major Barbara, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and numerous others.  Film and TV credits include American Pie, The Scorpion King, Sonny, That’s Life (CBS), The Hughleys (UPN), For the People (Lifetime). Besides extensive individual coaching, Linda has coached Streetcar Named Desire (South Coast Rep), The Crimson Thread (Pasadena Playhouse), Arms and the Man (A Noise Within), Old Times (El Portal Center for the Arts) and The Nibroc Trilogy (Actor’s Co-Op).  Directing credits include Bus Stop, Picnic, Getting Out, and The Philadelphia Story. Linda has an MFA in Acting from Brandeis University, an MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, and a PhD from Pacifica Graduate Institute.  She has presented at ATHE (The American Theatre in Higher Education) on various topics, including Take the Valley Out of the Girl! and is a voice and speech consultant for Braintracks Audio in Los Angeles.  Linda is a member of VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainer’s Association). Her article, T’s and Sympathy: Adventures in the Hollywood Dialect’s Trade appears in the VASTA Journal, “Essays on Voice and Speech”. 

Maile Speetjens serves as Costume Shop Manager and Costume Designer for the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Colorado State. She teaches courses in Costume Design, Costume Construction and Makeup Design, and acts as advisor to student Costume and Hair/Makeup Designers.

Originally hailing from Kauai, HI, Maile Speetjens attended Emerson College in Boston, MA where she received a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and worked as a stitcher in the Emerson Costume Shop. After College, Maile worked as Wardrobe Manager/ Costume Designer for Boston’s Actors Shakespeare Project (The Tempest, Coriolanus, Much Ado About Nothing), and continued as a cutter/draper at Emerson College, working on theatre, dance, and films such as Disney’s The Game Plan.

Maile received her MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Georgia, Athens, where she taught courses in Costume Design and worked as lead draper. While at UGA, Maile’s Design work included The Dance of Hands (UGA), The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild and Hidden Man (7 Stages, Atlanta). While studying at UGA, Maile had the opportunity to explore skills such as Patternmaking, Draping, Millinery, Corsetry, Tailoring, various fabric modification techniques, wig styling and life drawing.

Maile has also worked as Costume Designer and educator for Hawaii Children’s Theatre (The Little Mermaid, Once On This Island, Mulan Jr, Rent, 25^th Annual…Spelling Bee, Avenue Q).

Maile continues to design locally, including productions at OpenStage Theatre (August Osage County, La Bete, True West) and Bas Bleu (Elephant’s Graveyard). During the summers, Maile serves as the director of KDIA, a Children’s Theatre Camp at CSU that focuses on devised, original pieces of Musical Theatre created 1 week at a time.

Maile is honored to work with such creative, kind, and enthusiastic staff members and students.

You can view Maile’s work at: www.mailespeetjens.com

Mark D. Kaufmann is the author of the plays that have been produced around the world. “The Labors of Hercules Fitch” and “The End Of Civilization As We Know It”, and “Betsy’s Inconvenient Garden” were originally published in Dramatics magazine.  His play “Evil Little Thoughts” won the Denver Drama Critics Circle award for Best New Play.  His novel, “Sour Notes”, is being adapted into a play.  Most recently, he co-authored and directed a new musical, “Painting The Clouds With Sunshine”, with the 42nd St. Moon company in San Francisco; an award-winning production.  Other directing assignments include the York Theatre in New York. Mark has taught at USC, AMDA, and is the co-owner of Los Angeles Musical Theater Studio, (www.lamts.com), instructing professionals and students in performance technique. He has worked with the International Thespian Society for the last 16 years.  @MarkDKaufmann   www.MarkDKaufmann.com

Mary Ann Kehler is a best-selling author whose work on training performing artists — both musical theatre and contemporary music — was featured in Success Mastery with Jack Canfield. She is a musical theatre director with 65 shows to her credit, Executive Producer of Broadway Training Intensive, a college audition coach whose students are in top colleges and conservatories all over the country, and is co-author of a book on auditioning for college programs.  Mary Ann is serving a three-year term as President of International Voice Teachers of Mix and is a mentor for other teachers in that organization.  She successfully trains singers ranging from working professionals to those other teachers have labeled “tone deaf.”  Her students include musical theatre professionals, pop recording artists, lead singers for rock and R&B bands, classical choral soloists, music educators, voice teachers, worship leaders, and singer/songwriters. Mary Ann’s studio is in the Denver Technological Center; she teaches worldwide via internet and has presented at four international voice conferences recently, in Italy, Austria, Poland and the U.S.  She is happy to be traveling the world, training teachers and singers.

Matthew Polis, recently returned to Boulder after 20 years in New York City.  He is the founder of boutique sound house, SoundSpace with the newest location in Bouder CO, and has been sound designing and mixing films for nearly 20 years.  His combined story driven approach to sound design and technical mastery in the mix room has earned him respect amongst his peers in the indie film world with over 150 credits.  Matthew's works include Appropriate Behavior (Sundance, BAM), Growing Up Coy (ITVS, Denver Film Festival), I Believe in Unicorns (SXSW), Peter and Vandy (Sundance) David Blaine: Beautiful Struggle & What is Magic, Evolution of a Criminal (SXSW, Full Frame, ITVS), Liyana (LA Film Festival), ACORN (TriBeCa) Food Chains (Berlin), Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon, Seymour: An Introduction (Telluride, Toronto, NYFF). And he is the head of post audio for TED Conferences.
Matthew also served as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, NYU Tisch School Of The Arts for post audio and mixing.
 

Melanie Aksamit is a special fx makeup artist in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in Colorado and attended many thespian conferences herself. After graduating High School from Horizon in Thornton, CO, Melanie pursued a degree in broadcasting and worked as a Production Assistant and Videographer for many years before her passion for makeup and horror led her to California. She attended the Makeup Designory in Burbank where she received a certificate in their Masters Program.  Since graduating she has worked on such television productions as Stranger Things, American Horror Story and WestWorld.  She has also worked on films such as The Conjuring: 2 and The Last Witch Hunter.  Besides film and television fx makeup, Melanie is also a beauty makeup artist and hair stylist for commercial and print as well as a Halloween prop maker.  In her spare time she enjoys working on personal art projects and screenplay writing.  

Michael Bowerman is the Music Director for Up with People, the international education program that has a focus on performing arts.  He traveled as a participant in the program right after high school and now has the honor to be one of the primary songwriters, producers and music instructors for the program.  Up with People tours internationally with a diverse cast of young adults from all over the world.  Up with People has performed at a record 4 Super Bowl halftimes, at multiple Olympic Games, and this past summer, they performed alongside Andrea Bocelli in Italy.  Later this year, Up with People will again perform for the Pope at the Vatican.

Michael is also involved in local Denver theatre.  He is a Henry Award nominee for Musical Direction and has directed, music directed and performed for many different companies throughout the Denver metro area.  

Michael Di Bianco is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, one of the nation's leading industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. We fund the social service work of The Actors Fund and award grants to AIDS service organizations nationwide. With your help, what we do together makes a difference.

Michael Ehrecke is an actor, writer, mover, shaker, and educator from Davenport, IA. After graduating from Luther College in 2015, he moved to the Twin Cities and toured with CLIMB Theatre as part of their Teaching Company, where he developed and facilitated immersive plays for K-12 students regarding social justice issues. Michael then spent a summer in New York as a playwriting apprentice with Powerhouse Theater Training Program. The past few years, Michael has traveled between Minneapolis and New York performing, teaching, and writing in various capacities. He is also a proud AmeriCorps alum, having completed a term of service with College Possible Minnesota. He is now an Admissions Counselor at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, and the go-to arts recruiter.

Michael Gilboe is a playwright, director, musician, composer, teacher, producer, and audiobook narrator. He is Director of Performing Arts and Assistant Professor for the Theatre and Business Arts major and program he created at the University of Providence. A Great Falls, MT native, he spent 12 years in New York City where he ran his own recording studio and production company in Times Square, producing albums for independent musicians and Tony, Emmy and Oscar winning clients. He also founded and hosted the Broadway Bullet theatre podcast where he meets and conducts in-depth interviews with many of the top theatre innovators of our time. As a composer/playwright, he has written and produced several full-length musicals and over 20 children's musicals. Lost Legend of Camelot, for which he wrote music and lyrics has been presented in five locations, including the Player’s Theatre in NYC. His musical, The Dead Legend was presented at the New York Musical Theater Festival in July, 2013. A Tribulation in Goats Corner, a play with music was presented at UGF in the fall of 2014. He has directed everything from intimate plays to large musicals and has also narrated over 200 audiobook titles. Michael Gilboe holds his BA in Theatre from the University of Montana and MFA in Playwriting with an emphasis in Plays with Music from the Playwright's Lab at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA.  

Michael Gunst

Michael is an actor, director, creator of theatre, and mask-maker He tours his award winning show Four Wishes adapted from Gluskabe and the Four Wishes by, Joseph Bruchac both locally and nationally.  Locally Michael has performed at the Germinal Stage, Nomad Theater, Denver Civic Theater, with Band of Toughs an (Associate Member), Theatre 13, DragonFly Productions, Now or Never Theatre and with Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s “Living Shakespeare” art in education program, and through Think 360 Arts. Michael has been a member of Faustwork Mask Theatre, touring “The Mask Messenger” throughout North America. He has performed with the International Pantomime Company of New England in Mexico and toured with the Pocket Mime Theater Company. For 8 years Michael co-created 6 new movement theater shows with the collective Studebaker Movement Theatre of Boston. They toured, taught and performed both internationally and nationally across North America and in Scotland, England, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Michael has a MFA in Acting from Brandeis University’s Professional Actor Training Program, and has performed in New York City in Off & Off Off Broadway, regionally at the Asolo Theatre, FL, Castle Hill Festival, MA, and with Circus Flora, MO. For booking of Workshops, Residencies or Four Wishes please visit: www.gunstwork.com

Dr. Michael Pearl (Presenter). Doc recently retired from the Cherry Creek School District, having taught theatre and directed plays at Smoky Hill High School and Grandview High School. He is a recipient of Cherry Creek Teacher of the Year, Colorado Theatre Educator of the Year, and Colorado Thespian Hall of Fame Honors. Now “Doc” practices what he taught! Acting credits include “Mort” What’s Wrong with This Picture?, “Norman,” On Golden Pond, Vintage Theatre; “Hugo,” God’s Man in Texas, Aurora Fox; “Scrooge,” A Christmas Twist, Firehouse Theater; and “Rev. Hooker,” Dearly Departed, Spotlight Theatre. He has also performed with Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, and Miner’s Alley Playhouse. Doc performs audio books for Brook Forest Voices. He is represented by Maximum Talent. Look for him on the Polar Express at the Colorado Railroad Museum this holiday season.

Biography
Mike Rock is an actor & improviser based in Los Angeles. TV credits include Black-ish, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, After Lately, The Mentalist, Monk, Conan O'Brien & many commercials. Voice of NFL Replay and Chelsea Lately on E!   He improvises full-length plays on stage with Impro L.A: Shakespeare, Chekhov, Jane Austen, Dorothy Parker, Nancy Drew, George S. Kauffman & TV's The Twilight Zone. He served as president of the national ComedySportz improv chain. Co-created, produced & performed sketch comedy in NYC, L.A. Montreal, Edinburgh, Aspen, Austin and on MTV, VH-1 & Comedy Central. He has been performing & teaching improv at ITS / EdTA & high school theater festivals since before your parents met. Find him online @itsmikerock 

Mr. Black carries with him an array of choreographic and directing credits ranging from the musical theatre stage to the concert dance arena. While at UNC, he has choreographed 42nd Street, West Side Story, Brigadoon and Carousel for the Musical Theatre Department and directed and choreographed Footloose: The Musical. He has also choreographed The Music Man, Chicago, Joseph…Dreamcoat, Fiddler on the Roof, Damn Yankees, Annie, and AIDA for the Little Theatre of the Rockies; as well as Directed and Choreographed The Full Monty and SWING! for their summer season. Mr. Black also is the director/choreographer of an annual fall dance/theatre production based on the holidays of Dia de los Muertos and Halloween entitled Miranda's Nightmare. He has also choreographed numerous pieces for the annual CPVA Gala and for main stage dance concerts. His latest works include a full-length modern ballet entitled Dierdre of the Sorrows, based off of Irish mythology, and a one act Dance Theatre project set to the music of the Airborne Toxic Event entitled Punks: A Love Story. His interests in jazz, modern, dance technology, collaborations with other artists and his vast performance history make him a vital and inspiring artist and teacher.

Nadine Bridges has dedicated herself to working with and advocating for under-served youth and marginalized communities for the past 19 years. She is passionate about empowerment, social justice, and inclusiveness work. Previously, she worked as a youth and family engagement manager/clinical case manager for Denver Urban Scholars. Nadine volunteered in Nicaragua with the Peace Corps in the youth development sector; started her own mentor program during her undergraduate years at the College of Charleston; and taught Spanish at a charter school in Charleston, South Carolina.  Currently, Nadine works as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. Nadine earned her BS in Biology from the College of Charleston and her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver along with a Certificate for Social Work with Latinos/as.

“I am honored to become a part of The Center,” Nadine said. “My passion is, and always will be, to understand youth, diversity, the world we live in, and how these factors affect each and every one of us. I am impressed by the support that Rainbow Alley has offered LGBTQ youth and look forward to forming and collaborating with new community partners; building capacity; as well as advocating for and working with the youth we serve.”

Natalie is a Programming Specialist with Arapahoe Libraries where she leads monthly theater workshops. Natalie graduated from the University of Nebraska Kearney with her degree in Theater with an emphasis in performance. She has performed in several productions, some of her favorite roles include Becca in Rabbit Hole, Janet in Rocky Horror, and Gloria in Boeing Boeing. She also has a love of improvisational comedy and has performed in various improv shows throughout the Denver area.

Nate Jones is a Community Relations Specialist for the Douglas County School District. Before arriving in Douglas County in 2015, he spent nine years as a public affairs specialist and combat documentarian for the U.S. Army, covering the story of soldiers in Germany, Iraq, and the Pentagon through television and radio. He is the proud father of 3 amazing kids, 3 crazy dogs, and 2 mischievous cats.

Neil Truglio has been an artist and educator in the Denver community for over 20 years. His work has been seen on stages all over Denver, including the Bellco Theatre, Curious Theatre, Benchmark Theatre, University of Colorado-Denver, and RedLine Community Art Center—as well as in film festivals around the world, including the Dallas International Film Festival and the American Film Festival in Poland. After teaching at both the university and high school levels, Neil created the arts organization Modest Arts to enhance the theatre and film training of young artists in Denver. Neil currently serves as a teaching artist at the DCPA, a director for Curious New Voices, the Education Director for the Denver Film Festival, SeriesFest, and Benchmark Theatre, acting instructor with the Young Filmmakers Workshops, and a member of the adjunct faculty at the Colorado Film School.

Mr. Elkins-Zeglarski’s theatre teaching credits include Central Washington University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Queensland, and community colleges in California, Arizona, Maryland and Iowa. Directing credits include theatre company and university productions. Acting credits include performance and training with diverse theatre practitioners. Patrick currently works nationally as a freelance dramaturg and is on the DCPA Education staff as Curriculum Manager. Patrick bridges his interests in theatre and education as national faculty for Lesley University’s School of Education.

Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski

Denver Center for the Performing Arts 

Associate Director of Education and Curriculum Management

Patrick’s work in theatre and education has long been informed by his interest in the duality of arts integrated curriculum and cognitive/creative response. The power of inquiry and curiosity are central to his work in developing tools and strategies for educators and Teaching Artists that bridge the relationships between effective curriculum design, empowered critical pedagogy, and engaged student-centered learning environments. A frequent provider of professional development within the university/educational and non-profit sectors, Patrick’s work also serves law enforcement, medical, and customer service professionals. Patrick maintains his theatre work within the practices of teaching, directing, and dramaturgy.

Dr. Patrick Newell, Director of Vocal Studies at Western Nebraska Community College, is a proud teacher of the Sweetland Belt Technique. Holding a Doctor of Music from Indiana University, Dr. Newell has performed throughout the U.S. in Opera and Musical Theatre. He founded the BFA Concentration in Musical Theatre at the University of Wyoming, and filled the program beyond capacity. Currently the Artistic Director and Music Director at Theatre West in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, he travels frequently to give Workshops, Music Direct, and to teach singing in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Tuscany, and other locations. He presents regularly on the subjects of Opera Production, Musical Theatre Performance, and Belt Singing at Regional and National Conferences. His students have performed on National Tours, Off-Broadway, in Regional LORT Theatres, cruise lines, Disney, and in regional Opera houses. At WNCC, Dr. Newell is excited to expand his skills into the area of Choral Conducting, while founding a new AFA in Musical Theatre.

As a professional singer and actress, Patty was last seen on Broadway as Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Laroquette. She has been a member of six original Broadway companies that include the critically acclaimed Ragtime with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald, Curtains starring David Hyde Pierce, The Woman in White, Bye, Bye Birdie with John Stamos and the Tony Award winning musical revivals of La Cage aux Folles and Kiss Me, Kate.

Throughout her career, she has joined the companies of Toronto, Broadway and The Music Box Tour of The Phantom of the Opera having performed the roles of both Christine and Carlotta. She has toured the United States and Canada in the productions of Kiss Me, Kate, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Music of the Night and Cats (Jellylorum/Griddlebone). Carnegie Hall appearances have included South Pacific (PBS), Show Boat, The Sound of Music and the N.Y. premiere of the controversial hit opera Jerry Springer, the Opera. She performed with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in the PBS production of Candide.

Regional credits have earned her rave reviews as Anna in The King and I, Meg in Damn Yankees, Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and Mrs. Sneed Hill in The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Original cast recordings include Kiss Me, Kate, Ragtime, Curtains and South Pacific (at Carnegie Hall). She had the distinct pleasure of recording Songs of Love and Life, for voice and wind ensemble by Frank Ticheli with the University of North Texas Wind Ensemble with Eugene Migliaro-Corporon conducting.

She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory, a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Northern Colorado and is a distinguished alum from Casper College in Casper, Wyoming.

“Mr. Paul” currently performs Story PlayTime four times a week in the Timbuk Toys stores in Denver.  Mime, puppetry, magic, juggling, songs, stories, bubbles, and amazing balloon critters.  "My best gig ever! Well, that and Thescon. This will be my 11th year of FUN!" 

Paul has performed professionally for children since 1978. Beginning with the Storytellers resident company of the Denver Children's Museum, he went on with his Children's Theater/Elementary Education degree to become one of the founders and owners of KIDSKITS, Inc. This renowned local theatrical company included a performing troupe of 6-16 year olds, a conservatory, talent agency, and summer camp in the Rocky Mountains.  

Mr. Bernstein is pleased to be a return guest artist at the Colorado State Thespian Conference. Mr. Bernstein is a graduate of the National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and was a member of the Society of American Fight Directors. Some of his favorite roles include Morris in Blood Knot. He studied theatre at Webster University. He continues to work as a guest artist and fight choreographer with high schools in the metro area.

Peter Davison was raised in Santa Monica, California. His boyhood idols were Alexander Calder and Batman. He began his professional career at age 16, as a juggling street performer in Los Angeles. Peter is the 1982 National Juggling Champion, and a founder of the trio Airjazz which toured the world during the 1980’s with a unique mix of juggling, dance and theater. As a member of the trio Airjazz, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and at prestigious live venues such as the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. Since the 1990’s, Peter has performed primarily solo, performing on stages throughout the United States and Europe, and on TV shows on the CBS, BBC and Fox networks, including the variety special Harry Anderson – The Tricks of His Trade. Peter has been presented by the Carmel/California Performing Arts Festival, Utah State Arts Tour, Cincinnati Playhouse, Seattle’s Moisture Festival, 5-3-1 Festival of New Juggling and Object Theatre in Helsinki, Finland, Boulder International Fringe Festival, and the Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival, among others. Peter’s multi-disciplinary movement art has earned him numerous awards including the 1997 Arts Innovation Award from the Colorado Federation of the Arts, 1997 Colorado Arts Council Fellowship, and his ballet-with-objects Cirque D’Amour won the 2009 Ballet Builders Award from New Choreographers on Pointe in New York City. For further information visit www.poetofmotion.com.

Phillip M. Church Associate Professor of Theater / Artistic Director of What if Works Inc.Trained at the London of Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, worked in repertory theater, for BBC and Yorkshire television and as an Assistant Director at Glyndbourne Opera. He received an MFA in Directing at UC Irvine. A member of Actors Equity Association Church has been with the Department of Theater at Florida International University for thirty-eight years, during which time he directed numerous classical and contemporary plays, major musicals and community engaged docudramas. He established the widely popular “Introduction to Acting & Directing for TV & Film” for both theater majors and non-majors. The course explores the complementary techniques that exist between stage and screen. In 1997 Church established the FIU Shakespeare in Stratford & London Study Abroad program, an annual six-week course focused on text and performance of productions the productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Globe Theater in London. In 2010 he inaugurated What if Works Inc. a 501c community-engaged, post-graduate company dedicated to bringing about social change through theater, music and film. What if Works’ most current production is “The R+J Effect: Denver” an updated version of Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” exploring gun violence in our communities and on school campuses. The production is presented in collaboration with Denver Public Schools, the Denver Police Department, the Metropolitan State University, Denver and the Denver Center for International Studies High School. The Miami Capulets face off the Denver Montagues on stage! This Miami-Denver joint partnership encourages audience involvement during the play’s action, bringing the voices of students, parents, law enforcement, educators and civic leaders together into one conversation. “The R+J Effect: Denver” will be staged as part of the Colorado Thespians Conference at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

What if Works proposes to offer a workshop in "Theater for Social Change & High Schools" 

Price Johnston – Lighting and Projection Designer. Over 300 productions include: World Premiere of Lavender Lizards Lilac Landmines: Layla’s Dream by Ntozake Shange (14th Street Playhouse – Atlanta, GA),Two Rooms (Trilogy Theatre – Off-Broadway – New York, NY), Arena Theatre Productions Guys & Dolls (UK Tour – 2000), Shapiro and Smith’s Never Enough (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – Washington DC), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Moscow Cosmos Theatre/St. Petersburg Music Hall – Russia), Janis Brenner’s Dance Company’s Lost/Found/Lost (Isadora Duncan International Dance Festival – Kransnoyarsk, Russia), Chicago Jeff Award Winning Production of 1776 (Chopin Theatre – Chicago), Passiones (Athenaeum Theatre – Chicago, IL),  2015 Drama Desk Award Nominee: Best Projections – Donogoo (The Mint Theatre – Off-Broadway – New York, NY) and The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway (Stephen Sondheim Theatre – Broadway – New York, NY). Price is Chair of Colorado State University Theatre.

Price Johnston’s career in design has spanned theatre, dance, opera, entertainment design and corporate events in both the U.S. and abroad. With work in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Moscow, Athens (Greece), London, Atlanta, St. Petersburg (Russia), and Denver, he has designed over 270 productions. His credits include: the world premiere of Jomandi Productions’ Lavender Lizards Lilac Landmines: Layla’s Dream by Tony nominated playwright Ntozake Shange (14th Street Playhouse, Atlanta, Ga. and the National Black Theatre Festival – Winston Salem, NC), the Off-Broadway production of Two Rooms (Trilogy Theatre, New York), Guys and Dolls (2000 British Tour), and the world premieres of Huckleberry Finn: The Musical, and A Southern Christmas Carol (Cotton Hall Theatre – Colquitt, GA), written by award-winning playwright/director Rob Lauer.

Other design credits include American Buffalo, Oh What a Lovely War, Assassins, The World Goes Round, and Never Enough, choreographed by Shapiro and Smith (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.), Company, Art, The Complete History of America Abridged (Greenshoe Theatre Company), Swamp Gravy: Down at the Depot “Georgia’s Official Folk Life Play” (Cotton Hall Theatre), Colquitt, GA ), Clue: The Musical, The Miracle Worker, Lighting Director for Bates Dance Festival (Lewiston, Maine), Sabrina Fair, Hamlet (1990 American College Theatre Festival Nominee), Janis Brenner’s Lost/Found/Lost (Isadora Duncan International Dance Festival – Kransnoyarsk, Russia), The 2008 Jeff Award-Winning Production of 1776 (Chopin Theatre – Chicago), Passiones (Athenaeum Theatre – Chicago), Lighting/Sound/Video supervisor for the international touring dance company David Dorfman Dance: Underground, The Pee-Wee Herman Show (Club Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles), A Midsummer Nights Dream (Moscow Cosmos Theatre/St. Petersburg Music Hall, Russia), and the Chicago premiere of I Sing! (Chicago Playwright Theatre). Price has also served as Production Manager for Live Design International (LDI), the LDI Conference – LDInstitute and Live Design Broadway Training and Masters Classes (Lighting, Concert Sound and Projection Design).

His recent work includes the 2015 Drama Desk Award Nominated – Best Projection Design – Donogoo (The Mint Theatre, Off-Broadway – New York), Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Union Colony Civic Center Theatre – Greeley, CO), the World Premieres of Eh Joe and Beckett’s Women (Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival – Enniskillen, Ireland) and The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway (Stephen Sondheim Theatre – New York).

Price holds a M.F.A in Lighting/Media Design from the University of Florida, and a Bachelors Degree in Theatrical Design from Colorado Mesa University. He is a member of USITT and the iDMAA.

Ms. Taylor is a Teaching Artist and the Program Manager for Literacy Engagement and Resiliency Programming for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. As a professional actor Rachel has performed in New York, Los Angeles, Ohio and in many productions with the Denver Center Theatre Company.  She has taught everything from Shakespeare to sequins and toured with the education program for many years. She has also had the privilege of being an Artist in Residence in many Colorado schools. She holds Bachelor of Art degrees in both theater and fine arts with a sculpture emphasis from the University of Colorado and a Masters of Fine Arts in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory.

Dr. Rand Harmon, Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Northern Colorado, is a theatre director, producer, educator, and a creative entrepreneur.  Rand Harmon holds a PhD in Theatre Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Directing from The University of Texas at Austin.  For the Theatre Studies program, Dr. Harmon teaches courses in Directing, Play Analysis and Dramatic Literature, Acting, Theatre Management/Theatre Entrepreneurship, and Arts Entrepreneurship for students from all disciplines in the College of Performing and Visual Arts, as well as mentoring aspiring student directors, producers and managers.

Dr. Harmon’s doctoral dissertation, “Site-based Theatre of 21^stCentury Great Britain: Conceptualizing Audience Experience,” identifies and investigates conceptual methods employed by seven leading creators of noted site-based theatre works in England, Scotland and Wales over the past twenty years.  He is the co-editor of a special section of essays on site-based theatre in the upcoming 2019 edition of Theatre History Journal. His article “Hamlet on Alcatraz:  A Journey Into the Power of Sacred Space” was featured in the Winter 2013 issue of Ecumenica Journal.  Dr. Harmon’s review, “Red Earth’s CHALK:  Exploring Heritage and Myth through Ritual Performance of Place” was featured in Unstructured.5 Extra, a British on-line Art journal.  He co-authored a one-act play with his wife Barb Harmon, “InterLifeChangeCycle (a play for site-specific performance)”, published in the 2010 issue of Palimpsest; A Creative Journal of the Humanities.  

Rebecca is an Assistant Professor-Acting Specialist in the School of Theatre Arts and Dance at The University of Northern Colorado.  She moved to Colorado in 2017 from Philadelphia, PA; in Philadelphia, she taught college acting, musical theatre, voice and movement, speech and dialect performance courses for the past eight years. In addition to course teaching, Rebecca directed college level production musicals, cabarets and special performances, worked as a dialect/voice coach and in casting. She gives private Michael Chekhov Technique workshops for groups and individuals, and coaches students privately for auditions. Prior to joining academia, Rebecca called New York City home for almost 15 years and enjoyed an extensive performance career, crossing the country in a National Tour of Guys and Dolls, originating roles in Off-Broadway musicals, such as Zombie Prom (original CD cast recording), and appearing in numerous productions for LORT/regional stages all around the country. She has worked with leading industry professionals, including: Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Bob Balaban (on the Comedy Central-TV Show “Strangers with Candy”), with Kristen Chenoweth and Mary-Mitchell Campbell in a live concert event, the workshop of Zombie Prom, and through ASTEP.org, and with scads more phenomenal creative artists. Recently, she played The Countess De Lage in EgoPo's The Women in Philadelphia, and Mrs. Carol Strong in Little Theatre of the Rockies production of Catch Me If You Can. Rebecca is a 20+ year member of AEA, and an active member of MICHA-The Michael Chekhov Association since 2012; she specializes in teaching the Michael Chekhov Technique.

Richard Burk, Workshop Presenter- Richard is the Coordinator of the Theatre Performance degree at Casper College in Casper, Wyoming.  He holds degrees from the University of Illinois (M.F.A. in Acting) and Simpson College (B.A. in Theatre Arts), Richard directed the Off-Broadway production of The Magdalene by James Olm  which opened at the Theatre at St. Clements  on 46^th St. in New York.  He is a member of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers, part of the Actors Center in New York City.  Richard has worked in theatre film and television, focusing on truth in acting. 

Robert Laconi has worked in theater, film, radio, television, and children’s theater, as actor, director, manager, adjudicator, and producer with credits ranging from Broadway to Community Theatre.  In NYC he created Theatre Arts Center NY where hundreds of talented students have learned and performed and where he collaborated with over 55 Broadway Artists.  Directing credits include 15 years of productions in NYC and many shows and plays at several theatres in Bucks County PA.  On Broadway, he was Director of Development at Circle in the Square and was Associate to the Producer on the Tony nominated play, Enchanted April.  He has recently adjudicated and/or been a Guest Teaching Artist at several state Thespian Festivals, including Florida, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and the International Festival in Nebraska  As an actor, Robert has worked at several Off-Broadway theaters, including the internationally acclaimed LaMama Theatre, Playwrights Horizon, Odyssey Theater, All Souls Players, Theatre for a New City, Circle in the Square, and others.  In Regional Theatre, he has appeared in roles musical, comedic, and dramatic at Tibbits Opera House, Porthouse Summer Theater, Pennsylvania Stage, Weathervane Playhouse, Bear Creek Dinner Theatre, and Gateway Playhouse.  While living in Italy, Robert worked with the American Theatre Company of Rome.  Screen appearances include Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfella’s, Night of the Zombies, & a singer/dancer in Annie.  He holds a BFA in Theater and Acting from Kent State University with post graduate work at Fordham University School of Education.  Robert has also trained at HB Studios, Playwrights Horizons (directing), American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the National Theatre of Great Britain, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and privately with Julie Bovasso, Rina Yerulshalmi, Jane Hoffman, and Karen Kohlhaas.  He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild / AFTRA and Actors Equity. 

Roger Hanna has designed sets for theater, opera, and dance in Japan, Israel, and across the United States, including over 150 productions in New York City. Before joining CSU, Mr. Hanna’s teaching experience included NYU, Rutgers, SUNY, and the University of Miami. He has designed for universities including University of Minnesota, The New School, NYU, Point Park, Ramapo, Temple, and Yale, and served as resident designer for the Mannes Opera since 2004. He has also served as resident designer for Playwrights Theater of New York (2000-2004), the Gilgamesh Theater Group (1994-2002), and four discrete NYU Programs (1991-2001). Projects of note include repeated collaborations with Laura Alley, Jack Allison, Jonathan Bank, Trazana Beverly, Tracy Bersley, Joseph Colaneri, Nilo Cruz, Jackson Gay, Robin Guarino, Ron Jenkins, Susan Marshall, Eleanor Reissa, Jody Sperling, and Tommy Tune, at venues including Dance Theater Workshop, Jacob’s Pillow, The Mint Theater, Provincetown Playhouse, Sarasota Opera, Tennessee Shakespeare, and Yiddishpiel (Israel). Awards include the 2009 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Scenic design, as well as three Drama Desk nominations (2006, 2012, 2015), three Henry Hewes Design Award nominations (2011, 2012, 2015), and a Denver Center for the Performing ArtsTrue West Award for Scenic Design in 2017.  Mr. Hanna is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and holds a BA in Theater from UCLA, and an MFA in Set and Lighting Design from NYU, and has  been on the Theatre faculty at Colorado State University since 2013.

ROYCE ROESWOOD's past stage credits include Hir (Miner's Alley); The Flick, Soul in Turmoil (Curious Theatre); Buried Child, boom (Edge Theater); Indiscretions (Germinal Stage); Twelfth Night (Off Center, WY); and Barefoot in the Park (Triumvirate Theatre, AK). He is currently performing with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival's touring productions of The Comedy of Errors and Julius Caesar. Producing credits include An Interactive Theatre Experience Set in a Dystopian Future and Custom-Made One Act Play. Playwriting credits include Romeo and Juliet: Werewolves vs. Vampires and God Finds Religion. Improvisational credits include ComedySportz Denver, Makeshift Shakespeare, The Heirs of Hogwarts, and Denver's Next Improv Star. He is a teaching artist for Denver Center for the Performing Arts Education, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and the Bovine Metropolis Theater. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in Theatre Arts. He is also an audiobook narrator and mascot performer. Follow him on Twitter at @royceroeswood and on his website at www.roeswood.com.

Ruben Van Kempen is a Seattle-based freelance director and the recent director of theatre at Roosevelt High School, Seattle where he taught and directed for  38 years. He is proud of his many students who have gone on to work professionally on Broadway (Tony winner Memphis); in London, Europe, and Japan; and in the opera, music, film and television industries. His directing work has been seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Gates Performing Arts Center in Hawaii, The Village Theatre, Seattle Civic Light Opera, the Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska, University of Evansville, Western Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, Intiman Theatre/Seattle Children’s Museum,  the International Thespian Festival in the Leid Theatre, Nebraska, as well as in several industrial shows. 

Ruben received the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Washing University. He was inducted into the Educational Theatre Association National Hall of Fame in September 2012, is a 2011 inductee into WA State Thespians and a 2008 inductee into the WIAA Hall of Fame. He received the 2007 Gregory A. Falls Sustained Achievement Award, which honors an individual who has devoted time, energy and talent to Seattle’s theatre community over the course of their career, influencing theatre locally and beyond. He was also honored with the first annual Ruben Van Kempen Arts Educator from the Intiman Theatre, The 5^th Avenue Theatre Educator of the Year 2013. He was named a recipient of the Christa McAuliffe 2000 teaching award, and in 2013 received the Phi Beta Kappa Pathfinder Award.

Ryan is the owner of Envision Production Group and has been working as a theatrical and corporate designer for ten years. Recent credits in design include lighting for the Off-Broadway production of Wildcards in NYC & The Last Five Years (19K Productions Boulder) as well as audio design for Spamalot the musical, and full production design for Airborne Dance. He has been awarded several awards for design at the Colorado Community Theatre Collation with the St Vrain Theatre Company. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Metropolitan State University of Denver. He also enjoys  being a wedding DJ in his spare time.

Santana Trujillo is a recent graduate of the American Musical Dramatic Academy with her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Theatre. She has performed for several Royal Caribbean cruise ships, Denver Nuggets Halftimes, and for the Harlem Globetrotters. She recently worked on the promo for FX American Horror Story Season 7 and modeled for this year's International Fashion Week in Los Angeles. She has choreographed for several high school dance teams and musical theatre programs. Denver born and raised, Santana loves returning to Colorado to share all the knowledge she has acquired in LA and NYC.

Sarah Jane began working for Playbill, Inc. in 2011 and is currently the Director of Education. Sarah Jane oversees the day to day operations for Playbill’s main educational websites PLAYBILLder and all special educational initiatives for the company. Playbill's educational initiatives include: BroadwayCon, Junior Theatre Festival, International Thespian Festival, Broadway Teachers Workshop and partnerships with the NYC DOE, iTheatrics, Educational Theatre Association and NEA. Sarah Jane is a former opera singer and received her M.M. from NYU, B.A. from Marymount Manhattan College and is a member of the Educational Theatre Association’s Alumni Counsel. 

Sasha Fisher trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in her native London and is an Associate and Licentiate of LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). She has twice earned London's Time Out Critics's Choice award for her work in classical theatre. In addition to her work on stage and screen, she has taught and directed theatre for over 30 years.

Sean Samuels, Alum of AMDA has had success on Broadway performing in Tarzan the musical, Curtains, and Spiderman Turn off the dark.  He now resides in Los Angeles and has recently been seen in episodes of The Goldbergs, Jane the Virgin and Bosch.  He can also be seen as a series regular on Issa Rae’s Youtube hit scripted  series “Giants”.

Sondra Blanchard is artistic director of the award-winning Public Works Theatre Company, based in Lafayette, CO. She has been performing, teaching, and making new theatre for 30 years. She is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz,  the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, and holds an MFA in Theatre: Contemporary Performance from Naropa University. Sondra has worked in regional theatre, toured nationally and worked internationally as a choreographer and acting coach. Locally, Sondra has performed with Band of Toughs, the Catamounts, Zen Cabaret, Theatre V, and at the Civic Theatre. She has taught at CU Boulder, the Arvada Center, Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids, The Art Underground, Arts Hub, Mountain Vista High School, Community College of Aurora, and was adjunct faculty at Naropa University and UNC Greeley. Sondra was a Fulbright Fellow – Greece in 2014, teaching collaborative playwriting at Aristotle University. Please visit her Website at www.publicworkstheatre.com.

Stephen Gregg’s play, This is a Test, helped define a genre of large-cast one-acts when it appeared in 1988.  Since then, he’s published over twenty plays for schools to perform, including Small Actors, One Lane Bridge, The New Margo, S.P.A.R., Twitch, Wake-Up Call, Sex Lives of Superheroes and Crush, which was produced on the mainstage of the International Thespian Festival in 2016. His new one-act is called Why We Like Love Stories.

He’s been the recipient of a Jerome Fellowship from the Playwright’s Center of Minneapolis; the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Heideman Award for best ten-minute play (A Private Moment) and the International Thespian Society’s Founders’ Award for Service to youth and theatre. Crush was developed during a residency at the William Inge Center for the Arts.

Gregg teaches himself to write plays, one tweet at a time, at @playwrightnow. 

Steven Workman holds an M.F.A. from Indiana University in Theatre Technology, and a B.F.A. from the University of South Dakota in Theatre Design and Technology. Before coming to CSU, Steven worked as technical eirector for the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, Brown County Playhouse, and The University of South Dakota Playhouse. Other positions include shop foreman for The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, as well as multiple summers with the Black Hills Playhouse.

Steve Stevens has worked in Musical Direction and Sound Sculpture for theatres in Colorado and New York. Some of his notable works include Arvada’s Les Misérables, The Crucible, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard, and Ragtime; Albany Capital Repertory’s To Kill A Mockingbird and The Taming Of The Shrew; and CSF's Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream. His work has garnered numerous award nominations. His musical, Little Women, The Musical, was awarded Best New Play in 1998, and he was awarded the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Henry Award for Outstanding Sound Design.

Stuart Stone has been casting for over 20 years and has cast Hundreds of commercials and cast thousands of actors for domestic and worldwide television media. He has built a reputation on drive, creativity, passion and innovation in supplying the Commercial, Television, Film & new media.  Stuart is a Clio and Emmy award winning casting director and is best known for many of his unique, high profile campaigns for Apple, Purina, Kellogg's, Pizza Hut, Jeep, Home Depot, Sony, and Subway, to name a few. Stuart has cast Union, Non-Union and real people around the country and his steadfast commitment to finding what the client is looking for has enabled him to work with many established production companies, directors and advertising agencies. While casting Stuart has created workshops and classes utilizing his knowledge from behind the camera to teach actors what works in front of the camera to give memorable auditions and book the job. Stuart is also the author of the top selling book "The Keys to Commercial Acting". He is often invited to guest speak and teach around the country His passion in casting and teaching is why he is a go to casting director and acting coach.

Susan Pilar has performed in New York with Lincoln Center (Broadway), Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theatre (NYSF), Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Raw Space (Actor's Studio). Her regional credits include; the Guthrie Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, The Shakespeare Theatre (The Folger), Passage Theatre and the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. Her TV and Film credits include: Law & Order, The Cosby Show, One Life to Live, Guiding Light and the independent movie, The Waiting Room. Susan moved to New York where she continues to work and live. When not performing, Susan is busy teaching, directing and coaching privately. She is also proud to be a core faculty instructor at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she has been teaching and directing for the past 14 years. Susan also teaches acting and audition technique at the T. Schreiber studio. Currently she co-created The FUSE with casting director Scott Wojcik, which is in its 7th successful year.

Degrees and Studies
MFA, American Conservatory Theatre; BFA, University of Southern California; Fellowship, The Shakespeare Theatre–The Folger: Performance credits include Lincoln Center–Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public–NYSF, The Guthrie, Ensemble Studio Theatre; Founder of Reel Intentions, a production company that creates actor demo reels

Tamara Meneghini is a professional actor, voice/movement coach, and teaching artist.; She belongs to the Actor’s Equity Association (AEA), the Association of Theatre Movement Educators (ATME), and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Colorado Boulder where she teaches courses in acting, movement, voice, Shakespeare, Period Styles, and Musical Theatre. Most recently she completed the international training program, Arscomica Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico with Antonio Fava in Italy in the style of Commedia Dell'Arte with artists from all over the globe.  Most recently she has been touring two productions, THE TESTAMENT OF MARY (as Mary) and ELIZABETH I – In Her Own Words (as Elizabeth), with her own theatre company, Goddess Here Productions and is currently developing a new work with collaborator, Ami Dayan to be part of the upcoming Theatre – Made in Boulder festival in early 2018.  As an actor, director, and teaching artist she has received many awards and grants to continue to develop and share her passion for the fusion of body, voice and the actor poet.  www.goddesshere.com

Tandy Versyp is a Seattle-based screenwriter, who has written pilots for IFC Channel and co-produced Sudden Owl, the web-adaptation of NPR's The Moth Storytelling Hour. In addition to recruiting for New York Film Academy, he has been known to perform comedy and help children overcome illiteracy. 

Tara Wolfe is the President and Producing Artistic Director of Human, Kind Theater Project. A seasoned improviser, director, producer, and educator, Tara earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with Dual Honors in Directing, Playwriting, and Production from the University of the Arts, and her Master of Arts in Professional Creative Writing from the University of Denver. Dedicated to supporting her community with kindness and artistic excellence, Tara co-founded Human, Kind in 2016. Her work has also been seen at theaters around Colorado such as Curious Theatre Company, Voodoo Comedy Playhouse, and Evergreen Players. www.hktheaterproject.com

THOMAS SCHULTHEIS has served as a Teaching Artist for numerous Academies, Competitions, Festivals, Intensives, Invitationals, and Showcases. Additionally, Thomas has performed on Broadway in the revival of Grease! as well as tours of Grease!, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Chicago and South Pacific. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University in Virginia. Thomas has also worked for The Walt Disney Company for 13 years and is the Sales Manager for Disney Performing Arts at the Disneyland® Resort. Under his award winning leadership he created Disney Performing Arts presents: An Educators Summit: Inspiring Brilliance, a 2 day Summit which brings leading educators together from around the world. He also developed the first individual workshop opportunity for students at The Walt Disney Company called Disney Performing Arts Open Enrollment as well as the first Disney Performing Arts Conservatory. Thomas has also worked as a choreographer for over 20 years, his credits include Off-Broadway productions of original work with the cast of the Broadway’s [title of show], and productions for over a dozen High Schools & Colleges. Thomas is a member of the Concordia University, Irvine’s School of Education Advisory Council and he continues to write his blog myweeklyfascination for 5 years. The blog motto speaks to his own philosophy: “life has much to offer, find inspiration.”

Mr. Evanicki is a celebrated Juilliard-educated voice teacher and singer, who has traveled extensively, singing on some of the world’s most prestigious stages.

With 14 years experience as a vocal coach, Mr. Evanicki has prepared his students go on to follow in his footsteps, attending some of the nation’s leading music schools and musical theater programs. His students have been seen on the stages of Broadway, Regional Theatre, National Tours, London’s West End, and in Feature Films.

His clients have been accepted to NYU Tisch, NYU Steinhardt, Carnegie Mellon, Point Park, Baldwin Wallace, CCM, Boston Conservatory, Syracuse, Pace, and other top musical theatre programs across the country. He is author of the book “The College Audition: A Guide for High School Students Pursuing a Degree in Theatre.”

He has worked extensively as a master class clinician and adjudicator, working with soloists and choirs for the Florida State Thespian Conference, The Florida Vocal Association, The Miss America Organization, The Cinderella International Scholarship Pageant, The Florida Theatre Conference, Edgewater High School’s "Flying High" ensemble, and the Lake Highland Preparatory School Choirs. As a musical director, Tim has worked with Oviedo High School, Winter Springs High School, Winter Park High School, The Winter Park Playhouse, The Master Class Academy, In the Limelight, The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in Rochester, NY, and Buck’s Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in New Milford, CT. In addition to teaching at his private voice studio, “The Vocal Technician,” he is currently a contracted voice teacher at Edgewater High School, University High School and Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, FL.

“The College Audition” is available on his website www.thecollegeaudition.com, as well as on Amazon.com in paperback and on Kindle. For more information, please visit www.timevanicki.com, and his studio website www.thevocaltechnician.com.

A native of the D.C. Metro area, and graduate of Catawba College North Carolina, Tim has called Denver, Colorado home for 14 years.   He has been in the Theatre Industry over 30 years. When he isn’t presenting workshops across the country, he works at The Denver Center Theatre Academy, Denver School of the Arts, and The Wolf Theatre Academy.  Some of Tim’s directing credits include A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Scapino!, Bridge to Terabithia, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,  Comedy of Errors, The Moon is Down, Blythe Spirit, The Good Doctor, On the Verge, The Dining Room, and House and Garden.  He has appeared in Oleana (John), The Glass Menagerie (Jim), Amadeus (Mozart & Emperor Joseph), True West (Austin), Measure for Measure (Lucio & Duke), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Demetrius), Macbeth (Malcolm), and Henry IV / Richard III (King Edward).  Along with his work on the stage, Tim can be seen in film and TV productions of Three Pages, Chasing the Dragon, Shift, The Closest Thing to Heaven, and Dawson's Creek.  You can find his article "Sharper Contrast" in the January 2013 issue of Dramatic's Magazine.

Mr. McCracken is the Head of Acting for the Adult Program at the DCPA – Education Department. He is a professional actor, director, teacher and playwright, having performed in theatre, television and film for over 25 years. He has appeared in numerous theatre productions in New York City, including with the New York Shakespeare Festival and New York Theatre Workshop, and in regional theatres around the country. He has performed locally in numerous productions with the DCPA Theatre Company including the upcoming production of Anna Karenina, Curious Theatre Co., the Arvada Center, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, BETC, Local Theatre Co., and Stories on Stage. He has appeared in film, television, and numerous national commercials over the years. Timothy has taught at many universities nationally. He has an MFA in Theatre from the DCPA’s National Theatre Conservatory, and a BA in Theatre from Whitman College.

TRAVIS KENT is a proud Colorado native. Broadway: Disaster! (Workman/Chef, understudy for Adam Pascal; Nederlander Theater). Other New York: Paris Through the Window (Marc Chagall; Abingdon Theater Co.), The Last Word (Neil; The Duke Theater), Pyre Cantata (Polyneices; HERE Arts Center), Travis Kent: My First Time (54 Below), From Rodgers to Heart directed by Sutton Foster (Joe’s Pub). Regional: Hair (Claude; Lake Dillon Theatre Co.), Next to Normal (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine; Tantrum Theater). Film: The One (Bearded Man; independent short). Proud graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, where he had the honor of playing Jean Paul Marat in the Liz Swados directed Marat/Sade. Travis is currently developing his original television series Plain Jane starring Jane Willingham.

Additionally, Travis is a graduate of Chatfield High School in Littleton and won the Critic’s Choice Award at the Colorado State Thespian Conference. He is a champion formerly competitive Irish dancer as well as a studio artist. He recently taught the workshops “It’s a Disaster!: Choreography from the Broadway Show” and “So You Think You Can Riverdance?” at the Florida State Thespian Conference.

For more information, please visit traviskent.co.

Trevor Strahan is an actor, director, designer, producer, and teaching artist originally from Houston, Texas. After graduating with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts in Acting from the Oklahoma City University School of Theatre he moved to Chicago to officially begin his artistic career in the Midwest. Trevor is also a proud and active member of The Academy of Fight Director's Canada where he is an Intermediate Actor Combatant. On top of his role as an actor combatant and violence designer Trevor is also the Executive Director of Chicago's newest  Theatre Company: Theatre Evolve. Trevor has worked as an artistic professional in Houston and Dallas, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Birmingham, Alabama and most notably Chicago, Illinois. Favorite projects include most recently providing a staff development class centered around building safe violence choreography for the third largest public school district in the state of Texas and working as the Associate Fight Choreographer for The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's most successful and wifely attended production of Macbeth. 

Tyrick Wiltez Jones has appeared in the Broadway productions of Finian’s Rainbow (Howard) and Hairspray. National Tours: Seussical, Fosse, Show Boat. NY/Regional credits: A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Chicago, Soup Soap & Salvation, and the New York City Center ‘ENCORES!’ production of Finian’s Rainbow (Henry). Concert credits: PHISH 2011 New Year’s Eve concert at Madison Square Garden (featured singer/dancer), Mary Wilson of the Supremes Motown/Rock and Roll North America Tour (featured background singer), US Premiere of Sacred Ellington starring Jessye Norman with the Carnegie Hall ‘HONOR’ Series. Tyrick received 2015 Detroit Broadway World awards for Best Actor in Once on This Island and Best Choreographer for his work on The Bikinis. He has been featured in many readings/workshops in NYC and has made numerous film and TV appearances throughout the U.S. and Europe. Back to Me, an Independent Short he starred in, traveled the Film Festival Circuits. He choreographed Shimmer and Shine on Nickelodeon and he also worked as Assistant Choreographer for the film Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah & Dolly Parton. Tyrick’s voice was heard singing background off-Broadway in John Tartaglia’s Imaginocean. A popular NYC Triple Threat Arts Educator, Tyrick teaches Master Classes all across the US and particularly enjoys working with young, up-and-coming performers through programs like Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC, where he has been on the faculty for the past 12 years. www.BroadwayArtistsAlliance.org,  www.tyrickwiltezjones.com

Walt Jones, who joined the CSU Theatre program in 2006, is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. As a teacher of acting, directing, and playwriting, he has served on the faculty at Yale School of Drama, and University of California, San Diego. He has directed twice on Broadway, six plays off-Broadway, including the American premiere of Howard Barker's No End of Blame at Manhattan Theatre Club, and over sixty plays in more than twenty regional theatres from Cambridge to Fairbanks and productions in Soviet Russia and in Tokyo. He directed world premiere productions of plays by Thomas Babe, Lanford Wilson, Naomi Iizuka, Jos Rivera, Arthur Kopit, Jim Yoshimura, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights Sam Shepard and David Mamet, John Pielmeier, Derek Walcott and Christopher Durang. Among the many actors Walt has directed are Meryl Streep, Roc Dutton, John Turturro, Tony Shaloub, Nathan Lane, Liev Schreiber, Angie Bassett, Christopher Walken, Jason Alexander, Michael Gross, Lindsey Crouse, Linda Hunt, Sigourney Weaver, Peter MacNicol, Frances Conroy, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Lewis Black, Mariel Hemingway, John Goodman, Christopher Lloyd, Kevin Kline, Paul Guilfoyle, Bill Sadler, Athol Fugard, Max Wright, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, and Tony Award-winning stage actor, Jefferson Mays. Mr. Jones was a staff director at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference from 1980-1990, and directed regularly for the Yale Rep, Arena Stage, and the American Repertory Theatre. He is the author of The 1940s Radio Hour and A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol, both published by Samuel French, Inc.

Walt Jones, who joined the CSU Theatre program in 2006, is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. As a teacher of acting and directing, he has served on the faculty at Yale School of Drama, and University of California, San Diego.

He has directed twice on Broadway, six plays off-Broadway, including the American premiere of Howard Barker's No End of Blame at Manhattan Theatre Club, and over sixty plays in more than twenty regional theatres from Cambridge to Fairbanks and productions in Soviet Russia and in Tokyo. He directed world premiere productions of plays by Thomas Babe, Lanford Wilson, Naomi Iizuka, Jos Rivera, Arthur Kopit, Jim Yoshimura, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights Sam Shepard and David Mamet, John Pielmeier, Derek Walcott and Christopher Durang. Among the many actors Walt has directed are Meryl Streep, Roc Dutton, John Turturro, Tony Shaloub, Nathan Lane, Liev Schreiber, Angie Bassett, Christopher Walken, Jason Alexander, Michael Gross, Lindsey Crouse, Linda Hunt, Sigourney Weaver, Peter MacNicol, Frances Conroy, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Lewis Black, Mariel Hemingway, John Goodman, Christopher Lloyd, Kevin Kline, Paul Guilfoyle, Bill Sadler, Athol Fugard, Max Wright, William H. Macy, Ed O'Neill, and Tony Award-winning stage actor, Jefferson Mays. Mr. Jones was a staff director at the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference from 1980-1990, and directed regularly for the Yale Rep, Arena Stage, and the American Repertory Theatre. He is the author of The 1940s Radio Hour and A 1940s Radio Christmas Carol, both published by Samuel French, Inc.

William Goldyn was nominated by his students and was further honored by the Fulfillment Fund organization as one of the top twenty-five educators in Los Angeles. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and a Center Theatre Group Bravo award recipient who has directed over 45 high school productions, including the California Educational Theatre Association’s award-winning productions of Noises Off, Steel Magnolias, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone as well as the Jerry Herman’s Best Musical nominee In The Heights.  His MA thesis production of The Crucible was selected to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the largest arts festival in the world.  Besides receiving an MA in Theatre Education from the University of Northern Colorado, Mr. Goldyn was also educated in Prague and Vienna, being one of only fifteen teachers in the United States for an NEH Scholarship.  He currently teaches all levels of acting, theatre directing, advanced speech and is the proud sponsor of Troupe #7573.  Through the incredible International Thespian Send-a-Troupe opportunity, Mr. Goldyn and his students were selected just a few years ago to receive a grant and attend the annual International Thespian National Conference in Lincoln, NE.