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Faculty
Alegra Batara
they/them
Alegra is a Filipino actor, director, and playwright born and raised in the PNW. They earned their Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in 2021. Following graduation, they started performing across the country in plays and musicals, including the TheatreWorksUSA touring production of “Pete the Cat” which brought musical theatre to elementary school students across 30+ states.…
Emily Beckley
she/her
Emily is thrilled to be part of the teaching team at Studio East. She has worked in Early Childhood Education since 2005 and was a dance teacher for several years before that. Emily is a seasoned performer and has been on stage at many local theaters, including Seattle Musical Theater, Renton Civic Theater, Burien Actor’s Theater, and Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater.…
Melissa Bryant
she/her
Melissa is always glad to return to Studio East each summer to work with young actors. She has been teaching second grade for 10 years and is a former HS Speech and Drama coach. Melissa has been with the Studio since she was a camper in 2003. After experiencing the magic of SE youth programs, she was thrilled to join the summer faculty in 2016.…
Adrian Cerrato
he/him
Adrian Cerrato is an actor, director and educator in the greater Seattle area. Some of his favorite roles include all four lovers (Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia) in Off Road Shakespeare’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Beast from SecondStory Repertory’s production of Charles Way’s Beauty and the Beast, Lord De Winter and Jussac in Book-It Repertory Theatre’s production of The Three Musketeers.…
Marina Clever
any pronouns
Marina is a choreographer and arts educator from the Pacific Northwest. She studied Theatre and Dance Education at Western Washington University and has worked with students of just about every age in schools and theatrical programs in the Bellingham and Seattle area. Her favorite choreography credits include Big Fish (Squalicum High School), Cinderella (Sehome High School), and Mamma Mia (Squalicum Musical Theatre Institute).
Megan D Connell
she/her
Megan is a proud Studio Alum who you will rarely find without a coffee in her hands and junior mints somewhere. She earned her degree from UNLV in Stage and Screen Acting and spent a handful of years performing in Las Vegas on The Strip and in film projects around the area. Since back in WA she has performed professionally with StoryBook Theater and random films and commercials.…
Amelia Dooley
Amelia is a local actress and teaching artist to the Seattle area. She has performed professionally with Storybook Theatre, at Seattle Public Theater and in a foreign film. Some of her favorite credits include Grease (Rizzo) and Mean Girls (Regina George). Amelia has an extensive background in vocal performance and tumbling that she enjoys using when teaching her classes.…
Kim Douthit
she/her
Kim was born and raised in Redmond, Washington. She relocated to New York for school, attending Hofstra University and receiving her BFA in Theatre Arts with a specialization in performance. After working professionally in NYC for a number of years as an actor, director and playwright, Kim attended LAMDA to study Classical Acting and Shakespeare. She started working as a teaching artist in 2009 and discovered a new love of educating children in the arts.…
David Dryfoos
he/him
David Dryfoos is a multi-faceted professional musician. He graduated from University of the Pacific with a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition. In addition to being a composer, he is a theatrical music director, piano accompanist for choir, solo voice, and solo instrument, sound designer, and Foley artist.
Jillian Faulk
she/her
Jillian is Seattle based actor and teaching artist originally from Richland Washington. Jillian is Studio East and StoryBook Theater’s Ticketing Manager! She attended Central Washington University where she majored in Theatre Performance, and specialized in Neurodiverse Theatre Education. She has been on several stages in the area and is passionate about all things related to the arts.…
Donny Gersonde
he/him
Donny Gersonde is a local teaching artist originally from San Diego! After attending Coronado School of the Arts he went to The Hartt School where he worked towards his BFA in Musical Theatre. He teaches Tap, Musical Theater, Jazz and Audition Prep. Formerly for the Coronado School of the Arts, and also was dance coordinator for the advanced performing arts program at Coronado Middle School.…
Julia Gorordo
she/her
A passionate Studio East kid of over a decade, Julia is thrilled to be working as a Teaching Artist! She was raised in Snohomish, WA, and now teaches Choir at Monroe High School and Park Place Middle School. Julia studied Music Education and Classical Voice at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, graduating with a BM in 2020.…
Rebecca Herivel
she/her
Rebecca Herivel is a musician, actor, and teaching artist. As a performer, she specializes in cross-genre work, particularly in using music to enhance storytelling in non-musical theater works. Rebecca lived for drama club in elementary and middle school and is passionate about bringing the same life-changing experience she had to her students. Raised in a musical family, her lifetime joy of music making is combined with technical excellence to provide students with the best tools possible to find their voice, and have plenty of fun doing it!…
Aimee Hong
she/her
Aimee is a Music Director, Accompanist, Conductor, and Voice and Piano Teacher. Some of her favorite musicals she’s Music Directed are “Into the Woods”, “Heathers the Musical”, “Godspell”, “Sweeney Todd”, and “Big Fish.” She has MD’d/worked at Bellevue College (where she is also an Adjunct Music Professor), Seattle Pacific University, Village Theatre, The Seattle Rep, Seattle Children’s Theater, Studio East, Reboot Theatre Company, Renton Civic Theater, Bainbridge Performing Arts, Lesser Known Players, Burien Actor’s Theatre, Second Story Repertory, and St.…
Gilly Kelleher
she/her
Gilly Kelleher is a teaching artist, actor, director, designer, dialect coach, and writer: a thespian-of-many-hats. She graduated from the Foothill Theatre Conservatory before completing her BA degrees in Drama and English (with a Creative Writing Emphasis) at the University of California, Irvine. She grew up in England & the Bay Area, giving her unique preparation for the weather in the Pacific Northwest.…
Ashley Rose Klimper
she/her
As a Studio East Alum, Ashley is excited to be back at the Studio, this time as a teaching artist. Ashley graduated from Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City with a certificate in musical theater. While she was in New York, she worked as a teaching artist for local public schools. Ashley has taught in over 5 states and 20 cities bringing theater to all communities while working with Missoula Children’s Theater.…
Gavin Sakae McLean
Gavin Sakae McLean, a dedicated teaching artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts from Cornish College of the Arts and a Master’s in Computer Science, seamlessly blends his passions for performance and technology. Recognized for his artistic excellence with the Bravura Award in 2009, Gavin has enriched the educational landscape through his work in various school districts, specializing in fight choreography, voice and speech, and dialects coaching.…
Richard Nava
they/them
Richard is a graduate of AMDA College and Conservatory of the Arts in Los Angeles, where they studied Music Theatre with an additional focus in Commercial/Pop Music. Richard believes that to grow as an artist we have to stay curious about our craft and all the pieces that make it up. This is why alongside roles like Uncle Fester (The Addams Family), Moonface Martin (Anything Goes), Seymour & Mr.…
Hana Oh
she/her
Hana is an educator and theater enthusiast who is thrilled to be part of the Studio East team. She graduated from SUNY Brockport in Upstate New York with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children and has been a playwright, actor, and assistant stage manager. As a firm believer in the power of storytelling, and a storyteller herself, Hana hopes to empower students to explore their imaginative worlds and create their narratives.…
Vincent J. Orduña
he/him
VJ did his post-graduate in Directing at The National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York City and is currently the Theatre Manager at the Mountlake Terrace High School Performing Arts Center. Before that, he was the Education Outreach Manager & Artreach Coordinator for Studio East. He spent 14 years as Cultural Arts Coordinator for the City of Renton where he also managed the Carco Theatre and ran their Annual Summer Teen Musical Program.…
Danielle Osterman
she/her
Danielle Osterman is a theater kid who grew up (a little)! She studied theater and dance at Oberlin College, majored in math and music at The Ohio State University, and studied musicology at the graduate level at the Eastman School of Music. In addition to being an actor, singer, dancer, music director, composer, and a capella coach, Danielle is also an indie tabletop roleplaying game designer.…
Kaysy Ostrom
she/her
Kaysy is an actor, playwright, director, and teaching artist from Seattle, Washington and she is the Education Director at Studio East! She is an alumni of Studio East, a graduate of SMU with a BFA in Theatre Studies (with an emphasis on acting, playwriting, and directing), and a graduate of Seattle Children’s Theatre’s TAT Lab: a teaching artist training program.…
Zoey Reese
she/her
Zoey is a Seattle transplant, originally raised in the desert of New Mexico. Her favorite animal is her dog Tofu, the most awesome role she ever had was Peter in Peter Pan (flying!!!), she loves camping with her wife, and she will always eat more noodles! After studying at Oklahoma City University, she’s spent the best part of the last few decades working with young people as a music and theatre teaching artist, a dancer with all ages at the National Dance Institute, a children’s theater Education Director, and a facilitator with middle, high school, and university students doing eco-based service-learning throughout Southeast Asia.…
Helen Roundhill
they/them
Helen is a multidisciplinary theater artist based in Seattle. As an actor, designer, playwright, and dancer, they have worked at theaters throughout the Pacific NW including Intiman, Seattle Public Theater, and The Seattle Rep. Their favorite styles to perform are classical theater, ballet, farce, and drag. Their favorite color is yellow, favorite author is Terry Pratchett, and favorite mythical creature is a Dragon.…
Merry Senn
she/her
Merry is from New York and has worked in theatre, film and tv in NY, LA and Seattle. She absolutely loves working as a Theatre Educator, Choreographer and Director with young people in the PNW. Some of her favorite local on stage credits include Suite Surrender (As If), Willy Wonka (Driftwood), Into the Woods (Red Curtain) and A Christmas Story (Driftwood). …
Seamus C. Smith
he/him
Seamus C. Smith is an actor, director, stage manager, and teaching artist from Bothell, WA. He holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Central Washington University and has been a part of over 40 productions in his career. He has worked with various theatre companies in the greater puget sound area including As If Theatre, inD Theatre, Bainbridge Performing Arts, and Burien Actors Theatre.…
Joey Sponseller
he/him
Joey Sponseller is an actor and teaching artist from Ventura, California. He graduated with an MFA in Acting from Rutgers University, and is a member of the Actor’s Equity Association. Previously, he has enjoyed working with underprivileged students for several years in New York City. Some of his favorite acting roles include Celia in As You Like It, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Ivan in Art, and Sam in Fully Committed, a one-man show with 40 characters.…
Abby Tincher
she/her
Abby is a Studio East alumna and two-time YAPI graduate, who started in camps and Mainstage productions several years ago and hasn’t left since. She has experience assisting and choreographing in camps at the Studio and has enjoyed every second of it! Abby has performed in several Mainstage shows, including ‘Twas the Night, Into the Woods, Seussical the Musical, and more.…
Raya Tuffaha
she/her
Raya is a Palestinian actor, fighter and writer from Seattle. She recently graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Conflict Studies (Major: Theater, emphasis fight direction & solo performance, minor: Peace & Conflict Studies). Some of her favorite fight choreo credits include Macbeth, West Side Story, One Man Two Guv’nors, and Heathers.…
Brad Walker
he/him
Seattle born and raised, Brad is a proud AAPI Actor, Director, Drama Teacher, and an alumnus of the University of Washington. He began working for Studio East in 2016 as an actor with their StoryBook Theater wing; Brad has also performed with Seattle Children’s Theatre, Village Theatre, Taproot Theatre, and Harlequin Productions, among many others. Offstage, Brad has directed with Studio East, Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, and Seattle Theatre Group, and directed many school plays with Cascadia School and Pacific Crest School.…
Hannah White
she/her
Hannah is a performing and teaching artist who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Cornish College of the Arts. Growing up, she was an assistant teacher at her dance studio for a variety of classes and ages, eventually teaching and choreographing for her own ballet, tap, and tumbling classes. Some favorite theater credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Peter, Dance Captain), Company (Susan), and Chicago (Ensemble, Dance Captain).…
Chloe Williams
she/her
Chloe is a theater practitioner from Wilmington, Ohio. Her goal is to make theater accessible and enjoyable for thespians of all ages through the creation of inclusive environments. Her focus and passion lies in theater education and stage management, something she has been able to practice during her time at Ohio Wesleyan University. While Chloe is not practicing theater, she enjoys cooking, baking, and trying new kinds of ice cream.