Faculty

Studio East Teaching Artists

Find Faculty (by first name):

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Abby Tincher (she/her), since 2022
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. She is excited to be part of the team and to help young artists grow.

Adrian Cerrato (he/him), since 2022
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. He also teaches numerous classes in the area including improv, musical theatre, and Dungeons and Dragons. He is also greatly amused by wowing kids with his vast repertoire of accents and dialects and referring to himself in the third person.

Aimee Hong (she/her), since 2014
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. Luke’s Theater Company. Previously she taught with the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Opera. She studied Music Education at Western Washington University.

Ashley Rose Klimper (she/her), since 2020
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. Born and raised in the beautiful PNW, Ashley is thrilled to be back in the Seattle area doing what she loves most!

Brad Walker (he/him), since 2018
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. Along with being a full-time theatre artist, Brad is also a professional Dungeon Master. He lives in South Seattle with his wife and cat. walkerbrad.com

Cassie Fitzgerald (she/her), since 2017
Cassie is the Production Stage Manager at Studio East and loves working with students of all ages in the Mainstage and Education programs. She graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a B.A. in Theatre and History and is currently pursuing her Masters in Arts and Culture Management and Marketing through the University of Denver. She has worked at Taproot Theatre, Second Story Repertory, Fifth Avenue, Seattle Musical Theatre, Seattle Public Theatre, and The Phoenix Theatre.

David Dryfoos (he/him), since 2019
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.

Donny Gersonde (he/him), since 2023
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 Theatre, 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. He is a freelance dance teacher at many places across the county.

Emily Beckley (she/her), since 2017
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. Originally from Southeast Texas, she now lives in Renton with her husband, Brian and her son Calvin.

Gilly Kelleher (she/her), since 2019
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. She can be seen teaching and performing all around the Seattle area. Favorite roles include Dromio of Ephesus in Comedy of Errors (Last Leaf Productions), Romaine Patterson in the South Bay reading of the global premiere of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later (City Lights Theater Co.), and Nurse in Romeo & Juliet (TSMGO). Gilly often finds that her interests in writing, language, and theatre intersect in working with young artists, and she delights in working with students on exploring their creativity. Offstage she can often be found reading, drinking coffee/tea, or playing various tabletop games, including Dungeons & Dragons.

Hana Oh (she/her) since 2023
Hana is an educator and theatre 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. It is one of her joys in life to witness their ideas spark and to accompany their creative journey. She is in no doubt that her role in the learning space is to help build a safe and inclusive community for children to learn and grow. Besides reading, writing, and going to theatre outings, she enjoys embroidering, taking walks, and shaking off her stress to disco music.

Helen Roundhill (they/them), since 2018 (Studio Alum)
Helen is a multidisciplinary theatre 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 theatre, ballet, farce, and drag. Their favorite colour is yellow, favorite author is Terry Pratchett, and favorite mythical creature is a Dragon. For fun, they play ttRPGs and snuggle their rabbits, Sergeant Shadwell and Madame Tracy.

Isaac Levin-Delson (he/him), since 2021
Isaac is a Studio East alum and YAPI graduate, and he is overjoyed to join the team as a teaching artist. Isaac’s deep love of theater was cultivated from a young age at Studio East by many of the current and past faculty, so he is eager to pass on the inspiration he received to the next generation of Studio East students. Isaac has developed leadership and mentoring skills through internships with Studio East and the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s youth program, as well as Seattle Opera’s Teen Vocal Studio. Isaac’s performance credits include productions with Studio East, Seattle Opera, and Seattle Historical Arts for Kids, as well as numerous school productions. He has performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, Berkeley Festival of Early Music, and Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall.

Jillian Faulk (she/her), since 2023
Jillian is Seattle based actor and teaching artist originally from Richland Washington. 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. She currently lives in Kirkland with her partner and beloved cat.

Joey Sponseller (he/him), since 2023
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. Joey lives with his wife in Burien, and is a proud uncle of 11 and counting.

Joslynn Piper (she/her), since 2023
Joslynn has been involved in the world of theatre since 2012, and is excited to fulfill her role as a teaching artist for Studio East. Through her experience, she’s found that the stage is where anyone can find their voice and discover who they are. As a teaching artist, she wants to encourage every student she comes across on their journey of discovering their voice and identity.

Julia Hilmo (she/her), since 2022
Since 2016, Julia Hilmo is an actor director, playwright, improviser, and occasional choreographer. In 2022 she graduated from Northwest University with a bachelor’s degree in English with a focus on theater. At Northwest, Julia wrote for, and partially directed a student production, Rise Up. A lover of literature, Julia enjoys delving into the richness of scripts as a performer and director to further bring stories to life. Julia has been a teaching artist for a variety of theater programs and workshops around the east side, working with students ages 4 to 19. Julia is thrilled to meet each young artist and to share her love of theater!

Julia Gorordo (she/her), since 2017
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. When it comes to theater, she’s done everything from performing to running tech to stage managing and more, but her true calling is teaching and music directing. Her teaching is often inspired by Orff Schulwerk, and the concept that students learn how they play. She tries to incorporate this into every teaching position she has, bringing the natural process of playing and having fun into learning.

Kaylee Rooklidge (she/her), since 2022
Kaylee is a musician, singer, and composer from the Pacific Northwest with a strong musical theatre background, both onstage and offstage. She has come to love the behind-the-scenes work of teaching or accompanying the music of a show or playing in the pit orchestra just as much as being in the spotlight! A few of her favorite past roles include Liesl in The Sound of Music and Cinderella in Into the Woods, and one of her most rewarding theatre experiences was playing keyboard in a pit orchestra for West Side Story! Kaylee is classically trained in piano and voice, and also has a rich background in choral singing. She graduated from Northwest University in 2022 with her bachelor’s in Contemporary Music Industry and is pursuing opportunities in music composition and production.

Kaysy Ostrom (she/her), since 2015 (Education Director & Studio Alum)
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. You may have seen Kaysy acting around town with StoryBook Theater, Secondstory Repertory, Hello Earth Productions and more. Her plays have been produced in Boise, Dallas, and New York City and she regular directs Studio East Mainstage shows. But, her favorite thing to do is teach theater. She is passionate about arts education and inspiring the next generation to be creative, confident, and compassionate through training in the performing arts. Whether a student ends up on Broadway or chooses a different career, Kaysy believes that theater education is an enriching experience for every student to explore the arts, learn important life skills, grow as humans, and make amazing memories.

Kim Douthit (she/her), since 2011
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. She loves working at Studio East. It is a privilege to work with other artists and educators who are so passionate about theatre and to help students on their artistic journey. In her spare time she also works as a Paranormal Investigator and loves learning about history and hanging with ghosts.

Lyra Schneider (she/her), since 2023
Lyra has been practicing theatre since 2006 and educating children since 2012, and is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the magic of Studio East. A firm believer in the power of play, she guides her lessons with empathy and curiosity, explored through a variety of games, exercises, and technical training. Her favorite theatrical works include the stage adaptation of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “Wicked,” though for older students she is also adept with more serious material such as “Proof” or “Macbeth.” When she is not teaching, she enjoys picnics by the beach, playing role-playing games like Pathfinder or D&D with friends, and reading fantasy and sci-fi novels.

Matthew Triplett (he/him), since 2019 (Studio alum)
Matthew has been performing in musicals since he was seven years old and spent 7 years as a Studio Rat. His favorite roles with the Studio include playing Jean Valjean (Les Misérables), Gaston (Beauty and the Beast), and Bottom (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). He has a BFA in History from Whitman College but he continued his theater education into college, performing in several of Checkov’s farces as well as playing Clotaldo in Calderón de la Barca’s Life is a Dream. He was also the president of the Whitman College Improv team and is skilled in clowning and comedy. He got so much out of his time at the Studio and cherishes the opportunity to give back!

Marina Clever (any pronouns), since 2022
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).

Meg Thompson (she/her), since 2022
Meg has been a “theatre kid” her entire life. She grew up as a teen participant of Bellevue Youth Theatre (BYT) and then continued as a volunteer and staff member there for nearly 20 years, where she had the privilege of watching young people grow through the art of theatre. She has been an Actor, Director, Stage Manager, and Costume and Makeup Designer for dozens of shows in the Seattle area. In addition to BYT, Meg has been seen on Seattle stages with Stone Soup Theatre and Young Shakespeare Workshop. She is a founding member of Copious Love Productions, and is on the Teaching Artist faculty for Seattle Children’s Theatre, Stone Soup Theatre, and Seattle Rep. She is thrilled to be working in youth theatre, sharing the transformative power of artistic expression with young people and future generations.

Megan D. Connell (she/her), since 2018 (Studio alum)
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. Megan experienced first hand how arts training has not only helped her with her acting career, but other aspects of her life as well and is honored to get to pass that down to new generations. Watching her students light up as they reach a goal has been HUGE and has lit up a part of her heart she didn’t know she had. She firmly believes her choreography, classes and camps are way fun and dares you to find someone to prove otherwise.

Rebecca Herivel (she/her), since 2019
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! In addition to her work as a teaching artist, Rebecca teaches private voice and low-brass lessons and can be found performing with various theater companies throughout the Seattle area.

Rylee Worth (he/him), since 2023
Rylee is thrilled to join the Studio East Teaching Artist staff. A former student here himself, he found a sense of homage for the Studio, and is thrilled to offer that same feeling to new students. He was in “Grease” as Danny and “Into the Woods” as The Baker, both here at Studio East. He’s ready to teach your students an abundance of skills and provide them with the tools necessary to thrive as an actor in today’s world!

Sonja Usher (she/her), since 2022
Rylee is thrilled to join the Studio East Teaching Artist staff.  As a former student himself, he feels a sense of homage to the Studio, and is thrilled to introduce that same feeling to new students. He was in “Grease” as Danny and “Into the Woods” as The Baker, both here at Studio East.  He’s ready to teach your students an abundance of skills and provide them with the tools necessary to thrive as an actor in today’s world!

Vincent J. Orduña (he/him), since 2016
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. He was also the Executive Director for Seattle STAGERight Theatre (2015 Gregory Award Winner for Outstanding Musical).