KIDSTAGE hires highly trained professional artists and arts educators and provides them with additional training in child development and KIDSTAGE techniques. Most teachers have at least two years experience teaching youth in the performing arts before joining the KIDSTAGE staff. Instructors are also required to pass a Washington State Patrol check and complete the Village Theatre Conduct with Minors form and an extensive orientation before working with students.

KIDSTAGE Staff

Kati Nickerson (Director of Youth Education) Dedicated to youth development and arts education, Kati has guided Village Theatre’s youth education program for 12 years, reaching over 54,000 young people, families, and teachers throughout the region annually. A northwest native, Kati grew up in Bellevue and quickly found a passion for the arts. She directed her first production at 12 years old at Highland Jr. High in Bellevue. At Interlake High School, she played her favorites roles as Nellie in South Pacific and the Artful Dodger in Oliver!, and soon thereafter attended Western Washington University. There she studied theatre through the Actors Intensive program, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, with an emphasis in theatre and education. From there, Kati enjoyed a 10 year career in communications and marketing, before her next move was made clear as she witnessed the positive impact of theatre education on her two young children. In 1996, Kati founded SKY Theatre in Snohomish County. Two years later she joined Village Theatre and has had the distinct honor of working with thousands of young people teaching KIDSTAGE classes, Pied Piper workshops in schools, and directing such musicals as Peter Pan, Oliver!, The Wizard of Oz, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.

Suzie Cameron Bixler (Issaquah KIDSTAGE Programs Manager) enthusiastically joined Village Theatre in 2003, days after leaving high tech corporate life to follow her lifetime passion of working in a theatre. Ms. Bixler has directed High School Musical, The Secret Garden, Les Misérables and Last Exit for KIDSTAGE and produced productions of Save As..., Into the Woods, Disney's Aladdin Jr., Once On This Island, A Perfect Fall, Disney's The Jungle Book KIDS, Seussical, trust me., Honk! Jr., Joseph..., The Velveteen Rabbit, Anything Goes, High Tide at Three Forks, and We're Having a Ball. Ms. Bixler has a BA in Theatre Arts from Western Washington University and has performed at Intiman, Seattle Children's Theatre, Renton Civic, and the late Pioneer Square Theatre. Her directing credits include Crimes of the Heart, Steel Magnolias, A Shayna Maidel, Royal Gambit, The Death of Bessie Smith, and The Firebugs. Ms. Bixler also was in the 1985 Village Theatre KIDSTAGE production of Bye, Bye, Birdie.

Erica Weir (Pied Piper Manager, Instructor) is in her tenth year as an instructor with KIDSTAGE. She has also worked as an Administrative Assistant, Production Assistant, Props Master, and Production Coordinator for KIDSTAGE productions, is a former preschool teacher, and mother of three kids ages six, 11, and 15. She is excited to have the opportunity to use her background in music and the arts and her education and experience in early childhood to act as a positive role model in children's lives while teaching kids about theatre arts.

Loni Kappus (Everett KIDSTAGE Programs Manager, Instructor) ) is happy to continue her journey with KIDSTAGE! Loni is a singer, actor, and instrumental musician and has had a wide variety of performing opportunities with groups such as Harlequin Productions, Taproot Theatre, Empire Big Band, Bob Curnow Big Band and Northwest Bach Choir (dir, Gunther Schuller) to name a few. She has also enjoyed teaching voice, instrumental music, and theatre and is a graduate of Eastern Washington University with a B.A. in both theatre and music.

Janet Cole Hamilton (Youth Education Special Projects Manager, Instructor) rejoined educational theatre after a nine year sidetrack in corporate America. Armed with a BA in theatre arts from Western Washington University and a Washington State initial teaching certificate in drama through the University of Washington, Janet enjoys the challenges of each new project within the vast Village Theatre Youth Education program. Janet has worked as a theatre artist throughout the Puget Sound region with Arts West, Civic Light Opera, Renton Civic, Driftwood Players, and many others. Directing credits include Romeo and Juliet, Penguin's South Pole Christmas, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Sylvia, The Foreigner, The Woman in Black, and A Midsummer Night's Dream for KIDSTAGE. Personal motto: duck for luck.

Nancy Dolliver (Issaquah KIDSTAGE Coordinator) has a Speech/Drama degree from the UW and taught for 25 years in Bellevue. She worked with Bellevue Youth Theatre and directed productions for Tyee Middle School. Past Issaquah KIDSTAGE shows include Les Misérables, The Velveteen Rabbit, Anything Goes, Singin' in the Rain, and Footloose. She is excited to be a part of the Village Theatre staff.

Julie Senechal (Everett KIDSTAGE Coordinator) has a BA in English LIterature with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in French from Western Washington University. Her background is primarily in marketing communications, but she has always loved working with children to help develop an appreciation of the arts. Julie spent many years volunteering in her local school district as an art docent and she feel very fortunate to be involved with the outstanding arts education program at KIDSTAGE.

Helen Voelker (Issaquah KIDSTAGE Assistant) loves working for KIDSTAGE. She is a graduate from the University of Washington where she served as the CAB Theatre Manager and production manager for UW’s UTS. Her favorite part about working for KIDSTAGE is mentoring students. Village Theatre KIDSTAGE Credits: assistant stage manager: Children of Eden. Stage manager: Once on This Island, Last Exit, Aladdin Jr. and The Last Shot. Production management: The Spitfire Grill and High School Musical. Other stage management credits include: UW: Seven Deadly Sins, Suor Angelica and TOMMY!. UTS: Into The Woods and Angels in America: Part 1 Millennium Approaches. Contemporary Classics: A New Brain.

Angela Linder (Pied Piper Coordinator, KIDSTAGE greeter) is entering her fourth season with Village Theatre. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, and enjoys bringing her "grammar guru" skills to the Youth Education department. She has a background working in the preschool environment, as well as in an office environment, and loves the unique blend of creativity, energy, laughter and collaboration that surround her in the Youth Education office.

Michael McManus (Issaquah KIDSTAGE Assistant) is thrilled to be working with KIDSTAGE. He has worked on 19 KIDSTAGE productions. Favorites are: Aladdin Jr. (production assistant), Last Exit (assistant sound designer), and Once on this Island (assistant sound designer). He loves working with Helen!

KIDSTAGE Instructors & Directors

Megan Adams has been performing for over 25 years and has trained in theatre and dance at the University of Washington, Cornish, Spectrum Dance Studio, and Westlake Dance Studio. Her experience ranges from director, to choreographer, to singer, to dancer, to teacher. Ms. Adams has also performed with Seattle Hip Hop Groups In-Effect, Breed, and Cruz Control. Ms. Adams currently teaches at Westlake Dance center in Seattle and is a KIDSTAGE teacher of all ages.

John Allman studied Music History and Theory at UW, than studied composition privately at the Juilliard School in New York City. New York premieres include Agamemnon and Henry V at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. In Santa Fe, a workshop of his musical based on Alice in Wonderland was staged at the Museum of International Folk Art, co-sponsored by the Santa Fe Opera. He also coached at the College of Santa Fe, lectured at Santa Fe Opera and played PJ the Saloon Pianist in a Wild West setting of The Taming of the Shrew. Seattle credits include Cornish College of the Arts, Eastside Musical Theatre, Village Theatre, and Showtunes!

Krystle Armstrong has been choreographing, teaching dance and performing in the Seattle area since 2002. Some favorite performances include Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Angie in …New Jersey and upcoming Peggy Sawyer in Village Theatre’s 42nd Street! Her choreography has been seen locally with the Hi-Liners, CDA Summer Theatre, Liberty High School, Ballard High School and Village Theatre KIDSTAGE.

Sharlet Bonnel began her teaching career as a dance teacher at Melanie‚s Dancers Inc. in Normandy Park, WA from 1996-2002. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Education from WWU with an emphasis in acting and dance. She currently works as an elementary/Pre-K teacher as well as an arts specialist (P-12). She has had the joy of teaching for Youth Theater Northwest (Mercer Island), Stone Soup Theater (Wallingford) Studio East (Kirkland), Seattle Public Theater, Village Theatre and Seattle Children‚s Theater. Credits include: (Stage) The Other End, Oklahoma, Midsummer Night's Dream, John Lennon's Gargoyle, Once Upon A Mattress, My Fatal Valentine, and (Dance) Visual Propulsion.

Lisa Buettner recieved her dance training in the Seattle area focusing on jazz, hip hop, and ballet. She studied at Bellevue Community College and was a member of the Eastside Moving Company and Fusion Dance Company of Seattle. She has studied under many choreographers including "So you think you can dance's" Tyce Diorio and Mandy Moore. She has taught locally and has choreographed competition jazz, hip hop, and lyrical for over ten years. Her latest ventures are judging for two consecutive years Seattle's "Bubblin Brown Sugar" hip hop charity competition and teaching workshops for The Village Theatre's Kidstage program. Lisa's passion is to bring joy and seft esteem to her students through dancing. Lisa currently teaches at Dance Elite and The Dance School.

Sara Coiley received her BA in Theatre Arts Performance and Education from Central Washington University, where she received honors for performance and choreography. She most recently was assistant director/assistant choreographer for Seussical Jr. and choreographed the SummerStock production of Joseph and the Technicolor® Dreamcoat. She has taught art, musical theatre, and dance to students of all ages in universities, public schools, and studios since 1994. As a mother of two young girls, she has become very passionate about the impact of the arts and movement upon young children's health and learning. She has studied extensively with international movement educator Anne Green Gilbert at the Summer Dance Institute for Teachers and joined her faculty at the Creative Dance Center in 2000 where she embraced the philosophy of brain compatible/conceptual education and forged this with her own belief that all children have the right to dance with meaning and joy! Sara currently is director of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars – a mobile dance program that brings education to pre-K schools, lead teacher and co-developer of Arts Adventures preschool program at The Village Theatre/Everett, and teaches dance through Lake Stevens Community Education.

Kristin Culp. Armed with a BA in Jazz Dance and minor in Musical Theatre from Point Park University, Kristin has happily made a living performing, choreographing, and teaching for the past five years. Kristin teaches group musical theatre and dance classes for Village Theatre KIDSTAGE and Seattle Children's Theatre, dance workshops for local high schools, and private dance lessons for professional and future professional musical theatre performers. Local choreography credits include: Urinetown for Second Story Rep, Bat Boy for ArtsWest, Into the Woods, The Secret Garden, Once On This Island and Children Of Eden for Village Theatre's KIDSTAGE, Cinderella for CenterStage!, Bat Boy at Nathan Hale High School, and Seussical at Skyline High School.

Christian Duhamel delighted audiences as Vinnie LoBianco in Village Theatre's Once Upon A Time in New Jersey. He is a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Award-winning director, musical director, composer, lyricist, and playwright, and has worked at theatres across the country including: The Zipper Theatre, Utah Shakespearean Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Human Race Theatre Company, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. He has worked with young performers at many high schools, Wright State University, Auburn University, DePaul University, Village Theatre, and Puget Sound Musical Theatre. In 2002, he presented Tangled Tales: Fairy Tales with an Urban Twist for the inaugural session of City of Federal Way's Summer Youth Theatre. Mr. Duhamel earned his BFA in Acting-Musical Theatre from Ohio's Wright State University. He is the Artistic Director of Puget Sound Musical Theatre.

Emily Fairbrook (Instructor Intern) just graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in drama and journalism. She has been performing since childhood; her first major role was Anne in Anne of Green Gables at a community theater in Yakima, her hometown. She’s been in numerous shows since, fulfilling her dreams. Last year she was seen at ACT in A Christmas Carol and finished her college career by playing the lead in Machinal at UW. Emily just closed Charley’s Aunt at Taproot Theatre and is excited about teaching at Village Theatre. When Emily’s not on stage, she’s backstage, auditioning, studying, singing, dancing, hanging out with friends, going to church or sleeping!

Kevin Hyatt is proud to be returning to the KIDSTAGE classroom! He‚s a graduate of Ithaca College's BFA program, and the Interlochen Arts Academy. He‚s taught numerous classes for KIDSTAGE in the past and is always sure to include everyone. Not just in the performance, but also in the writing of the story and dialogue of the presentation. That way, regardless of each student‚s individual skills - everyone gets to be a chance to shine!

Brandon Ivie is a Seattle-based theatre director and producer. He has worked and produced locally at Seattle Repertory Theatre, ACT Theatre, Village Theatre, ArtsWest Playhouse, Seattle Musical Theatre, Theater Schmeater, Empty Space Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theatre, where he is Casting Associate and Artistic Project Manager. He is also artistic director of Contemporary Classics and creator of the popular New Voices series. He worked on the Broadway production of Next to Normal and Off-Broadway on The Yellow Wood, both with Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Yorkey. He has directed/produced Seattle premieres of Zanna, Don’t! (Seattle Times Footlight Award), I Love You Because, john & jen, A New Brain, tick, tick... BOOM!, and The Last Five Years. He is an alumni of the KIDSTAGE program where he directed Summer Independent productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Ruthless! The Musical.

Eric Polani Jensen is thrilled to be teaching, and directed Last Exit in 2009 and Children of Eden in 2007, and choreographed fights in Les Misérables (School Edition) and trust me for KIDSTAGE. He was last seen at Village Theatre as the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as Perón in Evita, and will be reprising his role as Howard in Village Theatre's Mainstage production of Stunt Girl. Regional credits include: Oscar Jaffee in On the 20th Century with Showtunes!, Emile de Becque in South Pacific, the Governor in Man of La Mancha at Village Theatre, and Sweeney Todd at The 5th Avenue. He has also performed at Seattle Repertory Theatre, SCT, ACT, and TAG.

Emily Lauckhart is a private music studio teacher in Edmonds. She has taught for KIDSTAGE since 2006 and loves every minute of it! Emily also acts, plays and directs for several community theatres around the sound.

Jessica Low is a long time KIDSTAGE instructor/director/choreographer with credits including Once Upon A Time in New Jersey (director), Disney’s The Jungle Book (director/choreographer), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (choreographer/assistant director) and Honk! Jr. (choreographer) as well as teaching classes for ages Pre-K-12. Jessica has a BA in drama from UW and works around the Sound as a performer, choreographer, director and teacher. Credits include work at Village Theatre, ArtsWest, Sound Theatre Company, Capital Playhouse, Seattle Musical Theatre, Coeur d‘Alene Summer Theatre, Centerstage and Bainbridge Playhouse. This summer you will find her tapping her heart out in Village’s 42nd Street and directing/choreographing Disney High School Musical for KIDSTAGE in Everett.

Matthew Lawrence comes to Seattle from southern California where he grew up and attended William S. Hart High School and was a member of the national award winning show choir Sound Vibes. He then moved to the central coast trained at PCPA/The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (class of 2009). While at PCPA Matthew was in the productions of Les Misérables (Joly/ensemble), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Moth), The Music Man (ensemble), and Batboy the Musical (Batboy/Edgar). Productions at other theatres include Canyon Theatre Guild/Santa Clarita Regional Theatre: Fiddler on the Roof (Feyedka), Grease (Doody); Actors Repertory East: Thoroughly Modern Millie; The Theatre Project: Sing Me a Happy Song, Any Evening with Stephen Schwartz; and Oregon Caberet Theatre. Matthew has also worked as a choreographer and youth workshop instructor at The Canyon Theatre and The Santa Clarita Regional Theatre where he contributed choreography for various gala and charity events along with the productions of Grease, Beauty and the Beast, High School Musical, The Bard is Back, and A Christmas Carol. Matthew is getting ready for a Summer Season at Utah Festival Opera.

Kylie Lewinski is currently studying music education at Pacific Lutheran University in hopes of becoming a choral director. She is the president of PLU’s University Chorale, and sings and arranges for the all female a capella group, HERmonic. She has enjoyed her numerous KIDSTAGE experiences, both on the student and teaching end. Last summer, Kylie had the privilege of being a music directing intern for KIDSTAGE including teaching summer camps as well as being a rehearsal accompanist for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat. She is excited to return to KIDSTAGE this summer to music direct Everett’s Summer Independent Production of Little Shop of Horrors, as well as teach more summer camps!

Silas Lindenstein is very happy to be teaching at again at KIDSTAGE. He is in his sixth year of running the drama program at Eastlake High School in Sammamish. There he has directed the musical productions Grease, Once Upon A Mattress, Zombie Prom, and You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Revised). He also coaches the school’s Improv team Aw Snap! which last fall won the Jet City Improv High School Open Tournament. He has been acting and directing in educational, fringe, and professional theatre for the last 14 years. He holds a BA in theatre arts from California State University, Chico.

Michael Matlock is a KIDSTAGE graduate currently getting a BM in Composition at the University of Michigan. He spent his time in KIDSTAGE as both an actor and a music director, and is ecstatic to be working with the next generation of talented students! Favorite credits include music directing with Summer Independent performances of Sweeney Todd and West Side Story.

Stephanie Lynn Merrow received her Masters Degree in acting and dance in 1999. She has been teaching drama, directing, and choreographing since 1997. Some of her directorial credits include: Whose Life Is It Anyway?, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Into The Woods. Some of her choreography credits include: Seussical, Kiss Me Kate, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She teaches all ages and has performed with many improvisation, dance, and acting groups in California, Oregon and Washington.

Vanessa Miller has been working in Seattle as a director, actor, teacher and voice talent for over 15 years. She earned her BA cum laude at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and continued her post graduate studies at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts). With fourteen years of teaching experience, Vanessa specializes in coaching actors and teaching musical theatre, opera, and Shakespeare. She has taught and designed programs for most of the local major theatre companies, including Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, Seattle Repertory Theater, Seattle Shakespeare and Intiman, and has designed many residencies for nearby school districts.

Jacob Moe-Lange is ecstatic to be working as a teacher at Village Theatre. Previously he has been as a TA for many years at VT and spent time teaching in California as well. He has been active at KIDSTAGE taking classes led by Steve Tomkins and has recently been in Jesus Christ Superstar as Judas and Peter Pan as Smee. He will be attending the University of California Berkeley this fall and will be the assistant director for KIDSTAGE's Ragtime School Edition this summer. Jacob is thankful to be working at a great place like KIDSTAGE with such wonderful children!

Orlando Morales has been involved with KIDSTAGE since 2001 as a music director, instructor, and composer/lyricist. Favorite music directing credits include Ruthless, Little Shop of Horrors, Last Exit, trust me, Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS, and Willy Wonka Jr.; as well as Rent: School Edition at SCT. Writing credits include scores for the KIDSTAGE Company Original productions Save As… and The Last Shot. In 2008, he was a selected participant in the AMTP Johnny Mercer Songwriters Workshop (at Northwestern University). Orlando received a BA in American Ethnic Studies and Music Minor in 2006, and a Masters in Teaching (Secondary Language Arts) in 2009—both from the University of Washington where he also scored two productions for the UW School of Drama (The Tempest and Arabian Nights). Orlando is active at the Filipino Community Center in Seattle, where he coordinates a youth choir and folkloric music ensemble.

Madison Rengli is a graduate from Central Washington University where she got her BA in youth drama. She has taught theatre and creative art workshops and classes for K-12 all over Washington state. Currently she teaches music, art, sports and preschool at Gymboree Play and Music in Redmond. When Madison is not teaching and directing kids she is auditioning and performing. Madison has been in many plays including Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a touring production Mama Tomcats Flying School. Madison’s goal is to open her own children’s theatre.

Lily Roberts just completed her sophomore year as a theatre arts major at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. A former KIDSTAGE kid herself, she credits the program with helping her get where she is today. She was last seen on the KIDSTAGE stage in Everett SummerStock production of Beauty and the Beast. Other notable productions included Pippin and Footloose. This coming fall, Lily will be performing in Marymount’s production of Reckless. She is so excited to be back, spending her summer sharing her love of theatre with others.

Marianne Roberts has been a choreographer for over 25 years with productions at Seattle Children's Theatre, Seattle Rep, Intiman, Cornish College, Village Theatre, and KIDSTAGE. This past year she choreographed Peter Pan and The Brementown Musicians at SCT and Children of Eden at KIDSTAGE. Marianne danced professionally in New York for many years and toured internationally with several New York dance companies. Teaching credits include Cornish College of the Arts, in both the dance and theatre departments, and KIDSTAGE.

Anna Rowley has been involved with theatre since she was in her elementary school and middle school productions. Throughout high school and college, Anna worked both on and off the stage in several different capacities, such as, co-costume designer, set designer, actor, and director. Some of Anna's directing credits include Her Name is Kathy and A Midsummer Night's Dream. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound with her B.A. in theatre arts, Anna began her work at KIDSTAGE where she has been a production management intern, teaching intern, stage management intern, and is now working as a teacher. Anna was recently the stage manager for the Company Originals program in the winter 2010 and the assistant stage manger for KIDSTAGE’s Ensemble Production of Seussical Jr. Anna is working on obtaining her Masters of Arts in teaching.

Faith Russell has been working in Seattle as an actress, teacher, choreographer, and director for the past 20 plus years, and is so excited to be with KIDSTAGE for another session of fun! She has also been pleased to teach and direct for Taproot Theater's Acting Studio in Seattle, and for Studio East in Kirkland. She was in Village Theatre's production of Once on This Island and can often be found at Storybook Theatre!

Brittney Shorb excitedly returns as an instructor for KIDSTAGE. She holds a degree in Music Education and has a Masters Degree in Education. She taught middle school music and drama in Stanwood for seven years, conducted for the Northern Sound Children's Choir, and teaches private voice lessons. Her love for musical theater has journeyed her through performance in high school and college, and she appeared as a Hot Box dancer in Guys and Dolls with Woodinville Repertory Theater. She now enjoys directing and choreographing; credits include Annie Jr., Guys and Dolls Jr., Bye Bye Birdie, Into the Woods Jr., and Little Shop of Horrors.

Jessica Skerritt grew up in KIDSTAGE and has enjoyed being a teacher for this wonderful program off and on for the past four years. She has also been the vocal director for the ArtsWest Summer Conservatory Program. Professionally, Jessica has been seen on Village Theatre's Mainstage in Million Dollar Quartet, Barefoot in the Park, Chasing Collette, and The Gypsy King, and in productions locally at ArtsWest, ReAct, and Showtunes! She is thrilled to be back at KIDSTAGE this year working with such wonderfully imaginative children!

Melanie Studley has been with Village Theatre since 2006 teaching for KIDSTAGE in various classes. She is a graduate of The Evergreen State College with a Bachelor’s in Arts focusing on theatre/voice and expressive arts. Melanie is also a private vocal/acting coach and loves to help her students grow as artists and musicians. She is very excited to be working for KIDSTAGE teaching Singing for Musical Theatre, and the vocal portion in the Private Audition Coaching. Melanie has had a heart for singing and acting since she was very young, and is thrilled to be able to coach students in such a wonderful and explorative medium.

Kate Swenson has been working in the Seattle area as an educator, director, designer, actor and all around theatre geek for the past 14 years. She is currently the resident artist at Youth Theatre NW, also teaching and directing for Studio East, Second Story Rep, and KIDSTAGE.

Tim Symons is a KIDSTAGE alum (1990-1999) and is thrilled to be able to work with the program that raised him. Since his “graduation” from KIDSTAGE, Tim has taught numerous classes and music directed a number of productions in Issaquah and Everett. With Brian Yorkey, Tim has composed the scores for Last Exit, Trust Me and A Perfect Fall, all written and performed in collaboration with the Issaquah KIDSTAGE Company. Tim has been the Resident Music Director for Village Theatre since 2005, and has music directed many productions on the Mainstage, including 42nd Street, Meet Me In St. Louis, Show Boat, Beauty and the Beast, CATS and The Who’s Tommy.

R.J. Tancioco Favorite music directing credits: Joseph…Dreamcoat, Cabaret, Hair, Smokey Joe's Café at The 5th Avenue Theatre; The Gypsy King, Chasing Nicolette, Stunt Girl, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, Evita, Peter Pan, Grease, and Joseph...Dreamcoat at Village Theatre; Piece, Iron Curtain, and Cold Turkey for Village Originals; Making Tracks at San Jose Repertory; The Wedding Banquet for 2G (Second Generation); Sisters of Swing at Broadway Rose; Plaid Tidings and Bat Boy at ArtsWest; Rent: School Edition at Seattle Children’s Theatre; New Voices series, A New Brain, and The Last Five Years for Contemporary Classics; and Songs for a New World for Raggedy Z Productions. Recording credits: TMC Work's Katie Tomlinson’s Original Passion, David Austin's A Christmas Carol and Every Little Vow; Jennifer Paz's Awakening. During the day, Mr. Tancioco is an instructor (over 10 years) to Village Theatre's KIDSTAGE classes and shows (High School Musical, The Wiz, Into the Woods, The Secret Garden, Once On This Island, Children of Eden, Les Misérables, Seussical, and Footloose), was the touring musical director for Adventure Musical Theatre (It Happened at the World's Fair and Klondike!) at 5th Avenue Theatre, is an avid vocal coach, arranger, composer, and enjoys educating youth and young adults for theatre.

Kathryn Van Meter. Choreography credits: The Who's TOMMY, The Secret Garden, Man of La Mancha; Associate: The Music Man, CATS, Evita; KIDSTAGE: Joseph..., Singin' in the Rain, trust me., A Perfect Fall; New York: Feeling Electric (with Amy Spanger and Anthony Rapp). Throughout Seattle: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (The 5th Avenue); High School Musical (SCT).

Eia Waltzer has been working with KIDSTAGE for the last three years. She began her KIDSTAGE career acting in a few SummerStock shows and is now happy to share her enthusiasm with a new generation of students. You may have recently seen her choreography in KIDSTAGE's productions of West Side Story and High School Musical. She is currently teaching dance and choreographing for high schools and various theaters around the area.

Matt Wolfe s currently in Village Theatre’s production of 42nd Street. He actually worked with the creators of Hairspray on last summer’s Catch Me If You Can at The 5th Avenue, and a few years ago played the role of Sam Phillips in Million Dollar Quartet, which is now playing on Broadway. He works as an actor, director, and theatre instructor in Seattle. In Everett, you may have seen him in a commercial for Providence Medical Center on television. In Seattle, he performs frequently at the Village, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and The 5th Avenue. Matt has been a professional actor for fifteen years and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity.

Mauri Zingarelli has been a KIDSTAGE kid for more than half of her life. A participant in plays since the age of three, Mauri loves sharing her passion for theatre with others, especially children. This is Mauri's second summer as a theatre instructor. In the past eleven years she has worked for KIDSTAGE as a summer camp assistant, intern, production assistant and stage manager. Mauri is currently attaining her undergraduate degree in Peace Studies and Documentaries at Chapman University.

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