“Your teacher helped my daughter so much! I couldn’t believe how much she changed in such a short period of time. Every day, Chelsea came home excited about sharing all the fun things they did in class. Before this class, she was much more reserved with other children, now she lets her personality shine through. Please let your teacher know how much we appreciated her creativity, knowledge and enthusiasm, and thank you so much for bringing this program to our school!” –Chelsea’s Mom, Alameda Elementary
The Young Players receives countless thanks from parents and educators about the talented teaching artists we have on staff. This is because in addition to having a wealth of theatrical experience, each YP instructor has been chosen for his/her love of children. Our philosophy is that we learn just as much from the children as they learn from us.
Young Players employs dozens of theatre artists, each of whom possesses unique talents that they generously share with the kids. Most of our instructors:
- have Masters degrees in theatre
- or have been teaching acting for at least five years
- or are working professional actors with experience teaching drama to kids
Our instructors have an abundance of original curriculum available to them. We also hold seasonal meetings where all the teaching artists gather to share new ideas and uplifting moments. We are always interested in hearing from potential new instructors. If you have further questions about our teachers, or are interested in applying for a position with Young Players,contact us.
Instructor Bio’s
Bobby Bermea is an actor and a playwright with nearly twenty years experience in professional theatre. He is a member of Actors Equity Association and an Associate Artist with Sojourn Theatre. In his time Bermea has worked with such theatrical luminaries as Ping Chong, Marion McClinton, Michael Rohd, Allen Nause and Julie Harris. He has literally performed in theatres from New York City to Honolulu, Hawaii. Bermea believes that art is fundamental not just for the spirit of an individual but for the character of a nation and as such is an indispensable piece of any child’s growth as a human being and a citizen. Bermea has worked with young people through Endings Unlimited and Playback Theatre in Seattle, to Actors-to-Go, Higher Stages and the Haven Project here in Portland and believes that theatre is uniquely qualified to teach children the strategies and principles of identifying a goal, collaboration and cooperation, delegating duties, overcoming obstacles, adaptation to changing circumstances, learning from adversity, recognizing success and celebrating the group and the individual within the group. In other words, Bobby teaches theatre because it’s a blast!
G. Scott Brown is a native of Louisville, KY. He has spent numerous years performing, studying, and teaching theatre in the US, Russia, and Mexico. He received his MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University and studied the Meisner Technique under master acting teacher Kathryn Gately. In Los Angeles, G. Scott has worked on several independent films including: Ding!, The Greeters, and Finding Chance. Some of G. Scott’s favorite roles have been: Oscar/Little Foxes, Mansky/The Play’s the Thing, and Uriah Shelley/A Man’s a Man. Most recently, he received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Phil in Six Years and Curly in Of Mice and Men. He last taught theatre at the Unusual Suspects in Los Angeles. He moved to Portland four months ago after spending six years in LA
Carlos Alexis Cruz has been working as a professional actor for the last nine years performing in Puerto Rico, Northern California and Portland, and touring shows from NY City to LA and beyond, and overseas to the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Locally he has performed with Do Jump!, Imago, and Teatro Milagro. As a theatre director, he did the Miracle’s touring production of El Ultimo. Most recently he staged the show A Suicide Note from a Cockroach… at Imago, marking the debut of his own new theatre company Pelú Theatre. CarlosAlexis is currently staging a modern circus theatre adaptation of the Spanish classic novel Lazarillo de Tormes opening at the Milagro Theatre in May 2011. In 2004 his work was highlighted by the Theatre Critics of Puerto Rico for his performance in ĺconos de Vellonera, pointing him out as the only contender for the Best Young Actor recognition. He was recently seen in the Telemundo’s TV film Bala Perdida where he played a leading role. CarlosAlexis has an MFA degree in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from the Dell’Arte International School in California. He has a BA degree in film studies from the School of Communication at the University of Puerto Rico. He has trained Circus Arts at the San Francisco Circus Center. He will like to thank his wife, Mayra, for all the support.
Mindy Dillard graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in Acting before moving to Portland to work with ensemble-based Sojourn Theatre Company in 2006. Since arriving in Portland she has performed with Sojourn Theatre, Northwest Children’s Theatre, Coho Theatre and The Working Theatre Collective. She has taught with Artist’s Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Northwest Children’s Theatre and Oregon Children’s Theatre and now the Young Players! She is working on her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, which she will receive in late 2012. Mindy has become active in the Portland music scene. She sings, plays guitar, banjo and ukulele and just released her first solo cd last year. She also plays kids’ music in schools, libraries, music venues and cafes around Oregon with an interactive kids’ music duo, Snailpeople! Mindy is also a certified yoga teacher at the 200-hr level and has begun to develop a kids’ yoga curriculum called ‘Storybook Kids’ Yoga’ combining creative drama, music and yoga poses. She sees teaching theatre, music and yoga as a way to empower kids to discover their own magic, solve problems and work together. We want to lift everyone up!
Rosalind Fell is originally from London, England where she has performed in a variety of theatre as an actress as well as a jazz dancer. She also appeared in many television productions and commercials there including work for the BBC. Since moving to Portland she has continued to perform and teach and has appeared in many theatre productions here including Pride and Prejudice for Quintessence Theatre Company and Lettice and Lovage at Lakewood amongst many others. Rosalind is also passionate about inspiring and teaching drama and dance to kids and she has taught in many schools and camps around town. As well as being the dance teacher for Stagecoach Theatre Arts in Lake Oswego she also choreographs, recent credits include Alice in Wonderland and Seussical for Chapman Elementary.
Matt Haynes has been living, acting and teaching in the Portland area for five years. He has worked with young actors from ages three to eighteen at the Northwest Children’s Theatre And School, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Miracle Theatre, Tears Of Joy, Blue Monkey Theatre, SUN Schools, The French American School, Windsor Mountain International and the ODS YMCA Childcare Center. He is a graduate of Skidmore College (summa cum laude with honor in theatre) and the Dell’Arte International School Of Physical Theatre in northern California.
ileana herrin graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in Theatre and Dance and a concentration in Humanities in Performance. Since graduating, she has pursued her professional acting career and has worked with various companies in Austin, TX, Portland, and Greece. ileana has been fortunate enough to work with (among others) Second Youth Children’s Theatre, Pollyanna Children’s Theatre and Scottish Rite Children’s Theatre, all based in Austin, and will be working with Oregon Children’s Theatre in the spring. She has a passion for dance-theatre and enjoys using physicality as a major tool in her acting. ileana also believes herself to be a modern day Peter Pan, fighting pirates, listening to and telling stories and most importantly, pretending. She finds that entering the world of make-believe is essential to daily life and believes that children should be permitted to be as creative and imaginative as they want to be. She hopes to offer a fun and safe atmosphere with her students, so that there is a world or outer-world of possibilities to draw from.
Clara-Liis Hillier is a recent graduate from Reed College with a BA in Classics-Theater. She has worked in the Portland area as an actress, dancer and choreographer for the past 10 years. In addition to teaching with Young Players she runs the after school drama club for Beaumont Middle School and has returned to her alma mater Wilson High to guest direct On the Razzle and design costumes and makeup for several productions. Clara-Liis has run Metro Art Kids Camp, a two week summer camp in the arts for ages 7-12 held at the Portland Center for Performing Arts since 2004. She works as the Business Manager for Metro Arts Inc and has just been newly appointed as the Managing Director for Classical Greek Theatre of Oregon. During her college years, she worked as the Education/Outreach intern for Artists Repertory, assisting primarily in the Spotlight Theater program for creating fully staged performances from the writing collaboration of low income 4th and 5th graders and local playwrights. As a performer she has worked with Artists Repertory, Blue Stockings, NWCT, Blue Monkey, Lakewood, CGTO, Portland Actors Ensemble, Tin Pan Alley, Many Hats Collaboration and is a founding member of Atomic Arts who introduced Portland to “Trek in the Park” (portraying the role of T’Pau the Vulcan Queen and providing the opening vocals). Education and theater are her two passions, so whenever she can combine them it is a true thrill!
Kate Sanderson Holly is a theater director, performer and educator. She holds an MFA in Theater from Naropa University, and is a founding member of Portland-based ensemble, Fever Theater. She has taught the joy and magic of live performance to youth of all ages, including children at an ESL summer camp in South Korea, at a West African Arts camp on the Oregon Coast, and at Peace Camp in Portland, OR. She also teaches classes for adults, and is a professional yoga instructor.
Elizabeth Klinger is a director, teacher, and performer who comes to The Young Players via Philadelphia. As a director, she has staged original, traditional, and adapted works and directed the Youth Ensemble at People’s Light and Theatre Company. Elizabeth recently closed her fall semester teaching Movement for Actors I and II, and Children’s Theatre at Cumberland County College in New Jersey. She holds an M.F.A. in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from The Dell’Arte International School, and has performed with the Dell’Arte Company across the Pacific Northwest. She has appeared in productions at the Prince, the Walnut Street Theatre, and with Storybook Musical Theatre in Philadelphia. She recently wrote and directed “Truth and Beauty” which was performed as part of the Fertile Ground Festival and received rave reviews.
Debbie Lamedman is a playwright, author and editor of eight acting books published by Smith & Kraus, Inc including the best selling The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens: 111 One-Minute Monologues, Volume 4. Debbie’s produced plays include phat girls, Triangle Logic, Eating in the Dark, Just Add Love, and Out with the Old. phat girls is also featured in the Smith & Kraus anthology, New Playwrights: The Best Plays of 2003.
Debbie is the co-book writer for the musical How the Nurse Feels, which had staged readings at both the ASCAP/Disney Workshop in Los Angeles, and New World Stages in New York City. Debbie’s short play Mind Control was produced as part of the 35th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival in New York City. Debbie’s one-act play Ignorance is Bliss: a Global Warning was a commissioned piece which had its world premiere in April 2010. Her latest play, Everyday People, a piece for schools on anti-bullying, will have its premiere in April 2011.
In addition to her writing, Debbie is a private acting coach for students and professionals. She has successfully taught master classes and monologue workshops around the country. .Debbie received her MFA in theatre from Brandeis University and is a proud member of The Dramatist Guild and Actors’ Equity Association.
Amanda Mareina was a grape at age 3, an orphan at age 10, and an old lady at 21. She has been an actor, dancer, and techie for over 20 years. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, she came to Portland nine years ago to attend the University of Portland where she earned her B.A. in Theater and Communications. While receiving her education, Amanda worked diligently not just on her emphasis of acting and public speaking but also on learning all aspects of the theater. She believes all actors should know how to build a set, sew a costume, and change a light. A few of her past credits include: Sweet Charity as Choreographer, Honk as Stage Manager, The Importance of Being Earnest, Stepping Out, Servant of Two Masters, and Oliver. Amanda wants to inspire the next generation and teach them that there is more to acting then Reality TV and more to Broadway then pop stars taking on lead roles to sell tickets. She wants to teach kids how to be kind and to do this Amanda developed a set of warms-ups called “Mind, Body, and Soul” to help children of all ages learn to take proper care of their voices, their bodies and to treat each other with respect.
Darcy Miller has been acting since the age of five, when she improvised operettas on the sidewalks of New York City. She graduated from Yale, and earned a diploma in Classical Acting at the London Academy of Performing Arts. For the last ten years, she has lived and worked in NYC. As a member of Actors Equity and the Screen Actors Guild, she has performed in plays in NY and regionally, and worked a lot in independent film. She is also a screenwriter and in the process of producing her first film. A recent transplant to Portland, she has been inspired by the creativity here. Darcy has been teaching since she graduated, and also currently teaches in the SUN Schools program. She loves the freedom, energy and willingness kids bring to the creative process, and is consistently inspired by them to become a better artist and person.
Ritah Parrish has been acting on stage and in film in Portland for over 20 years. She teaches improv to at risk youth as well as mentoring young artists for Super Project Lab. She was a scribe for the Elder’s Program for Well Arts and thoroughly enjoyed working with Alzheimer patients to develop their stories for performance. She has written, produced and performed several original shows and is a member of Brainwaves Improv. Ritah believes in the power of creativity and sees the marvelous effect that theater, in all forms, has on the self esteem and confidence of young students.
James Peck is an actor, writer, director and games player who has performed and taught throughout Europe since the mid 1980’s. He has founded and been part of numerous improvisation troupes, and has studied improvisation with Kevin Tomlinson and John Wright. Graduating from The Central School of Speech and Drama, James worked mostly in Film and TV in the 90’s until an overwhelming desire to find an alternative approach to acting, led him to Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. He came to Blue Lake California in 2002 to join the MFA program and graduated with the school’s MFA in Ensemble based Physical Theatre. After graduating, James was invited to become full time faculty at the school where for five years he taught ‘The Vocal Body’ and ‘Games Dynamics’. He relocated to Portland last summer and has most recently performed with Milagro Theater as Don Juan in “Viva Don Juan”. He is a founder member of the theater games group Play for Today, enjoys soccer and has three wonderful children who are his favorite play-mates.
Amy LaRosa-Peters has been teaching theater for nearly 15 years. She graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a major in theater and a minor in music. She was a company member of The Theater Project in Brunswick, Maine where she both taught and performed and taught theater and music for Bar Harbor Maine’s Summer Festival of the Arts. Her love of rainy nights brought her to Seattle where she taught for Youth Theatre Northwest and performed with Live Girls! Theater. Her husband brought her to Portland where she now teaches for Oregon Children’s Theatre as well as Young Players. Amy believes there is a place for everyone in the theater and believes teaching theater will build necessary life skills such as self-confidence and teamwork.
Spring Snyder Spring graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in theater education and set on her way to teach folks from all over. She has taught theater from California all the way to India. While working for the Missoula Children’s Theatre she decided that it was time to plant her feet in Portland and work with the amazing youth here! She can be found surrounded by the actors of Young Players and other times by puppets on the road with Sight Theatre Company. Playing games and being silly are just a few of her favorite things to do. O and also she loves glittery objects!
Sarah Stillion has been teaching drama for over ten years. She has a BA in theatre from Northwestern College and an MFA in performance and playwriting from California Institute of the Arts. She toured with Taproot Theatre’s Road Company and has directed for schools, workshops, and community theatre. She has extensive teaching experience — from 4-year-olds at Seattle Children’s Theatre to college students at Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash., to high school students at a community theatre where she served as the education director and built a successful education program from scratch.
Kathryn Kramer Waters is a second-generation drama teacher who has been teaching drama to kids for twenty years. She has a Masters in Playwriting and Design from the California Institute of the Arts. Kathryn is a well-known local artists with pieces in the Portland Art Museum and in galleries throughout Portland. She likes to introduce college level concepts in ways that appeals to kids. Kathryn’s students learn drama through intuitive movement, vocalization and character design. Kids also craft their own stories and plays, enhancing their literacy and public speaking skills.
Nikee Weber has been acting on stage for 14 years and has also had the opportunity to direct a handful of shows and act in films as well. Nikee was in her first stage production at age 7, shortly after she had the opportunity to take weekly acting classes, which helped to nurture her love of the stage and refine her skills as a young actress. While studying theater at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, she secured an Internship at the Disneyland resort. Seeing kid’s faces light up, and interacting with them as a character made Nikee realize that what she really wanted to do was teach theater. After completing her internship, Nikee returned to Portland to focus more on stage acting, rather than film. Nikee is so proud to be apart of the Young Players program, she believes that the acting skills she learned as a child gave her confidence to excel on the stage and off, and looks forward to seeing her students grow as they learn new skills.
Wendy Westerwelle has been a professional actress for over 35 years after studying in Chicago at Wilson College and The Goodman Theater. As a member of the acclaimed Storefront Actors Theater,Wendy was not only on the board but became the Artistic Director of their Children’s Theater Program and wrote, performed and toured in Storefront’s Children’s Shows all throughout The Portland Schools. She taught in the TAG program since it’s inception and went on to teach at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks Cal. for six years as the Drama Director for kindergarten thru middle school. Upon returning to Portland, Wendy was the director of Theater at Valley Catholic HS in Beaverton for 11 years and then taught for Northwest Academy. Wendy has worked with Oregon Children’s Theater, ART, Triangle and done many one woman shows throughout her career, most notably Soph! and Angry Housewives. Quote… Teaching is the most important thing to do with ones life. To pass the magic of Theater on is a gift!
Emily Windler did the majority of her growing up in Albuquerque, NM, where she performed with various theaters and companies around town, including In Strange Company with productions such as The Tempest and Africa. She has had 5 years of vocal training and has performed with Opera Southwest and Musical Theater Southwest. In 2010, Emily graduated from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater, located in rural northern California, with a Masters equivalent in ensemble based physical theater. She has experience and training in Commedia dell’Arte, clowning, mask performance, puppetry, play writing, ensemble-based creating, and, above-all, the seriousness of comedy. Since graduating, Emily has performed in the Dell’Arte Company’s production of Blue Lake: The Opera during the 2010 Mad River Festival. She has been teaching physical theater workshops and play making for kids since 2008 and was assistant director of Dell’Arte Youth Academy in 2010. She has recently moved to Portland and can not wait to begin teaching with Young Players!
