TEACHING ARTIST BIOS

BA in Radio/Televison--Eastern Washington University, MFA in Directing--University of Idaho

The Blue Door Theatre is an Improvised Comedy Troupe located in Spokane, WA since 1996. We are an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)3 arts organization. We are dedicated to the advancement of improvisation and the performing arts through innovative entertainment and education. We have Improvised Comedy Performances every weekend, we offer Teen and Adult Improv classes and we are available to perform at private and corporate events. We are always proud to be part of INTAF.

Former Co-Coordinator of INTAF after over 30 years. Retired Theatre Arts and English Teacher at Ferris and Mead High Schools; Actor, Director, Producer, and backstage credits with Spokane Civic Theatre, Ignite Community Theatre, and Spokane Theatrical Group. B. A. in Theatre from Eastern Washington University and a Masters in Curriculum and Technology from University of Phoenix. Currently serving on the Board of Directors at Blue Door Theatre and committees at Spokane Civic Theatre and Ignite Community Theatre.

Alessia Carpoca is the Head of the Design and Technology program at the University of Montana where she teaches scene design, costume design and scenic painting along with continuing her professional Scenery and Costume Design career. She designed professionally in Canada, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic along with several theatres in the USA. Alessia is also a resident designer for the Opera Program at the University of British Columbia, UBC (Vancouver, Canada) Alessia is an active member of USITT where she serves in the Conference Committee and International Committee. For USITT, she was the Assistant Project Coordinator for the 2011 USITT-USA Prague Quadrennial exhibit. Alessia holds an MFA in Theatre Design from Northwestern University and a BFA in Scenography from the Academy of Fine Arts of Rome, Italy. Alessia research field lies in her passion for Japanese art and culture. She spent her sabbatical semester in Kyoto in the Fall of 2016 researching Ukiyo-e representation of scenery in Kabuki and scenic painting techniques in Kabuki while partnering with the Art Research Center at Ritsumeikan University. Some of her design work can be found at http://www.alessiacarpoca.net/

Ryan Childers holds a MFA in Acting from University of Idaho and has been acting, directing and teaching professionally for over 12 years in Seattle. He has performed at numerous professional theatres including Village Theatre, Taproot Theatre Company, CenterStage, and Seattle Public Theatre. He was most recently seen this past summer as Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls and Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde at Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. He moved to Spokane last summer with his family and is an Adjunct Instructor at Gonzaga University.

Since 2002 I have worked on 162 productions as an actor, lighting designer, set designer, stagehand, sound engineer, director, producer, and theater manager. I spent 2 years at North Idaho College in the drama department and have designed over 75 shows.

Ashley DeMoville is a teacher, director, and actor specializing in Actor and Director Training, the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique, and Community-Collaborative Theatre. She has directed stage productions for numerous theatres and schools including Spokane Falls Community College, the University of Hawai?i at M?noa, The Leeward Theatre, PlayBuilders of Hawai?i, Leeward Community College, Saint Louis School, Victoria University of Wellington, Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, and The Theatre Royal (Nelson, NZ).

Ashley holds a Master of Theatre Arts in Directing from Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and is currently Director of Drama at Spokane Falls Community College. As the head of the Drama program, Ashley has worked tirelessly to improve and promote the only Associate in Fine Arts in Drama degree offered in the state. She has created numerous opportunities for students including taking them to the United States Institute of Theatre Technology and to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region VII. In her short time as advisor to Bigfoot Drama, the club was awarded IRP Club of the Year and IRP Club Event of the Year by the college's Associated Student Government. In addition, Ashley's recent production of Mira Miroshnik�s The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls was chosen as a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region VII Regional Finalist in 2018. Finally, Ashley just received SFCC's Exceptional Faculty Award for her work leading the Drama Program and nurturing young artists.

PATRICK DIZNEY received his MFA from the University of Washington, then moved to New York where he worked on and off professionally for over 6 years. Credits include prime time television, national commercials, industrial videos, children�s theatre, 2 national tours, Off and Off-Off Broadway, regional theatre, feature and independent film. He acts, freelance directs, has been teaching acting for the last 15 years, is a member of AEA, SAG, AFTRA, and is the Chair of Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VII. He is Associate Chair in charge of Production and teaches acting at Central Washington University.

Bachelor of the arts in theater

Aaron Dyszelski, chair of the Whitworth Theatre Department and Associate Professor in Design and Production, holds an MFA in Scenography from the University of Kansas. Prior to his academic career, he served as a Costumer and Production Manager with Wald Disney World Entertainment. He also designs freelance several companies including Couer d'Alene Summer Theatre, Skylight Musical Theatre, and The Modern: Spokane

Hannah Farley has been choreographing and teaching dance in the Spokane area for the past six years. She trained and competed in jazz, contemporary, hip hop, tap, ballet, pointe, and musical theatre all throughout high school. After graduating she began performing in musicals at both Spokane Civic Theatre and Lake City Playhouse. She now is teaching at Studio INC Dance Academy as she finishes her degree in Communication Studies and Eastern Washington University.

Sara Goff is currently a Professor of Theatre and Interim Chair of the Department of Theatre and Film at Eastern Washington University. She previously taught Acting and Directing in the BFA program at The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. She was also an actor, director and company member of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Sara graduated from Western Illinois University with an MFA in Acting.

VINCAS GREENE, artistic director of Vytal Movement Dance Company in Spokane and director of the new Dance Minor at EWU, is an independent dance artist and award winning professor. He earned his MFA from California Institute of the Arts and was invited to dance in the CalArts Dance Ensemble. Vincas teaches nationally at colleges, high schools and private studios. He had the honor of being hosted as a master teacher at Nanyang Normal University in China. Working with Gonzaga University, Brenau University, the Gainesville Ballet Company, Theatre Ballet of Spokane, Belhaven University, Jacksonville University, Santa Clarita Repertory Theatre and others, he has choreographed over 40 dances and three operas. Vincas was privileged to perform dance works by Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, and Jacques Heim (Diavolo). In his home state of Washington, he performed in the companies of Erin Matthiessen and Long Nguyen and apprenticed with the Mark Morris Dance Group. In New York, Vincas danced with Pat Catterson and Peter Healey�s Mesopotamian Opera Company and received scholarships to study at the Merce Cunningham Studio. In Atlanta, he danced with the Carl Ratcliff Dance Theatre, the Gainesville Ballet Company, Robin Williams, the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theater and Susan Eldridge's Red Clay among several others. At Brenau University, as the Chair for the Department of Dance, he led the university to full accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Dance. He also writes for Dance Informa. Vincas is currently building a professional dance community in the Inland Northwest, teaches at Company Ballet School and Professional Ballet School, and has established a dance minor at Eastern Washington University.

I have been doing makeup since 1994. I have worked with a number of schools for drama classes.

55 years of theatre makeup, costumes, hair in area theatres and schools. Specialized in moulage makeup working with area fire districts and groups.

B.A. in Music Education; M.Ed in Secondary Education; National Boards in AYA/ELA Dance certification for Washington K-12 teaching

Patrick Hickey is a professional audio engineer from Spokane specializing in live sound productions. He obtained a B.A. in Health Sciences from Whitworth University where he played in the the Jazz Band and Wind Symphony. In addition to freelancing across town, he runs a mid-size music venue in Sandpoint, Idaho working with nationally touring bands and is the head live audio engineer for VIP Production Northwest.

MFA Scene Design, BA Lighting Design from Western Illinois University

Award-winning filmmaker and comedian, Jason Komm grew up in Spokane and graduated from Mead High School. After being a writer and performer for Brigham Young University�s premier sketch comedy troupe, Divine Comedy, Jason returned to Spokane and has been performing stand-up comedy in the northwest for over nine years.

Suzanne Maguire is an Acting Teacher, Director and College/Career Readiness Specialist in Spokane, WA who is passionate about the many ways Theatre develops essential skills for everyday life and every career field. Specializing in helping actors and directors develop strong communication skills onstage and off, Suzanne uses the basics of techniques like Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) to strengthen students� and directors ability to explore powerful non-verbal communication choices. Additionally, workshops like Auditions and Rejection: Preparing for Both focus on interpersonal communication combined with practical application for actors of all ages and stages.

B.A.E. Theatre -Eastern Washington University
Journeyman Certification-Makeup Designory, Los Angeles

Growing up a green room baby, Anne Lillian Mitchell's Arts background spans over thirty years. With degrees in Acting, Direction, & Technical Theatre; she trained in Acting at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) continuing her education at DePaul University. She is the owner of MAM, a SAG-AFTRA Franchised Talent Agency. Founded in 2008, MAM is a SAG-AFTRA Franchised talent agency with offices in Spokane & Seattle booking Actors, Models, and Voice-Over Artists. Bookings include Toyota, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, AT&T, Samsung, Rubbermaid, Verizon, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Boeing, Seattle Seahawks, Starbucks, and more. MAM Talent have appeared in Z Nation, GRIMM, The Librarians, Criminal Minds, Nashville, SMASH!

Michael Murray is a comedy writer, playwright, director and speaker with degrees in Psychology and English.

Dylan Paul serves as an Assistant Professor and Guest Artist in Residence at the University of Idaho. As a performer, he was most recently in the world-premiere company of Moulin Rouge at the Colonial Theatre in Boston. His Broadway debut was with Cabaret, helmed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall at Roundabout Theatre Company�s Studio 54 space. In the arena of classical and heightened text, he has been a company member of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, American Shakespeare Center, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Houston Shakespeare Festival. Other regional credits include Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, Roxy Regional, and Kansas City�s New Theatre.

Honors include the Voice and Speech Trainers Association Clyde Vinson Award and the Fulbright Award (full research grant scholarship). During his tenure as a Fulbrighter, he examined Carnival performance in Trinidad and Tobago, focusing on heightened text use of the Robber Mas and establishing the Traditional Mas Archive, a free resource dedicated to the preservation of Caribbean masquerade. Additional research efforts include spearheading the redesign and standardization of the International Dialects of English Archive, a major resource for the study of accents and dialects. He has served IDEA as a Special Consultant and Associate Editor for over a decade.

As an instructor of performance disciplines, he has taught at the University of Idaho, University of Houston, and University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Barbados). He holds an MFA from the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Houston and a BFA in Theatre & Voice from the University of Kansas.

Mica Pointer is a recent graduate from Eastern Washington University's Department of Theatre and Film, earning a Suma Cum Laude Ad Maxima Valorem BA in Theatre and minors in History, Philosophy, Screenwriting, and Film Studies. Currently he is an independent artist in the Inland Northwest, with positions ranging from stitcher at Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre to Casting Manager at the Spokane Renaissance Faire. His interest in Dramaturgy lead him to unite his love of theatre and history through various historical reenactments including the Spokane Renaissance Faire, Washington Civil War Association, Campbell House Holidays, and even taking part in a Study Abroad course at the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London, England. Previously, he has instructed 'Dancing with Darcy' at INTAF where he taught techniques of historical dance, and he looks forward to sharing what he has learned about writing for performance and the art of storytelling.

Mr. Pschirrer is enjoying his 15th season as Tiger Drama Director at Lewis and Clark High School. He holds a BA in History (Gonzaga) and an MA in Theatre Production (Central Washington). The 5th Avenue Theatre recently recognized him as Outstanding Educator of the Year. He serves on the Washington State Thespian Board and as a national adjudicator for the Educational Theatre Association.

Jessica Ray received her B.A. Degree in Theatre from Eastern Washington University in 2009 and her M.F.A Degree in Costume Design from Illinois State University. She teaches courses in Costume Design and Stage Makeup in EWU's Department of Theatre & Film. She has worked at theatres such as Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre to name a few.

Performing and choreographing stage combat in various venues for more than 15 years
Trained in Multiple Martial arts and historical weapon styles
10 + Years teaching at INTAF.

A retired public defender, Kim has directed, designed, choreographed, acted, instructed and/or served on the board for numerous area organizations, including Ignite Community Theatre, Stage Left, Spokane Civic Theatre, Inland Northwest Opera, CYT-North Idaho, Corbin Players, Spokane Children's Theatre, A.C.T., CenterStage, Spokane Radio Players, CYT-Spokane, Center Theatre Group, Spokane Opera, Cataldo School, Spokane Folklore Society, Northwest Mediation Center, Schastye Folk Ensemble and City of Spokane Arts Council. An experienced adjudicator, Kim has served in that capacity for Washington Thespians I.E. East Festivals for over a decade, as well as for Washington Ass'n of Theatre Educators conferences, Gonzaga School of Law Moot Court competitions and INTAF events. Recent directing credits include Harvey and The Great Gatsby at Ignite, The Merry Widow for Inland Northwest Opera and Playwrights' Playground and Fast & Furious at Stage Left. Kim holds B.A. degrees in Theatre and Government from Smith College and a J.D. degree from University of Virginia School of Law.

Jake Schaefer is a composer/arranger, theatrical director, filmmaker, and creative producer. His passion for collaborative creative work caught fire at a young age while performing at Spokane Civic Theatre, in "The Wizard of Oz," "A Christmas Carol" and "Damn Yankees." Jake moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue a college education and career in show business. In 2010, he founded a music co-op called EMPHATIC which has since evolved into a multidimensional creative studio. Jake and fellow EMPHATIC artists have contributed to recordings and live endeavors for artists including Beyonc�, John Legend, LA Phil, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Vic Mensa, Rufus Wainwright, and Quincy Jones; film/content clients include Cirque du Soleil, Jeep and Nike; favorite regional theatre credits include "Crazy for You" (director), "Evita" (director), "The Importance of Being Earnest" (director), "Into the Woods" (producer), and "Long Day�s Journey into Night" (producer); consulting clients include Disney Theatrical Group, Edgemar Center for the Arts, La Jolla Playhouse, Live Nation, The Nederlander Organization, and The Public Theatre. EMPHATIC won a 2013 Grammy Award for contributions to Frank Ocean�s debut album "channel ORANGE" (Best Urban Contemporary Album). Currently, Jake serves as Spokane Civic Theatre�s Creative Director for which, last season, he directed "Songs for a New World" and Civic�s "West Side Story" collaboration with Spokane Symphony. For Spokane Civic Theatre's 2018 - 2019 season, Jake is directing "Follies - In Concert" and "Young Frankenstein."

Jason has been welcomed as a guest teacher/speaker for several schools throughout District 81. He most recently worked with the students at the Orange Country School of the Arts on their production of Xanadu, having done the 1st National Tour of the Broadway production back in 2008. Jason has been a working actor on Broadway and in television, most recently seen on shows such as American Horror Story, One Day At A Time, This Is Us, and A Christmas Story Live! An original cast member of The Book of Mormon on Broadway Jason is also a graduate of The Boston Conservatory and Ferris High School.

Samantha Vale earned her BFA in Theater from Cornish College of the Arts in 2017, and has since been working with kids of all ages at the Village Theatre's Kidstage program.

Triston Ward is a Spokane based professional production technician and lead. He is specialized in lighting but has backgrounds in staging and audio as well. Starting in his high school theater at Shadle Park, Triston now freelances in his free time at many different venues in the area, both for theatre and live productions. After high school, he managed the theatre at Shadle Park, moved on to being the LD at Spokane Children's Theatre. He has collaborated on countless different plays, musicals, live concerts, and dance performances. He has now been a production lead for VIP Production NW for 5+ years and wouldn't give his job up for anything.

Matthew Weaver is a Spokane, Wash., playwright and screenwriter. His writing has been produced in Washington State, Canada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, Colorado, Florida, California, Ireland, Japan, Oregon, Maryland and Illinois.

https://newplayexchange.org/users/9069/matthew-weaver

BFA Theatre Performance
Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors/ SAFD
Co-Founder of Combat on the Stage