Valerie Galloway Chapa, Director of Education & Outreach
Master of Fine Arts - Directing, University of Mississippi, Magna Cum Laude; Bachelor of Science - Speech & Theatre, Middle Tennessee State University, Cum Laude; Graduate - The Acting Studio Conservatory of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Valerie has had over 20 years experience in Arts Education. Her teaching experience spans all levels of theatre from university to pre-school creative dramatics. She has taught at the University of Mississippi, University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant County College, Creative Arts Theatre & School (CATS) and Fort Worth Academy. She also served as the Director of Cultural Arts Programming for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth developing curriculum in the performing, visual and literary arts which served over 7000 youths. Valerie is active in the International Thespian Society, an honor organization for theatre students. In addition to being an educator, Valerie has acted and directed professionally for over 25 years. She directed the nationally acclaimed Teen Drama program and served as the co-director of the National City at Peace program for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth and Arlington. At Casa Mañana, she has directed numerous Children's Playhouse productions including Miss Nelson is Missing, The Stinky Cheese Man, Junie B. Jones, Charlotte's Web, Schoolhouse Rock, Jr! and The Alamo. Other favorite directing credits include The Boys Next Door, Educating Rita, Miss Julie and Graceland & Asleep on the Wind. Locally, Valerie has appeared in Laundry and Bourbon, Bleacher Bums, Liquidation and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Julie M. Gale, Education & Outreach Coordinator
Master of Fine Arts - Dramaturgy, University of Iowa; Bachelor of Fine Arts - Theatre Arts, Texas State University, Cum Laude. During her studies at the University of Iowa, she was new play dramaturg for numerous readings, workshops and productions. In 2006, she received the Department of Theatre Arts IRAM award for Excellence in New Play Dramaturgy. Julie began her professional career as director of CATS Educational Outreach Musical Project at Webb Elementary School in Arlington, Texas. She was also an instructor of creative dramatics at Theatre Arlington. She served as assistant director and dramaturg for Shakespeare Festival of Dallas's 2007 critically-acclaimed production of Love's Labor's Lost. Julie served as a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa and professor of theatre at Tarrant County College. She is a member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Literary Mangers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and Theatre Communications group.
Christi Moore-Murphy, Lead Instructor
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Theatre Arts, University of Texas at Arlington. Christi has been an instructor at Casa Mañana for over 10 years and has also taught at CATS, Texas Elementary School of the Arts, Theatre Arlington, Country Day School of Arlington and Desoto Corner Theatre. Christi has worked outreach for the Boys & Girls Clubs, Clayton Childcare Centers and Girl Scouts of America. She has taught all levels of acting including creative drama, musical theatre, mid-level scene study, teen acting, improvisation, comedy and voice & diction. As an actress, Christi has appeared locally at Casa Mañana, Hip Pocket Theatre, Sage and Silo, Mainstreet Theatre, Onstage and Magnolia Lounge. Some of her directing credits include Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Emperor's Invisible Clothes, Nate the Great and Follow that Rabbit. She is former troupe member of the Casa Playaz, and for the past 5 years has served as Assistant Camp Director for Camp Casa. Christi is also Casa Manana's representative at area schoolcareer days.
Andy Baldwin, Resident Actor & Acting Instructor
Graduate - Circle in the Square Theatre Conservatory, AEA. Andy trained at Circle in the Square Theatre Conservatory, NYC. He is in his eigth year with Casa Mañana, five of those as a resident actor for the Children's Playhouse. He has performed in over 50 productions at Casa Mañana including You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Snoopy), Seussical (Cat) and Allan Menken's A Christmas Carol (Ghost of Christmas Past). Andy made his Children's Playhouse directing debut with Casa with last season's production of Little Red Riding Hood and has been the director of the Casa Playaz troupe for the past four years. Some of his acting credits include Katurian in The Pillowman at Stage West, Ethan in The Full Monty at Theatre Three, Duke in The Great American Trailer Park: The Musical, Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Water Tower Theatre and Five Course Love at Circle Theatre. Andy has been a favorite instructor for over 600 Casa students in 16 semesters, nine camps and six summer workshops!
Christine Chambers, Private Voice Instructor
Bachelor of Music - Musical Theatre, Shenandoah College Conservatory of Music; Opera Performance Certification - Hart School of Music; National Association of Teachers of Singing; AEA. Christine has had over 22 years experience in teaching private voice. She developed the breath circle and point technique recognized by the National Association of Teachers of Singing and has been commissioned to write a definitive text book on the technique. Christine has appeared at many theatres in the Metroplex, most recently at Casa Mañana in The Stinky Cheese Man. Locally, she has taught at the Creative Arts Theatre & School and the Southeast Arlington School of Music. She is a much sought-after instructor and owns a thriving private studio in Arlington.
Michael "Linus" Craig, Outreach Instructor
Master of Fine Arts - Theatre Arts, Bachelor of Arts, St Edward's University, Summa Cum Laude; ECAP Teaching Certification. Linus is an experienced teacher, having taught Theatre Arts at Bowie High School in Arlington, Language Arts at T.K. Gorman High School in Tyler and Theatre at the University of Houston. He has worked as a teaching artist for the Creative Arts Theatre & School, Old Bastrop Opera House, Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Theatre Under the Stars and Dallas Children's Theatre. He served as Education Coordinator for the Alley Theatre in Houston and Education Director of City Theatre in Pittsburgh. While in Pennsylvania, he ran City Theatre's Young Playwrights Program, and in Houston coordinated HYPE, the Houston Young Playwright's Exchange. Linus is the former Associate Producer for the Houston Shakespeare Festival. He is an accomplished actor and director and is working on his first play.
Erin Robbins Farmer, Dance Instructor
Bachelor of Performing Arts - Dance, Oklahoma City University, Cum Laude. Erin has been studying, performing and teaching dance most of her life. As a performer she was in the Broadway cast, the first national tour and the Japanese tour of Jerome Robbins' Broadway. She played Zelda in the first national tour of Singin' in The Rain. Locally, she appeared in The Music Man at Dallas Summer Musicals and many productions at Casa Mañana including Crazy for You, My One and Only, Sugar Babies, Peter Pan, Oklahoma and The King and I. Erin also played Phyllis and served as Dance Captain in Casa’s production of 42nd Street at Bass Performance Hall. She began teaching for her mother, Mimi Robbins, at her dance studio, Dance, Etc., in Dallas. She has taught all levels and ages and continues to teach master classes for the Oklahoma Dance Masters Association. Erin was the Director of Dance at St. Gregory's University and an Instructor of Dance at her alma mater, Oklahoma City University. While living and performing in NYC and LA, she studied at Broadway Dance, Steps and the Edge.
Tina Farquhar, Students with Special Challenges Instructor
Registered Music Therapist. Tina has been teaching the Students with Special Challenges class for ten years. She has also been employed at the Keller Independent School District for ten years as a Music Therapist. Prior to that, she worked as a music therapist at John Peter Smith Hospital's psychiatric department. She is involved in the drama ministry at her church, serving on the board for this ministry for the last five years. She is also a volunteer at the Bass Performance Hall.
Cindy Honeycutt, Outreach Instructor
Bachelor of Arts - Theatre Arts, St. Edward's University. Cindy began her professional theatre career as a member of Project InterAct, a children's theatre touring company based at Austin's Zachary Scott Theatre. After serving two years as a performer and costume mistress, she returned to the Metroplex and joined the staff at the Creative Arts Theatre and School. She took over the direction of the CATS Company youth touring group, Top Cats adult professional company and bookkeeping duties for the organization. In 1997, Cindy took over the duties of the Director of Education & Outreach at CATS, hiring teachers, creating curriculum for the school, researching and writing grant requests pertaining to education and expanding the organization's outreach programming. In 2001, Cindy joined Casa Mañana's staff as Director of Education & Outreach. While at Casa, she revamped curriculum and created a database of contact information for students and parents. She also managed the Betty Lynn Buckley Awards and served as company manager and producer for the Casa Kids and Casa Playaz. Cindy then moved to Theatre Arlington as staff grant writer and researcher and was soon promoted to Director of Education, where she developed programs and directed youth productions and managed the summer camps each year. Cindy serves on the advisory board of Clayton YES and Hip Pocket Theatre as well as being an at-large member of the Live Theatre League of Tarrant board. She holds memberships in the Texas Nonprofit Theatres, International PEO Sisterhood and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Eddie Holmes, Musical Theatre I & II Instructor
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Musical Theatre, Texas Wesleyan University. Eddie is the Choir and Theatre Arts teacher at Everman Junior High. He has also taught music in the Arlington Independent School District. Locally, he has appeared at Casa Mañana, Theatre Arlington, Mainstreet Theatre and Onstage in Bedford. He also spent several years as a musical performer at Six Flags over Texas. One of Eddie's passions, not too far removed from Musical Theatre, is barbershop harmony. He is a member of both the International Barbershop Harmony Society and the Ancient Harmonious Society of Woodshedders. Eddie competes across the southern United States in barbershop chorus and quartet competitions.
Mandy Holmes, Private Voice Instructor
Master of Music - Voice, Southern Methodist University; Bachelor of Arts - Voice, Texas Wesleyan University. While at SMU, Mandy performed principal roles in several operas and scene programs including Gianni Schicchi, Le Nozze di Figaro, Beatrice et Benedict, Cosi fan Tutte, L'incoronazione di Poppea and Turn of the Screw. She has been a participant in the opera studio of the American Institute of Musical Studies, 2-month intensive opera program in Graz, Austria. Mandy was also the recipient of the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Scholarship and Career Grant for 2005. Currently, she is a music teacher in the Fort Worth Independent School District and has been singing with the Fort Worth Opera chorus since 2001. Roles have included the Cousin in Madame Butterfly and the Handmaiden in Turandot. She plans to be a part of their Third Annual Opera Festival in the spring of 2009.
Rhonda Kohl, Outreach Instructor
Master of Fine Arts - Acting, Regent University; Bachelor of Arts - Acting/Directing/Dance, Minnesota State University Moorehead. Rhonda is a native of North Dakota who, in 2007, was qualified as a certified actor combatant in unarmed combat, quarterstaff, and rapier & dagger. This past year, she taught theatre and dance classes at Regent University as an adjunct professor as well as choreographing four main stage shows. As an instructor, she also directed and choreographed seven shows for their summer theatre camps. In addition to her work at Regent, she taught drama, auditioning and musical theatre classes for local theatres and Home School Plus, a home school co-op. Rhonda's personal performance history includes work with theatres and film companies in Virginia, North Dakota and Minnesota. She has acted in independent features, short films and numerous local and national commercials. She recently appeared on Investigation Discovery Channel's Wicked Attraction and the series pilot Black Widow Anonymous.
Missy Matherne, Casa Kids Director/Writer, Stage Manager, Instructor
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Musical Theatre, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. After college, Missy moved to NYC where she worked as an actor, singer and dancer in regional theatres, off-Broadway, cabarets, workshops, works-in-progress, readings, children's theatres and other professional theatres. She has performed several times with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and has been seen in television commercials and several PBS specials. Some of her favorite roles include Babe in Good News!, Darlene in Honky Tonk Angels, Bianca in Taming of the Shrew, Cassie in A Chorus Line and Annabell in Lucky Stiff. In the time that Missy has been in her home state of Texas, she has worked as a performer, teacher, director, assistant director, music director, choreographer, vocal coach and theatre camp coordinator. She has conducted master classes at CATS, LifeSong Theatre, Theatre Arlington, Kids Who Care, Tarrant County College and Bass Performance Hall. Currently, Missy is the theatre director at Texas Elementary School for the Arts.
Grace Neely, Creative Dramatics Instructor
Bachelor of Arts - Theatre Arts, University of Texas at Arlington. Grace is graduating cum laude this spring with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She is a member of the Casa Playaz touring troupe and will be seen in Casa's production of Rockin' With Mother Goose. Grace enjoys working both on stage and behind the scenes in production. She has taught many theatre workshops for youth and creative drama classes in the camp environment. She has worked at both Sunrise Theatre Troupe's Summer Camp and Texas Theatre Festival Camp. Grace loves to perform for children as well as teach them. She has a passion for bringing her love of theatre to children. Grace’s favorite roles include Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun and Rizzo in Grease!
Amanda Passanante, Resident Actor and Creative Dramatics Instructor
Bachelor of Science - Mathematics/Theatre Arts, Penn State University; AEA. Amanda has been a choreographer, director and vocal coach for many youth and university productions as well as being a private coach in dance, acting and voice. She has studied voice privately for ten years, training in opera, musical theatre and pop/rock. A formerly New York City-based singer/actor, Amanda has appeared off-Broadway as Khaye in the Drama Desk Award-nominated Yiddish revival of The Pirates of Penzance. She also appeared off-Broadway in a BC/EFA benefit concert, alongside Broadway veteran Karen Ziemba. Additional New York credits include Eliza in My Fair Lady, Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George and Johanna in Sweeney Todd. Last year, she made her Dallas theatre debut as Rosalie/Somewhere soloist in Lyric Stage's production of West Side Story.
Laura Quintanar, Students with Special Challenges Instructor.
Laura has worked with the Fort Worth Independent School District since 1990 as a bilingual assistant in Special Education and Title I tutoring for pre-K through middle school age students. She began working with Casa's Students with Special Challenges class in 1996 as a volunteer and soon after became a permanent instructor. Laura holds the exalted honor of having worked at the Casa Mañana Theatre School longer than anyone else on the staff! She pursues her interest in music by studying voice and singing in church choirs. She has performed as a vocalist with the Fort Worth Civic Chorus and has been a guest singer with the Taps & Tunes Dance Company since 1999. Since the spring of 2001, Laura has been a regular performer with the Regal Opera Company.
W. Brent Sawyer, Music Supervisor
Bachelor of Music - Music Composition & Theory, Southern Methodist University. Brent has spent 14 years in New York City conducting, directing, teaching and writing. On Broadway, he served as the rehearsal pianist for Annie Get Your Gun (with Bernadette Peters) and in 2006 for the revival of A Chorus Line. Off-Broadway, he was music director for the 2008 Drama League Award & Lucille Lortel Award-nominated best revival of Seussical The Musical! He also served as musical director for Naked Boys Singing, Forbidden Broadway 2001: A Spoof Odyssey, Junie B. Jones, Monica The Musical! and the acclaimed revival of William Finn’s Falsettoland. Brent has worked at numerous regional theatres spanning from Seattle, Washington to Key West Florida, from San Diego, California to Brunswick, Maine. He was the musical director for the regional premieres of Titanic, Blood Brothers, tick tick...Boom, The Most Happy Fella and A Chorus Line. He also served as musical director for the original workshops of the new a cappela musical, In Transit, at the O’Neill Theatre Center and the New York Theatre in Manhattan. Brent served as musical director of TheaterworksUSA tours of Seussical The Musical!, Junie B. Jones and Anne of Green Gables. He has also taught theatre and voice at Marymount Manhattan College, The Actor's Studio Drama School at the New School, NYU Playwrights Horizon's Studio and the American Music and Dramatic Academy. He is also a composer in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop, where many hit Broadway shows were created.
Jacque Wall, Acting Instructor
Master of Arts - Theatre Arts, University of North Texas; Bachelor of Fine Arts - Acting, University of Texas at Arlington. Jacque has been performing since the age of three, when she had her first tap solo. She was a child actress in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where she appeared in numerous commercials and TV spots and toured as Annie in Annie. She toured with the Miss Texas Pageant Production Company for several years, performing across the state. In college, Jacque was a member of the nationally-ranked speech team at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she was a four-time Texas State Best Performer and a National Champion. She has taught Theatre and Speech Communications at UTA and Tarrant County College. She was on staff as an actor and teacher at Casa Mañana for ten years before moving to Houston. While in Houston, Jacque served as the Director of the Acting program at Applause Theatre. She also directed Peter Pan, Annie, Grease!, Once Upon a Mattress and The Wizard of Oz at the Applause Theatre. Favorite roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Alice in You Can't Take it With You, Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense and Babe in Crimes of the Heart. She was most recently seen as Liz in The Book of Liz at Theatre Arlington. She is currently the drama instructor at Faith Christian School in Grapevine.
Natalie Weaver, Resident Actor, Creative Dramatics/Musical Theatre Instructor
Bachelor of Arts - Musical Theatre, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Summa Cum Laude; Associate of Arts - Music, Carl Albert State College; AEA. Natalie spent a year on the road as Marty in the national tour of Grease! with Frankie Avalon. With over 400 performances, the tour played to millions across the country and Canada. When Frankie was unable to make a performance because of his touring schedule, Chubby Checker substituted as the Teen Angel and Natalie became an expert on "The Twist!" She spent several years working in NYC and was in and out of the studio, recording demos for new musicals, up and coming composers and for herself. She performed in numerous Equity showcases and readings, and received an IT nomination for her work in the off-Broadway production of The 5 Borough Plays. Natalie served as Educational Director for the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, planning all the projects and rehearsals for the 100+ students in the camp. She has been a tap instructor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the assistant director/choreographer the traveling choir, The Chorvettes. She has directed many children's theatre production for both Southeastern State University and OSF. Natalie's ultimate goal is to run her own children's theatre. She became an actor so she could be a teacher who has "done it."