Welcome

Contributors

Joe Deer (Resource Guide Editor) is the Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre at Wright State University, and an experienced director, choreographer, artistic director, and veteran Broadway actor, dancer, and stage manager. An internationally respected master teacher for over thirty years, he is a frequent contributor to theatre publications, including Teaching Theatre Journal and Dramatics Magazine.

Katie Banville is a performer, choreographer, director, and educator based in San Diego, California. She’s a faculty member at Grossmont College, where she’s the head of the Musical Theatre degree track and teaches courses in musical theatre performance and history. She holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MFA in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University. Her performance credits include the world premieres of  Heart of Rock and Roll and Benny and Joon at The Old Globe, as well as Escape to Margaritaville and Freaky Friday at La Jolla Playhouse under the direction of Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley. Her choreography and directing credits include  Beehive: The '60s Musical (Okoboji Summer Theatre), Freaky Friday (San Diego Musical Theatre), Tarrytown (World Premiere, Backyard Renaissance), and Spamalot at Cygnet Theatre, for which she was nominated for a Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Choreography. She’s also a proud member of the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance.

Julia Cuppy is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator and arts administrator. Julia is an active member of Actors’ Equity Association, has directed dozens of productions with groups at schools and professional theatres and has acted as dramaturg helping creative teams bring new musicals to life. She holds a teaching credential in the states of Oregon and California and has developed theatre programs in high schools across the west coast. She is an active teaching artist with La Jolla Playhouse, the Tony-award winning theatre, and the Educational Theatre Association. Her curriculum can be seen on EdTA’s Theatre Educator Pro website and she has supported teachers by leading workshops on effective theatre education strategies. She has been a visiting lecturer of Acting and Musical Theatre at San Diego State University, University of California Irvine, and the Elizabethan Drama Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Julia spent five seasons at La Jolla Playhouse in various positions, ending as the Director of Education & Outreach. In this role, she was the executive producer of the 2020 POP Tour production, EMILY DRIVER'S GREAT RACE THROUGH TIME AND SPACE, and oversaw programs serving over 30,000 students, teachers, and patrons with a team of over 100 staff and volunteers.  juliacuppy.com 

Joshua Denning is a director from Austin, Texas. He is currently Head of Theatre at McCallum Fine Arts Academy, Austin's visual and performing arts high school. After graduating with a BFA in Acting (Musical Theatre Emphasis) from Wright State University's renowned musical theatre program, Joshua split his time between New York, New York, and Hamburg, Germany, where he played Adult Simba in The Lion King directed by Julie Taymor and Britney in We Will Rock You directed by Ben Elton. Josh's experience and versatility has allowed him to foster strong relationships with students passionate about pursuing a career in the performing arts. joshuadenning.net

Eden Hildebrand is a Canadian performer, choreographer, director, and pedagogue. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University, and both a Bachelor of Arts in Dance (with a concentration in Choreography and Performance) and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Calgary. Eden is the co-founder of EDJE Dance Theatre and was an Artist in Residence with the renowned W&M Physical Theatre company from 2016-2018. Eden has taught for multiple universities across North America and is currently an adjunct instructor at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta.  

Jessica Humphrey is a Dallas native and part of the Theatre faculty at Texas Christian University. She holds a Bachelors in Music from Western Carolina University and Masters in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University. She is a working director/choreographer as well as actress on stage, screen and voiceover. In addition to her love for musical theatre, she balances out her life with a WSET Level 2 Certification in Wine and Spirits. She also hosts her own podcast: Tannins and Tunes! Keep up with her at www.jessicamhumphrey.com! Proud member of AEA and MTEA. 

Devon Hunt is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Oklahoma State University. His graduate research on secondary musical theatre education and curriculum proposal for a graduate certificate in musical theatre direction won the 2020 Dean’s Award for the School of Professional Studies and Fine Arts at San Diego State University. Regional acting credits include She Loves Me (SDSU), A Chorus Line (Welk Resorts Theatre), The Producers (Moonlight Amphitheatre), and the world premiere of The Tale of Despereaux (The Old Globe/PigPen Theatre). Devon holds an MFA in Musical Theatre from SDSU and an MM in piano performance from the University of Maryland. He is an Equity Membership Candidate and a proud member of the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance.

Courtney Kattengell is an Assistant Professor at Ohio Northern University where she teaches in the Theatre, Musical Theatre, and Dance programs. Courtney has also worked in the Artistic and Education and Outreach departments at nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse from 2015-2018. Originally from New Orleans, LA, Courtney earned a BA in Theatre Performance and minor in Musical Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College and a MFA in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University (SDSU). She most recently directed and choreographed productions of Sweet Charity and The Wild Party at ONU, and assistant directed Young Frankenstein for Susan Stroman’s Associate Director, James Gray, recreating and learning the original Broadway staging and choreography.

Alan Patrick Kenny is a theatre director, musician, producer, and educator. He is an Assistant Professor and Head of Musical Theater at Ohio University, after previously serving as the BFA Musical Theatre program Coordinator and tenured Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Alan holds an MFA in Directing from UCLA and a BM in Music Theatre from NYU Steinhardt. Alan also currently works as a music technology specialist for musical theater and is a member of the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance. He was the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of New Stage Collective in Cincinnati, OH for seven seasons. alanpatrickkenny.com

Dustin Hinzman (MME, Florida State University) teaches musical theatre at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. His students consistently earn superior ratings and are selected for critic’s choice showcases at district and state Thespian festivals. His students have performed with a variety of industry professionals in concert such as Kristin Chenoweth (B’way: Wicked), and have trained in acting workshops in New York City with Broadway professionals such as Olivia Phillip (B’way: Waitress and Frozen) and Etai Benson (B’way: The Band’s Visit). Mr. Hinzman’s students have received a variety of industry and collegiate awards including countless musical theatre intensives at Texas State University and LIU Post, and most recently, nominations to participate in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (“The Jimmys”) in New York.

Susanna Vaughan is an actor, director, choreographer, and educator based in Southern California. She has performed throughout Southern California at The Old Globe, Musical Theatre West, Moonlight Amphitheatre, San Diego Musical Theatre, and in concert with Kristin Chenoweth at The Music Box in San Diego. She earned her M.F.A. in Musical Theatre from San Diego State University, where she mentored under Adrian Alita in Acting Pedagogy and Laurinda Nikkel in Voice. She currently teaches in the musical theatre program at Fullerton College in Fullerton, CA and is a proud member of Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance.