Artist of the Month
Creative Management Team
Lindsey Lederer – Vice President of Youth Theatres
Lindsey Lederer joined the NTPA creative team in 2011 as a summer camp teacher, but that was not her first exposure to North Texas Performing Arts. She started with the organization, taking the stage, as a student and attributes her success thus far to the training she received at NTPA. She has served as a Summer Intern, a Director, an assistant in the Development Office, NTPA-Frisco’s Managing Director, NTPA-Dallas’ Managing Director, and now takes on the opportunity to lead all NTPA Youth Theatre’s to a bright future as the VP of Youth Theatre Operations. After igniting her passion for the theatre arts, Lindsey graduated from the NTPA program and went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theater and minor in psychology from Ouachita Baptist University. She has performed with major entertainment corporations, such as Walt Disney World and Six Flags over Texas. She also previously served as the Children’s Creative Arts Coordinator at Prestonwood Baptist Church and as a wedding and event planner. Her favorite NTPA directorial credits include “Beauty and the Beast Jr.,” “Legally Blonde Jr.,” “Elf Jr.,” “High School Musical Jr.” and “Junie B Jones.” Lindsey strives to instill a great passion for the arts in all of her students and to make a difference in the lives of youth through the artistic process. She wants to thank her NTPA students, families, and peers for making her job incredibly rewarding!
Mike Mazur – Managing Director, NTPA – Plano/VP and Head of School, NTPA – Academy
Mike is thrilled to be a part of the NTPA family, having worked as a theatrical director, writer, choreographer and educator since earning his Bachelor’s in English, Speech and Drama Education from Bowling Green State University in his home state of Ohio. Since graduating, Mike has taught theatre at the High School, Community College and University level and earned his Master’s in Musical Theatre Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
He has directed over 60 shows in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and California. Among his favorites are Rent, Hair, Oklahoma!, The King and I, and Children of Eden. As a writer, his youth theatre piece THE SIXTH DAY has been performed in NYC three times, and he was commissioned to create “Simple Joys,” a revue of the work of Stephen Schwartz at the Cassidy Theatre in Ohio. As a youth, he was a member of The Singing Angels Performing Chorus, an internationally touring show choir based out of Cleveland, Ohio.
After graduating from NYU, Mike became their Artistic Director. Under his direction, the group toured Hollywood, London, Warsaw, and Paris; released two recordings; performed with Nancy Sinatra and Roberta Flack; and was invited to a Command Performance at The Pentagon. He then became a professor of Musical Theatre at California State University, Chico, where in addition to teaching and directing shows, he led the “Off-Broadways” Touring Ensemble in performances in New York and San Francisco.
These experiences have led Mike to lecture on the role of theatre in society at both The Sondheim Symposium in New Jersey (where he met Stephen Sondheim) and the International Conference on Fine and Performing Arts in Athens, Greece. He shares his experiences with the talented youth of North Texas and empowers them to use the performing arts as a tool to build the self-confidence needed to succeed in any career path they choose.
Cibby Bowden – Managing Director, NTPA – Fairview
Cibby Bowden joined the NTPA team in 2017 to serve as Director and Managing Director of NTPA – Fairview. Cibby has worked in the industry as a director and actress for over 35 years. She previously worked as Theatre Production Manager, Resident Director and Acting Instructor at Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center and as Theatre Director at Faith West Academy both in Katy, TX.
Favorite director credits include; Little Women, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, Oklahoma!, Once Upon a Mattress, A Christmas Carol, Annie Get Your Gun, Oliver Twist, Willy Wonka, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Honk!, Legally Blonde, High School Musical 1 and 2, The Wizard of Oz, Shrek and Xanadu. She has also appeared in many of KVPAC’s Encore Players productions including Joanne in Sondheim’s Company, Mistress Paige in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Betty Meeks in The Foreigner, Mrs. Trotsky in All in the Timing and Effy in The Spitfire Grill.
In her twenties, Cibby worked as an actress in Hollywood and can be seen (in re-runs!) on Full House, Cheers, Married with Children, Night Court, Star Trek the Next Generation, Days of our Lives and several films including Ghostbusters 2 and Maid to Order.
DeAnna Stone – Managing Director, NTPA – Frisco
DeAnna Stone serves as the Managing Director for North Texas Performing Arts – Frisco. She began her adventure on the stage at the young age of six years old and continued to pursue the stage throughout college. After college, she continued her theatre journey within the homeschool community. As a homeschooling mother of four children, she has a passion for creating opportunity for students that desire an alternative style in education. She has a passion for motivating the youth and inspiring others to achieve their best. The North Texas Performing Arts created opportunity for her own personal family and upholds the values that she deems important is growing future leaders.
Over the past 14 years, she has served the McKinney Area Christian Homeschoolers (MArCH) as President, Vice President and Enrichment Theatre Department Managing Director. During that time, she has been directly involved with teaching and directing children with a passion for theatre between the ages of 3 and 18. She has directed productions such as Alice in Wonderland, Willy Wonka, Jr., The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as well as worked as the choreographer for high school and middle school casts in productions such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Tom Sawyer” and many others.
She has served as a leader in the Home School Athletic Association for the last 8 years. In working with youth on the stage or on the court it all translates to where she finds her passion which is investing in the youth. She has also taught group fitness for over 20 years that has provided the opportunity to coach, mentor, encourage and inspire others in setting and accomplishing goals. It is an honor for her to serve the North Texas Performing Arts families and continue the quest in developing character in the youth through the amazing journey of the stage.
Cheryl Lowber – Managing Director, NTPA – Dallas
Cheryl is a professional actor, director, and acting coach based in DFW as well as an experienced UIL One Act Play adjudicator at both the Middle School and High School levels. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from Oklahoma Baptist University and an M.F.A. in Acting from Southern Methodist University, where she taught undergraduate courses in “The Art of Acting.” Cheryl has appeared onstage at numerous venues in DFW, New York City, and as far away as South Korea. NTPA directorial credits include: Tuck Everlasting, Carrie, Charlotte’s Web, Willy Wonka, 101 Dalmatians Kids, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Aladdin Kids, The Neverending Story, and Bye Bye Birdie. Favorite regional acting credits include: The 39 Steps (Stage West), Role Play (Stage West), A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center), House and Garden (Theatre Three), and Picnic (Theatre Three). Her absolute favorite roles, however, are those of wife to Adam and mom to Evie, Maggie, and Andy.
Bethany Bourland – Artistic Director, Collegiate Pursuits
bbourland@ntpa.org
Bethany Bourland has been directing and teaching children’s theatre for ten years. Bethany earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama: Acting Emphasis from the University of Oklahoma. Bethany joined NTPA as a Resident Director in 2018 and is now the NTPA – Dallas Program Director and the Collegiate Pursuits Artistic Director. Favorite directing credits include Oklahoma, Tuck Everlasting, A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder, Mamma Mia, Little Women, 13, Freaky Friday, and The Wizard of Oz. Bethany would love to thank her husband, Connor, for his never-ending love and support.
Kameron Knott, Collegiate Pursuits Program Director
Kameron started working with NTPA in 2019 as a Choreographer and Assistant Director. He has also been working as an integral part of the Collegiate Pursuits production team since its inception. A native of Texas, Kameron holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama; Acting Emphasis and a minor in Dance from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to his work with NTPA, he has worked professionally in many aspects of the entertainment industry with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, EarthX Film Festival, and the Actor Factory. Kameron has also worked as a professional actor in New York City for the past several years. Favorite past performances include The Proposal (Chubukov), Sylvia (Greg), Angels in America; Perestroika (Joe), City of Angels (Sonny/Fight Captain), and Biloxi Blues (Hennessey). Favorite NTPA projects have included Cabaret, The SpongeBob Musical, Oklahoma, Tuck Everlasting, Mamma Mia, and Frozen Jr. In addition to continuing to serve as a Choreographer and Director, Kameron now also leads the educational efforts of the Collegiate Pursuits program overseeing workshops, classes, and lessons to prepare students in grades 8-12 who are planning to pursue a performing arts degree in college.
Danny Miranda – Artistic Director, NTPA Repertory Theatre
Daniel Dean Miranda started choreographing for NTPA in the Summer of 2008. From there, he took on shows as director, choreographer, and music director. In 2015, he took a break to explore other ventures, and realized this is where his passion was. After a 3 year hiatus, he is thrilled to return to NTPA to be working with such talented youth, and working with NTPA’s Repertory Theatre, helping bring Broadway style productions to the burbs!
He has been a local actor since the age of six. Some of his acting credits include: Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus in Godspell, Emcee in Cabaret, Patsy in Monty Python’s Spamalot, William Barfée in The 25th Anual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, among others. Directing credits include: Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd, The Wizard of Oz, Godspell, Little shop of Horrors, Seussical the Musical, Heathers the Musical, among others.
Gregory McKnight – Technical Programs Director
Tammara Wright – Assistant Technical Director
Tammara has been teaching Acting, Directing, Singing, and Audition Preparation for many years. She relocated to Texas in 2014 after having lived and performed all over the United States. Tammara has 30+ years of professional experience in Theatre, Radio, Television and Film; as an Actor, Director, Producer and Singer.
Tammara’s Training includes: a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Theatre from Western Michigan University, as well as, an Associate’s of Fine Arts Degree from Bay de Noc College, and over 12 years of private training in Vocal Performance for Soprano in Classical/Opera and Musical Theatre. She also has specialized training in: Audition Preparation for Stage & Camera, Creating Characters using Voice & Movement, Voice-overs and Narration, Lighting and Sound as a Character, and Script Analysis. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and has an FCC-Commercial License.
Tammara teaches homeschoolers at HOPE Prep Academy, and other area Children’s Theater Companies working with 1st – 12th graders as a Director & Instructor. Tammara also offers private lessons through her studio Upwardly Vocal for both voice and acting. She is also a former Director and Instructor with Scene & Heard Performing Arts, For The Love of Dance – Summer Theatre Camp and Strive Studios. Tammara also volunteers as a technician in the AV Booth at her church. She’s been married to her husband Rob for over 25 years, homeschools their three children (all three have appeared on local stages) and helps take care of their BIG family dog (a Great Pyrenese) named Leo.
Resident Directors
Nick Mann – Senior Resident Director
Nick grew up in the towns of Bowie, TX and Carlsbad, NM. Even as a child, Nick was always interested in drama. He recalls the very first musical he created with stuffed animals and a tape recorder when he was in the 4th Grade! Nick graduated from the University of North Texas earning a B.A. in Theatre Performance and Education. His advanced training includes Song Interpretation with Tony Award-Winning Actress Betty Buckley, Meisner Acting Technique with Terry Martin and Improv and Sketch Comedy at The Second City Training Center.
Nick is also a Stand-Up Comedian and playwright. His play, Baby of Mine, was a semifinalist for the 2012 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Nick’s special talent is that he can name all the winners of every Academy Award in the Picture and Acting category (Hopefully that means he will win one)!
Denver Danyla – Senior Resident Director
Denver received his BFA in Acting for Stage and Screen from Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles. He found his passion for acting while in Jr. High and High School, landing such roles as Curly in Oklahoma! and Harold Hill in The Music Man. He went on to pursue his study of acting. Stage credits include Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing and several other Indie stage productions. While in college he worked as a counselor at several youth camps including Kanakuk and Forest Home where he then knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life working with students.
Soon after graduating, he began directing children and young adults in the Houston area and is thrilled to continue his love for teaching, directing and mentoring here in the Dallas area, as a Senior Resident Director for NTPA. Some of his favorite works as a Director are Les Miserables: School Edition, Puffs and Avenue Q: School Edition. Denver was named NTPA Director of the Year for 2019.
Kaitlyn Barnard – Senior Resident Director
Kaitlyn Barnard graduated in 2013 Cum Laude from Texas Woman’s University where she performed in both their opera and theater productions. She has been with NTPA since 2017 and has directed and music directed with the organization on many occasions. Some of her favorite titles have been: Elephant and Piggie (director), Sleeping Beauty KIDS (director), and Little Women (music director). She taught music and choir in Plano ISD for five years. Kaitlyn is certified in the Kodaly Method of music education and completed her third level of training in the summer of 2015. For the 2015-2016 school year, Kaitlyn received the Bass Hall Fellowship for excellence in music education and in the spring of that year presented about elementary music at the Texas State Music Education Association conference in San Antonio. Kaitlyn is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society, Who’s Who Nominee, Presser Scholar Nominee, and the recipient of the first Lily Mildred Hodges Endowed Scholarship. For the 2016-2017 school year, she was nominated as Teacher of the Year and received the PTA Life Member Award. Music and theater are her passion and she loves to see children grow through the arts.
Kally Duncan – Resident Director
Kally grew up surrounded by theatre and started acting at the age of 6. Her first show was “Anything Goes” and once she got a taste of the spotlight she never looked back. She received her BFA in Acting and minor in Directing from Oklahoma City University and studied Advanced Shakespeare in London at Kingston University. She participated with her devised play “Bad Shakespeare”, a play exploring all of the Shakespearean villains and why they are bad, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Jason Villarreal, Resident Director
Jason began his journey with the performing arts studying the dance Ballet Folklorico in his hometown and Texas border city, Edinburg. In 2006 he moved to Dallas to attend The University of Texas at Arlington where he graduated with a BFA in Theatre Performance. After graduation, Jason received roles performing in several national tours including Dora The Explorer (Tico The Squirrel), Rapunzel, A Very Hairy Fairy Tale (Socretese), and A Christmas Story.
Jason now resides in Dallas where he enjoys working with youth and using the art of theater to help develop social skills in young children and teens. Jason joined the NTPA Creative Staff in 2019. He has performed in numerous shows all over DFW. Some of his favorite roles include, (Molina) Kiss of the Spider Woman, (Hotblades Harry) Urinetown, (Baker) Into the Woods, (Edgar) Rapunzel, A Very Hairy Fairy Tale, and (Will Parker) Oklahoma.
Paige Price, Resident Director
Linda McAdams, Associate Resident Director
Linda McAdams has a B.A. in psychology and a Master’s degree in education. She has been involved with NTPA for over 15 years. Linda has studied dance, musical theatre, voice and piano. She performed onstage as a dancer in High School and again as an adult taking tap classes. Growing up in Dallas, she attended the Dallas Summer Musicals for many years and dreamed of dancing in a musical. Being a first-grade teacher in PlanoISD was one of her favorite experiences. She has served on the executive board for several PTAs, chairperson for a cub scout pack in Plano, Service Unit Cookie Coordinator for Girl Scouts and on the NTPA – Dallas board. Linda has assisted in many shows as the Show Manager, Choreographer and Assistant Director. She recently directed Beauty and the Beast JR, Shrek JR and Mary Poppins JR at another theater in Plano and recently choreographed Les Misérables, Shrek the Musical, Beauty and the Beast, and The Sound of Music for NTPA. She would like to thank her family for their love and support. Having seen firsthand the incredible growth in her own children through theatre, she loves working with the parents and children at NTPA and being a part of their dreams.
Adjunct Directors
Hannah Brewer – Adjunct Director
Hannah Brewer started with North Texas Performing Arts as a sophomore in high school, beginning as an actress and now as a Director. Her acting career began when she was 6 years old in the homeschool community, and she has never looked back. Some of her most favorite roles include Sarah Brown in “Guys & Dolls”, Rosie in “Bye Bye Birdie”, and Ms. Darbus in “High School Musical.” Hannah received her Bachelor of Science in Child Development Studies from Texas Women’s University.
Much of her experience includes several years of working along side the other Directors at North Texas Performing Arts in performances such as “The Jungle Book KIDS”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Aladdin KIDS”, and “The Hobbit”. Hannah has also taught many camps, classes, and audition privates. She has directed students ages four to eighteen in major productions such as “High School Musical”, “Stuart Little”, “Mystery at Shady Acres”, and more. Beyond theatrical training, she is passionate about educating the students in NTPA’s 10 Characters and using them to advance in performing arts, education, or wherever else life may lead.
Charlotte Forcht – Adjunct Director
Charlotte has been a Director at NTPA since 2013. She has a B.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas. She has performed in theatre, stand-up comedy, improvisation, film, and television productions in Boston, New York, Providence, Dallas and other parts of the country for over 18 years, and she continues to perform throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Trisha Martin – Adjunct Choreographer
Trisha Martin has been a part of the NTPA family since 2017, serving as an Adjunct Director, Choreographer and Theatre Educator. Since childhood, Trisha has been educated in dancing, singing and acting in the Texas panhandle with over 30 years of performance experience. She earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre with a Dance Emphasis at West Texas A&M University. Royal Brantley gave her a unique experience as a student choreographer at WTAMU where she discovered her love for creating dance movement. Her most memorable works are Urinetown at WTAMU and Suessical Kids, Bring It On, Mulan Jr and Scrooge at NTPA. Her favorite roles here at NTPA are Madame in Hunchback of Notre Dame, Helen in Scrooge and Turtle/Young Frog in A Year with Frog & Toad. Ms. Trish has a passion for teaching performing arts to young and old, and is grateful for every opportunity to direct, choreograph, teach and perform in NTPA Youth and Repertory productions. When not busy with her work, she dedicates her time to her three girls Nora, Abbigayl and Natalie who are her light, joy and grace.
Nancy Devine – Visual Art Instructor
Nancy Devine has a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin. She started teaching art and drama at 17 years old for an after-school program at Hamilton Park Elementary School in Richardson. This sparked her passion for teaching art and she has done it “forever.” She has taught art with Capers for Kids Drama and Art School for over 25 years. She has also taught for the Young Artists’ Program, the Fairhill School, Yavneh Academy, Vanguard Preparatory School, Oak Hill Academy, and New Century Montessori Academy (where she teaches presently).
DeeDee Munson – Adjunct Choreographer
DeeDee is the Staffing Coordinator and part of the Executive Staff at MA Dance & MA Visual FX and teaches for the North Texas Performing Arts – Academy. She has been teaching & educating students since 1991! She is the former General Manager/Artistic Director for the Power House of Dance. Her credits include Kilgore College Rangerette, Stephen F. Austin Repertory Company Member, Stephen F. Austin Pom Squad member and coach, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, and Dallas Mavericks Dancer. While attending SFA she won two consecutive NCA National Dance Championship titles. She is also a former Walt Disney World Dancer where she performed in The Beauty & The Beast Show, Pleasure Island Explosion Dancers, various conventions and special events, and the Rhythms of the World Show at Tokyo DisneySeas.
DeeDee has taught and choreographed for drill teams and dance teams across the country as well as being a head instructor and adjudicator for MA Dance. She has appeared in Body Wrappers, Dance Spirit, Cheerleader & Danzteam, YM, and Glamour Magazines. She also modeled for Disney Animation where her likeness was used for the image of Princess Kida in Atlantis Milo’s Return. Her television appearances include Good Morning Texas, Good Day Dallas, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Salvation Army Halftime with Reba McEntire, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parade with Aaron Carter and John O’Hurley, Live with Regis and Kelly, the Oprah Winfrey Show and Street Talk with Wendy Williams. She was also a dancer/actress in the movie Miss Congeniality starring Sandra Bullock and can be seen judging in the documentary Sweethearts Of The Gridiron featuring the Kilgore College Rangerettes. DeeDee has served as a judge for The Dance Worlds held at Walt Disney World. She has served on USASF Dance Worlds National Advisory Board, Power House Dance Foundation, Twelve 12 Ministries & the North Texas Performing Arts Management Board.
Hannah Makepeace – Adjunct Director
Hannah earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Ouachita Baptist University. She grew up training in many forms of dance and getting involved in every performance opportunity she could.
Hannah participated in competitive dance until the age of 12, where she became a full-time ballerina as a member of the pre-professional ballet company Arkansas Festival Ballet. She also directed and performed in an improv troupe called Off the Top, which traveled the state of Arkansas. At her university, she had the opportunity to perform, write, design and direct for several opportunities, culminating in the opportunity to direct a MainStage production that she developed. Following graduation, she moved to Orlando, where she worked and performed at Walt Disney World before moving to the Dallas Area!
Some of her favorite directing credits include Not a Clue, Wanda’s Visit, Junie B. Jones and Annie Kids. She also has choreographed for many NTPA productions, some of her favorites including Legally Blonde Jr, Hello Dolly, Once on this Island, Beauty and the Beast and Matilda. Hannah has a true passion for the theatrical arts, and loves being able to see the students she works with grow in their skills and challenge themselves to be daring in their pursuits. She loves her husband Andrew, her two cats, her friends, family, and NTPA family so dearly, and is thankful for all of their support and encouragement.
Jacob Hemsath, Adjunct Choreographer
Caddo Lindsey, Adjunct Director
Alex Langley, Adjunct Choreographer
J. Alexander Langley is a proud alumnus of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, TX. He went on to study Dance Performance at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA before returning to Dallas to pursue his professional dance career. Currently a soloist with 6 O’clock Dance Theatre, Alex has also performed as a principal dancer with Dallas Black Dance Theatre II and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, as a soloist with Ballet Dallas and Dallas Neoclassical Ballet, and as a production cast dancer with Princess Cruises and Holland America Line. He has also performed in regional productions of “Disney’s TARZAN: the Musical” and “Fiddler on the Roof”.
With over 15 years of teaching experience, Alex gives back to the community by offering free workshops at local public schools and community centers, and has been invited to teach and choreograph as a guest artist nationwide. His natural affinity for music and classical ballet training heavily influences his study of Jazz dance, and that, combined with his love for his Afro-Latino heritage, heavily informs his choreography. His work has been performed by Dallas Black Dance Theatre II, Anita N. Martínez Ballet Folklorico, and 6 O’Clock Dance Theatre. With North Texas Performing Arts, Alex has also choreographed musicals like “Disney’s Newsies,” “RENT: School Edition,” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Valerie Sauter, Adjunct Music Director
Valerie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Brigham Young University. She has performed on and off the stage in works such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Oklahoma!, Crazy for You, and more. Her first experience as a Music Director came as a Junior in High School when she stepped into the role for Guys and Dolls. As a private piano teacher for over 15 years, Valerie has worked with students of various ages and abilities. Returning to the theater with her children, Valerie is delighted to be working with the NTPA artistic staff. Her favorite NTPA credits include Newsies! and Mary Poppins Jr. Valerie loves helping people increase their musical talents, and discover the joy that music brings.
Riley Madlock, Adjunct Director
Riley Madlock joined the NTPA family in the fall of 2020. She teaches dance, choreographs for NTPA shows and is an Assistant Core Learning Counselor for the NTPA Academy.
Riley has a Master of Arts in Teaching Dance from New Mexico State University and a BA in Mass Communications from Ouachita Baptist University. She was adjunct dance faculty at NMSU, co-founder/director of the NMSU Hip Hop company, graduate assistant teaching collegiate ballet and modern, and organizer/creative designer for all NMSU dance performances. Riley danced with Henderson State University Dance Company for three years and NMSU Contemporary Dance Theatre for two years. Riley has choreographed for drill and dance teams around the state of Texas. Her choreography has won numerous awards and been adjudicated at four different American College Dance Association conferences around the south.
Riley has trained and performed with many professionals around the world including Dmitri Roudnev of the Bolshoi Ballet, Gavriel Spitzer of Batsheva Dance Company, George Staib of StaibDance in Sorrento, Italy, and T. Lang Dance in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been the resident choreographer/performer for The Muses Project in Hot Springs, Arkansas since 2017, is an online instructor for Desert Eagle Dance Productions in El Paso, Texas, and is the Designer and Social Media Manager at Amalgamated Toast.
Leah Flores, Adjunct Director
Hayley Honescko, Adjunct Director
Hayley started with NTPA as a student in 2014. In May of 2020, she graduated as a homeschool student from the NTPA Academy. Currently, Hayley is enrolled at Collin College pursuing a degree in Communications. NTPA has played a vital role in her current academic and professional path. As a student, she served as a student director, choreographer, stage manager, and production intern. After high school, she was brought on to choreograph several productions and loved it! She hopes to use her college education combined with her artistic experience from NTPA to inspire connection and storytelling in the hearts of young actors. A few of her artistic staff credits include Matilda, Seussical, and Peter Pan. And just for fun, her favorite role to ever play was Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
Katie Ames, Adjunct Director
Katie Ames is a proud alumni of North Texas Performing Arts. She performed with the organization throughout high school and now has the pleasure of returning to teach NTPA students. She was a homeschooled middle child of 5 and has always had a passion for theatre and music. Her acting career began when she was 12 years old at Artsview Children’s Theatre in Longview, Texas. Some of her favorite roles include Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”, Annie in “Annie,” Winnifred in “Once Upon a Mattress,” Hodel in “Fiddler on the Roof,” and Goody Goodell in “Fire at the Coconut Grove 1942” which she had the pleasure of performing in New York City off-Broadway. She has been working in childcare since 2019, and is excited to bring those skills to the theatre classroom. NTPA was a big part of her youth; she credits learning many valuable life skills and making several lifelong friends to NTPA, and she treasures getting to be part of that experience for today’s young actors.
Hunter Mackenzie Brown – Adjunct Director
Hunter Mackenzie Brown is thrilled to be a part of NTPA. He recently moved to Dallas from New York City where he was able to perform in the cabaret circuit, be apart of new works, and learn from great teachers and performers. His favorite credits include Jesus in Godspell, Willard in Footloose, and Puck in a Midsummer Nights Dream. He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University where he holds is BFA in Musical Theatre.
Marissa Bergère – Adjunct Choreographer
Marissa received her Bachelor of Science in Dance from Texas A&M University and her Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. During her time in the Texas A&M Dance Program, Marissa choreographed, produced, and stage managed dozens of shows, including lighting, sound, and costume design. She found ways of carrying these experiences into her work at Trinity Laban, where she produced an evening show and directed a dance film.
Carrie Leal – Adjunct Choreographer
Despite having been a performer at a young age, Carrie didn’t begin dancing until age 15. Often being the oldest in class, she was not deterred from learning this new passion. After receiving a scholarship for band, in college Carrie joined the theatre company and took ballet as her PE credit. She was cast as Linus in “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” and helped choreograph the entire show. After completing her degree at SAGU and joining the workforce, Carrie decided in her late 20’s to go back to school and major in Dance at UNT, once again being the “oldest” student in class. After school, Carrie performed with various dance companies and theaters in the area and was the Artistic Director of Dance Unending. Now a teacher of dance, yoga, health and fitness, she is the proud mom of two beautiful girls. Carrie taught and performed throughout her pregnancies, proving it’s never too late to get up and move, take care of your body and find something you love. She believes that art can never put you in a box and it will never ask you to change for someone else. Instead of saying, “I can’t” say, “I’m working on that.” Always try and never give up, and art will find a way to bring you joy.
Guest Directors
Jeff Swearingen - Senior Guest Director
After having been on the NTPA Director team for almost two decades, Jeff left to take his own production to off-Broadway which finished a successful run in the spring of 2018. Jeff is a highly regarded DFW actor/director with Column Awards (DFW’s equivalent to the Tony’s) for Revolutionizing Children's Theatre, Best Director of a Play Non-Equity, Best Actor in a Play Non-Equity, Best Featured Actor in a Play Non-Equity, and Outstanding New Work by Playwright. He also received several awards from the Best of Dallas and Critics Forum including The Best of Dallas Award for Best Theatre Teacher and The Mastermind Award for his new approach to teaching the craft. He has also received professional awards for many of his original children's plays. He has performed for many local theaters including Kitchen Dog Theatre, Theatre 3, Shakespeare Dallas and others. He has been featured in commercials and on television shows for NBC, ABC and other stations in Europe and Asia. He has performed long form improvisation all over the country and around the world. He is represented by The Mary Collins Agency.