theatre school

instructors

Offering classes year round, BPA’s educational programs support the values of successful learning and personal growth. All courses focus on the development of self-esteem, effective and caring group skills, and a comfort with and love of the arts. By providing a non-judgmental, positive, and supportive environment, BPA Theatre School helps children tap into their own creativity and respect that of others!

Gabe Carbajal led four amazing children’s shows at BPA in summer 2009 and is pleased to return this fall as teaching instructor and director of BPA’s youngest group of actors. Through team building, creative drama, music, movement, role playing, story enactment, imagination journeys, dance, and theater games, he’ll work with the students to strengthen speaking, listening, reading, writing and comprehension skills while bringing the magical script to life.

Gabe has studied voice and theater since college and, upon moving to Seattle, has performed with venues including Bainbridge Performing Arts, The Island Theater Group, Ovation Musical Theater and Civic Light Opera. He is also a part of the Seattle based modeling and talent agency Tiffany Talent which sends him on all kinds of crazy print, commercial, television and movie auditions. In the past, Gabe taught the toddler/preschool theater classes for KidiMu: The Kid’s Discovery Museum as well as Seattle’s fabulous Moonpaper Tent Children’s Theater.

Gabe has a degree in politics with a minor in child psychology and juvenile delinquent behavior from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA. After three years as a certified lead pre-school teacher in Seattle, he left the field of Early Childhood Education and received his K-6 Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from the California State University Bakersfield Graduate School of Education.

D’Arcy Clements has “always been a performer, but mostly off stage,” she says with a wink. Recently, her off stage endeavors include teaching preschool (including French and music), serving as paraeducator at all grades and ability levels for the Bainbridge Island School District (BISD), tutoring math and French, substitute teaching middle school and high school for West Sound Academy and BISD, and her favorite, being Libby’s mom.

Music, voice, and theatre have been in D’Arcy’s repertoire since early grade school. Her earliest performance was lip-synching to Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” on her best friend’s front lawn in kindergarten (she still has the original 45-record), and her peak performance was in college as Lady Macbeth. After college, she worked in a corporate environment for over 11 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Her corporate job descriptions always evolved to include numerous presentations to diverse audiences, development of educational materials, and coaching and motivating groups and individuals.

D’Arcy holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Seattle University, with minors and additional coursework in Computer Science, Business, Business Education, and Musical Theatre. She recently completed her M.Ed. in Mathematics for grades 6-12 through Old Dominion University, and has the title of Highly Qualified, Certificated Educator in Washington State.

D’Arcy has been actively looking for a community to bring together her heart’s passions ? theatre, education, and Libby, and she is grateful BPA is able to provide such a wonderful neighborhood.

Steven Fogell is the Artistic Director for BPA and has been a part of the organization for more than fourteen years, working as a teacher, playwright, director, and designer. Steven’s first role with BPA was that of Costume Designer for the Mainstage production The Little Prince. He then moved on to teach in the Theatre School and direct Annie. He has directed more than 70 Mainstage and Theatre School shows for BPA. Among his favorite BPA directing credits are Jekyll & Hyde, Cabaret, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Misérables, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sweeney Todd, and The Light in the Piazza. Steven is a published playwright, with eight plays in print thus far. He wrote and directed his first film “Engagement” which won Best of the Fest at the 10th Anniversary Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival in March 2008.

Director, instructor, and choreographer Lee Ann Hittenberger leads BPA Theatre School’s classes this season. Her instructional/organizational credits include West Sound Academy (Drama Instructor), Kitsap Forest Theater Youth Theater Camp (Education Coordinator), Edmond Children’s Theater Camp (Education Director), Tacoma Little Theater Winter Camp (Fight Combat Instructor), Costume Construction for the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and Garment Construction for the Art Institute of Seattle. She directed Charlotte’s Web for Edmonds Community College and served as Production Manager for La Mode Fashion Show Institute of Design and Technology. She has produced stage fight choreography and dance choreography for numerous regional groups including BPA, Driftwood Players, Burien Little Theater, Freehold Studio Series, Mountaineer Forest Theater, Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater, Jewel Box and Seattle Prep. Lee Ann’s education includes the Actor Training Program and the Ensemble Training Intensive at Freehold Studio. Special skills span from Ice skating Pre-Gold Medalist; Dialects (Southern, British, Cockney); and Stage combat training with skills proficiency certification in unarmed, broadsword, rapier (swashbuckling), rapier/dagger, quarterstaff, knife, small sword, and sword and shield. She also won Best Actress Award by Kitsap Arts & Entertainment for portraying Ms Helen in Road to Mecca at Changing Scene Theater.

Dinah Manoff was accepted to the Actors Studio in New York at the age of seventeen, and won the 1980 Tony Award for her performance in Neil Simon’s I Ought To Be In Pictures. Her numerous theater credits include Broadway’s Leader of the Pack, Alfred and Victoria at the Los Angeles Theatre Center and Kingdom of Earth at Theatre West. She won a Los Angeles Dramalogue Award (Best Director of the Year, 1993) for directing Telegram From Heaven. On television, she was a series regular on Soap, Empty Nest and State of Grace. Manoff’s feature film credits include Bloodhounds of Broadway, Child’s Play, Staying Together, Backfire, Ordinary People, Grease, I Ought to be in Pictures, Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, The Amati Girls, and the soon to be released Bart’s got a Room. As a television director Manoff worked on episodes of Empty Nest as well as Brother’s Keeper, Movie Stars, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Sister Sister.

Corey McDaniel has been a teacher and acting coach for stage and film with both youth as well as professional adults for most of his professional career. Originally from Texas, his career began as a dancer with the Lone Star Ballet. As an actor, he has worked throughout the US and internationally with credits ranging from stage to television and film. His performance credits have placed him in such reputable arenas as the Fabulous Fox Theatres, the Hollywood Bowl and the Metropolitan Opera House of NYC. As a Director, Corey has staged numerous shows throughout Southern California, Japan and more recently in Seattle.

Since beginning with BPA in 2001, Guy Sidora has been involved in such amazing productions as Cabaret, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Once Upon a Mattress and Macbeth. His career started at a young age earning top honors in regional and national speech competitions throughout the US. Perhaps because of this, he has an uncanny way of connecting children and youth with their imaginations and observes that the best learning happens when children are happy, breathing well and choosing to be present. Now Guy is an instructor for the BPA Theatre Outreach Program and continues work with kids in local schools as well as Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Bainbridge Island Television, Island Theatre, Bainbridge Ballet and other arts organizations.

Chris Soldevilla has been teaching and performing Improv in Boston, L.A. and now Bainbridge and Seattle for 20 years. He has appeared in over 50 commercials and in productions such as Coyote Ugly, 7th Heaven, and Arli$$. He received his best reviews when he played the title role in The Revolt of the Foolish Molar in Mrs. Gladney’s 3rd grade class. His wife has done some acting as well…