Teaching Artists
Katie Stricker
(Assistant Education Manager)
Katie is a multidisciplinary dance artist, Co-Director of the BareFoot Collective, public school Dance Specialist and a Teaching Artist with the Broadway Center Conservatory and Ovation Academy of the Arts. Katie has performed and choreographed throughout the Puget Sound region and the Mid-West and holds a BFA in Performing Arts from Southeast Missouri State University. Katie was awarded a Tacoma Artist’s Initiative Project Grant for her choreography in 2008 and currently performs with the Seattle-Tacoma dance company, BQdanza.
Gabriel McPherson
(Master Teaching Artist & Musical Director)
Gabe has been a professional artist for over a decade, having played several major stages in the country as an actor, as well as a recording artist. Gabe works locally with Stadium High School as guest teaching artist and director and is a founding member, producer and writer for Doxology a Tacoma based rock band. Gabe is a proud member of AEA and SAG.
Marilyn Bennett
(Master Teaching Artist)
Adult Ensemble instructor, Dr. Marilyn Bennett received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington while working as a professional actor for the Lola Hallowell Agency in Seattle. She has taught theatre departments at St. Lawrence University, Hamilton College, Humboldt University, University of San Diego, and University of Puget Sound, and served as Director of Theatre at the Annie Wright School. Marilyn has directed over 50 academic and professional theatre productions, and is an AFTRA and Equity actor. Marilyn lives in Tacoma and is an adjunct theatre faculty and guest director at UPS.
Adam Utley
(Master Teaching Artist)
Adam was raised in Wenatchee, Washington. He received is Bachelors of Fine Arts in Directing/Acting from Pacific Lutheran University in 2004. His absolute adoration for Improv based creations and performing has guided his teaching opportunities throughout the Tacoma/Seattle area. Adam is committed to the art of effective educating and imbues this aphorism to all his students: Complete acceptance of your own spontaneity while committing to utilize everyone's everlasting brilliant ideas.
Bryan Willis
(Playwright)
Bryan serves as playwright-in-residence for the Northwest Playwrights Alliance at Seattle Repertory Theatre. His plays have appeared throughout the U.K., Israel, Japan, U.S. and Canada, including A Contemporary Theater (two commissions), New York Theater Workshop, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Unseam’d Shakespeare Co. and Riverside Studios in London. His work has also been featured on NPR and BBC Radio (commission for Sophie). Bryan is the proud recipient of a Theater Fellowship from Artist Trust and has worked in the literary departments of many theaters, including Playwrights Horizons and Lincoln Center (NYU's Playwright-in-Residence) and Tacoma Actors Guild. He was recently elected to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 2011 national selection team.
