Joe Kemper

Joe Kemper is the Chair of the Department of Theatre at DA. His recent directing credits include Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Well, Rent, A Chorus Line, Black Comedy, Curtains, Guys & Dolls, and My Fair Lady at DA, Kinky Boots, SpongeBob the Musical and In the Heights at Players by the Sea, Spring Awakening at Jacksonville University, and The Call and Love! Valour! Compassion! at The Five and Dime. In Fall 2016, he directed the regional premiere of Andrew Upton's and Benedict Andrews' translation of Jean Genet's The Maids at Flagler College, for which he was awarded the National Distinguished Director of a Play Award and the Regional Excellence in Directing Award by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The production also received seven national honors, including Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble of a Play. His DA production of A Chorus Line won 17 Regional Applause Awards from the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, including Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Director of a Musical. As an educator, Kemper is a former "Rookie Teacher of the Year" in St. Johns County, has been 6x recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation and recently received a spot on the 2020 US Presidential Scholar's National Influential Teacher List, the only theatre teacher to appear on the list. He received his MFA from UCF.

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Bonnie Harrison

Bonnie Harrison is the Co-Chair of the Theatre Department and Director of Performance Theatre. She has an M.F.A. in Performance from the University of Florida and enjoyed a career as an Equity actor and the Director of Education at The Hippodrome State Theatre. Some of her favorite roles include the Nurse in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Candida in Shaw’s Candida and Teenage Greek Chorus in Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive. Harrison’s passion to use theatre to discuss social issues have garnered her The Steven Tunic Award from the Corporation for Service Learning, the FAVA/CA Volunteer of the Year Award for her efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and the Arts Innovation Award from The International Network of Schools for the advancement of Arts Education for her Issue Based Theatre curriculum. The Issue Based Theatre class at DA is one of the few opportunities for students from all Arts areas to collaborate and create performances dedicated to making a positive impact in their community. Harrison was named teacher of the year at DA in 2014 and has directed numerous shows over her past 17 years here, including some favorites—Anton in Show Business, Bang Bang Your Dead, The Sugar Bean Sisters and The Children’s Hour.

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​Michael Beaman

Mr. Beaman is thrilled to be joining the DA Theatre team. For the past twelve years, Mr. Beaman has been a teacher in St. Johns County; first at St Augustine High (Teacher of the Year, 2017) and then at Tocoi Creek High School, which he helped open in 2021. Mr. Beaman sits on the State Board of the Florida Thespian Festival of the Educational Theatre Association, representing Duval, Nassau, Clay, and St. John’s counties as District Chair. As a theatre educator, Mr. Beaman has been recognized by the National Young Arts Foundation (2020) and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC (2015 Distinguished Director of a Play Award for Endgame at Flagler College). For three years, Mr. Beaman’s productions of The Normal Heart, Seascape, and Agnes of God at SAHS have enjoyed runs at the state level in Tampa at the Florida State Thespian Festival, the highest honor a high school production can receive. Mr. Beaman’s production of Next to Normal at Tocoi Creek received 27 nominations in TCHS’s inaugural submission to Orlando’s Applause Awards, with Mr. Beaman receiving nominations for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Scenic Design. Performance credits include John/James (Love! Velour! Compassion! - 5&Dime) Emcee (Cabaret - Limelight Theater) and Oliver (As You Like It - Theater Jax). Mr. Beaman has twice been recognized as the Best Actor in Northeast Florida by Folio Weekly (2018 and 2019). Additional directing credits include Fool for Love, Hedda Gabler, Amelie, Lend Me a Tenor, The Producers, Into the Woods, Pride and Prejudice, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and 20 seasons as director and choreographer with the Summer Musical Theatre Camp at Flagler Auditorium. Mr. Beaman received his MFA from UCF. 

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Laura Frye

Laura Frye (Performance Theatre): With almost two decades of professional work in NYC, and a continued career in Regional Theatre, Laura is thrilled to be creating her next chapter in arts education. With notable performances including Imogen in Cymbeline, Regan in King Lear, Rosalind in As You Like It, and Portia in Julius Caesar at Houston Shakespeare Festival, Laura has created an artistic home outside Florida that has helped forge new relationships between her academic and artistic life. Armed with an MFA from the esteemed PATP program at the University of Houston, Laura has also showcased her love of the classics on stages across NYC, showcasing her versatility as the title role in Titan Theatre Company’s Hamlet, as well as embodying characters like Iago in Othello and Maria in Twelfth Night. With regional credits at esteemed venues such as Westport Country Playhouse, Delaware Rep, and the Virginia Shakespeare Festival, along with international acclaim for her portrayal of Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Teatro Franco Parenti. Most recently she was nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth by Broadway World. Laura is thrilled to be bringing her passion for Shakespeare and acting to the incredible students at Douglas Anderson. 

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Jennifer Kilgore

Jennifer Kilgore (Lighting Designer/Technical Director) has been a lighting designer for Theatre, Dance, Opera, and Musical Theatre since 2000. Jennifer joined the Adjunct Faculty of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts teaching Dance Production and designing for the Dance Division in 2016. Since then, she has joined the Theatre Department full-time as Technical Director and Lighting Designer She comes to Douglas Anderson from being the Assistant Professor of Lighting Design at Stephens College in Columbia, MO.

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Valeriya Nedviga

Valeriya Nedviga (Technical Theatre) is a resident scenic designer for Indianapolis Opera (IN) and the assistant professor of scenic design and tech at Jacksonville University. She designed for Indiana University (IN), NYU-Steinhardt and The Tank Theatre (NYC); Red Tape Theatre, Bravo Performing Arts Center and Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Chicago; Millbrook Playhouse in PA, Bristol Valley Theatre and Alleyway Theatre in NY, The Phipps Center for the Arts (WI). Valeriya worked as Production Assistant for the Ohio State Opera and Lyric Theatre and as a critic in residence for BorderLight Cleveland International Theatre and Fringe Festival, Production Manager for Westerville Symphony orchestra, personnel manager and Librarian for McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra (OH); she also worked for Indiana State Museum and with Indianapolis Ballet. She has MFA in Scenic Design from Indiana University, as well as MM in Violin Performance and MA in String Pedagogy from The Ohio State University.

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Ruihan Lu

Ruihan Liu (Technical Theatre) is a Scenic Designer originally from Qingdao, China. Her journey into the world of entertainment began when she relocated to the United States in 2016 to pursue a B.F.A. in Production Design for Film and TV at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). During her academic career, she has showcased her design skills in various award-winning films and school productions, including projects like Constellations, Beach House, and G.R.I.T.S. Theatrical designs include A Raisin in the Sun, Sideways Stories From Wayside School and The Cake. She received her MFA in Scenic Design from the University of South Carolina.

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​Ellie Potts Barrett

Ellie Potts Barrett, internationally recognized choreographer, dancer and dance educator, attended college at Boston Conservatory and received her BA in Dance, cum laude, from the University of South Florida. Ellie danced with the Ina Hahn Modern Dance Company, Boston Dance Company and Mary Anthony in New York, as well as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. She has been an associate artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts to Master Artists Merce Cunningham, Meg Harper and Elizabeth Streb, and Florida’s prolific author, Carl Hiaasen. Ellie has had an illustrious career as a choreographer.  She has created shows and dances for Walt Disney World, Sea World, theme parks and musical theatre companies worldwide, surpassing the 200 show mark. In addition to teaching Modern at The Dance Company, Ellie also teaches Modern and Musical Theatre at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, in Jacksonville, and also at the Orlando Ballet School. She is a proud member of both, Actor’s Equity Association (AEA) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). www.ElliePottsBarrett.com​

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Jocelyn Geronimo

Jocelyn Geronimo is a native of Jacksonville and grew up in Atlantic Beach, FL. She started performing at a young age and sang and danced her way through school. She studied Music Education at both Florida State College of Jacksonville and the University of North Florida.  But before that she had the incredible opportunity to work at Disney World’s MGM Studios right after graduation. Jocelyn considers herself very fortunate to be able to continuously be creative in her life whether it be through performing or teaching. She remains active on the stage and in the community as the owner and artistic director of SET Studios (Showcase Educational Theatre) which was established in 2018. SET Studios is a children’s theatre located in the intracoastal/beaches area where she offers performing arts classes for kids ages 4-18. Her students have performed locally, regionally, and nationally winning awards such as the Excellence in Music Award at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, GA, in 2020 and 2022.  As well as being awarded the Best Musical Theatre School at the Access Broadway Competition in Orlando, FL in 2018 and 2019 and AB National Champions in 2018 in New Jersey. In addition to these works, Jocelyn founded and created the Stageland Scholarship Festival which is a new musical theatre competition for kids where students may perform solos, duets, and group numbers for adjudication, study and attend masterclasses with Broadway stars, and then also get the chance to win scholarship money to continue their studies in the arts.  2021 was the inaugural year for Stageland, and she is currently in the midst of planning the next great one! 

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One of her most memorable roles was dancing professionally for the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1996-1999, as well as for the All-Stars NFL Superbowl Players Party. Jocelyn continues to remain active with the NFL Alumni Organization by coaching and mentoring kids in cheerleading and sports camps. You might have also heard her and/or her students sing the National Anthem a few times at the Jaguars games over the years. 

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For the past ten years Jocelyn has been heavily involved in developing children's programs. She teaches acting, musical theatre, dance, voice and piano. She was the Performing Arts Director at the Foundation Academy for 2 years before moving to Players by the Sea as the Education Director, where she led an extremely competitive and enthusiastic group. She has directed and choreographed some incredible youth productions such as Aladdin, Willy Wonka, Legally Blonde, School of Rock, Elf, Bye, Bye Birdie, 13 the Musical, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Seussical the Musical, Les Miserables, The Addams Family, Shrek, the Musical, Godspell, Matilda, Annie, and Into the Woods. But when she is not teaching, she is on the stage! Some of her favorite theatre roles include Passing Strange (Heidi), Young Frankenstein (Choreographer), Chicago (Mona), Godspell (Choreographer), Grease (Jan), Shrek (Fairy Godmother), Avenue Q (Christmas Eve), Little Shop of Horrors (Director), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Choreographer), Company (Jenny), Next to Normal (Diana), and American Idiot (Director/Choreographer). www.setstudiosjax.com

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Tess Sturgeon

Tess Sturgeon began her dance training in Jacksonville, FL at Ballet Arts Centre, one of the oldest studios in Jacksonville, and the dance program at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. She continued her education at the University of the Arts, Oklahoma City University, and Florida State College at Jacksonville dance programs; each bringing attention towards her focus in musical theatre, modern, and jazz techniques. Tess returned to Jacksonville to teach and choreograph at several locations such as Ballet Arts Centre, Apex Theatre Studio, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, and Seacoast Christian Academy. She has traveled as a choreographer and workshop instructor to Dance Theatre of Jacksonville in North Carolina, and Nashville School of the Arts. Tess is a current Featured Artist and Production Manager of Three Hearts Dance, a contemporary dance company that works to create storytelling experiences through dance film and live performances. Currently she is certified in Yoga through Yoga Den and Progressing Ballet Technique. Tess began dancing professionally with Jacksonville Dance Theatre in 2016 and serves as their Social Media Manager

 

Regina Torres

Jacksonville native, mezzo-soprano Regina Torres began her vocal studies at the University of Florida and finished her graduate work at the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. For over a decade, her private voice studio has taught students of all ages in vocal technique and performance in classical and musical theatre. She was previously the voice instructor at the St Johns County Center for the Arts for their Master’s Track Program and at the Northeast Florida Conservatory of Music. She specializes in incorporating breathing technique with performance practice, especially in classical and musical theatre. Her high school students have advanced to university training in music and theatre to the Tisch School of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Frost School of Music at University of Miami, Florida State University, Shenandoah University, Ithaca College, and many others.

Described as a “tour de force of vocal virtuosity married to a fabulous stage presence” (Captain Classics – WFCF, St. Augustine), Ms. Torres wields her voice with equal acclaim in opera and musical theatre.” Comfortable in every genre, her most recent appearance was as Violet in 9 to 5: The Musical at the Amelia Community Theatre.

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