| Class: | Age: | Chapter: | Location: | Day: | Time: | Start: | End: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday: Production Crew | 12-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Fri | 4:30pm - 8:30pm | Sep 09 | Nov 04 |
| The CYT Summer Intensive | 12-18 | Portland (Summer 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Sat | 8:00am - 5:00pm | Aug 20 | Aug 20 |
| Thursday: A Christmas Carole Reader's Theater-Drama II | 12-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: A Disneyland Christmas Fantasy Parade-Dance I | 8-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: Essentials of Acting/Drama I | 8-12 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: Frozen-Musical Theater II | 11-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: Santa's Workshop-Costuming | 13-79 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: Tappin' Happy: Beg/Int. Tap | 12-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: That's Too Funny! Improv Class | 8-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Thursday: Twas the Night Before Christmas-Musical Theater I | 7-10 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Thu | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 08 | Nov 17 |
| Tuesday: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas-Musical Theater I | 7-10 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: A Candyland Christmas-Wiggles & Giggles | 6-6 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: A Dickens Christmas Caroling Class | 8-11 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: A Disneyland Christmas Fantasy Parade-Dance I | 8-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: A Polar Express Dance Experience -Dance II | 13-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: Drama II: Gift of the Nightfury, Snoggletog in Burk | 11-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: That's Too Funny! Improv Class | 8-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: The Grinch That Stole Christmas-Vocals | 8-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
| Tuesday: White Christmas Variety Show- Musical Theater II | 11-18 | Portland (Fall 2022) |
Northwest Christian Church - Tigard Campus | Tue | 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Sep 06 | Nov 15 |
Christopher Benjamin hails from Portland, OR, though raised a good portion of his young life in Jackson, Mississippi, of which he declares home. Chris is connected to music and drama in many ways. While living in Portland, he sang in the Portland Symphonic choir, one of Oregon's finest classical choirs as both a paid choir member and a soloist. He also participated in the Oregon Bach Festival from 2007 to 2012. Chris has traveled as a professional Tenor & Counter Tenor to perform in California, Washington, and of course his residing state, Oregon, but his personal favorite was to New York City's Avery Fisher Hall where he was the tenor soloist for Handel's Dettingen te deum. His favorite conducted concert was the Vivaldi Master work of Magnificat. Graduate of George Fox University, with a Bachelors Degree in Music Performance, and also received a Masters of Arts in Teaching at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. During his career in music, he also finds time to teach at his private voice studio, Higher Heights Vocal Studio, which he founded in February of 2014. As for the dramatic side of things, Mr. Benjamin has had leading roles in “Les Miserales” and Val Jean, “ Jekyll and Hyde” as Jekyll and Hyde, the “Golden Compass” as King Iorek Byrnison. The most recent being "Parade" as "Jim Conley” and “Songs for a New World Song Series” as Man 3. Benjamin has also worked as a Special Education Para Professional and girls basketball coach at Rosa Parks Elementary. Along with these things, Chris is the Oregon State Jurisdiction Youth President, he is a Worship Leader for quite a few ministries in Klamath and Pastoral Assistant to his Pastor at, Consumed by the Harvest Family Worship Center, under the leadership of Pastor B. R. Moore, Sr. and Lady D. T. Moore. Mr. Benjamin has now lived in Klamath Falls, OR for 7 years, where he now works as an Elder at Freewill COGIC, and enjoys teaching at Henley High School as the Director of Choirs, where his choir recently won first place at the solo and ensemble competition and fourth place at the OSAA State Choir competition. He is also the Klamath Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director. Chris’ heart is to continue to bring hope, joy, life and love to all through the Arts. His heart is to also plant a seed of love and respect for the arts in the hearts of the next generation! So that it may never die!
As a daughter of a music teacher, I’ve always loved music. I began singing in church choir as an adolescent. I quickly developed a deep love for musical theater and choral music and began performing in theater productions at age 13. I sang with choirs at church, in the Chamber Singers in High School, and eventually University choir before returning to church choirs as an adult. I am an elementary school teacher and have directed youth choirs at churches. I look forward to sharing my love of singing with a new class!
Jay started at CYT in 2017 as both the musical director for Beauty and the Beast Jr. and a vocal teacher. Since then he has been the musical director for Scrooge, Aladdin Jr. (Vancouver), Peter Pan Jr., and Tarzan. Jay has also continued to teach classes in music, acting, and dance. Alongside teaching and directing, Jay is also a performer. He has performed in Persephone at Bedrock Theatre and in Once at Broadway Rose Theatre. Jay’s background is in Music Performance, with a Bachelors of Music degree from BIOLA University. He also serves as a worship leader/musician at his church and also does film and television acting.
Jody joyfully homeschools her five children, who she spends many hours singing and dancing with. She has loved musical theater for as long as she can remember. She brings years of teaching experience with her where she taught fine arts and PE & third grade and she also directed summer camps and afterschool programs for the YMCA. She has loved CYT from the first time she experienced her first show and she is excited to be part of the CYT team.
Jozi brings over 30 years of experience as a working musician to CYT. Over the years she has added many musical roles to her roster, including worship leader, performer, songwriter, recording artist, producer, cast/choir member, director, teacher, and podcaster. She has been the recipient of numerous songwriting and performance awards and is a voting member of both the Gospel Music Association and the Recording Academy. Singing in church at a young age taught her the value of music as a means of communicating not only with an audience, but also with God. She feels very blessed to have had this revealed to her so early and currently leads music in K-8 chapel, hoping to help kids more fully understand the potential that music has to aid in a lifestyle of worship. She lives in Portland with her husband, their son, and their little dog too.
Kyle has been singing, dancing, and performing since high school. Notable performance at Whitworth University as Prince Dauntless in Once Upon a Mattress. First joining CYT as an Assistant Teacher for the Swing Dance Class with his wife, Lisa Allison, in 2017. He believes passing on what you have learned is one of the greatest gifts one can give to the next generation and that theatre performance is one of the best ways to build empathy for the outcast. He also helps with his church worship team singing and playing both guitar and cello. When not helping his wife with their three kids, Alexandra, Marcus, and Jinora, he can most often be found playing all types of games with his friends, both online and at the local game store.
Lisa has been dancing and preforming since she was very young. She received a BA in theatre performance and theatre administration from Whitworth University. She has studied numerous styles of dance including ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, swing, ballroom, and latin. Since graduating, she has been active working with professional and community theatres in the Portland and Salem area stage managing and choreographing. She believes we were all made with the ability to dance, and with a little practice and instruction, we can create something very beautiful through movement. For Lisa, dance is a joyful expression of the soul, and she is excited to share that joy with others. When not working on a production, she enjoys going on adventures with her husband, Kyle, and their children Alexandra, Marcus, and Jinora.
I got bit by the theater bug when I was very young, performing in church and school productions. In high school I not only spent lots of time onstage but also backstage. I learned to create and inspire through many aspects of technical theater. I have continued to enjoy being involved in community theater and recently have had the pleasure of teaching kids theater classes and being involved in CYT productions. I have spent my adult life working with kids to educate, encourage and help them find what makes them special. Theater has taught me to push myself further than I thought I could and I hope to inspire kids to find that passion in themselves.
Hey folks! Welcome to CYT! We are so glad you are here. My name is Michael. I'm a father of four, a husband, an artist, educator and theater director. I've been teaching high school theater for 15 years and have worked in the Portland area theater and film scene for the past 20. My experience ranges from youth theater camps with kiddos as young as 1st grade, to published writing projects and acting credits in shows for HBO and Netflix. I'm so grateful for the chance to work with CYT and to meet you. I'll be teaching a a master class in acting during our August session. I hope to see you there.
Sandy Shaner has been involved with the performing arts for 40 years. She studied both Dance and Early Childhood education at PSU, in addition to her training through multiple dance academies, including The Portland Dance and Northwest Dance Academies. Sandy has been an instructor of both drama and dance and is currently in her 21st year at Lake Oswego Academy of Dance. She also enjoys choreographing musical productions for schools in Portland, but most of all she loves being a part of the CYT family, where her dance background and her love of Jesus come together.
Segie VanWetten has enjoyed being part of CYT since the age of 13. She leveled up to become an alumni in the Fall of 2017 and shortly after became one of CYT's favorite teachers. She has taught Our Gang, jazz, hip-hop dance, has participated on numerous Artistic Teams, Camps, Tech Teams, Stage Management, and has taken on the role of CYT@ School Coordinator. Her love of hair and makeup has allowed her to design for almost every CYT show for the past 8 years. She is currently attending Phagan's School of Hair Design and works for Well and Good Coffee Shop. Her creative, kind, and loving spirit allows her to connect with students, parents, staff, and teachers alike. In her free time Segie enjoys searching Pinterest for makeup and hair design ideas, doodling, and spending time with her family.
For Sta'Cee it all began with a small part in a church play as a young kid, and slowly developed into a true excitement for drama and theater. Since then Sta'Cee has had the opportunity to be on the stage and behind the scenes in numerous productions. But her favorite roles in life include being a wife to her husband and mother to her 4 precious kids. She has worked with youth of all ages in church ministry for 25 years and has found that no matter the age group; drama and role playing have served as incredible tools for teaching. She truly delights in helping kids experience and understand God's love in such a fun and creative way.
Susan Ruddock began dancing at age 16, taking an Interpretive Dance class from Sr. Jeanine Therese. She found her passion & escalated her talent by taking thousands of diverse dance classes: modern, ballet, tap, jazz & musical theatre. Tap dancing so fascinated her that she dedicated 35 years to The Skylark Tappers dance company, retiring in Dec 2018. In 2010, Suz was chosen as a local Rockette to open the Radio City Rockettes’ show in Portland. Over the years, Suz honed her tap skills by interacting with taps masters Cholly Atkins, Brenda Buffalino, Honi Coles, Linda Sohl-Elison, Fred Strickler, Portland’s own Terry Brock & countless other tap masters. Suz enjoys engaging in theatre as an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer or assistant director with over 40 shows to her credit. A recent venture was choreographing Disney’s The Lion King for Kids.
Theresa VanWetten is the Artistic Director for CYT Portland. Her passion for the arts began with her first Portland Park and Rec ballet class at the age of 5. She received her dance training through grade school and high school at Eckel's School of Dance in Sherwood and Anita Pienovi's School of Dance in Beaverton. At the University of Oregon Theresa was privileged to study dance under Susan Zadoff and Janet Descutner. She was a Thespian of troop #2833 at Tigard High School and continued acting in college and community theater. She coached and choreographed for various Oregon High Schools including, Tigard, Tualatin, and Clackamas, which gave her a wide range of experience working with students. She was a Blazer Dancer for 3 years and coached and choreographed the Portland Forrest Dragon Cheerleaders for 3 more years. At June Taylor School of Dance Theresa taught beginning, intermediate, and advanced dance for 6 years. She has been married to her best friend Ray for 32 years and they have 9 children and 4 grandchildren. As a follower of Jesus Christ, her greatest desire now is to help promote the arts in a safe, loving, and professional environment so students can develop their own passion for creativity and find their worth from God's perspective at the same time.
Konstantin Stanislavski
