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Hillbarn Theatre
1285 East
Hillsdale Blvd.
Foster City, CA
94404

Sponsored by

VERONIKA OLAH

CONSERVATORY DIRECTOR

Veronika Olah earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from Santa Clara University, where she worked with SCU Children’s Theatre at many Bay Area Schools and Educational Programs. She has taught arts classes in the Summer Academy at Horace Mann Elementary School, Foster City School, Sunnyvale Community Center, and the Hands on the Arts Festival in Sunnyvale. Veronika directed her first professional production, the U.S. premiere of a Chinese musical titled “The Malan Flower,” at the Flint Center in 2005.  She has also performed or worked backstage at Dragon Productions, Foothill Music Theatre, Actor's Theatre Center, Sunnyvale Community Players, and Renegade Theatre Experiment. She has performed in five Hillbarn shows in the past two seasons including the role of Catherine in The Foreigner for which she won a Subscriber's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress.  Veronika is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Theatre Arts at San Jose State University.

HILLBARN THEATRE CONSERVATORY FACULTY

Virginia Musante (Director/ Acting Faculty) received a BA in Art and Theatre and earned a Secondary Credential from San Francisco State University.  She began her student teaching at a then new school called Bowditch Middle School in Foster City; Drama went from a “one period a day elective” to a class being offered every period of the day at various levels of expertise (e.g., Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced and Play Production) and many of her students have gone on to pursue successful careers as professional actors and theatre technicians.  Virginia has been teaching and directing Middle School students for the past 30 years and was named the San Mateo Foster City School District Teacher of the Year in 1989-1990. Virginia’s father was a professional musician and music teacher and her mother, her greatest role model, was a wonderful storyteller who also enjoyed performing in local community theatre.  Married for 32 years to her best friend, who she met in high school, George has always been her biggest supporter.  They have one son, Peter who graduated from the UCLA Musical Theatre Department in 2005 and has been working as a successful Equity actor on both the East and West coasts who, according to Virginia, is her “greatest production” to date.  In 2004, Virginia completed the Masters of Education program with an emphasis in Theatre at Notre Dame de Namur University.  Her Masters Thesis was research in creating ways to teach students with special needs through Drama and it now serves as a handbook for many Bay Area teachers.   Virginia was ultimately hired to teach Children’s Theatre for the Theatre Department at Notre Dame de Namur where she still teaches and finds the challenge rewarding.  She recently was part of the directing team of the well-known Notre Dame tradition of A Christmas Carol, The Musical.

Nicole Tung (Starshiners Director/Choreographer) Ms. Tung has been performing since the age of 5. Trained at Pacific Ballet Academy in Mountain View, she performed in the Nutcracker as the Dancing Doll, Snow Queen, and Dew Drop. She continued training in the theater arts at Santa Clara University where she also received her Bachelor’s in Psychology. A member of Actors’ Equity, she has performed with professional Bay Area companies in such shows as: South Pacific, Joseph, Miss Saigon, Pacific Overtures, Flower Drum Song, Gypsy, Making Tracks, King and I, and Funny Girl. Last year, she co-choreographed Golden Child at Hillbarn Theatre. Ms. Tung has taught and choreographed for Starting Arts, Monte Vista Christian High School, and Pacific Ballet Academy. Ms. Tung is also a certified massage therapist and health educator.

Nancy Fitzgerald Metzler (Acting-On Camera Workshops), has been directing musicals and plays for San Mateo and Santa Clara County schools and youth theater organizations since 1990. Nancy has worked with Hillbarn as a Director (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) and Stage Manager (THE FANTASTIKS, MY WAY) and for Broadway by the Bay as a Performer, Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Head Carpenter, Electrician, and Stage Technician.  Nancy owns and runs Brave Monkey Productions, a boutique video production and

photography company for broadcast, game, and corporate clients such as: MTV, FOX Family Channel, Nickelodeon, Sony CEA, SEGA, NAMCO, and Children’s Television Workshop.

Amanda Andrews (Production Assitant) is thrilled to be a part of the summer conservatory at Hillbarn where she herself has performed in two musicals.  She recently graduated from Hillsdale High School where she performed in a variety of shows and directed.  Amanda has been singing and dancing for most of her life and studies jazz, ballet and tap at Dance Arts Center and voice with Lauren Mayer.  Having been lucky enough to play a variety of part sizes and types in different musicals and plays, favorite roles include Princess Winifred the Woebegone in Once Upon A Mattress and Zaneeta Shinn in Hillbarn's The Music Man!  Amanda will attend University of California Irvine next fall where she plans to study theatre and phsychology.

Jennifer Brissman (Faculty Assistant/Production Assistant) is delighted to be working at Hillbarn this summer. She has had extensive dance training in ballet, jazz, and tap from Dance Arts Center under the tutelage of Berle Davis and Jayne Zaban and extensive vocal training with Dave Stroud and Debra Lambert. She has performed in musicals across the Peninsula with companies such as TheatreWorks, BBBay/PCLO, Hillbarn, 42nd Street Moon, Peninsula Youth Theater, Pied Piper Players, e.T.c., and San Mateo High School.  In her spare time, she is active in educational programs and is constantly thriving on theatre!

Emily Carambat (Dance) is currently a student at the University of Arizona where she area of study is a Dance Minor, emphasis in jazz, working towards a Dance Major.  She studies under the directorship of Michael Williams, Professor in The University of Arizona’s prestigious triple track Dance Division and with pricipald dancer’s from Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and his choreography has been featured in many Jazz Dance World Congress international events.  Emily is a proud member of the University of Arizona Dancers’ Consort and has performed in the Fall 2006 Collection Student Spotlight performance.  A resident of the Bay Area, she previously studied since the age of four at The Schumacher School of Dance in South San Francisco for fourteen years in areas of modern lyrical, acrobatics, tap, ballet, and jazz.  Her work included individual and solo work, small and large group, and production dance at the junior and top line levels. She has danced competitively in numerous dance competitions including Showstoppers, Show Biz, IDC, and the International Dance Festival, Prague 2000 where her groups won first place in the world.  Other works include Mercy High School Burlingame Modern Dance, Tri School Dance Performance, and individual work with Ayako Takahasi, Ayako School of Ballet and Joe Duffy, Associate Artistic Director at Hillbarn Theatre. 

Martin Rojas- Dietrich (Director Acting and Vocal Coaching/Audition Technique) is overjoyed to be working at Hillbarn Theatre. Martin is a Theatre Arts graduate of Cañada College where he trained with acclaimed Bay Area actress Linda Hoy (later collaborating with her on 4 different productions.) Martin has performed with Broadway By The Bay, Bus Barn Stage Company, Coastal Repertory Theatre, Foothill Music Theatre, Menlo Players Guild, San Jose Stage Company and TheatreWorks. He was named Best Supporting Actor for his work as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar by Keith Kreitman/Inside Arts and received a 2005 Dean Goodman Choice Award for his portrayal of The Beadle in FMT's Sweeney Todd. Martin is currently a Senior at Notre Dame de Namur University where he is a Vocal Performance Major.

Claudia McCarley (Theatrical Make-Up Design and Application) For eleven years Claudia was in charge of makeup for the Serra, Notre Dame, and Mercy High Schools' Tri-School Musical Productions where she conducted classes in theatrical makeup for both students and adults.  She has done makeup for several other production companies; including, West Bay Opera, Renaissance Productions, The Dickens Faire, and several community theatres in the area.  Her experience includes everything from basic stage makeup and old age, to prosthetic makeup for The Beast in "Beauty and the Beast."    

New Faculty will be added often!  Each Faculty member will be paired with a team of Production/Teachers Assistants to help facilitate their class or workshop.  Please check our website often for more info. 

If you are a Perfoming Artist with a background in arts administartion or education and are interested in working with us on SummerStage and ongoing educational workshops, please send your resume to:

backstage@hillbarntheatre.org

EOE/Competitive Salary-DOE.