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Theatre Department Faculty

Brooke Barnes-Meeks

Brooke Barnes-Meeks graduated from HSPVA where she received "The Most Outstanding Dance Major Award". She has danced classical and contemporary works with Houston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, The Houston Grand Opera, Sandra Organ Dance Company, The Lula Elzy New Orleans Dance Theatre, Leanna Sparacino and Company Dancers, Dorrell Martin Dance Fusion, Psophonia Dance Company, Second Generation Dance Company, Kuumba House Dance Theater, and completed two European tours with City Dance Company. Mrs. Barnes-Meeks has performed in Univision Television's "Selena Vive!" and at The Apollo Theater as a guest performer. She has appeared in theatrical productions with Thomas Meloncon's Truth Theater Productions, I'm Ready Productions, Express Theatre, and has appeared in theatre productions as well as films with So-Mee Productions. Mrs. Barnes-Meeks has taught and choreographed for many schools, dance studios, dance companies, arts programs, and various organizations. Most recently, she performed in Houston as well as completed a two-part Sweden tour with The Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble. Currently, Mrs. Barnes-Meeks is teaching and choreographing for dance studios, dancing with The Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble, directing and choreographing HSPVA's Black History Production as well as various HSPVA Vocal Dept. productions, and of course, ecstatic about returning to the Theatre Dept. for her ninth year!

James Black - e-mail

Mr. Black brings over 25 years of theatre experience with him to HSPVA. He holds the Bachelor of Arts degree from Missouri Southern State University where he studied stage management and scenic/set design. He has worked at a variety of professional and non-professional venues in various technical and artistic roles.

He has designed sets and lights for numerous productions, including "Oklahoma!", "Cabaret", "Peter Pan" and "Moon Over Buffalo", and stage managed productions of "Charlotte's Web", "A Chorus Line", "Annie" and "42nd Street." In addition, he has designed costumes for "Vanities", "Cinderella", "Star-Spangled Girl" and "The Frog Prince", and has performed onstage in a variety of acting roles.

While he has worked with young people and children of all ages throughout his theatrical career, he considers teaching at HSPVA to be among the most rewarding experiences of his life. He is extremely thrilled to be a part of the HSPVA drama department, and is honored to work with some of the most talented young people in the country!

Marc Duncan - e-mail

Mr. Duncan holds the Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A & M University in Corpus Christi and an Associates degree from Trinity Valley community college. He previously served as the Technical Director at The Harbor Playhouse in Corpus Christi, Texas before coming to HSPVA.

He has designed sets and lights for numerous productions, including "Moliere in Love", "I Hate Hamlet", "Company", "Cats", "Hansel & Gretel", "Rent", "Children of a Lesser God" ,and "Taming of the Shrew." In addition, he has performed onstage in a variety of acting roles. Mr. Duncan also serves as a Theatre consultant to schools and organizations on projects, architecture and replacement/implementation of Theatre technology.

Matt Hune

Mr. Hune has taught acting in Houston and Chicago. As an actor, Mr. Hune has been in Our Town and the regional premiere of Edward Albee's The Goat or Who is Sylvia at the Alley Theatre, Pinocchio 3.5 at Stages Repertory and Ivan the Fool at Bobbindoctrin, and The Outsiders at Stages Theatre Company (Minneapolis). Mr. Hune is a founding member and co-artistic director of The Back Porch Players where he has performed in Jewtopia, Moonchildren, Balm in Gilead, Waiting for Lefty and Brighton Beach Memoirs. His Chicago acting credits include the title role in Hamlet, Good Worker (premiere), Locomotive Shark (premiere), A Number, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Living Out, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Iphigenia in Taurus. He received the 2003 Award for Acting from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and was a Semi-Finalist Nominee for Presidential Scholar in the Arts during his senior year in the theatre department at HSPVA. Mr. Hune holds a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Laurie Husmann

Laurie Husmann began her career as a student at South Dakota State University majoring in apparel design. Her love for construction soon led her to the theatre and she received her Master of Arts degree in theatre from the University of South Dakota. Having worked on more shows than she cares to count, she enjoys the opportunity now to share the experience and teach skills to future artists.

Suzanne Jennings - e-mail

Suzanne Jennings, acting coach and director, began her career at HSPVA in 1991. She holds a Master's degree from the University of Houston, where she studied under Cecil Pickett, Sidney Berger, Edward Albee and José Quintero. Her undergraduate studies were done at the Universities of Texas and Wisconsin. Ms. Jennings was named "Most Influential Teacher in the Arts" by Presidential Scholars in the Arts, Julia Krohn and Wayne Wilson and by more than twenty Award Winners in the National Foundation for Advancement in the YoungArts competition. In the summer of 2010, the New York Conservatory of Film and TV chose 12 teachers in the country to bring to New York for advanced training. Both Ms. Jennings and Ms. Ogden were included in the group, chosen because of the quality of work the Conservatory saw in students trained by the PVA Theatre Dept. She has many professional acting and directing credits, including Hartford Stage in Connecticut during their 1988-89 Tony award-winning season and an off-Broadway production of Othello. Her dramaturgy credits include projects at several theatres with various playwrights. She has directed winning plays for the Playwright's Festivals at the Alley and Stages Repertory Theatre and has worked with the Children's Theatre Festival as an associate producer and director. For nine years she was Associate Producer of the Houston Shakespeare Festival, and she worked in administration at the Alley for four years. Her previous teaching posts include the Universities of Houston and St. Thomas. Lately, she and her husband Rix Jennings have begun offering workshops in their home studio in film-making and acting on camera. A co-founder of Illuminations, Theatre With the Deaf, Ms. Jennings has incorporated signing actors into a variety of productions to make theatre accessible to deaf audiences.

Julia Krohn

Ms. Krohn most recently appeared in the original Vegas company of Jersey Boys as Lorraine. NY credits include ABBA's Kristina (pre-Broadway workshop) and Joy (Off-Broadway); Regional: Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Maine State Music Theatre, Carousel DT), Mack and Mabel (Goodspeed). In her hometown of Houston, TX: Theatre Under the Stars: Anything Goes, and Cats; The Alley Theater: Sherlock Holmes, Christmas Carol, Toward Zero; Stages Repertory Theatre: Betty in Betty's Summer Vacation. In 2000 she was awarded First Place both as a "Presidential Scholar in the Arts" and in the NFAA Arts Recognition and Talent Search. Julia studied in the BFA Musical Theatre Program at The Boston Conservatory.

Chesley Krohn

Ms. Krohn graduated with a math degree from the University of Houston and is a senior member of Actor’s Equity Association. She has taught dance and/or theatre at the University of St. Thomas, the University of Houston School of Theatre, University of Houston Downtown, Houston Community College and the Humphries School of Musical Theatre. Her acting credits include roles in productions at the Shubert Theatre- Broadway, Circle on the Square-San Francisco, Desert Inn-Las Vegas and locally at the Alley Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, Stages Repertory Theatre and Unity Theatre Brenham. Most recently she played Arlene in BABY at Stages and Mrs. Potts in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST for Theatre Under the Stars. She was artistic director of the Earlystages Children’s Theatre from 1997-2001 where she developed a series of new plays for young audiences. Mrs. Krohn has directed and/or choreographed productions throughout the Houston community including: STEPPING OUT, ROMEO AND JULIET, DRACULA THE MUSICAL (choreography, Alley Theatre), ROMANCE, ROMANCE (Dir/Choreo. Stages), LIL’ ABNER (choreo., TUTS), DAMES AT SEA, I DO,I DO, (Dir/Choreo., Unity Theatre), QUILTERS, DIANA OF DOBSONS, AS YOU LIKE IT, PIPPEN (Dir., University of St. Thomas Theatre Dept.), and director/choreographer of 20 productions for the Children’s Theatre Festival. Two of her four children are graduates of HSPVA and are working actors in NY - Aaron Krohn 1986 and Julia Krohn 2000.

Michael Mertz

Mr. Mertz is a veteran educator and professional musician. He has appeared throughout North America, performing and composing music for theatre, television and advertising. Locally, you may have seen and heard his work in productions at Alley Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre, Main Street Theater, Theatre Under the Stars, Bayou City Concert Musicals, University of Houston (in collaboration with Tony Award-winning composer Jerry Bock), University of St. Thomas, and College of the Mainland Community Theatre. Mr. Mertz has devoted over two decades working with young people in the Houston area as an instructor in Voice, Piano, and the Performing Arts. He brings a wealth of experience to his work in the Department of Drama as a consultant to our Musical Theatre program.

Terry Ogden

Mr. Ogden is a graduate of Lamar University and holds a Master's Degree from The University of Houston. He was, for 12 years, the Director of Theatre at San Jacinto College where he was cited three times for excellence in direction by the Kennedy Center/ American College Theatre Festival. Terry is a former stuntman and a former member of the Society of American Fight Directors. He is married to HSPVA Theatre department chair, Cynthia Ogden. His daughter, Kelley (HSPVA class of '95) runs a theatre company in Sacramento, California.

Cynthia Ogden - e-mail

Ms. Ogden oversees students with a musical theatre focus and also teaches movement, yoga, voice and diction, and level four acting. She is also the artistic director for the all-school musicals.

Ms. Ogden attended the University of North Texas and is a graduate of Texas Tech University with degrees in Theatre and Spanish. She has also received fellowships which allowed her to study theatre and culture in Mexico City and directing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. She counts 2006-2007 as her 18th school year teaching and directing students in high school theatre. She has directed numerous award winning plays with the Texas UIL One-Act Play competitions. She has also received recognition from the American College Theatre Festival/Kennedy Center for "Excellence in Directing" with her productions of Horton Foote’s Talking Pictures and the premier of Marienne Kreitlow’s Earl Tracy, and "Excellence in Costume Design" for her designs for San Jacinto Central College’s production of Rashoman. Her production of An Ideal Husband was also honored with performances at the International Thespian Conference.

Dabrina Sandifer

Ms. Sandifer is a graduate of the HSPVA's theatre department. Recipient of the Bob Singleton Scholarship for Theatre Educators, she studied theatre and broadcast journalism at the University of Houston. She has worked as a director, teaching artist, and arts administrator with various organizations such as Main Street Theater, the Alley Theatre, Arts with an Impact, and others. Ms. Sandifer hopes to continue sharing her passion for the arts and youth empowerment.

Susan Shofner

Ms. Shofner began her performing career here in Houston as a dancer at Houston Ballet. She spent ten years living and working in New York City where she performed in two national tours - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and On the Twentieth Century - several Off-Broadway shows and in several regional theaters. Since returning to Houston, Ms. Shofner's favorite roles as an actor include Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, Margaret in The Light in the Piazza, Vera in Pal Joey, Pennywise in Urinetown, The Witch in Into the Woods, Jenny in Company, Carlotta in Follies, and Cora in Anyone Can Whistle. She has acted in non-singing roles as well in On the Razzle, Taking Leave, A Necessary End, Hushabye Mountain, The Night Hank Williams Died, and Loss of Interest. As a teacher, director, and choreographer Ms. Shofner has worked at River Oaks Baptist School , St. John's School , The Jewish Community Center, The Bridges Academy of Fine Arts at St. Luke's Church, College of the Mainland, and as a private coach.

Deneen Tyler

Ms. Tyler has been acting for approximately 20 years. Starting in a small theater community in New Orleans, she then started acting in commercials and television. Incentives passed in Louisiana caused a very welcomed flood of production in the area. Now with over 30 feature films under her belt, she also is an acting coach, voice over talent and also has directing and writing under her belt. Her upcoming projects can be seen on IMDB.com. She welcomes the opportunity to work with the talented staff and remarkable students of HSPVA where her daughter graduated from in 2009.

Todd Waite

Mr. Waite, our new Master Teacher, is entering his tenth season as an Alley Theatre Company Artist, appearing in over 40 productions: Intelligence-Slave (Hermann Pister), Harvey (E.J. Lofgren), Alfred Hitchcocks The 39 Steps (Richard Hannay), The Santaland Diaries (Crumpet), Our Town (Mr. Webb), The Crucifer of Blood(Sherlock Holmes), Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock), Rock n Roll (Jan): Houston Press "Best Actor 2009", Mrs. Warrens Profession (Sir George Crofts), Cyrano de Bergerac (De Guiche), The Goat or Who is Sylvia? (Martin) playing opposite our own Matt Hune, Arsenic and Old Lace (Mortimer Brewster), Hapgood (Kerner), Deathtrap (Sydney), Twelfth Night (Orsino), Art (Ivan), Stones in His Pockets (Jake), and The Devil's Disciple (Burgoyne). Previously, Mr. Waite spent six seasons with the renowned Shaw Festival, was Enjolras in the Canadian premiere of Les Miserables, and has guest-starred on all major US and Canadian networks. Awards include: the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship, Best Actor nomination: The Coronation Voyage (world premiere), and the Critic's Choice Award for Intimate Exchanges (Dallas Theatre Center). He has directed several Canadian premieres, and was the resident director for Cirque du Soleil's "O" in Las Vegas. Mr. Waite is an adjunct professor for the University of Houston's Graduate Program in Theatre Education, and was coach for the Houston Grand Opera Studio. His private students attend Stage Door, Interlochen, Juilliard, DePaul, Yale, and The Royal Scottish Academy. Mr. Waite will be coaching HSPVA Theatre seniors to help them with auditions for college admissions.

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