YAE ALUMNI NEWS

If you are a YAE alumni and would like to tell us about your upcoming events or fantastic accomplishments please e-mail us. WE NEED UPDATES!!! The Year after an alumni's name indicates the last year they performed as a member of the YAE.

LIANA ALLDAY '95 currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and is the author of the novel "Mas Sexy."
SETH ALLEN '97 directed a few shows for the YAE including: Stuart Little, A Little Princess, and The Crucible. Seth was one of our amazing employees here at the Hillcrest Center, but left us the moment he bought a house in Oregon with his wife Bonnie Sue.  *sniff* We'll miss you Seth (and Bonnie!)
KATI ANGELINI '02 is a former employee here at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, and is currently a straight A student at Pierce College.
STEPHANIE ANGELINI '02 directed many shows for the YAE including The Wind in the Willows in 2002. Stephanie is currently the Director of Education at The Granada in Santa Barbara. The Granada is a 1,550 seat theatre, home to the symphony, opera, ballet and others.
SUMMER BALTZER '95 can be seen starring alongside her whole family on Unhinged, an interior design make-over show on TLC! Summer formerly appeared for several season on the show Design On A Dime, on HGTV. She also has her own design company, Summer Baltzer Designs and is a proud mother.
R. SHANE BINGHAM (’02), after being kicked out of the YAE for being too old, formed the Acorn Community Theatre Co, where fellow geriatrics can go to tread the boards. He produced the company’s inaugural show, Beyond Therapy, in March ‘05. He now blogs all about his adventures at www.rshanebingham.com.
RICK BLUHM '82 was the designer and technical director of the YAE's second production, Finian’s Rainbow. He continues to design for theatre, television (He has an Emmy), film and theme parks. He's proud to be a part of the history of YAE. 
AMANDA BYNES '95 can be seen on the big screen in HAIRSPRAY, WHAT A GIRL WANTS and BIG FAT LIAR, and on the television show What I Like About You among many other things!
NICOLE CABELL '95 studied opera at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music in New York. Nicole was voted the "Singer of the World 2005" at one of the most prestigious opera competitions, the BBC Cardiff in Wales. She is the first American in 20 years to win. You can read more about Nicole at: http://www.cabellissima.blogspot.com
NATALIE DE SAVIA '00 is still here at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts as the  Box Office Manager & Graphic Artist! She has also had a hand in a few more things by Assistant Directing a couple of YAE shows, including Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Kids, Alice in Wonderland,  It's a Wonderful Life, and The Secret Garden. (I am also the web mistress for this site, so stay on my good side! Just Kidding! Sort of!)
ERIN FAGUNDES (nee Bordofsky) '90 is married to alumni MARK FAGUNDES, together they are parents to Zoe and Jake. Erin is still active in local theater and can often be found acting and directing for the Conejo Players and has directed The Velveteen Rabbit for YAE!
CHRISTOPHER S. FIELD '95 works for THQ Wireless where he is the Producer for all wireless (i.e., mobile phone) Star Wars products worldwide; including games, ring tones, and graphics. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and son.
MICHAEL FISCHER '05 is currently one of our amazing employees here at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, as well as one of our newest directing talents. His YAE directing debut, It's a Wonderful Life, was a huge success, as was his follow up show The Secret Garden. Most recently, he directed the YAE's 28th Annual Teen Summer Musical: Little Shop of Horrors.
SEAN FITZGERALD '98 graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Art with an emphasis in Shakespeare. He is now a struggling actor in Los Angeles.
SARA JEAN FORD '01 graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Musical Theatre. From there she went on to understudy the role of Glinda & Nessarose in the Chicago production of Wicked. She currently lives in New York and has played Luisa in the Broadway production of The Fantasticks, as well as Christine in Broadway’s National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera! Sara also created the role of Nellie in the musical premier of Little House on the Prairie. Congratulations Sara!
SANDY GASKELL-OEI '89 has 3 children, Amy, Meghan and Kenneth. Before moving away, Sandy directed several productions for YAE, her last being Into the Woods.
JOHN GRANGE '95 is living in Los Angeles. Since graduating from Seattle Pacific University, John is currently working in reality television. 
Ryan Michael Hayes '98 graduated from American University in Washington DC as a Public Relations/Marketing major. He has recently returned to the West Coast with his young son and is working in event planning.
ANNALEE HARKINS '03 attended Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts in Sacramento. In San Francisco, she was involved in Art & Film (www.artandfilm.org) and was an actress for the Film Workshop (www.filmworkshopsf.org). She is now a student at London College of Fashion at University of the Arts London (www.arts.ac.uk) as a fashion design major.
CHRISTIAN ISELY '96  is a Research Associate for the United Nations Development Program and Ecoagriculture Partners in Washington, DC. He earned his Master of Science in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University where he specialized in International Economic Development. Currently, he is one of our brave souls helping to rebuild Iraq.
KIMBERLY JAFFE '97 (now Kimberly Willey), is happily married and living in Arizona. She is a high school English and Drama teacher, and acts in local theatres. Favorite recent shows/roles include Titanic: A New Musical, Father of the Bride, and Alice in You Can't Take it With You.
KYLE KAPLAN '03 has appeared in recurring roles for Hannah Montana and The War At Home. Kyle was a guest star on The Bernie Mac Show and can be seen on the television series 10 Things I Hate About You. Kyle has also appeared on several commercials including Wendys, Yahoo, Dairy Queen and AT&T Wireless over the past few years.
IAN KELLEY '05 was awesome. Now a-days, not so much... Just kidding! Mr. Kelley is one of our most valuable and hilarious employees here at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts. He has also done tech work on many many YAE shows, and every so often he still graces our stage as a guest artist. What would we do with out you Ian?
KRISTEN LASSITER '96 has left the YAE office staff to pursue bigger and better thing in the City of Angels. She has continued to work with us as prop master (or mistress) for many of our shows.
JUSTIN LEVINE '05 is currently attending Sonoma State University, earning his BA in Theatre Arts.
NICK LANGE '99 spent four years at De Paul University in Chicago. He has a BFA in Lighting Design, and is a founder of Manafest Theatre Company.  
JULIA LEES-SMITH '00 studied drama with an emphasis in Shakespeare at the University of Hull in England in one of the top 5 drama programs in the U.K. She is now happily married and learning the ropes of casting films.
JUSTIN LEES-SMITH '95 is a professional musician and plays in the pits of many LA incarnations of Broadway musicals.
CHRIS LOVEALL '88 was a YAE member from 86-88. Chris passed away unexpectedly in the summer of 2009. Throughout his life Chris stayed in touch with many of his friends from YAE. His resounding laugh and gregarious presence is sadly missed.
NICHOLAS A. MARINOFF '02 recently finished working in the professional stage production of Chekhov X 4 in Hollywood with the Antaeus Theatre and will act in the upcoming independent film Foreign Enemy.
Eric Martin '96 is an Entertainment Manager at Universal Studios Hollywood, where he works on developing killer shows and attractions. His projects include the infamous "Terror Tram" at Halloween Horror Nights, the Mummy Stilt Walkers, and the Atomic Sci-Fi Improv Group, among others. Eric also freelances as a video editor and director, having created content for organizations such as Nielsen, Universal, and the Discover a Star charity. His podcast, "Le Video Game," a wry look into the horrors of technology, is now in its fourth year. Eric lives in Los Angeles, CA
ALLISON MARTONE '07 is pursuing a BFA Acting degree from
DePaul University in Chicago, IL.
SEVRIN ANNE MASON '94 made her BROADWAY debut in the Tony Nominated Production of The Crucible with Liam Neason and Laura Linney March 2002. Scott sent roses.
ZACK MATHERS '97 lives in Los Angeles, and is currently a film editor, and founded his own post-production company called Frequent Flyer Productions, in 2003. He and alumni Sara Quick just got married! Congratulations guys!
PATRICK McALISTER '85 worked as the stage manager for The Hobbit is 1985 and did a few other productions for YAE between 1984 and 1987. For the Past 12 years, he's been married to his wife Theresa & has three kids: Dalton, Cheyenne and Dakota. They are all now living in Eastern Washington.
MEGAN MCDONOUGH '90 after 6 years on the east coast is back at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts as our new Cultural Programs Coordinator and YAE Producer! Welcome back Megan!! She lives happily in Simi Valley with her beau, Jim and a multitude of pets.
MICHAEL MCDONOUGH '86 is an environmental lawyer in Los Angeles and a proud father of Riley & Faith (Megan's favorite nieces!). He sings with the LA Master Chorale in his spare time and performs regularly at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Hollywood Bowl.
KERRY MELACHOURIS '94 left YAE in 1994 when she moved to Switzerland. She performed in Germany and Switzerland for a year and has been called back for the national tours of Les Miserable and Fame. Kerry graduated from CSULB with a degree in theatre and now lives in Laguna Beach. She continues to perform and work in theatre ever chance she gets.
 TARA MIELE '95 is the director of a fabulous commercial for the YAE! Her famous short film, SMACKERS, is still alive and moving.... maybe coming soon! Tara is married, currently living in Los Angeles, and is now a proud mom!!
BRIDGET MISTRY (nee McDonough) '84 is the mother of Aiden & Liam (Megan's favorite nephews). She lives in Newbury Park with her husband Siraj (Cyril). She sings with the Agoura Hills Harmony Chorus and constantly adds beleaguered parents to her unofficial Parents of kids with Special Needs support group.
JASON NARVY, '93 is currently pursuing his PHD at UCSB after receiving his Masters degree in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance, and he is also a founding member of The Legitimate Theater Company in Coney Island, NY. Jason is probably best known for his role as "Skull" in the Power Rangers. Jason is happily married to his beautiful wife Amy.
JENNIFER NEWELL (nee Delorey) '90, performed with YAE in 1990, in "The Hobbit" (as Gollum). Jennifer is currently teaching drama in the Cultural Arts Program at Walnut Canyon Elementary School in Moorpark, and She has a daughter who can't wait to be old enough to audition.
DENISE PACKARD '94 After graduating from PCPA Theatrefest Denise attended and graduated from Cal State Fullerton. Her stint at Fullerton included one semester at the University of London studying theatre. Denise made her debut as a Slayerette on the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She played Missy, in the HBO series, Deadwood. You can also find her at Intuitive Journey in Chatsworth as a professional psychic.
JEFF PAUL '96 Jeff can be heard playing on the soundtrack to Training Day and now lives in South Dakota where he is the principal Oboe player for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. He lives in South Dakota with his family: Liz, Maddie, Catherine, and Jonah. Jeff also has composed some amazing music for various YAE shows, most recently for The Crucible.
ELIZABETH PAUL (nee Yarman) '96 Liz is the proud mother of Maddie, Catherine, and Jonah. She and Jeff Paul are married and living in South Dakota. Liz wants everyone to know she's still acting... at least she says "I am currently acting happy working for the Public Defender's Office." Yeah, you know!
SARA PENMAN '95 Sara teaches high school English at Agoura High and remains active in local theater. She currently lives in the Ventura County with her fiancé. When not on stage or in her classroom, she travels, obsesses over Jack Bauer's next move on 24, and grades papers... lots and lots of papers! 
JASON PROTO '92 went to NYC in 1992 but after a short stint of acting he joined the work force. He now lives in Chicago, Illinois and is a computer programmer. He lives with his girlfriend of 7 years and their two beagles (odie and greta).
Brian Michael Purcell toured nationally in Jesus Christ Superstar and has produced and directed a number of successful benefit performances throughout Los Angeles. Brian recorded his debut Album entitled “Transition” with such great musicians as Ronny Drayton (who has musical directed and played lead guitar for such established performers as Nona Hendyrx, Alicia Keyes, Billy Joel and many, many more.) and Kim Lesley (Percussionist and Vocalists for Paul Young).  www.brianmichaelpurcell.com
SARA QUICK '97 recently produced "The Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. She has returned to the YAE as a choreographer and most recently as a guest artist for The YAE's production of A Little Princess. Sara also recently got married to YAE alumni Zack Mathers! Congrats to you both!!
KRISTEN RAK '97 is living in New York City and pursuing a fabulous career in dance!
DANIEL RATHUS '02 has joined the US Army. He is now stationed in Darmstadt Germany with the 32nd Signal Battalion, Alpha Company. "I wanted you all to know that I enjoyed my time working with you all, and I will take all of that experience, and use it to do what I do best, Make people Laugh. I do it every day with so much of the knowledge that I learned from the cast, and staff of YAE. I plan to audition for whatever I can out here, I know that there is a service of the Army that tours through stations in different countries, and does plays and musicals, and children's theater. I hope that I can find such a troupe and tour with them. If I do, I will make sure to let you all know... Thanks again for everything, the support, the friends, and the chance to learn who I really am."
JESSICA REEMS-TERRELL '94 was hailed by the VC Reporter as "the best female vocalist in Ventura County". She can be found honing her talent in local Ventura County venues including Nicholby's, Java Joe's, Coffee & Dreams, and Zoey's. She has performed at the Eclectic Edge Cafe Fundraiser at the Hillcrest Center. 
JEREMY RESNICK '93 ('92 The Ballad of Deadwood Dick) started at YAE when he was 7 yrs old and didn't stop until his Senior year in high school. He didn't do much theater in college, but joined Tangent Improv and stayed with them until they disbanded. He also acted in a recent run at the Elephant Theater in Hollywood of sketch comedy called "Spilt Milk". Now he's teaching in Texas where he lives with his family. 
JAMES ROBERTS '95 is married and living in northern California.

 
STEVEN ROCHE '02 has worked behind the scenes as an Assistant Director for many YAE shows and. He has left the employ of the Hillcrest Center for the Arts to pursue many ambitions including becoming a professional comic book creator...
VICTORIA SAYEG '02 is the new Administrative Assistant here at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts. She aims to be President of these United States in about 4 to 8 years (roughly). CODE 11!!
ROBERT SCHNEIDER '02 was one of our finest directors here at the YAE. He is currently attending Penn State to receive his MFA in Direction for the Musical Theatre. JAZZ HANDS!! (We miss you, Rob) He would also like to pledge his undying love to one miss Bea Arthur...
TORRIE SHELTON (nee Yered) '01 graduated Cal Arts last year, with a degree in Musical Theatre. Torrie is the proud mother of twins-- Kennedy Madison, and Nathaniel Joseph!!
DANA SMITH (nee Murry) '95 worked on the tech crew for a few YAE Teen Summer Musicals. She and her husband live in Arcata, CA (way up on the north coast) and she is attending Humboldt U for her masters in intl clinical (mental health) social work. She is also a semi pro photographer and her work can be seen at: www.flickr.com/photos/casoulbyrd
PRESTON SPARKS '03 directed many wonderful YAE shows such as The Little Prince, Bus Stop, Teach Me How To Cry and Amadeus - just to name a few. He is now the proud author of a book entitled "Creative Acting; The Trials and Tribulations of a Working Actor". You can find out more information for this book at: www.thoughts.com/CreativeSparksStudios
Elizabeth Stockton '96 is a software engineer, web designer and wig maker living in Los Angeles. She is a director of the Los Angeles shadow cast for 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' and is constantly performing in theatres all over southern California.
MORGAN TACHCO '97 is currently living in Brooklyn, New York and is acting and producing for Horse Trade, an off Broadway Theatre Company.
LUCAS WESTON '96 graduated from Biola University in 2001 with a BA in Radio, TV, & Film, where he was also very active in the Music Department (choir, opera, etc.).  He is currently the Student Ministry Director at Bethany Baptist Church here in Thousand Oaks. He lives in T.O with his wife, Christie, and their dog, Gershwin.
SARAH WINKLE (nee Murphy) is now married and has a son, Mark. She's a Worker's Compensation attorney in Thousand Oaks & has directed several children's plays through Trinity Pacific Christian School including Dickens' Christmas Carol, Best Christmas Pageant Ever and The Phantom Tollbooth. 
MELISSA WOTKYNS '95 is is still performing when she can. She and her husband are now proud parents!

Last Updated 11/12/09

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