TEACHING ARTISTS

Michelle Bland

Michelle Bland, Studio 39 Production Manager, has been working in theatre and education professionally for over 20 years. 

Since starting her career in production management at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, she has been committed to creating collaborative environments and providing project management resources for all artists. 

She has master’s degree in Theatre education from Catholic University and has presented both regionally and nationally for American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

Michael Busch

Michael is a seasoned performer, educator, and composer based in the Annapolis area who has been performing and teaching professionally for over 10 years. 

After completing his Jazz/Commercial performance degree in 2015 at Towson University, Michael began touring the country as a guitarist (most notably two runs with the Vans Warped Tour). Michael is a staple piece in regional wedding and event bands, which further his now extensive performing experience. 

While he isn’t performing, Michael spends much of his time teaching many styles of guitar to students both young and old. From jazz to pop to rock music, Michael’s eclectic performance experience provides a broad foundation for the education of his students.

Barbara Bustard

Barbara Bustard is returning for her third year with Apex Arts. Ms Bustard is an artist, author and teaching artist. She studied ceramics under Ralph Blaney at CCBC and then moved on to study at Baltimore Clayworks. Barbara received her BA Degree in Religious Studies and Art from The University of Notre Dame of Maryland.

For over 30 years Ms. Bustard has been teaching ceramics. For many years she operated her own ceramics studio, Footedbowl Designs, offering private and group ceramics classes. Ms Bustard also taught many ceramics classes to Baltimore City students through the BrightStARTS program run by Baltimore City’s Department of Promotions and Arts in after-school programs, as an Artist in Residence, and summer camps and has been a teacher with Art with a Heart for many years. During one BrightStARTS summer camp at The Eubie Blake Center in Baltimore, Barbara guided students in creating and installing a mosaic mural. Another summer Ms. Bustard took her wheel and kiln to Frederick MD for the entire summer and set up a ceramics program for the campers as the Artist in Residence at The Bishop Claggett Center.

For three years, Ms. Bustard owned and operated The Dundalk Art School and continues to give private art lessons.

Barbara has also written and published two books, The Art of Healing, 12 Step by Step Meditative Art Exercises for Improved Physical, Mental and Spiritual Well-being and Haiku in Black and White, A Collection of 100 Haiku Poems and Black and White Photography.

Jasmine Caffee

Ms. Jasmine started dancing when she was about 2.5 at National Ballet Institute for the Arts and continued her training through college at Davy Dance Academy. Ms. Jasmine has previously done competitive gymnastics for 9 years and currently has two Acrobatic Arts Certifications. Ms. Jasmine has received numerous awards such as All State Dancer and All County Dancer, while in the AACPS Apex Arts (formerly PVA) Dance Program. She has also danced competitively at an International Competition in Germany! She is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland of College Park, having studied dance. Ms. Jasmine is so excited to come back to share her love for dance with Apex Arts again.

Rachel Cagle

Rachel Cagle, after transitioning to dance from gymnastics, gained their dance training from the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Dance Program. After being a charter member of the Arundel Middle School Dance Company they received training in ballet, pointe, modern, and jazz from the APEX Arts Magnet Program where they were a charter member of Apex Arts Dance Company in Annapolis Maryland. After Graduating from Apex Arts, Rachel went to Salisbury University where while earning their dance minor they learned speciality skills for choreography and movement design, teaching methods and mind-body movement connection. In the past 4 years they have taught all ages and choreographed for competitions, recitals, community events and university affairs with specialization in production choreography on large groups. As a part of the Dance Faculty for the AACPS Apex Arts magnet program, Rachel looks forward to mentoring students to increase their movement vocabulary and push their limits of versatility and creativity to be able to create and dance within any style and concept once they Graduate from APEX Arts. 

Francesca Chilcote

Francesca has been an Apex Arts Guest Artist for past five years, teaching devising and physical theatre. She holds a BA in Theatre from the The College of William and Mary and an MFA in Physical Theatre from the Accademia dell'Arte (Arezzo, IT). Now based in Washington, DC, she is the Co-Artistic Director of Faction of Fools Theatre Company, and has worked as an actor with the following companies: The Welders , Nu Sass Productions, Brave Spirits Theatre, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Adventure Theatre MTC, and Discovery Theatre at the Smithsonian Institution. Francesca is a certified teacher of Elemental Body Alignment System (EBAS). Her work as an Italian translator is featured in The Routledge Companion to Commedia dell’arte.

Lynn Streeter Childress

Lynne Streeter Childress is founding artistic director of Building Better People Productions, a theater for young audiences’ company in Annapolis, MD. Her 28-year career in professional theater includes performing at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage and Adventure Theatre, and teaching for institutions like the Folger Shakespeare Library and Baltimore School For the Arts, where she is currently a member of the theater faculty.  Lynne has seen firsthand how theater can communicate the most important things in the clearest and most interesting of ways, especially to young people. She lives in Annapolis, MD with her husband and son.

Melissa Daoulas

Melissa Daoulas is a writer, producer, and educator that has worked in streaming platforms and television networks for almost a decade. She started her career working for National Geographic while at the University of Maryland, where she was responsible for technical video evaluations for US, International and Nat Geo WILD programming. She credits her time there as being pivotal for her love of media arts. 

Melissa continued her career in video editing and producing with National Geographic, while attending graduate school at American University. Additionally, she produced under Discovery's TLC Network, representing some of the network's biggest social media brands. 

Melissa has taught at American University as an adjunct instructor for graduate students in the Producing for Film, Television, and Video MA program. She works as a freelance producer and social media/brand manager for small businesses.

Melissa holds a Master in Arts from American University for Producing Film, Television, and Video and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's most prestigious honor society.

Niaja Diggs

Niaja Diggs is a dancer who has found a special place within her for many genres of dance. Ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and commercial styles such as hip-hop and heels are the main genres she has trained in. She was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland to a family that did not know dance would be a major influence on her life. Her training started at Expressions Dance Company at the age of three and has not stopped since. Upon grade school, she completed training through Anne Arundel County’s Performing and Visual Arts program. After completion of the Performing Arts program at Annapolis high school, she attended Anne Arundel Community College, where she got her AA in Dance. During her time at the college, she became Anne Arundel Community College Dance Company’s president and an American College Dance Association Gala choreographer. As a dancer and performer, she has gained knowledge from many. She finds pride in choreographing pieces and teaching technique for many different age groups and genres of dance. 

Julia Hawkins

Julia Hawkins received her early dance training as a member of the pre-professional Huntsville Ballet Company in Huntsville, AL. There, she received extensive training in ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, and musical theatre. She later attended the University of Alabama where she graduated with degrees in Dance and Musical Theatre. Before moving to Annapolis, Julia was located in Birmingham, AL where she was the Director of Dance and Musical Theatre at the Jefferson County Academy for Theatre and Dance for 6 years. For the past 11 years, Julia has directed, choreographed, performed, and won awards for dance and musical theatre workshops and productions across the Southeast. Many of her former students have gone on to work on cruise ships, in regional theatre, in national tours, and on Broadway.

As dance faculty for the AACPS Apex Arts Magnet Program, she trains students in daily Ballet and Modern classes, and is also the Director of the Apex Arts Dance Company. Since joining the Apex Arts Dance program, she has been grateful to help students find their artistic voice as choreographers and technically trained dancers. She is constantly inspired and driven by the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with her dancers and other artists in Apex Arts to create work that is impactful, purposeful, and meaningful to the community.

Margaret Heemstra

Margaret received her Bachelor of Art in English Literature from Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA, in 2011. There she studied American Literature, British Literature, African American Literature, Women’s Literature, and Modern and Contemporary Fiction. Margaret has been with the AACPS Apex Arts (formerly PVA) Magnet Program since 2013 and is currently the Creative Writing teacher at Annapolis High School. She has a deep love for poetry, and enjoys exploring the world of poetry and the excitement of spoken word poetry performances with her students.

Margaret received her Reading Specialist Certification through Goucher College in 2018, and is currently working towards her Masters of Education.

In 2021, Margaret was named Poet Laureate for the City of Annapolis.

Athena Hiotis 

Athena Hiotis is a musician, producer, and songwriter from Baltimore, MD. With a penchant for a wide range of music, she studied music throughout high school at the Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts magnet program, and at the University of Maryland at College Park, diving into a wide range of music eras and genres, sparking her professional career in songwriting, composition, and production.

Since 2012, Hiotis has owned and operated PopRiot Music Group, a boutique label and songwriting/production house dedicated to providing songs and compositions to artists and TV/Film projects. The mission is to make sure that artists pursue their dreams with high quality work that not only supports them but distinguishes them from other artists.

Athena is a member of RÊVE (cinematic art-rock band); Steep Steps (dark, electronic production duo); and Circuit Villains (raw, provoking rock band).

Emily Karol

Emily Karol is an actor, director, combatant, and teaching artist in the DC/Baltimore metro area. After graduating in 2001 from South River High School, Emily attended West Virginia Wesleyan College where she obtained a BFA in Musical Theater. She spent many years performing in different parts of the US. In 2009, her focus shifted to classical theater and she immediately fell in love with the complete worlds of William Shakespeare . She would become a company member with Maryland Shakespeare Festival, a resident teaching artist/actor for Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, a company member/director for the Maryland Renaissance Festival, and work with numerous other companies along the way. Emily recently won Best Stage Actor in The Baltimore Sun’s “Best of 2023” competition for her performance as the titular character in Shakespeare’s “Richard III” at the Maryland Renaissance Festival and The Strand Theatre in Baltimore. 

At Studio 39, Emily directed the main stage production of Peter and the Starcatcher, co-directed the devised pieces of Six Clowns Walked Into The Bard, Theatre for Sleepy People, and SAD Clown Cabaret. She also mentored students through the first fully written, produced and performed play, "Sleepy Hollow" in the Fall of 2022. 

David Kauffman

David Kauffman is the Senior Manager of the Apex Arts Magnet program in Anne Arundel County, Maryland after having served for three years as the school system’s Coordinator of Music.

During the past thirty years, Kauffman has served as an educator, clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor, performer, promoter, businessman, and elected official.  As a saxophonist, he has performed with Aretha Franklin, Louie Bellson, and The Dells.  He was the founder of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Jazz Orchestra, a collegiate honors band whose performance credits include Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, the Kennedy Center, and the Jazz Education Network National Conference in New Orleans.  For eight years, he hosted a weekly jazz radio program, “Searching for Birdland” on NPR Affiliate WFWM.

He served as the Chair of the National Association for Music Education’s Council for Jazz Education since from 2018-2022.  As a member of the Jazz Education Network’s Board of Directors, he serves as the organization's Secretary.  In 2023, he helped to lead and organize the efforts to establish the first All State experience in Maryland for students interested in Commercial Band.

Elizabeth Kendall

Elizabeth Kendall lives and works in Maryland on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Her vessels, sculptures and installations have been exhibited in national and international venues and are in the permanent collections of the Yixing Ceramics Museum in China, the International Ceramic Center in Denmark, the MGM corporation, and the Petroleum Club in Midland, TX among others. Additional private and corporate installation commissions can be found in Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

In 2007 Elizabeth was selected as an Emerging Artist by the National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts. In 2008 she received a Strauss Fellowship Grant from the Fairfax County Arts Council of Northern Virginia. From 2016-2020 she was a Resident Artist at Maryland Hall in Annapolis.

She has been a featured artist and contributing author for a variety of publications including: Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, Clay Times, and Studio Potter. Her work has also been featured in Lark Publications 500 Cups and 500 Pitchers.

In addition to teaching at the wheel, Elizabeth conducts workshops, focusing on porcelain, paper clay and monoprinting techniques. She is a co-founder and currently President of SoCo Arts Lab in Tracys Landing, MD.

www.elizabethkendallart.com   

Susan Lennon

Susan brings a wealth of expertise to her role as an illustration instructor for the Apex Arts program. Her substantial background as an art director for a renowned manufacturer, coupled with her tenure as a lead illustrator at Premier Designs, positions her as a seasoned professional in the realm of visual storytelling.

Her journey as a lead illustrator and subsequent contract illustrator at Premier Designs provided Susan with invaluable insights into the competitive world of editorial illustration. These experiences not only polished her artistic prowess but also cultivated a deep understanding of effectively communicating messages through visuals.

With art direction firmly embedded in her career trajectory, Susan has adeptly navigated multifaceted projects, marshaled creative teams, and brought forth cohesive visual narratives. Her extensive background in art direction stands as a testament to her capability to guide and inspire aspiring illustrators in the classroom, a skill set she eagerly brings to her new role.

Ryan Macauley

Ryan Macauley received her Bachelors in Game Art from Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota FL, 2023. During her time at Ringling, she studied the art of making video games, and her 2023 thesis featured a fully hand-painted stylized mystery game.

In addition to video games, she studied the history and fundamentals of comic books. Creating two short graphic novel stories by her senior year.

She is an alumni of APEX Arts (formerly PVA), and after studying under industry professionals she is excited to come back and share her love of storytelling with APEX Arts once more.

Lukas MacKinney

Lukas is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in experimental digital collage, film sound, and music. They seek to transform movie sets, editing rooms, and online spaces into classrooms, finding opportunities to teach wherever possible. With their BFA from Johns Hopkins in Film & Media Studies, as well as French, Lukas hopes to apply their artistic and pedological skills to making more equitable educational experiences, and to spread their love of personal & everyday cinema to all. Above all else, they hope to never stop making films, and to never stop finding new and creative ways to share their passions.

Emily McCort

Emily McCort has been a Guest Artist with Apex Arts since 2016. In addition to managing the costume shop and wardrobe storage, she has taught Applied Arts classes like Intro to Sewing, and has mentored student costume designers on multiple Apex Arts (formerly PVA) productions. Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Production from Towson University, where she focused on costume design. Her past credits include working wardrobe for Baltimore Centerstage, Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre.

Clay Michalec

Jamie O'Connor

Vocal Music

jboconnor@aacps.org   

Mezzo-soprano Jamie O'Connor joined Apex Arts in 2021. She most recently received recognition by both The American Prize in Voice and New York Lyric Opera Theatre Competition for her performance of works by Strauss, Mozart, and Wagner. 

A native of Baltimore, Mrs. O'Connor earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Houghtaling. 

Mrs. O'Connor maintains a private voice studio in Ellicott City, Maryland, previously having studios in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Springfield, Illinois and Miami and Tallahassee, Florida. She is the owner of Sunshine Music Studios and is currently an Adjunct Voice Instructor at Carroll County Community College and a Voice and Piano Instructor at the International School of Music. Mrs. O'Connor has previously served as the head of the voice program at The Music Factory in Springfield, Illinois and served on the faculty at The Stubbs' Music Center in Tallahassee, Florida.

https://www.jamiebaltermezzosoprano.com  

Jennifer Marie Rivera

Jennifer Marie has a Bachelor of Arts in classical vocal performance and had an early career singing classical music. After a hiatus to raise her family, Jennifer returned to the local music scene teaching commercial voice and coaching youth rock bands.

Jennifer has directed the Apex Commercial Band since it's inception in 2020. 

Mary Rosoff

Mary Rosoff, an art teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools for over thirty years, has collaborated with numerous community arts programs including Creating Communities, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and Future History Now. Besides working with youth, Mary has shared her artistic and instructional skills with seniors in Crofton and is on the board of directors of the Annapolis Arts Alliance. Mary holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master's Degree of Education and taught at the Performing and Visual Arts program of AACPS for ten years. She currently teaches at Art Farm in Annapolis.

Robert Schumacher

Robert Schumacher is an actor and freelance artist, specializing in portraiture, in the DC area.  He studied drama and philosophy at the Catholic University of America, as well as previously studying acting and studio design at Concord University in WV.  Professionally Robert taught art classes for Synetic Theater, and has performed with several local theaters in the DC area.  Robert found his joy for teaching while at Synetic Theater, interacting and educating students there for several summers.  He brings his experience in acting, painting, drawing, and writing here to encourage students to create and bring their imagination and stories to form.

Shoshana Schlauderaff

Shoshana is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, and educator. They value cross-disciplinary art making, integrative learning spaces, and accessible classroom content. Shoshana centers their remote learning approach around the wellbeing of students in their classroom, and offering opportunities for students to make meaningful transformations in their own lives. Outside of teaching at PVA, Shoshana teaches meditation, does freelance animation, and works with disability/trans justice projects.

Some fun facts: They're an Aquarius, ENFJ, and Enneagram Type 2w3. When they're not working, they enjoy playing guitar, gardening, hiking, cooking, and swing dancing. 

Lynn Schwartz

Lynn Auld Schwartz is a writer, story development editor, and has ghostwritten three books. Schwartz’s plays and staged readings have been performed in Atlanta and New York City, including the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center. She founded the Temple Bar Literary Reading Series in New York City, which The Village Voice reviewed as “Lively lineups … always smart, never predictable.” Schwartz has received two Individual Artist Awards in Fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council and a Literary Arts Annie Award from the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County. Her stories have appeared in literary journals and she has published numerous nonfiction lifestyle articles. She produces and directs the ongoing Page To Stage series in Annapolis, which offers adult and teen writers the opportunity to share their stories on stage.

A graduate of The City College of New York (MA, Writing/Literature), Columbia University (BA, Writing/Literature), and the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre (a two-year acting conservatory where she studied the Meisner technique with William Esper and Sanford Meisner), Schwartz has taught writing at St. John’s College, The Writer’s Center, Maryland Hall, and is often a guest speaker at writer’s conferences and literary events. Her business, Writer’s Wordhouse, provides individual coaching and story development for fiction and memoir. She is the co-founder and co-organizer of the Writing Intensive at St. John’s College. As a guest artist (and parent of a PVA graduate), she has had the great privilege to work with Apex Arts students for 10 years.

Atalante Shay

A first-generation American born to a Greek father and German mother, Atalante (Hain-Kaparakis) Shay began to draw and paint as a young child growing up in Hyattsville, MD. She continued her formal visual arts studies at Northwestern High School and Virginia Commonwealth University.

The natural world in her immediate surroundings serves as an inspiration for much of her work. The family garden is a vast topography brimming with tiger lilies, hydrangeas, lavender, mint, sunflowers, a little bubbling fish pond, and a butterfly bush mixed with outdoor sculpture and artwork.

This living natural canvas is translated through mediums in acrylic, drawings, and lithographs—the secret life of flowers revealing Atalante's internal landscape of personal growth, muses, and emotions.

Atalante has entered her artwork in juried art shows and craft fairs through the Annapolis Arts Alliance, Chesapeake Art Center, Baltimore County Arts Guild, and Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.

Recently, she had the honor to be a guest artist at Studio 39 here in Annapolis, teaching watercolor techniques to Apex Art High Schoolers. 

Dr. Kari Shea

Dr. Kari Shea is a freelance bassoonist and educator in the Maryland, Metro D.C. area.  Currently performing as bassoonist and contra bassoonist with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra and as a member of the Gallery Winds Woodwind Quintet, she teaches at Anne Arundel Community College.

Dr. Shea has performed throughout the United States and Europe with such ensembles as the Forest Philharmonic in London, England, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera, the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, the Mississippi Symphony and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra.  She has also performed on chamber concert series in France, Sweden and Nova Scotia and has served as a faculty member of Millikin University and Frederick Community College. Dr. Shea holds degrees from the University of Illinois (D.M.A.), the State University of New York at Stony Brook (M.M.), and the University of Southern Mississippi (B.M.ed).

Johnny Weissgerber

Johnny Weissgerber is an professional actor and union theatrical scenic artist and muralist, who works in the DC area. 

He studied acting and musical theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. 

His professional experience includes, theatrical artist for Signature Theatre, FX make-up artist, puppeteer, screenwriter, and carpenter. 

He brings this experience to classes on painting, make-up, acting, and design and production. 

Johnny is a big believer in the artistic collaborative process and encourages his students to explore their art forms together.

Emily Zinski

Emily Zinski is a professional actress, singer, recording artist, and teacher with international experience.

Emily earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University, and went on to study and perform with Broadway artists in New York City. A dynamic vocalist, Emily has mastered pop, rock, acoustic, musical theatre, and classical singing styles. Her versatile voice can be heard in major theatrical shows, cabarets, cruise line productions, bands, and original albums.

Emily studied Film & Television in Los Angeles with the SU in LA program. There, she learned acting technique as well as casting & production knowledge from leaders in the industry. Emily can be seen in feature films, commercials, indie shorts, and web-series produced around the country.

Emily’s acting and vocal experience led her to Edge Studio, where she studied voiceover technique. She works as professional voiceover artist, and can be heard in radio commercials, audiobooks, and eLearning courses.

Finally, Emily has a passion for teaching. She has worked as a professional ESL teacher since 2017, helping students around the world learn to express themselves in English. Additionally, Emily teaches voice, acting, and audition technique. She coaches privately and in groups. With young students, Emily’s main goal is to develop confidence, not only in their skills, but in their value as artists. She feels so fortunate to share her hard-earned knowledge with the next generation of performers.

This is Emily's third season with Apex Arts. 

Michelle Bland

Michelle Bland, Studio 39 Production Manager, has been working in theatre and education professionally for over 20 years. 

Since starting her career in production management at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, she has been committed to creating collaborative environments and providing project management resources for all artists. 

She has master’s degree in Theatre education from Catholic University and has presented both regionally and nationally for American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

William "Billy" D'Eugenio

William K. D’Eugenio is a Helen Hayes Award winning Lighting & Sound Designer based in Washington DC. 

He was involved in the arts magnet  expansion to the Studio 39 campus in 2014. Since then, he has guided all theatrical equipment upgrades, been a mentor to student designers through the production process, and has guest designed for several shows. 

His recent regional lighting credits include:Trying, The Brothers Size (1st Stage); The Explorers Club (Prologue Theatre); Native Son (Mosaic Theater); 12 Angry Men (associate LD, Ford’s Theatre); Diana Ross & the NSO, An Evening with Norm Lewis, RIOT! Women in Comedy Festival, Ava DuVernay: 13TH, The REACH Opening Festival Mainstage, NSO: Apollo 11 - A 50th Anniversary, Long Way Down, August Greene, Tituss Burgess in Concert, Hannah Gadsby - Douglas (The Kennedy Center); Agnes of God, Lela & Co (Factory 449); Cinderella (Imagination Stage); The Events, Mnemonic, Still Life with Rocket, Word Becomes Flesh (Theater Alliance). 

His work as sound designer/composer has been heard for: Souvenir, True West, The Other Place, and Circle Mirror Transformation (Rep Stage), among others. 

He is a proud member of USA829, the designer's union.

Emily McCort

Emily McCort has been a Guest Artist for Apex Arts since 2016. In addition to managing the costume shop and wardrobe storage, she has taught Applied Arts classes like Intro to Sewing, and has mentored student costume designers on multiple Apex Arts productions.

Emily holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Production from Towson University, where she focused on costume design.

Her past credits include working wardrobe for Baltimore Centerstage, Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theatre.

Lian Rothschild

Lian Rothschild holds an MFA in Stage Properties from UNCSA and a BA in Theater Education from UMBC. She is extremely passionate about enabling her students as artists and leaders and is proud to be entering her twelfth year as a Design & Production educator and her sixth year at AHS. 

In addition to her classroom experience, Lian has also worked as a professional in the industry in a variety of capacities; she began freelancing professionally as a carpenter and scenic artist while still in high school, continuing her career full-time throughout college and after. Notable residencies include Staff Charge Artist and Props Master at UMBC, Production Advisor at the Carver Center for Arts & Technology, Production Manager of Weston Playhouse Theater Company, and her current position as Design & Production Instructor at Apex Arts at Annapolis High.

Alexis Sheeks

Alexis Sheeks graduated from University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2018, with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre where she focused on lighting and projection design. 

Currently she freelances at UMBC as an events technician and at Everyman Theatre as an electrician. She has also worked as a projection consultant and as a finals advisor for her alma mater Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts.

Johnny Weissgerber

Johnny Weissgerber is an professional actor and union theatrical scenic artist and muralist, who works in the DC area. 

He studied acting and musical theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. 

His professional experience includes, theatrical artist for Signature Theatre, FX make-up artist, puppeteer, screenwriter, and carpenter. 

He brings this experience to classes on painting, make-up, acting, and design and production. 

Johnny is a big believer in the artistic collaborative process and encourages his students to explore their art forms together.