Staff

Ms. Ryan began her theatre journey in high school, where she found her passion for the power of storytelling. She received her B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Indiana University South Bend and became a large part of our area's theatre scene. Acting in many local productions, she soon went on to co-found Michiana Playmakers where she honed her skills as a director and writer. Ms. Ryan's specialty is the crafting of original works and enjoys working with her students on developing their own writing skills. As much as she has loved working in the theatre, she truly loves teaching and passing on her knowledge to her students. Her favorite phrase to say to all of her students is this: "I believe in the power of storytelling to transform lives and minds." When you take a class with Ms. Ryan, expect to work on training in Viewpoints, Devising, Character Analysis, and Vocal & Physical Technique. When she is not teaching, she spends as much time with her young son as possible, cooking, reading, and watching musicals!

Nich Sikorski, is in his second year with Penn High School. He is a graduate of Indiana University- South Bend with a BA in Theatre Design, concentrating in Lighting Design and a minor in Dance. His IU South Bend Theatre and Dance Company credits include Lighting Design for Almost, Maine, Lighting Design for Bare, Director for Peter Rabbit, Lighting Design for 25 th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Assistant Light Design for Shakespeare Abridged. Other favorite credits include Assistant Stage Manager for Pippin, Scarecrow for The Wizard of OZ, and being a member of the IU South Bend Tap Kickline. His Art4 credits include Lighting Design for Next To Normal and Songs For A New World.

Danielle Black, has loved musicals even before she acted in the role of Gretl Von Trapp at Bethel University when she was five years old! Little did she know that many decades later, beginning in 2014, she would have the incredible honor of directing Penn High School’s musicals with an incredible team of colleagues and students! In between those two bookends, Mrs. Black has enjoyed performing in shows both in high school and college (earning a lifetime place in Alpha Psi Omega, the collegiate dramatic fraternity), and even semi-professionally at the former Round Barn Theatre. She also had the immense honor of touring the country and recording several albums with Pyramid Productions, a drama troupe started by her own high school theatre teacher whose motto was, “Making a Difference is the Highest Form of Art.” During her years with that company, she loved taking the performing arts to nursing homes and children’s hospitals, among other small venues. These days, besides teaching and directing, Mrs. Black enjoys spending time with her husband Karl and four children, Braden, Kole, Owen, and Selah. Finally, she finds purpose being involved with the nonprofit she co founded in 2011, Awake & Alive, which serves individuals and families in Ethiopia, Africa through education and economic empowerment.

Andrew J. Nemeth, Director, is currently in his 10th year of teaching. He completed his B.M. degree in Music Education from Butler University (2010). He studied voice with Steven Rickards and Mary Anne Scott, and studied conducting with Henry Leck, Eric Stark, and Tim Brimmer. He earned his M.M. degree in Music Education from Boston University in 2016 where he studied conducting with Ann Howard Jones. Nemeth first taught at Prairie Heights Middle School and Prairie Heights High School in LaGrange, Indiana. Mr. Nemeth began a chamber choir in 2015-2016, Viva Voce, at Penn HS that specializes in the music of living composers. This choir has commissioned several composers since that time, including Daniel Brinsmead (2016), Dan McIntosh (2016), Ben Goshorn-Maroney (2016) , Paul Carey (2017), Ola Gjeilo (2018) , Eric Barnum (2019), and Sarah Quartel (2020).

Mr. Nemeth has been an active member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) since 2010 and regularly attends conferences to learn from master music educators and conductors. Since his time at Penn, his students have received great ratings from clinicians and adjudicators. The Penn Choirs also participate in ISSMA Organizational Contest. Having worked with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, many middle and high schools, and community choirs, Nemeth has experience in making music with all ages and continues to believe that singing is one of the best ways to shape students for the future. He sings tenor with the South Bend Chamber Singers, and is Music Director at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in South Bend. He directs Concert Choir, Rhapsody, and Viva Voce.

Jenn Wolfe, holds her degree from Indiana University and her Master Dance Educator certification from Chicago National Association of Dance Masters. She has been at Penn for 15 years where she teaches the Dance Choreography I/II, Dance Choreography III/IV, Advanced Dance I/II classes and also choreographs for Rhapsody. She is a resident choreographer for Patchwork Dance Company and on faculty at a local dance studio. Her first musical at Penn High School was Annie in 2008. She has also choreographed for State Fair ('09), Crazy For You ('10), Beauty and The Beast (“11), Little Mary Sunshine (“12), Guys and Dolls (“13), 42nd Street ('15) Mary Poppins (‘16) Kiss Me Kate (‘17) Shrek (‘18) Tuck Everlasting (‘19) and Fiddler On The Roof (‘20).

Allison Secaur, Assistant Director & Accompanist. After 7 years of directing choirs at Schmucker Middle School, Allison Secaur is returning to Penn Choir. Before her years at Schmucker, she spent 3 years at Penn as an accompanist and 2 years at Penn as a director. She has also played for 7 Penn musicals and many contest solos and ensembles. Her experiences outside of PHM include touring with the Ball State Chamber Choir in the Pacific Northwest and the St. Mary’s Women’s Choir in China, accompanying the LaPorte High School Choirs, directing the Mississinewa High School and R.J. Baskett Middle School Choirs, coordinating the Circle the State with Song middle school festivals at Goshen College, and accompanying under the direction of Dr. Nancy Menk at Carnegie Hall. She directs Bel Canto and Cantabile.

Lavon Oke, Associate Director, has been teaching in Indiana for more than 30 years. He began as a choral director at Dickinson Middle School and moved to John Adams High School, both in South Bend. After completing a Masters in Conducting from IU Bloomington in 1994, he was hired at Penn High School in the spring of 1995, where he has taught Band, Orchestra, Choir, Recording Arts, and Music Theory. He plays piano and keyboards for his local church and is married with four children. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Mr. Oke has conducted professionally in the United States, Canada, and Japan. He directs Bella Voce and Singing Kingsmen.