Teaching Artists 2023

Kate Brennan has created 5 musicals including The Infinity Trilogy, the recipient of a 2021 MAP Grant. Her Brennan & White musical ALiEN8 is available with YouthPlays and her poetry book, elevated thoughts, was released with Literati Press. Her first musicals, Some Assembly Required and ELFuego, premiered in Philadelphia.  Her play What’s in Store was most recently developed with Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney’s, Dramatist, Howlround, and The New York Times. Kate runs The Brennan Book Blog and its accompanying podcast as well as The Fair Play Podcast.  As a Designated Linklater Teacher, Certified Yoga Instructor, Certified Thai Bodyworker, Melt Hand & Foot Instructor, Kate has been on faculty with Oklahoma City University, Temple University, St. Joseph’s University, Rosemont College, McCarter Theatre Center, Tofte Lake Center and Broadway Classroom, among others.  Her methodology, Brennan Check-In, cultivates more present, collaborative and self-sufficient artists who are agents of their own well-being. She is a member of The Dramatist Guild, AEA and VASTA. Kate holds an MFA from The University of Virginia and is Artistic Director of Ignition Arts. 

Carla Christopher is a former Poet Laureate of York (2011 – 2013), the co-founder of York Equality Fest which became York County Pride, and an award winning and multiply-published writer. Carla has twice received the key to York City for her community-based education initiatives and continues to use writing and storytelling as activism. The former York Dispatch OUT and About columnist, host of Culture & Main; York’s Weekly Cultural Showcase on White Rose Community TV, and co-director of PoemSugar Press / Community Arts Ink, Carla’s full-length books include; Song (Columbia University Press, 2000), Baby, Read Me Something with Rhythm (PoemSugar Press, 2011), Made In York (2015), Addicted to Relapse (2018) and the forthcoming Slave Catechism. She also released the EP Of Water Born with the ensemble Poetic Voices and the  recorded collection Poetry from the Ashes with Soul Thief Collective. Carla studied psychology, education, and creative writing at Columbia University in NYC and worked as an educator and case manager in domestic violence shelters, state prison systems, and school districts before receiving her Masters in Divinity from United Lutheran Seminary. As a caseworker and community educator, then Diversity and Inclusion consultant, Carla has been the force behind regional campaigns for Food and Water Watch, Put People First – PA, Y.W.C.A. of York County, United Way of York County, York County Cultural Alliance, Appell Center for the Performing Arts, York County Libraries, and more. She has also traveled around the globe, from Rutgers and Penn State to major organizations and institutions in Kosovo, Albania, Flint, Chicago, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Sarasota, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Philadelphia etc., as a performer, speaker and trainer.

Jan’s passion for the stage was ignited during her first solo vocal performance at the age of three. That passion continued to burn throughout her high school and college years as she performed in many plays and musicals. She achieved her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and went on to teach at several school districts in York County. Currently, she is a preschool and substitute teacher. She is delighted to be able to combine her love for the arts and children by teaching theater classes.

Randy Flaum is a documentary photographer covering events and people from York County. He moved to York, PA, in 2000 as the photography editor for The York Dispatch. His career began in Connecticut covering stories throughout that state. Since retiring from The Dispatch Randy has been telling visual stories from local events and the people who make up York County.

Hannah has been acting, singing, and dancing since the moment she could walk and talk. DreamWrights is her second home, and she had been performing on the stages here since she was 7! She is a former camper and camp counselor at DreamWrights, and she’s thrilled to be taking on a new role! Hannah has been in over 35 productions, both on and off stage. This fall, Hannah will be majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Musical Theater at York College of Pennsylvania. She can not wait to share her love of theater with a new group of young artists!

 Jenny is an actor, teacher, director, producer and writer currently living in New Orleans, where she an Assistant Professor at Tulane University. She is a proud co-creator and producer of Roleplay, a live theatre performance and documentary film project exploring student perspectives on love, sex, power, and consent. The script for Roleplay is published by Dramatic Publishing. Along with KJ Sanchez, Jenny co-created X’s and O’s, an acclaimed docudrama about football and traumatic brain injury. Acting credits include “Your Honor,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “30 Rock,” “Blue Bloods,” “Unforgettable,” “Law & Order” and extensive theater credits spanning the country. For more information, visit www.jennymercein.com.

This is Izzys’ first year of helping with summer camps at Dreamwrights and is very excited. She remembers taking summer camps herself not too long ago right on the main stage and is happy to help share some of the things she has learned in theater. She will be helping out with Seussical and Avenue Carlisle this summer. She hopes she will be able to help show the future of theater the ropes and have fun along the way.

Rodd graduated college as a Communications-Writing major.  Since then he has been part of the collaborative writing team on “Another World Today” for several years and written for other on-line soaps including “A Private World” and  “A Life of Our Own”.   He has also taught the “History of Soap Operas” for Penn State’s OLLIE Program.  Rodd has been in many local theatre productions and directed shows locally, as well as in Trinidad, Mexico, and Morocco.  He can usually be found at his furniture store on his farm in Chester County and is looking forward to retiring this year.  If Rodd is not there, he’s usually playing “CIV III”, writing, spending time with family and friends, or reading.

Writer/Director Joshua J Santiago was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania. He gained a love for the arts while joining the Performing Arts Group while at William Penn Senior High School. Before graduating with a bachelors degree in Mass Communications at York College of Pennsylvania, Joshua started filmmaking with 4 Hip Hop DVDs in which all 4 were nominated for Best Hip Hop Documentary at the Central PA Hip Hop Awards. He has also directed documentaries that were screened for the “Gift of Life Foundation” and another documentary for the “Susan Byrnes Health Center.” “Anything4U;” is Joshua’s directorial short film debut and has been selected to 9 different film festivals around the world and continues to inspire with his stories. 

A founding board member of DreamWrights, Jay has worked in theatre most of his life, on and offstage with innumerable community theatre productions, including guest directing several shows at DreamWrights. Jay has been the editor for WRCT’s “Culture and Main” for the last few years. Utilizing his film degree from Boston University, Jay has directed several music videos as well as comedy videos.

Julia Sowers recently graduated from Messiah University with a BS in Middle Level Education with a concentration in Math and Science from Messiah University.  Julia has been involved at DreamWrights since she was a baby and has been a teaching artist for the past 8 years! She was trained in more than 6 different styles of dance for 14 years, has been involved in PMEA District and Region choir as well as had numerous lead roles within her school.  In 2019, she was named Best Female Performer at the York Country Encore awards with her performance as Leading Player in Pippin.  Through Julia’s schooling to become a middle school teacher and her experience in a wide variety of classrooms, she has found a new appreciation for growing and learning alongside her students.  At DreamWrights, she is able to combine two of her greatest passions, expressing the abilities to perform and teaching the next generation of learners in both academic and musical forms!