Aaron Todd Douglas is the Director of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Acting Program, and a newly elected member of the Board of Directors of American Players Theatre. Aaron Todd is a theatre artist who acts, directs, writes and teaches. Previously based in Chicago, Aaron Todd is a Founding Ensemble Member and was a Playwright-in-Residence, and longtime Associate Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre Company. He was also a faculty member in the Theatre Department at Northwestern University and Loyola University. Keeping busy during the Pandemic, he performed in Immortal Goats by Idris Goodwin for Black Lives Black Words International Project where he is an Associate Artist. Aaron Todd also performed in Just Cause (Rivendell Theatre/Canamac Productions), and recently wrapped The Clinic (Radio Play miniseries for Congo Square Theatre). This winter he will return to First Stage Theatre in Milwaukee to direct the stage adaptation of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Award winning Watson’s Go To Birmingham 1963.

As a playwright, his plays include Upstate, and The Master Comic (African American Arts Alliance Award), both produced by MPAACT Theatre. He is a member in good standing of AEA and SAG/AFTRA, and a former NEA Art Works Panelist. He was the inaugural Next Generation Management Fellow at Victory Gardens Theater. A Chicago stage veteran, Aaron Todd has acted and directed at many of Chicago’s finest theatre companies including The Goodman, ETA Creative Arts, Chicago Theatre Company, Victory Gardens, Chicago Shakespeare, Writers Theatre, Raven Theatre, The Court and Steppenwolf.

Alvon Reed is a Dance Artist in Residence in Jazz at Southern Methodist University. He earned his MFA in Dance from the University of Iowa. He has performance credits include Nike, PUMA, Levi’s Jeans, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Inland Pacific Ballet, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Arena Stages' first multi-ethnic production of Oklahoma, and the Broadway workshop of Superfly The Musical with Bill T. Jones. His choreographic credits include Pippin, Pirates of Penzance, Shrek The Musical, The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, Newsies, American Idiot, Big Love, and Ragtime.

Kaitlin Hopkins is an award-winning actress, director, producer, and educator. As an actress she originated roles on and off Broadway, on national and international tours, as well working in film and television for more than 30 years. She can be heard on 4 original cast albums, and appeared in over 50 television shows and films, including three years on ABC’s Another World and for any Star Trek fans you can watch her on Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Favorite film credits include The Nanny Diaries with Scarlet Johansson and Laura Linney, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, and How to Kill Your Neighbor’s Dog with Kenneth Branagh.

In 2009, she created a BFA in musical theatre at Texas State University and served as head of the program for 14 years. In 2016 she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching from Texas State and was named one of the top six women educators in innovation in the arts by the Broadway Dreams Foundation. In 2023, she was nominated for the Tony Award for excellence in theater education and most recently received the Denise M. Trauth Award for Outstanding Leadership at Texas State University.

During her tenure at Texas State, Hopkins pioneered groundbreaking research on mental wellness for high-risk demographics, focusing on artists and athletes, ultimately co-founding Living Mental Wellness, a holistic, evidence-based company that offers educational programs to enhance mental wellness through an integrated scientific life skills model. LMW has certified educators across the country, and the curriculum is currently being utilized in middle schools, high schools, summer camps, and higher education institutions.

Hopkins works as an arts consultant and has created curriculum, programing, and professional development for arts organizations worldwide. In 2011 created the first musical theater training program in Chile in collaboration with the ProJazz Institute in Santiago. She currently serves as the external examiner for the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy, the first training program of its kind in the Middle East; on the artistic advisory board for North Texas Performing Arts; as the Artistic Director for the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriting Intensive and for the Musical Theater Initiative at Snow Pond Center for the Arts.

Kaitlin is also the proud creator and CEO of Fontus Dry Mouth Lozenges, and co-founder of Abate Hopkins Creative Consultants, a consulting firm that specializes in innovative holistic, wellness-based, customized training, and professional development to support corporations, businesses, institutions, and educators. AHCC provides practical tools and sustainable practices to utilize in work environments to promote healthier more productive community-based models. www.kaitlinhopkins.net

Lara Teeter has performed, directed and choreographed for major regional theatre and opera houses nation-wide. He is currently a Professor of Theatre, Head of the Musical Theatre Program at the Webster Conservatory for Theatre Arts here in St. Louis. Lara has performed in three national tours and six Broadway shows, including the revival of the Rodgers and Hart classic, On Your Toes, for which he received a Tony nomination and Outer Critics Circle Award. From 1999-2004, Lara served as Artistic Director of Light Opera Works in the Chicago area, and in 2000 made his Carnegie Hall debut followed by his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in 2001. Over these last few years, Lara has performed the role of Captain Andy in SHOW BOAT for Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, National Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera. Recordings include On Your Toes, Lady Be Good and the Grammy nominated Wizard of Oz. For the last 30 years, Lara has performed and directed for the St. Louis MUNY, the oldest and largest outdoor summer stock house in the country. Some of the MUNY shows include: Singin’ In the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Little Shop of Horrors, White Christmas, Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Bye, Bye Birdie, AIDA, and most recently for the MUNY’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY. He is also active as a private coach for musical theatre dance, song study, and tap. Since 2009, Lara has directed and choreographed for the Variety Theatre Company which serves kids and teens with disabilities. He and his wife, Kristen, are the proud parents of Charlie, Elizabeth, Katherine and Maggie.

Andrew has worked Off-Broadway, Off West-End, regionally and on tour as a professional director, musical director, conductor, composer and Equity actor He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from UW-Madison and a Master of Arts, in Musical Theatre, from University of London-Goldsmiths. He is also a graduate of the advanced year of the BMI Musical Theatre Writing Workshop in New York City where he wrote But I’m a Cheerleader, the Musical, which was showcased in Trafalgar Square at West End Live in June of 2019 and had its world premiere at the Turbine Theatre in London winning the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Musical of 2022. He has served on faculty at NYU, New York Film Academy, AMDA, Mountview Academy (in London), Hofstra University, and ran the Musical Theatre program at SIU-Carbondale for three years. He has taught singing and “acting the song” classes worldwide and has maintained private studios in NYC and Madison as well as teaching virtual lessons all over the world.

Gail Becker is a seasoned AEA performer, vocal coach, music director and music theatre instructor specializing in audition prep. Gail has led Capital City Theatre’s College Prep Program for over eight years. Instruction credits: Capital City Theatre Conservatory, UW Madison Theatre Department, UW Summer Music Clinic, Edgewood College, Overture’s Jerry Awards. Gail directs the Overture Center’s Jerry Ensemble, and has music directed over 25 productions. Music directing credits: Edgewood College, CTM, Four Seasons Theatre, Oregon Straw Hat Players, Stoughton Village Players, and Madison Country Day School. Gail also works as a freelance performer and voice over artist. She holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Miami University. Learn more at www.gailbeckertalent.com and www.gailbeckerstudio.com.