Giselle Nisonger
Rachel Androski
Jordan Wood
Jessica Tullius
Morgan Mitchell
Stephanie Leigh
Jesi Robison
Grace Fahrney
Seth Eggleston
Ryan Buen
Tyler Browning
Billy Worthy
Wayne Mitchell
Erin Dagon Mitchell
Mo Garrigues
Shane Mitchell
Colby Bleicher
Costume Manager and Administrative Assistant
Instructor: Dance
Stage Manager: Tolstoy Story Play
Instructor: Technical Academy, Scenic Painter
Stage Manager: Eire
Box Office Manager, Instructor: Advanced Dance
Giselle is a teacher with the Anchorage School District and has been working with TBA for about 15 years. She has been the lead costume designer for 6 years at the summer academy. This year has been really interesting as she is helping wherever she is needed.
Rachael Androski began painting sets at the University of Iowa where upon graduation she made the exciting move to New York, NY. She has painted for Off Broadway shows in NYC, as well as off off Broadway shows in Austin, TX, Honolulu, HI, and now Anchorage, AK. Her most recent set designs include It’s a Wonderful Life (TBA Theater) and Emma (Cyrano’s). Thank you to TBA for the opportunity to create with this amazing new group of technicians.
Jessica Tullius is a graduate from UAAs Psychology program. She began her time at academy as a student and has loved coming back to stage manager. Halloween 2018 she played the on-stage assistant stage manager for Something Wicked. She was the light board operator for Fiddler on the Roof, Hamlet (2017), and Music Man (2018) and a backstage technician for Wizard of Oz (2016). She has also plays harp and has played for Christmas Knight (2017), The Apple and the Arrow (2016), and Shadow Hour (2014).
Morgan Mitchell has been actively working in the theatre for roughly twenty years, growing up attending theatre camps just like this one! Since that time she has worked around the US, England, Scotland, and Ireland as a teaching artist, actor, and scenic painter, and was voted one of Anchorage’s favorite actors twice over. Past roles include Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Laura in Christmas Eve With Laura Ingalls. This fall she is thrilled to be attending the Portland Actors Conservatory as one of ten students in their incoming class. Play a Day class introduced students to a classical work every session as a fun way to expand their theater knowledge.
Jesi is a Senior at the University of Portland this year, securing her Bachelors degree in Theater Production Management and Spanish, along with a minor in Psychology. Jesi can normally be found on and around the stage: performing, managing, directing, or in a closet full of props and paint, but she is thrilled to be getting to work with the kids again for another (much needed) summer academy with her TBA family. Most recent theater credits include: Directing a student produced production of Cabaret, SM and Props Designer for UP's Production of Inventing Van Gogh, and SM for last year’s Rising Star intensive Tales From Under The Bed. She is excited to return to Portland at the end of summer to complete an internship with Netflix and find out what the future has in store.
Grace has been working with TBA for 14 years, and is excited to be back this summer! She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Spanish from Gonzaga University where she is also a member of their D1 track team. Recent choreography credits include Jukebox Hero Musical Intensive and The Music Man. She has appeared on-stage with TBA in many productions including Westside Story, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and in the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe tour of The Death of Edgar Allen Poe. As Box Office manager Grace has been working to find safe and easy ways for audiences to see our shows. In class she introduced the Advanced Academy to classic dance steps all actors should know, then helped students refine their skills by incorporating these steps into choreography.
Director: Eire, Instructor: Play a Day
Shop Supervisor, Co-Designer, Instructor: Technical Academy
Director: Something Witty, Instructor: Acting/Advanced Auditions
Director: Tolstoy Story Play, Instructor: Improv/Advanced Improv
Instructor: Movement/ Advanced Movement
Movement on stage can be awkward and uncoordinated. As an awkward and uncoordinated youth, Billy quickly realized that he needed to study techniques that would help an audience perceive what he was trying to convey. This focus has allowed him to land extremely physical roles in plays such as The Daemon if Darby Castle The Head that Wouldn’t Die, Comedy of Errors as well as less physical (but still demanding) rolls in Dracula, Romeo and Juliette and The Rendering of Conner Mcshea. Our movement class has been tailored to hone the students’ ability to portray emotion and intent to an audience. Exploring everything from Laban’s Efforts, and exercises based on Chekhov’s Technique to Universal Gestures and Charades. Your child now has a few more tools in their box to help them communicate without words!
Technical Director, Co-Designer
See "Staff" page for bio
In partnership with our staff painters, Wayne is working to design fun and functional sets that meet this summers unique requirements.
Academy Administrator
See "Staff" page for full bio.
In addition to her duties as administrator, Erin had the opportunity to teach a special effects makeup workshop to the Technical Academy. Students learned proper hygiene and safety techniques as well as practiced making their own prosthetic injuries and stage blood!
Instructor: Theater Games, Props Master
Marisa or Mo is an Alaskan storyteller, actor, and prop builder. She has studied theater at UAA as well as learned many skills “on the job” at TBA. She is passionate about encouraging students to be silly and to discover their inner goofball. In class students practiced a variety of skills including focus, energy, and physical expression through a variety of activities.
Instructor: Advanced Storytelling
See "Staff" page for full bio.
In this class the Advanced Academy engaged in the art of oral storytelling by practicing methods to convey plot, capture the attention of an audience, and enhance the flow of information. In doing so they gained valuable public speaking and communication skills.
Instructor: Advanced Directing
Colby Bleicher hails from Anchorage and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama (with a focus in directing) from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Colby is the co-founder of Blue Chair Productions, a theatre production company established in 2016, along with Advanced Academy director Ryan Buen. She believes theatre, besides being a lot of fun, is a powerful tool which can be used to educate, solve problems, form bonds, heal trauma, affect social change, and strengthen communities. It is always a pleasure and honor to teach at a camp she attended as a child and to do so alongside so many mentors and friends.
Stage Manager: Something Witty, Instructor: Circus/Advanced Voice
Stephanie (Steffie) Leigh is spending her fourth year, and best year ever in technical academy! She has assisted on multiple sets including TBA’s Hamlet, It’s A Wonderful Life, and their award winning summer show of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She has been painting for fourteen years, and has been loving learning carpentry alongside the awesome academy students this year. You’re never too old to learn something new. One thing these kids have taught her has been to stay strong and keep making beautiful things!
See "Staff" page for full bio.
In Circus class the Actors Academy learns a variety of circus skills from juggling to plate spinning with coaching from Seth. Seth also teaches the Advanced Academy essential vocal techniques to enhance projection, diction, and vocal health.
See "Staff" page for full bio.
Ryan's classes help students develop and sharpen their skills for the stage so that they may apply their knowledge to their current productions and future auditions.
Tyler has been involved in the local Alaska theatre scene for upwards of 15 years. After directing shows at South Anchorage High School, The Alaska Overnighters, and previous Academy years, he is happy to return. Tyler also has much experience as an improv artist, having performed in shows internationally. Thanks for reading!