Instructor's Biographies :: Town Hall Kids :: Town Hall Theatre Company (Lafayette, CA)

Joel Roster
Director and Instructor of Town Hall Kids Encore and Ovation
Programs

A 2005 Shellie Award-winner, Joel has co-taught the Diablo Valley College's "Kids on Broadway" (College For Kids) program for the last three summers with Jessica Magers-Rankin, along with holding numerous Teaching Assistant positions during the DVC school year, assisting professors Douglas Dildine, Beth McBrien and Jim Kirkwood. Joel is a resident Bay Area actor, writer and director, having been involved in over 70 productions in the East Bay, San Francisco and elsewhere. He is honored and jazzed in every conceivable way to be teaching and directing for Town Hall Kids.

Jessica Magers-Rankin
Director and Instructor of Town Hall Kids Bravo and Rising Stars Programs

Jessica Magers-Rankin is thrilled to be working at Town Hall again, this time offstage. For the last four summers Jessica has been teaching Kids on Broadway at Diablo Valley College with fellow Town Hall Kids instructor Joel Roster. While not teaching, she is busy pursuing a degree in history from UC Berkeley. She recently appeared as Mrs. Potts in the East Bay Premiere of "Beauty and the Beast" with CCMT. She has worked with theater companies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area since the age of nine. Some of her favorites include CCMT, Onstage Theater Company, DVC Drama Dept., DLOC, and Town Hall Theatre. Jessica is a proud member of Fantasy Forum Actors' Ensemble.

Emily Garcia
Director and Instructor of Town Hall Kids Bravo Program
Assistant Director of Town Hall Kids Bravo, Encore and Ovation Programs

Emily began performing the age of 7. Since earning her degree in Theater at UCLA, she has continued to pursue her passion for performance. She has studied acting with such companies as ACT, TVI's Actor's Studio, The Actor's Collaborative and 3 of Us School for Film and Television. Her dance training includes Steps, Anne Garvin, Joe Tremaine, and West Coast Dance Theater. She has worked on numerous productions as a performer, director and choreographer. Past roles have included Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Reno in Anything Goes, Bebe in A Chorus Line, Adelaide in Guys & Dolls, and Gabrielle in Camile, an original musical performed at the New York Musical Theater Festival. Her work in education has spanned over 10 years, during which she earned a certificate in Early Childhood Education. Previous positions have included Program Coordinator, helping to rebuild an existing educational program, and Associate Director, developing a new school-age enrichment program. She's taught classes in dance, acting and improvisation for young performers.

Henry has been involved in children's theatre for the last 5 years. He started at Town Hall Kids Theatre in the of Fall 2006 as an Assistant Director for 101 Dalmatians, directed by Jessica Magers-Rankin. Henry worked with Kaiser Permanente's Educational theatre programs from 2001 through 2004, touring to schools grades K-12, promoting healthy lifestyles. He co-wrote a community troupe, asthma awareness show with the same program. Other children's theatre programs include: Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences, and Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble. Henry has performed in shows for such companies as: Town Hall Theatre, Center Rep, CCMT, and others in San Francisco and the East Bay.

Betsy Blakeslee directs the Town Hall a cappella Choir for teens and adults. She has directed choirs that performed at the UN Millennial Summit, the State of the World Forum, and in Bosnia during the war. For 12 years she taught voice at the storytelling certificate program at Dominican University. Her music career began at age 8 on a television music program for children in Buffalo, New York. She gives private lessons in voice, piano, and songwriting to youth and adults in Orinda. She holds a fun week-long singing summer camp for middle school girls, also in Orinda. She trained with the Roy Hart Theatre in France. A songbook of her original a cappella songs is in progress.

Katie Pelensky started her Town Hall Theatre experience several months ago by appearing in their production of Lend Me a Tenor and is now hooked. She has taught at Hillbarn Theatre’s Summer Conservatory and most recently with Jessica Magers-Rankin in Town Hall Kids’ Bravo program. Katie graduated from Santa Clara University with a BA in Theatre and is excited to pursue teaching and theatre in the Bay Area.

Ginny Wehrmeister is recent graduate of the University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA) where she received her BFA in theater arts-emphasis in musical theater. Ginny is back in the bay area pursuing her career as a theater artist, immersing herself in any way possible the theater world will allow. Whether that be acting, directing, costuming, or teaching. Ginny feels right at home in the educational theater department here at Townhall, as she grew up in the bay area doing theater herself: from the Contra Costa Children's Chorus, to the California Shakespeare Festival, to Stars 2000. She is very passionate about inspiring our youth as her teachers inspired her as a young person.

Jennifer loves theatre and working with kids and is thrilled to have found a dream job that combines the two. She is a graduate of Tuacahn, a performing arts high school located in St. George, Utah. As part of her training at Tuacahn, Jennifer had the opportunity to perform along side numerous Broadway professionals. She has been performing theatrically since the age of 13. Some of her favorites include: Enter Laughing, Once Upon a Mattress, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (starring the Osmond's), Cinderella, Once on This Island, and Fiddler on the Roof. Currently Jennifer is studying theater at DVC with plans to transfer to Boston Conservatory. Until then, she looks forward to working hand and hand with the stars of tomorrow.

For information or questions about our programs or instructors, please e-mail the Town Hall Kids^™ Registrar at classes@townhallkids.com or call (925) 283-1159.