Academy Staff - Childsplay

Meet Your Academy Staff

All of our teaching artists are adult professional theatre artists who hold current finger print clearance cards. All of our Academy Staff receive in depth trainings in Saftey, EDI (Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion), and Classroom Management. Click below to learn more about each of our Teaching Artists.

Interested in joining our team?

Brianna Fallon - Academy Manager

academy@childsplayaz.org | (480) 359-1494

Brianna Fallon joined the Childsplay ensemble as a Teaching Artist in 2016 and worked her first Summer as the Academy Associate in the Summer of 2018 and ultimately accepted the position of Academy Manager the Summer of 2021.

Brianna Fallon (also known as Ms. Bri) is an actor, director, playwright, teaching artist, singer, and musician. She received her AA in Fine Arts with a focus on Theatre from MCC and has studied acting at Scottsdale Conservatory Theatre and the Megaw Actors studio. Some of her favorite roles have been Dragon in “Shrek the Musical”, Baloo in “Jungalbook”, and Lady in Brown in “For Colored Girls…”. Brianna has also been nominated for few Arizoni's for directing and playwriting and is especially proud of her work writing and directing the youth play: Emmett's Art Project, which highlights issues surrounding racism and inequality. When she’s not performing, Brianna can be found looking for waterfalls with her husband Justin, designing a graphic for something, or learning a new instrument.

Gracie Esparza - Academy Associate

academy@childsplayaz.org | (480) 359-1494

Gracie Esparza (she/her) joined the Childsplay ensemble in 2023 as the Academy Associate. She has produced work in a multitude of theatre roles such as a scenic artist, actor, dramaturg, designer, and camp counselor. Her work focuses on and actively advocates highlighting opportunities for theatre artists of color. She has a BFA degree in Design & Technology, Theatre: Scenic Art from The University of Montana and is an alumnus of Phoenix College. Some past theatre credits include: The Outsiders (Charge Artist — Teatro Bravo), The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (Charge Artist/Props Designer — Mesa Encore Theatre), and The Laramie Project (Actor/Props Designer/Graphic Designer – University of Montana).

Alexandra Kallis - Teaching Artist

Alexandra is joining Childsplay as a teaching artist for Summer 2025. Recent credits include Costume Design for A Chorus Line (Mesa Encore Theatre), Co-Directing and Co-Costume Design for Sister Act (Actor's Youth Theatre), Stage Managing for Bright Star (MET) and Legally Blonde (AYT), and Assistant Directing and Designing Props for Peter and the Starcatcher (MET). Alexandra has many years of experience working with children including teaching afterschool theatre classes in New York City and Oceanside, CA. She also created her own Drama Classes for young performers in Vernonia, OR, a small town with no other theatre opportunities. Alexandra holds a BFA in Theatre from New York University.Alexandra is joining Childsplay as a teaching artist for Summer 2025. Recent credits include Costume Design for A Chorus Line (Mesa Encore Theatre), Co-Directing and Co-Costume Design for Sister Act (Actor's Youth Theatre), Stage Managing for Bright Star (MET) and Legally Blonde (AYT), and Assistant Directing and Designing Props for Peter and the Starcatcher (MET). Alexandra has many years of experience working with children including teaching afterschool theatre classes in New York City and Oceanside, CA. She also created her own Drama Classes for young performers in Vernonia, OR, a small town with no other theatre opportunities. Alexandra holds a BFA in Theatre from New York University.

Alexis Nomorosa - Teaching Artist & YETi Production Stage Manager

Alexis has been part of the Childsplay Ensemble since 2021. They are currently a teaching artist as well as the Production Stage Manager for Youth Ensemble Theatre Inc. (YETi). Some of their favorite YETi credits include Ghost Bike (2025), She Kills Monsters (2024), and Almost, Maine (2023). Other theatre credits include: Swing/Co-Sound Designer/Intimacy Captain (Grieving Girls and Their Totally Magical Sourdough Spell; Valley Players 2025), Stage Manager (The Importance of Being Earnest; Mesa Encore Theatre 2026), Intimacy Coordinator (Plague Play; Valley Players 2026). They graduated from Grand Canyon University with a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre for Secondary Education. Some of their credits include The Addams Family (Stage Manager/Co-Sound Designer; AriZoni Winner: Best Overall Production-- Musical), Little Women: A Radio Play (Stage Manager; GCU Second Series), and Wings (Assistant Stage Manager).

Amanda Slade - Teaching Artist

Amanda Slade joined the Childsplay ensemble in 2022 as Teaching Artist and Music Director and is thrilled to teach musical theater to our young students. Productions Amanda performed in were Ensemble in Les Miserables (Show Low High School), Ensemble in Mary Poppins (Show Low High School), Mrs. Winthrop in The Secret Garden (Show Low High School), Rich Wife in A Christmas Carol (Chandler-Gilbert Community College), Storyteller in Once On This Island (Chandler-Gilbert Community College), Cinderella’s Stepmother in Into The Woods (Chandler-Gilbert Community College), Myrtle Webb in Our Town (Chandler-Gilbert Community College), Ghost of Christmas Future in A Christmas Carol (Chandler-Gilbert Community College). Productions Amanda has worked as either Hair and Makeup Designer, Design Assistant, Production Assistant, Assistant Director, and Director were Peter Pan Jr, Annie Jr, Into the Woods Jr (Poston Jr High School), Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus, Aladdin (East Valley Children's Theater). Amanda is a student at ASU pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance and a minor in Theater. She transferred from Chandler-Gilbert Community College and received a KCACTF nomination there. She teaches private voice lessons and finds time to audition for shows whenever possible.

Bella Klein - Teaching Artist

Bella is so excited to be joining the Childsplay ensemble this spring and teaching the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Musical Theatre I class! She is a current student at Arizona State University earning her Bachelor's of Music in Musical Theatre Performance and has a passion for working with kids and sharing her joy of the performing arts with them. She has served as the role of Music Director at Actor's Youth Theatre and Arizona Homeschool Theatre Group for shows including Matilda Jr., The Addams Family:Younger@Part, and Finding Nemo KIDS! She cannot wait for this opportunity at Childsplay to further her teaching career and support children in the arts.

Deatra Branston - Teaching Artist

Deatra D. Branston joined the Childsplay ensemble in early spring of 2023 as an actor and is more than ecstatic to be joining as a teaching artist with the company. Her previous Childsplay production includes, The Hula Hoopin' Queen as Jamara. Other credits: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Theatre Works), The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Harmonia Holdings, Ltd.), and Someone the Musical: Lauren’s Story (Bloomworks Production). Deatra’s ability to captivate an audience with her vocals has been recognized by Bloomworks Production with the Most Favorite Lauren Story Song Award. She recently returned home after 5.5 years living in Shanghai, China. There she taught Dramatic Arts at the French School of Shanghai and toured nationally as the Red Narrator in The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Deatra works as an actress full time and is the proud Founder of Creative Start Productions where she hopes to empower others in their acting careers and create meaningful and influential art. Deatra holds a BA in Theatre & Film and an MA in Secondary Education from Arizona State University.

Debra K. Steven - Associate Artist & Teaching Artist

Debra K Stevens has been with Childsplay since August of 1982 working as an Associate Artist which means she is an actor, director, and a teaching artist. She has been seen on the Childsplay stage in a plethora of shows including The Yellow Boat, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Charlotte's Web, A Tale of Two Cities, The Diary of Anne Frank, and many more. She has directed several productions on the Childsplay stage and for theatres around the Valley. Some favorites include The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus, The Revolutionists, Always, Patsy Cline, Frog and Toad, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. She has taught countless classes and residencies through the years, and currently is an adjunct professor at MCC. Debra has a Bachelor's in Speech and Theatre from Western Kentucky University and a Master's from ASU.

Dorian Maliq - Teaching Artist

Dorian Maliq is a new member of the Childsplay Community and he is ELATED to start as one of the teaching artists a part of the program. In 2013, he attended Theatre Camp at the Herberger Theater, where he had the opportunity to perform in a class built play based on “community.” He graduated from New School for the Arts and Academics in Tempe, Arizona, where he studied Musical Theatre for three years. Previous NSAA Productions include Hairspray, A Chorus Line, Urinetown, Hair, Elf and Legally Blonde. Dorian was awarded with the 2019 Marilyn R. Lanza Student Achievement Award for Excellence in the Arts and Academics. Last year he joined the Sun Devils at ASU and was accepted in the Bachelor of Music: Music Theatre degree program with an Emphasis in Voice. He is so happy to spend the summer with Childsplay Academy and he can’t wait to create new memories.

Jon Gentry - Associate Artist & Teaching Artist

Jon Gentry has been a member of Childsplay’s acting company since 1982. He spent 6 months in Europe performing Steen Papier Schaar with Speeltheater. Childsplay shows include: Robin Hood, A Year with Frog and Toad, The Yellow Boat, The Color of Stars, Lyle the Crocodile and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Other roles: Passpartout in Around The World In 80 Days, Max Bialystock in The Producers, Tupolski in The Pillowman, Roy Cohn in Angels in America, Parts One and Two. Also, The Taming Of The Shrew, Compleat Wrks of Shspr (Abridged) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Directing credits: In My Grandmother’s Purse, Stones In His Pockets, Belle Of Amherst, Rhubarb Jam, The Imaginators (original production) and Equus.

Katie McFadzen - Teaching Artist

Katie McFadzen is an Associate Artist at Childsplay and has been with the company since 1993. Favorite Childsplay acting credits include: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Ella Enchanted, Flora & Ulysses, Seussical, and The BFG. Additional acting credits include: Always…Patsy Cline, Mamma Mia, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, and The Women with Phoenix Theatre, Good People, The Pursuit of Happiness, and Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show with Actors Theatre, How the Other Half Loves, The Great Gatsby, and a one-woman version of A Christmas Carol with Arizona Theatre Company (also produced at Childsplay), Barbecue, Rasheeda Speaking and The Wedding Band with Black Theatre Troupe, Small Mouth Sounds, The Year of the Rooster, and Speech and Debate with Stray Cat Theatre. Directing credits include: Becoming Dr. Ruth with The Phoenix Theatre Company, The Trump Card and The Cake with Stray Cat Theatre, The Snowy Day and Other Stories and Eric and Eliot with Childsplay, and The Evolution of Dar, Webster’s Bitch, The Way North, and The Mysterious Disappearance for The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Festival of New American Theatre. Katie holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting/Directing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University. She is a Faculty Associate in ASU's Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law where she co-teaches Persuasive Speech.

Elizabeth Eastin - Teaching Artist

Elizabeth recently joined Childsplay this year and is thrilled to share her love of all things theatre with today's youth! She comes with a robust and diverse skillset that she began to develop in high school and carried on through her college years and beyond; including and not limited to costuming, performing, stage management, and directing.

Elizabeth most recently assistant directed Alice in Wonderland Jr. (Chandler Youth Theatre), and Shadows on the Canvas: A Murder Myster Dinner Show (AZ ACT). Over the last couple of years she also performed in Sister Act (Mesa Encore Theatre), Midsommer Night's Dream (Starlight Gardens), and Steel Magnolias (AZ ACT) and taught youth acting classes at Chandler Youth Theatre for the 24/25 season.

Macy Lash - Assistant Teaching Artist

Macy Lash joined Childsplay in the Summer of 2025 as an Assistant Teacher! Theatre has been a major part of her life for years and she is so excited to work with the Childsplay community. Macy is currently a student at the University of Arizona, majoring in both Live and Screened Performance and English. Macy has participated in numerous plays and musicals. Some of her recent roles include Miss Scarlet in “Clue: On Stage” (Limelight Performing Arts), Mary Sunshine in “Chicago" (Queen Creek High School), Grand Duchess in "You Can’t Take It With You” (Queen Creek High School), and more! Macy was a member of her high school’s choir and theatre council, is currently the president of a musical theatre club in college, and is a Fine Arts Ambassador at the University of Arizona. Macy can’t wait to share her passion for the arts at Childsplay!

Maia Gersten - Teaching Artist

Maia joined Childsplay in January 2026 and is thrilled to be part of this fantastic company. In addition to the Musical Theatre Conservatory, she teaches improv at an after-school residency program at BASIS Scottsdale Primary East. Maia is a multifaceted theatre artist with experience in performing, playwriting, teaching, and directing. She has trained and performed in cities across the country, including Raleigh, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Chicago. Select theatre credits include The Seagull (Nina), The Secret Garden (Lily), Thinner Than Water (Gwen), Sister Act (Sister Mary Theresa), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Pseudolus). Maia has a BS in Drama and Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Theatre for Youth and Community at Arizona State University.

Mary Ellen Loose - Music Director

Mary Ellen Loose joined Childsplay in 1998 as a pianist for the summer workshops. This led to her becoming a Teaching Artist every summer. She has been involved for many years in community theatre in the Phoenix area. Her awards include two AriZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence for “Once On This Island” and “Pippin”; and one AriZoni nomination for “Into the Woods” – all with Greasepaint Youtheathre. For over twenty years she has been the Music Director for many shows at Greasepaint. Mary Ellen has been on the music faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College since 2004 where she is involved with the musicals. As a Collaborative Pianist, she plays for singers and choirs throughout Arizona. She is the current Director of Music Arts at Velda Rose Methodist Church. A Composer/Arranger, her piano and choral works have been published and performed throughout the United States. She loves working with young people!

Morgan Strahlman - Teaching Artist

Morgan joined the Childsplay ensemble in 2025. Morgan has been in theater productions since she was eight years old. She has been in productions such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Old Gem Theatre), Footloose (Verona Area Community Theatre), Charlie Brown (Hillmurray Theatre), Christmas Carol (Hillmurray Theatre), and Newsies (Broadway Kids Academy). She has had leading roles such as Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Broadway Kids Academy) and Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (Broadway Kids Academy). She has done vocal lessons for two years, and choir for four years. She is currently attending Grand Canyon University with a minor in musical theatre!

Natalie Earley - Teaching Artist

Natalie is a Teaching Artist at Childsplay and currently studying Theatre/Musical Theatre at Grand Canyon University. She thrived on everything Childsplay as a child and graduated from the Conservatory program in 2019. Her previous roles include Evil Queen in Into the Worlds, multiple roles in The Wizard of AZ (Childsplay Academy), Juror 12 in 12 Angry Jurors (Ethington Theatre), Amber in The Sum of Me (YETi), and Mayzie LaBird in Seussical Jr. (Ahwatukee Children’s Theater). Natalie hopes to inspire today’s youth to create and flourish.

Rachel Carranza - Assistant Teacher

Rachel Carranza joined Childsplay as an Assistant Teacher in June of 2025 and is excited to begin this journey. Their credits include La Commedia of Errors (Arizona State University), Luchadora (Arizona State University), and CREAM! (Arizona State University). Rachel has also directed high school productions of Luchadora (Maryvale High School), Mean Girls - The Musical (Maryvale High School), Everybody - Brandon Jacob Jenkins (Maryvale High School), El Experimento (original play) (Maryvale High School), and Mi Vida (original play) (North High School). Rachel serves as a theatre educator at Maryvale High School, her alma mater. Rachel holds a BA in Theatre with a concentration in Acting from Arizona State University.

Rachel Hutzenbiler - Teaching Artist

Rachel joined the Childsplay team in January 2023 and has loved every minute. As a graduate student at ASU studying Theatre for Youth and Community, they have directed “chew the fat” and worked on “The Wolves” as the assistant director, performed as Hook in Madeline Sayet’s “The Neverland”, and many other projects. Prior to grad school, Rachel was working full time as a theatre educator, director, and techie in Northern Virginia at Not Just Dance working on 10 shows a year, including “Newsies,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Hobbit,” and “Pinocchio.” Rachel holds a BM in Vocal Performance and a BFA in Theatre Education from East Carolina University.

Rachel McCabe - Teaching Artist & YETi Program Manager

Rachel McCabe joined Childsplay in the summer of 2017 as a Teaching Artist. She has been a professional Singer/Actress for 15 years and attended Stockton and Billingham School of Performing Arts in England where she first began her Career, She relocated to the US in 2002 where she continued to perform. Theatre performances include Chrissy, Hair (The Arc) Sue, A Slice Of Saturday Night (The Arc) Nancy, Oliver (Starlight Theatre). At Universal Studios Rachel performed in The Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue, The Blues Brothers Show and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Rachel was also a part of the creative team as a mentor and a host for The Stars youth enrichment program at Universal Studios, as well as the Sound Design Project and Orlando Music fest. Rachel has been a Teaching Artist and Youth Director for Middlesbrough little Theatre, The Arc and Orlando Stagecoach. Offers one-on-one Coaching in: Acting, Audition Prep, Film Acting & Audition, & Voice

Sarah Love - Teaching Artist

Sarah joined the Childsplay team as a teaching artist in August of 2023. She has taught classes at Childsplay such as Acting 2, The Doc is In, and Character Collaboration. She has also taught as part of after school residency programs at schools like Sunland Elementary. Outside of Childsplay, Sarah teaches classes at the Edna Vihel Arts Center and she is a substitute teacher. She loves working with youth and watching them grow. She enjoys seeing young people’s creativity come to life and collaborating with youth to create original theatre. Sarah is an educator, performer, musician, deviser and director. Some of her favorite experiences as a performer were working on devised Theatre and Dance for the Very Young Performances such as: “In the Way Down Deep” and “Body Brilliant” at ASU. She also performed in “Puffs” at Aurora University. She holds a B.A. in Spanish from Aurora University and a French Minor. She also holds a B.A. in Theatre from Arizona State University. Sarah is currently pursuing an MFA in Theatre for Youth and Community at Arizona State University.

Zaq Gibson-Wetterholt - Photographer

Zaq started his journey with Childsplay at 8 years old with a week long musical theater camp. From that camp he was given the opportunity to take part in Childsplay's conservatory program. Later, he came back to work for childsplay as a Teen Intern for the summers of 2023 and 2024. Zaq has taken production photos for YETi, and other theaters in the valley, for 2 years and is so excited to be the Resident Photographer for this season of YETi. Previously, Zaq has worked as a photographer for the Mesa Public School District, focusing on photographing school theater productions. Some of his favorite photo projects include Footloose (Mesa High School), Romeo and Juliet (YETi), Music Man (Mountain View High School), and The Little Mermaid (Red Mountain High School). When he’s not behind the camera you can find him watching TV with his cat, Goose, or cooking some delicious food.