Theatre, Musical Theatre, & Technical Theatre
Holly griffith
Theatre Instructor
Holly (she/her) has worked as a theatre director, actor, administrator, and educator for over a decade. She is currently the Artistic Director of Corrib Theatre in Portland, the only Irish Theatre on America's West Coast. At Corrib, Holly programs plays and events that explore a wide range of Irish identities, their intersections with other identities, and their connections to Ireland's past. Before moving to Portland, Holly was living in Dublin Ireland where she earned an MFA in Theatre Directing from the Lir Academy at Trinity College. Holly has special artistic interests in folklore, page-to-stage adaptation, live sound and foley, and clown work.
Steve Boss
Theatre Instructor
Steve has explored Shakespeare with Young Musicians and Artists since 2009. Steve was a Lead Educator with the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association’s Age of Sail programs aboard the historic square rigger Balclutha. He was called in to be an emergency crew member when COVID closed the ship to the public, and served 4 seasons above the deck. He is an award winning actor, a director, and musician and has performed in many productions. Companies include We Players, Campo Santo, Shakespeare & Company, Shakespeare by the Sea, Portland Playhouse, Oregon Chil-dren’s Theater, Stark Raving Theater, Paula Productions, CoHo Productions, Sowelu Theater, and Defunkt Theater. He was part of Kristy Edmunds’ performance/installation Over There, and has done crisis training role-playing for The Department of Corrections at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Steve has worked with The Well Arts Institute Elder Writing Program as a scribe and actor, and with The Haven Project putting artists one-on-one with kids as a mentor, actor, composer, musician, director and stage manager. He was a founding member of the Resident Acting Company for Stark Raving Theatre, and has been an actor, musician, training programs manager, and education artist for Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA.
Alyssa Gibson
Musical Theatre Program Director
A Portland native, Alyssa spent her early years pursuing a musical theater career in New York City where she had been lucky enough to enjoy performing opera, musical theater and dance. Recently, she moved to Colorado with her two beautiful children, Elena & Jackson, 2 fur-babies and her husband, Cameron. She has been honored to have been able to music direct and choreograph a variety of local and regional performances including, Sweeney Todd (Gallery Players Theater, McMinnville) and Singing in the Rain (Mask and Mirror, Tigard). Alyssa loves to spend her time with her two beautiful children, Elena & Jackson, and her husband, Cameron. She enjoys dancing, rock climbing, hiking and camping, but she is most excited to be resuming dancing and performing in her new home! YMA is a second home to Alyssa and she cannot wait to see everyone soon!
Chris Meade
Musical Theatre Program Director
Christopher Meade is an educator and musician based in Portland, Oregon. While he specializes in vocal education, Chris has also taught drama, general music, and audio production. He is highly invested in bringing arts education to underserved communities and is active in multiple public school leadership teams to introduce and expand access to the arts. Primarily a singer and pianist, Chris has played accompaniment for both instrumental and vocal ensembles as well as individual musicians for performances and auditions. He has served as director and judge for musicals, honor choirs, and contest festivals. This will be his first summer at YMA and he cannot wait to share this experience with everyone!
Heidi Sprecher
Technical Theatre Director
Heidi Sprecher is a theatre technician and educator based in Portland, Oregon. Heidi currently teaches technical theatre at da Vinci Arts Middle School, and works after school as the Technical Director there. She also works at Jefferson High School as the set designer for theatre and the in-house lighting designer for dance. She's also been overjoyed to work with other schools in the district on set, lights, and costumes - including Ida B. Wells, McDaniel, and Benson. Heidi graduated with a BS in Theatre (and yes, she chose a BS over a BA just so she could make that joke) from Portland State University and went on to get her MAT from Concordia University. In her professional life, Heidi has worked locally in many different technical capacities; Stage Management, Propsmaster, Costume Shop, Stagehand, and her favorite - Lighting. She loves returning to YMA every year and practicing these skills with all these wonderful young techies!
Cassie Greer
Stagecraft Instructor & Production Manager
Cassie Greer (she/her) received her training in the MFA Acting program at Florida Atlantic University; the BA Theatre, History, and Music programs at Goshen College; and in the 9th Certification group of Fitzmaurice Voicework® teachers. She has worked professionally around the country as an actor, director, designer, stage manager, administrator, educator, and facilitator. These days you can find Cassie freelancing in the Portland area as a theatre-maker, creative producer, voiceover artist, team-building facilitator, and private voice coach; she also works and and plays in a variety of capacities behind the scenes at Portland Playhouse, and is thrilled to be spending the summer with YMA campers and faculty! Find details on Cassie’s various interests and projects past, present, and future at cassiegreer.com.
Aidan Tappert
Artistic Associate
Aidan Tappert (He/They) first attended camp as an awkward 11-year-old when his mom, Jayce Tappert, returned to camp as the new Camp Nurse. The young artist became enamored with the power of words, storytelling, and the magic art manifests into the world. Nearly a decade later, Aidan has attended camp as a Creative Writer, Actor, and a brief stint as an elusive Tuba Player. In life outside of camp, Aidan is getting their BFA from the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah and is set to premiere their first musical, titled A Night to Dismember (a campy, dark comedy), in the spring of 2023! Aidan hopes that in this new role he can help break down the barriers between artistic disciplines and foster the next generation of iterative and appreciative artists.