Ken Kahle (Director, The Perfect Wedding, Spring 2008).
Spanning a theater career of over 20 years, Ken
started with performing in productions such as You Can't Take It With You, Plaza
Suite, Whisper in the Mind (by Lawrence and Lee), and
Stopping the Desert. After deciding to take a risk by independently
producing and directing Oscar Wilde's Salome on A.S.U.’s campus
grounds under the stars, Ken decided to change courses and follow his
stronger directorial calling which led him to the helm of such original
plays as Benny and the Jetts, and A Night in Vegas. Following
that, Ken “traffic-copped” Caught in the Villain's Web, And Then
There Were None and Harvey at Central Community Theater. Other
favorite directorial efforts of Ken's include The Enchanted Cottage,
Alice in Wonderland, and a thrilling production of Deathtrap
(accompanied appropriately by a thunder-and-rain-soaked opening night). Ken
is also the only director in the valley to have coordinated five seperate "shadow
interpreted" productions in which he de-constructed 8 solid weeks of work
and established blocking to incorporate one sign language interpreter for
every actor on stage. Although he loves the challenge, he hopes DFT won't
ask him to do that here.
 Sara Bernstein
(Director, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Winter 2008) is an actor,
director, choreographer, and theatre educator with credits in Arizona,
Maryland, and Chicago. She is very excited to direct I Love You, You’re
Perfect, Now Change for Desert Foothills Theatre. At Arizona Theatre
Company’s Summer on Stage in Tucson, Sara choreographed Lucky Stiff
in the 2007. Also in Arizona, Sara played Amy in Company, Antonia in
Man of La Mancha, and was a featured performer in Arizona Jewish
Theatre Company’s From Berlin to Brooks. Sara has also directed
youth theatre productions including Really Rosie, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music, and Flapper. Sara is
a part of the growing education program at Arizona Theatre Company where she
serves as Phoenix’s Education Manager to introduce people of all ages to
theatre and promotes arts education. Through Arizona Theatre Company, she
teaches acting classes to Maricopa County high school theater students as
well as exposes them to performing arts events and venues throughout the
Valley. She received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Musical Production and
Direction from Northwestern University. Following graduation, Ms.
Bernstein worked for the Lake Forest Children’s Theatre Company in Highland
Park, Illinois as a teacher and director of youth productions, directing
four productions with students ages five to fourteen. Sara lives in North
Scottsdale with her husband Ira and four-legged child Roxy.
 Jack
White (Director,
Gypsy, fall 2007) This is Jack’s first directing project with DFT, but he is no
stranger to this wonderful company. Jack appeared on stage for DFT in,
“Into the Woods”, and “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”. Jack has been back in
the Valley since 2001, and has been pretty busy. He just directed 2 shows
for North Valley Playhouse, “The Jungle Book”, and Lanford Wilson’s “Book of
Days” which opens in August. Prior to that he appeared on stage with NVP in
“6 Degrees of Separation” and in “South Pacific” at the Stagebrush Theatre.
Jack has directed “1940’s Radio Hour”, at Tempe Little Theatre, and “The
Snow Fairie” at East Valley Children’s Theatre where he was nominated for an
ariZoni. Jack taught theatre for 4 years at Deer Valley High School, worked
with the Teaching Artist Program through Phoenix Theatre and currently is
the School Director for The Academy of Cinema and Television. After
graduating from ASU with a BA in Theatre, Jack worked in the film and
television industry in Los Angeles. He freelanced in production, working as
a producer/ director, and production manager, and 1st AD.
He “retired” after working 10 years for Warner Bros. Studio
Facilities. Jack couldn’t be happier working back in theatre
and with a company as professional as Desert Foothills. He
would like to thank the board of directors for this wonderful
opportunity.
 Kenda
Newbury (Choreographer, Gypsy, Fall 2007) Classically trained by Kelly Brown
and the Phoenix School of Ballet, Ms. Newbury has been a professional dance
instructor, performer and choreographer for over 27 years. Influenced by
and under the training of Kelly Brown, Luigi, Gus Giordano, Belle Lewitzsky,
Marjorie Tallchief, Jurgen Schneider, Jelko Yurisha, Stanley Holden, Mdm.
Messerrer, Gregory Hines, Tommy Tune, Alvin Ailey and others, she became
versatile in classical and contemporary ballet, jazz, modern and other
styles of dance.She danced and trained with Ballet West, Ballet de Americas,
Phoenix Ballet, Chicago Lyric, Gus Giordano and Hubbard Street
(scholarship), Cardinal Cheer/Dance Squad, Princess Cruise Lines and worked
with choreographers such as Sean Curran, Paul Koverman, Cheryl Krown, Glenda
Folk, Keith Martin, Sarah Skaggs, Tommy Tune, Gregory Hines, Patricia
Straus, and Ralph Lemon, to name a few.Choreographically, she
co-choreographed the Super Bowl XXX half time show, Pilgrimage
2000 at Foxboro Stadium, and other large productions; choreographed for
synchronized swim teams, Winter Guards (WGI), equestrian events (reining and
dressage), sacred dance festivals, church services, private parties, large
events (clients include NBC, Porsche, Bright Horizons, John Hancock
Investments, and more), collegiate dance teams, musical theater productions
and dance concert works. In 2005 she created and now directs and instructs
Movement E-Motion, a dance program for individuals with disabilities.
She is a member of Boston Dance Alliance, Arizona Dance Coalition and
Alliance for Audience as well as on the Arts Council of the North Valley
board, Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble advisory board, and is on the
creation team and now the advertisement chair for ArtZBeat Magazine, writing
articles for them. Ms. Newbury is available for private coaching, dance
judge, master classes and choreography. She is the proud mother of her
almost 3 year old daughter, Shaeleigh.
|
Winter/Spring 2008
Sara Bernstein
Ken Kahle
Fall 2007
Jack White
Kenda Newbury |
