The Founder
KYM CHAMBERS OTTO (She/Her/Hers)
Kym received a Masters in Vocal Performance from New York University and BA from St. Olaf College. Originally from California, Kym relocated to the Twin Cities after living in New York City for a decade. Kym works as a professional actor/singer/dancer and has toured with the Broadway Tours Cats, Cinderella, and The Wizard of Oz. Regionally she has worked at prestigious companies such as Kansas City Starlight, TUTS, TOTS, North Shore, Ogunquit Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, Casa Manana, Bushnell PAC and Ordway CPA . Kym is actively involved in developing New Work with Nautilus Music Theatre. She has sung with The St. Olaf Choir, The World Youth Choir, Vocalessence and is a founding member of “Chick Cheer” entertaining over the holiday season.
When Kym is not performing she runs a successful private voice studio (NATS member), choreographs for Musical Theater, is a show choir clinician/adjudicator and a Lead Spotlight Evaluator for Hennepin Theater Trust‘s Theater Education Outreach Program. Her students have gone on to NYU, Vitterbo, UW Stevens Point, U of M Duluth and Twin Cities, University of Oklahoma, Coastal Carolina, UCLA, Northridge, Hartt School of Music, Millikin University, St. Olaf, Luther, Concordia, Gustavus and BYU. Kym has strong ties to the Broadway community and has recently curated Q and A sessions with Broadway Artists to connect with her MT studio students.
While at NYU, Kym worked as a Graduate Assistant in MT and was in charge of all new student inquiries and ran auditions for all incoming students. This provided a unique opportunity to see the audition process from the inside of a highly regarded MT program.
Associate Coaches
Andrea Mislan's (she/her) professional performing career spans over 25 years. A graduate from Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division, she has continued to evolve in contemporary and musical theater styles, in such productions as Celine Dion's "A New Day," Cirque du Soleil's "Viva Elvis," and "Chicago the Musical" International tour. A current resident of Minneapolis MN, she has most recently performed at the Guthrie Theater ("West Side Story," "Guys and Dolls," "Cyrano de Bergerac"), Chanhassen Dinner Theaters ("Holiday Inn," "Music Man", "Footloose"), The Ordway ("Smokey Joe's Cafe"), and in several Collide Theatrical's original jazz dance musicals. Andrea has choreographed for several regional theaters and studios across North America and has taught master classes internationally in ballet, contemporary, musical theatre, and Fosse technique (Broadway Across America). She is currently a teaching artist for Twin Cities Musical Theater Training, the Guthrie Theater, Community Movement Collective, and loves teaching company class for Ballet Co Laboratory. A movement mentor, certified in Clinical Somatic Education and Franklin Method, her focus is to guide an embodied and efficient way of moving, facilitating a deeper understanding of movement and dance technique in every style, for every mover.
Michael Gruber (he/him) Broadway: original companies of Miss Saigon, Swing!, Stairway to Paradise, Jackie Mason’s Laughing Room Only, and My Favorite Year, both Bill and Hortensio in Kiss Me, Kate!, the Tinman in The Wizard of Oz, Munkustrap in Cats, Mike in the final cast of A Chorus Line as well as Greg and Zach in the 2008 revival. Mr. Gruber also performed the role of Munkustrap in the movie of Cats, filmed at the Adephi Theater in London. Over the past 23 years, he has starred in over 50 regional productions. Notable roles include: Don Lockwood in Singin’ in the Rain and Gould in Grey Gardens (Ordway Center) Don Hewes in the world premier of Easter Parade (Chanhassen) both Phil Davis (Wang Center, Boston) and Bob Wallace (5th Ave. Theater, Seattle) in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Young Ben in the highly acclaimed production of Follies (Paper Mill Playhouse) Stanley Donan in the world premier of What A Glorious Feeling (Mason Street Warehouse) Harold Hill in The Music Man (Seattle Opera-conducted by Marvin Hamlisch) Wizzer in Falsettos (Alliance Theater, Atlanta) Joseph in Joseph...Dreamcoat (Alaska Opera) and both Riff and Tony in national and European tours of West Side Story. He also created the role of Tom Marlowe in the revival version of Good News (Music Theater of Wichita) Cast recording include: 42nd Street, Singin’ in the Rain, Wonderful Town, Good News, Swing!, Follies, The Most Happy Fella, My Favorite Year and The Music Man. After moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2010, he has worked at the Guthrie (Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady, South Pacific) History Theater (world premiere of Sweet Land), Theater Latte Da (All Is Calm) and is currently a company member at The Chanhassen Dinner Theater. Education: University of Michigan-School of Music (vocal performance) College- Conservatory of Music (Musical Theater)
Julia Ennen (she/her) is a Twin Cities-based actor, singer, and voice teacher. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Minnesota where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Race & Ethnic Studies. She studied classical voice, sang roles in several operas, and taught musical theatre workshops. After completing two years of AmeriCorps service, her journey took her out to NYC where she earned a Master of Music in Music Theatre and Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from New York University. She served as an Adjunct Instructor of Voice on the NYU Faculty for two years. Julia is happy to call the Twin Cities home again where she works actively as both an actor and voice instructor. Julia’s goal is to help students develop beautiful, sustainable vocal technique and become the best version of themselves as artists. While she teaches across genres, her speciality is musical theatre, including both legit and contemporary mix/belt styles. She enjoys creating a positive, thoughtful, and safe environment where students are free to ask questions, explore, make mistakes, and try new things with fearlessness.
Max Wojtanowicz (he/him/his) is a performer, director, writer, and educator based in the Twin Cities. A native of Rice, Minnesota, and a graduate of St. Olaf College, he has performed on several stages throughout the Twin Cities and around Minnesota, including the Guthrie Theater, Children's Theatre Company, Nautilus Music-Theater, Theater Latté Da, Ten Thousand Things, the Jungle Theater, and others. Max has taught and coached actors at St. Olaf College, Yellow Tree Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, St. Cloud Civic Theater, Plymouth Playshop, Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, Maple Grove High School, Lakeville North High School, and Spotlight Education. Max offers online monologue and audition coaching via Zoom.
Anna Hashizume (she/her) is a Japanese-American singer-actor and voice teacher based in the Twin Cities. After receiving both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in vocal performance, she is equally comfortable on opera and musical theatre stages, as well as onscreen. She’s performed with companies such as the Guthrie Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Theater Latté Da, Artistry Theater, History Theatre, Minnesota Opera, and Fargo-Moorhead Opera. On screen, she’s worked for Best Buy, Target, Bobby and Steve’s, and the Minnesota Lottery. She was also featured in the found footage horror film V/H/S85: No Wake, which is a part of the V/H/S franchise. Alongside performing, Anna is a passionate voice teacher and coach. She runs her own private voice studio, co-coordinates the Prelude Program at the MacPhail Center for Music, and teaches at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists. Anna teaches and coaches both in-person and online. TikTok: @anna_hashizume | IG: @annahashizume @sing_with_anna www.annahashizume.com
Affiliate Teachers
Ashley Selmer - Founder and Creative Director of SHAPESHIFT. Credits include Children’s Theatre Company, Ordway Center for Performing Arts, The Guthrie. BFA from University of Wisconsin Madison.
Andy Asong-Morfaw - Assistant Choreographer of Timberwolves 612 Crew, with credits at the Cowles Center and the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.
Linda Talcott Lee - Emmy Winner with credits that include the Broadway productions of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, The Goodbye Girl, Beauty and the Beast, and Seussical. Other affiliations include The University of Minnesota, University of St. Catherines, The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, The Guthrie, Children’s Theatre Company, Steps and Theatre Dance in NYC.
James Rocco - Co-founder of Thirty Saints Productions, former VP of Programming and Producing Artistic Director at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Former Producing Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, and appeared in the original Broadway production of CATS as Rum Tum Tugger.
Renee Guittar - Affiliations include Collide Theatrical Dance Company, The Guthrie, The Ordway, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Theater Latte Da, and The Old Log Theater. Dance Faculty at The Breck School.
Britta Ollmann - Credits include Broadway, The Guthrie, The Ordway, Asolo Repertory Theater, Theatre Latte Da, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, The Old Globe, FreeFall Theatre, Old Log Theater, and Children’s Theatre Company. Currently the Director of Education for Hennepin Arts. BFA in Musical Theatre from New York University, MA in Teaching from Hamline University.
Rush Benson - Affiliations include The Guthrie, The Ordway, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Park Square, Artistry, and The Old Log Theatre, Collide Theatrical, James Sewell Ballet, and Keane Sense of Rhythm Tap Company. Training in Theater and Dance from Gustavus Adolphus College.
Patrick Jeffrey - Affiliations include Black Label Movement, Zenon Dance Company, Collide Theatrical, The Ordway Center for Performing Arts, and Carnival Cruise Lines.
William Wesbrooks - Former Director of Vocal Performance at the Steinhardt School at New York University. Directing credits include The Man of La Mancha, Carousel, Candide, A Little Night Music, Into The Woods, Ragtime, My Fair Lady starring Gary Beach and Maureen Brennan, My One and Only starring Jodi Benson and Hinton Battle, and the national tours of West Side Story, Gypsy, Brigadoon, and The Sound of Music.
Gabrielle Dominique - Affiliations include The Guthrie Theatre, The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, The Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Children’s Theatre Company, Artistry, and Theatre Latte Da. BA in Dance & Theatre from St. Olaf College.
Julia Ennen - BA in Music and Race & Ethnic Studies, MM in Music Theatre and Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from New York University, where she served as an Adjunct Instructor of Voice for two years.
Pascal Pastrana - Broadway credits include The Great Gatsby, A Beautiful Noise, Mean Girls, regional credits include Maine State Music Theatre, Papermill Playhouse, Fulton TheatreThe MUNY, and Northern Stage.
Kayla Jenerson - Broadway Debut in Cabaret, also appeared in Stardust Road Off-Braodway, the national tours of A Bronx Tale, Motown, and regionally in The Karate Kid, Ragtime, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.