Staff & Board
Staff
Bryan Caldwell
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Bryan received his B.A. from Tulane University in 2000. Bryan has over 30 years of acting experience and has performed at the Promenade Playhouse, the Stella Adler Theater, and the Culver City Public Theater. A Colorado native, Bryan performed a residency at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, working with their Theatre Academy to implement both the adult and children’s curriculum. He has taught theatre for Los Angeles based students for over ten years including offering programs for youth with Autism and Asperger. In Inglewood, CA he has directed programs at Crozier Middle School and Frank Parent School, and has developed curriculum that focuses on addressing the needs of at-risk youth.
Greg Shane
Co-Founder, Artistic Director
Greg Shane, Artistic Director of ArtsUP! LA, received his B.A. in theatre from Tulane University and his M.A. in Educational Theatre from the Steinhardt School at NYU. Since he began teaching theatre in 2003, Greg has traveled all over the world bringing performing arts and arts therapy programs to various populations in cities including London, Dublin, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. Greg’s work helps at-risk youth, military veterans, prisoners, mentally challenged individuals, the homeless, and the visually impaired. Blind in his right eye, Greg’s personal connection and sensitivity towards the challenges of the visually impaired lend a unique perspective to his work.
Colin Simson
Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer
Colin is a Boston native and a graduate of Tufts University. He shares his passion for performance and community service as the Chief Creative Officer for ArtsUP! LA. Since 1994, he has worked with programs in both Boston and Los Angeles helping to conceive, write and bring to life hundreds of original children’s theater productions and movies. Colin also continues his mission by teaching music and theatre at Seven Arrows Elementary, a private school in Pacific Palisades as well as private instrument lessons for children on drum set, guitar, and piano. An avid performer, Colin makes funny personalized music videos under the pseudonym, Spoofy Cakes and performs with several local bands – The Gravity Guild, Bandette, and Lizzy Passion & The Cowboy ASssassins.
Board of directors
Joseph Plante
President
Colin Simson
Vice-President
Jeremy Aldridge
Treasurer
Matthew Saracho
Secretary
Shari Barrett
Member
August McAdoo
Member
Rob Medved
Member
Greg Shane
Member
Artistic Staff
Laurie Grant
Program Director, Rex & Friends
Laurie is the co-founder and former CEO of LPJ Entertainment LLC, and former Director of Music Marketing and Licensing for Performing Arts Studio West (PASW), as well music educator at PASW where she worked with adults with Autism and other disabilities. Laurie also has expertise in music production, songwriting, and publishing. Hailing from Los Angeles Laurie was a student of Music and Music Business at UCLA, and a graduate of The Grove School of Music with a degree in Jazz and Theory, Ms. Grant has a solid academic and professional background in music composition and arrangement. Grant has co- written, produced and licensed works for a multitude of independent artists and for music placement in film and television. These include songs for Dawson’s Creek, Law & Order, and My Name is Earl.
Alexis Farrington-Gallardo
Program Coordinator, Creative Youth Theatre
Alexis Farrington-Gallardo has been working in the performing arts since 2016. Alexis enjoys working on creative teams with artists of all backgrounds. She has produced concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and managed several of their young artist programs. Currently, Alexis is pursuing a Masters of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. Alexis interests include design, film, and theatre, among other things. In her free time, Alexis loves spending time with her family, friends, and dog, Pilot.
Regina Saldivar
Director, Theatre by the Blind
Regina Saldivar was born and raised in El Paso, TX and has been living in LA for 10 years. She made her directorial debut with Theatre by the Blind’s “Sweet Pepper” in 2018. Regina believes strongly in giving back through art and production, which is why she served as producer on the feature documentary “Do You Dream in Color?” – a coming of age story that follows four blind teenagers in pursuit of their dreams (now available streaming through Amazon Prime and iTunes). Regina is perhaps best known for her acting roles on television shows like Chicago Fire, Hand of God, Criminal Minds, Teen Dating Violence and more. She is passionate about animals and is the proud dog-mother of two rescued dogs, Coconut and Nugget.
Creative Youth Theatre Teaching Artists
Natalie Fryman
Teaching Artist, Creative Youth Theatre
Natalie Fryman, a native Los Angeleno, earned her BA in Drama from Vassar College in NY and her MA in Music Theatre (with distinction) at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She is a working stage/film/TV industry professional as well as a teaching artist and has been fortunate enough to live, study, and work in LA, NY, Hawaii, Italy, and the UK. She performs regularly with LA theater companies such as The Speakeasy Society, whose production of The Kansas Collection: The Portal (a dark adaptation of The Wizard of Oz in which Natalie played Glinda) was recently awarded “Best Immersive Narrative” in Immersion Nation’s 2019 Immersion Awards. She’s a nut for Shakespeare, musical theater, science fiction, fantasy, and crossword puzzles.
Malena Hougen
Teaching Artist, Creative Youth Theatre
Malena Hougen is proud to be a Teaching Artist for CYT/ ArtsUP! LA. A firm believer in the power of learning through play, she hopes to help students understand themselves and explore the world they live in. Malena also guides her students in writing, producing and acting in their own films. Before launching her teaching career, Malena spent over a decade as a writer and producer in television newsrooms in New York and Los Angeles, including several ABC and FOX affiliates. A passionate advocate of authenticity through storytelling, Malena has written and performed in numerous storytelling shows around Los Angeles, including Expressing Motherhood and Untold. She also co-founded and co-produces the annual CRxEATIVITY Festival in Los Angeles, which celebrates healing through creative outlets. Malena holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, and lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Jennifer Seifert
Teaching Artist, Creative Youth Theatre
Jennifer Seifert, a Jack Nicholson Scholarship Award winner and alumnus of the University of Southern California, is a certified life coach, actress, writer and teaching artist. As an actress, Jennifer is an Ovation Award winner, and has worked with such theaters as A Noise Within, Pasadena Playhouse, Shakespeare Festival LA, The Actors Gang and The Falcon Theatre with Troubadour Theatre Co. Jennifer produced her own short film, “To Desdemona, Love Juliet” and can be seen in the Academy Award nominated film, “In America”, and opposite Academy Award winner, Anjelica Huston in “Huff.” She taught with PS Arts and Inside Out for ten years, before becoming a mother of two boys, and has written a book, “CRxEATIVITY,” about balancing real life and creativity. She is thrilled to be teaching again with CRE, and facilitating Women’s Artist’s Way groups. Jennifer also continues to tour the country with “Playfair” and “Shotspeare” and has found a new voice with “Expressing Motherhood” and “Listen to Your Mother.”
Bryan Staggers
Teaching Artist, Creative Youth Theatre
Bryan Staggers is an actor, writer, and musician currently based in Los Angeles, CA. He has been a professional teaching artist for over 10 years, working with all ages in acting, playwriting, music, and more. Raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Bryan fell in love with telling stories to the background of banjos and family barbecues. He earned his BFA in Acting from West Virginia University where he trained in everything from Shakespeare to improv comedy. After graduation, he worked in regional theaters across the country including The Lost Colony, B Street Theatre, and IAMA Theatre Company. Some favorite roles include Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Woof in Hair, and Tennessee Williams in Mama Metal. Additionally, he has appeared on screen in both film and television with highlights including Animal Kingdom, The Mileground, and Betrayed. He is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.