- Bethel University

Theatre Alumni

...or, "What CAN you do with a Theatre Major (or minor)???"

Class of 2007

Emily Kjesbo

After graduating with an acting/directing emphasis, Emily was hired by SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development in St. Paul. Working as the Summer Education Assistant, a Teaching Artist, and an Assistant House Manager, Emily is active in implementing the theatre's mission of exposing arts to young people of the Twin Cities' low income communities. Emily is also currently serving as a full time AmeriCorps volunteer, using creativity to reach students in an alternative high school in St. Paul.

Class of 2006

Amy Velenchenko

Graduated in 2006 with a Musical Theatre emphasis. I have been working with the organization Kid Dance teaching preschoolers ballet, jazz and creative movement. I have also continued to work with Youth Performance Company - where I did my internship my senior year at Bethel - teaching classes and working in the box office. I also started working this year with a homeschool association called H.E.R.O. (Homeschool Education Resource Organization) teaching five different dance classes and a drama troupe. I also work at the YMCA with junior highers, running an after-school program where the focus is on education, recreation and service to the community.

Class of 2005

Carey Morrison

After completing her BA in Theater and in History at Bethel, Carey was accepted to a dramaturgy internship with Pangea World Theater and was invited back as the assistant dramaturg for their production of Entrances and Exits. In the fall of 2005 she was asked to be the dramaturg for two shows at her alma mater, as well as directing the Humanities class production of Everyman. Carey has also served as the company dramaturg and literary assistant for 20% Theater Company since spring of 2006. On December 16, 2006 she married fellow theater alum, and former Bethel Theatre Production Manager, Jared Pennoyer. Most recently, she could be seen on stage in the Upright Egg Theater Company's production of The Love Project as well as several workshops and staged readings with various theater companies around the Twin Cities. In the summer of 2007 Carey was asked to join the cast of Pangea World Theater's production of From the Ashes, which performed at the First National Asian American Theater Festival in New York City. When not busy with theater,Carey works for Property Solutions and Services as a site manager for sober housing for the homeless. Currently, she is applying for graduate schools to pursue her Masters in Theater History.

Class of 2003

Megan (Heuer) Scheidler

Megan married Bryan Scheidler in August 2005. Longtime friends, they met in the second grade at Pasadena Christian School and now live in Altadena, CA. After two years of teaching Graphic Design and Yearbook at Maranatha High School (Pasadena, CA), Megan now works as a freelance scenic and graphic designer. She greatly enjoys designing, painting and building sets for Marmac Repertory Theater, Maranatha High School, and Azusa Pacific University.

Design Website: www.scheidlerdesigns.com
Personal Website: http://web.mac.com/meganelizabeth/iWeb/Site/home.html
Email: meganelizabeth@mac.com

Jennifer Awes

Since May 2004 Jennifer has worked as the Theatre Production Manager for Bethel University, where she has also done set design for four productions. She has also done per diem tech work with the following local theatres: Hey City Theatre, Melete: A Women's Art Collective, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, the Fringe Festival, and Hodge Podge Theatre Company. Jennifer was a Fellow in Bethel's Post-Baccalaureate Art Program, Fall 2004. Her resumé and art portfolio can be viewed at www.bethel.edu/~awejen.

Jack Cochran

Jack and Becky (a BTS Bethel alum, 2003) were married on 7/16/2004. They now live in St. Paul. More information about Jack and Becky can be found at http://homepage.mac.com/jack.cochran.
2004 -- 2005 Jack was the Managing Director for Hodge-Podge Theatre Company (http://www.hodgepodgetheatre.org). The theatre company was formed out of the Critical Mass writing group and included Bethel alums Jaron Burdick (Artistic Director), Kevin Whitby (Board Member), Jim Belich (Board Member, Finance Manager, Webmaster) and Kelly Belich (Board Member, PR Manager). Their 2005 season recap can be viewed on the website listed above.
Jack currentlly works as an analyst at Target Corp in downtown Minneapolis.
He is interested in a potential future in Horticulture/Greenhouse/Landscape Design & Implementation. He says, "I've fallen in love with plants, what can I say?"

Alex Grudem

Alexander returned to his alma mater fall 2002 to perform the role of Tom in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. In 2005 he directed Everyman for the Humanities class at Bethel, as well as The Importance of Being Earnest for Hodge Podge Theatre Company.
Alexander is looking forward to more schooling in the near future, possibly pursuing a career in Aesthetics and art history. Alex currently resides at the Fortress of Solitude awaiting the day that the world needs him once again. You may find him on the internet at: theologicalhotspot.blogspot.com.

Alaina Hoffman

After graduating from Bethel in 2003 Alaina went on to perform in MELETE Women's Art Collective's show of Agnes of God as Agnes, as well as joining Comedy Sportz Minneapolis as a performer. Through her improvisational comedy experience at Comedy Sportz, Alaina was asked to join a workshop that helped teach a high school student how to perform improv in part of an episode that aired on the series MADE on MTV. Wanting to stretch her writing wings a little more, she produced, co-wrote, and starred in a musical, American Blue Jeans at the Brave New Workshop in conjunction with the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Over 500 people came to see their 5 performances. Alaina's most recent adventure has been a move to Chicago in September of 2005 to pursue improv comedy, writing, and children's theatre. In addition to being accepted into the conservatory program at Second City and taking classes with the Neo-futurists, Alaina is performing as part of a battle-prov team at Comedy Sportz and can be seen in a Second City writing class sketch showcase that will be going up in January and is looking forward to assisting in directing in the near future with CYT (Christian Youth Theatre) as well as traveling to Prague in May to teach a theatre camp for missionary kids. She is currently in the process of co-writing a show with her roommate about their move to Chicago. You can check out American Blue Jeans at www.alainahoffman.com or read up on the newest adventures and/or socially awkward situations Alaina gets into through her blogs at www.myspace.com/alainahoffman.

Class of 2002

Jaron Burdick

After receiving his BA in 2002, Jaron Burdick has gone on to co-found the Critical Mass Playwriting Circle and the Hodge Podge Theatre Company, a local community theatre with a dedication to new art and artists. The company has produced works ranging from Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona to Drake Cosmo and the Slime Pirates of Blog. He currently teaches for Stepping Stone Theatre for Youth Development, and has lead free-lance drama workshops for the past four years. He can be seen this Christmas in the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre's production of La Befana.
Jaron can be reached at jaron.burdick@hodgepodgetheatre.org.

Jenna L. Kubly

Jenna received her B.A. Theatre Arts from Bethel College in 2002 and her M. A. Theatre from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Drama from Tufts University (Medford, Massachusetts). Her previous theatre experiences include work as playwright, director, composer, assistant director, and dramaturg. Highlights include The Cherry Orchard (role of Charlotta), CU's Alice in Wonderland--or Not! (dramaturg), two seasons with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (AD/dramaturg), and Tufts' The School for Scandal (dramaturg). Researching the theatre during, and the representation of, the Great War (1914-1918) is one of her main interests; she will be presenting papers about theatre during this era at Newcastle University (UK) and Karlstads University (Sweden) in 2006.
You can reach Jenna at kittyvanderkleve@yahoo.com or Jenna.Kubly@Tufts.edu.

Class of 2001

Cami (Strand) Thomassen

Cami and her Norwegian husband Frank are excited to announce the birth of Sabina Naomi in February. Cami is a stay-at-home mom, and is keeping up with her theatre skills by playwriting and directing drama for their church. Frank also leads the children's ministry at Four Square International Church in Kristiansand, Norway, where they live.

Class of 1999

David Olson

David Olson graduated in 1999 with a B.A. in Theatre with a minor in Music. After singing with the a cappella group Poor Baker's Dozen for 14 years, he has taken his passion to connect and encourage people in Christ, and brought that energy to kids! He is currently the Children's Ministry Director at Salem Baptist Church in New Brighton, MN where he not only leads kids in worship, but also helps create kid-sized, relevant dramas and curriculum for k-5^th graders. He is in the process of launching a new kids church service at Salem, and plans on taking his training and developing a Kids Drama Team as well.

In May of 2005 he married his best friend, Sarah. They currently live in Hugo, MN.

David would like to thank God for all He provides, his wife Sarah for being so amazing, and Caribou Coffee...for the addiction!

The best way to connect is his email: cheebaker@gmail.com.

Class of 1998

Leanne (Kranz) Weber, class of 1998

Worked as the co-founder of the Peter Augustus Theatre Group, a community theatre company dedicated to community service and improvement as well as quality productions at a reasonable rate from 1998-2006, where she acted in and/or stage managed just about every show. Currently serves as the full time children's pastor at Trinity Christian Center in Zion, IL, where the theatre skills she learned at Bethel come in very handy!! Besides working on the annual kids' Christmas musical, she directs the KICKS (Kids in Christ's Kingdom Service) Ministry Team, a group of 4-6 grade students learning to use the arts in ministry. She is also working on writing a play, Church Brat, a story about growing up in the evangelical church, which she hopes to produce in churches and other venues around the Midwest when completed.

Patrick Weber

Was the founder and artistic director of the Peter Augustus Theatre Group from 1998-2006, directing family favorites such as Narnia, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland, just to name a few! He currently co-directs the KICKS Ministry Team at Trinity Christian Center, and teaches an adult class at the church entitled, "Reclaiming the Arts for the Kingdom." He also directs all the music for the kids' Christmas musicals. As part of his job as a Family Educator with Kids' Hope United (a group home for teenage boys), he teaches a theatre class twice a week at the alternative school on campus.

Katy Wehr

Katy recently completed a Master of Christian Studies in Christianity and the Arts from Regent College in Vancouver, BC. While living in Vancouver Katy released a solo Americana/Folk CD, The Smell of Rain. Visit www.katywehr.com to hear samples. She now lives in Edina, MN. Some of her theatre experience includes being a Youth Theatre Teacher for Youth Peformance Company in Minneapolis, Associate Producer for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association-International Division, Museum Interpreter for the Minnesota Historical Society, and an Education Intern for Lamb's Player's Theatre in San Diego, CA.

Class of 1995

Stephen Van Dorn

Stephen Van Dorn, currently starring as Edward Rutledge in 1776, graduated Bethel University with high honors with a degree in both Theatre Arts and Sacred Music. He was given honorable mention twice that year in the Monologue Competition and Concerto Aria Competition, being the only student to take the honor in both music and theatre arts in the same year. After moving to Los Angeles, he was nominated for the LA Weekly Award Best Actor category for his turn in The Hasty Heart at Actors Co-op in Hollywood, for which he also won a Maddie Award for Performance.
In 2001 Van Dorn moved to Singapore to star in Judah Ben Hur: The Musical. Subsequent to that, he starred opposite Garry Marshall and Neal McDonough in the screwball comedy, They Call Him Sasquatch,(2003) in which he played a British rocker obsessed with finding Bigfoot. Van Dorn also co-wrote several songs for the production. That same year he worked with Garry Marshall in Falcon Theatre’s Cinderella based on the Puccini opera, La Cenerentola.
2006 saw the release of Cemetery Gates, Kismet Entertainment’s horror film in which Van Dorn played the eco-terrorist responsible for unleashing a giant mutated Tasmanian devil on the grounds of a cemetery occupied by several students intent on filming a zombie flick.
In 2007 Van Dorn played another rock singer in the indie film, Cake, which took The Other Venice Film Festival’s Audience Favorite – Best Feature award, and went on to take other honors on the indie film-fest circuit. Flick is being re-edited and theatrical & DVD/Blu-Ray release of that film is TBD.
Recent stage roles include his recent turn as Gerard Damiano in Lovelace: A Rock Opera, at The Hayworth Theatre. Directed by Ken Sawyer, with music by The Go-Gos’ Charlotte Caffey, and Anna Waronker. Other roles include his show-stopping portrayal of Edward Rutledge in 1776, Tony Toscanini in the West-Coast Premiere of Tales of Tinseltown, and Gerald Critch in Women In Love (created by “Cold Case” executive producer, Meredith Stiehm, based on the book by D.H. Lawrence).
In addition to his acting career, Van Dorn has branched into directing with his audience-hit production of Much Ado About Nothing at Actors Co-op, his critically acclaimed direction of What Happened Was… by Tom Noonan at the Stephanie Feury Theatre, and his more recent creation and direction of The Freddy Wyatt Variety Hour Christmas Spectacular Extravaganza Show., aka A Hollywood Christmas. Van Dorn occasionally teaches acting at the prestigious Warner Loughlin Studios, and currently resides in the Los Angeles area.
www.myspace.com/stephenvandorn

And beyond...

Kelly (Dye) Anderson

Kelly is a first grade teacher at Andover Elementary School. She is also a member of “The Improvables,” an improve team at Constance E Free in Andover as well as other dramatic productions.

Ginny Heuer-Bowar

Ginny lives in St. Paul. She is a Broadcast Producer in advertising and film. She also performs in Bethel’s summer musicals.

Carrie (Oleson) Boyum

Carrie is a stay at home mom and freelance event planner in Richfield. She currently directs drama ministry at church. After college, she stage-managed at Park Square Theatre. Carrie has found her stage managing skills helpful in planning events. She has worked in Bethel’s Admissions office and did event coordinating.

Sue Bruder-Mattson

Sue has a private practice as a clinical psychologist in Roswell, Georgia. She has found her creativity and theatre skills to be useful everyday in work therapy work with children, adolescents and adults.

Loretta (Hitchcock) Carlson

Loretta is currently an Educational Assistant at Hazel Park Academy. She spent three years as the House Manager and Box Office Manager at The Great American History Theatre. Now she assists her husband with his musicals at Highland High School in St. Paul.

Rich Faatz

Rich lives in Maple Grove, Minnesota and works in Financial Sales. He uses his theatre skills as he does a lot of public speaking.

Jann (Lindaman) Guldseth

Jann resides in Apple Valley and is a facilitator for seminars and substitute teacher for special education. She also directs monthly drama performances for a 5,000 member church, assists directing children’s musicals at church and judges speech.

Breinn Habdas

Breinn is an English teacher and resides in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. She acts in many community theatre productions around the Twin Cities and directs youth theatre workshops.

Nancy (Goss) Law

Nancy lives in California where she is an elementary school teacher. She stages productions every year with her students.

Stephanie Lewis

Stephanie lives with her husband Josh in Cupertino, California. She is a visual arts teacher at Hyde Middle School. In addition to using her theatrical skills everyday in the classroom, she also directs plays and works with the school’s broadcasting program. She also does freelance work designing and building sets.

Terry Olson

    After graduating from Bethel in 1971, Terry completed an M.A. in theatre at the University of Minnesota. Currently he is the Director of Arts & Cultural Affairs for Orange County, FL. While this is an administrative position, during the last three decades he has helped to start and run SAK Theatre, the Orlando Theatre Project, the Central Florida Performing Arts Alliance, the Orlando International Fringe Festival and several other groups.
    Terry now serves as the director/producer for an annual Arts Worship Sabbath experience that takes over a three-theatre venue to create a five-hour, open house in which people journey through the gallery; onto the stage to sing worship songs; to the performing-arts theatre where they can see dance, spoken word, music, theatrical monologues or scenes performed; to the meditation room where they may take communion; to the café where they may fellowship over a meal.
    The photo is of the full cast of Terry, his wife, and a friend from Dickens By Candlelight: A Chrsitmas Carol, which is performed interactively in a Victorian Mansion for the past 9 years.

Kirsten Pardun-Johannsen

Kirsten is a District Performing Arts Specialist for Orono Public Schools. She oversees all theatre standards for the district, teaches theatre for grades 7-8, and directs two plays per year. She serves as a theatre expert for the state of Minnesota as theatre education is designed and implemented for graduation standards. Kirsten continues to act in local theatre and on occasion teach as an adjunct professor for the Bethel University Theatre Department.

Alison Rentschler

Alison is currently a supervisor at Caribou Coffee. In 2004-2005, she assisted with Church Youth Drama Team. She writes drama sketches, directs plays and has taught many drama classes.

Heather (Stumbo) Sams

Heather is a resort owner in Cushing, MN. She has played the role of the Teacher in the Gospel According to Scrooge twice at her church. She has also participated in other dramas performed at the church.

Lana Weeks

Lana lives in California and is a Consultant for the Sunset Theatre Project. She does strategic planning and fundraising for renovating and building theatres.

Naomi (Gamble) Zupfer

Naomi is currently living in St. Paul and works as the event manager for the Fitzgerald Theater.