ALLSTAR THEATRE ARTS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Choreographer / Instructor
Briana Turnbull specializes in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, and musical theater. She started dancing and performing at the age of 3. She trained at Redwood Raks dance studio for 7 years, with Humboldt Light Opera Company and HLOC's KidCo under the direction of Sarah van Dissel for 10 years, and No Limits Dance Academy under the direction of Stacy Atkins-Salazar for the past 4 years. She has performed as a dancer a numerous full productions and recitals such as Sleeping Beauty, Shrek the Musical, Mary Poppins and the Humboldt county winter tradition, Candy Cane Lane. She has played roles such as Ursula in the Little Mermaid Jr, Grace Farrell in Annie Jr, Troy Bolten in High School Musical J, Cinderella in Allstar Theatre Arts' production of Into the Woods, a production she also choreographed. Most recently she played Liesl in ATA's production of the Sound of Music. She competed at the Spotlight Dance Competition in Santa Clara, CA for the past 3 years. She had the honor of working with the nations most respected coaches and choreographers through Disney Performing Arts for 2 summers. She has performed at Disneyland for twice and is looking forward to performing at the National Performing Arts Festival in Orlando, FL in 2020. Bri is excited to be taking her teaching and choreography to a new level and can't wait to pass her knowledge on to a brand new group of young singer-dancers.
Lisa Jouaneh has over eight years experience in teaching, directing and coaching music. Lisa has taught music to children and adults through school, private and community organizations. Lisa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University in 2011. While at SSU she studied voice with Susan Witt-Butler of San Francisco Concert Opera. Lisa has performed with San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Circa 1600, Sing Napa Valley, as well as, given several salon recitals. Lisa spent her first six years teaching in Napa where she grew up. While in Napa, Lisa and a colleague established a Musical Theater Program where they produced two musicals each year. Lisa also served for six years as the vocal coach for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, where she operated a rigorous rehearsal schedule for park entertainment. A highlight of Lisa's career came while Directing the Agape Choir of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in 2014, when she took 15 members to sing John Rutter's Magnificat in Carnegie Hall through Mid America Productions. Lisa has been teaching band, orchestra and choir in Eureka since 2017. Recently, Lisa was accepted San Jose State University to pursue her Masters in Music Education. Lisa is thrilled and full of gratitude to be a part of the ATA Team. For more information please contact Lisa directly at lisa.jouaneh@gmail.com
Sarah has been teaching and directing children's musical theatre locally for over 10 years. She has performed professionally and with local community theatre for over 20 years; in shows such as Brigadoon, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, and the Sound of Music to name just a few. She has directed children in Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr, Alice in Wonderland Jr, and Madagascar Jr, Into the Woods, and most recently the Sound of Music. Sarah has studied vocal performance in San Francisco, New York as well as Chicago, where she was mentored by Metropolitan Opera star Susanne Mentzer. Sarah also performed with the Aspen Opera Center for two years, being one of the youngest sopranos ever accepted into the program. During this time she was personally coached by both Richard Bado of the Houston Grand Opera and Gayletha Nichols, director of the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions. Sarah has earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Vocal Performance from Humboldt State University and is happy to be giving back to the community by teaching musical theatre and voice to the children of Humboldt County. In her spare time, Sarah runs a private studio, offering private voice lessons to students age 10-18. Please contact Sarah directly at superirish@gmail.com for more information on private lessons.
Shelly has been dancing most of her life, but started her formal training in 2006. She has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a minor in dance. Her focus in dance is musical theatre jazz, contemporary jazz, classical ballet, and occasional tap. She has been a Company Dancer at North Coast Dance for 7 years and has been teaching and choreographing for children in Humboldt for the past 4 years. Her favorite works so far include "The Little Mermaid, Jr" and a medley she choreographed for Allstars performing at Disneyland. As a performer, you might have seen her as "Rose Queen", "Arabian" and "Spanish Princess" in the Nutcracker, "The Wicked Witch of the West" in the Wizard of Oz Ballet, "The Genie" in Aladdin the Ballet, and "Beast" in Beauty and the Beast Ballet. She has also performed in many musical productions in the area at the Arkley Center and Van Duzer Theater. She has been acknowledged for her choreographic triumphs and has been awarded multiple titles for performances in dance competitions. Shelly has always had a special place in her heart for musical theatre and has grown to love choreographing for kids and helping to put together large productions.