The IGNITE Youth Theatre staff for the production of The Little Mermaid!
Get to know the staff members that you and your children will be working with during the time spent in The Little Mermaid summer 2023!
Justine Washic - Director
Justine is a 2013 graduate of Lock Haven University where she majored in theatre. She has been a part of IGNITE Youth Theatre's staff since 2016 including makeup artist, stage manager, assistant director and director. She is a Kindergarten teacher at Moshannon Valley school district where she also runs the Moshannon Valley Jr Sr High Drama Club
Samantha Sanker - Assistant Director
Samantha will be the Assistant Director this summer for IGNITE. She is the director for the Philipsburg-Osceola Middle School Drama Club and was just hired as an elementary teacher with the Philipsburg-Osceola school district. She is excited to be back with IGNITE, but this time as a director!
Don Henry - Music Director
Don will be the Music Director this summer for IGNITE. He is currently teaching elementary music and chorus for the Philipsburg Osceola School District. Don has a daughter, Grace, who has been in ILLUSIONS and part of IGNITE Youth Theatre for some time now. He has been involved with Front and Centre either directly or indirectly from its beginning.
Sam Potter - Choreographer
Sam is the Artistic Director at ILLUSIONS Dance Studio. He studied psychology, sociology, social work, and dance at Clarion University. After college, Sam moved to Pittsburgh to attend Graduate School at Duquesne University where he instructed fitness classes and joined Exhalations Contemporary Dance Company. Some of you might know Sam from coaching cheerleading at Philipsburg-Osceola and Cheer Central All Star, or from choreographing the musicals at the Clearfield High School, Moshannon Valley Jr/Sr High School, Philipsburg Osceola Middle School, and IGNITE Youth Theatre, and he may have mixed your paint at Kephart Ace Hardware!
Alison Marshall - Prop Coordinator
Alison lives in Clearfield with her husband and two boys. She also has four dogs. She is a Home Health Physical Therapist for PH Clearfield. She has been involved with theatre productions at the Clearfield Area High School and Front and Centre Productions for the past two years. Alison also enjoys going to plays and musicals as well as reading.
Brooke Ippolito - Production Assistant
Brooke is a 2022 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania majoring in Secondary English Education. She was part of Front and Centre's Wizard of Oz production in 2017. Brooke teaches 9th Grade English at Moshannon Valley and is the Assistant Director of the MoValley Drama Club. She also spends her summer working the teller line at CNB Bank.
Emily Sanker - Vocal Coach
Emily is finishing her third year at Mansfield University as a music education major with a vocal primary. This will be her third year as a student music director/vocal coach with IGNITE. She is very excited to be continuing her work with the IGNITE Youth Theatre program!
Katie Smith - Vocal Coach
Katie graduated from Clearfield Area Jr Sr High School in 2020 and is now a music education major approaching her senior year at Messiah University. She has been acting in plays and musicals for seven years and is looking forward to joining Front and Centre as a staff member!