Shileah (she/her) founded Ballyhoo Theatre in 1998. She directs 5-6 full musicals and several special projects and fundraisers each year, as well as directing local community theatre productions. She teaches voice, vocal coaching, acting technique, and audition preparation. In addition to her work with Ballyhoo Theatre, she taught full time at Edmonds Heights K-12 from 1998-2016. Shileah has directed 85 full scale Broadway/Off-Broadway style musicals and over 100 junior style musicals for students ages 8 through 20. Her programs have premiered several musicals in the greater Seattle area and she was honored to work with the writers on two different new works projects.
Shileah has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music with a Vocal Emphasis, and has taught private voice for 20 years, working first out of her home and at a dance studio before founding Ballyhoo Theatre. She is also an award-winning costume designer and had her own clothing design and manufacturing company for 10 years.
While serving with EHK-12, the program participated in the 5th Avenue Theatre High School Musical Theatre Awards for many years. From 2004-2016, Shileah was nominated or honorably mentioned for Outstanding Direction 9 times (winning in 2016), Outstanding Overall Musical 6 times (winning in 2014), Outstanding Musical Direction 4 times, Outstanding Choreography twice, Outstanding Costuming 9 times (winning in 2009) and Outstanding Scenic Design 3 times (winning in 2006). In addition, the program received Educational Impact Awards 3 times and was nominated for Distinctive Programing in 2005. Her students have been nominated over 70 times, and many have been honored with 5th Avenue Awards for their work and performances.
Many former Ballyhoo students are working professionally in the fields of musical theatre, music and theatre education, with dozens of students attending musical theatre and theatre education collegiate programs. Her students are working and studying in cities such as New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and others. Shileah enjoys preparing students to enter the collegiate stage of musical theatre.
Ryan (he/him) started working with Shileah and Ballyhoo Theatre when he was 8 years old, and was one of her first students. In addition to acting in dozens of shows he was also very active as a Stage Manager, ASM, Lighting Designer, and helped with set building, props and assisting with younger students. As a performer with Ballyhoo, Ryan was last seen in the alumni shows BEND 2: R&J and Pageant, and two Late Night with Ballyhoo cabarets.
Outside of Ballyhoo, Ryan has worked professionally with ArtsWest Theatre as an Assistant Carpenter, Stage Manager, Lighting and Sound Technician, Running Crew, and acted in Hair, Shipwrecked, Amy’s View and Evil Dead the Musical. In addition, he worked as a Stage Manager for The Edge of the World Theatre.
Ryan lives with his husband Seth, and his two dogs, two cats and a gecko.
Working in varying capacities as Performer, Lighting/Sound Engineer, and Choreographer, Nicholas (he/him) has been involved with Ballyhoo Theatre from its first show in 1999. He has also performed in many school productions, community theatre, and professional productions in the Seattle area. His parents Michael and Shileah supported and encouraged a desire to tap dance from a young age, and even threw in some piano and voice lessons for good measure! He's joined by his three brothers, his grandmother, and his wonderful spouse Hannah, all of whom are curious, multi-talented, creative people. Nicholas believes a life-long education in the arts can bring communities together, and bring new perspective and sense of meaning to all aspects of life. Working in the computer science and engineering industries for nearly a decade now, he considers an arts background especially relevant as new ways of communicating pose new challenges and opportunities for human connection. Nicholas is proud to bring his unique skills to bear in service of the arts as a board member of Ballyhoo Theatre!
Jean (she/they) is the founder of the Diversity Center of Seattle. Her life's purpose is to help humans take decisive action to facilitate greater works by employing DEI to thier daily practice at every level, and to assist all with understanding the people issues in corporate American today. Her focus is on inclusion, pay equity, and as part of our heritage of white privilege, and the prevealence of racial injustice. Jean is a Socialogist and Feminist, raised in the family funeral home where sensitivity to people in tranisition was taught early on. She values this knowledge given to her by her parents.
Jean feels that you have to reach people in many different ways, and the arts are a wonderful way to connect people. She is happy to help support Ballyhoo Theatre as they tell important stories that reflect our diverse human experiences.
Sabrina (she/her) has been with Ballyhoo Theatre since she was 13 years old, and has worked on/performed in over 10 shows with Shileah. Recent credits include All Together Now! (Stage Manager), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Assistant Stage Manager, Costume Manager), Curtains (Niki Harris) and Hair (Tribe Member). Racial equity and representation are at the core of her work not only as a performer but as a person, and she is dedicated to creating environments of artistry where everyone can feel seen. Sabrina is currently attending University of North Carolina School of The Arts to receive her BFA in Drama with a concentration in Acting. When she’s not in the theatre, Sabrina enjoys playing music, reading comics, and baking.
Mia (she/her) first started with Ballyhoo in 2016 and has been in over 10 productions. She started theatre when she was 8 years old and is pursuing theatre as a career at Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University for a BFA in Acting, and will graduate in 2024.
Caleb (he/him) has worked with Ballyhoo theatre since 2016 and has been involved in many Ballyhoo productions both performing and working behind the scenes. Ballyhoo came to Caleb at his most vulnerable. He had lost his father in a tragic accident just a month before joining the cast of “Carrie: The Musical”. The family he found in Ballyhoo is what kept his spirits high and pushed him to overcome this hardship. Ballyhoo has inspired Caleb to grow exponentially as a performer and a friend. He truly found his love for theatre when he met Shileah. His favorite Ballyhoo credits include Johnny in “American Idiot”, Linus in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”, Bend 5: The Vaudeville Show, and Kurt Kelly in “Heathers”.
Outside of Ballyhoo, Caleb has performed in a number of plays and musicals in different theatre companies. His favorites include “Mamma Mia!” with Kirkland Performing Arts, “Snowflake Lane” (2016-2018) with Greg Thompson Productions, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” with Studio East, “Home is Where the Heart is” with Nu Black Arts West and “Urinetown” with BBSS.
When he’s not on the stage, you can catch him in a few films such as “The Boy in the Tiny House and the Monster Who Lived Next Door” as Daniel, “Friday the 13th: Vengeance” as Justin, “A Visit in the Night” as Ben, and “Manic Pixie Dreams” as Carrie.
Caleb works on the Outreach Team at Cocoon House as the South County Advocate where he provides case management for youth ages 12-24 who are currently experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of it. He helps them find shelter, continue their education, find jobs, collect essential identification documents, and connect them with medical, dental, addiction recovery, and mental health resources.
Bio coming soon!
Rin (fae/them) has performed with Ballyhoo since 2019, appearing in productions such as "Heathers: The Musical" (Martha), "She Kills Monsters" (Lillith), and "Fun Home" (Joan/Med. Alison Understudy). Faer background in theatre began at a very young age, where they performed in productions with Missoula Children's Theatre and Seattle Opera's Youth Chorus. They've attended LIU Post for musical theatre, studying the Suzuki method of acting and classic theatrical literature. Currently, fae works as a Behavioral Technician for Northshore School District, aiding in the education of neurodivergent students.
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