Chad Scheppner
Director
Chad has been working as a director, instructor, writer, and administrator of the performing arts for children over the last 20 years. He has taught at Regional Theatres, Shakespeare Festivals, Universities, Studios, Camps, and Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. He has worked as a Director and an Instructor in several capacities with ages 3 to adult, instructing up to 140 students per class.
His diverse work history in LA ranges from creating plays with at-risk youth and multi-generational gang families in East LA, to producing and directing scores of children's musicals each year in Santa Monica, to musical directing and conducting children's choirs in Manhattan Beach.
His overall objective for JAMS Theatre is to provide fun, non-competitive performing arts classes in which each student is given an opportunity to strengthen their awareness, concentration, and communication skills, to enhance their abilities to perform and to collaborate, and to provide each child an opportunity to build self-esteem, courage, confidence, and compassion in their lives and their art.
Director
Chad has been working as a director, instructor, writer, and administrator of the performing arts for children over the last 20 years. He has taught at Regional Theatres, Shakespeare Festivals, Universities, Studios, Camps, and Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. He has worked as a Director and an Instructor in several capacities with ages 3 to adult, instructing up to 140 students per class.
His diverse work history in LA ranges from creating plays with at-risk youth and multi-generational gang families in East LA, to producing and directing scores of children's musicals each year in Santa Monica, to musical directing and conducting children's choirs in Manhattan Beach.
His overall objective for JAMS Theatre is to provide fun, non-competitive performing arts classes in which each student is given an opportunity to strengthen their awareness, concentration, and communication skills, to enhance their abilities to perform and to collaborate, and to provide each child an opportunity to build self-esteem, courage, confidence, and compassion in their lives and their art.
Katey Mushlin
Assistant Director
Katey is excited to be working with the young performers at John Adams Middle School. She is a graduate of both Second City and I.O. West. She is an acting instructor with the Lee Strasberg Institute in Hollywood, as well as with the American Musical and Dramatics Acadamy (AMDA). Katey also works in inner-city schools with LA City Stage, and has spent several years directing children’s musicals in West L.A. She runs the improv portion of Comedy Playground, a teen improv and stand-up program at the World Famous Improv. She can also be seen performing in several improv and theatre troupes in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Assistant Director
Katey is excited to be working with the young performers at John Adams Middle School. She is a graduate of both Second City and I.O. West. She is an acting instructor with the Lee Strasberg Institute in Hollywood, as well as with the American Musical and Dramatics Acadamy (AMDA). Katey also works in inner-city schools with LA City Stage, and has spent several years directing children’s musicals in West L.A. She runs the improv portion of Comedy Playground, a teen improv and stand-up program at the World Famous Improv. She can also be seen performing in several improv and theatre troupes in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Miles Crawford
Choreographer
Miles Crawford is a lifelong drummer and percussionist. He's performed as a cast member in the NY and touring companies of STOMP. In the studio and on stage, he's drummed for a variety of musical acts including Ringo Starr and Eminem. He has also conducted workshops with young people around the United States, and in the favelas of Brazil.
Choreographer
Miles Crawford is a lifelong drummer and percussionist. He's performed as a cast member in the NY and touring companies of STOMP. In the studio and on stage, he's drummed for a variety of musical acts including Ringo Starr and Eminem. He has also conducted workshops with young people around the United States, and in the favelas of Brazil.
Amy Beeman-Solano
Volunteer Producer/Parent Liaison
Volunteer Producer Amy Beeman-Solano has a seventh grader this year at JAMS. She has been an avid supporter of JAMS Theatre since her oldest child (a Samohi junior) took the stage in Grease in 2011. Currently, she is on the Samohi Theatre Steering Committee.
Amy has also been an English Language Arts teacher at JAMS (2011-present), Samohi (1999-2012), and Instituto de Psicopedagogía Integral. She has an M.Ed. in Education from UCLA, and a BA in Psychology and Spanish from UC Berkeley. She has National Board Certification, serves on the JAMS Professional Development Team, and is
an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Mary's University. She sings in the car.
Volunteer Producer/Parent Liaison
Volunteer Producer Amy Beeman-Solano has a seventh grader this year at JAMS. She has been an avid supporter of JAMS Theatre since her oldest child (a Samohi junior) took the stage in Grease in 2011. Currently, she is on the Samohi Theatre Steering Committee.
Amy has also been an English Language Arts teacher at JAMS (2011-present), Samohi (1999-2012), and Instituto de Psicopedagogía Integral. She has an M.Ed. in Education from UCLA, and a BA in Psychology and Spanish from UC Berkeley. She has National Board Certification, serves on the JAMS Professional Development Team, and is
an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Mary's University. She sings in the car.
