TEXFest Workshops

Brian Serrano has been involved in theatre since childhood. He equally loves acting, directing, and tech work. He has had a had numerous roles some of his favorites being, The Ghost of Christmas Present / Future, Lord Capulet, Guildenstern, The Caterpillar, and Audrey II. Brian finds stress relief in improv, golf, and enjoying a stiff drink and good cigar. However his true passion is training leaders. Seeing artists not just hone their craft to perfection, but their leadership skills as well. Brian is the Theatre Manager, Technical Director, and lead mentor for the Kaleidoscope Company at the Permian Playhouse in Odessa. Brian and his better 99% Kim have been married for 18 years. Brian and Kim have 3 theatre junkie kids Oakley (14), Cameron (12), and Nathan (9). Brian knows that he is nothing without Yahweh and gives Him all the glory for anything good in his life, the bad stuff … well, that was all Brian.

Greg Patterson has worked in nonprofit arts management in development, marketing, and public relations for 40 years with organizations such as The National Ballet of Canada to WaterTower Theatre.  He’s worked with local, state, and national funders for many years writing successful grant proposals for arts organizations large and small. He currently owns his own consulting business, Gregory Patterson Consulting, whose focus is to help small to mid-size nonprofits grow it’s contributed revenue through strategic fundraising and development.

Sean Foushee is the co-creator of Tickets to the City and a Professor of Graphic Communications at Tarrant County College. Sean has been involved with the theatre community for over 20 years going back to his undergraduate studies at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. When he isn’t helping theaters with their online ticketing needs, he enjoys playing his saxophone, woodworking, and playing with his kids. To paraphrase Shakespeare, “The questions is not whether to have a ticketing service but rather which ticketing service to have.”

DAVID ECK is currently the Theatre Specialist for the Art Park Players where he serves as arts educator and director for their main stage and youth productions. He comes to Houston via New York where he ran a merchandising and marketing company in addition to working as an Associate Producer on productions of Cry-Baby, Peter and the Starcatcher, Evita, Kinky Boots (Tony Award), Pippin (Tony Award) and RENT (off broadway). As VP of Broadway Merchandising, David created merchandise and marketing materials for Disney Theatricals, Cyndi Lauper and Ricky Martin. David is also the co-creator and rights holder of the cult musical hit ThanksKilling and S#IT an unauthorized musical parody of Stephen Kings IT.

Renee van Nifterik is a Co-Founder and the Artistic Director of the Pearl Theater located in Houston, Texas. She has been a student of the Michael Chekhov technique for the past 4 years, having studied both with the Michael Chekhov Association and National Michael Chekhov Association. Renee has taught theatre to both children and adults. Directing credits include: To Kill a Mockingbird, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Eurydice, Anne Frank and Me, The Rules of Comedy, Shape of the Grave, and And a Child Shall Lead among others. Selected stage credits include: Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth  in Macbeth, Beneatha in A Raisin in the Sun, Bully/Welfare in In the Blood, Rizzo in Grease, and Hermione in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Renee is a National Chekhov Certified Teacher Candidate and is currently working toward a Master’s Degree in Theatre Production.

TRACY ALEXANDER is the Production Manager for Midland Community Theatre. She is an ambassador for the American Association of Community Theatres, a 2003 graduate of Leadership Midland and a Summer Mummer. Tracy has a BA in Theatre Arts from California State University, Sacramento. Past experience includes: Props Designs for TheatreWorks (CA), the Sacramento Theatre Company (CA), and Garbeau’s Dinner Theatre (CA); Production Secretary at the Mason Gross School of the Arts (NJ); and Makeup Artist at Music Circus (CA). She has been involved in community theatre for 20+ years – as a staff member, director, actor, and designer.

Dr. Derek Mudd is a Program Administrator at the Texas Commission on the Arts where he serves as TCA’s main contact for theater, dance, and presenting organizations and coordinates the Arts Respond Project Public Safety and Criminal Justice grant program. Derek produces and hosts TCA’s popular Professional Development Webinar Series, presenting Texas-based Arts leaders who share effective practices for arts administration in an online format. Before joining  TCA, Derek worked as an actor, director, and teaching artist in Kentucky, Texas, and Louisiana. Derek holds an MFA in Theatre and a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Louisiana State University.

Kimberly Corbett Oates, ASTC is a principal theatre consultant at Schuler Shook. As a theatre planner, she advises on the design of performing arts spaces and houses of worship, including space planning, rigging, lighting, and stage equipment. Kimberly’s projects include Lee College PAC, Buddy Holly Hall for Performing Arts and Sciences, Moody Performance Hall, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley PAC. She fell in love with theatre on the first show she worked in high school and has been addicted since. Kimberly has worked on productions as a scenic designer, production manager, technical director, master electrician, technician, and stage manager.

Kimberly is a member of the American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC), United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT), and International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) and a past member of the ESTA Technical Standards Program. She received her MFA in technical design and production from the Yale School of Drama and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering (with theatre minor) from Lafayette College.

In addition to Change the Perception, Denise Lee is an award-winning actress/singer whose powerful voice, warm and friendly demeanor have charmed theater, nightclub and television audiences for more than three decades. Lee is based in Dallas, but the world is her home. She has also delighted international crowds at clubs in Shanghai, Beijing, Switzerland and France.

She is the Executive Producer of the Denise Lee Onstage Cabaret Series and the Dallas Cabaret Festival featuring the best in Dallas based and National Cabaret Artists. For her Cabaret shows ‘Divas of American Music’ and ‘Too Old, Too Fat, Too Black – Songs I’ll Never Sing On Broadway” she was awarded Broadway World Awards for Best Cabaret Performer in 2015 and 2016. She is also the recipient of the Sammons Center for the Arts Cabaret Artist of the Year and multiple Dallas Theater Critic Forum and Dallas Readers Voice Awards.

CRANSTON DODDS received a BA in Theatre from the University of North Texas and has managed the Denton Community Theatre, Artistic Director of the Warehouse Theatre, Company member of Casa Manana Theatre in Fort Worth, Artistic Director of Bravvo Productions National Touring Company. Cranston is Past President of Texas Nonprofit Theatres and currently serves as a Board Member. He has also served as a Theatre Review Panelist with the Texas Commission of the Arts. Cran is an adjudicator for AACT and the Texas Youth Festival. Cranston has had the pleasure of adjudicating both the Secondary and Community Theatre Festivals for MTA as well as the State Festivals for Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and the Southeast Theatre Conference Regional Festival. He has also had the honor of directing over 250 shows. Most recently, Cran taught theatre at one of the highest ranking International Schools in Cairo, Egypt for two years. Cran is married to playwright/teacher Frances and proud father of 3.

Shannon Uphold is a First-Year Acting Graduate Student at the University of Houston and an Intimacy Direction Apprentice under the guidance of Intimacy and Fight Director Adam Noble. She began her Intimacy training in Fall 2018 and most recently led students through Intimacy Direction in the University of Houston’s production of A Flea in Her Ear directed by Gus Kaikkonen. She received her BFA in Acting from West Virginia University.

Kyle Clark is a First-Year Acting Graduate Student at the University of Houston as well as an Intimacy and Fight Direction Apprentice under the guidance of Intimacy and Fight Director Adam Noble. He began his Intimacy training in the Fall of 2018 and most recently led students through Intimacy and Fight Direction in the University of Houston’s Production of “Three Sisters”. He received his BA from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Alicia Dutton:  Alicia is the award-winning author of several plays and musicals including “Southern Sirens,” “Christmas in Dixie,” “Bound for the Outer Banks,” “Belles Take the Big Easy,” “Derby Girls,” “Christmas Queens,” “Going Home to Dixie,” “Dixie’s Diner,” and “Wedding Belles.” She has also authored several novels. Her latest is “Parading Crazy on the Porch.” She has won numerous awards for her screenplays in many festivals including The Charleston International Film Festival, The Austin Revolution Film Festival, Broad Humor in Los Angeles, The International Gullah Film Festival, The Lindsey Film Festival, The Boomtown Music and Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, The Polish International Film Festival, The Oil Valley Film Festival, The Alaska Film Awards and The Gullah international Film Festival. Alicia has a B.S. in Marine Biology and happens to be married to a retired Marine. Alicia is the founder of Peachtree Players and owns Rebel Belle Theatrical Publishing.