John Bromels has taught acting and theatre all across the country for the past 10 years. He has worked as an actor/educator with such notable companies as the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in New York, Theatre at Lime Kiln in Virginia and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and has toured the country with both Poetry Alive, based in North Carolina, and ECA Educational Services, based in Michigan. Mr. Bromels has a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, and he currently works in the education department at Cincinnati Playhouse. Also an accomplished writer, Mr. Bromels’ dramatic works have been performed up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Florida. His written work also has been published in Southern Theatre magazine.

Jeff Groh has acted regionally since 1996. He has taught at a Montessori school within the Cincinnati Public School District for four years. He has spent time touring the country, acting out poetry for students in grades kindergarten through 12. He received his master’s degree in education through Xavier University. Mr. Groh has served as education director for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and has worked as a teaching artist for the Playhouse education department.

Dewey Hawthorne has been working in theatre, film and television as an actor, director, producer and teacher for nearly 20 years. He is the director and founding member of The Acting Academy. Mr. Hawthorne has served as a guest artist at Educational Theatre Association’s national conference and worked locally with Kings Productions. He currently teaches at the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University.

Steve Roenker has more than 20 years of experience as a performer and theatre arts educator. He conducts workshops and residencies focusing on creative dramatics, multicultural folktales and circus skills. He is also a Kentucky Arts Council roster artist. He recently toured his one-man show, The Trickster Tales, which features folktales and characters from different cultures. Mr. Roenker is director and co-founder of My Nose Turns Red Theatre Co., a group dedicated to the art of clowning and circus skills, and The New Millennium Youth Circus.

Bet Stewart, artistic director of Intuition Theatre, has been teaching and performing for 20 years. Ms. Stewart creates a unique brand of original theatre with her blend of drama, comedy, mime, music and clowning. Her solo work is featured in a series of one-woman touring shows, including Jack and the Mean Beans, The 20th Century Rocks! and Flight from an Office Chair. She has studied with theatre masters around the world and is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati.

Missy Whitis is a native of the Greater Cincinnati area and has been teaching public and private school music and drama for over 12 years. She holds a BME from Eastern Kentucky University. She also studied under Paul Sills — the creator of Second City, and at the renowned SAK Comedy Lab. As a theatre director, Missy has directed, choreographed, and produced shows for schools and community theatres. Some of her favorites include A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Barefoot In The Park, Once Upon A Mattress, and Godspell. Many of her former students are studying acting and musical theatre in some of the nation’s top university programs including New York University, University of Miami, University of Arizona, Boston University, and AMDA in LA. Missy is currently working on publishing a book teaching the basics of improvisation (for which she’s interviewed some of the major players in the comedy world), and is also a freelance writer for several magazines.