JULIANNE RIDDLE
Julianne Riddle is thrilled to be working with Edudance and Playground Players Productions! Apart from her performing and dance background, Julianne’s career is focused on directing. She has directed Alice By Heart and Hadestown with San Diego Musical Theater Academy and with the opera La Boheme in Provo, Utah. She has taught students throughout Asia, the Middle East, as well as the United States. She also teaches ballroom dance with Edudance Classrooms in Motion and performs at Sea World.
JOY NEWBEGIN
Joy is a local San Diego actor/singer/dancer/educator. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of California, Irvine. Locally, she has performed on stages at The La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe, The Moonlight Amphitheater, LEGOLAND CA, SeaWorld and both San Diego Zoo parks. When not performing Joy loves teaching the next generation of artists. She has found fulfillment in leading children to their inner confidence and inspiring a deep love for the performing arts. Her goal is to create a positive environment where all students can thrive, and gain skills beyond the classroom and stage.
ADELINA ROCHA
Adelina Rocha is a passionate performer and has a strong background in creative community organizing. She has a Bachelors in Sociology which she has used to compliment her love of theatre by conducting research on performing arts as a social connector within educational institutions. She has been trained in acting, singing, and dancing for over 10 years and participated in Playground Players Productions as well as Edudance in her youth. She is dedicated to inspiring students to create a collaborative and caring environment to strengthen their theatrical skills and improve personal confidence.
MARINA GARRISON
Marina has been involved in the performing arts world since she was seven years old, and is so excited to be bringing her talents into the classroom here with Edudance! Ever since she graduated high school, she has been teaching dance, musical theater, and voice to people of all shapes and sizes. When she’s not teaching, she can be found onstage, with credits such as Anna in Frozen, Mrs. Potts understudy/dancer in Beauty and the Beast, Jovie in Elf, and Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz, just to name a few. She believes that performing arts classes teach students many invaluable life skills, such as punctuation, rhythm, empathy, intuition, and much more!
SHIRLEY JOHNSTON
Shirley Johnston is pleased to be teaching with Playground Players Productions and Edudance! A dancer for several years, Shirley has taught hundreds of students around San Diego County. She has been a staple in the San Diego theater community as a performer, as well as a director. Shirley brings her vast knowledge of acting, tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, and cultural dancing to make sure your child has the best dance experience possible!
VAN ANGELO
Van is the Director of Education for San Diego Musical Theatre and recently graduated with their MFA in Musical Theatre from SDSU. Select Regional Credits: Tootsie (Stuart), Beautiful, Something Rotten, Memphis with Moonlight Ampitheatre, Catch Me If You Can with San Diego Musical Theatre, Seussical (Wickersham #1) with Candlelight Pavilion), West Side Story, Tarzan, Hairspray (Seaweed) with Performance Riverside), The View UpStairs (Wes) with Desert Rose Playhouse. Select Music Directing Credits: Ziggy, Stardust, and Me (Wold Premier, SDSU), Urinetown, Anything Goes (SDMT), Leonard Bernstein's New York (NVA). Other performances with New York Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Zelda Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra including the recording of Bernstein’s MASS with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Van is a two-time Inland Theatre League Award winner, and a recipient of the Desert Theatre League Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
LAURA BUENO
Playground Players was founded by Laura Bueno. She has been teaching throughout San Diego County since 2003. She has a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Missouri and has performed with the San Diego Opera for 22 years. Laura has a passion for teaching young budding actors and singers and loves using their creative energy to build a production from the ground up! Playground Players Productions was founded in 2016 and Edudance Classrooms in Motion was founded in 2003. Over these past 21 years, Laura has taught thousands of students the art of ballroom dance, theater, and vocal performance.