Jim Rye Scholars
From left to right, Colleen Clement, Meriah Sage (Jim Rye Mentor), Tim Sauers (Jim Rye Mentor), Marla Hahn, and Amanda Kibler
Colleen Clement attends Eastern Michigan University, pursuing a Masters in Drama/Theater for the Young. She has experience in public relations/speaking in both the profit and nonprofit arenas. She has performed in 40+ musicals and the Illinois USO. Her work with teens led her to produce her lullaby CD “Dream Songs.” Besides private vocal coaching, Colleen teaches Stage Presence classes, helping kids increase self-esteem on and off stage. Resultantly, Colleen was hired to direct Tibbits Opera House’s first Summer Theater Camp in Coldwater, Michigan, last August. In October, she participated in a puppetry internship with Speeltheater Holland in the Netherlands.
Marla Hahn will receive her MBA in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2009. Before attending UW-Madison, she received grants from both the French Education Nationale and the Fulbright Commission to teach English and dance in France and Austria. Marla's experiences while living abroad also include working as Logistics Director and International Liaison for the European Show Dance Union (ESDU), winning choreographic titles such as Austrian National Champion and European Dance Champion, and representing the US as a judge for the Constellation International Talent festival in Budapest, Hungary. She is currently the Education and Development Assistant at Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, WI.
Amanda Kibler is a second year MFA candidate in Theatre for Young Audiences at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. In addition to taking classes, she currently works with the Orlando Repertory Theatre coordinating the Target Family Theatre Festival and "Writes of Spring," a writing contest for students in Central Florida that culminates in a fully produced show adapted from students' entries. She also teaches cross-curricular drama at a local elementary school as an ArtsBridge scholar. She is honored to have served as a 2009 Jim Rye Scholar and enjoyed the chance to participate in this year's Showcase.