Class of 2010

Alistair “Forrest” BarclayAlistair “Forrest” Barclay is proud to carry forward the lineage of Hoosiers in Naropa’s MFA: Contemporary Performance program. He graduated from Albion College in 2008 with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre. While there, he worked in many aspects of production, including sound design, sound engineering, lighting design, set design, stage management and acting. He also had the privilege of directing two pieces at Albion, The Proposal by Anton Chekhov and The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt. He also worked closely with guest artist, Michael Rohd, creating devised work during Michael’s two visits to Albion. 

Guenevere DonohueGuenevere Donohue is a New York theatre artist. She has a BA in Theatre from Hunter College, and trained extensively with Joseph Chaikin and Austen Pendleton.  As an actor she is a member of the HB Studio Ensemble. She performed her Solo show Simplicia and the Tick forMetropolitan Playhouseand recently finished shooting the teleplay version. Guen performed and penned the roles of Jackson Pollock in The Painters’ Project, and Constance in Krack, both directed by George Bartenieff. Other recent work includes:  The Knight of the Burning Pestle (CSC), Beckett’s All That Fall (Cherry Lane) and voice-over work for Neil LaBute’s Wrecks (The Public.) Guen studied playwriting with Tina Howe and was awarded a John Golden Fellowship for her play, The Poecock.

Kate Sanderson HollyKate Sanderson Holly hails from Portland, OR.  Graduating from The Evergreen State College in 2002 in theater and filmmaking, she co-founded Fever Theater, a collaboratively run ensemble creating original productions and providing training and experimentation in the art of performance.  As Artistic Director, she also performs, designs, and delights in dramaturgy and the assembling of original work. Current ambitions include becoming a world-class vocalist, founding a school for contemporary performance training in the Pacific Northwest, and finding a way to bend the space/time continuum so she might master all forms.  Kate has trained extensively with SITI Company, and worked with the Bread and Puppet Theatre, Sojourn Theatre, North American Cultural Lab, Liminal Performance Group and others.  She is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher teaching professionally since 2004. 

Aaron JennejahnAaron Jennejahn hails from West Texas where he received his BA in English from Texas Tech University.  While at Tech, Aaron's favorite roles included Louis from Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika, and Joe from Last Night of Ballyhoo.  Aaron is a member of Boulder’s acclaimed theatre company square product theatre, where he recently appeared as Anthony in the award winning production of The House of Yes. He was last seen in Boulder’s Fringe Festival as Pedro from the North American premiere of Pedro and the Captain.  Aaron’s passion lies in acting and performing and in teaching theatre to at risk youth in Denver.

Danielle LebensDanielle Lebens trained in dance at the Professional Dance Center in St. Louis and the St. Louis Ballet Center and competed regularly in dance competitions from ages 8-17.  She continues to study dance, with a focus in ballet.  She has a BA in Theatre and Religion from Denison University.  For her thesis project she wrote and directed a play based on interviews with children about their perceptions of god.  She was a member of Burpee’s Seedy Theatrical Co, an improv comedy group, for three years.  She has lived in Chicago performing solo work with the Beast Women and collaborative work with the Anatomy Collective.  She is also a talented visual artist and baker.  Visit Naropa lunch room on the Nalanda campus for a first hand taste.

Kerry LeKerry Lee, originally from Salt Lake City, Utah with a BFA in Modern Dance and an MFA in Youth Theater, University of Utah, has joined the program in Contemporary Performance. Her search is finding new ways to explore creativity in Theatre for Youth. She has acted and taught with various theatre companies in the San Francisco Bay area. After a year enrolled at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York, she toured with an original production of Amy Tans’ short story Immortal Heart by Word for Word Theater Company, San Francisco.  She was cast in the independent film American Pastime a semi-fictionalized account of Japanese Americans interned during WWII. She is a certified Stress Facilitator and an avid fan of partner dance, Salsa, Tango and Swing.

Dana Hart LubeckDana Hart Lubeck hails from New York where she spent the past six years working as an actor.  She graduated from NYU in 2002 with a degree in musical theatre. In 2005, Dana attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and then focused on film. Her most recent short, Native New Yorker, has had a successful run on the festival circuit. Other credits include the national tour of South Pacific, numerous regional productions and the new musical, The Man in the Iron Mask, at the Lambs Theatre in New York. Dana also plays the violin, flute and oboe. Coming to Naropa has been one of the best choices Dana has made and she looks forward to a career using theatre as a vehicle for change.

Melissa McNamaraMelissa McNamara studied acting and devising at York University’s Creative Ensemble Program in Toronto, Ontario where she created over 15 original works. She has worked with the Tony-award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe and studied extensively in improvisation with The Second City Conservatory, Upright Citizens Brigade, Annoyance Theatre, and Impatience Theatre Co. She was a charter member of the Canadian Comedy Company, a resident actor for Theatre Blarney and performed various roles in The Second City’s longest running show, Tony N Tina’s Wedding. After directing the successful one woman show, Spotless, she toured her own solo show, Leaving Normal, which received an Audience Choice Award in NYC Frigid Festival. Melissa is a fully certified STOTT Pilates Instructor Trainer.

Susan PfefferSusan Pfeffer, a native of Miami, Florida, is a performance artist, actor and Alexander Technique teacher.  Susan has created and collaborated on works at various venues throughout South Florida: Sagamore Hotel, Showtel, 801 Projects, Kunst Hotel, Florida International University, Matheson Hammock, Excello Dance Space and Performing Arts Network.  Formerly an adjunct faculty member at New World School of the Arts and Florida International University, Susan operates a private practice and has taught at University of Miami, Naples Philharmonic, Florida Grand Opera Young Artist’s Studio, Arts for Learning and other organizations.  She is a member of the American Society of the Alexander Technique and a graduate of the American Center for the Alexander Technique.  Susan holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College with concentrations in Theater, Poetry and Art History. 

Rhonda J. Soikowski Rhonda J. Soikowski has been acting, directing, and generating new work in collaborative process for thirteen years. She holds a BFA in Acting with an Original Works emphasis from Cornish College of the Arts and is a current MFA Contemporary Performance candidate at Naropa University. Rhonda is an Associate Member in absentia with Washington Ensemble Theatre and was a founding member of the Board of Trustees for Stranger Genius Award winning Strawberry Theatre Workshop where she served for five years; both companies are in Seattle, WA.  Also a teaching artist, Rhonda has directed productions at Cornish College of the Arts and taught class throughout primarily Northwest schools since 2000.  For more information and a complete Curriculum Vitae, please visit www.soikowski.com

Anna TzakouAnna Tzakou is a creator-performer from Athens, Greece. She received her BA in Theater Studies from the School of Fine Arts of Aristotelian University in Thessaloniki, in 2003 and she has studied acting techniques at the Theatrical Academy of Saint Petersburg (1999-2000).  Over the past six years she has participated in ensemble projects in Athens using techniques of devised theater and site specific performance. In 2008 she was awarded a scholarship by the Fulbright Foundation in Greece which gave her the opportunity to pursue a MFA degree in the United States. In her artistic work she is interested in laboratory research of the theatrical means and in applying this research to theatrical experiments that try to investigate the dynamics and relations of everyday life. 

Judson Webb Judson Webb, a Texan by birth, migrated from Los Angeles to Boulder in 1995. Prior to said relocation he studied acting at K.D. Studio in Dallas, the Howard Fine Studio in Los Angeles and completed his undergraduate studies at Naropa University. In Boulder alone, he has collaborated on the formations of Theatre13, LTO, Bohemian Dinner Theatre, Dead Pheasant Films and Films290. As well, he has produced, directed, written and/or acted in at least thirty-five projects over the past fifteen years. As a writer, he’s penned two feature length screenplays, collaborated on many short-film scripts and written extensively for the stage. Judson is very excited and grateful to be an MFA candidate at Naropa University. He lives with his wife and three little heathens in Boulder.

Jessica WheelerJessica Wheeler is an actor/director, singer/songwriter, writer/reader, dancer and laughable juggler. She received her BFA in Studio Art from Morningside College (Sioux City, IA), where, besides getting paint all over herself and her clothes, she studied writing and theatre. Jessica spent several years on stage at Lamb Theatre (Sioux City), was a two year member of the Siouxland Shakespeare company, and later worked with Shot in the Dark Production (a non-profit theatre company), serving for a time on the Board of Directors. Her favorite "roles" include directing The Zoo Story  by Albee; Marjorie/ Extremities;Jessie/ night Mother; Louise/ Gypsy. Jessica also has a 2nd degree black belt in TaeKwonDo after studying for five years and training to be an instructor.

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