LAURA HIMES (she/her/hers) is a graduate of University of Oklahoma with a BME in Vocal Music Education. She worked as a choir teacher in the public schools for five years until she decided it was time to follow a life long dream of opening a performing arts studio. As a performer and music director, she has worked at Lyric Theatre, Sooner Theatre, Poteet Theatre, Cimarron Opera, Jewel Box, The Bethany Stage, and The City Cabaret. She has played the piano for 20+ years and has accompanied choirs, private voice students, ensembles, and musicals.  Laura is a co-founder of OKC onstage – okconstage.com. 

ANGELA POLK (she/her/hers) recently worked for The Mine in NYC as a Talent Agent with 200+ clients in TV, Film, and Theatre. While in NYC, she worked for Leading Artists, Dave Clemmons Casting, and DGRW. As a director, actor, and stage manager, she has worked for Lyric Theatre, Fresh Paint Performance Lab, Ignition Arts, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Paper Mill Theatre, CityRep, Poteet Theatre, Jewel Box, The Bethany Stage, The City Cabaret,  and Red Carpet Theatre. Angela holds a BM and MM in Music Theater from Oklahoma City University where she studied under Florence Birdwell. She currently works as an Executive Assistant to Lance Baker at The Advisors Raymond James in Edmond. Angela is a co-founder of OKC onstage – okconstage.com. 

ANDREA BARTLOW (she/her/hers) graduated from UCO with a degree in Vocal Music Education and Business Administration minor. She’s taught music education in public schools for over 15 years where she has directed over 50 stage productions. In that time, she has been honored by her colleagues as Teacher of the Year twice. Andrea also taught private voice and piano lessons for 7 years. She has performed with local community theatres and has even shared the stage with some of her students. 

GABRIELLA BECK (she her/hers) is a musical theatre graduate from University of Central Oklahoma. She grew up in Clarksville, Indiana but has found her roots in Yukon, Oklahoma. Gabriella has performed many onstage roles, standouts of which include Johanna in “Sweeney Todd”, Rosie/ Sally U.S in “Cabaret”, Ariel in “Disney’s the Little Mermaid”, and Wednesday Addams in “The Addams Family.” In addition to her work on stage, she has found a fervent passion for children’s entertainment. She has performed for five years as a character performer for Character Connection Co., portraying such characters as Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”, Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty” and so many more! She also performs as an underwater, free-diving mermaid at the Blue Zoo Aquarium.

LILY NOELLE BLANCHARD is a pianist and conductor based in Edmond, Oklahoma. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Vocal and Piano performance from Oklahoma Christian University, where she studied under Prof. Laura Coale, Dr Paula Hutton, and Prof. Miho Fisher, as well as a Masters Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied with Dr. Jonathan Shames. In addition to conducting endeavors, Lily works in and around the OKC metro as a collaborative pianist and vocal coach, and runs a private lessons studio out of her home in Edmond. She is passionate about making quality music education accessible to students of all ages and abilities, and spreading the joy of music through high-level performance to audiences from all walks of life. 

AMELIA CASTOR (she/her/hers) has been a student at Kismet Arts for the past 3 years in voice and Center Stage Production shows INTO THE WOODS (Cinderella’s Mother/Granny), FREAKY FRIDAY (Monica), HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (Martha), and SHREK (Fiona).  She has been dancing for 10 years, focusing on Classical Ballet, Modern, and Tap.

LUCY CASTOR (she/her/hers) has been a student at Kismet Arts for the past 5 years in voice and Center Stage Production shows SHREK (Pig/Teen Fiona), SPAMALOT (Lady of the Lake/Guinevere), FOOTLOOSE (Ariel), and BRIGHT STAR (Margo). She has been dancing for 13 years, focusing on tap, modern, and classical ballet.

RACHEL CASTOR (she/her/hers) has a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education and previously taught 3rd Grade in the public school system.  Now a homeschool mom, and founder of the Playroom Theatre Company, she has over 15 years of performing arts teaching experience, directing 3-4 productions each year.  She’s a proud wife and a mother of 7 daughters who are all involved in the arts in some capacity and her daughters have been Kismet students since 2018!

CEILI CHESTE (She/Her/Hers) attended Oklahoma City University where she majored in Acting and minored in Costume Design. She has had the opportunity to perform all the way in Beijing and Guilin. China with OCU’s production of Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) for the World Theatre Education Alliance Festival. Other recent credits include Life of Galileo (Sagredo and the Inquisitor), The Aurora Project (Nora), and Machinal (Female Ensemble). Outside of school, Ceili performs as a Character Performer for children’s birthday parties and has over 7 years experience in the field. She has also had the incredible opportunity to teach with Oklahoma Children’s Theatre for the past 4 years. She is so excited to be a part of the Kismet Team!

ROBERT COOPER (he/him/his) is a graduate of Southern Nazarene University with a Bachelor’s degree in music education. He has been an educator for 12 years, which included time as the  choral and drama teacher at Edmond Central Middle School. His show choirs and jazz choir won numerous awards, and he has directed over 15 musicals and plays in his time at Central. As a performer, he has been on the stage at Poteet Theatre (Lord Farquaad in SHREK THE MUSICAL), Jewel Box (Billis in SOUTH PACIFIC), and Kismet’s productions of OLIVER! and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.

ELIZABETH DRAGOO (she/her/hers) is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma and holds a Bachelors of Music in Musical Theatre.  She has been an active member of the theatre community in Oklahoma for over 20 years and has had the great pleasure of performing with many local theatre companies including: Summerstock Productions, Reduxion Theatre Company, Kismet Arts, The Sooner Theatre, The Pollard, Oklahoma City Theatre Company, Jewel Box Theatre, Carpenter Square Theatre, Poteet Theatre and Lyric Theatre.  Elizabeth has directed, choreographed, and taught classes for The Sooner Theatre, El Reno Community Theatre, The Bethany Stage, Oklahoma Center for Arts Education, Yukon High School, and Poteet Theatre.  She most recently served as the Artistic Director for The Bethany Stage and is currently on the adjunct musical theatre faculty at the University of Central Oklahoma.

KYLAN L. DURANT (he/him/his) is a graduate of Oklahoma City University where he studied music, dance, and theater. He received his initial dance training at Bartlesville Civic Ballet under the guidance of Soili Arvola and Leo Ahonen. Choreography credits include: The Gondoliers, Once Upon a Mattress, Dean’s School of Dance Christmas and Spring Recitals. Performing credits include: Shrek the Musical, Catch Me if You Can, Thoroughly Modern Millie, American Spirit Dance Company, 9 to 5, The Drowsy Chaperone, Once Upon a Mattress, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, and Arvola’s Dracula. “Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.” –Martha Graham 

Kyera “KFitz” Fitzgerald started her professional dance journey with the OKC Thunder as an Emcee/member of the O’City Crew. She was previously a company member with R.A.C.E. Dance company for the 21-22 season. Kyera is currently a company member with Abstrakt Mindz, a commercial dance company based out of Tulsa, OK where she continues to train and be a “forever student”. She specializes in Hip-Hop but is well versed in various styles such as Jazz, Modern, and Contemporary. Kyera is also an instructor and choreographer at The University of Central Oklahoma where she teaches an Advanced Topics Hip-Hop class. As a performer Kyera has performed and choreographed for various local artist such as Nia Moné and Honey Lebang. She is ready to take this next step into teaching the younger generation. “I’m super excited for this opportunity! I strive to be the teacher that I always needed when I was younger, no judgement only love, structure, and growth!” -KFitz

MATT FOWLER (he/him/his) is a filmmaker and actor with a strong foundation in both performance and production. He holds an Associate’s degree in Film & Video Production from Oklahoma City Community College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma. Matt has worked on a wide range of short films, with Stanley Gets Fired and Moebius both earning spots as official selections at the deadCenter Film Festival. He currently teaches beginning acting and on-camera acting at UCO, where he helps young performers understand how to work confidently and authentically in front of the camera. With experience on set and in the classroom, Matt is passionate about helping the next generation of actors understand how film works, and how to stand out in it.

SAMANTHA HAYNES (she/her/hers) completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2016 with Highest Honors. While completing her undergraduate degree Samantha attended the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina for two summers where she studied under numerous artists including Elizabeth Corbett (Forsythe Company), Jennifer Nugent (Bill T. Jones Company) Teena Marie Custer (Venus Fly Trap Crew), Pamela Pietro (Anthony Morgan Dance Company), Gerri Houlihan (Lar Lubovitch Dance Company) and Sherone Price (Chuck Davis African American Dance Ensemble). Shortly after graduating from USM, Samantha moved to the OKC area where she fell in love with the local dance community. She actively teaches many styles of dance including jazz, musical theatre, ballet, contemporary, and modern. In addition to choreographing and teaching, Samantha is also a guest judge for P3 Talent Competition and a member of RACE Dance Collective.

Kris Kuss is a Senior Instructor and current president of Duling Arts International, an organization devoted to comprehensive training for performers, teachers, and directors in the art of theatrical combat. Kris teaches movement, stage combat, and theatrical intimacy as Associate Professor of Movement at Oklahoma City University, and he serves as fight director for productions at OCU and theatres throughout the region.

BAILEY MAXWELL (she/her/hers) is a producer, director, actor, and Production Coordinator for the Music and Theatre Department at Oklahoma City University.  She's studied Music Theatre with the University of Central Oklahoma, in addition she studied Improv & Musical Improv with The Barrow Group School (NYC, NY) and Stomping Ground Comedy Theatre (Dallas, TX). Bailey is passionate about collaborating with young artists to encourage OKC's thriving theatre community! 

LYANNA SAITO graduated from Samford University with a bachelors in Journalism and a minor in dance. Lyanna taught at Reclaiming Arts from 2017-2024, teaching contemporary and tap. She also was a teacher/co-director/director of Reclaim Dance Company, as well as the student companies, HEarts and Creative Leaders Academy. More recently, Lyanna has taught at Oklahoma Dance Center, and starting in August, Race Dance Collective. Lyanna is so excited to start teaching at Kismet, and cannot wait to get to know the amazing students and their families. 

ELLIE VALDEZ (she/her/hers) is originally from San Antonio, TX, with a life long history of performing. Her dance background varies from Mexican Folklorico to cheerleading, to Musical Theatre. Other styles she has done include hip hop, contemporary, ballet, tap, and jazz. Performing and creating works that move from a place of purpose and community while creating a culture of consent and safety are some of her passions, no matter which project she is working on. She is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Musical Theatre, and is currently working towards her 200 hour yoga certification. She is also continuing her journey in Intimacy Direction training while cultivating a sense of consent and safety within each artistic process. One of her communities is within the YMCA where she was able to create a program for school age kids called Musical Fitness, encouraging kids to get up and move! Ellie has choreographed for some local productions of Footloose, Beauty and the Beast, and Ghost the Musical. Some of her favorite performance credits include LIZZIE and American Idiot! Ellie is stoked to share her passion for art and expression at Kismet Arts!