Teaching Artists
Melani Lyons
Melani Lyons is the founding artistic director of Dandylyon Drama. When she’s not directing and teaching, she is writing and is the playwright of the children’s musicals “Summer School Rocks!” “Foghart’s Express” “A Mother for Neverland,” “The Amazing Ever-Changing Alice in Wonderland,” “Bad Apples”, and “Lasso the Moon.” She earned bachelor’s degrees in Music and Theatre from Seattle Pacific University. She is grateful to have assistant directed under the inspirational Professor Andrew Ryder of SPU, the incomparable Karen Lund of Taproot Theatre, and the prolific Lani Brockman at Studio East. Melani loves to sing and is active locally in The Salvation Army’s Seattle Temple Songsters as well as the Western Territorial Staff Songsters which performs around the world. Melani is one half of the musical writing team Lyons and Samuels.
Hannah Blackbourn
Hannah became a theatre kid in high school, where she was lucky enough to work on several shows in various capacities, including having the roles of Alice in Go Ask Alice and Rebbeca Gibbs in Our Town. Theatre made Hannah love the stage, and she went on to love any stage or mic – whether leading corporate events, political rallies, or karaoke. After a few decades of corporate leadership, Hannah is eager to return to working in her non-profit roots and work in her community with Dandylyon Drama. When Hannah isn’t on stage, she’s bringing people together or spending time with her family. Hannah has worked as a Teaching Artist in our Playmakers program and as a Program Coordinator.
Anna Bundy
Anna is a teaching artist, stage manager, director, and theatrical jack-of-all-trades originally from the Chicago area. Despite thinking that all performers were just really impressive robots until about age 5, Anna has loved theatre for as long as they can remember. They hold a B.A. in theatre and mathematics from Grinnell College, where they were a director and ensemble member of Grinnell’s best (and only) children’s theater group, The Neverland Players. Anna is passionate about using the arts to empower young people and give voice to their creativity. They have worked with youth and their families in summer camps, classrooms, museums, and community and regional theatre. Anna is so excited to be joining Dandylyon for the coming year
Brittany Eldredge Permenter
Brittany Eldredge Permenter (she/her) is in her third year of her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Drama Therapy. She chose drama therapy because she believes in the healing power of play and of theatre. She is passionate about helping kids find a safe place to explore and be their most authentic selves. Brittany is also a mother of a curious 1-year-old, Lucy, and between parenting and school, she stays on her toes! When she isn’t studying during Lucy’s naps, she is reading Colleen Hoover books or spending time outside with her family. At Dandylyon, Brittany is a HYPE teaching artist and looking forward to working with more amazing students this year!
Logan Fenske
Logan Fenske has been an assistant teaching artist and has held various other roles with Dandylyon Drama since the summer of 2018. He has always had a strong interest in musical theater and recently taught “Logan’s Music Corner” as a way of connecting acting with music symbols. Logan is looking forward to teaching again this quarter.
Ally Frances
Ally participated in Dandylyon Drama productions during elementary and middle school, and is thrilled to be rejoining the team this year! She is a current senior at Shorewood High School and is a member of the Shorewood Hip Hop team and the Shorewood Band. Ally is excited to be back and can’t wait to share her skills!
Evan Going
Bethany Hystad
Received her BFA in acting from Roosevelt University’s Theatre Conservatory in Chicago, hitched up her sparkly wagon, and headed west. After touring around the country with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, she put down roots in the beautiful PNW! Bethany is passionate about artistic opportunities for all and creating community through the arts and theatre education. When she’s not in the classroom, Bethany is a director, producer, performer, event emcee, sketch comedian and Gregory award Nominated Playwright. When she’s not doing all that, she loves reading, playing board games, and spending time in the garden with her beehive.
Teresa Jacobs
Teresa Jacobs (she/her) is an enthusiastic and empathetic teacher with a love of creativity and music. She grew up playing the piano, singing, and dancing for anyone who would listen.
She graduated from BYU with a BS in Elementary Education. Through teaching online classes to teens on emotional resilience, Teresa found her passion. She has personal experience working with kids with ADHD and autism in her family. In 2021, she revived her love of theatre through directing a 2-hour long production of “Much Ado About Nothing” for her family homeschool cooperative. She is excited to be a teaching artist for HYPE where she can combine her love for the arts with her expertise in self-regulation and growth mindset.
Hayley James
Hayley, a local North Seattle/LFP native, is elated to be a part of the Dandylyon Drama team. She grew in her acting skills at Trinity Western University in British Columbia and now has several years of industry experience. Her journey also includes nearly a decade of working with youth in summer camps and in education. You may have seen her with Taproot Theatre Co.’s Road Company, where she engaged with audiences in bullying prevention plays across Washington for the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, she recently played a beloved demo-slaying, waffle-loving character in the Stranger Things Experience this past summer. Hayley is eager to impart her passion for acting and assist students in uncovering their unique talents. She believes in a creative and confidence-building approach to teaching, and looks forward to inspiring the next generation of performers right here in her hometown at Dandylyon!
Kaelyn Langer-Mendonca, PHD
Kaeyn Langer-Mendonca, Ph.D., is thrilled to be part of the creative team at Dandylyon Drama as the Program Director and as a Teaching Artist. Theatre Arts has been a touchstone in Kaelyn’s life for over 20 years, having appeared on stage and run youth education programs in New York and Washington States, giving her space to create, explore, and take risks. As an arts educator, she finds joy in encouraging and supporting students to cultivate relationships, explore their innate ability to imagine and play, develop positive emotional and social skills, and flourish with pride and accomplishment.
Thera Langham Knapp
Thera found her love for the performing arts at the young age of three when she took her first steps into the dance studio. In her early years she found joy in studying dance as well as theatre and fine arts at the Bemis School of Art in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1998 she relocated to Washington where she continued her dance education at Olympic Ballet School with her main focus in Ballet and Contemporary dance.In 2003 she joined Olympic Ballet as a Company Member, and went on to perform many seasons with the Company. Over the past 13 years she has been sharing her love for the arts by performing, choreographing and teaching dance throughout the greater Seattle area. In recent years she has been overjoyed to be a part of the Dandylyon Drama team helping students grow through the performing arts. When not teaching, Thera spends her time learning, creating art whenever and wherever she can, and she can be found exploring nature with her husband, two kiddos and fur baby.
Kalea Levy
Kalea is a recent graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Drama: Performance and Education, Communities, and Organizations. Growing up on both Bainbridge Island, Washington and Austin, Texas, she was surrounded by so many wonderful teaching artists and theatre programs that have shaped her artistic outlook today. She believes that theatre and art is integral to our lives (especially for young people!) and is so excited to continue to learn and explore with her students as she navigates this new chapter in her life. Outside of the classroom, she loves to spend time with friends and their dogs, working out, and learning as many crafty skills as she can. She hopes to create the same magic in the classroom as so many teaching artists have done for her in the past and is elated to start teaching with Dandylyon this year!
Susan Nash
Susan Nash(she/her) is in her final year of undergraduate studies in English Literature and Theatre Education. Originally from Portland, OR, Susan fell in love with theatre from a young age through after-school drama programs in the Portland-Metro area. She is passionate about accessible theatre education in all classrooms and plans to pursue a career teaching both Theatre and English Literature.
Sophie Paynich
Sophie Paynich enjoys being a Teaching Apprentice and working with other people. She is a great singer and loves to go to the mall during her free time with her dolls. She would like to thank her doll Nora for being a great comfort tool. And her friends Lillie Cassleman and Nora Adams for coming to her winter play Scrooge’s Christmas last year!
Kelsi Raich
Kelsi started her love affair with theatre from a young age. Throughout her youth she performed at Seattle Children’s Theatre even starring as Char in the original production of Ophelia’s Revenge. She went on to perform at The Fringe Festival in Scotland as Becky Thatcher in Tom Sawyer. After High school, Kelsi went to college in Ashland, Oregon home of the Tony Award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She worked with many of OSF’s directors during her 4 years in Ashland most notably in the role of Olivia in Twelfth Night. After earning her BFA in theatre she moved to New York but missed the West Coast too much! She moved back to Seattle where she met her husband and started a family. She has two adorable boys and a golden retriever that keep her very busy!
Glory Soriano
Glory fell in love with theatre at a young age. She had the opportunity to be in several roles including, Ida in Honk, Gertrude in Seussical, Belle in Beauty and the Beast and more. She loves helping students to grow and achieve their goals to be the best they can be. She is currently in her last year of getting her Bachelor’s degrees in both Vocal Performance and Music Education with an emphasis in General Music and Choral. She is currently studying voice under Broadway Artist Desi Oakley. Glory is active locally in The Salvation Army’s Seattle Temple Songsters as well as the Western Territorial Staff Songsters and Territorial Youth Chorus.
Katie Wallace
Teaching Artist
Ian Williams
Music Director
Ian Arthur Williams is a singer/songwriter, composer, and music director residing in Seattle, WA. His theatre work has been performed at NYC’s Public Theatre, San Diego’s Old Globe, and Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. He is the recipient of the 2008 Richard Rodgers Award (Kingdom, words by Aaron Jafferis) and 2007 NAMT selection (Kingdom). Ian is the co-songwriter, lyricist, and guitarist/vocalist with neoclassical-folk duo Glass Heart String Choir, and has toured the USA, Canada, and New Zealand.
Maddie Zdeblick
Maddie Zdeblick is a Seattle-based teaching artist, director, and PhD student at UW Seattle with a passion for creating theater for and with young people with disabilities. With Dandylyon, Maddie serves as the artistic director of Dandylyon’s inclusive, multisensory performance group Parachute Players and the program lead for Dandylyon’s Creative Adaptive Performance Ensemble (or CAPE)! Maddie holds a degree in Theatre and Sociology from Northwestern University, with a focus in Theatre for Young Audiences, and is a 2019 graduate of the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab.