Current Teachers:
Amee Peltekian
Amee grew up in a very musical, theatrical family. She is so excited to have found a home with CYT so she can share this joy with her 2 kids and with this incredible theater community! You may have seen Amee as Maria in CCT's production of The Sound of Music. Before moving to the area, Amee owned and worked for character entertainment companies for four years and was a children's leader at BSF for 8 years. Amee studied acting, dance, voice, and childhood development in college and has passionately pursued opportunities to teach and grow in dance, acting, and vocal performance.
Becky Brilliant-Parent
Becky has been singing ever since she could talk, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her love of performance with the CYT community this year. She has a broad range of musical interest and is enthusiastic about sharing her love of everything from Opera to Musical Theater to Country to Schoolhouse Rock! Recent performance credits include Amadeus (Spokane Civic Theatre), Gypsy (Aspire), Fiddler on the Roof (Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre), Into the Woods (Aspire), and She Loves Me (Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre). In addition to musical theatre, Becky is passionate about her family, cooking, gardening, volunteering for Arts organizations, and costuming/vintage fashion.
Becky Gregory
Becky Gregory has been sharing her passion for music through teaching and leadership since 2006. A graduate of Central Bible College (2005), she has served as a music and worship director in several states, bringing energy and heart to every community she joins. Becky has led choirs, taught piano, and taught music curriculum for preschool-aged children, combining creativity with a deep understanding of musical foundations. When she's not immersed in music, Becky enjoys spending quality time with her husband, David, and their three children: Lilly, Jacob, and Katelyn.
Chad Hawthorne
Chad Hawthorne is an experienced film armorer, stage combat instructor, and co-founder of On Set Arms, the leading film armorer and theatrical combat choreography firm in the Pacific Northwest. With decades of stage combat experience, he has choreographed hand-to-hand, bladed, and firearm sequences for both independent and nationally distributed films. Chad has trained thousands of performers through various events ranging from workshops at acting schools to VIP events at Comic Cons and spent more than a decade as a featured instructor at Adrian Paul’s global stage combat seminars, The Sword Experience. He’s used his stage combat system to deliver team-building events for mid-size and Fortune 500 companies across the US. Chad blends safety, precision, and storytelling to empower actors to deliver compelling performances through authentic on-screen and on-stage action. Locally, Chad has taught with Playhouse Northwest Acting School, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater and now, he’s thrilled to bring stage combat to CYT North Idaho!
Charlsie Cartier
Charlsie is a tea-sipping, Jesus-loving, dancing-in-the-kitchen wife and mama. She has been part of the CYT North Idaho Family since 2009 and has loved her time on the stage, in the classroom, and on artistic teams. She is passionate about helping each kid unlock the unique talents and skills the Creator placed within them and seeing their faces light up in the process. "If we nurture the dreams of children, the world will be blessed. If we destroy them, the world is doomed." Wess Stafford
Emma Jillson
Emma Jillson is a CYT alumni, who also grew up as a competitive dancer for 7 years. She is currently a dance teacher at Expressions School of Performing Arts, as well as the choreographer for their competition team, where she has won two choreography awards for her competition pieces. As a teacher, Emma loves traveling to different dance conventions, learning from celebrity choreographers, so she can come back to Idaho and share everything she’s learned with her students. She is so grateful that she can share a piece of the dance world with the theater community. Emma is so passionate about making her students grow each day, and for them to become the best version of themselves. Emma is so excited to share her love of dance with her CYT family!!
Jessica Peterson
Jessica's theater journey began when she was 17 at CYT-NI and the rest is history! Since then, Jessica has not only performed in numerous local productions, she has also directed and musically directed. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Lake City Playhouse. When she's not on stage, Jessica works as a mental health therapist and a youth leader. She is so excited to be back with CYT-NI and providing a new generation with what she received from her time at CYT--skills, relationships, respect for the arts, and most importantly, that Jesus loves you!
Kay Poland
Kay Poland is a radio veteran with over 35 years of broadcasting experience, both in radio and television. She has also performed locally with Waymaker Arts, How Much More Productions, Aspire, Lake City Playhouse, and Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre.
Lora Pindel
I moved to the United States nearly two decades ago from Russia. Born and raised in a culturally rich region of Russia, I developed a passion for dance at an early age. During my childhood and teenage years, I was studying various dance forms, particularly focusing on international folklore dances for 10 years, following another 5 years of performing the Russian folk dances at the local theater. Even though I did not pursue a professional career as a choreographer, I always wanted to pass on my knowledge and experience to someone who can learn and appreciate it. My goal is to inspire others to embrace the beauty of cultural heritage through the power of dance.
Sarah Erickson
Sarah is excited to join the teaching team at CYT North Idaho! Four of her five children have participated at CYT NI since 2021 and CYT Spokane since 2013. Sarah's childhood was full of dance, including jazz, tap, drill, even Celtic, and she jumped wholeheartedly into musical theater at the age of 12. She took a long break for college and starting a family, then realized that her dancing feet could take it no longer! Teaching/choreographing at CYT Spokane and her daughters' school has brought great joy, and she occasionally gets on stage herself; recent favorites include 'Addams Family' and 'Singin' in the Rain.' When not doing theater, Sarah likes to pick & preserve from her garden, sing & play keys at church, or play games & read with her awesome family.
Sherre Barnes
I am happy to be joining the education team at CYT! I have done theatre since I was 14 years old and even went on to get a college degree in it! If you can think of a job in theatre, I've probably done it. I'm so excited to be teaching the next generation of theatre artists!