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Annette has been in the non-profit world for a little over 5 years now, first at the Post Falls Chamber as their office coordinator and most recently at Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre as their Managing Director. If you had asked her when she was teenager that this is what she would be doing, she never would have believed you. Actively involved in the local community, Annette volunteers through organizations such as the Post Falls Chamber, Aspire Community Theatre and is the board president for Christian Youth Theater of North Idaho. She also has makeup designed, stage managed and choreographed dozens of productions for many local theaters in the community. She is a proud graduate of the River City Leadership Academy, class of 2019! And is currently finishing out her bachelor’s degree in Business Management at Lewis Clark State College. She is a born and raised local in the Inland Northwest and plans to be as long as life will allow her to be. She lives here with her husband Jordan, and their 3 year old Samuel.
Avalon is a CYT NI alumnus. CYT had a huge impact on her teen years and she can think of no better way to give back, than to teach! Avalon now works as a teacher and a writer.
Beth Taylor is a local Musical Director/ accompanist extraordinaire! She has Musical directed countless CYT productions as well productions at at other local theaters. She has a life time of knowledge and loves sharing that knowledge with the next generation of young artists!
Britni Nash is a mama to her own cast of 7, and stage mama to many more at CYT North Idaho! She spent her childhood through college years on stage as a dancer and then discovered the joys of coaching high school competitive dance teams. She fell in love with theater while working in the Green Room during the last seven CYT productions and recently enjoyed stage managing for a local professional theater. She is excited to combine her passion for teaching kids, with her new love for theater, and a whole lot of Jesus!
Chloe Turnbull is a CYT North Idaho Alumni and graduate of Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy and NIC. Currently attending University of Idaho and working toward a degree in Elementary Education. She was involved in CYT for ten years performing in over 20 shows. You may remember Chloe cast as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, A Dream Dancer in Narnia, Snow White in Snow White and the Prince, with a favorite being a Disciple in Godspell.
Halle Schmitt is ecstatic to be teaching Our Gang! She joined CYT in 2015, with her first show being "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Other past CYT performances include: Emily in "A Christmas Carol" and Dragon in "Shrek the Musical." She has performed with different local theaters. Was last seen as Holly in "The Wedding Singer" with LCP and Yonah in "Children of Eden" with ACT. She has been in professional traveling educational shows and is currently working on another one. Make sure to catch her in her last CYT show in "Godspell" as a Disciple! Halle can't wait to teach your child about how fun theater can be!
Jesse Hampsch was born in Mesa, AZ in 1992. He holds Master's of Music in both Choral Conducting and Composition. His compositions have been performed in high schools, universities, and for honor choirs across the U.S. His broad musical interests inspire him to compose for a number of genres including: choral, musical theatre, and art song. He loves to teach music at all levels, from junior camps to collegiate music courses.
Jessica Belisle has been the Artistic Director at CYT North Idaho for 1 year. Jessica is a CYT Spokane Alumna, her love for theater started when she was 8 years old and she saw her first CYT show (Sleeping Beauty)! Jessica studied History and Theater at Carroll College in Helena Montana, has been working with CYT since 2011 and has been on the artistic team for 15 CYT productions. Jessica firmly believes that through theater arts education a student can develop greater self awareness, empathy, discipline, teamwork, focus, passion, joy and confidence! Her goal is to cultivate an environment where every class, every production, every interaction, allows each student passing through CYT’s doors to feel, included, uplifted and inspired. Jessica is incredibly excited to be taking on such a delightful classic as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dream Coat!
Kalla Mort has been a part of the theatre arts community for the past 11 years. As a CYT NI alumni she went on to teach in the CYT San Diego, Spokane, and North Idaho locations. She has been a part of many productions in the Coeur d'Alene area and has since moved to New York where she is currently studying Musical Theatre.
Karen Hunt is a passionate performer and producer of opera, concert, art song, and theatrical music. A native of North Idaho, the coloratura soprano has frequently worked with Inland Northwest Opera in both mainstage and outreach productions, as well as the University of Idaho Opera Workshop. Her diverse repertoire includes roles such as La Comtesse Adèle/Le Comte Ory, Drusilla/The Coronation of Poppea and Samuel Pummill’s new opera Opera Noir. Other favorite roles include Gretel/Hansel und Gretel, Cendrillon/Cendrillon, and Julie Jordan/Carousel. This spring she made her debut with Transgressive Theatre-Opera in their concerts of Le Comte Ory and Letters of Love and Subterfuge, and also performed Finette in Offenbach’s Bagatelle and Sophie in von Suppe’s The Finishing School at Roosevelt University, where she has just finished with her M.M. in Voice Performance as a student of Judith Haddon. Her oratorio repertoire includes the soprano solos in Schubert’s Mass in G and Samuel Pummill’s Transanguineal Requiem, and Marion in Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Her art song repertoire is more wide-ranging, with a special emphasis on American art song, including the works of emerging composer Jesse Hampsch. Outside of singing, she is also a director, producer, and volunteer. In these roles, she is a facilitator of meaningful and empathetic programming that brings together community, inspires individuals, and shapes the character of patrons and performers alike. In 2019, Karen founded The Valkyrie Ensemble, a non-profit company whose mission is to promote and empower women in and through music. She is currently serving as the organization’s General and Artistic Director with several productions slated for the coming year. In her senior year of high school, she organized a 24-hour immersive Homeless Awareness event for her school while serving as the president of the Key Club (Kiwanis International). At the University of Idaho she served in leadership positions with student chapters of the American Choral Director’s Association and Sigma Alpha Iota, as well as serving as a student ambassador for both the Lionel Hampton School of Music and the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. As a director and producer, she has worked professionally with Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre. Karen also holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Idaho, where she graduated magna cum laude. When she is not pursuing the arts, she loves to cuddle with her corgi, Rosie and read Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien and Harry Potter.
Marta Myers is a CYT North Idaho alum who has been heavily involved in the many different aspects of CYT for over 7 years, including TAing, counseling, and teaching for camps for the last three summers. She is an active member of the local theatrical community, both in tech and performance, and aspires to one day hold a BFA in Musical Theatre. Marta believes strongly in inspiring others through performance and is thrilled to be sharing her philosophy with a new generation of CYT students this coming session.
Paisley DuPuis is a CYT North Idaho alumni, her first show with CYT dating back to 2008. As well as being involved in CYT Paisley is also a trained dancer and has taken classes in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap and hip hop and has been teaching dance for the past five years. She recently graduated from North Idaho College with an AA in music. Paisley has loved being involved over the years in many different aspects of CYT including being a CYT camp counselor and choreographer , teaching classes and choreographing for both CYT and CCT productions. She is very excited to be teaching for CYT this session and to be able to be a part of a new generation of CYT students experience in the program.
Presley DuPuis is a proud CYT graduate who flipped over to the grown-up side and hasn't looked back since. He has worn many different hats in various CYT leadership roles with his work as a teacher, music director and director, pit musician, HYPE adviser, and improv coach. He has gone from being the kid who would play the piano when he wasn't allowed to, to one of the the accompanists himself, with his involvement in CYT dating back to 2008 at CYT North Idaho's first fully staged production: "Snow White." (I played the Magic Mirror). Focusing on all aspects of music and theatre in his studies, Presley holds an A.S. in Music from North Idaho College and is currently finishing his degrees in both Collaborative Piano and Vocal Performance at Eastern Washington University. He has musically directed and played piano for many productions with local high schools, college productions, elementary choirs, community theatres, and his all time favorite gigs: CYT North Idaho and CYT Spokane.
Rick Taylor is an local, Director, Actor and Techy. He has directed at numerous theaters in the region and has decades of experience he loves sharing with the youths of CYT!
Shawn Michael Hunt is a CYT North Idaho alumnus. He played his last performance in the fall of 2011 in North Idaho's production of 'Aladdin.' Following his time at CYT, Shawn appeared in various productions onstage at Lake City Playhouse, Spokane Civic Theatre, The Modern Theater, and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. Shawn is currently finishing his studies at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City, and he looks forward to his careers as an actor and as a theatre educator. Shawn is beyond happy to share his passion for theatre with the CYT family because story telling is a tradition as old as the human race, and every performing artist has a responsibility to pass the tradition on.