Aliyah Brutley | Teaching Artist
Aliyah Brutley (she/ her) is an actress, dancer, and poet who was born and raised in Louisville. She graduated from the University of Louisville in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts. Her mission is to use theatre as a therapeutic process to help underserved communities overcome adversity. Her favorite theatre adventures include performing devised theatre and teaching dance workshops across the country of Brazil in the summer of 2018. She also enjoys traveling to local elementary and middle schools to perform children’s theatre with U of L’s Repertory Company. Through her work, she hopes to encourage younger generations to find their own “inner artist.”
Clare Hagan | Teaching Artist
Clare Hagan (she/ they) is a theater artist and educator from Louisville, Kentucky. They have worked professionally with groups like Looking for Lilith, Kentucky Shakespeare, and Clear Creek Creative. Clare is particularly passionate about nontraditional, socially conscious, site-specific theater, which she first encountered meaningfully through her work on Wendy’s Neverland, a radically powerful show staged in three rural Kentucky nursing homes. Clare has worked as a teaching artist with Looking for Lilith and Actors Theater.
George Halitzka | Artistic Director
George is a theatre educator, director, and writer — but first and foremost, he’s a storyteller. George has performed for 80,000 students in the Louisville area and beyond, often presenting content that he’s written and produced himself. He’s also taught drama workshops to thousands of students of all ages; favorite topics include comedy improv and playwriting. George’s plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc. and Christian Publishers. His works have been performed by schools and theatres an estimated 900 times around the world, from Canada to China. George loves good stories, his wife Julie, and Chicago deep-dish pizza (not necessarily in that order). Find out why he founded an educational theatre company here, or learn more about his experience as a theatre artist when you follow this link.
Julie Halitzka | Webmaster
Julie is a gifted artist and educator who’s passionate about kids, the arts, and technology. She holds an M.Div. in Worship from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.S. from Walden University in Early Childhood Studies, and a B.S.S. from Cornell College. In her “day job,” Julie is the Jefferson Training Coach with Child Care Aware of Kentucky. She also serves as a worship leader at St. John United Methodist Church.
Katie Joachim | Teaching Artist
Katie is an actor, costume designer, and theatre educator. Favorite roles as a performer include Maria in The Sound of Music (Bay View Music Festival) and The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods (Hope College Theatre Department). Offstage, she’s worked as the director of Bay View Youth Theatre in Michigan, as an artist educator with Kentucky Shakespeare, and as a dresser with Kentucky Opera. She graduated from Hope College in 2020 with a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing. In her spare time, Katie enjoys knitting, travel, and hiking in the beautiful state of Kentucky. She’s excited to help her students grow to love the arts!
Liz McFerron | Teaching Artist
Liz is an actor and arts educator who’s studied acting, directing, and dance with the Louisville Creative Arts Academy; Shakespeare with Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players; and voice with Leslie McFerron and Lauren Canon. In her spare time, Liz loves crocheting, playing video games, and performing in local theatre and film productions. She has fond memories of her performing arts teachers and the skills they gave her that she continues to use today. She hopes to provide the same thing to the next generation of actors!