About Center for Theatre Arts
Salina Community Theatre has supported children's programming since its beginning, bringing in a variety of traveling productions for young people. A structured children's program, Salina Theatre for Young People (STYP), began eighteen years ago.
In 2008 we are embarked on a new chapter in the SCT's education programs; expanding the department from theatre classes to vocal music and theatre dance classes for all ages. We are no longer simply theatre for young people but a well rounded performing arts institution. Offering classes for student from first grade to adults and proudly changing our name to Center for the Theatre Arts.
Since its inception, the Salina Community Theatre classes and shows have set a precedent for students who are passionate about the arts and students who might not have an outlet otherwise. This emphasis on the arts as they related to the youth of Kansas has been firmly established in Salina. This is evidenced by the number of students participating in the program, and the numbers of Salina students involved in the program that have gone on to theatre arts related careers.
Students of all ages benefit from the arts. Adults report healthier lives, increased mental acuity and a higher sense of self worth from exposure and experience in the performing arts.
While not all of the students will become stars of the stage, each and every student will have a marvelous time while learning singing, dancing and acting in our classes.
Jordan Martens | Education Director
Jordan is a native of Salina, Kansas where she began her theatre career at Salina Central High School and the Salina Community Theatre. At the Peggy Simms School of Dance, she studied ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theatre dance for 15 years.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Kansas State University in 2009. Her favorite roles included Juliet in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Little Sally in Urinetown, the Musical, and Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. She was privileged with the opportunity to study performance techniques such as Meisner and Shakespeare, along with production skills such as directing, technical production, theatrical design, and theatre management.
While at KSU, Jordan was also very active in dance. She studied Modern, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Improvisation, and Musical Theatre under KSU faculty David Ollington, Joyce Yagerline, and Julie Pentz. She was also seen in Winter Dance 2006 and Winter Dance 2007, and got to combine her love of theatre and dance as a featured dancer in shows like Pippin and Metamorphoses.
Professionally, Jordan sang and danced to rock n’ roll as Rah-Rah in Stax of Wax: Cleaver High Homecoming at Worlds of Fun. She is represented by Exposure, Inc. in Kansas City and has been seen in commercials for Baker University, First Preferred Mortgage, Brown Mackie College, and Wright Business College.
Jordan has been an Acting and Dance teacher for Center for Theatre Arts since 2008. She is a member of the Iron Street Dance Company and she continues to choreograph, direct, teach, and perform at the theatre, and throughout the community.
Peggy Simms | Dance Department Chair, Director of Move Over Show Troupe and Iron Street Dance Company
Peggy is a versatile dancer, teacher, performer, and choreographer. Her training began in classical ballet with Russian ballerina Valentina Stein who describes her as a very good character dancer. Peggy continues her training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Musical Theatre by attending master classes throughout the country.
After teaching in Salina and the surrounding area, she owned and operated Peggy Simms School of Dance for 19 years, and has enjoyed training dancers from age five through adult. Her students have won regional and national dance competitions with Showbiz, Talent On Parade, Stars of Tomorrow, Starlight, and American Dance Artists, and can be found dancing in Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and on cruise ships. Her dance companies had invitations to dance in Hawaii, China, the Greek Islands, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
She also served as a faculty member and choreographer of Marymount College of Kansas for four years. She has choreographed over 100 musicals for area high schools, universities, Kansas theatres, and the award winning Salina Community Theatre, and has been guest teacher at the American Dance Artist convention and competition in Vail, Colorado.
Peggy says, “Dance classes are not just for the student intent on becoming a professional dancer. Dance lessons teach many life skills in addition to gaining self esteem, build confidence, and challenge the student physically. The rewards are many for the student who experiences accomplishment through the joy of music and movement. Personally, as a teacher there are no words to express the incredible feeling of being a part of that process with my students.”
Melissa Burrows | Vocal Department Chair
Melissa’s love for the arts began at an early age as she grew up in the Chicago area. Her early performance experience includes being a member of both a nationally-recognized high school show choir, as well as a renowned collegiate choral ensemble. She has a B.A. from Kansas Wesleyan University in Music Performance and Psychology. She is also a licensed Kindermusik educator and maintains a private studio for both piano and vocal students. Melissa has been seen on stage at SCT in multiple productions, and continues to be a regular Musical Director for CTA shows.
Alison (Mize) Hiatt | Dance
Alison began her dance training here in Salina at Peggy Simms School of Dance, where she studied for 11 years, six of which she was a member of the Peggy Simms Show Troupe. She spent three years studying as a dance scholarship student at the University of Kansas, where she was a member of the University Dance Company and the Cohan/Suzeau Dance Company. During this time, Alison attended a summer intensive at the Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre in Chicago and studied with world-renowned artists Bill Evans, Eluza Santos, and Sarah Stackhouse.
Following her study at the University of Kansas, Alison performed with the Bowery Dancers, a touring company based out of Lawrence, Kansas, and has taught a variety of dance classes at the Studio School of Dance in Olathe. She is a member of SCT’s Iron Street Dance Company.
Samantha Shirack | Dance
Samantha Shirack was born and raised in Salina, where she began her training at Peggy Simms School of Dance. There she had the opportunity to work with many different choreographers in a variety of styles. She studied under Peggy for 15 years, five of which she was a member of the Peggy Simms Show Troupe. Teaching Dance and Cheer for the past ten years, she has been recognized for her work through choreography awards and an NCA Top Coaching Award. Her work can be seen around Salina, both through the South Middle “Sensations” and here on the SCT stage. Sam loves instilling her love of the art in all of her students through her classes and choreography, most recently in CTA’s production of Seussical Jr.
Clinton Clark | Dance
Clinton Clark has been teaching for CTA since Fall 2010 and has been performing at the theater since he was 11 in his first show, Amahl & the Night Visitors. His most recent credits include Annie and The Drowsy Chaperone. He has studied Ballet and Jazz under Peggy Simms since he was 16 years old, and has attended several master classes including multiple classes with Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre. Clinton is a member of the Iron Street Dance Company. He is extremely excited to be working with new students in the new education wing!
Vickee Spicer | Dance
Vickee Spicer began to dance, formally, at the age of 11, after a “lucrative” baton-twirling career. Vickee trained in Sacramento, California with LaVerne Krei at the Carmichael School of Performing Arts. Her training includes Classical Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap, Musical Theatre, Acrobatics, and even some circus training!
Vickee began teaching dance at the age of 15 and eventually became the lead teacher at The Broadway Dance Academy in Sacramento where she taught 20 classes per week in addition to being the resident choreographer for three dance companies for Dance Theatre West. Vickee’s students have performed on Broadway, in national tours and industrials, in Las Vegas, on cruise lines, as well as in commercials and television. Her most recent thrill was discovering that one of our SCT/CTA graduates was performing in New York with one of Vickee’s first students from California in 42nd Street.
Vickee’s professional performing career began with Sacramento Music Circus where she appeared in 23 musicals. She has appeared in plays and musicals in the San Francisco Bay Area (where she met now husband Michael performing Cassie in A Chorus Line) and the Central Coast. Vickee has choreographed over 50 musicals, industrial shows, reviews, pageants, and commercials. She continues to be involved in teaching, choreographing, directing, and performing in community and high school theatre.
During the day, Vickee is the Director of Marketing & Development for Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure. Ms. Spicer received her B.S. in Business Administration and Minor in Economics from California State University, Sacramento.
Jill French | Vocal
Jill is a graduate of Fort Hays State University with a degree in Theatre and Minor in Music. She is a native Kansan who, in 2008, moved back to Salina with her husband Ross and cats, Roxy and Spaz. She has many years of Theatre and Music performance experience under her belt. Her theatre experience started in middle school, performing as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz and continued through high school and college, performing in over 15 shows. She has performed in more than ten professional theatre shows spanning from Kansas to Ohio to Georgia, giving her national tour experience. Most recently she has been seen in several shows at SCT.
Jill’s vocal experience started in church, singing with her Dad, and continued through high school and college. In college, she took six years of vocal classes with three different teachers, giving her experience in Opera, as well as classical and contemporary Musical Theatre. She was involved in both Concert Choir and The Fort Hays Singers throughout her college career. While there, both choirs were the guest choir at KMEA and also traveled to Italy (to perform Mozart’s Requiem) and Ireland to perform concerts in world-renowned cathedrals and churches.
Jill and Ross recently welcomed a new member to their family, their daughter Larkin Rose, in April 2011.
