Ann Benson
Broadway Blockbusters
Last at Civic: Onstage in Voices Concert, Cinderella: A Literary Tale
Ann is an active singer, actor, director, and voice teacher all throughout the Inland Northwest. Most recently, she’s appearing as Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Civic Interactive. Favorite past roles include Marmee in Little Women, Mother Superior in Nunsense (both with Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre) and Alison in Fun Home (Lake City Playhouse). Opera roles include Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Count Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Inland Northwest Opera. Ann regularly sings as mezzo-soprano soloist around the region, including collaborations with the Spokane Symphony, Conservatory Coeur d’Alene, the Palouse Choral Society and Walla Walla University Symphony. Recently, Ann directed The Sound of Music at Whitworth University, and past directing credits include Our Town, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, The Glass Menagerie and The Miracle Worker for theatres and organizations around the region. She also loves directing chamber theatre productions and devising scripts and eclectic multimedia theatre performances—especially with kids and novice performers! Ann has a long history as an educator, having taught music and/or theatre at Ferris High School, North Central High School and Mead Middle School, as well as serving as an adjunct professor in theatre at Whitworth University. Currently, Ann maintains a thriving private voice studio and looks for any interesting opportunity to perform, make art, or collaborate with other people on performing and art-making.
Clara Buck
Once Upon A Time Camp
Last at Civic: Onstage in Rising Tide (Kindling Productions), Choreographer for The Lion King Jr. (My Turn Theater)
Clara Buck earned her BA in Communication Studies, Dance, and Psychology from Gonzaga University and her MA in Communication and Leadership Studies with a concentration in Digital Media Strategies also from Gonzaga. She is the Marketing & PR Assistant for the Gonzaga Theatre and Dance Department.
Clara grew up in Reno, Nevada where, from an early age, she enjoyed performing in a variety of productions with her dance studio as well as musicals, madrigal dinners, and choral performances in middle and high school. During her time as an undergraduate student at Gonzaga, she had the opportunity to join Gonzaga Dance on tour in Florence, Italy as well as teach local Spokane elementary school students through ZagDance. Clara taught dance summer camps at her hometown studio during her bachelor’s and taught for Civic Education in Winter 2026. Her background in dance includes Irish, musical theatre, tap, jazz, lyrical, and ballet.
Recent and upcoming creative endeavors include Reno Fashion Show (Model – Artown – 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), Dancing at Lughnasa & Urinetown: the Musical & The Tempest (Choreographer, Assistant Choreographer, Choreographer – Gonzaga University – 2020, 2025, 2026 – KCACTF Meritorious Achievement Award for Choreography for Dancing at Lughnasa), Siamsa: A Celtic Christmas & A Celtic Summer’s Eve (Assistant Director/Alumna Dancer, Performer – Shamrock Productions – 2021, 2026), Jersey Boys & The Addams Family & Cats (Assistant Choreographer, Dance Supervisor, Staging Supervisor – Spokane Civic Theatre – 2023, 2024), Beauty and the Beast Jr. & The Lion King Jr. & Frozen Jr. (Choreographer – My Turn Theater – 2023, 2025, 2026), and Rising Tide (Dancer – Kindling Productions – 2025).
Jameson Elton
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Assistant Director, We Like to Move It!
Last at Civic: Onstage in Jagged Little Pill, All is Calm, and Legally Blonde
Jameson is a three times Youngarts winner and is a Marietta Coyle award recipient for Classical Voice. His favorite credits are Mole in The Wind in the Willows (Civic Education), Mark Cohen in RENT (Lake City Playhouse), Jason ‘J.D.’ Dean in Heathers: the Musical and Tommy Devito in Jersey Boys (both with Civic). He’s also an aspiring musician, writer, and film photographer.
Lilah Gail
Sing, Dance, and Shine!
Last at Civic: Onstage in Jagged Little Pill and Legally Blonde
Recently she performed as Bella in Jagged Little Pill, in the ensemble of Legally Blonde, as Chief Weasel in The Wind in the Willows, Ensemble in Heathers: The Musical (all with Civic) and Milky White in Into The Woods (Aspire). Lilah also co-owns a Princess party company called Enchanted Entertainment PNW.
Sarah Glesk
We Like To Move it!
Last at Civic: Onstage and Choreographer for Rising Tide (Kindling Productions), Ballet Choreographer for Carousel
Sarah Glesk is a dance educator, choreographer, and dancer based in Spokane, WA. She has been a faculty member at Gonzaga University since 2013, teaching ballet, pointe, contemporary/modern, and jazz, and has directed over 10 companies. Sarah also serves as a dance instructor at various local studios and is the Resident Choreographer for Kindling Productions. In 2024, she completed training with the Mark Morris Dance Group Outreach Program and began teaching Dance for Parkinson’s classes.
Sarah earned a BFA in Dance (Cum Laude) from Cornish College of the Arts in 2006, where she performed in works such as Martha Graham’s Diversion of Angels. Her professional performance credits include work with Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey, Alloy Dance Project, Serendip, Vytal Movement, and Kindling Productions. Additionally, she co-founded the Seattle-based cabaret dinner theater, the CanCan Castaways, contributing as both a performer and choreographer.
Recently, Sarah’s choreography has been featured in Kindling Productions’ Rising Tide and Ghostlight, Gonzaga’s production of Urinetown: The Musical, and Spokane Civic Theater’s Carousel. Her work has also appeared in Gonzaga’s annual Spring Dance Concert, the Spokane Film Project, 50-Hour Slam, and numerous music videos.
When she is not in the studio, Sarah enjoys gardening, cleaning (truly!), and spending time with the people she loves.
Jean Hardie
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Director
Last at Civic: Director for Carousel, Onstage in CATS
Actively involved at Spokane Civic Theatre since moving here in 1981, Jean has acted in, directed and choreographed many, many shows over the years, but is probably best known as Mother Superior in Nunsense I and II and Nuncrackers. She was the director of the Box ‘n’ Hat Players for 20 years, directed the Civic Summer Program for 14 years, has had several plays accepted for Civic’s annual Playwrights Forum and is a Civic Theatre Lifetime Achievement recipient. Most recently she directed Carousel, Merrily We Roll Along, co-directed Jersey Boys and CATS and even worked as the Light Board Operator for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Wizard of Oz. Best of all, she got to perform a duet with her son David in Civic’s Musical Revue Beat by Beat.
Cynthia Kirkman Romoff
Alice in Wonderland Jr. Director
Education Director, Spokane Civic Theatre
Cynthia is thrilled to be working at Spokane Civic Theatre, back where she began with Civic Education programs as a Box n Hat Player, Villager #3, and Maid #2. Her misspent youth then progressed to a short stint as an opera singer (Principal roles in Der fliegende Holländer, The Turn of the Screw, and La Boheme; Solo concert repertoire of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection) and eventually to teaching, directing, and conducting at the happy intersection of music and theatre, as she worked through every available time zone (Serving as the Director of Educational Services at California Music Studios, Teaching Artist and Stage Director with CYT@School in San Diego, and Conservatory Director at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, TN). Having returned to Spokane after a 30 year hiatus, Cynthia previously held a secret identity as the Lower School Music Teacher at Saint George’s School and works in the community as a freelance teaching artist and vocal coach.
Myranda Lloyd
Alice in Wonderland Jr. Choreographer, Sing, Dance, and Shine!
Last at Civic: Onstage for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Wind in the Willows
Jared McDougall
Swords & Sonnets
Last at Civic: Onstage in 2025 Playwrights’ Forum Festival, I Hate Hamlet (Readers Theater)
Jared McDougall has been performing Shakespeare in Spokane for nearly a decade, and he is thrilled to be able to share his love and knowledge of the Bard! He holds teaching certificates in both Washington and Idaho with endorsements in K-12 Theatre Arts and secondary English/Language Arts. For the past two years, Jared has worked as the Drama and Speech teacher at Post Falls High School, where he leads the Trojan Theatre program. His recent directing credits at PFHS include Pride and Prejudice, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem, and The Drowsy Chaperone JR, which he also choreographed. In 2023, Jared served as a teaching artist at the Inland Northwest Theatre Arts Festival, teaching workshops on Shakespearean performance. Jared also serves on the board of Inland Classical Theatre.
When he isn’t teaching, Jared performs with various theaters in the greater Spokane area, including Spokane Civic Theatre (Playwrights’ Forum Festival, Ignite! readers theatre production of I Hate Hamlet); Inland Classical Theatre (The Taming of the Shrew, Mary Stuart); Spokane Shakespeare Society (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, As You Like It); and most recently, Lake City Playhouse (Mean Girls).
Carmyn Parks-House
Broadway Blockbusters
Last at Civic: Onstage in Legally Blonde and CATS
Carmyn earned a BA in Music Education and Vocal Performance from EWU. She has trained in classical, opera, musical theatre, and jazz with Cynthis Romoff, Susan Windham and Abigail Cote. Currently Carmyn teaches choir at Lewis and Clark High School and Shadle Park High School.
Peter Rossing
Magical Maker Space
Production and Strategy Director, Spokane Civic Theatre
Peter first designed and painted for the Civic with CATS last season before joining the staff as Production and Strategy Director. He has designed sets for theater, opera, dance, and corporate events in Portland, Austin and traveling productions. Favorite projects included A View from the Bridge for Portland Repertory Theatre, The Importance of Being Earnest for New Rose Theatre (Portland), On the Verge for Different Stages Co. in Austin, and A Comedy of Errors on Austin’s Zilker Park Stage. In recent years, Peter has focused on graphic design, arts marketing, and entrepreneurial projects including founding and operating an art supply store in Portland.
Christian Skok
Alice in Wonderland Jr. Music Director
Last at Civic: Music Director for Jagged Little Pill
Christian received his Bachelor’s in Piano Performance and in Musical Theatre from EWU in 2022. Recent credits include Music Director for Ordinary Days and Tick, Tick… Boom! at EWU, Spring Awakening and Urinetown at Gonzaga, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at SVST, and Asst. Music Director for Twelfth Night the Musical at EWU. He currently accompanies around the Spokane area for choirs, soloists, and instrumentalists and continues to share his passion as music department accompanist for Gonzaga University. He has over 100 houseplants and two cats at home that make the long days worthwhile.
Jamie L. Suter
Magical Maker Space
Costume Designer and Shop Manager, Spokane Civic Theatre
Jamie holds a BA in Theater Design and Technical Production with concentrations in Costume Design and Directing from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, studying under Broadway professionals Gail Brassard, Liz Covey, and Bob Anton. Notable credits include Costume Design for The Wonder!: A Woman Keeps a Secret (T. Schreiber Studio), Assistant to the Costume Designer for Sweeney Todd (Avery Fisher Hall), Assistant Costume Designer for The Lucky Chance (Theresa Lang Theater), Director/Costume Designer for Seven Femmes (Rathskeller Studios), and Costume Designer for The Lost Cabaret (NYC Fringe Festival). Jamie joined the Civic staff in 2018, her first design on stage being Present Laughter in the Studio Theatre. She loves being part of the fun and frivolity of live theater and is incredibly happy to do that at her home away from home, Spokane Civic Theatre.
Rachae Thomas
Once Upon A Time Camp
Last at Civic: Onstage in POTUS, Sweat
Rachae is originally from Spokane, WA. She recently relocated to her hometown by way of Los Angeles in 2021. Her TV credits range from recurring to guest appearances on streaming networks like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Shows like How to Get Away with Murder, Hand of God and Casual. Her breakout role was in a film called Life of a King playing a supporting role to Cuba Gooding Jr. She’s appeared in numerous national commercials throughout her career. As well as starred in critically acclaimed Theatre and Musical Theatre productions all over Los Angeles. She’s also performed her own and other One Woman shows around the country. Rachae’s goal is to break racial boundaries and limitations in roles and in life. Creating relate-able characters and stories that transform and empower the narrative around Women, People of Color and normal people everywhere, is her passion. Being “Mommy” is her passion too.
Ryan Wasson
Story Making
Last at Civic: Onstage in Waitress, The Great Gatsby (Readers Theater)
Ryan has made a home at Spokane Civic Theatre over the past 8 years. Some of his Civic credits include Ensemble in Waitress, Nick Carraway in Civic & Ignite’s Reader Theater production of The Great Gatsby, “Himself” in Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!), Waiter / Ensemble in She Loves Me, an Ancestor in The Addams Family, Vice Principal Douglas Panch in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, James Watson in Photograph 51, and Crow / Ensemble in The Wizard of Oz. Outside of Civic, he’s been Martin / Ensemble in Mean Girls (Lake City Playhouse), Director of Elf Jr. (CYT North Idaho), and Harold Hill in The Music Man Jr. (TAC At The Lake). Ryan also works in the area as an actor, director, and photographer, in addition to working as the Communications Assistant at Civic. He is excited to be a teaching artist with Civic Education where he began his Civic journey 10 years ago working as the spotlight operator for High School Musical, then transitioning to the stage in the Ensemble of My Fair Lady in 2018. One of his main goals as an artist is to keep the flame of theatre alive and well for future generations because theatre helps build up confidence, creativity, expression, and community.
Mackenzie Willett
Magical Maker Space, Once Upon A Stage
Last at Civic: Stage Manager for Jagged Little Pill and Romeo and Juliet
Dana Williams
Magical Maker Space
Last at Civic: Onstage in Jagged Little Pill, Waitress
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