CARLOS AGUIRRE has been performing both as an actor and hip-hop artist in the Bay Area for over fourteen years. He is part of the musical group Felonious and has performed with The Roots, Eryka Badu, Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Blackalicious, Jurassic Five, L.L. Cool J, and George Clinton among others. Carlos appeared most recently in The Magic Theatre’s 2012 world premiere of Bruja by Luis Alfaro. He also appears regularly at Intersection for the Arts with world-renowned theatre company Campo Santo (where he premiered his beatbox, rap and spoken word adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart). Carlos shares his experience by teaching at various schools and at risk environments throughout the Bay Area. He most recently taught a class in Literacy through Poetry and Songwriting at two correctional facilities in the Bay Area where he also used his vocal percussion workshops to help ESL students improve diction and clarity. He is currently working with STAGEWRITE, a literacy through theatre program which works in various schools through out the SFUSD. His work has helped many different students from various demographics gain skills to better express themselves.
EMILY BUTTERFLY is an experienced art teacher, puppeteer and children’s event producer who specializes in entertaining and teaching young children ages 2-6. She teaches art making classes with various mediums and offers a unique and delightful Toddler Puppet Circle Time that is a highly engaging and participatory experience of interactive story telling.
Puppets are an amazing medium for children to express themselves, and a powerful catalyst in supporting vivid and blooming imaginations, as well as gateways to opening to a deeper self expression.
“In my years as a performance artist and teacher, I am grateful to have assisted in creating healthy environments and workshops for children to explore their joy. I have been blessed with an array of opportunities to work with thousands of children in various environments. I am looking forward to continue sharing my knowledge, my art, and my magic.”
SALLY DAVIS works as a musician, theater director, and arts educator in Telluride, Colorado and in children’s theater residencies around the world including: Telluride Institute Watershed Puppet Shows, The Children’s Storefront School, Harlem, N.Y. Bay Area Discovery Museum, and Mudd Butt International. Sally conducts Story Theater workshops at the Ah Haa School, The Mudd Butt Mystery Theater Troupe, Circus Holus Bolus and Moving Mountain Theater in Telluride. Sally’s adult performance work includes: San Francisco Trolley Dances and Heelomali(Epiphany Productions), Planet Protectors and How Clowns Got Their Red Nose, Field Trip (Telluride Repertory’s ACTion Tour), St. Adolf’s Ring (Terry Riley),Lunatic Girl, Sonic Luminescence and Einstein’s Daughters(Kim Epifano) and The Mission is Not Impossible (Peter Whitehead.) She is a recipient of the Telluride Institute Visionary Award.
MAICA FOLCH is a movement artist and educator from Barcelona, Spain. She teaches aerial dance, trapeze and clowning at the MYT. She has performed in theater and dance projects directed by Moshe Cohen, Rhodessa Jones, Kim Epifano, Theresa Dickinson and Lizz Roman. Maica is a lover of the Day of the Dead celebration. Along with other members of the Marigold Project, she organizes the Day of the Dead festival of altars at Garfield Park. Maica has worked with home-schooled children and also with students at many local schools, such as Sanchez Elementary School, James Lick Middle School, Buena Vista Elementary School and The San Francisco School. She has been teaching at The Marsh since 2005.
RON JONES is a native San Franciscan. He shares his Haight Ashbury home with his wife, grandchildren, and a peaceful garden. He is a graduate of Stanford University masters degree program in education. Upon retirement from the Janet Pomeroy Center, where he taught theater and sports to the physically and mentally disabled for 30 years, he now enjoys writing and performing as a spoken word artist.
As an author he has written about everyday heroes that enrich our life. Three of his stories The Acorn People, The Wave, and B-Ball have been made into television specials garnering an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody for their producers. A book entitled Kids Called Crazy was nominated for a Pulitzer. And Say Ray the story of a disabled man abducted to Mexico was honored as the American Book of the Year. His classroom experiment in Fascism, The Wavehas been produced as a feature film Die Welle and documentary Lesson Plan. The novelized version of The Wave, available through Random House, is printed in 23 languages and required reading in German and Israeli schools. In 2013 Ron completed a musical version of his Wave experience. The Third Wave Musical is available through Dramatic Publishing. Theatric and musical productions of The Wave have been performed in theaters worldwide
MARYSSA WANLASS is a Bay Area based actor and teaching artist. As an actor, she has appeared with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, San Jose Rep on Tour, San Jose Stage, Livermore Shakespeare Festival, TheatreFirst, Theatre Rhino and others. Through her teaching work, Maryssa brings her love of the theatrical art form to a diverse population of students; from children discovering Shakespeare’s words for the first time, to maximum security inmates finding a creative outlet through improvisational acting, to girls finding their voice in leadership workshops. She is delighted to bring her passion and energy to the students of Marsh Youth Theater! You can learn more at www.maryssa-wanlass.com.
REBECCA CERVANTES has been teaching dance and choreographing shows for youth and adults all over San Francisco for the past 10 years. She currently dances with Mixtiso, a hip hop group that represents the diversity of San Francisco. She has a strong commitment to empowering youth through the arts. She has been teaching at The Marsh since 2003.
MEGAN ARMSTRONG is a veteran educator. She has worked with girls for many years teaching yoga, art, and many other disciplines. As a singer in an R&B band, Megan also loves to perform and coach young performers. She is the co-founder of Girlventures, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering adolescent girls to develop and express their strengths through outdoor activities, creative art, and group experiences. Megan teaches workshops for Girls Leadership, giving girls and their parents tools for assertive communication and and healthy conflict, and she has a private practice: Mother/Daughter Mentoring. She is also a Tamalpa Institute Teacher Training Graduate.