People - Valley Shakespeare Company

VSC Artistic and Administrative Team

David Janowiak

Artistic Director

David Janowiak is a Professor of Theatre, Chair of the Division of Creative Arts, and the Artistic Director of Valley Shakespeare Company (VSC), the professional affiliate theatre at Western Oregon University. Professor Janowiak was also a professor of theatre at UW-Manitowoc and Lakeland College in Wisconsin. His twenty-five-year career in academia has included nearly 20 years serving as head of theatre departments at several institutions, including WOU. Professor Janowiak has been successful as an administrator. He has orchestrated curricular revisions and development to keep departments and divisions dynamic and responsive to changing times and circumstances. He has managed resources efficiently and effectively, successfully supervised personnel, sought out and created innovative collaborations locally and nationally, cultivated significant enrollment increases, written self-studies for regional accreditation, and authored several successful regional and national grants, including the Nation Endowment for the Arts Grant in 2022 to bring Spanish-language classical productions to the stage of VSC. Professor Janowiak served as artistic director of the Spotlight Theatre Company in Milwaukee, WI for five seasons and was a founding member and artistic director of Salem Repertory Theatre, where he produced over twenty shows and directed and acted seasonally. As a member of Actors’ Equity Association, he has worked at professional and regional theatres across the country and abroad, including The Northern Stage Company, Actors Repertory Theatre, The Little Sandwich Theatre, Salem Repertory Theatre, CoHo Theatre, Public Playhouse, Theatre Hebertot (Paris), Dallas Shakespeare Festival and six seasons with the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. On camera, David has done numerous films and industrials, as well print ads. He continues to work as a professional voice actor in films, commercials, and industrials. He has won numerous awards and accolades for his acting and directing, including Best of 1990 in Theatre Week Magazine for his performance in the title role of Dr. Faustus.

He has served as a valued collaborative colleague at both UW-Manitowoc and Western Oregon University—chairing and participating in numerous department, division and university-wide level committees, including academic affairs and restructure; curriculum; sustainability; academic review; professional development; strategic planning; institutional growth; budgeting and promotion and tenure.

Scott Grim

Resident Scenic Designer

Scott Grim is currently a Scenic Designer and Professor of theatrical design and technology at Western Oregon University. He holds an M.F.A. in Theatre (Scenic Design emphasis) from the University of Georgia. Scott has designed numerous theatrical productions outside of WOU, including Leach Theatre in Missouri, Highlands Playhouse of North Carolina and Pentacle Theatre. A number of his designs have been included in the United States Institute for Theatre Technology International Design Archive. He has served as Technical Director at various institutions for over 14 years, including the Jekylle Island Musical Comedy Festival on Jekylle Island, Georgia. Some of the over 40 productions Scott has designed include Playboy of the Western World, God’s Country, Fuddy Meers, Into the Woods, Macbeth, Noises Off and You Can’t Take it With You.

Laurel Peterson

Resident Costume Designer

Laurel Peterson holds her BA in Fine Arts from Linfield College and MFA in Costume Design from Boston University. Laurel is the costumer at Linfield College where she designs, runs the shop and teaches costume design and makeup courses. She has received Meritorious Achievement Awards in Costume Design for her designs of Almost, Maine, Ajax in Iraq, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and A Small Family Business. Previous credits with Valley Shakespeare include A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2016 and Tartuffe (2018).

Sharon Stokes Oberst

Resident Dance Choreographer

Sharon Stokes Oberst is Professor Emerita of Dance at Western Oregon University where she taught ballet technique, pedagogy, dance history, dance production, dance and gender and dance in musical theatre courses for 32 years. She attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and studied at the Houston Ballet Academy. She has performed with the Houston Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Allegro Ballet of Houston, Beaumont Ballet Theatre and Houston Theatre Under the Stars. Oberst earned a bachelor’s degree and secondary teaching certifications in dance and theatre from Lamar University and master’s degree in dance from the University of Oregon. Her research has focused on dance administration, pedagogy, the history of dance in musical theatre and film and historical dance forms for the theatre. In addition to choreographing for concert dance, Oberst choreographs theatrical productions such as Romeo and Juliet, BobRauschenbergAmerica, and Pride and Prejudice. Oberst has directed and choreographed numerous musical productions including Kiss Me, Kate, Victor/Victoria, West Side Story, Thoroughly Modern Millie and 42nd Street. She has served on the Board of Directors, as Treasurer and Secretary for CORPS de Ballet International, a professional organization dedicated to the development, exploration, and advancement of ballet in higher education. She was honored with the organization’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2007 and 2018. Professor Oberst is the 2006 recipient of the Western Oregon University Mario and Alma Pastega Excellence in Teaching Award.

Ryan Wright

Resident Technical Director

Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Technical and Design from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. While in college he worked for the Santa Fe Opera (Santa Fe, NM) and Pennsylvania Center Stages (State College, PA) as part of the stage and electrics crews. Since graduating, Ryan has worked at a number of professional theatres and entertainment companies across the United States. These include Fireside Dinner Theatre (Fort Atkinson, WI) as Master Electrician, Field Installation Supervisor and Regional Manager for Creative Realities Inc. (Fairfield, NJ), Technical Director for Rollins College, as a Master Electrician and a general technician for Innovative Show Designs (Longwood, FL).

Amanda Anderson (Vander Hyde)

Intimacy Director

Amanda is a freelance stage and production manager in Portland. She has worked with Artists Repertory Theatre, CoHo, Triangle Productions!, Many Hats Collaboration, and Chapel Theatre. She was also the resident Production and Stage Manager at the Majestic Theatre. Currently, she is the Production Manager of MediaRites Productions, one of the Stage Managers in rep at Oregon Children’s Theatre, and an Assistant Stage Manager at Portland Center Stage, where she will be an ASM for the 2022-2023 season. She is also an Intimacy Choreographer in the area, specializing in working with youth and young professionals. She has recently worked at Linfield University on their production of Heathers: The Musical and was also Intimacy Coordinator for RENT. Amanda graduated from Western Oregon University in 2018 with a B.F.A in Technical Production.

Laura Killip

Music Director/Marketing Specialist

Laura is a teacher, music director, singer, songwriter, choreographer, dancer, and actress, who graduated with a Bachelors of Music in 2015 and a Masters of Music in 2017, focusing on American Vernacular Music at Western Oregon University. She works as a music director for Enlightened Theatrics in Salem and Dallas High School (The Rainbow Fish Musical, All Together Now, Snow White, Pippin, 101 Dalmatians, Hello, Dolly!) and as a camp director for STAGES theatre camp in Corvallis. She founded Meadowlark Music School in 2018 to help students achieve their goals of performing, creating, and building confidence. In addition, she works as an Office Coordinator for the Creative Arts Division at WOU. She uses her organizational and design skills to create marketing plans for the various social media pages across the departments, maintain branding, and archive past projects.

Cati Rangel

Fight Director/Acting Company Member

Cati worked as a seasonal company member of Valley Shakespeare Company for three seasons, where they played several roles, including a Nun in Tartuffe (2018) and Peasblossom in Midsummer Night’s Dream (2017). Cati also served as a company member with Teatro Milagro, where they worked as a performer, staff member and educator as part of Milagro’s educational and touring outreach program. While at Teatro Milagro, they played Javiera and Alan in Huinca and Elllen Ocoa in Blast Off. As a Fight Director, they have choreographed and assistant choreographed for Portland Repertory Theatre, Linfield College, and Oregon State University. Besides their work in theatre, Cati spends their time advocating for social change, equity and diversity, especially in the arts. Cati graduated from Western Oregon University in 2019 with a BFA in Theatre Arts– Acting, where they served as a performer, crew member and student manager within the department.

Julia Fruit

Administrative Program Coordinator

A native to Vancouver Island, BC, received her Bachelors and Masters of Music from Western Oregon University, specializing in classical piano performance. Julia started out as a student worker assisting the Music Department as an usher, stage manager, box office attendant, and lights/sound coordinator. She went on to work as the Art Department office coordinator, Music Department office coordinator, and now works as the Creative Arts Program Coordinator. She also serves as the Music Director at St. Philip Catholic Church in Dallas, OR. In her spare time, Julia enjoys collecting & trading Pokémon cards, playing competitive esports, and spending time with her husband, 2 zany cats, and new baby.

VSC Acting Company

Ted deChatelet