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KRISTA CARSON ELHAI
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Krista has taught theatre for 37 years, at both Hemet and Claremont High
Schools, where she has directed over 300 productions. Her productions have
performed mainstage at both the CA State Thespian Festival (14 times) and the
International Thespian Festival. She has a BS in Speech, Theatre and English as well
as an MS in School Counseling.
Serving on the CA State Thespian board since 1993, Krista was the Educational
Theatre Association’s (EdTA) CA State Chapter Director for eleven years before she
was elected to two terms on the EdTA national board. She also serves as the CA
Educational Theatre Association’s (CETA) Past President. Ms Elhai is co-director of
Theatre Teacher Bootcamp, an intensive workshop for theatre teachers offered in the
summer months. She founded the EdTA west coast benefit Thespians Go Hollywood,
and, in honor of that work, was named the EdTA National Volunteer of the Year in
2017. She is currently serving on The College Board’s Pre-AP Arts Committee and as
a national Trustee on the Educational Theatre Foundation. A two-time Finalist for the
LA Music Center Bravo Award, Krista was awarded a Chase Fellowship from the Los
Angeles Music Center. She has received the CA Educational Theatre Association’s
Theatre Teacher of the Year and has been inducted in both the CA State Thespian and
Educational Theatre National Hall of Fame.
She’s the proud mom of three theatre technicians, including a costumer at
Disneyworld (Lindsey), an Equity stage manager & lighting designer (Dylan), and a
scenic artist/costumer (Noah).
Schools, where she has directed over 300 productions. Her productions have
performed mainstage at both the CA State Thespian Festival (14 times) and the
International Thespian Festival. She has a BS in Speech, Theatre and English as well
as an MS in School Counseling.
Serving on the CA State Thespian board since 1993, Krista was the Educational
Theatre Association’s (EdTA) CA State Chapter Director for eleven years before she
was elected to two terms on the EdTA national board. She also serves as the CA
Educational Theatre Association’s (CETA) Past President. Ms Elhai is co-director of
Theatre Teacher Bootcamp, an intensive workshop for theatre teachers offered in the
summer months. She founded the EdTA west coast benefit Thespians Go Hollywood,
and, in honor of that work, was named the EdTA National Volunteer of the Year in
2017. She is currently serving on The College Board’s Pre-AP Arts Committee and as
a national Trustee on the Educational Theatre Foundation. A two-time Finalist for the
LA Music Center Bravo Award, Krista was awarded a Chase Fellowship from the Los
Angeles Music Center. She has received the CA Educational Theatre Association’s
Theatre Teacher of the Year and has been inducted in both the CA State Thespian and
Educational Theatre National Hall of Fame.
She’s the proud mom of three theatre technicians, including a costumer at
Disneyworld (Lindsey), an Equity stage manager & lighting designer (Dylan), and a
scenic artist/costumer (Noah).
Joel Wilson
Musical Director
Joel H. Wilson, Conductor: Wilson is in his thirteenth year as Choral Director at Claremont High School where his duties include directing Concert Choir, Treble Ensemble, Bella Voce, Chamber Singers and musical direction for the Musical Theater and Children’s Theatre classes. Wilson has also served as adjunct faculty at Cal Poly Pomona in the Music Department where he has musical directed and directed the annual musical. Under his direction, the CHS Choirs consistently receive high marks and honors at local, national, and international festivals. Concert Choir is ranked in the top 20% of High School choirs, the Treble Ensemble is ranked in the top 10%, and recently, the Chamber Singers took the top choir slot at a National Festival of Gold in Washington D.C., making them one of the top high school choral programs in the country. Wilson completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Claremont Graduate University, earned his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Cal State Fullerton and his B.A. in Music Education from Cal Poly Pomona. Wilson is a proud member of The College Music Society and the American Choral Directors Association. He and his beautiful wife, Darci, live in Rancho Cucamonga CA with their children Jackson, Jenna, and Paul.
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Tay Gendreau is a native Claremont resident who has returned to teach our ROP Stage Design and Technology Class. Tay went to Claremont High School and was inducted into Thespian Troupe 2129. Since she participated in this program herself, the skills she learned have stayed with her and has helped Tay succeed outside of CHS. Tay earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts with an emphasis in Audio Engineering from San Francisco State University. While there she ran their radio station KSFS as Program Director, as well as produced shows for the local San Francisco TV station. This lead into a full-time job at Apple where she was certified as a Mac technician, worked on corporate productions and on boarded new employees and technicians so they could be successful in their roles. Tay has always made time to do theatre and has worked as a Sound Board Operator for shows such as Into the Woods and Fiddler on the Roof for Young Theatre Works and this summer was the Technical Director for our summer SLICE program of Aladdin Jr.
Tay Gendreau is a native Claremont resident who has returned to teach our ROP Stage Design and Technology Class. Tay went to Claremont High School and was inducted into Thespian Troupe 2129. Since she participated in this program herself, the skills she learned have stayed with her and has helped Tay succeed outside of CHS. Tay earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts with an emphasis in Audio Engineering from San Francisco State University. While there she ran their radio station KSFS as Program Director, as well as produced shows for the local San Francisco TV station. This lead into a full-time job at Apple where she was certified as a Mac technician, worked on corporate productions and on boarded new employees and technicians so they could be successful in their roles. Tay has always made time to do theatre and has worked as a Sound Board Operator for shows such as Into the Woods and Fiddler on the Roof for Young Theatre Works and this summer was the Technical Director for our summer SLICE program of Aladdin Jr.
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Emily DauWALDER
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Emily is a 2011 CHS graduate and thespian troupe 2129 alumni-- she is thrilled to be choreographing where her musical theater training began! She has choreographed for different educational theater and choir programs in the Claremont Unified School District for the past six years. Other educational theater choreography credits include: The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan Jr. (Foothill Christian School), Honk! Jr. (Davis Magnet Elementary), Cinderella (Sycamore Elementary), Oklahoma! (Young Performers Institute), It’s a Wonderful Life, Drowsy Chaperone (Santa Fe Springs High School). Emily graduated with a double major in Dance and Sociology from Pitzer College’s New Resource Program in 2020 after a seven year period working as a professional musical theater performer and dancer. Her favorite performance credits include: West Side Story (Musical Theatre West and Candlelight Pavilion), Hunchback of Notre Dame (Sacramento Music Circus and La Mirada), Young Frankenstein (Moonlight Amphitheater; West Coast Premier), CHICAGO (Lawrence Welk Theater), Le Corsaire (Supernumerary with ABT; Dorothy Chandler Pavilion), 42nd Street (Musical Theater West and Candlelight Pavilion). Other choreography/dance credits include: Drowsy Chaperone (Chino Community Theater; ITL Award for Choreography), Crazy For You (Asst. Choreographer; Candlelight Pavilion), Steel Pier (Asst. Choreographer; MTW Reiner Reading), A Christmas Story (Covina Center for the Performing Arts).
