Sean Soper (President)
- Sean Soper is a member of the class of 2019 pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Dramatic Arts, and is so excited to be president of MTR this year! Born and raised in Southern California, Sean made his directorial debut with MTR’s Fall 2017 production of Next to Normal. Sean was most recently seen in the School of Dramatic Arts’ productions of The Wild Party (Max) and Evita (Ensemble), and MTR's productions of Heathers: the Musical (JD) and Little Women the Musical (John Brooke). In the fall he interned at Center Theatre Group as the Account Sales Intern. Since joining the MTR Artistic Board his sophomore year, Sean has also had the pleasure of working behind the scenes on Company (Assistant Director), Edges (Producer), Something Ever After (Producer) and Cabaret (Producer).
Jamie Salinger (Production Manager)
Jamie Salinger is a member of the USC School of Dramatic Arts' class of 2020, pursuing a BFA in Stage Management. She graduated from Alexander W. Dreyfoos High School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida where she stage managed Thoroughly Modern Millie and Shrek. There, she discovered a passion for both stage and production management that she is thrilled to be realizing as the Production Manager of the Musical Theatre Repertory. Since Jamie’s time with MTR began, she has stage managed Heathers, Edges, and Next to Normal. She has also stage managed collegiate level productions of Eurydice, an MFA New Works Festival, and Mockingbird with USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, as well as professional productions of Sugar and Hallelujah, Baby! with the Musical Theatre Guild. She looks forward to growing alongside the MTR company! More details at jamiesalinger.com.
Harrison Poe (Treasurer)
Harrison Poe is currently a junior in the USC School of Dramatic Arts pursuing a B.A. degree in Theatre with a Minor in Musical Studies. He has been seen on stage in the USC School of Dramatic Arts' production of Evita (Officer/Aristocrat), Magnolia(William Kerry) , and Andrew Lippa's Wild Party (Sam) as well as MTR's productions of Little Women (Laurie Lawrence), Company (Paul), and Next to Normal (Gabe). Behind the table, Harrison served as the assistant music director for Heathers: The Musical, and co-music director of Edges last spring. He will also be music directing and conducting MTR's Cabaret this spring. His passion for theatre is only rivaled by his passion for music. Harrison plays several instruments including piano, guitar, and mandolin, and is always learning more. He has performed as a musician in MTR's Edges (Electric Guitar) and The USC School of Dramatic Arts production of Uncle Vanya (Mandolin). He has been a board member since November 2016 and is very excited to be a part of MTR's future.
Tyler Ellis (Public Relations)
Tyler Ellis is a member of the School of Dramatic Arts Class of 2020 in which he is earning a Theatre major with a minor in Marketing within the Marshall School of Business. He is simply thrilled and honored to be a part of this group of artists, and looks forward to the coming years as a part of the MTR family. A Bay Area native, Tyler dabbles in graphic design, pole vaulting, and, of course, theatre. In the years following his 5th grade theatre debut in Robin Hood, he has acted, designed, directed, and studied theatre extensively. His favorite roles include Robert in Company (YMTC Bay Area and MTR), Truffaldino in A Servant of Two Masters (Piedmont High School), Che in Evita (USC), and Mr. Black in The Wild Party (USC). He trained at California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) in 2013 and the Cherubs Program at Northwestern University in 2015. He spent this last summer interning for actor Alan Cumming in New York City, and is recently directed MTR's production of Cabaret that ran this past March! tylerjosephellis.com
Sarah Hahm (Secretary)
Sarah Hahm is a second year at USC pursuing a BA in Dramatic Arts and is thrilled to be serving as Secretary for MTR this year! Sarah has been involved in performing arts from a very young age, starting with playing classical piano and cello and then studying flute at the Juilliard School of Music Pre-College Division in the 6th grade. She became invested in theatre after moving to Seoul, South Korea in 2010 and has performed in Hong Kong, Manila, Beijing, and Kobe, amongst other cities in Asia. Sarah has pursued her passion for the arts as an actor, director, and designer in over twenty shows and festivals. Her USC credits include: MTR’s Heathers (Assistant Director), Artemis’s The Tempest (Co-Director), SDA’s Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, and is thrilled to be directing and composing Tongues & Savage/Love winter of 2018.
Mallory Gabbard (Member at Large)
Mallory Gabbard is a current BFA in Theatrical Design and Production with a minor in Cinematic Arts Animation in The University of Southern California’s graduating class of 2019. While her passion of the arts grew from music (flute and piccolo in particular), to studio art, and then into theatrical design - Mallory has always enjoyed the collaborative aspects of musical theatre and the challenges each show has brought throughout its creative process. Skipping around from Chicago, IL to Austin, TX and now Princeton, NJ - Mallory is grateful to have always felt at home with the stage alongside the other ambitious and accomplished artists associated with MTR’s board of directors. Emphasizing in both Scenic and Costume Design, some of her favorite projects thus far have included designing for The School of Dramatic Art’s New Works Festival Plays, and of course MTR’s productions of Little Women, Heathers and Company.
Lucy Grebin (Member at Large)
Lucy Grebin is a member of the School of Dramatic Arts Class of 2019 from Short Hills, NJ (40 min outside of Manhattan!). Lucy has been a part of the MTR family since she was a Freshman, and ever since she joined she has loved every minute of it. Aside from devoting her life to MTR's social media, Lucy loves to explore LA, eat good food, and experiencing comedy in any way she can. Her most recent roles have been Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein, Heather Duke in Heathers, and Marge in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. She is currently Dolores in SDA's The Wild Party, opening November 16. This past summer, Lucy interned for Working Title Productions, and before that at Jujamcyn Theaters. She also attended French Woods Summer Camp for 7 years. Her favorite thing about MTR is the amazing people she gets to work with, and of course the swag.
Austin Karkowsky (Member at Large)
Austin Karkowsky is from Houston, Texas and is beyond thrilled to be a part of the MTR Board. A member of the School of Dramatic Arts Class of ’21 and minor in Songwriting, Austin is passionate for theatre and music alike. He began performing when he was ten, and has been hooked ever since. As an actor, he has performed all over the country, with some of his favorite credits including Fly: A New Musical, and The Sound of Music Live! on NBC. As a composer, he is proud to say that his original musical, Boy Meets Girl, had its world premiere in London in Fall of 2017, and has additionally had music performed on Sesame Street. He has been trained at TUTS’ Humphrey’s School of Musical Theatre and at the Cherubs Program at Northwestern University in the summer of 2016. Austin is loving every second of his time at USC, and cannot wait to get more involved in the future of MTR!
Katie Kivinski (Member at Large)
Katie Kivinski is a freshman at USC, pursuing a major in Music Industry and a minor in Music Production. She has a background in classical piano and has completed the California Certificate of Merit program through the highest level, but she developed a love for theatre in high school. President of her school’s International Thespian Society troupe, Katie placed Top 10 in the “Stars of Tomorrow” musical theatre competition and has earned the title of Top 4 Honorable Mention for the Orange County Artist of the Year in Vocal Music. Although she loves to perform and has been featured in lead roles with the Southern Orange Country School of the Arts, she finds her true passion in music directing and writing musical theatre. Together with her best friend, she founded Varsity Arts Club at her school and created “New Works Night,” an annual event where students can showcase their original work. Her favorite experience as a musician was attending A Cappella Academy, a summer music camp in Los Angeles, and performing with Pentatonix at the Hollywood Bowl. She is so excited for her future with MTR!
Jack McCarthy (Member at Large)
Jack McCarthy is pursing a dual degree in BA Theatre and BS Business Administration. Hailing from the Bay Area, Jack continues to lecture on the importance of the arts at local universities and high schools, including Santa Clara University. He directed at various regional theaters, including The Adirondack Theatre Festival (director of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe), Southern Rep (director of Into the Woods) and Pasadena Playhouse (director of The Principle Wife staged reading and assistant director for Broadway director Randy Johnson’s reading of Shout Sister Shout). At fifteen, he founded his own nonprofit theater organization, GIFT (Giving Individuals Fabulous Theater), with the mission to bring live performance to hospitalized individuals unable to experience it regularly. He continues to serve as GIFT’s Executive Producer in the Bay Area and New Orleans from afar. A former high school valedictorian, Jack feeds his inner nerd through Thematic Option (TO), and represents SDA on USC's Artists Transforming Society Committee. He has directed over thirty productions and served on Birnkrant Honor's Residential Student Government (RSG). He also serves as Creative Artistic Director for EscapeSC, an organization that produces Escape Room experiences on campus. Notable USC credits include Heathers (Director), Stage Kiss (Director), Rabbit Hole (Producer), Secret in the Wings (Producer), The Miser (Director), The Principle Wife (Director, new musical work), Arc (Director, new work), and And Then There Were None (Justice Margrave).
Tristan McIntyre (Member at Large)
Tristan McIntyre is a Los Angeles native and regional award winning actor, dancer, and comedian. Tristan has been performing for the past fifteen years both professionally and semi-professionally in LA equity theaters, local studios, and at the University of Southern California, where he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Acting along with a double minor in Musical Theatre, Computer Programming, and an extensive coursework in Songwriting, Dance, and the Entertainment Industry. He made his professional debut as a swing in Celebration Theatre’s Ovation winning production of The Boy From Oz and plays the leading dramatic role in Sunday Morning, an independent film that is currently running the film festival circuit. Tristan stars as Jay in Ensemble: A Comedy Mini-Series and will be starring in the role of Action in USC School of Dramatic Arts’ production of West Side Story. Recent credits include Spamalot (Sir Robin), Wild Party (Jackie), Noises Off (Gary), Fuddy Meets (Millet), and Romeo & Juliet (Benvolio); MTR credits include Heathers (Ram Sweeney), Cabaret (Associate Producer), Company (Asst. Choreographer), & Next to Normal (Choreographer). Tristan is thrilled and honored to be serving on the MTR board and is looking forward to making theatre magic with his insanely talented and artistically driven MTR family. www.tristanmcintyre.com
Juan Miguel Posada (Member at Large)
Juan Posada is currently a member of the first graduating class of the brand new Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. He is pursuing a major in dance as well as a minor in music industry. Born in Medellin, Colombia, he discovered his passion for the performing arts at an early age, which lead him to start dancing. After training in latin dance, ballet, hip hop, jazz and contemporary, Juan moved to America, where he attended Idyllwild Arts Academy for his last three years of high school to rigorously continue his ballet training. By being a part of the Glorya Kaufman School of dance, Juan has gotten to perform multiple works by acclaimed choreographers such as George Balanchine, William Forsythe, and Jiri Kylian, and has gotten to perform at multiple trustee conferences including the USC Global conference in Tokyo, Japan. Even though Juan has not been involved with many musical theatre productions, he realized his passion extended well beyond only dance after getting the opportunity to play Bernardo at USC’s production of West Side Story this past spring. Due to this, he is thrilled to join MTR and expand his knowledge on musical theatre as well as serve as a dancer and choreographer for future productions.