A CHORUS LINE

PERFORMANCES

El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater
540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito

Friday July 24, 8pm
Saturday July 25, 8pm – pre-show talk with David Möschler & Jill Slyter
Sunday July 26, 2pm
Friday July 31, 8pm – Pay What You Can
Saturday August 1, 8pm – ASL-interpreted performance
Sunday August 2, 2pm

Rehearsal Teaser

Trailer

Meet the Creative Team

Jennifer Boesing – Director
Jennifer (she/her) worked professionally as a singer and actor in Minneapolis from the age of nine. Before graduation from high school, she performed with At the Foot of the Mountain Theater Company, Mabou Mines Theater, Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Minnesota Opera. Jennifer studied acting at the Northwestern Summer Theater Institute, with Wesley Balk at the New Music Theater Institute in Minneapolis, and with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of theTheater in New York City. In 2002, she earned a master’s in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Operatic Performance. Locally, Jennifer has performed opera, oratorio,and musical theater. Professional credits include work with San Francisco Opera Center, Pocket Opera, Berkeley Opera, Oakland OperaTheater, Festival Opera, North Bay Opera, 42nd St. Moon, and Mountain Play. Jennifer began working as a director and educator with Korsa (then YMTC) in 2000, and she has led the company as Artistic Director since they incorporated in 2004.

David Möschler – Music Director
David Möschler (he/him) is an award-winning conductor based in Oakland who has been the Resident Musical Director for Korsa since 2012, where he has worked on over 35 productions. In addition to this, he has music-directed over 140 professional theater productions with companies such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Shotgun Players, West Edge Opera, Ray of Light Theatre, Mountain Play, Lamplighters Music Theatre, SF Playhouse, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and Center REPertory Theatre among many others. Möschler has also toured with bands like The Dear Hunter and Pop Up Magazine throughout North America. Last fall he made his debut at Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a guest conductor for Into the Woods. He has served on the music staff at College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod since 2005. In 2013 he founded Awesöme Orchestra Collective, which he conducts every month. www.davidmoschler.com.

Jill Slyter – Choreographer
JILL SLYTER is an actress, singer, and dancer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A California native, Jill moved to the east coast and made her Broadway debut in Show Boat. She toured across the country and around the world with various productions including the National Tour of Damn Yankees as Lola opposite Jerry Lewis, as Peggy Sawyer in the National Tour of 42nd Street. Most notably, Jill performed as Cassie in an unbelievable number of Regional, National, European, and International tours of A Chorus Line. Some of her favorite regional credits include Rose in Gypsy, Polly in Crazy for You, Woman 2 in …and the World Goes ‘Round,’ Fastrada in Pippin, Miss Sandra in All Shook Up, Miss Adelaide opposite Maurice Hines in Guys and Dolls, Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity, one of the cats in Cats, The Acrobat in SJCMT’s production of Matilda, Martha in SJCMT’s White Christmas, and Solange LaFitte in Follies at SF Playhouse. Outside of theater, Jill is an adrenaline junkie and roller coaster enthusiast! She is a licensed skydiver (USPA ‘A’ License), and skilled violin player. In 2009, Jill began her second career as a registered nurse and graduated Summa Cum Laude at CUS Monterey Bay with a BS in Nursing. She finds that exposing herself to the vulnerability of live performance, where sheer terror lives, is a great way to unwind from the daily stresses of Hospice Nursing. She now lives in California and continues to pursue her passions both on and off the stage. She hopes to be the first Engineer/Nurse/Actor on Mars!

Laura Cornwall – Stage Manager
Laura Cornwall (they/she) is a Berkeley-based cultural worker and disability advocate. They’ve worked as a stage manager, dramaturg, producer, managing director, access advisor, sensory/neurodivergence consultant, teaching artist, and more—all in service of building accessible, supportive, and artistically invigorating spaces. Laura has a BA in Stage Management and Dramaturgy from Oberlin and an MFA in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama. Between those programs she lived in New York City, working for organizations including New York Theatre Workshop and the Doris Duke Foundation, while running Mercury Glass Theatre with longtime artistic partner Philip Waller. A Bay Area native, Laura began their theater career as a student stage manager with Korsa (then YMTC) back in 2006, and is delighted to be back for this exciting new era.

Jason Coale – Technical Director & Scenic Designer
Jason Coale (he/him) has been involved in theater and education for over 15 years, with a focus on design and production. Jason’s background spans teaching theater to students of all ages, from elementary school to university, as well as designing for theme parks like Busch Gardens and SeaWorld. He holds an MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and loves using his creativity to bring shows to life.

Bertrand Blank – Sound Engingeer
Bert (he/him) is a sound engineer, DJ, and event producer in the Bay Area.  He is the founder of By the Bay Productions, an innovative entertainment production company that specializes in sound design, lighting, and audio-visual effects. Bert has designed the sound for productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Be More Chill,  Heathers: The Musical, Into the Woods, Matilda, Sunday in the Park With George,  Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson Musical, Once Upon a Matteess (musical), Don’t Stop Me, Fun Home, Urine Town Sound of Music, Legally Blonde, Oklahoma, Cinderella, Shrek the Musical, Sweeney Todd, Spring Awaking, Anastasia, Les Miserables, .  He is thrilled to be working with YMTC again, and very excited to be part of the team bringing A Chorus Line to bay area audiences. Visit www.bythebayproductions.com for more info.

Dawn Nakashima – Props Designer
Dawn is so pleased to have found a niche in theater stagecraft (props, set dressing, paint & build). One of her favorite pastimes is to “make things” and as the property master she gets to flex her creative, problem solving and resourceful-ness muscles. Turns out Dawn is well suited for this type of work with a BS in Industrial Design (SJSU) and an MFA in Studio Arts (Mills College). Some of Dawn’s favorite YMTC/Korsa shows to work on for their unique challenges – Bat Boy, Shrek the Musical & Matilda. Check out Dawn’s website for her latest creations: www.nakfinearts.com

Thomas Soto – Sound Designer & Mixer
Thomas is excited to join Korsa again the 25/26 season. He has mixed and designed SFX for Korsa since the summer of 2022. Notable performances include Sound of Music, Legally Blonde, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Korsa’s comissioned show Don’t Stop Me. He also has worked with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on various musical projects such as The Apple Tree and Little Women, and with ACT on their youth production of Carrie. He currently works at the Fairmont Hotel as an A/V specialist, A1, and Assistant Project Manager. During his down time you can find him hosting game nights, hunting monsters, and spending time with his dog Bowie.

Glen Epperson – Technical Consultant
Glen Epperson came to Berkeley by way of a long technical and institutional walk through American regional theater—Old Globe (outdoor), Alaska Rep, Denver Center, Bonfils—after getting his start in 1977 at A.C.T. Playhouse. He landed at Berkeley Rep in time for the first season on Addison Street and, like anyone who’s ever tried to leave a theater for good, learned that this is only mostly an exit. Since 2008, he has worked with Korsa (formerly YMTC), doing the uncredited work that keeps shows opening and organizations upright. He currently manages the Live Oak Theater, where “cleaning up” means dealing with deferred maintenance, inherited mysteries, and getting the building back to a place where “places” actually means something. Second act, no interval—because anyone who’s been Into the Woods knows the story doesn’t resolve, it just gets more interesting.

Bill Brewer – Build Assist
Bill has been working with Korsa in a variety of production roles for several years. His background in design and manufacturing has integrated well with assisting in the production of over two dozen YMTC and Korsa performances. He is excited to be part of Korsa and it’s ongoing excellence in helping young artists reach their goals. BS, MS University of Oregon.

Pear Michaels – Volunteer Coordinator & House Manager
Pear has been a proud parent and supporter of Korsa for several years. Her daughter was in eight Korsa productions and is now pursuing a BA in Musical Theatre at UCLA’s School of Theatre Film and Television. Pear is in her second year of a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and Drama Therapy at the California Institute for Integral Studies. She applauds Korsa for producing shows that challenge casts to think deeply about difficult topics and to find resilience in adversity. When able, Pear enjoys participating in local theatre and has performed with Marin Shakespeare Company, Pittsburg Theatre Company, Berkeley Shakespeare Company, Ross Valley Players, and in productions at UC Berkeley. She invites parents to reach out and learn more about Korsa, its vibrant community of families and its resources for students interested in a vocation in musical theatre.