Alley Theatre - Education and Community Engagement Houston Theatre Staff and Instructor Biographies

Houston Theatre Staff and
Instructor Biographies

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STAFF

Joe Angel Babb, Director of Education and Community Engagement
Joe Angel brings to the Alley Theatre his experience and passion for developing the capacities of young artists, classroom teachers and teaching artists. He feels that this work has always focused on helping learners of all ages explore the collaborative theatrical process, grasp how artists interpret plays and appreciate the cultural value of theatre. Joe Angel was the Alley Theatre's Education & Community Outreach Manager from 2001 to 2004. Before returning to the Alley Theatre in 2008, he was most recently the Arts Education Coordinator for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the city’s official arts agency that supports and promotes the stability, vitality, and diversity of artistic expression of the District of Columbia. As the Community Programs Manager at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Babb supervised ShakesPEERS, the company’s community-based, after-school theatre program. ShakesPEERS offered students the resources to develop new skills and build self-esteem and confidence through the creation and performance of classic plays, poems and stories. In 2006, the program garnered a Coming Up Taller Award, a project of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, which recognizes and supports outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America's young people. Joe Angel has over 12 years of experience in managing arts education programs and facilitating a variety of theatre workshops, residencies, professional development sessions and classes. He is an advoate for innovative school and community arts programs that promote positive youth development. Joe Angel has an MFA in Theatre from University of Houston and a BA in Speech & Drama from Our Lady of the Lake University.

Rochelle Sanders, Training Programs Manager
Rochelle has almost fifteen years of experience as an arts administrator and theatre educator, the bulk of which was spent at the Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, New York. There Rochelle was in charge of the Studio Arena Theatre School which was, until its closing last year, the oldest continually operated theatre school in the country. While at Studio Arena, Rochelle also directed and produced plays for the touring programs. Some favorites include: Christmas Carol for Two, Flowers for Algernon and The Bug Files. Rochelle is especially proud of the Education Department's work on the five-year Tennessee Williams Retrospective which included in-services, symposiums and over 5000 students attending student matinees. Other positions held included; Executive Director of Historic Palace Theatre in Lockport, NY; the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington DC; Adjunct Professor at Buffalo State College, and most recently owner of Intermission: The Performing Arts Store. Rochelle has a MFA in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA from Niagara University.

Andrew Hager, School Programs Manager
Andrew holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Playwriting and Lyrics from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama/Literature from Bennignton College of Vermont. Andrew has taught playwriting for High School for hte Performing & Visual Arts as well as created and implemented a musical theatre performance program within that school's theatre. department. Andrew has directed dozens of staged works and worked as a professional actor on stages throughout Houston. As a singer/songwriter, Hager recorded his debut album, Big Iron Skillet at Sony Music Stodios. Andrew is the author of nine published works on the history of popular music, including Song & Dance, a retrospective of Broadway musicals that was published by Barnes & Noble Press with Sony Music.

Briana J. Resa, Community Engagement Coordinator
Briana holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from Sam Houston State University. In her last semester at SHSU she was selected to participate in Theatre Under The Stars’ Professional Apprenticeship Program in Performance and Teaching where she performed in productions such as Dreamgirls, A Wonderful Life, and When You Wish. Along with performance credits, Briana worked alongside teaching artists in the Humphrey’s School of Musical Theatre and helped to perform and produce productions in TUTS’ Musicals for Young Audiences Program. After her apprenticeship, Briana joined the TUTS faculty in their Education and Community Outreach Department. During her time there she led numerous workshops, tours, and collaborated both with HISD and YMCA staffs in TUTS’ Beyond the Stage program. Also a performer, Briana has been seen on stage at multiple venues in Houston such as: the Alley Theatre, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre, TUTS, and the University of Houston.