CHERIE L. BROWN – Program Director; Acting & Directing

Cherie received a Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Fullerton and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of California, Irvine. Cherie has taught theatre arts at institutions such as California State University, Fullerton, Pasadena City College, and Chapman University. Her directing experience includes such shows as QUILTERS, LADYHOUSE BLUES, and AH! WILDERNESS for Chapman University, CALIFORNIA SUITE for the Grove Theatre Company, THE MADNESS OF ESME AND CHAZ for Singular Productions, and GRACELAND and PATIO for the Contemporary Repertory Co. The L.A. TROUPE, THEATRE-IN EDUCATION, for which she co-founded and was co-Artistic Director for over 10 years, is a professional organization that has toured the classics to schools up and down the California coast. Cherie has also directed Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT for Dallas/Ft.Worth's SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK.

Along with other strong acting credits, Cherie performed in L.A.'s longest running hit show, TAMARA, over a period of four years. Since joining Citrus College in 1998, Cherie has implemented new courses, such as Stage and Screenwriting, Script Analysis and Acting for the Camera; introduced an Experimental Theatre Workshop, and a yearly Christmas production and has directed LOOSE ENDS, THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH, TARTUFFE, THE CURIOUS SAVAGE, HOT L BALTIMORE, MRS. CALIFORNIA and MAIDS OF HONOR, to name a few. For Summer Dinner Theatre she has directed THE MOUSETRAP and THE RAINMAKER and has had the honor of performing with her students in THE LION IN WINTER, THE HEIRESS, PICNIC and THE LITTLE FOXES. Recently, Cherie was featured in the film, LEAH, which was directed by adjunct professor Neil H. Weiss. Guest directors and adjunct faculty include professionals from all over the area who exhibit both academic and professional excellence.

DAN VOLONTE – Head of Tech Theatre and Design

A Lighting designer, Scenic designer and Art Director by trade; he has designed over 250 theatre, television and concert productions. As Vice President of design at Gothic Moon Productions he oversaw the design of scenic elements for Tiger Jam for the Tiger Woods foundation, art direction for various Body by Jake infomercials, art direction for various crossbow infomercials, scenic elements for the Walt Disney Corporation, scenic elements for the Queen Mary, scenic design for the Children's Miracle Network Telethon, various holiday décor packages for a number of southern California malls and a variety of scenic elements for the Kodak Theatre.

As a technician for the entertainment industry, he has work with Patrick Stewart (Star Trek Next Generation), Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek Next Generation), Brent Spiner (Star Trek Next Generation), Bob Hope, Gregory Peck, Vincent Price, Tim Burton, James Cameron, U2, Cold Play, No Doubt, INXS, KISS, Aerosmith and a number of others. Currently he is the head of tech and design for the Emerging Theatre Technologies program at Citrus College in Glendora California. Mr. Volonte developed this program as gateway for students to get in-depth training on high-end lighting, sound and staging equipment that include internships with professional production companies. He holds a BA and an MFA from California State University Fullerton.

JOHN DEMITA

John DeMita has been a professional actor, teacher, and stage director in Los Angeles since 1984. He received his MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and BA Cum Laude with Distinction in Theatre Studies from Yale University. In Southern California, John has directed over 30 stage productions, including The Elephant Man, Betrayal, and The Misanthrope for Andak Stage Company in North Hollywood, as well as shows at El Camino College, College of the Canyons, Citrus College, Santa Ana College, and Cal State Long Beach. As an actor, he recently performed in world premiere productions of the musical Liberty Inn and A Magic Christmas with Andak Stage Company, as well as at The Hollywood Bowl, Geffen Playhouse, Intiman Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Pacific Resident Theatre, where he was a founding member. His numerous television credits include gueststarring roles on Medium, Dirt, Without a Trace, CSI, and 4 Seasons on the CBS series JAG. As a voice actor, he has created characters for many animated, live action, and video game projects, including Disney's G Force, The Invincible Iron Man, The Animatrix, Lilo and Stitch, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and the TV series Naruto.

ROBIN LARSON

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DAN VILTER

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NEIL H. WEISS

Neil H. Weiss has worked as both actor and director on stage and behind the camera. He was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Cactus Theatre of Chicago, IL where he acted in and directed a variety of productions including, Clifford Odets' Golden Boy, David Rabe's Hurlyburly, Horton Foote's Valentine's Day and the world premiere of Wil Calhoun's Call It Clover. He received his MFA in Directing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Film & Television. His short films Negative Space, Changing Guard, FUGUE and Your Own Best Enemy, played the festival circuit and garnered critical praise. His most current film, Leah, is in post-production and will be seen at a variety of festivals this coming summer and fall. He has worked with a variety of renowned film, television and theater professionals; most recently, picture editor Kevin Stitt (X-Men, Payback, and the upcoming Mel Gibson film Apocalyptic), sound editors Simon Coke (Gladiator, American Beauty, Get Rich or Die Tryin') and Beth Sterner (Mission Impossible: 3, Bad News Bears), and cinematographer Patti Lee (The Bernie Mac Show). He wrote and sold the coming-of-age, period feature script Boundary Waters. His screenplay, Modoc, was a finalist for the 2002 Sundance Filmmaker Lab, the 2002 IFP/West Producers & Writers Lab, and a quarter finalist in the 2002 FADE IN: Magazine national screenplay competition. His next project, the thriller The Quarry, has been optioned and is currently in development. In addition to teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Citrus College, Neil also works in post-production at Paramount Pictures.

LAURIE WOOLERY

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