About the Ruth Academy

Jon received his MFA in Performance from the University of Tennessee, his BFA in Acting from BYU, and his AS in Theatre from UVU. With an educational and professional background in acting, Shakespeare, improv, stage combat, and the Alexander Technique, Jon has worked, studied and performed in regional theaters across the United States, and in Europe. Having taught both High School and Collegiate classes, Jon has a passion for helping actors become true artists and to discover the stories that only they can tell. Jon’s previous directing credits include Spongebob Jr, Shrek Jr, Little Shop of Horrors, As You Like It, The Addams Family, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Guys & Dolls, Twelfth Night, Little Women, High School Musical, and Romeo & Juliet. Some of Jon’s favorite roles  include: Mortimer in Arsenic and Old Lace, Wadsworth in Clue, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Flince in The Jawbone’s Daughter, and Colonel Brandon in Sense & Sensibility. Awards and Recognition include Faculty Senate award for Best Adjunct of the Year in Performing arts at UVU; Director of the Year, 2017 at PHHS; Teacher of the Year, 2018 & 2021 at PHHS.

Amelia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Musical Theater from Weber State University and has been training in voice and vocal pedagogy for over a decade, specializing musical theater and pop/belt. She loves teaching students of all ages and helping them find their voice and working together to discover which exercises and techniques works best for them. When she’s not teaching, she performs in musicals and concerts throughout the Utah Valley. Some of her favorite roles include Morticia in The Addams Family, Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Dorcas in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Adult Sarah in Blink!

Collin is no stranger to the Hale Academy, having spent much of his youth performing on the Youth Stage. He was seen in Descendants, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, and many others. Other favorite stage credits include: Cinderella with Sundance Summer Theatre; Bright Star and Seussical with Hale Center Theater Orem; and The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Elf and The Addams Family with Hale Centre Theatre. Collin is currently performing in Ragtime the inaugural production at our new home The Ruth in 2025! Collin spent this summer Stage Managing our summer camps, including our Summer Workshop with Ballet West, stage managed this year's production of Freaky Friday Jr., and performed in Elementary schools as a member of Hale Academy's outreach program, The Adventure Writers. Collin is excited to be teaching this year, and looks forward to helping students feel comfortable and confident on stage!

Dylan Wright recently obtained, with Distinction, his MA in Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.  He is Co-Founder of Whispering Room Theatre, and teaches in the Department of Theatrical Performance for the Stage and Screen at Utah Valley University, where he teaches Acting, Stage Combat, and Voice and Speech

Courses: Group Acting

Emma Hurley is a dynamic singer and actor with a deep passion for mentorship. She holds a BFA in Music Dance Theatre from Brigham Young University and has performed leading roles at Sundance Summer Theatre, The Ruth/HCTO, BYU Mainstage, and Hale Center Theater. A former Co-President of the BYU Young Ambassadors, Emma is also a dedicated educator, having taught at Utah COPA, Kids Are Music and Dance, BYU Summerfest, and BYU YASE Camp.

Emma’s approach to singing emphasizes mental and physical well-being, alongside fostering a growth mindset. She is committed to inspiring the next generation of performers through both her artistry and teaching, helping students develop confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love for their craft.

Hailey's love for theater began at 8 years old as a student in the Hale Youth program productions. Since then she has performed at HCTO, HCT, Scera, Covey Center theater, Utah Valley Players, West Valley City Theater and more - adding up to over 200 productions, concerts, and films. Hailey has found a new love in directing and teaching theatre - bringing her full circle back to the Hale Youth Program. She studied theater and public relations at BYU. A cheerleader for her students, Hailey believes in the life-changing powers of theatre.

Jake Ben Suazo has a BA from Utah Valley University and a MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University where he specialized in Meisner technique. He has twenty five years of professional theatre, film and television acting experience, he recently played Higgs on the WB’s The Outpost, is a cast member on BYUTV’s Showoffs and played King Noah in the Book of Mormon Videos. He also has over twenty five years of stage directing and producing experience. Was a founding member of the Warboy Theatre Projects and Thrillionaires Improv Musical Theatre. He has twenty five years of improv teaching experience. Was a member of Comedysportz for 15 years and has studied improv with Improv Olympic, The Groundlings. The Impro Theatre and Second City. He is an adjunct teacher at Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University where he teaches Improv, Acting for Stage and Film and Dialects for the stage.

Kolton is a theatre educator, and native of Utah County, who has been working across the state for the past 4 years. While studying at Southern Utah University, he earned a Bachelor's of Theatre Education & Arts Administration, as well as receiving various honors such as the 2023 prizes of the Fred C. Adams Renaissance Man Award and the Outstanding Theatre Educator Award. During his 3 years of working at the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival in he worked as a teaching artist in the Education Department (recipient of the 2024 Utah Honors in Education Award), serving as an instructor for the festival's various Youth Programs. Additionally, for the 2024 season, he served as the Assistant Director for ‘Silent Sky’, directed by Melinda Pfundstein. Selected theatrical credits include directing ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ and ‘The White Liars’ (SUU), assistant directing ‘Silent Sky’ (USF), ‘Bulrusher’ (SUU), and ‘Little Women’ (Cedar High School), as well as several performance credits such as Flip Benham in ‘Roe’, Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’, and Mercutio in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (SUU). Kolton is currently serving as a K-6 Drama Specialist at Trailside Elementary, in addition to his work with the Hale Academy. Extremely optimistic about the future of theatre education & arts advocacy, Kolton is constantly seeking to maximize the impact it can have on our physical & emotional well-beings through entertaining and thought provoking work.

Rachel is a choreographer & director for children’s theater from Houston Texas. She first started teaching when she was in high school and it quickly became a passion. Rachel has been performing since childhood. Among her favorite roles are Jo, Little Women, Beatrice, Much Ado about Nothing, and Irene, Hello Dolly. She loves children’s theater because it helps kids grow into themselves and find confidence that they can carry with them in all aspects of their lives. In addition to theater arts, Rachel has taught guitar at Spark Theater and Rehearsal Room Music in Houston Texas. She is an aspiring singer songwriter and musician. When rachel is not teaching or performing she enjoys doing yoga, painting, writing music, and spending time with her four siblings and closest friends.

Amanda is a professional actor, dancer, singer, and vocal instructor.  She is proficient in all styles of singing and teaching mix/belt, classical/legit, pop/rock, jazz, country. Amanda earned a BFA in Music Dance Theater from BYU. Amanda has over 25 years of performing experience. She toured nationally and internationally with BYU Young Ambassadors from 2012-2014. She worked as a professional dancer at Disneyland and Legoland Resort. Amanda has worked at theaters across Utah including Sundance, Hale Orem, Hale Sandy, Hale West Valley, and West Valley Performing Arts. She was the Associate Artistic Director for two years at One Voice Children’s Choir. Amanda is continuing her education for vocal instructors while currently being certified in Maddie Tarbox’s (MFA) Voice Function 101 course that focuses on evidence-based training. She strives to create an environment in which students can feel safe to be brave and to push themselves to grow as artists and people. She feels passionate about helping hone the talents of the emerging artists of the next generation and discover confidence in themselves. 

Amanda joined HCTO's voice faculty in 2005, shortly after having a full time professional performing career. Before that she graduated from The Boston Conservatory with her M.M. in Musical Theater. Amanda has taught at Brigham Young University, Peking University and is currently teaching at Utah Valley University in their Theater Department working with the Musical Theater students. In her spare time, you can find Amanda singing on stage at HCTO in a variety of roles, singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or, her favorite, singing with her beautiful nieces.

Tenor Brad Summers is a versatile singer and stage actor, having performed with companies such as Arizona Opera, Prague Summer Nights, Utah Opera, Knoxville Opera, Marble City Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, and the Savannah VOICE Festival. Recognized by Arts Knoxville for his physicality and comedic presence, he has performed leading roles in Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, La finta giardiniera, Die Zauberflöte, and Trial by Jury, among others. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brad created and premiered the role of Mr. Huxley in the original chamber opera A Storm we call Progress, which he recorded and performed virtually at his Phoenix apartment. Most recently, he served as a chorister and Ambassador Artist for Arizona Opera, where he participated in outreach performances. Brad is a graduate of the vocal programs of Utah State University and the University of Tennessee- Knoxville, where he was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda honor society.

As an exciting addition to his artistic work, Brad is also a commercial pilot and flight instructor. He instructed privately and at AeroGuard Flight Training Center, and currently manages training in the Private Pilot and Instrument Pilot courses at Utah Valley University.

Brandalee received a Bachelor degree in Sociology with a minor in dance from Brigham Young University. Besides being a voice teacher at Hale Studios in Orem, she is also Company Director at Utah COPA. Previous musical direction includes The Little Mermaid, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Beauty and the Beast at Center Stage Performing Arts. She has performed at the NY Lamb Theater, Hale Center Theater Orem, Summerlin Theater Las Vegas, Hale Centre Theatre West Valley, and two years with Brigham Young University Young Ambassadors.

Chelsea has been singing since she could talk. Singing is her joy. She received her Bachelor of Music from the U of U in 2012, and her Master of Music from BYU in 2015, both in Vocal Performance. At BYU, she was named Female Singer of the Year and invited as a featured soloist for the BYU Devotional Broadcast. She competed in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for three years, and was named Utah District Winner and Audience Favorite in 2014. She’s taught all age groups in a variety of settings. As a graduate assistant, she taught ear training, group voice, and private voice. After her degree, she taught elementary music at Welby Elementary while teaching teenagers private voice at Utah Vocal Arts Academy. She’s toured with collegiate choirs to the Pacific Northwest, China, and Israel. She's been a soprano guest artist all over Utah, and as part of a Young Artist Program with Opera Maya in Mexico. In recent years, she's returned to her first love, musical theater. Her favorite roles include Meg March in Little Women, Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Sister Amnesia in Nunsense. She’s loved performing on the HCTO stage and is excited to join this studio and help your singers grow. 

Christian has been music directing and teaching since 2010. When not playing piano or performing, Christian spends his time teaching students at Lone Peak High School. He has a love of education and music, and he wants to help you achieve your piano goals, whatever they may be!

Christian has taught music students in the SCERA Youth Theater program for over 10 years. He recently music directed Fiddler on the Roof at the Scera Shell. He has traveled the world playing piano with the BYU Young Ambassadors and was employed by Brigham Young University as an accompanist for their Music, Dance, Theater (MDT) program for many years. 

Christian accepts all students, wherever they are at. If you are brand new to the instrument, have played for a few years, or consider yourself more advanced but want to improve your technique in jazz, musical theater accompaniment, or performance, Christian invites you to give his classes a try! Kids 5+, adults welcome!

Dylan Wright recently obtained, with Distinction, his MA in Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.  He is Co-Founder of Whispering Room Theatre, and teaches in the Department of Theatrical Performance for the Stage and Screen at Utah Valley University, where he teaches Acting, Stage Combat, and Voice and Speech

Kelly Coombs started her acting career at the age of 15 playing a quirky, cheerleader in a Disney Channel Original Movie. By the end of high school, she had nearly 20 productions on her resume including leading roles in The Wizard of Oz, Seussical the Musical, and Beauty and the Beast. Kelly attended Utah Valley University and graduated in Acting Performance in 2012. Since graduation, Kelly has added countless stage productions, tv commercials, and many appearances to her resume. She has found her second passion (acting is her first love) in teaching and loves coaching her students to be the best they can be on and off the stage.

Marcie Jacobsen has a BFA in Music Dance Theatre from BYU where she was part-time music faculty for over ten years. While a student at BYU Marcie toured with the Young Ambassadors and performed in numerous musicals including West Side Story, Evita and Chess. Most recently Marcie played Golde in Fiddler on the Roof (Sundance Summer Theatre), Kala in Tarzan (HCTO) & Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! (HCTO) Other favorite roles include Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Audrey II (The Voice of the Plant) in Little Shop of Horrors & the title role in The Drowsy Chaperone. In addition to performing Marcie has directed and/or music directed for HCTO, SCERA, Provo Theatre Company, Actor's Repertory Theatre Company, Centerpoint Legacy Theatre & COPA.

Marcie loves teaching and making music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from BYU, and is a credentialed Suzuki voice instructor. What began as an interest and mastery of woodwind instruments, which she has both played professionally and taught, turned to a fascination in ballroom dance in which she earned many bronze, silver, and gold medals. While in college, she learned that she could better express herself through vocal music. She has taught youth and children proper singing technique and expression through Classical and Broadway styles, and the Suzuki method, for over 12 years. Marcie has also arranged and conducted music for soloists, small mixed groups, and choirs. In addition to the private voice lessons she teaches, she also heads the Music department for the Ranches Academy in Eagle Mountain, Utah.

Morgan Gunter is a Utah-based actor, director, and teacher. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the American Conservatory in San Francisco, CA, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting from Brigham Young University. He currently teaches as an Adjunct Instructor for the Theatre and Media Arts Department of Brigham Young University, the Department of Theatrical Arts for Stage and Screen of Utah Valley University, and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts of Michigan Technological University. He has taught various courses over the years including beginning and intermediate Acting, Voice and Diction, Classical Voice, Shakespeare, Dialects, and Auditions. Some of Morgan's favorite stage credits include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus, Father Flynn in Doubt, Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol, Jack in Jack and Jill, and Earnest in Earnest and the Pale Moon. Some film credits include the Biochemist in "CRYO", Lyman Wight in "Out of Liberty", Mika'el in "The Good Samaritan - The Parable of Jesus", Simon in "The Relic", and Elder Greene in "Saturday's Warrior." He has directed for The Covey Center for the Arts, Brigham Young University, and An Other Theater Company. Morgan believes acting to be the greatest art form to foster connection as human beings, providing a deeper understanding of one’s self and others. Morgan is so pleased to be teaching here at The Ruth!      

Rex has been performing on the HCTO stage since he was a teenager, and is thrilled to help students develop their talents at Hale Academy. Favorite roles include Javert in Les Miserables (HCTO), Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose (Harmon Theater), Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music (HCTO), and Joseph in Savior of the World at the Conference Center Theater. Rex has been a featured soloist with many premiere music organizations including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Salt Lake Choral Artists, Utah Baroque Ensemble, and Salt Lake Symphonic Choir. He performed in Europe, West Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East with the BYU Singers, including concerts at the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. He is a founding member of the nationally-renowned quartet Reprise, which won the Gold Medal at the international barbershop competition and has shared the stage with the King’s Singers. Rex’s voice can be heard on numerous television/film/recording projects, including the award-winning Celebrating Wendell Berry in Music, which pairs original recordings of Mr. Berry reading his poetry with choral music and art songs by composer Andrew Maxfield. Rex is passionate about building a thriving music culture in his home state of Utah, co-founding The Consortium Ensemble, a men’s a capella group, and founding and acting as Artistic Director of the Deseret Chamber Singers, a chamber choir based in Salt Lake City.