Founder and Artistic Director
Marty K. Casey
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Marty K. Casey was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She is a gifted artist who takes pride in influencing other performers on and off stage. Her career has expanded for over twenty years. To say she is a triple threat would be an understatement! Marty has had notable success as a singer, actress, writer, producer, and director. She has founded two companies; Casey Entertainment and currently her non-profit Show Me Arts Academy, which was started as a response to the unrest of Ferguson, MO. Marty has performed all over the United States, Germany and France. She flawlessly entertains audiences standing 5"2 with a stout physique as she does a crowd pleasing cartwheel and split. She is best known for her performance role as "Professional Woman" in the award winning hit stage play MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL. It is the longest running stage play to date in St Louis. During her two year run starting in 2006 she earned her membership in the Actor's Equity Association. Marty has since appeared in several professional plays . She performed THE FABULOUS FOX THEATER in four different shows.Including a play which she wrote, directed and produced by through Casey Entertainment, LLC 2005.
Marty's television credits include; THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, CBS:NBC , DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS,CBS, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, CBS She is currently debuting in the gripping dramatic feature film; FOUR WAY STOP. This film has been recognized for two honors in the San Francisco Film Fest 2015 and it is already being classified as a hit in Ms Casey's repertoire, earning her a Best Supporting Actress award at the FREE STATE FESTIVAL Lawrence, Kansas |
Theatre Dept Head
Judi Mann
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Judi Mann is an award-winning
actress and writer. (2014 Critics choice award for Best Actress in a comedy). A
graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, Judi
appeared Off Broadway and also co-founded and performed regularly with New
York Comedy Rep. In Las Vegas she performed with Frank Gorshin in Promises,
Promises, and Howard Keel in My Fair Lady and South Pacific,
and she has toured most of the country with the legendary Carol Channing in Hello
Dolly! In St. Louis she has appeared at The Black Rep, The Muny,
Historyonics, Spotlight Theater, The Rep. Theatre of St Louis, The Sheldon and others.
Ms. Mann has appeared in feature and Independent films, most recently, a horror
feature, The Nameless. (to be
released in 2015) Judi is a veteran of radio and television commercials,
industrial films and is an occasional writer for stage and screen. As an arts
educator, she has worked with school-aged youth through theater outreach for
the last 2 decades.
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Dance Dept Head
Laura Ackerman
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Laura Ackermann has been a
working Actress, Singer, Dancer and Choreographer for the past 42
years. Her credits include several years on Broadway, touring companies
and regional theaters such as The Goodspeed Opera House, The Muny
Opera, Stages Saint Louis and The New Jewish Theater. She also played
the role of "Earth Mother" in the long running St. Louis production of
Menopause the Musical. Laura choreographs for local schools, show
choirs and Community Theaters and can be seen regularly in television
commercials. She is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association
and The Screen Actor's Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio
Artists.
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Dept. Heads of Poetry and Hip Hop
Rahn"Chill"Williams |
CHILL was born Rahn Williams on the north side of St. Louis city but moved to North County at the age of three, where he grew up. Taking an interest in writing at an early age, CHILL used his talents to write various forms of poetry, short stories, and Hip-Hop. CHILL expounded on his talents while attending Hazelwood East High School, from where he graduated. He then attended Southeast Missouri State University where he co-founded the Umojaankham (Unity for Life in Blackness) Organization, a fraternal order promoting unity within the Black race. As a founding member of the Soul Vibe Poetry Collective, CHILL has toured all over the United States and in Canada, making him an international artist. As the Entertainment Director for the 1st-3rd Annual Spoken Word Expos (held in St. Louis), CHILL was able to bring artists from all over the nation together to perform and promote their products. CHILL is now the Operations Director and Artist at The 3KNGZ, LLC “Where Hip Hop with Substance lives.” CHILL believes that art is a form of expression and conveys reality in every word. Now, as 1/3 of the Hip Hop Collective THE 3KNGZ, CHILL has elevated his lyrical skill and delivery.
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Meru Muad'Dib
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A FORCE OF NATURE!!! Meru Muad'Dib has been performing spoken word & rapping for a great deal of his life. He has since gone on to become one of the most dynamic and explosive emcee's & spoken word artist in the St. Louis area. His style is in your face and thought provoking. Since 2007, he has gone into several St. Louis Metro area schools and conducted several workshops regarding poetry, spoken word, Hip Hop, and creative writing. Workshops are centered around self-esteem, crises management, anger management, community building, bullying, vocabulary, problem solving, critical analysis, logic, reasoning, African history, Moorish history, and St. Louis history. He is also a founding member of he Hip Hop collective 3KNGZ.
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J Marty Warren- Visual Arts Department Head: Pic and Bio Coming soon!
Music Department Head
Radio DJ Department Head
Project Manager
Lee Anne Mathews |
Lee Anne's involvement in the theatre reaches from directing, acting and teaching to stage management and producing. While she is based in St. Louis, she still travels often to regional theaters throughout the country. She received her BFA in Theatre from the University of Nevada, Reno, (her hometown) and has performed in venues from Toronto to Tokyo and from Alaska to Florida. After joining the scene in St. Louis, Lee Anne started teaching at COCA, where she realize what a joy it was to share her passion for theatre with younger generations. She was then offered the position of Director of Theatre at Crossroads College Preparatory School, and has just completed her fourth year there. Crossroads produces between five and ten performances a year including mainstage plays and musicals, student directed pieces, Improv, theatre for young audiences and Shakespeare. In recent years, their students have participated in the SFSTL programs including Shake 38, Metro Youth and Shakespeare Squadron. Lee Anne is dedicated to offering her students a variety of opportunities, a professional atmosphere, and a creative space to build community and enjoy the aspect of play.
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Co-Director of Video Production
Philip Keeler |
Philip Keeler, SMAA director of video production has over 25 years experience specializing in award-winning strategic and creative planning, and implementation in diverse industry settings—from live events to television campaigns. He is a self-motivated creative director who thrives on growing client success through the utilization of the latest delivery technologies, regarded as an excellence-driven team leader and motivator who is open, honest, energetic and creative. He has worn a number of professional hats including meeting and Event Production, trade Show and Live Event Production, Project Management, Audio/Visual/Print Production, Creative Concept Development, and Creative Writing/Scripting/Editing. Phillip has dedicated his considerable talents to the support and development through video documentation of Show Me Arts Academy, because he firmly believes in their mission, and has been an active advocate for the arts for decades.
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Co-Director Video Production and Photographer
Photographer
Marian Brickner |
Marian Brickner is an internationally recognized photographer, whose work with bonobos has landed her in National Geographic (2010), Natural History Museum Magazine (2013), Missouri Conservation Magazine, Workman’s 365 day calendar, and her work graces the cover of Franz de Waal’s book “The Bonobo and the Atheist, which has been translated into ten languages including Russian and Japanese.
Jane Goodall has recognized Marian’s work with the endangered primates as well, by writing the afterword for her book, “I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo”. Her pictures of a Bonobo family is currently appearing on billboards at and near La Vallee des Singes in Romagne, France. |
More Bios and pics coming soon...