Classes

Kira Lace Hawkins has performed in over 40 Wagon Wheel productions playing such roles as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Donna in Mamma Mia!, and Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins. Kira has an MFA in Acting from Penn State University and loves teaching students of all ages. She has served on the theater and music faculty of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and currently directs and teaches at Manchester University.

Prior to Scott’s 12 years as the Wagon Wheel’s Artistic Director, he spent 12 seasons as resident Choreographer/Director on nearly 100 productions. During that time, he spent 4 years as the resident Director/Choreographer at the Armory Theatre in Janesville, Wisconsin. In his free time, he continues to work with high schools and colleges all over the Midwest directing, choreographing, and running countless workshops and master classes. Scott’s work on Cats at Arrowhead H.S. in Hartland, Wisconsin won USA Today’s award for Best High School Musical in the country for 2008. Scott spent 2 years as an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL as the Musical Theatre Dance Teacher. He has over 25 years of performing experience from Chicago to Regional theatre. Scott has performed all over the country and Japan and enjoyed a 2 year tour as a back-up singer for Perry Como.

This marks Jennifer Dow’s 21st year at the Wagon Wheel as a performer, her 11th year as the wig designer, and her 8th year as a wearer of many hats including organizer of the Wagon Wheel Jr. program. After receiving her BFA in Music Theatre from Millikin University, Jennifer’s favorite place to work quickly became the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Her most memorable roles on the Wagon Wheel stage are A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck), Always, Patsy Cline (Louise), Young Frankenstein (Frau Blucher), Marvelous Wonderettes (Suzy), Guys and Dolls (Adelaide), Seussical (Gertrude), South Pacific (Nellie). Other regional credits include Cats (Rumpleteaser) at the Marriott Lincolnshire, Grand Hotel at Drury Lane Water Tower, Jekyll & Hyde (Emma) at Pheasant Run, and performing as a singer with the Rockettes for 3 seasons in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Andy Robinson has worked with Ben Dicke on the Wagon Wheel Theatre Youth Programs since 2005. He holds a Masters from NYU in Educational Theatre and has taught theatre to grades 1-12 for over fifteen years in both New York City and Chicago. He is currently Chair of the Department of Musical Theatre at the Chicago Academy for the Arts. A long time Wagon Wheel actor, his favorite roles include the 2nd Gangster in Kiss Me, Kate, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. Along with Ben Dicke, he directed Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Importance of Being Earnest, Blithe Spirit, The Crucible, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the Wagon Wheel main-stage. He loves collaborating with Ben and Emily on making theatre with young actors!

Ben Dicke began working at the Wagon Wheel in 2004. Favorite roles on that stage include Henry Higgins in last summer’s My Fair Lady, Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Moonface Martin in Anything Goes, Applegate in Damn Yankees, and Cliff in Cabaret, among many others. Ben helped develop the Wagon Wheel’s Summer Youth Programming alongside Andy Robinson in the summer of 2005. In addition to their directing work with the students of Warsaw and the surrounding areas, Ben and Andy have collaborated as directors for the professional company on a number of projects including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Blithe Spirit, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, among others. Ben is excited to, once again, collaborate with Andy Robinson as co-directors for Peter and the Starcatcher. Ben is currently the Chair of the Theatre Department at The Chicago Academy for the Arts.

Emily Ann Luhrs is a Chicago theatre artist whose exploits include writing, performing, directing, and puppetry. Favorite roles include Sophie in Mamma Mia (Arvada Center Theatre), Lizzie in Baby (Cherry Creek Theatre), and Emily in A Christmas Carol with Richard White (Arvada Center) among others. Recent directing credits include The Wolves and Seussical at the Chicago Academy for the Arts She also designed a five-headed dragon puppet for the Theatre department’s play: She Kills Monsters. Emily also worked for five years as a teaching artist at the Denver Center Theatre Academy. She has a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Oklahoma.

Prior to Scott’s 11 years as the Wagon Wheel’s Artistic Director, he spent 12 seasons as resident Choreographer/Director on nearly 100 productions. During that time, he spent 4 years as the resident Director/Choreographer at the Armory Theatre in Janesville, Wisconsin. In his free time, he continues to work with high schools and colleges all over the Midwest directing, choreographing, and running countless workshops and master classes. Scott’s work on Cats at Arrowhead H.S. in Hartland, Wisconsin won USA Today’s award for Best High School Musical in the country for 2008. Scott spent 2 years as an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL as the Musical Theatre Dance Teacher. He has over 25 years of performing experience from Chicago to Regional theatre. Scott has performed all over the country and Japan and enjoyed a 2 year tour as a back-up singer for Perry Como.