Meet Our CenterStage Instructors

meet our centerstage Winter/spRing 2023 faculty

Bridget Burke, Director, Legally Blonde Jr.
Since childhood, Bridget has been immersed in the local theatre scene as a performer, director, producer, musical director, and stage manager. In New York, she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in their conservatory program, studying dance, musical theatre, acting, and voice, and working with Broadway actors like Kyle Gonyea (Phantom), Ray Virta (The Thomas Crown Affair), and Stacy Lee Tilton (Brigadoon) among others. In NYC she regularly performed in an Off-Broadway cabaret and at The Peoples Improv Theatre. While working alongside prominent directors in New York, Bridget was inspired to continue her education at The New School, focusing on the other side of the table for her BFA. There she worked with prominent writers and directors like Loren Paul Caplin and Greg Takoudes. Since graduating with honors in December 2020 she is back in Colorado and excited to return to CenterStage where she was first inspired to make her way in the arts. For CenterStage she recently directed Willy Wonka Jr. and has served as Musical Director for Seussical Jr. and Once Upon A Mattress as well as Stage Manager for The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee and Grease.

Fiona Cubillas, Stage Manager, Be More Chill, Legally Blonde Jr
Fiona graduated from Monarch High School in 2021 and currently attends the University of Northern Colorado, where she is pursuing a degree in elementary education with an emphasis in cultural linguistic diversity. She has been involved with CenterStage and Tapestry Theatre Company since 2013, mostly onstage, but has been stage managing as of 2019. Her previous stage managing credits include Shrek Jr., Cinderella, Guys & Dolls, Matilda Jr., Be More Chill, and Legally Blonde Jr., all with CenterStage. She is passionate about the creative education of young students and always loves working with all of the talented individuals who come to CenterStage. Fiona is grateful to be back again, alongside so many creative and inspiring staff members this summer!

Molly Fickes, Choreographer, Aristocats KIDS
Molly is thrilled to return to CenterStage. She is a talented local actress and choreographer. She was recently featured in the Town Hall production of Newsies and played Cinderella in last summer's Tapestry production of Cinderella at the Dairy Center in Boulder. For CenterStage she has choreographed Guys & Dolls Jr and Fame Jr. Her numerous credits at CSTC include Little Red (Into the Woods) and Amy March (Little Women).

Phil Forman, Musical Director, Be More Chill
Phil is excited to join the CenterStage team for this musical. He is currently the Accompanist and Performing Arts Department Secretary at Timnath Middle High School in Fort Collins. Prior to his appointment at TMHS, Phil was the Music Director and Conductor at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown. Phil has been seen on stage, in the pit or backstage for over 30 years. He was the former Director of Choirs and Musical Theatre at Mountain View High School. Under his direction students received several Bobby G Awards including the 2016 Bobby G Award for Most Outstanding Musical "Anything Goes." Phil will be the Musical Director for La Cage Aux Folles at Townhall Arts Center in April. He would like to thank his amazing wife Sarah and their beautiful daughter Autumn for so much love and support.

Abigail Kochevar, Choreographer, Legally Blonde Jr.
Abigail is a Broomfield native who has been performing since she was three years old. She has been seen on stages across the Denver area from Candlelight Dinner Playhouse to the PACE center. She has choreographed for both adult professional theatre companies and children's theatre but finds her passion for teaching the next generation of performers is truly what drives her choreographic mind. She recently choreographed the fall CenterStage production of Willy Wonka Jr. She is ecstatic to get to work with such an amazing company again and bring this sassy show to life!

Stefanie Raccuglia, Choreographer, Be More Chilll
Stefanie is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and Registered Dance/Movement Psychotherapist, and owns a private practice in Denver, CO. Last year Stefanie choreographed the CSTC spring production of Grease.

Stefanie’s first passion has always been dance and musical theatre, which not only played a hugely healing role in her own life, but fuels her desire to support others in defying limiting expectations and beliefs through creativity, self-expression, and empowerment. Through her expansive world travels, Stefanie has experienced the healing power of movement, ritual, and community with other cultures.

Informed by all of her experiences, Stefanie’s private practice specializes in somatic (body-based) psychotherapy for complex trauma, relationships, body-image, self-esteem, and personal empowerment. In addition to her psychotherapy practice, Stefanie also works as a coach supporting women in career development, life purpose, and feeling empowered to effect the change they wish to see in themselves and their communities.

Stefanie continues to work as choreographer for various theatre companies around the Front Range, teaches private and small group creative dance and movement classes, and continues to perform now and again. Stefanie also enjoys spending time in the mountains with her husband and back in NYC with her family whenever she gets the chance!

Fiona Spencer, Stage Manager, Aristocat Kids
Fiona is thrilled to be a part of this show! She graduated from Fairview High School in 2022 and is currently taking a gap year. While she has performed for many years, this is her first time assistant directing. Some of her recent roles include Veronica in Heathers (Synthesis Theater), Mimi in Rent (Centerstage), and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Fairview HS). She is soon to be assistant directing Grapes of Wrath at Fairview High School.

Leigh Toltz, Musical Director, Legally Blonde Jr.
Leigh is excited to return to CenterStage after musically directing Matilda last summer. At the age of 14, Leigh began her singing career in musical theater in Denver, Colorado. She channeled her passion and years of performing experience to earn a Master’s of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at New York University. Leigh began her voice teaching career as an Adjunct Professor at NYU in 2015. Expert in the anatomy and mechanics of voice, Leigh brings a technical approach to vocal production. Her students learn not only to master healthy vocal technique but explore the dramatic circumstances to bring musical selections to life.

Melissa Williams - Director, Aristocats KIDS
An active performer and teacher in Colorado, Melissa is at home in front of the footlights as an actor or working backstage as a director, stage manager, set & prop designer. She teaches a busy private vocal studio - South Boulder Vocal Studio and has directed numerous productions and summer camps for CSTC. Some favorite directing projects include Avenue Q, Into the Woods, Miss Nelson is Missing and a filmed version of Annie Kids and She Kills Monsters to name a few. An advocate for arts education, Melissa believes in the power of the performing arts in developing young people's confidence, creativity and sense of community. When not teaching or directing, you can find Melissa performing on the stages around Colorado and beyond.

Steve Wilson, Director, Be More Chill (also CSTC Executive Artistic Director)
Steve has been administrating, directing, teaching and performing in Colorado for over 30 years. Deeply dedicated to arts education, he joined the CenterStage/ Tapestry team as Executive Artistic Director in August 2021. He holds an MFA degree in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory (part of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts) and a BFA degree in drama from the University of Southern California.

As theatre director recent credits include: Newsies (Town Hall Arts Center), The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong (Vintage Theatre Company), The Scarlet Pimpernel and Sound of Music (Candlelight Dinner Playhouse), Fiddler on the Roof (Ovation West) and An Ideal Husband (The Naples Players). He garnered awards for “Best Director” from both the Denver Post and Boulder Daily Camera as well as four Henry Awards (Colorado’s Tony Award) for “Best Direction of a Musical” for his productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Urinetown, Man of LaMancha and Beauty & the Beast for PHAMALY Theatre Company. Steve also received a Denver Post Ovation award as “Best Director of a Musical” for PHAMALY’s Joseph... and Side Show as well as a “Best of Westword” award for “Best Direction of a Musical” for PHAMALY’s Beauty and the Beast. In addition, he was the recipient of the 2014 “True West Theatre Person of the Year” award. For 14 years he served as the Artistic Director of PHAMALY where directing credits included Grand Hotel, Damn Yankees, Once Upon a Mattress, The Pajama Game, Guys and Dolls, The Wiz, Our Town, How to Succeed, Little Shop of Horrors, The Elephant Man, Fiddler on the Roof, It’s A Wonderful Life and Annie. Additionally Steve has directed: Poignant Irritations (world premiere and winner of “Best New Play”), The Sisters Rosensweig and The Cradle Will Rock (Mizel Center); over 30 major productions for the Wolf Theatre Academy; Chinglish (Aurora Fox Arts Center); Cyrano de Bergerac (Compass Theatre Company); Androcles and the Lion, The Prince and the Pauper, The Last Paving Stone, Tomato Plant Girl, The Snow Queen, Art Dog, The Jungle Book and Sleeping Beauty (Denver Children’s Theatre); Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Comedy of Errors (Bug Theatre); Oliver! (Town Hall Arts Center) and Twelfth Night (The Theatre Group).

As administrator/ educator/ artistic director, Steve has overseen the development of four companies, including the Living Edge Theatre Company in Los Angeles, Compass Theatre Company in Denver, the theatre department of the Mizel Arts and Culture Center and PHAMALY Theatre Company. He has served as adjunct professor for the Arts and Culture Management program at DU’s University College. He has been a faculty member at the Wolf Theatre Academy, Stage Eleven and St. Mary’s Academy (10 years), as well as an artist-in-residence throughout the Cherry Creek and Denver Public School Districts.