Ruben Van Kempen

...is currently the director of Theatre at Roosevelt High School and he is co-chapter director of WA State Thespians. Ruben was inducted into the WIAA Hall of Fame (2008), was awarded the 2007 Gregory A. Falls Sustained Achievement Award, which honors an individual who has devoted time, energy and talent to Seattle's theatre community. He was also honored in 2006 with the first annual Ruben Van Kempen Arts Educator Award, from the prestigious Intiman Theatre. He is also the recipient of the 2004 Butch Blum Award of Excellence, the 2000 Christa McAuliffe Washington Award for Excellence in Education Award and the 1986 Seattle Excellence in Education Award. As a theatre director he has directed for Seattle Pacific University, the Village Theatre, Seattle Civic Light Opera, Western Washington University, Intiman Theatre/Seattle Children's Museum. For the Roosevelt High School Theatre Ensemble he produced/directed two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.. As an actor he has performed extensively in regional theatre. Some performances include work with television actress Jean Smart (Designing Women, High Society, Style & Substance), Broadway's Harry Groener and as a back-up vocalist singing for Pat Boone, Debby Boone and T.V. personality, Kathie Lee Gifford. A proud educator, he has seen former students perform on Broadway in the Tony Award Winning Memphis, Curtains, Never Gonna Dance, Chicago, Into the Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma, Life With Albertine, A Chorus Line, Good Vibrations and Lennon. Former students been in national tours of Fosse, Chicago, Sunset Boulevard, Evita, Swing and Civil War to name a few. Alums have found careers in television with roles in Friends, Felicity, The Practice and Spin City, and have performed at the Tony Awards and in many television commercials. International productions in London's West End and Europe have seen grads in The King and I, Miss Saigon, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, West Side Story and Cats. His wife Myrnie teaches strings for the Edmonds School District and his children both play classical violin and cello. Basically, they have the arts covered in their household. Ruben is listed in the 2006, 1998, 1996 & 1992 editions of Who's Who Among America's Teachers.

Beth Orme

...has taught Mathematics and Theatre at Roosevelt High School for over 10 years. She was the class advisor for the 2003 graduates, organized and administrated the Homework Center, and was a committee head for the Gates Foundation for Transformation. Along with Ruben she took 45 students to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1996. Currently, she is completing her tenure as Washington State Thespian Director for the International Thespian Society. She will continue to stay busy as the “stay at home/go to work Mom of her two fabulous children, Grace and Henry. Some of Beth’s Regional Theatre Performances include the roles of Nina in the 5th Avenue Theatre production of A Day In Hollywood A Night in the Ukraine, Miranda, from The Tempest, Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Marianne from The Miser, Polly from Crazy For You, Peggy Sawyer from 42nd Street (twice!), Nanette from No, No, Nanette, Tiger Lily from Peter Pan, and Vera in On Your Toes. A few of Beth’s professional choreography credits include Meet Me in St Louis, Crazy For You, 42nd Street, Mame, Tempest, Music Man, and a Starbucks National Meeting Industrial . In 1996 she won the Seattle PI's Best Choreography of the Year for her work in Crazy for You. She has directed Matchmaker, Mousetrap, Quilters, and Our Town to name a few. A couple of Beth’s most interesting and unusual experiences include being cast as a Hip Hop Dancer by Adam Arkin for the TV series Northern Exposure, playing Raggedy Anne and Sweet Tooth Sal for the Bon-Macy Christmas shows, and dancing in the King Dome for the Mariners as a Mariners’ Moosette! Go M’s!!!. Beth received her BA in Theatre and Math from the University of Washington and her Masters in Theatre Production from Central. To stay this busy requires a lot of energy and support! Beth would like to thank her husband, Matt; children, Grace and Henry; parents; sister; and Grandmother; Bonnie, Rich, Suzie and Carroll for their continued help and patience.

Craig Wollam

Craig is co-founder and Technical Director of Seattle Scenic Studios, a non-profit serving non-profits and education throughout the western Washington including Seattle Public. He and his studio have been working with the Roosevelt Tech class since 2000. He has also designed for mainstage shows including the musical Beauty and the Beast in 2006. As a freelance scenic and lighting designer, Craig’s work has been seen at NWAAT, Seattle Public, Mirror Stage, Langston Hughes, Wooden O, Intiman, Seattle Opera, Centerstage, Seattle Rep, Book-It, the Village, Seattle Children’s, Spectrum Dance, Civic Light Opera, Golden Fish, ArtsWest, Bellevue Opera, Wing Luke Museum, The Bruce Lee Exhibit for Inter*Im, Seattle Shakespeare Festival, React, Exchange Theatre, Black Box Opera, Tacoma Actors Theatre and Alice B Theatre here in Washington. Out of town, Craig has designed for Arizona Theatre Co., Chicago Theatre Center, Atlanta’s 14th Street Theatre, Boston’s Lyric Theatre, Dance Theatre Workshop of NY, the Colony in Miami, the Zephyr in LA, and the Actor’s Playhouse NY. Recent projects include Sleeping Beauty for Spectrum Dance, Death of a Salesman for Langston, Honus & Me with Seattle Childrens’, Noises Off and Nicholas Nicleby at Centerstage, Jungle Book for YTN, La Centerentola with Bellevue Opera, Lobby Hero and Jenny Chow for Seattle Public, and Production Design for Plight.