Staff
Administrative Staff
Rebekah Kellaway Executive Director (click for biography) Rebekah Kellaway has been directing youth theatre productions for twenty years and has directed over forty musicals. She received a B.A. in Elementary Education and a teaching credential from Biola University. In 2008, Rebekah combined her love for education and the performing arts and established Haven Academy of the Arts. She believes strongly in applying educational theory and child development to the directing process. Favorite directing projects include Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Westside Story. Her work as co-director for Sustaining Sound's Little Women received a five star review in Broadway World and earned an Eddon Award for Best Production. As an educator, Rebekah is passionate about more than just mentoring the next generation of young performers; she also mentors other non-profit founders, focusing on branding, strategic planning, and program development. You can find her teaching workshops and consulting with non-profit leaders one-on-one. She is especially passionate about helping small non-profits better define their mission and create long term sustainability. When she's not wrangling young performers, Rebekah enjoys spending time at Disneyland with her husband Matthew and their three year old son. |
Rachel Schiller-Geis Director of Operations (click for biography) Schiller-Geis has a background in music with a BM in Vocal Performance from Biola University. She has served in non-profit administration for over 10 years with expertise in bookkeeping, budget-development, grant writing, fundraising, and program development. During the pandemic, she helped develop original core curriculum that proved integral to the organization’s survival. Schiller-Geis has been with Haven Academy since its conception; first, as a teaching artist, and then as an admin. She now serves as the Director of Operations and uses her historical knowledge to build suitability strategies for the organization. |
Emily Murtaugh Barish LA City Programs Director (click for biography) Murtaugh Barish was trained by our previous Pico Union Director, Maynard, and spent a year in HPU program as a contracted staff member. Her time spent working and building relationships in the community gave her the foundation needed to successfully take over the program. Prior to working at our urban branches, Barish worked as South Bay Summer Camp Director. She recently moved to our Pico Union neighborhood in order to be more involved in the community. |
Erin Fields Finance Associate (click for biography) Fields holds a BS in Human Development in Family Studies from Colorado State University and has a background in grant writing, programming, and bookkeeping. Fields joined Haven in 2018 as an Admin Assistant and transitioned to Finance Associate in 2021. Fields played an integral role during the pandemic managing Haven’s books and providing reports to leadership. Fields has also spearheaded the transition of multiple platforms, increasing efficiency in the organization. Fields continues to use her historical and financial knowledge to advocate for various programs and staffing needs, and to help Haven to continue to grow and thrive. |
Ari Derambakhsh Office Manager (click for biography) Ari Derambakhsh Ari Derambakhsh is a recent BFA Acting graduate from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. She has also trained and performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Ari now works as a professional actor and singer both on stage and screen and was most recently in the company of the Pulitzer Prize winning play ‘English’. Some of her first onstage experiences were at Haven, and it was in those experiences that she truly found her confidence and love of performance. Since then, she has worked at Haven as a tech crew member, summer camp counselor, Assistant Stage Manager, Stage Manager, and now- Office Manager. Select performance credits include Feste in Twelfth Night, Paulina in The Winter’s Tale, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, and Juror #12 in Twelve Angry Jurors. |
Brandi Morales Administrative Assistant (click for biography) Brandi Morales is excited to be a part of the Haven team after years of being a student. She is currently studying music at El Camino College with a focus on Vocal Performance and is expected to transfer to Cal State Fullerton in 2022. Brandi is excited to work with an organization that has had a positive impact on her life and her love for theatre. Along with being a student, Brandi has taken on various roles backstage at Haven including, lobby management, stage makeup artist, tech crew, choreography, and more. As a behind the scenes administrative assistant, she aims to support Haven’s mission of student development through the arts. |
Instructors
Updated Staff Coming Soon!
Britney Acosta (click for biography) Acosta was born in Mexico and moved to LA where she lived in the Koreatown area (Pico Union neighboring city) before moving to Torrance at the age of 12. She has studied cosmetology and music at El Camino College. |
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Abigail Cash (click for biography) Abigail Cash has been involved with Haven in various roles since its beginning. After getting to experience the program as a Haven student for many years, she began serving first as a student staffer and then an instructor. She recently graduated from Westmont College with a B.A. in Elementary Education and an emphasis in Musical Theatre, and is grateful for the opportunity to use it here at Haven. Abigail has personally experienced the value of arts education, and because of this she is thrilled to work with a youth theatre organization that works hard to bring arts education to students of all different backgrounds. She feels blessed to have been involved at Haven across all its branches, and cannot wait to share her excitement for the arts with your student. |
Esther Cash (click for biography) Esther Cash has been passionate about arts education since she was young enough to be on the receiving end of Haven’s instruction. She is currently studying at Biola University for her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. Esther has been serving as both a director and choreographer for Haven at their South Bay and Pico Union branches since 2018, and was also a Zoom instructor for multiple virtual programs. Esther’s favorite part of teaching is the space it offers for relationship-building with her students, especially in this creative context. Haven offers such a unique, fruitful experience to all of its students, and Esther feels blessed every chance she gets to serve as an instructor. |
Dorothy Dillingham-Blue (click for biography) Dorothy Dillingham-Blue - Dorothy's passion for performing began in the dance studios & community theatres of Columbia, SC. She continued her studies with the London Drama Programme and Northwestern University, earning a B.S. Today she enjoys working as an actress, VO artist, director, and teaching artist. |
Grace Ehlers (click for biography) Ehlers is a recent high school graduate and has her associate’s degree in business from Southern New Hampshire University. She has been an active member of the Haven Academy of the Arts community for the past nine years. Ehlers is currently working as an intern at the American Heart Association helping to bring fundraising program and equitable educational services to schools in the Los Angeles Area. Ehlers started volunteering at Haven as a summer camp counselor when she was 11 years old. Select performance credits include Michael Banks in Mary Poppins, the Genie in Aladdin Jr., Jo March in Little Women, and The Sugar Plum Fairy in Shrek The Musical. |
Margy Emmons (click for biography) Margy Emmons - She earned her Bachelor’s degree in piano performance at the University of Nebraska, and her Master’s degree in accompanying at USC. Ever since junior high school, Margy has been a pianist and/or an accompanist for soloists, choirs, and instrumental ensembles, performing a full range of repertoire from classical to musical theatre, as well as rock and contemporary worship music. She is an experienced vocal coach, composer and arranger, worship leader/director, and has also enjoyed a wide variety of performing opportunities in the United States, South America, Great Britain and Japan. |
Matthew Kellaway (click for biography) Matthew Kellaway – Community Chorale Artistic Director Matthew Kellaway received his M.M. in Choral Conducting for California State University Fullerton. He is the Director of Men’s Chorus at Biola University where he has also provided individual voice instruction, taught conducting classes and served as assistant director for the Biola Conservatory of Music opera program. Matthew has studied conducting with Robert Istad, Christopher Peterson, John Tebay, Shawna Stewart, and has worked with John Alexander, David Hayes, and Lucinda Carver. Matthew Kellaway is also an established professional baritone vocal performer in the Southern California area currently singing with the Pacific Chorale. Matthew has performed as a featured soloist in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy in conjunction with international choral and solo vocal competitions, and he continues to be a featured soloist with the Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony at Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts. He has also sung with many other prestigious vocal ensembles including Disney’s Voices of Liberty, The John Alexander Singers, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. As a baritone known for his versatility of style, Matthew has sung many operatic and musical theater roles including Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Marquis de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, Betto in Gianni Schicchi, Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods, Friedrich Bhaer in Little Women, Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore and Germont in La Traviata. |
Angelica Roqué (click for biography) Roqué is a Los Angeles native who has been music directing for youth theater programs since 2006. Growing up in a music-filled home, Roqué cultivated a love for a variety of musical genres and storytelling through song. After touring the US and UK with the educational performing arts nonprofit The Young Americans, she continued teaching and performing throughout southern California. Roqué has taught for educational theater programs at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Palos Verdes Performing Arts Conservatory, several public and private schools, and is elated to include Haven Academy in that list. Her goal is for students to make genuine connections with characters, stories, and fellow performers as they develop their instruments. |
Gianna Summers (click for biography) Gianna Andrea Summers director and performer, graduated with Honors from Arizona State University in Choral Education and Voice Performance in 2003 and graduated with Honors with her Masters in 2005 in Multicultural Education from National University. She has taught choral music in El Segundo for the last 12 years with her choir receiving many awards. They have performed at many venues across America and Europe. Gianna spent time in Costa Rica singing with the Costa Rican Opera and teaching music. Gianna teaches private voice and piano as well as singing professionally in California. Gianna married the love of her life, Bobby Summers, in 2008, their daughter, Kate is 6 years old and loves HAVEN and softball! The Summers have attended OCF for 12 years and love our community. They currently reside in El Segundo, CA with their two dogs Griffey and Daisy. |