Director: Theatre for Young Audiences • One-Act Play • Spring Musical

Kelli’s passion for directing high school theatre comes from her strong belief that educational theatre is one of the most transformative theatre experiences. She believes that students deserves a space where they can be themselves, take creative risks, and be celebrated. 

Kelli earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Theatre from Concordia College-Moorhead. She has worked in the district since 2010 when she started as the music director for the Spring Musical. She took over the role of director in 2015 and started directing the One-Act Play in 2018. Recent directing credits include: Into the Woods, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2024 - Section 8AA Champions), Elephant & Piggie's "We are in a Play!" (2023), Big Fish (2023), The Girl in the White Pinafore (2023), and Tuck Everlasting (2022). She also works as an Evaluator for the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Education program. 

Outside of the theatre, Kelli can be found knitting, reading, cooking, spending time with her family, singing, doing yoga, playing board games, and watching anything that makes her laugh. 

Director: Fall Play

As a director, John enjoys seeing the process of a performance from start to finish and also enjoys seeing the students exhibit their excellence. Not only does he direct the fall play, but he also serves as the Head Speech Coach and is a full-time English teacher in the district.

He graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor of Science in English Education and earned his Master of Science in English Education from St. Cloud State University. John has worked in the district for the past 19 years. Recent directing credits include: Clue (2023), Pygmalion (2022) , Game of Tiaras (2021), Radium Girls (2020), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2019).

His hobbies include faith, family (he has eight children and one grandson), and Dante. A fun fact about John is that he was once “Moo” the Wisconsin Lottery Cow!