Jennifer Bales- Artistic Director

Jennifer graduated from Chapman University in 2012 with a B.A. in English Literature and minors in vocal music and dance.  Jennifer has been involved with the performing arts from a very young age.  She started dancing at 3 years old, and her vocal career started at the age of 6 when she joined the Pacific Chorale Girls' Chorus (which she auditioned for after her parents explained to a tearful Jennifer that she could not join the All American Boys' Chorus like her brothers before her).  Around the same time, Jennifer discovered her love of musical theater while participating in summer theater camps.  Musical theater combines Jennifer's passion of acting, singing, and dancing, and thus will always hold a special place in her heart.  Favorite musicals Jennifer has performed in include Oklahoma!, Man of La Mancha, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Pajama Game, Beauty and the Beast, and Young Frankenstein.  On the screen, Jennifer works closely with Gargoyle Media production company, and has appeared in many of their short films, including the award-winning "Nine Lives."  She also plays Nessarose in Gargoyle Media produced web series "Green Girl Diaries," based on the Musical Wicked.  Jennifer has been a member of two  dance companies.  She studied Bollywood fusion and various international dance styles with Layla and the Lotus Dancers, and focused on ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and tap during her time with Images Dance Company, of which she was a founding member.  She has also used her dance chops both performing in and choreographing music videos for local L.A. artists.  Jennifer was also an original cast member at Orange County dinner theater Teatro Martini where she performed for five years.

If anything matches her passion for the performing arts, it is being able to share that passion with her students.  Jennifer has been teaching for 14 years-everything from ballet to hip hop to voice to musical theater.   Jennifer began teaching for Take the Stage in 2015 and is now the Artistic Director. Arts education is incredibly important, and Jennifer can attest to the huge role performing arts has played in her development, confidence, and happiness.  She is thrilled to be able to share that passion and joy with her students!

Sheldon has been in love with musical theater for as long as he can remember. He started off doing theater in middle school where he performed in productions of Once Upon a Mattress and High School Musical.  He began his directorial career in high school when he entered HBAPA, where he was a part of the Musical Theater and Dramatic Production departments. It was in the dramatic production department that he fell in love with writing and directing plays. When Sheldon left high school he put theater to the side to obtain a degree in Education in hopes of becoming a Special Education teacher. He currently works at Moffett Elementary with special education students and he is excited to have jumped back into theater and directing again, as it has been his dream for awhile to return to the wonderful world of Theater!

 Paul Scott is pleased to be joining Take the Stage Productions, having been involved with theatre and the arts his entire life. Paul took his first acting class at a community center at the age of 9, and continued on to do musical theatre productions at the same center, with roles such as Ren in Footloose and The Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods. He then went on to study musical theatre at CSUF, taking ballet, jazz, and tap dance, as well as voice and movement, acting, musical theatre performance, and even performing in Xanadu and the cabaret, Miscast. Paul then went on to perform in regional theatre, with Performance Riverside (Legally Blonde and Shrek the Musical), Cabrillo Playhouse (Godspell), and the world premiere of the play Jupiter Moon at the Garage Theatre in Long Beach. Paul is now finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in Screenwriting and Production Management at CSULB, while teaching theatre, music, and writing throughout SoCal when he is not performing or in production.
 

 Ryley Debold is an American actress and US Navy Veteran. She is the recipient of multiple awards including Flag Letters of Commendation and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal. She joined the Military at age 18 and spent seven years of active duty as military police in multiple areas including Bahrain, Greece, and America. She traveled around the world visiting 7 different countries while learning about different cultures and people strengthening her skills. She began acting in 2018 attending My Acting Studio by Charles Tientiendo and practicing her craft. She ended her contact with the U.S. Navy in 2020 and began pursuing her passion for acting. She then graduated from Cypress College in 2021 with a high-honors associate's degree in theatre. She is currently studying at California State University Long Beach for her bachelor's in performance arts. She began working as an actress starring in multiple short films such as Social Media Cowboys (2021) and Wasted Time (2022) which earned a spot in the TCL Chinese theatres for the Silicon Beach Film Festival. Ryley is continuing her education and career, auditioning for roles in film, television, and commercials as well as writing and directing her own short films. She is excited to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with young kids at Take the Stage Productions and can't wait to help them utilize their imagination and creativity.  

 Julissa Cardenas bio