Jodi Stechschulte - Director
Jodi Stechschulte has been sharing her passion for theater with children for over 40 years. There is great joy in seeing children discover talents they did not know they possessed, learn the importance of being a reliable part of a group effort, and opening their eyes to the sometimes hidden talents of their peers and the knowledge that together we can accomplish something beautiful and thrilling that we could never do alone. The challenges of creativity, individual responsibility, and understanding others — fictional characters and real individuals working with us — provide skills that will last a lifetime. It is a great privilege to work with David Monseur, who has the same goals for our theatrical productions: sharing our love of theater with each child and helping them to grow into confident individuals. Jodi graduated from Cornell University with a major in English, concentration in drama, and a teaching certificate. She has taught English, American history, speech, theater production, and acting at the high school level. Theater is her passion and she has been involved in countless shows in almost every capacity from actor to designer and director. Favorite acting roles include Sally Boles in Cabaret and Peggy in Godspell. Favorite shows directed include Les Miserables, Inherit the Wind, The Miracle Worker, Rumors, Fiddler on the Roof, The Foreigner, Shrek, Lion King, and Frozen. Jodi would like to thank her husband John and their five children, who have indulged the intense time demands of her passion for directing over the years without complaint, and David Monseur and the Upper Arlington City Schools for the opportunity to direct shows like The SpongeBob Musical.
David Monseur - Musical Director & Choreographer
David Monseur has been on the UA Vocal Music faculty since 2001 and serves as the Director of the UAHS Camerata. He teaches at Upper Arlington High School, and Hastings Middle School. Previously he taught at The Ohio State University, Otterbein University, and Grandview Heights High School. He is a proud recipient of the Upper Arlington Golden Bear Award and Hastings Teacher of the Year. His vocal arrangements have been performed by choirs across the United States as well as Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and Iceland. Prior to his music career, David studied acting at New York University and the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. He holds degrees from The Ohio State University, Westminster Choir College, and is completing his doctoral studies at Ohio State. He has conducted internationally at Ely Cathedral, England, GALA Choruses Festival VII in Montreal, and St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. David has worked in collaboration with and prepared choruses for such arts organizations as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Opera Columbus, Ballet Met, and the Columbus Jazz Arts Group. He has performed with renowned classical artists Leonard Berstein, Zubin Mehta, Renée Fleming, and Gian Carlo Menotti; and popular singers Celine Dion, Barry Manilow and Michael Bolton. When he's not making music, David works as a photographer with the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
Lynda Guenther - Technical Director
Lynda Guenther has been involved with all aspects of theater for most of her adult life, including co-writing an original Middle school musical, “Changin’ Times”. Working in a summer stock troupe for five years gave Lynda a broad range of theater experiences on stage as an actor, as well as behind the scenes in makeup, props, costumes and lighting. Lynda has been a lighting and sound designer for many shows, here and in Chicago, including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate, Field Follies, Big, Seussical, Willy Wonka, The Lion King, The Wizard of Oz, Shrek the Musical and The Little Mermaid to name just a few. Additionally, as a UA Arts Commissioner, she developed an ongoing Musical Theater summer camp in conjunction with the Columbus Children’s Theater and the UA Parks and Rec Department. Lynda earned a BFA degree from Cornell University and enjoys teaching the HMS Tech Crew about all aspects of theater production. She is grateful to David Monseur and Jodi Stechschulte for their support and this wonderful opportunity to teach theater to our young students! Lynda has two children, Mark and Devon and lives in UA with her husband Walt.
