Faculty and Staff

Sara is an award-winning and sought after director, choreographer, movement director, movement coach and educator, and has worked extensively across Broadway, regional and international theatre, live events and industrials, with experience directing and conceiving choreography for large-scale productions as well as for intimate venues. She equally loves developing new work and reimagining classics, with the objective to create and deliver original and innovative theatre through the magic and rigor of artistic collaboration.

Sara began her dance career as a Radio City Rockette and made her Broadway debut in the 2001 revival of 42nd Street. Her other Broadway credits include After the Night and the Music, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Billy Elliot: The Musical, Matilda the Musical, The Terms of My Surrender, and The Hills of California. She has had a marked career as a performer and associate choreographer, working with some of the theatre and dance industry’s leading choreographers and directors across the world. Having worked on numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, at the nation’s top Regional Theatres, and international venues, Sara now enjoys creating work of her own that calls on her past experience while expressing her unique voice. Her work has been featured in countless productions, musicals, concerts, festivals, and live entertainment events, and can be seen on BroadwayHD.

As an Educator, Sara has taught and been on faculty at prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School, New York University, Pace University, Duke University, Manhattan School of Music and The Banff Centre. She is on faculty at Steps on Broadway in NYC and enjoys bringing a balance of rigor, play and discovery to her teaching.

Contact Sara Brians: sara.k.brians-1@ou.edu

Michael D’Andre Childs is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist and educator whose passion for storytelling through music, movement, and voice has taken him across the United States. A proud graduate of the KD Conservatory of Film and Dramatic Arts (Musical Theatre, 2015), Michael has built a vibrant career as a director, music director, choreographer, actor, and professor.

His music direction credits include A Christmas Carol and Mother Road at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; Fiddler on the Roof at the University of North Texas; Chicken and Biscuits at Uptown Players (Dallas); and Blues in the Night at Jubilee Theatre (Fort Worth). In 2025, Michael served as music director for the Kelli O’Hara High School Musical Theatre Awards. He has also collaborated on showcases and performances with organizations such as Black Arts Matters and Broadway Dallas.

As a director, Michael brings vision and heart to every production. His credits include The Last Five Years, Seussical, Sister Act, The Addams Family, and The Importance of Being Earnest, and Hadestown Teen among others. He also co-conceived,  produced and directed Into the Jungle—a bold live fashion and performance event spotlighting emerging Dallas designers through the lens of theatre and music.

Deeply committed to arts accessibility and cultural outreach, Michael is also an active teaching and performance artist with the Dallas Community Arts Program, offering free Broadway-inspired singing, acting, and dance workshops to underserved communities.

Contact Michael Childs: Michael.D.Childs-1@ou.edu

Paul Christman is the director/co-writer of Igor Lipinski’s Piano Illusions which played the 2024 and 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2021, he received the Irene and Julian J. Rothbaum Professor of Excellence in the Arts Award from the University of Oklahoma. He teaches annually for Høyskolen Kristiania (Oslo, Norway) with past residencies at Balletakademien (Göteborg, Sweden) the Danish Academy of Musical Theatre (Fredericia), the Joop van den Ende Academy (Hamburg), and the Stage School (Hamburg). He has lectured at the Music in Gotham American Musical Theater Conference (NYC), Song, Stage and Screen Conferences (Winchester and London), Musical Theatre Educators Alliance Conferences (Orlando and NYC) and Putting It Together: Teaching Musical Theatre in U.K. Higher Education (Bath). A graduate of Arizona State University (Tempe) and Wright State University (Dayton), he has also completed acting training with the Michael Chekhov Association. His articles on composer Hugh Martin and the musical Pal Joey were published in the journal Studies in Musical Theatre. He is also co-editor of the songbook: The Songs of Hugh Martin: From Broadway to Hollywood and The West End (Hal Leonard). Paul has worked on musicals across the United States from California to Maine, toured in Germany with Hair, and music directed the Toronto premiere of A Class Act. From 1994-2004, he music directed 24 productions for Music Theatre of Wichita and has served on the OU faculty since 1999.

Contact Paul Christman: pc@ou.edu

Rena is a Professor Emerita of voice, speech and dialects. She has taught at OU, Oklahoma State University and University of Kansas. She is a professional text and dialect coach, with over a 100 productions to her credit. She is a keynote and TEDx speaker on Empowering Women’s Voices; and the founder of Vocal Authority, helping politicians, attorneys, and CEOs use their voice in more commanding and authentic ways. She has an M.A. in Voice Studies from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, an M.F.A. in Directing. She is the author of four books including Voice and the Young Actor; Empower Your Voice: For Women in Business, Politics and Life; Her Voice in Law. She also teaches directing at the University of Houston on their summer MA for Theatre Teachers. Rena’s guilty pleasure is voicing video games and animation.

Sam has been with OUMT team since 2021. He comes from Chicago where he worked professionally in the logistics and tech start up industries. In his freetime, he served as a freelance event coordinator, host and graphic designer for dozens of nightlife and Pride events across Chicago. In 2020, Sam was mentioned in TimeOut Chicago as one of “Chicago’s most notable LGBTQ+ figures.”  Sam holds a Bachelor's degree in Strategic Communication from Oklahoma State University. During his time at OSU, he worked with the admissions department as an admissions assistant and tour guide helping plan fundraising galas and recruiting fairs. He was also an intern with Saxum Communications and The Equality Network (now Freedom Oklahoma) and served as Oklahoma 4-H State President. Since 2022, he has served as an adjudicator for the Kelli O'Hara Awards and teaching assistant of fiber arts with Oklahoma Contemporary. In his free time, Sam enjoys volunteering, sewing, playing retro video games, and buying more books than he reads. As a native Oklahoman, he is happy to be back in Oklahoma to be closer to family (and Whataburger). 

Contact Sam Durbin: sam.durbin@ou.edu

Scott is an actor, director, choreographer, music director, producer, and educator from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Scott earned a BM and MM in musical theatre from Oklahoma City University and an MFA in directing from the University of Idaho. His career has taken him to places across the USA as an actor and director. Some theatres of note are The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Stages St. Louis, Theatre by the Sea, Cape Playhouse, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Merry Go Round Playhouse, Barnstormers Theatre, Media Theatre, New Bedford Festival Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre, 11th Hour Theatre, and Florida Studio Theatre. Scott was involved in the NYC Premiere of the Jerome Kern musical, Cabaret Girl, The Metropolitan Opera premiere of War and Peace, and the regional premieres of Next to Normal and Tenderly - The Rosemary Clooney Musical. Film and TV experience includes The Princess Diaries 2, CSI, Las Vegas, Blue Collar, Damages, and The Nick and Jessica Variety Show.

Some directing credits are Forever Plaid at Theatre by the Sea, [title of show] at The Secret Theatre in NYC, RENT at both the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, A Year with Frog and Toad at Oklahoma State University, and the Oklahoma! Interactive tour and Associate Director for the official state production of Oklahoma! at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma.

He has taught on the faculties of University of the Arts, Rider University, University of Central Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City University. Scott lives in Yukon with his wife Lindsie, their son, Jed William, and a pair of rescue dogs named Tallulah and Gertrude.

Contact Scott Guthrie: sguthrie@ou.edu

Associate Professor of Voice in the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre, Mandy Jiran is an active teacher, music director, and performer.

Mandy’s professional credits include Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Kansas City Starlight Theatre, Casa Mañana, Great Plains Theatre Festival, and the Main St. Theatre. She is a frequent soloist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, including co-starring with Tony nominee, Max Von Essen in the Philharmonic’s The Christmas Show. Her long relationship with the Philharmonic has afforded her the opportunity to sing under the direction of Maestro Joel Levine, current Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate, and frequent guest conductor, Jack Everly, the Principal Pops conductor of the Baltimore and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

She has worked on new musical theatre works with Adam Gwon, musical theatre writer with works produced Off Broadway, on six continents, and more than half a dozen languages, and Julia Jordan; the late Claibe Richardson, composer of the Broadway score The Grass Harp, showcasing legendary Barbara Cook, and Stephen Cole, and Broadway actor and new musical theatre lyricist, Scott Burkell.

Her music director credits include Legally Blonde and A Christmas Carol at the University of Oklahoma and numerous productions at the Sooner Theatre and Lyric Theatre’s Thelma Gaylord Academy. She has presented musical theatre workshops and master classes at the Orange County School of the Arts, Washington Thespians, Moonifieds, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has served on the faculty at OU since 2005.

Contact Mandy Jiran: mjiran@ou.edu

Vince is a veteran of over fifty professional productions at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma and Kansas City Starlight, including The Producers with Brad Oscar and Roger Bart, The Drowsy Chaperone with Emily Skinner, and Annie with Beth Leavel. He is the 2018 recipient of the Irene and Julian J. Rothbaum Presidential Professor of Excellence in the Arts. Vince has appeared as a guest artist with the Kansas City Symphony, the Cedar Rapids Symphony, and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, for whom he also directs the POPS Chorale. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Vince earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University.

Contact Vince Leseney: vleseney@ou.edu

Harold is an actor, adjudicator, director, music director, teacher, Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Senior Specialist. He directed the South African premieres of Violet (2018), Spring Awakening (Johannesburg/Pretoria, 2011), and Songs for a New World (2016) featured at the South Africa National Arts Festival. Harold’s director/music director and/or principal performance role credits include Anything Goes (Billy); Avenue ; Batboy; Carousel(Billy); Company(Larry); Dogfight, The Fantasticks!; The Full Monty; A Grand Night for Singing(Man 2); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (2008, 2010); La Cage Aux Folles; The Music Man(Harold); My Fair Lady(Higgins); Oklahoma!(Curly); OKC Philharmonic's Christmas Show (Chorale); Pump Boys and Dinettes (Jackson); Smokey Joe’s Café; The Sound of Music (Capt. Von Trapp); Sunday in the Park with George; Sweeney Todd (Anthony); Thoroughly Modern Millie; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Panch); The Wild Party (Lippa version); and The World Goes Round. Harold has served on the faculty at the University of Washington, University of Connecticut, Connecticut College, AMDA, and Ball State University (Head of the musical theatre program for seven years). He has given presentations at the Fulbright International Convention, KCACTF Regions IV and VI, and thespian conferences. He has also served as guest artist/director/faculty at Tshwane University, Oakfields College, and the University of Pretoria in South Africa. Harold serves as Associate Dean with the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts and is a Weitzenhoffer Endowed Professor in Musical Theatre Performance with the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre. He has been part of the OUMT faculty since 2011 and was Interim Director for the School from 2016-2018. He earned his Doctoral and Master's degrees in Vocal Performance from the University of Washington and was recently recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by the School of Music faculty from his alma mater, Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.  Dr. Mortimer recently directed I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change in April 2021 for the OUMT Downtown Series as well as J.S. Bach’s Coffee Cantata and Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona for the OU School of Music in November 2021. In November 2023, he will be directing Stephen Sondheim's Assassins for the OUMT Downtown Series.

Contact Harold R. Mortimer: hrmortimer@ou.edu

Hui Cha Poos is a versatile dancer, choreographer whose work intersects many genres including Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary and Music Theatre. She has worked in Los Angeles and was featured in films like Batman & Robin & Happy Texas, music videos for Monifa, choreography for Brian McNight, and was cast as Minnie Mouse for film premiers for Flubber and the 101 Dalmations for Disney. She also danced with Culture Shock, LA. She began her career with Lyric Theatre where she’s performed in shows such as Evita, The Goodbye Girl, Peter Pan and A Chorus Line (three different times). Her choreographic work at

Lyric includes Crowns, Rocky Horror, Kinky Boots, The Sound of Music, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Some favorite Pollard Theatre shows include In the Heights, American Idiot and Bring it On. She’s choreographed on shows with Southern Plains- Rent, Silent Sky, Lizzie, The Chinese Lady, OKC Rep- Of a Mind, The Great Leap, Thanksgiving Play, Viet gone and a variety of other local productions. She is the founder of RACE Dance Collective, where she has created many original works, including RACE’s HipHop Nutcracker and the Racey Show. Hui is also a full-time faculty member at the University of Central Oklahoma Department of Dance and runs their successful Dance Education Department. Her original choreographic works have been featured in dance concerts in LA, New York, Seoul, Korea, Germany and Switzerland. She has had short films (Odd Sense, Swirl, Homecoming Trilogy, The Guard, and Cube of Light) featured in several festivals from SXSW to Hamburg, Germany. Recent film credits include Full Out 2 (Netflix) and Finding Carlos (Apple TV)-producer/choreographer.

Her work in the community has led her to win awards like the Governors Arts Award for Arts Education, UCO’s Women Who Inspire Award, and the Founders Day Award for Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. She was selected one of “6 Theatre Workers You Should Know” by the American Theatre Publication, was selected Artist of the Year by the Paseo Arts Association and has been acknowledged by the Broadway World Regional Awards for her choreography numerous times.  Hui has created opportunities in Oklahoma like Race the Space Studios, the Calderon Dance Festival and Cure-8 Choreography Experience, Dance Night at the Sound Bar and currently serves as an advisor for the national Choreography Guild.

Michelle Rambo has been teaching dance for 11 years, which includes styles of hip hop, jazz/funk, contemporary, jazz and tap. She has Bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma, and Kinesiology from East Central University (ECU).  Michelle became the artistic director for East Central’s Dance minor program and has been fortunate to choreograph for the well-known professional Race Dance Company in Oklahoma City. She has also choreographed national hip hop pom routines for McLennan Community College and the University of Oklahoma and was a guest artist at the Soul De Soul Dance Convention. Other teaching venues include the American College Dance Association at Southeast Missouri State University and Anderson Indiana University. Michelle’s talents have been showcased during the pre-game performance for the Oklahoma City Thunder and at Disney World in Orlando.

Contact Michelle Rambo: michelle.n.rambo-1@ou.edu

Amy is the founder & director of Dance Unlimited/Spotlight Acting Academy heading into their 27^th year of instructing and inspiring young artists.  Amy has been fortunate to work with Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma over the past 25 years, along with City Rep of Oklahoma and all three major Universities in the area: UCO, OU and OCU.  

Choreography: Jersey Boys, The Prom, Matilda, Newsies, Freaky Friday, Rock of Ages, West Side Story, Billy Elliot, Call Me Madam, Tommy, Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar, 42nd Street, Oklahoma!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cabaret, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Will Rogers Follies, Chicago, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter and the Starcatcher, Little Me, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Man of La Mancha, A Chorus Line, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Once Upon a Mattress, The Wedding Singer, Berstein Mass, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Fantasticks.

Amy is a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Union (SDC).

Michael is a pianist, musical director, and multi-instrumentalist from Norman, OK. Recent engagements include Music Director: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Pollard Theatre Company); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Songs for a New World; OUMT Freshman Showcase 2019 (University of Oklahoma); The Great American Trailer Park Musical; The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical; Christmas With The Crawfords; Scrooge in Rouge (The Boom, Oklahoma City). Associate Music Director: A New Brain (University of Oklahoma); West Side Story; Disney's When You Wish; Dreamgirls (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma). Michael holds a lecturer position as Staff Accompanist at the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre. Michael has also worked at OU’s School of Music as accompanist for University Chorale, and Repetiteur for opera productions of Songs of Hope; Così fan tutte and The Golden Cockerel. Recently he performed as a featured piano soloist with the Vitam Musica Orchestra, and has performed as an orchestral pianist in the Norman Philharmonic and the Vitam Musica Orchestra. He also serves as music director, pianist, and "co-managing diva" for the Oklahoma City chapter of Opera On Tap. Michael has regularly performed as a keyboardist and vocalist in local bands such as the Damn Quails, ADDverse Effects, Bungalouski, Henna Roso, Biscuits and Groovy, and Carly Gwin and the Sin, and holds a weekly residency with “The Wednesday Band” at the Deli in Norman. He studied clarinet performance at the Boston Conservatory for a year, and completed a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of Oklahoma in 2018.

Contact Michael Stafford: michael91stafford@ou.edu

Lauren Wilson is a Pilates specialist instructor, expert conditioning coach and holistic health practitioner with over 15 years of experience training private and group clients. She enjoys designing meticulously programmed workouts that build strength, mobility and endurance progressively while targeting specific weak and tight areas. Her unique ability to tailor comprehensive health programming includes personalized workouts, nutrition guidance and recovery protocols.

Lauren is an OU School of Dance alumni, with a BFA in ballet pedagogy. She also has advanced training in biomechanics, having been comprehensively certified through STOTT Pilates in all apparatus, completed specialty training in injury prevention, scoliosis, disc injuries, joint rehabilitation, osteoporosis and rehabilitation for dancers and athletes. She brings additional expertise in fascial movement, athletic conditioning, Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) and a variety of performance-enhancing equipment.

In addition to Pilates, Lauren has been certified as a personal trainer, counselor and Integrative Health Practitioner. Her holistic approach weaves the principles of Pilates into traditional strength training, functional fitness, fascial care and nervous system health - equipping performers to handle physical and mental demands on and off the stage. 

Max is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s School of Drama, and the largest contributor to the OU fine and performing arts. In 1998, Mr. Weitzenhoffer provided the funding to begin the Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theatre at OU, a program that has quickly risen to become one of the most prestigious training grounds for musical theatre artists in the country. Mr. Weitzenhoffer is a highly acclaimed independent producer of over 50 productions in New York and London. His accomplishments include two Tony Awards, the 2001 Olivier Award (England’s equivalency of the Tony) for producing Defending the Caveman, (and a 2013 Olivier Award for Best Revival). He now serves as a visiting professor and consultant for the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.

Contact Max Weitzenhoffer: max.weitzenhoffer@ou.edu