Table of Contents
Scroll through the handbook, or click the links below to go straight to the section of your choice.
Attendance Procedures
Check-in will be from 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily. We want everyone to arrive safely, so we ask that you not arrive any earlier than 8:45 a.m., when we can guarantee a Conservatory staff member will be present. Please arrive by 9:00 a.m., as important instruction is given at the day’s start. We do not provide after-care, so students must be picked up or self-dismissed every day by 4:30 p.m.
Alley Conservatory will be held at the Alley Theatre at 615 Texas Ave. Students may be dropped off and picked up in Nina Vance Alley, located on Texas Avenue between the theatre building and the Alley Garage. Parking is not allowed in the alleyway. Please refer to the map for details.
For students driving themselves, Theater District Parking is the preferred garage. The entrance to this garage is located off Texas Avenue between Smith and Louisiana streets. Metered street parking is also available. Parking cards for the Alley garage may be provided pending availability.
Due to the strong focus on ensemble, each student has a vital role. Therefore, accumulative absences and tardies can result in your dismissal from Conservatory without a refund. Please check your calendar and notify us in writing of any dates that your child will need to arrive late or leave early. You can send attendance notes to Esme LeJeune Wu at esmew@alleytheatre.org.
If you are running late please call or text our camp administrators with the Google Voice number: (832) 930-2622
What to Bring
Food: Please bring a healthy lunch and low-sugar snacks. Students will not be dismissed to go offsite for lunch. Unfortunately, vending machines, microwaves, and refrigerators are not available. NOTE: This year, Conbservatory is a Nut-Free Zone.
Drink: Only water will be allowed in Conservatory classrooms. All students are encouraged to bring their water bottles.
Notebook, folder, pens, and pencils: Between writing class and announcements/information, there's a lot to write down. Students will be provided with a Composition notebook on Day 1 of camp, but it is helpful to bring your own writing utensil.
Phones and devices: To keep our attention in the room, cell phones and other personal electronic devices must remain out of sight and silent. Occasionally, phones may be used to assist with particular assignments on a case-by-case basis. Because students will not always have access to their devices, if you need to reach your child during the day, please call or message the camp administrator.
Alley Theatre is not responsible for lost or damaged items.
Attire
Clothing: Students need to be free to express themselves. Dancewear, exercise clothes, pants, and T-shirts are recommended. Students should not wear restrictive clothing, low-cut shirts, skirts, dresses, or anything that inhibits movement.
The Alley can be cold at times, so students are encouraged to bring a sweater or a sweatshirt. Students may keep a backpack or bag within the theatre and may bring a towel to use for floor exercises if they have neck or back issues.
Comfortable, closed-toed shoes: Students will be participating in a variety of active theatre exercises and artistic endeavors. Being able to move around freely and safely is extremely important. Students should wear closed-toed shoes and clothing that is appropriate for movement each day.
Alley Theatre will not be responsible for any lost items of clothing.
Emergencies & Medical Needs
Emergency Forms: The health and safety of students are a priority. Please make sure to fill out your required forms before the first day of Conservatory. Completed forms must be handed to the camp administrator.
Medical or other concerns: It is important for us to be aware of any medical concerns that could hinder a student’s performance such as sports injuries, asthma, or other conditions that might need attention. Alley Conservatory will need a written action plan that details any symptoms and what is to be done in the event of an emergency.
Allergies: It is very important that you inform Alley Conservatory staff of any allergies that may impact your student’s ability to participate in Conservatory.
Illness: Students showing signs of illness, especially fever or flu-like symptoms, should stay at home and will receive an excused absence. Please call or message the camp administrator.
Medication: Unless a student is having an allergic reaction, the Alley Conservatory staff is unable to administer any type of medication. If your student needs medication, they must be able to administer it themselves. Parents can also arrange for someone to come to the theatre to administer medication.
Conservatory Campus Map
Contact Information
Conservatory Phone (Google Voice): (832) 930-2622
Esme LeJeune Wu
School Programs Manager
Camp Administrator
Office Phone: 713-315-5425
Email: EsmeW@alleytheatre.org
Chaney Tullos
Director of Education Programs
Camp Director
Office Phone: 713-315-5442
Email: ChaneyT@alleytheatre.org
Elena Valladolid-Rivera
Marketing & Sales Associate
Office Phone: 713-315-5424
Email: ElenaVR@alleytheatre.org
Conservatory Teaching Artists & Staff
Annie Wild (she/her)
Voice
Annie is an actor currently based out of Houston with a BFA in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory. She has lived and performed in NYC, Los Angeles, Houston and other parts of Texas. She was most recently seen performing at The Alley Theatre in Hilary Bettis’ Untitled Horse Play. A native Houstonian, she has loved working with The Alley as a TA since 2018. You can also find Annie on film (most recently The Dancing Monkey) and voice acting for audiobooks with Hachette Audio and anime with Sentai Filmworks. When not performing, Annie loves to cook, spend time with family, go camping with her partner, Jeremy and snuggle with their chonky black cat, Spooky Mama.
BlackBluez
Slam Poetry
Bluez is a writer, poet, and actor who has been performing poetry in Houston since 2002. He was introduced to slam poetry competitions in 2007 and has been on more slam teams than anyone else in Houston, TX. He created his own “chap book” and recorded an album of his poetic offerings. Next, he became the primary director and stage manager for JalaWorld Productions. He began coaching critically acclaimed and rewarded slam teams in 2016. Shortly after, he became a Slam Poetry and Creative Writing Teaching Artist. In 2023, he released a book of poetry entitled, “A Coward’s Funeral” and has been lighting stages up with dynamic performances of his new collection.
Brendan Bourque-Sheil (he/him)
Playwriting
Brendan Bourque-Sheil's plays include Dogrose Patrol (written with Madison Smith), Sunrise Coven, Between Two Caves, and The Book of Maggie. His work has been produced in Houston, New York City, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Ann Arbor. He’s been a finalist for the National Playwright’s Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, the Reva Shiner Comedy Award, and Southwest Theatre Productions “Plays With a Strong Female Lead” Competition, and a winner of the Moondance International Film Festival Stage Play Competition. He has participated in the Stillwright Retreat and won the Writer's Colony's “Real People, Real Struggles, Real Stories: Writing About Mental Illness” Fellowship. For ten years, he has worked as a teaching artist for Alley Theatre, and a consultant in Creative Writing for the Kinder High School of Performing and Visual Arts. He’s a member of the Rec Room Writers Group and The Dramatist Guild. He also tells personal narrative stories for a live audience at shows including Grown-Up Storytime, City Cast Houston, and World Channel's "Stories From the Stage." He enjoys learning American Sign Language and taking long walks in graveyards.
Chaney Tullos (he/him)
Director
Chaney has worked regionally as an actor, director, and stage manager. He has performed with companies including Ford’s Theatre, the American Shakespeare Center, Virginia Stage Company, The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, SITI Company, and the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival. Before moving to Houston, he served as Associate Artistic Director of the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival and was an adjunct faculty member at Tulane University where he taught courses in Acting, Shakespeare, and Stage Management. Additionally, Chaney also served on the faculty of the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts where he helped students earn spots in the nation’s best acting programs. He holds an MFA in Acting from LSU and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Jen Onopa (she/her)
Acting, Devising
Jen is a director and educator who is passionate about innovative approaches to theater making, community engagement, and teaching and learning. She has directed and produced numerous devised performances, contemporary plays, and works of puppetry in New York City, Chicago, and Massachusetts, and has toured work to the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, South Africa. She is a co-founder of the Massachusetts-based Re/Emergence Collective, which makes performances centering community healing. An educator for 25 years, she has taught for the New York City Department of Education, Mount Holyoke College, UMass Amherst, Redmoon Theater, and the Creative Arts Team in NYC.
Esme L. Wu (she/her)
Camp Administrator, Playwriting
Esme is a Houston playwright, actress, and educator who received her MA in Playwriting from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she graduated with Distinction in 2012. Her original works include The Visit (Landing Theatre/Houston), Tuning In (White Bear Theatre/London), In the Absence of Grace (MISK Theatre/London, Bierkeller New Writing Platform/Bristol), and Metanoia (MISK Theatre/London), All of This Seems True (workshop reading at Soho Theatre/London), and The Mariner (Cohen New Works Festival at UT Austin). In addition to playwriting and acting, she is one of two playwriting instructors for the Alley Conservatory, and manages in-school programs for the Alley Theatre, which delivers over 800 hours of Arts Education programming in the Greater Houston Area each school year.
Julia Krohn (she/her)
Movement
Julia's credits include: Original Las Vegas company of Jersey Boys (Lorraine); NYC Credits: ABBA’s Kristina (pre-Broadway workshop), Joy (Off-Broadway); Regional: Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Mack and Mable; TUTS: Anything Goes, Cats, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Camelot, Man of La Mancha, Spamalot, A Chorus Line, Elf, Hands on a Hardbody, Sweet Potato Queens, All Shook Up, The Ugly Christmas Sweater Musical; Alley Theatre: Cowboy Bob, A Christmas Carol, Sherlock Holmes, Toward Zero, Quack, The Three Musketeers; Catastrophic Theatre: Small Ball; 4th Wall Theatre: The Father; Teaching experience: St. John’s School (Houston), The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Houston), The Professional Performing Arts School (NYC); First Place both as Presidential Scholar In the Arts and NFAA.
Madison Creech
Conservatory Intern
Madison is a current Sophomore at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She is earning a BFA in Production: Stage Management. Madison is so excited to be interning with The Alley Conservatory this summer! Her most recent works include Assistant Stage Manager for The Winter's Tale, Intimate Apparel, How to be a Heartbreaker and The Fall Dance Concert with The Pittsburgh Playhouse.
Rain
Slam Poetry
Rain is a Texas raised artist who has been writing for as many years as she can remember. From local venues such as the Redefinition Experience at the Ensemble Theatre to states across America, she has captivated audiences with her performances. In addition to being a nationally known slam poet, playwright, and published writer – Rain is the coach and 2018 Slam Champ for the “Gawd Slam!” Poetry Team, a four-year Word Around Town Touring Artist, and has emcee’d a weekly poetry and music show alongside legendary DJ Robert “Showbiz” Mosley on KCOH Radio. Having been declared by The Houston Chronicle as one of Houston’s most talented artists, Rain also received the 2016 Eye on Excellence Award, a Lone Star State Emmy, and “Artist of the Month” in Dialogue Magazine. She also wrote a poem for KHOU Channel 11 Houston which aired during the Super Bowl and the Grammy’s. Rain is the voice and writer of the Hurricane Harvey relief commercial on channel 11 and has appeared in KTRK 13 News commercials as well. She is the proprietor of “RAW EMOTIONS ENTERTAINMENT” and carries just that into her leading role as Skyy Rivers in the poACTry stage play, 48. Rain lives for art but sites a strong education as one of life’s most important tools. She channels this belief into both her job as a teaching artist at WITS and Alley Theatre and her own education as a graduate of Communications at University of Houston.
Sarah Marek
Conservatory Intern
Sarah Marek is an Alley Summer Conservatory intern from Spring, Texas. She is currently a sophomore at Texas State University, studying to earn her BFA in Theatre-Technical Production with a concentration in Stage Management. Some of her high school theatre experiences took place at Grand Oaks High School where she acted in ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’, student directed ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’, and was the captain of the school’s Improv team.
Skye Bronfenbrenner (she/her)
Intimacy
Skye Bronfenbrenner is a teacher, fight director, intimacy director, director, actor, and storyteller specializing in movement. She currently teaches BFA Movement for the Actor at the University of Houston’s School of Theatre and Dance and has taught Movement and Stage Combat at Rice University, Kinder High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, and teaches Movement/Combat for HGO’s Bauer Studio as well as their Young Artist’s Vocal Academy. Her fight and intimacy direction has been seen at Catastrophic Theatre, Rec Room Arts, Thunderclap Productions, Rice University (Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts and the Shepherd School of Music), and the University of Houston (School for Theatre and Dance as well as the Moores School of Music). She graduated with an MFA in Acting from the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Houston and has performed at Stages (Roe) and the Houston Shakespeare Festival (Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth) here in town, as well as the National Tours of Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls, and the international tour of Shrek the Musical.