MEET OUR TEACHING STAFF!
Rachel Johnson is an SYT alum, and a graduate of Wofford College with a BA in theatre and music. Aside from teaching, Rachel has combined her passions to become a music director and composer for musical theatre. Her favorite works so far have been composing the music for the world premiere of The Missing Moon by Kerry Ferguson, and arranging/ composing the score for Failure: A Love Story at Wofford Theatre. When not at the theatre (which is rare), Rachel enjoys reading, playing piano, and cuddling with her poodle named Poodle.
Mary Thalassinos is a 2020 graduate of Wofford College, where she received a BA in Theatre. In 2018 she interned for Spartanburg Youth Theatre and upon graduating, she began working for the organization. She has experience in performance, education, sound design, choreographing, and directing. A Spartanburg native, she is thrilled to be working with SYT - the place where she fell in love with theatre so many years ago!
Maddie Tisdel is excited for her first season as Education Coordinator at the Spartanburg Youth Theatre! She graduated cum laude from Converse University with a double major in musical theatre and history. She has worked professionally in the Upstate since 2018 at the Warehouse Theatre, South Carolina Children’s Theatre, Centere Stage, Glow Lyric Theatre, Scrappy Shakespeare, Sparkle City Improv, and her favorite place, SYT! She loves being an instructor and director here; helping kids connect through the joy of play and storytelling. She also loves broadening theatre accessibility in Spartanburg through SYT On Tour. Outside of theatre, Maddie enjoys cooking and baking, gardening, and spending time with her partner Austin and her cat Al.
Olivia Woodall is a graduate of SUNY Fredonia with a BFA in Musical Theatre, and is both a former student of SYT and has been in several SLT productions. Some of her favorite memories of being at SYT include playing the roles of Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web, Spider in James and the Giant Peach, Jr., and stage managing Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Most recently, she has been touring with Missoula Children’s Theatre as Tour Actor-Director, working with kids all across the country to put on a full-length musical every week! When Olivia is not busy being immersed in the world of theatre, she enjoys spending time with all of her loved ones, playing video games, and spending time in nature.