About
Venice Theatre Youth Programs include theatre workshops, classes, and productions, along with a Youth Production Company and the Troupe in A Trunk Community Engagement Program. The program also offers summer student programs, theatre programs for elementary through high school, speech and debate coaching, directing shows, reading to classrooms, theatre classes, chorus classes, drama classes, dual enrollment music classes, music directing, and piano performance.
• Ages: 14–18 years old
The education and community engagement team includes Sandy Davisson (Director of Education & Community Engagement), Kelly Duyn (Assistant Director of Education & Community Engagement), Brad Wages (Lead Instructor), and Tarah Hart (Arts Integration Specialist), along with Executive Director Kristofer Geddie, Interim Artistic Director/Restoration Supervisor Murray Chase, and Resident Music Director Michelle Kasanofsky. Sandy received an M.A. in Theatre History and Criticism from the State University of New York and an MFA in Directing at Florida Atlantic University. Kelly holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Central Florida, has teaching certifications in multiple disciplines, and has a 20-year teaching resume, and she has coached a nationally ranked speech and debate team. Brad holds a B.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma and is described as an award-winning actor, director, and choreographer. Tarah received a degree in Elementary Education and has spent 12 years teaching students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Geddie holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and an MA in Arts Administration and serves on multiple boards and committees, including the Ambassador Circle for Embracing Our Differences, the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access+ committee for Southeastern Theatre Conference, and the board of the American Association of Community Theatre as President. Michelle studied jazz piano at Berklee College of Music and classical piano at Boston University, holds a B.A. cum laude from Dowling College, a Master of Science in Music Education from C. W. Post Long Island University, and an Education Leadership Specialist degree from Nova Southeastern University, and she was selected as Charlotte County’s Teacher of the Year in 2014.
VT’s Youth Company creates opportunities for high school age students to develop portfolio material for college applications, work as a group to propose the parameters of projects they are interested in doing, and engage in projects that impact Venice Theatre while developing collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity skills. The 2024–2025 VT Youth Company members are listed by name in program materials, and their spring 2025 project was a production of The Grown-Ups, presented May 21–25. Classes connected with Venice Theatre are described as being offered for ages 5–105. Venice Theatre is rebuilding the mainstage Jervey Theatre following devastation from Hurricane Ian, and Venice Theatre Inc. is described as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Community involvement connected to Venice Theatre Youth Programs includes Kelly facilitating theatre workshops with local schools, clubs, and organizations, reading to classrooms through Embracing Our Differences, collaborating with other arts education programmers, and working with the local Chamber of Commerce, where she served as the 2019–2020 chair of the Venice Area Young Professionals. Geddie’s community roles include serving as treasurer of the Florida Theatre Conference, Florida State community theatre representative, and board member of the Friends of the Venice Public Library, Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, and Squeaky Wheel Theatre Group. Venice Theatre has hosted the international theatre festival actWORLDFEST four consecutive times, and volunteers are described as “the heart of Venice Theatre.” A statement from Arts Integration Specialist Tarah Hart notes that as the area grows with new faces and families, Venice Theatre continues to bring the arts to people of different ages and levels of theatre experience and invites the community to look for future events that connect Venice Theatre and the community in new ways.
Last updated May 13, 2026.
• Ages: 14–18 years old
The education and community engagement team includes Sandy Davisson (Director of Education & Community Engagement), Kelly Duyn (Assistant Director of Education & Community Engagement), Brad Wages (Lead Instructor), and Tarah Hart (Arts Integration Specialist), along with Executive Director Kristofer Geddie, Interim Artistic Director/Restoration Supervisor Murray Chase, and Resident Music Director Michelle Kasanofsky. Sandy received an M.A. in Theatre History and Criticism from the State University of New York and an MFA in Directing at Florida Atlantic University. Kelly holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Central Florida, has teaching certifications in multiple disciplines, and has a 20-year teaching resume, and she has coached a nationally ranked speech and debate team. Brad holds a B.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma and is described as an award-winning actor, director, and choreographer. Tarah received a degree in Elementary Education and has spent 12 years teaching students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Geddie holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and an MA in Arts Administration and serves on multiple boards and committees, including the Ambassador Circle for Embracing Our Differences, the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access+ committee for Southeastern Theatre Conference, and the board of the American Association of Community Theatre as President. Michelle studied jazz piano at Berklee College of Music and classical piano at Boston University, holds a B.A. cum laude from Dowling College, a Master of Science in Music Education from C. W. Post Long Island University, and an Education Leadership Specialist degree from Nova Southeastern University, and she was selected as Charlotte County’s Teacher of the Year in 2014.
VT’s Youth Company creates opportunities for high school age students to develop portfolio material for college applications, work as a group to propose the parameters of projects they are interested in doing, and engage in projects that impact Venice Theatre while developing collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity skills. The 2024–2025 VT Youth Company members are listed by name in program materials, and their spring 2025 project was a production of The Grown-Ups, presented May 21–25. Classes connected with Venice Theatre are described as being offered for ages 5–105. Venice Theatre is rebuilding the mainstage Jervey Theatre following devastation from Hurricane Ian, and Venice Theatre Inc. is described as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Community involvement connected to Venice Theatre Youth Programs includes Kelly facilitating theatre workshops with local schools, clubs, and organizations, reading to classrooms through Embracing Our Differences, collaborating with other arts education programmers, and working with the local Chamber of Commerce, where she served as the 2019–2020 chair of the Venice Area Young Professionals. Geddie’s community roles include serving as treasurer of the Florida Theatre Conference, Florida State community theatre representative, and board member of the Friends of the Venice Public Library, Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative, and Squeaky Wheel Theatre Group. Venice Theatre has hosted the international theatre festival actWORLDFEST four consecutive times, and volunteers are described as “the heart of Venice Theatre.” A statement from Arts Integration Specialist Tarah Hart notes that as the area grows with new faces and families, Venice Theatre continues to bring the arts to people of different ages and levels of theatre experience and invites the community to look for future events that connect Venice Theatre and the community in new ways.
Last updated May 13, 2026.
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