WHITNEY DAYBERRY is a talented performer, choreographer, and teacher. She received her Associates Degree with a Dance Specialization from Tarrant County College Northwest and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance from Texas Woman’s University. Whitney has had the opportunity to study under many artists including Gregory Hines, Melba Huber, Lacreacia Sanders, and Jill Gandara as well as dancing with several companies:  Phase 2, Mosaic Dance Company, and Danceworks - with whom she was invited to perform at the annual ACDFA concerts on more than one occasion.  Additionally, two of Whitney’s choreographed pieces, “Undertow” and “Tribute” were highlighted during various Danceworks concerts.  Whitney has also performed in such full length ballets as Giselle, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker, along with an array of musicals and theatrical productions including “Rags,” “Never the Sinner,” “Bye, Bye, Birdie,” “The Sound of Music,” and a variety of Dinner Theatre shows.  Teaching dance has been a joy for Whitney as well as the study and instruction of Pilates.  Prior to graduating from TWU Whitney taught a variety of dance styles at Sallie’s School of Dance in Fort Worth.  Following her 2007 graduation, Whitney married the apple of her eye, Riley Dayberry and they moved to Abilene to begin their married life together.  Currently, Whitney is a contracted artist with Young Audiences of Abilene and this summer she will perform in the cast of the Paramount Theatre’s production of Jekyll & Hyde.  Whitney and her husband are the proud parents of Deuce and Dexter, their two doggies.  Whitney instructs Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, First Steps, Musical Theatre, & Pilates.

KAREN HIGGINS is an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer. She received both her BFA/MS in Dance and Psychology at West Virginia University. She was the Director of the Children’s Dance Department at West Virginia University and staff member of the West University Dance Department.  Karen was a member of the Orchesis Modern Dance Company for eight years and founder and director of the JACDO contemporary dance company for five years in Charleston, West Virginia. Karen worked three years at The Federal Bureau o Prisons to develop an innovative wellness program that was implemented nationally throughout the federal prison system. She also worked as an adolescent addictions counselor for 6 years and served as crisis specialist for Union Carbide Corporation. Since join in the APAC team, Karen has helped develop and expand the dance and musical theatre departments. She has choreographed and staged all of the annual APAC/Paramount children’s musicals as well as develop the new musical theatre summer camps. This year she began directing Fusion Dance Company, an elite pre-professional dance company for young talented APAC dancers. She continues her work promoting the arts throughout the Abilene community as well as serving as a guest dance artist and choreographer at workshops and conventions throughout the United States.  Karen is married to Dr. Henry Higgins and they have four children, Isaac, Lauren, Ian, and Adam. Karen teaches Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop & Musical Theatre.

ANN HURST is a graduate of McMurry University with a major in secondary education.  From 2001 to 2004, Ann taught theatre arts in the public school system, and served as a director of APAC/NCCIL summer camps.  In 2004, Ann became a full-time mom, and in 2005 she joined the APAC staff as a teacher.  She loves working with young people to help build their confidence through the craft of theatre.  Her most recent directing credits include last summer’s Guys and Dolls Jr. and one-act adaptations of A Christmas Carol and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Ann is also currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Performing Arts Series. She is the proud wife of Luke, and mother to two daughters: Gracie, 3, and one-month-old Hannah.  Ann teaches Theatre & Kindermusik.

SARAH SLAUGHTER HUGHES is an accomplished and awarded actress, director, and playwright has created, performed, and taught across the U.S.A., from Texas to Washington, and from Los Angeles, to Miami. She received her BFA in Theatre and a minor in Special Education from Southwestern University of Georgetown, TX. Most recently, Sarah spent several years as a Resident Actor and Playwright at Casa Manana Theater in Fort Worth, TX. She performed for over 100,000 audience members annually, in familiar popular productions like Disney's Aladdin, Schoolhouse Rock, and also in classics such as The Sword in the Stone, The Emperor's New Clothes, and Frosty the Snowman. She was Commissioned by this regional theater to write new musical "modernly-classic" version of age old tales, like Little Red Riding Hood, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Jungle Book, and Treasure Island, to be included in their season, as well as create completely new stories such as, The Princess and the Pirate, and Santa is Missing! Sarah has also been commissioned to write musicals in South Florida, and for an acting school in Washington state. She was voted "Young Artist of the Year" award by the Live Theater League in Dallas/ Fort Worth, and  won several best actress awards throughout her college career. With Casa Manana, Sarah was also producer, choreographer, musical director, and designer for the "Casa Kids," a group of the highest level of teenage performers in the metroplex, and touring north Texas as an Outreach Program. This summer,  you'll see her playing Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde at the Paramount Theater. She is overjoyed to have found APAC, and looks forward to APAC's "dramatic" future! Sarah teaches Theatre & Musical Theatre.

AMY KRAKE is currently in her fifth season with APAC. She is a 2003 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Business. Amy has appeared in several HSU Musical Theatre, Abilene Collegiate Opera, and community productions including the Paramount Theatre's Summer Musicals "Smokey Joe's Café" and “Ragtime” were she was featured as Evelyn Nesbit. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional international music fraternity for women, Pi Kappa Lambda, National Music Honor Society and the Kindermusik Educators Association. After noticing a void in the Abilene community of quality creative programming for young children, Amy became a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and brought Kindermusik International to APAC. Previously, Amy worked full-time for APAC, serving as Assistant Director before deciding to step into part-time work allowing her to be at home more with her family. Amy has also performed as a contract artist with Young Audiences of Abilene and she taught music and drama at Kenley School for two years. In addition to working at APAC, Amy is currently contracted with the Classical Chorus of Abilene and will be stepping in as the Marketing and Special Events Director next season. She is also currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Performing Arts Series.  Amy and her husband, Jonathan, joyfully welcomed their first child, Conner Paul, in November 2006 and are expecting their second son, Camden Daniel, in August 2008. They are also the proud parents of their two adorable labs, Stanley and Ollie. Amy is the Creative Designer of APAC and teaches Kindermusik.

ROB MARCELAIN is a 1991 graduate of Abilene Christian University receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre.  While there he appeared in productions of Noises Off, Othello, Midsummer's Night Dream, The Merchant Of Venice and The Man of La Mancha among others. From 1991 to 2001 he worked at the Paramount Theatre as the Technical Director. In addition to the technical duties there he also directed one years production of West Texas' Christmas Carol and A Grand Night for Singing. Rob has been married to Tammy for 13 years and they have three kids. Derek 11 and twins Jack and Sophie who are 9. Rob instructs Theatre.

ADAM POYNOR, a native from Abilene, graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 2005 earning a bachelor's degree in Music Education and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting in the Spring of 2007.  During his time as a student at HSU, Adam received the 2004 Presser Award from the HSU School of Music, and was selected as one of the six musicians to perform at the Honors Concert with the Collegiate Orchestra.  He has performed in many local productions including: South Pacific, Swing, Smokey Joe's Café, Ragtime, Oklahoma!, Big River, Joseph..., Civil War, and Hello Dolly! at the Paramount; along with Fantasticks, A Funny Thing...Forum, Forever Plaid, and Cabaret at Abilene Community Theater. He has also performed with Abilene Opera Association, and HSU's Opera program in which he conducted Mozart's The Impressario.  In 2007, Adam played the lead role of Jimmy in McMurry Summer Dinner Theatre’s Production of Thouroughly Modern Millie.  Performing, studying dance, singing, teaching and instructing voice are artistic talents that Adam continues to enjoy.  In addition to these artistic abilities Adam has a great passion for conducting.  He has been able to fulfill this passion as the guest conductor for the past three years of the Albany Community Chorus, as the director of Memory Men, the local barber shop chorus, and as the music director for Paramount Productions (Jekyll & Hyde and The Producers) and McMurry's Summer Dinner Theatre (Little Women and Sweeney Todd).  Adam is Assistant Director at APAC and he instructs Musical Theatre & Private Voice.   

BARB STOCKDALE hails from Council Bluffs, Iowa where she began her early dance training with Donna Wood. Later, while attending the University of Colorado, she trained with Leon de Isla, former principle of Ballet West, and also danced with the Rocky Mountain Ballet. Through her 31 years of teaching, she has studied with many outstanding instructors such as Bobby Burgess, Gus Giordano, Luigi, Roni Mahler, and Steven Mills. She has taught at studios and Air Force Bases in Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Nebraska before sinking her roots in Abilene. During her time in Texas, Barb performed eleven years with a regional ballet company, and was a contract artist with Young Audiences of Abilene for six years. She currently teaches at Allie Ward Elementary during the day, and APAC in the evenings. Barb is married to Mark, and is the very proud mom of Chris, an APAC student, Steve, a senior music major at Texas Tech, and Drum Major of the Goin’ Band from Raiderland , and Meredith, a first grade teacher in Cedar Park, TX. This summer Barb will add “mother-in-law” to her list of titles as Meredith marries Adam Wooderson of Austin, TX. Barb teaches Ballet & Tap.

KRISTIN WARD joined the faculty of APAC in 2007 as a Kindermusik instructor. She and her husband Steven joined the music faculty of Abilene Christian University in 2006, where she serves as instructor of clarinet, and teaches courses in the areas of jazz voice, music education, and ear training. Kristin previously taught at Hope College and Alma College in Michigan as well as Eastern Oregon University. She holds a master's degree in clarinet performance from Michigan State University, and has a bachelor's degree in music education from Abilene Christian University. As a clarinetist, she performs with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra and has also performed throughout Michigan and Oregon, including the Grand Rapids, Lansing, West Shore, Midland, and Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestras. She has appeared as soloist with the ACU Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band as well as the Hope College Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, and Wind Symphony; Michigan State University Wind Symphony, Contemporary Music Ensemble, and Concert Band; and the Grande Ronde Symphonic Band. Also an accomplished jazz vocalist, Kristin performed in the 1997 Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival and was a participant in the International Association of Jazz Educators pilot program "Sisters in Jazz." Kristin has been published in the Clarinet Journal and taught in the summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. She taught in the Kindermusik of Holland, MI studio from 2001-2006. She is married to Steven Ward, Director of Bands at ACU, and they have two children Joshua and Karissa. Kristin teaches Kindermusik.

LANIE WESTMAN is a 1993 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University where she received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education. Lanie married in the summer of 1993 and began teaching Elementary Music in the fall with the AISD.  She resigned from teaching in December of 2000 after her second child was born.  In January, 2001 she was hired as the Executive Director of Abilene Performing Arts Company.  Along with  directing and teaching at APAC Lanie continues to perform and has done so with the Abilene Opera Association, McMurry Summer Dinner Theatre, ACT Theatre, Pioneer Drive Baptist Church’s “Jesus, His Story”, Paramount Productions, and is a contracted artist with Young Audiences of Abilene.  Lanie has recently appeared in the Paramount Theatre's Summer Musicals “Swing,” "Smokey Joe's Café," and was featured as Mother in "Ragtime.” Lanie is married to Rob Westman and they are proud parents of two boys; Joshua, a student at Craig Middle School and Jess, a student at Thomas Elementary.  The remaining Westman’s have more than two legs, Muffy and Pixie (Shih-tzu and Lhasa Apso), and Frank…the Turtle.  Lanie is the Executive Director of APAC and she teaches Musical Theatre.