Our Staff
Heather Closson
Executive Director
HEATHER CLOSSON has been a part of Fort Wayne Youtheatre since the 1999 production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!" as a performer, technician, teaching artist, director, and choreographer. Heather holds her Master's in Organizational Leadership (Nonprofit Management) from the University of Saint Francis and her Bachelor of Science in Dance from Ball State University.
As an arts administrator, Heather brings her experience in grant administration, program management, cultivating relationships, fund development, and fostering collaboration to Fort Wayne Youtheatre. Named one of Fort Wayne's 'The Eight Great of 2018,' she is proud to continually support Northeast Indiana's thriving arts community. Heather most recently served as Arts United's Vice President of Community Engagement.
Heather is excited to continue serving as a teaching artist and resident choreographer for Fort Wayne Youtheatre. Locally, she has choreographed for productions with Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, Fort Wayne Dance Collective, Arena Dinner Theatre, First Presbyterian Theatre, and Three Rivers Music Theatre. Specializing in musical theatre choreography, she has contributed to over thirty productions throughout the state and has received several awards recognizing her theatrical choreography. As an avid theatrical performer, Heather received the BroadwayWorld 2020 Regional Award: Dancer of the Decade for her performance in Sweeney Todd. Additionally, her performances in Annie, Sweeney Todd, Mary Poppins, and Thoroughly Modern Millie were recognized with Anthony Awards from the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre.
Outside of the office, Heather can often be found at home with her adorable pups Stella and Baileys. She also enjoys spending time with friends, finding new places to eat, and continues to volunteer with nonprofit organizations within the Fort Wayne community.
Christopher J. Murphy
Artistic Director
CHRISTOPHER J. MURPHY got his first taste of theatre when he saw a production of A Christmas Carol in elementary school. Awed and captivated by the stage magic, he's spent his entire professional life trying to recreate that feeling in other audiences.
Murphy began his long association with Youtheatre as an actor, then as a teacher and guest director before joining the organization full-time in 2016. In his current role as Artistic Director, he directs, teaches and oversees Youtheatre’s diverse programming of theatre arts.
Before coming to Youtheatre, Murphy spent twenty-two years as the Theatre Director at his alma mater, Blackhawk Middle School, from 1993-2015. In addition, Murphy has been a Master Teacher with F.A.M.E. (Foundation for Art and Music in Education) for fifteen years, taught FWCS adult acting classes, and traveled the United States teaching acting and musical theatre at PBS host Mark Kistler’s fine arts camps.
As an award-winning actor and director, Murphy’s work is regularly seen on stages throughout northeast Indiana, including the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre, First Presbyterian Theater, and Arena Dinner Theatre. In addition, he has worked extensively in the orchestral world, producing, writing, directing, and often hosting shows for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s Masterworks, Family, and Pops series. In 2015, he collaborated with composer Adrian Mann on “The Journey of Johnny Tincap,” a symphonic telling of the story of Johnny (Appleseed) Chapman, for which he wrote the narration. His adaptations and original narrative scripts for classic orchestral works have been produced from Norfolk, Virginia to San Diego, California.
Murphy is a proud resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he lives with the finest terrier known to man, Herbert Murphy. He is excited to share Youtheatre’s mission with the young artists of our community.
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Emma Humbarger
Administrative and Artistic Assistant Intern
EMMA HUMBARGER is delighted to continue her journey with Fort Wayne Youtheatre as an undergraduate intern and part-time administrative assistant. A proud alumna of Youtheatre, Emma spent her middle and high school years immersed in the world of theatre, whether backstage, onstage, or in the classroom. Her dedication and talent were recognized in 2022 when she received the Anthony Award for Excellence in Technical Theatre from the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre and in 2024, with Youtheatre’s Service to the Theatre award.
Currently, Emma is pursuing a degree in Visual Communications at Ivy Tech Fort Wayne, with plans to further her artistic education after earning her associate's degree. Passionate about stage management, theatre production, and theatre education for youth, Emma is excited to contribute her skills and enthusiasm to inspire the next generation of theatre lovers.
Kimee Gearhart started her Youtheatre journey back in the 2010s. Since then, she has been hooked and hasn't looked back! She comes from an interesting background as a former Youtheatre student, which she uses to her advantage as a frequent director, teaching artist, office administrator, and Director of Patron Experience. While in high school, she was one of the first recipients of the Harvey Cocks' Volunteer of the Year award. Kimee recently graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with her Bachelor's in Theatre Arts, and minors with Psychology and Business Administration. She was an active member of the Theatre Department both on and off stage during her time there. She hopes to use her background in theatre, and her college experience, to encourage the next generation of Youtheatre students to use their creativity unabashedly.
Teaching Artist
Kimee Gearhart
Lindsay Hoops
Teaching Artist
LINDSAY HOOPS has proudly been a part of the Fort Wayne theatre community for more than a decade. You may have seen her romping across the stage in some of her favorite local productions such as Les Miserables, Company, Jekyll & Hyde, Beauty and the Beast and A Comedy of Tenors. She’s had the privilege of participating as an actor, singer, assistant director and now teacher with Youtheatre in recent years. Lindsay holds a B.A. in Theatre Performance from Huntington University and has worked professionally both on stage and on film across the country since graduating in 2013. While living in Chicago, Lindsay landed a job as a Registered Behavior Technician in ABA Therapy, specifically because of her ability, through years of studying acting, “to listen and respond.” Thanks to a myriad of similar opportunities, Lindsay has learned that what we develop through good and honest acting goes far beyond the impact we make on stage. She’s very excited to share with the next generation of artists.
Alyssa Plisco
Teaching Artist
ALYSSA PLISCO loves working with her students to build strength, flexibility and confidence in their voice and performance style. Since completing her studies in Vocal Performance and Theatre Arts at Huntington University, Alyssa has been teaching, directing and performing in the greater Fort Wayne area. Over the past few years, Alyssa has worked with the following organizations: Fort Wayne Youtheatre, F.A.M.E, Fire and Light Academy, and The Creative Arts Council of Wells County. She also maintains a private vocal studio of 15 students. Alyssa is a vocal artist with Heartland Sings and loves to be involved in the local theatre scene when her schedule allows. Her favorite role will always, always, always be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz because Dorothy reminds us to appreciate our loved ones and the place we get to call home.
Gregory Stieber
Teaching Artist
GREGORY STIEBER has been with Youtheatre for more than 25 years as an actor, teacher, playwright and director. He is the creator of our Young Heroes of Conscience Series, writing & directing Mary’s Story, The Kid from Kokomo: The Ryan White Story, Ruby Bridges, and Remembering Anne. He has directed for Civic, Arena & FW Ballet. His other creations include Star Crossed for the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, An Evening Hamlet for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and I Will Wait: The Veterans Spouse Project with George John Productions. He was named Artist of the Year by Arts United in 2011 and 2015. He was recently awarded “One of the Righteous” from the Jewish Federation.
Audrey Watson
Teaching Artist
AUDREY WATSON joined Fort Wayne Youtheatre at the age of 12, performing in various shows over the years. Audrey continued her passion for theatre through high school, acting in and directing productions; and went on to earn her bachelors degree in theater through Purdue Fort Wayne. She has now returned to Youtheatre as a teaching artist, spreading her love for theatre to children of all ages while she pursues her elementary education teaching license. Audrey hopes to spread her love and respect for the arts to many children for years to come!
Ben Wedler
Resident Music Director
BEN WEDLER is a Fort Wayne-based musician, director and performer. Ben has served as Music Director for countless musicals at Arena, Youtheatre and Civic over the past fifteen years, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, Assassins, Seussical, Elf, Frozen and Sweeney Todd, to name just a few. He is a longtime member of the Arena Board of Directors. By day, he is the Music and Liturgy Director for St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church. Love and thanks to Leah, Evelyn, Henry & Ollie for the support that allows him to follow his passions.
Harvey Cocks
Emeritus
HARVEY COCKS
Born: April 3, 1925
Died: March 31, 2022
HARVEY COCKS may not literally have been, as the old theatre adage goes, “born in a trunk”…but close. Born in Glen Cove, Long Island, Harvey’s father was a vaudeville theatre manager who took his son to rehearsals and shows at the various theatres he managed throughout the country. Known as “the Boy on the Box” because “They put a box in the wings for me and I would sit and watch all the performers.” With such an upbringing, a life in the theatre seemed predestined.
Harvey first moved to Fort Wayne when his father became the first manager of the Emboyd Theatre (now known as the Embassy). He left when, at the age of 18, he booked a Broadway role on his first audition and was off to appear in the long-running comedy Life with Father. Harvey continued to work extensively in New York and regional theatre, appearing in such standards as Finian’s Rainbow and Pal Joey. His first directorial gig was attended by theatre legends Helen Hayes, Katherine Cornell and the Lunts. Harvey also spent 2 ½ years serving with the U.S. Army in Europe.
In 1971, he and his wife Jean returned to Fort Wayne to help his father run Quimby Village. In 1978, he became Executive/Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Youtheatre and the rest is history.
Todd Espeland
Emeritus
TODD ESPELAND served as Youtheatre's Executive/Artistic Director from 2018-2024. Prior to that, he served as Artistic Director of Commedia Zuppa Mask Company and the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. He also taught at Kalamazoo College and is a graduate of the world renowned Dell' Arte International. While at Dell' Arte, Todd did extensive post-graduate work in Mask, Clown, Circus Techniques, Commedia Dell' Arte and Physical Theatre. He holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Todd has extensive national and international credits, including his award-winning show BOXHEAD and Starfish Circus, a nonprofit that focuses on helping kids develop skills for healthy, active and enthusiastic lives through circus & performing arts.Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
Leslie Hormann
Emeritus
LESLIE HORMANN served Youtheatre for 8 years as the Executive & Artistic Director. She created our StoryBook Theatre, Backstage Insight, Preschool programming, and is the co-creator of our Young Heroes of Conscience Series. A graduate of IU-Bloomington, Leslie has more than 34 years of teaching under her belt with experience at FWCS, SWAC, EACS, and Abacus Learning Center. Leslie grew up in Youtheatre stage and has acted on the Civic, First Presbyterian and Arena stages. Leslie currently assists with our fundraising and leads Arts In Education workshops.
Youtheatre Guest Artists & Teachers
Reuben Albaugh
Ashley Benninghoff
Jeff Casazza
Emersen Conner
Gavin Drew
Marissa Drew
Brock Eastom
Luke Holliger
Jim Hulbert
Jan Klee
Maggie Kole-Hunter
Mandie Kolkman
Corey Lee
Gabrielle McAfee
Morgan Montgomery
Sophia Mossburg
Todd Sandman-Cruz
Rachel "Rae" Surface
Youtheatre Board of Directors
Erin Lowden - President
Martin Fisher - Vice President
Dr. Ken Bugajski - Secretary
Hannah Janssen - Treasurer
Theresa A. Brady
Rob Kline
David Nelson
Kari Smith
Larry Wardlaw
M Susana Worth
