MEG STEINER
Artistic Director
Meg Hubbarth Steiner is the fairest theatre geek in the land. Theatre hit her when she was far too young to understand that a life devoted to creativity, while fulfilling, is not for the faint of heart. If she could go back in time, she might ask engineering or accounting to hit her, but she doesn’t care to dwell on the past. She’s better suited for visualizing the future. Theatre chose her, so she chose it back, and has been practicing, performing, and teaching the craft across the globe for many years.
A native of Austin, Meg grew up immersed in performance through Austin Musical Theatre, Austin Cabaret Theatre, and Zach Scott educational programs. She shared the stage with iconic performing artists including Larry Gatlin, Pamela Myers, Kristin Chenoweth, and Lauren Worsham. Her adolescence took her through the Starlight Theatre Program at Bowie High School and on to Philadelphia, PA where she earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of the Arts. While in Philadelphia, her passion for education ignited after directing high school students in a summer intensive program. She was then gifted the opportunity to teach at the prestigious Leysin American School in Switzerland where she directed and choreographed several productions with students wishing to learn English through submersion in Western creative culture.
Meg works as a theatre teacher in Dripping Springs. She dedicates the majority of her time to educational theatre, and has written, produced, choreographed, designed, and directed many productions with the world’s best kids. Meg considers herself a recruiter of magic makers and an empathetic maximizer who values action, risk taking, grit, and collaboration in the learning environment. She’s not a fan of arbitrary limitations or authoritarianism. She’s a fan of work. She’s a fan of growth. She is always choosing. She is always learning. She asks her students and collaborators to do the same.
In addition to teaching, Meg is an active participant in the thriving Central Texas theatre community. She has performed and choreographed with many companies including Zilker Theatre Productions, Austin Theatre Project, The Wimberley Players, Soubrette Productions, and City Theatre Company. She loves what theatre offers, and strives to instill her passion and drive into the lives of others so that they may share the experience of cultivating a rich, authentic, and well-lived life.
NORAH MARTIN
Production Director
Norah Martin began her career backstage in theatre over a decade ago as an assistant costumer. Since then, Norah has been heavily involved in San Marcos, Wimberley, and Dripping Springs theatre as a costume designer, producer, hair stylist and makeup artist, actor, props maker, light operator as well as print marketing and playbill designer.
You may have seen Norah's most recent costume work in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Next to Normal at the Wimberley Players or in The Lion King Jr, Seussical Jr, and The Addams Family Young@Part at Meteor Theatre.
Norah's background is in business management and she handles all things operational for On Stage Ready.
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TREVOR DETLING
Drum and Thunder Drums Performance Group
Instructor
Trevor Detling is a fixture in Austin music. He has performed in over 210 musical productions as a percussionist in the Austin area and traveled the world over as a performer.
Mr. Detling is formerly the Head of Percussion at St. Stephen's Episcopal School since 1998, and formerly at St. Edward's University from 2012 to 2020.
He founded Thunder Drums Percussion in 1994 and is the author of over a dozen publications about drumming.
It is his dream to begin a drum performance group in Dripping Springs and is so excited to share his enthusiasm and knowledge at On Stage Ready.
HELENA BJELETICH
Camp Director and Acting Instructor
Helena Bjeletich is a storyteller at heart, and has been fascinated with staging and directing productions since her elementary school days, when she directed amateur films with tight ensemble casts in her backyard and on the playground. She loves telling stories, whether it's in casual conversation, in a video game or film, or through an elaborately coordinated theatre production. Helena believes in creating a safe and fun environment, where kids learn to express themselves, to listen and respond, to be empathetic and disciplined – and to become storytellers themselves.
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We call her the "kid whisperer" and she works her magic at our camps and in our weekly acting classes. She was the Camp Director of our Sing, Encanto, and Frozen camps in Summer of 2022, and teaches Imagination Group (age 4 through grade 2) and Acting & Improv (grades 3-5).
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Helena graduated from DSHS in 2021, where she served as President of Troupe 6261 Thespians, and was heavily involved with DSHS theatre both as an actor and crew member.
She currently studies Arts and Entertainment Technologies at UT Austin.
SYDNEY BURRIS
Vocal Instructor
Sydney Burris is a certified voice teacher & coach, as well as a regularly performing singer, songwriter and actress in the greater Austin area. Growing up as an Air Force kid who moved often, she found wonderful community through local performing arts groups wherever her family was stationed. These experiences created in Sydney a strong advocacy for the impact that the arts can have on the individual as well as a local community.
Sydney received her B.A. in Commercial Music from Florida State University in 2013, and earned a Voice Teacher Training Certificate with New York Vocal Coaching in 2020. Having received a diverse singing education in both classical and contemporary environments, she enjoys bringing together the best of both worlds to equip singers with the tools to meet their individual and unique goals. Locally, she has performed and music directed in productions with The Wimberley Players, caroled with The Vintage Dreams, and performs regularly with her husband Cole in their 80's inspired, pop-rock band, Goons.
JOSH KING
Acting and Improv Instructor, Camp Counselor
Josh King has loved acting since day one of middle school improv games, and hasn't left the stage since.
He received Best Actor for his performance in A Lie of the Mind 5A UIL One Act competition while at Dripping Springs High School. At Reed College, Josh assistant directed "Late A Cowboy Story" as a freshman, and starred in Ionesco's "Rhinoceros," and "The Oh Fnck Moment."
Josh began his stand up career in Portland, Oregon, and performed over a hundred times to audiences. Stand up became a new format to explore and learn about acting.
Josh has worked with three improv troupes, and performed in six cities. He was accepted into The Eugene O'Neill National Theatre Institute, studying in London with the Theatre troupe Complicit, and the world famous Richard Digby Day.
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COVID led Josh back home to work on film sets and attend Texas State University, aimed to expand his film acting ability.
Josh has experience with private and group lessons, teaching zoom improv lessons to ages 8-12. He continues to work as an actor in Austin, acting in over ten short films, all while continuing acting in plays and stand up comedy.
LOUIS ONTKO
Piano, Guitar, Bass, and Vocal Instructor
Louis is a dynamic multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer. His 30 years of experience span a wide range of styles, from folk and rock to jazz and avant-garde. He has created or participated in several original projects over the years, including Unity Evolution, The House Project, The Chair, The Lennings, Chinaski, The Candle Opera, Little Power Songs and IS.
As a musician in the Austin community, he’s played at Roadhouse Rags, Enchanted Forest, Hole in the Wall, Flipnotics, Salt Lick Driftwood, Casa de Luz, The Wild Flower Coffeehouse, Art Outside and Alloveus Fest. He is a regular featured artist at Maggie Mae's on 6th St. and the Downtown Hutto Hall of Fame.
Touring as a guitarist and vocalist, Louis performed at Duomo of Florence (Italy), cultural festivals in Tequisquiapan (Mexico), Ibiza (Spain) and Vancouver (BC), as well as the Sarasota Opera House (Florida) and Alex Grey's Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (NY). He toured the Southwest as lead guitarist of cover band Mr. Pink.
Louis is also a guitar, bass, voice and drum teacher, seeking to empower music students on their path of discovery. His teaching environment is one where determination thrives, and skills are developed with ease and staying power.
