Current Teachers:
Ashley Strella
Ashley Strella is a Kansas City native actor, singer, dancer, and director now residing in Music City! She earned her BFA in Musical Theatre with minors in Dance and Exercise Science from Wichita State University and has been seen performing and directing all over the KC and Wichita metros. Some of her favorite credits include Pippin at WSU, Blues in the Night with the Black Repertory Theatre of KC, Conjure the Night for Cedar Fair's Halloween Haunt at Worlds of Fun as well as her direction of Ordinary Days at Olathe North High School. When she is not onstage, she can be found exploring local coffee shops, reading a good book, or spending time with her boyfriend. She moved to Nashville in July 2024 and is excited to be joining the team at CYT for her first year of teaching!
Clara Martinez
I work as an elementary school bookkeeper for Williamson County Schools during the day and love my incredible side gig at CYT where I get to use my passion for Musical Theater to teach and grow the next generation! I am a wife and mother of 2. Both my kids have found a home at CYT and I am forever grateful.
Courtney Edwards
God gave Courtney a passion for dance at a very young age, but He gave her an even deeper passion to teach. Courtney has had the honor of teaching and choreographing for professional and private dance companies throughout Southern California for over 20 years. Her trained styles include Jazz, Modern, Lyrical and Musical Theater or Broadway. It is her goal to teach with a loving heart, to inspire creativity, and to instill a confidence in each student’s unique abilities on and off stage. She is honored to be able to help her students find their gifts from God and learn how to share them with any audience! Every opportunity God has given Courtney has been the greatest blessing including moving here to Tennessee in 2021 with her husband, three kiddos and two dogs. She is beyond excited to start working with CYT Nashville!
Elizabeth Sanford
Elizabeth was born in Nashville, TN and raised in Franklin, TN. She has been interested in performing for as long as she can remember and has been in many shows since age 9. She is a graduate from Trevecca Nazarene University with a degree in psychology and can't wait to see what the future holds!
Evelyn Palmliden
Evelyn is a classically trained soprano who loves to tell stories through song. She recently graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with a BM in Vocal Performance and a BA in History. Before college, she was a student at CYT Nashville for a couple of years, and she has been involved in theatre and choir since the fourth grade. While at Trevecca she performed in the honors choir, TNU Singers, and was heavily involved in the theatre department. Some of her roles included Hannah in Freaky Friday, Amalia's Understudy in She Loves Me, Clarin in Life is a Dream, and an Ensemble Member in A Year with Frog and Toad. Evelyn views performing as a way to glorify God. Performing a musical not only moves audience members to engage with that story, but it also teaches them more about themselves and the world that they live in. Evelyn looks forward to engaging with this CYT community and teaching kids that their stories matter, and are worth sharing.
Jeff Martinez
I have worked in the theatre world for over 20 years as a Producer, Director, Assistant Director, Teacher, and performer. I work for Ramsey Solutions in Franklin, TN and am thrilled to continue my love for teaching students about musical theatre at CYT Nashville. I am a husband and father of 2. It has been such a gift to share amazing experiences at CYT Nashville together as a family of four!
Kenna Otero
Kenna is thrilled to be joining the CYT community! Born and raised in Nashville, Kenna discovered her love for theatre in the 6th grade and has been passionate about it ever since. She is currently pursuing a degree in Elementary and Special Education at Lipscomb University. With a deep enthusiasm for theatre, Kenna is eager to share her passion with the next generation. She looks forward to meeting all the amazing students at CYT and playing even a small part in their artistic growth and development.
Mark Allen
Mark has been a part of theatre virtually his whole life: as a studio singer, a professional actor in the Nashville area, an award-winning director and a Broadway musical theatre writer. Graduating from NYU-Tisch School Of The Arts with an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing, Mark has been on both sides of the audition table as an "audition-ee" and "audition-er" on and off Broadway in NYC for over 20 years. Raised in Nashville and thankfully back home again, Mark is honored to join CYT to share his love of theatre, music and Jesus above all!
Megan Roberts
Discovering theatre in her hometown's community theatre at the age of 7, Megan has been passionate about pursuing the performing arts ever since. Performing and working in all areas of theatre throughout high school, she then went on to earn her Technical Certificate and Associate's Degree in Commercial Entertainment from Columbia State Community College. After graduating, Megan has worked professionally and in community theatre around the Nashville area. After returning home from attending a Discipleship Training School (focused in the performing arts) with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in 2020, she has been writing and directing skits with the youth group at her home church, and teaching theatre at the Boys and Girls Club with Watershed Public Theatre. Megan is so excited to be joining the CYT team and continue to teach what she is passionate about to the next generation (and learn more herself!).
Nan Corbitt Allen
Nan Corbitt Allen has written over 100 published dramatic musicals, sketchbooks, and collections for music publishers including Word, LifeWay, Lillenas, Brentwood-Benson, and Hal Leonard. Most of these works were in collaboration with Dennis Allen, her husband of 50 years. A three-time Dove Award winner for her musicals written with Dennis, Nan’s lyrics and dramas have been performed across the U.S. and around the world. Throughout their writing careers together, Dennis and Nan have sold over 2.6 million choral books with various publishers. Nan lives with her husband Dennis near Nashville, TN. She is currently teaching remotely English and Creative Writing at Truett McConnell University. Her blog: www.nancorbittallen.com has two series: “Chasing Bimini: The Elusive Search for the Perfect Life” and “For All She’s Worth: Helping Women Discover Their Value.”
Noel Lvovsky
Noel was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She studied acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Circle in the Square and has been working professionally as an actor, singer, dancer, director, producer, and teacher in LA for more years than she’d like to admit. She is blessed beyond measure to call Tennessee her new home with her husband and 2 children. She’s even more thankful to have the opportunity to teach at CYT, Nashville. God is great!
Samantha Shelby
Sam grew up in Franklin, TN and is a Mississippi State University alumna. She graduated with an Interdisciplinary Studies degree, concentrating in Music, Public Relations and Marketing. At MSU, Sam concentrated in vocal performance, studying opera. During her time as a student she traveled with the State Singers Choir on yearly tours across the country and had the opportunity to sing in Spain. Aside from opera and choral music, Sam continued singing in various competitions on campus and was a 1st place talent show winner, the 2019 Battle of the Bands Winner, and was an opening act for T-Pain at MSU’s Bulldog Bash. Now, she lives in Nashville and is a Promotion Coordinator. Sam is so excited to be a part of this amazing group this year and cannot wait to meet all of the talented students at CYT!
Sarah Chapman
Sarah Chapman is a classically-trained soprano, actress, and voice instructor. A native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, she graduated with a BA in Vocal Performance from Western Kentucky University and an MM in Vocal Pedagogy from Belmont University. She has distinguished herself in musicals, operas, recitals, and choral masterworks as a soloist and actress. Some of her stage roles include Christine Daae from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera,” Cinderella from Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” Angelina from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Trial by Jury,” Ilona from Bock and Harnick’s “She Loves Me”, and Maria from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music.” Her relationship with Jesus fuels her love of the voice, of teaching, and of art. Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Shaeffer Diebolt
Shaeffer Diebolt, Franklin Chapter Coordinator, is a proud alum of The University of Alabama, where she earned her BA in Musical Theatre. In her final semester at UA, Shaeffer performed as Mrs. Tottendale in The Drowsy Chaperone. Other UA credits include Dr. Charlotte in Falsettos and A Player in Our Tuscaloosa, a theatre for young audiences project that toured Alabama. Shaeffer also sat on the other side of the table when she was assistant director of Little Women and I Gelosi at Alabama. Shaeffer credits her growing love for theatre to CYT. She began her journey with CYT in Atlanta at the age of 10. Some of her favorite CYT credits include Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, and Mama Bear in Shrek the Musical. After performing in 11 main stage shows and too many camps to count, she joined the team of amazing staff members at CYT Atlanta where she served as Camp Coordinator since 2018. She moved to Nashville in July 2019 and is so excited to join the CYT Nashville team and start this new journey!
Tim Henning
Tim has been passionate about the arts since childhood. Whether acting in productions, leading in worship on local, national or international stages, music has been the primary outlet of his artistic expression. With a degree in church music, he has directed choirs and ensembles of all ages for over 30 years. Not to be limited to musical expression alone, he has impacted the world of visual arts by excelling in audio/ visual editing and video production. A proud CYT dad and husband to Amy, show weeks are some of his favorites of the year! He loves teaching and collaborative environments and is proud to be a part of CYT Nashville community. In addition to his love of all things pertaining to the arts, he’s a decent juggler, and brings a playful spirit to all he does.