Our faculty and staff are dedicated local theater professionals who are passionate about nurturing growth in young artists. With extensive professional experience, advanced training, and notable achievements, they bring both expertise and inspiration to the classroom. Their diverse backgrounds allow them to cultivate a rich, supportive learning environment and ensure that every student receives high-quality, top-tier instruction.

Rising Stars is a two-week Musical Theater Summer Program at Port Gamble Theater, where students receive expert training in music, movement, and acting.

On the first day, students arrive prepared with an audition song and monologue from a dream role. They participate in a round of mock auditions, which are recorded to establish a starting point and benchmark for growth. Students also take part in a mock dance call.

Throughout the two weeks, participants engage in mock auditions, workshops, masterclasses, choral rehearsals, dance rehearsals, and skill-building activities designed to strengthen technique, confidence, and performance ability.

On the final Friday, students record a second mock audition to showcase their growth and progress. This recording may also serve as a professional audition tape for future opportunities.

The program culminates in a dazzling showcase performance on Saturday, August 15 at 2:00 PM, where students share their hard work with family and friends.

Important Dates:

• August 3–14, 2026 | 9:30 AM–3:30 PM, and August 15, 2026 | 12:00–4:00 PM

 Calendar Break Down:

• Monday, August 3: Mock Auditions (come prepared with a song and monologue from a dream role)
•  August 4–13: Workshops, masterclasses, choral and dance rehearsals
•  Friday, August 14: Mock Auditions Round 2 & Showcase Dress Rehearsal
•  Saturday, August 15: Student Showcase at 2:00 PM (Student call time: 12:00 PM)

The flame that keeps Rising Stars burning bright was first sparked backstage during Port Gamble Theater’s production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. In the midst of that show, something magical became clear: Kitsap County is filled with extraordinarily talented performing artists—and when those artists are given the support they deserve, the results are transformative.

A small team—Charis Ifland, Nina Pollachek, Ila Faubion, and Amanda Fish—came together with a shared vision: to create a program where professional artists are paid living wages and students receive the highest quality training possible.

We believe that when teachers and artists are genuinely supported, they are able to fully realize their potential. In turn, they channel that energy into creating a meaningful, rigorous, and effective curriculum—one that not only serves students, but extends outward to enrich the entire theater community.

Charis Ifland is a  dedicated music educator based in Kitsap, with a deep passion for the  arts and a commitment to helping others express themselves and reach  their artistic goals. A Kitsap native, Charis began her teaching journey  early—conducting her first orchestra while still in high school—and has  since accumulated over 10 years of experience in music education and  performance.

She holds an Associate’s  degree in Music from Edmonds College and a Bachelor’s degree in Music  Education. Charis currently teaches private voice and cello lessons in  Poulsbo, WA, and continues to expand her work as a performer and  educator across the region.

Her  performance background is diverse and dynamic, including multi-arts  collaborative and improvised works at Edmonds College’s Black Box  Theatre, tours with the Soundsation Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Charleston  Southern University’s Concert Singers, singing with the Seattle Symphony  Chorale, and performing original music with her folk band at festivals across South Carolina. Locally, she performs with Ovation! Performing  Arts Northwest, Port Gamble Theater, Jewel Box Theatre, Bremerton Community Theater and the historic Kitsap Forest Theater.

Charis believes that when the weight of the world feels overwhelming—when reality leaves  us speechless or searching for meaning—we turn to the arts for relief,  connection, community, and hope. This belief shapes both her teaching  and performing, as she strives to create spaces where people feel  empowered to explore, heal, and grow through creative expression.

 Alix  Black holds a BFA in Acting from The University of Montevallo. She has  taught various workshops to youth in improv, audition technique, and  acting technique.  She is currently developing a short play writing  workshop and festival with Cairn Theatre Collective. She has a  particular love of Shakespeare and was most recently seen in BPA's Macbeth last summer. She has appeared onstage at PGT as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Ernest at JBT. 

More info soon!

More info soon!