ngpac Staff
Kelly Pendergraft
President and Camp Director
Kelly Pendergraft has been an amateur theatre technician (techie), scenic designer and set builder in the southwest Oklahoma area for nearly 15 years. Working with such diverse groups as summer camps, high schools and local community theatres he has developed skills in nearly all areas of technical theatre and as a herder of both student and adult volunteers. Favorite past productions have included Jekyll and Hyde (MacArthur High School, technical director), Oliver! (Lawton Community Theatre, set design/construction), The Addams Family (Lawton Community Theatre, master carpenter), Footloose (MacArthur High School, technical director) and Circle Mirror Transformation (Blue Moon Productions, scenic design/construction and stage manager).
Maria Marcos
Logistics, Violion Instructor
Maria Marcos is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma pursuing degrees in nutrition, dietetics, and food management and violin performance. She currently serves as the concertmaster of the UCO symphony and chamber orchestras. Outside of school, she works as the manager and nutrition consultant for Ellis Island Coffee and Wine Lounge, volunteers at El Sistema Oklahoma and Mobile Meals, and plays with the Enid Symphony. She finds immense joy in playing in ensembles and pit orchestras, and helping young people navigate through their musical journeys. Maria is extremely excited to spend another week with such an amazing and talented group of people!
Musical Theatre Staff
Valerie Canon
Director of Musical Theatre, Choreographer,
Musical Theatre Curriculum
Mrs. Canon's directing credits include: Roger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, The Music Man, Annie Get Your Gun, Children of Eden, Seussical the Musical, Once Upon a Mattress, Godspell, Heathers the Musical, Bat Boy the Musical. She has also conceived, written, and directed 3 musical reviews for Wayward Actor's Company in Louisville, KY. Valerie earned her BFA in ballet performance from the University of Oklahoma and has taught throughout the United States. Valerie has choreographed musicals to include: The Music Man, Evil Dead the Musical, 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, Young Frankenstein, The Wedding Singer, Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens, and many others. She has performed in numerous productions such as: A Chorus Line, Man of La Mancha, Evil Dead the Musical, Gypsy, Bare, Into the Woods, Spamalot, and Little Shop of Horrors.
Doris Lambert
Music Director, Vocal Coach,
and Musical Theatre Curriculum
Doris Lambert , is a well known and respected conductor, teacher and choral clinician in the Texoma region. She holds the Bachelor of Music Education-Vocal Emphasis, (magna cum laude) from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and the Master of Music in Vocal Performance (cum laude) from Midwestern State University and has done post graduate work in voice, choral conducting and piano.
Mrs. Lambert currently teaches private voice at Cameron University, conducts the Cameron/Lawton Community Chorale and piano class for music majors. Mrs. Lambert is the founder, conductor and artistic director for the semi-professional women’s chorus Bella Voce – feature performers for the Oklahoma Choral Directors Convention in 2013 and again on July 16, 2018 for the 2018 OkCDA Convention. She is also responsible as vocal coach and choral preparation for the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, including Brahm’s “Requiem”, Beethoven’s “5 th Symphony”, “Oklahoma”, “Music Man”, “I Do, I Do” and most recently for the presentation of Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town April 2019.
She has served as Music Director at New Post Chapel, Fort Sill, OK since 1987.
Mrs. Lambert is married to Dr. Jim Lambert, professor of percussion and music theory at Cameron University. They are the parents of one daughter, Rachel, who is married to Phillip Hales. When she isn’t conducting a choir or singing, Mrs. Lambert enjoys trying out new recipes, gardening and playing with grandsons Micah and
Joshua.
Matt Myers
Costumer/Theatre Curriculum
Matt Myers is an artist/designer whose work crosses several disciplines. He is a graduate of Ringling College of Art & Design, holding a BFA w/Honors in Illustration. He has enjoyed a diverse career in the art/design fields, the bulk of his artwork centering on site-specific murals and painting series. His work is on display internationally in hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, including Disney Resorts. Most recently, he has created Costume/Set/Graphic Design and Scenic Art for various theatrical venues. Recent costume designs include: Carmen, Gypsy, La Traviata, The Boy Friend, Death of a Salesman, La Boheme, Exit the King and Faith County. In his capacity as Costume designer for NGPAC, he has designed High School Musical, The Addams Family, and the upcoming production of The Drowsy Chaperone. After a decade as Costumer/Costume Construction Instructor at Missouri Southern State University,
he began his current position as a Life Drawing instructor at Ringling College.
James Thompson
Acting Staff
James Thompson is an actor and costumer from Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Louisville in 2015 with a B.S. in Theatre Arts, after which he toured children’s theatre professionally for two years. He also spent time studying at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy with the esteemed Michele Bottini, and performed at the 2015 Milan World Expo under acclaimed Italian director Massimo Navone.
James’ theatrical training includes a focus on improv and physical theatre (including Commedia dell’Arte and Dario Fo-style storytelling). He regularly performs in both plays and musicals with several community theatre companies in Louisville, where he has recently starred as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls and Jordan Berman in Significant Other.
Sarah Palmintier
Counselor
Originally from Lafayette Louisiana Sarah is Currently enrolled as a senior music Education major at Wichita State University in Kansas. Sarah wants to one day teach choir, and inspire others to love the arts as much as she does. She has been in choir for over 10 years, and has performed in over 30 theatre and opera productions. Sarah has been a camper turned counselor at Next Generation Performing Arts Camp since it opened its doors in 2017. She has also dabbled in stage management and directing in local and college productions. Her favorite roles include Alice in The Addams Family musical at NGPAC, Donna Taffeta in the Abbey Players production of The Taffetas, and Papgena in Mozart’s the magic flute. After school, Sarah works as a stylist at David’s bridal, and a nanny for two wonderful children. She cannot wait to make wonderful musical memories together with all of her NGPAC family after two long years.
Kristoffer Pendergraft
Counselor
Kristoffer is a graduate of Oklahoma City University's music theatre program, and has since spent his time performing and educating. Kristoffer has long been interested in the voice as a tool of storytelling, and has a fun story-first approach to vocal mechanics and technique. He has extensive experience performing in music theatre and opera, as well as popular/commercial music. To support himself in his artistic pursuits he spends time as a strength and conditioning coach and is a certified yoga instructor. He believes that, as artists, our body's are our tools and a loving and confident relationship with ourselves is the best foundation to create from. He is incredibly excited to work with everyone this summer, and can't wait to grow in artistry with you all.
Natalie Edwards
Counselor
Natalie is an actor and creative based out of Phoenix, Arizona. With knowledge from working in everything from musical theatre, film, art department, devised theater, and more, she is excited to share some of her knowledge with this years’ young artists!
Strings staff
Jose Batty
Director of Strings
Jose is excited to lead the strings camp at this year’s NextGen Performing Arts Camp! Throughout the year Jose teaches at El Sistema Oklahoma and at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. He is also the conductor of the Alegria Orchestra at El Sistema and the Southwestern College Youth Symphony. Outside of teaching and conducting, Jose plays with the Enid Symphony and the Painted Sky Opera pit orchestra and is the personnel manager of the Oklahoma Haydn Festival. Having gone to high school in Lawton, he is very excited to bring this camp to Cameron University and share in a week-long journey of friendship, music making, and musical growth.
Jacob Hiser
Director of Collaborative Piano, Violin Instructor,
Chamber Music Coach, Piano Accompanist
Jacob Hiser is a versatile pianist and violinist who performs and studies a variety of musical traditions. Originally from Missouri, where he graduated from Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies, he now lives and works in Boston, having recently completed a master’s degree program in Contemporary Improvisation at New England Conservatory. He is currently a part-time piano faculty member at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, an accompanist for Boston Children's Chorus and New England Conservatory Preparatory School choirs. He also freelances around the Boston area. During the month of June, he is a faculty member at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, a three-week summer residential program for highly-motivated student artists in visual arts, theatre, dance, creative writing, and music.