Meet Our Staff!
Bobb Cooper
Producing Artistic Director
Bobb Cooper | Ext. 305
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Bobb is in his 25th year at VYT. Under his direction and leadership, it has become a respected, professional-level theatre company where thousands of young people experience the magic of live theatre. Since 1996, Bobb has received numerous awards for his work as a director and garnered several for the theater itself including Arts Organization of the Year. Bobb’s recognition includes: the 2019 Mayor’s Arts Award, the 2013 Dreamr Award for public sector/non profit, being named one of the Valley’s Most Influential business leaders and 40 Under 40 by the Phoenix Business Journal, and Arts Advocate of the Year by the Greater Phoenix Arts & Business Council. His professional affiliations include Valley Leadership Class 33, Organization for Nonprofit Executives, Phoenix Community Alliance and The Screen Actors Guild member since 1985. Bobb has been married for over 30 years to his beautiful wife, Karol, and has one daughter, Channing.
Karol Cooper
Resident Costume Designer
Karol Cooper
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Karol is in her 24th year with VYT. She began her career as a professional clown and costume designer in Sherman Oaks, CA. “Bobbo & Kookee” performed for A-List celebrities and numerous Royal Families. She moved to Phoenix in 1995 and became the Resident Costume Designer for Valley Youth Theatre. During her first 9 years at VYT, she won 12 ariZoni awards for Costume Design and 10 ariZoni awards
for Hair & Make-up. She has also won numerous National Youth Awards (NYA) for Outstanding Costume Design. For the 2015 Broadway World Phoenix Awards, she won Best Costume Design for a youth production for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Karol designed at the New Amsterdam Theatre for the Broadway cast of La Cage Aux Folles performing in Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. She believes that research, attention to detail and the love of storytelling through color and texture is essential to a solid overall design.
Mark Fearey
Resident Musical Supervisor
Mark Fearey
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Mark is in his 24th season with VYT and over those years has garnered numerous awards (ariZoni and NYA) and has music directed
the Arizona premiere of a few shows. Some of his favorite shows to have been a part of are West Side Story, Titanic, Aida, Shrek, Legally Blonde and The Little Mermaid. In addition to his work at VYT, he is the full-time faculty accompanist/coach and music director at Grand Canyon University. He came to the world of children’s theatre with a Masters of Music in Piano Performance (with an emphasis in accompanying) from ASU and a degree in Piano Performance from the D’Angelo School of Music at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. He has worked with vocal and instrumental artists in Germany, Austria, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and throughout the Southwest. In addition to all the great kids at VYT he has also worked with opera singer Amber Wagner and country recording artist Chris Young. And if that’s not enough, he spent the last 24 years as music director for Abiding Savior Lutheran Church and is vocal coordinator/pianist for the
Arizona Young Artist Competition at the Herberger Theater Center and visiting music director for Quisisana Music on the Lake in Maine. He is married to his wonderful wife Tory and they are the proud parents of the veteran stage performer Olivia.
Visit Mr. Mark's web site at http://www.markfearey.com/.
Suzie Martin
Managing Director
Suzie Martin | Ext. 303
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Suzie has lived in the Valley of the Sun most of her life. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, she spent the first several years of her career as a CPA working in the audit division of international accounting firms. She specialized in not-for-profit, government and hospitality audits. Suzie then returned to school and became a Licensed Master Social Worker. She has utilized her business and social work skills at various not-for-profit agencies serving families and children in the Phoenix area. She has professional experience in the areas of child welfare, developmental disabilities, domestic violence, homelessness, substance abuse and mental health.
She enjoys traveling, football, cooking and spending time with her family and friends.
Matt Brown
Technical Director
Matt Brown
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Matt is excited for another Valley Youth Theatre season. Originally from Texas, he has been living in the Valley of the Sun for the past 12 years. He and his wife are the proud parents of Max, Luke and newborn Katie. Matt has a degree in Theatre with an emphasis in technical theatre from Angelo State University. He has worked at Childsplay and The Phoenix Theatre Company. Luckily for him, one of his favorite hobbies is his job, but he also enjoys running long distances and climbing in the desert mountains around our beautiful state.
Tiffany Owen
General Manager
Tiffany Owen | Ext. 301
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Tiffany is delighted to have spent the last six and a half years as a part of VYT’s mission to inspire young people to be the best that they can be as Production Stage Manager and General Manager. French Canadian by birth, Tiffany moved to the USA for high school and went on to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in Theatre and a BS in Psychology before moving to Tempe in 2007 to spend several adventurous years freelancing for various theatre companies and facilities around the Valley as a Stage Manager, Props Designer (Zoni nomination, Blithe Spirit) and general theatre technician. Favourite stage managing credits include: Into the Woods (VYT), A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Don Bluth (Southwest Shakespeare/ SSC), Peacemaker (The Phoenix Theatre Company), and Rashomon (PittRep/Pitt Stages). She thanks Bobb for finding a new way to utilize her skills when it was time for a change and her husband Eric for never questioning her love and passion for theatre. Let’s Make the Magic!!
Kris Romero
Audience Services Manager (Box Office Operations)
Kris Romero | Ext. 1
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Kris Romero (Audience Services Manager) is a Phoenix native, who grew up in the West Valley. He came to VYT with fifteen years of corporate and management experience, mostly in the banking industry. He is also involved in local community events and is an avid musical theatre fan. His favorite musicals are Rent and Funny Girl. Kris is thrilled to be part of the VYTeam and to work directly with our volunteers, parents and patrons, as well as to be a contributing member of the Phoenix arts community.
Madolyn Whitmer
Education & Outreach Director
Madolyn Whitmer | Ext. 302
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Madolyn Whitmer (Education & Outreach Director) is thrilled to join the VYT team and further their mission to impart life skills to students through theatre and the arts. An arts enthusiast herself, Madolyn graduated from ASU with a BFA in theatre and a focus in playwriting. Madolyn has had plays produced in Arizona, Colorado and New York and has a passion for creating devised work with her students that explore their experiences. Previously, she worked with ARTS ALIVE! bringing experiential, dramatic arts classes to hundreds of students throughout the Houston area which focused on instilling social and emotional learning skills through the arts. At Playworks Arizona, Madolyn continued to work toward instilling social and emotional learning skills to children through play as a part of their Development team with a focus in volunteer coordination, management of large-scale special events, and marketing. She is excited to bring her years of experience in the arts and non-profits to VYT and help continue to grow the education department to positively impact more lives.