Elizabeth Blakemore
Owner/Artistic Director
Elizabeth graduated magna cum laude from Concordia University-Chicago with degrees in Theatre and Business at the age of 19.
Since moving to Atlanta in 2006 she has taught theatre and acting classes and directed shows for a number of programs including Master's Academy, Portfolio Academy, Artios Academy, Renaissance International School of Performing Arts (RISPA), the Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, Sunrise Baptist Church, Victory World Church, and WOW Talent. She has also assisted with casting for CYT. As a private acting coach, she has helped students prepare auditions for colleges, professional theatre companies, Disney, commercials, and agent representation. In addition to teaching and directing, Elizabeth occasionally performs around Atlanta at various theatres. Past acting roles include Catherine in "Proof", Laura in "The Glass Menagerie", Betty in "The Foreigner", Mistress Page in "The Merry Wives of Windsor", Dr. Vivian Bearing in "Wit". She also owns a private piano studio through which she teaches private in-home music lessons each week.
She has worked on over 100 productions for children and youth as a Director, Music Director, or Producer. Favorite directing projects include "The Pirates of Penzance", "Little Women", "Bugsy Malone Jr.", "The Wizard of Oz", "Moby Dick the Musical", "Schoolhouse Rock", "Shrek the Musical", "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown", and "Thoroughly Modern Millie".
Elizabeth founded Forefront Arts in 2010. Since then thousands of children and teens have experienced the transformative power of live children's theatre through our classes, workshops, summer drama camps, and productions. Elizabeth founded Forefront Arts so that she could fulfill her love of performing and directing shows, have one-on-one relationships with the students she teaches, and strive for a healthy work/life balance for her young family. She and her husband have two young boys and like every mom, every day is crazy and hectic, but every day is a gift!
Haley Benefield
Teaching Artist / Young Actors Ensemble director / Admin Assistant
Haley is excited to take on her first year with Forefront Arts! A senior in college, Haley is majoring in English Education. She has been working as an after school theatre teacher for four years and has been involved in theatre for ten years. While Haley enjoyed her most recent roles as Tracy in “Hairspray,” Julia in “The Wedding Singer,” and Matron Mama Morton in “Chicago,” she has recently moved towards becoming a full-time theatre teacher and vocal coach. Haley currently teaches 40 vocal students (2 vocal groups and 13 individual students) when she is not with Forefront Arts. In addition, Haley is the vocal director of her church youth worship band. Haley looks forward to adding many more shows to her repertoire!
Jonathan Bryant
Choreographer
Jonathan Bryant is dancer/choreographer/instructor who has worked in the booming entertainment industry in Atlanta for over a decade. He has worked with many celebrities including Ne-Yo, Trina Braxton, Tichina Arnold, Nivea, Queen Latifah and more. He has been in numerous musical productions in the Atlanta area, recently AIDA(Atlanta Lyric Theatre) and MAMMA MIA! (Aurora Theatre). He has worked in the booming television/movie industry in Atlanta including The Originals and Step Up: Highwater and movies like Bessie, Billy Lynn Long Halftime Walk directed by Oscar-winning director Ang Lee. He will make his acting debut as “Bubba Knight” in the docu-series American Soul premiering on BET in February. Jonathan owns his own lifestyle brand Jaybsmoovethebrand that focuses on MOVEMENT, STYLE, and PERSONALITY. Jonathan Bryant has only begun to exude the talent and success of his career and much more is to be achieved.
Katie Cornett
Teaching Artist
Katie Cornett is so excited to join the Forefront Arts team! Katie is a actor, singer, props designer, teaching artist and director. Katie graduated from Reinhardt University with her BFA in Musical Theatre. After graduation, Katie participated in the Disney College Program as a Fairy Godmother in Training at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Some of her previous performance credits include Arkadina in The Seagull , Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress, Rose Mundy in Dancing at Lughnasa and Little Red Ridding Hood in Into the Woods at Reinhardt University. Katie has worked with The Grand Theatre in Cartersville, GA as Assistant Director to the Middle School Musical Theatre camp and as Stage Director of the Elementary Musical Theatre camp. She has also volunteered with Pumphouse Jr., a children’s theatre troupe in Cartersville. Katie is very excited to start moving her work into the Atlanta area!
T'Shauna Henry
Teaching Artist
T’Shauna Henry is a Georgia Native having danced since she was three. She took classes at both Grayson and Lilburn Schools of Ballet and then later became a member of the pre-professional Northeast Atlanta Ballet company and faculty member. Her love for theatre began to bloom in high school and went on throughout college. In addition to dance training at Valdosta State University, she went onto becoming a member of Dance Ensemble and the GSU Players at Georgia State University including teaching and choreographing musical theatre summer drama camps at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA. She has also interned with Synchronicity Theatre and Horizon Theatre Company. As a recent graduate from Georgia State, where she received her Bachelor’s of the Arts degree in Film & Media, she is continuing her journey as an emerging artist in Atlanta in many multitudes including performing through dancing and acting, photography and videography. This summer she recently starred in three productions: “Shrek the Musical” with the Smyrna Village Players, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the City of Grayson, and two workshop stage readings of Morgan K. Parks’s “The Tragedy of the Dolls.”
Jan Jensen
Teaching Artist
Jan Jensen is delighted to be joining the staff at Forefront Arts. Last spring she directed Forefront students in “Lion King”. Ms. Jensen has studied improvisation and comedy at Second City, Dad’s Garage, and Whole World Theatre. She has happily spent her life as a high school drama director, actress, artist in residence, and improviser. Ms. Jensen was recently inducted in to the Chattahoochee High School Wall of Fame for her contributions to the arts while teaching at CHS. She directed many musical and non-musical productions during her tenure as Chattahoochee’s drama director. The list includes Chicago, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Grease, ,and Little Shop of Horrors, which received a Shuler Hensley High School Theatre nomination for Best Musical Production. Ms. Jensen was a professional actress, director and teacher in New Orleans before moving to Atlanta. A fun fact is that the rapper Lil’ Wayne was one her students! She continues to direct at area schools. Her most recent shows were “Mamma Mia” and “Wizard of Oz”. Ms. Jensen is also a Teaching Artist at the Fulton County Teaching Museum and a docent at the High Museum. She has also taught improv and acting for middle and high school students at the Alliance Theatre.
Katie Miesner
Teaching Artist
Katie Miesner is a recent Atlanta transplant who is ecstatic to join the Forefront Arts team. She received her BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Central Florida and was trained through the Royal Academy of Ballet’s examination syllabus. While in Florida she taught and choreographed at numerous performing arts programs and schools in both the Tampa and Orlando areas. In addition to teaching and choreographing, she also is a performer and has performed regionally with Orlando Repertory Theatre, St Petersburg Opera, Jobsite Theater, Legoland Florida Resort, Seaworld Orlando and Universal Studios Orlando Resort.
Madison Rengli
Teaching Artist
Madison has been traveling around the U.S. for the past 3 years acting and teaching. Her husband and Chihuahua Elton finally decided to put down some roots in Atlanta. Most recently, she portrayed Mama Monkey in Five Little Monkeys at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Joanna in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner with Savannah Repertory Theatre. Other favorite regional credits include Brooke in Noises Off, Frances in Expressing Willie, Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web, Frances in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress and Bianca in Shakespeare’s Othello. She has her MFA in Acting from Savannah College of Art and Design and enjoys being a part of the two -person Improv troupe, Awkward Conversations. When not on stage, she spends her time baking vegan treats and running. Sometimes at the same time.