Professional Staff

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Jon Douglas Rake, Founder and Managing Artistic Director

Jon has spent nearly all of his adult life devoted to musical theater.  He began his career as a professional dancer and soon discovered his unique talents for choreography and directing.  Educated at the University of California, San Diego, Jon has produced, directed, choreographed or acted in well over 200 musical theater productions at the professional or community theater level on the West Coast.  He founded Tacoma Musical Playhouse in 1994 to fill a gap in the Tacoma theater scene.  TMP is the only South Sound theater company devoted to producing musicals exclusively.  His creative energy is the driving force behind the company.  Jon’s other interests include historic architecture and gourmet dining.

 

Jeffrey Stvrtecky, Music Director and Business Manager

Jeffrey earned his B.M. degree in Piano from Wheaton College and his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in Choral Music from USC.  He has conducted and studied at numerous workshops and festivals including the Dale Warland Master Class, the Oregon Bach Festival and the Aspen Music Festival Choral Institute.  He served as Director of Music at the First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood for 11 years and as Music Director of the Burbank Chorale, where he conducted concerts of major works including Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Durufle’s Requiem and Mozart’s Coronation Mass.  He was the Founder and Music Director of Tacoma Master Chorale, founded in 1994.  Jeff served as Director of Music at First Christian Church, Tacoma.  He has also maintained a studio of private voice and piano students.  He was an Instructor of Music at Tacoma Community College and Charles Wright Academy.

 

Kayla Littleton, Education Director

Kayla has been performing musical theater since she was eight years old and made her stage debut as “Singing Scientist #7” in her elementary musical. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts (thesis in directing) from the University of Puget Sound, right here in Tacoma. She also has a teaching certificate in Elementary (K-8) Education and taught middle school in the Puyallup School District. During her final year at UPS, Kayla served as the education intern for the TMP 2016-2017 season and has not stopped working with CampTMP since. Some of her favorite CampTMP directing credits include Aladdin Jr (Summer 2017), Fiddler on the Roof Jr (Spring 2018), Mamma Mia! (Summer 2019) and The Little Mermaid (Summer 2022). Kayla is incredibly proud to be a part of the CampTMP family and to step into the role of Director of Education to continue to make CampTMP the best it can be.  

 

Iris McBride, Box Office Manager

Iris has been performing with Tacoma Musical Playhouse in the pit orchestra on drums and percussion since 2009. She has been performing on percussion for many years prior to joining TMP. She spent 24 years in the US Air Force Band program. She currently is our box office manager and  is proud of the number of patrons she is able to help secure season tickets and tickets for all of our shows. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design she received in 2013. She has performed in 53 of TMP’s musicals on our stage and enjoyed all of them. The latest production The Jersey Boys has given her a new following of patrons.

 

Ceili Caruso, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Ceili has been singing and entertaining her entire life, but did not enter the world of musical theatre until summer of 2008. Since then she has performed in over 70 productions and continues to perform in TMP’s current seasons. In the same summer of 2008, she began her personal presence on social media and is excited to now bring her experiences to TMP as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator. Ceili graduated from Makeup and Cosmetology school in 2016 and has been using the skills she learned surrounding creativity and presentation to create a cohesive and eye catching presence for TMP. She continues to learn and grow and looks forward to a bright future with TMP.