OREGON CONSERVATORY
OF PERFORMING ARTS
Southern Oregon's Original Year-Round Theatre Conservatory for Youth
OCPA Artistic Director
Jeff Tabler, Artistic Director, is the co-founder of the Conservatory. Jeff graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and holds a degree in cinema from Ithaca College. He has been involved in film and theatre for more than 30 years as a teacher, director, writer, producer, and actor. He also teaches and directs for OCPA.
OCPA Board of Directors
Deborah Dewar, Vice President/Treasurer, teaches science and math to seventh and eighth graders at SacredHeart School. Her two daughters are active in OCPA, andher husband does wildlife surveys for the Bureau of LandManagement. Deb runs various programs at Sacred Heart,including a haunted house, a winter musical (as assistantdirector), a science fair, a talent show, and the middleschool’s anti-bullying program.Miriam Liberatore, President, is a civil engineer with the Bureau of Land Management and a part-time instructor at Rogue Community College. She developed a passion for education projects teaching technical topics to children and teens. Her interests turned toward the local theater community when her children enrolled in their first OCPA camp in 2007. She believes deeply in the power of the arts to enrich our lives and is excited to be working with OCPA.
Joyce Adams, Secretary, Webmaster, Past-President, is an avid volunteer. She facilitated group support for children with celiac disease, co-chaired the Southern Oregon Arthritis Walk '09, and helps wherever a meaningful opportunity arises. With talents in publishing and website creation, Joyce has created a new look for the OCPA website. As a theater enthusiast, she considers her work with children and OCPA to be a labor of love.
Julia Beattie's academic background and professional career have been in finance and lending. As such, she brings an analytical perspective to our board meetings. She has three children, two of whom have been involved in OCPA for several years. She has volunteered for numerous organizations since her move to the valley in 1992 including Rotary, SMART, church and school.
Gretchen Twill, newest member of the OCPA board, is a tea merchant specializing in superior quality, loose-leaf teas. She, along with her husband, owns and operates Devi Tea, a local tea wholesale and retail company. She offers her sales, marketing and editing skills to the board. Her daughter became involved with OCPA in 2008. She has enthusiastically participated in numerous camps since. Gretchen believes that theatre for youth is an integral part of a vibrant and conscious community as it inspires the creative and expressive young people in our midst.
Dennis Foster, a co-founder of OCPA, also founded and directed the Eagle Institute of Performing Arts and several small theatre companies. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from Portland State University, with master’s coursework in theatre production at Central Washington University. He has 20 years of experience in theatre as a director, producer, and actor. He lives with his wife and two children in Beaverton.
Teresa Nichols is the mother of a beautiful 14-year-old daughter who has been a part of the OCPA since she played Huckleberry Finn in the 2008 production of Tom Sawyer. Teresa was part of the Theater Program at Rogue Community College and loves the performing arts. For the last four years, she ran her own concession business selling food items at local fairs and festivals and is committed to fundraising for OCPA's scholarship program. Teresa looks forward to the growth and future of this inspiring organization that does so much for talented young people in the area.
This page was last updated: May 15, 2012
Bios
