Charla Bocchicchio got her start in theatre at the University of Utah where she studied under Xan Johnson in his child drama program in addition to completing a BFA there in Theatre with an emphasis in Education. She taught several summers at Theatre School for Youth at the U, in addition to serving for a time as artistic director for Trust, the U of U child abuse prevention program touring Utah elementary schools. 

Charla enjoyed many years on stage with highlights including lead roles in Rabbit Hole, From Up Here and a stage adaption of Ordinary People. Eventually making a shift to working on-camera, Charla is now a busy multi-award winning actress in film, TV and commercials with a lifetime of experience under her belt now. She has enjoyed working on major projects like: HBO's Mosaic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, Yellowstone, The Chosen, and several Hallmark movies, but she is no stranger to the indie film scene and loves to collaborate on projects she feels passionately about. 

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While in Los Angeles she studied under Anthony Meindl at AMAW, which brought another layer of authenticity to her work. Having also trained at UCB in LA (Upright Citizens Brigade), she has a soft spot for improvisation and has loved working on comedic commercials for Hello Mood, Cricket Wireless, PooPourri and more. In addition to her acting work, Charla is also a highly sought after acting coach based in SLC, UT. She has been teaching and coaching actors of all ages for 30 years now and enjoyed a few wonderful years as the lead youth teacher for award-winning Keep It Real Acting School in North Hollywood. Her teaching and acting style focuses on listening and reacting honestly in each moment, being fully present and open to whatever the scene and scene partner brings out in you.

http://www.imdb.me/charlaactor

Karen Dodge has been involved in Theatre Arts for over 40 years. She began performing at age 11 in California where she was raised.

Karen began studying with a prominent acting coach in Los Angeles, Lillian Chauvin, who expanded her knowledge and technique of creating characters from the inside out.  She also learned the art of scene and character analysis.  

Karen graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in Theatre with an emphasis in education. She has been exposed to teaching many age groups as well as in many different arenas. She taught several years for Xan Johnson’s Theatre School for Youth where she taught acting and Musical Theatre. She co- created a theatre program for Rowland Hall’s lower school.  In addition, Karen also worked with teenage recovery units. She worked with Ballet West’s outreach programs bringing theatre into the female prison and Orange Street halfway house in Utah.  Karen has had a career in theatre education working with young teenagers in the Granite School District where she gained recognition and awards for her work there. She has directed over 30
musicals and theatrical productions.

Karen Dodge has been an acting coach for many years, teacher, and mentor for hundreds of young people. Her focus is creating an environment where young people can discover themselves, their environment, empathy, and creativity and connect it all into art.

Lise trained and worked as a professional actor and has 30 years experience training youth in the art of performance and training educators to use performance strategies as a way to explore social justice in terms of human identity, behavior and social interaction. She holds an M.Ed with a focus on social justice education and the arts. 

As an educator, Lise’s work uses an artistic practice that allows for the exploration of tangled relationships while simultaneously opening space for reflection and dialogue. Favorite projects include: Curriculum development with the Utah State Board of Education Theatre Core, Illinois Art Awareness Program; Youth Theatre instructor with the University of Utah and Wisconsin’s Zona Gale Young Peoples Theatre; Presenter for the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) Annual National Conference in New York (2019); Development of integrated arts curriculum to promote community dialogue and engagement in collaboration with the Neighborhood House and 337 Project, STRIVE and the Tiny Door Project; Installation of a narrative art program at The Joliet Women’s Correctional Facility and the Heidelberg Project in Detroit; Director of Theatre Intervention programs at the Odyssey Youth Treatment Program, and Theatre Curriculum specialist at Pingree Autism Center of Learning. 

Lise’s vision for BLK BOX LAB is a collaborative space for seasoned artists and educators to collaborate with a rising generation of artists committed to authenticity and excellence in youth theatre. Each LAB and production should be measured against its objective to honestly explore the diverse stories that comprise the human experience and its artistic impact as a catalyst for social reflection, dialogue and change.