Meet the Staff

Lisa Chase

Artistic Director, Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre

Lisa's Bio

Lisa Chase is originally from Minneapolis, MN where she studied dance and acting for 18 years at many Twin Cities arts institutions including the Guthrie, Illusion Theatre, and Zenon Dance. After graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN with BA in theatre, she has acted and taught professionally with arts organizations across the country including the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Absolute Dance Company, Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre, and the American Shakespeare Center.

Since 2008 she has produced and/or directed over 70 touring productions for the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre, and most recently directed and choreographed Church Basement Ladies; The last Potluck Supper for the Fingerlakes Musical Theatre Festival. She has a passion for revealing to the power of the arts to young people, and is very grateful to have met so many others in Upstate New York who share that same passion of passing the gift of theatre onto the next generation.

Joshua Katzker

Artistic Associate

Josh's Bio

Joshua Katzker is a veteran of the Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre, having spent five years performing for and educating the children of Central and Western New York. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from Arizona State University.

Josh has been acting, directing and teaching across the country for nearly twenty years including stints in Chicago, New York, Florida, Ohio, and Washington. Some of his regional credits include: The Confession (Blue Gate Musicals), Bedroom Farce & Picnic (Orlando Rep), Learn to Be Latina (Stray Cat) Dames at Sea (White-Willis), Tecumseh! (Scioto Society), There Once Was a Longhouse, The Golden Goose, Hound of the Baskervilles, Around the World in 80 Days & Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings (Merry-Go-Round), and the world premiere of The Boys Room at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago.

Erin Katzker

Educational Theatre Manager

Erin's Bio

Originally from Olympia, WA, Erin first made her way to Central New York when she attended Syracuse University where she earned a BFA in Musical Theatre. She has has worked as an actor, stage manager, and choreographer with theatre companies across the country, such as Capital Playhouse, Black Hills Playhouse, Dayton Opera, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Tecumseh! and TOAD Inc.

Erin first came to Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in 2013 as an actor with the Youth Theatre. After one season of touring, she moved into her current position as Educational Theatre Manager. Her primary responsibilities are acting as liaison to the schools participating in the Sequential Dramatics Program and managing the touring schedule of over 1,000 visits per year.