Kelly Willis
Executive & Artistic Director 
(she/her)​

​Kelly has been teaching Acting, Voice, Dance, and Musical Theatre for more than 25 years.  She received her BA in Theatre and Dance from the University of Missouri, and her Graduate work was in Acting and Directing at SIU in Carbondale Illinois where she taught Voice and Diction for the Stage, Stage Dialect, Movement for the Actor, Stage Combat, and Choreography. 

​As a professional, Ms. Kelly has performed extensively on the East Coast, in the Midwest, and toured nationally.  Locally, she has performed with the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Eastside Musical Theatre, and Leavenworth Summer Music Theatre. Ms. Kelly was the Artistic Director of the Musical Theatre Department at the Washington Academy of Performing Arts.  She has directed and choreographed productions at many local high schools and theatres.
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Shelby Bosse
Business Manager/ Dance Teacher/ Choreographer
​(she/her)

​​​Shelby’s love for theatre and dance started at a young age and has taken her all over- literally! She was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and earned her BFA in Music Theatre from the University at Buffalo. After graduation, she moved to New York, NY, and spent the last decade living and working there as a professional actor. 
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​National tours include Sesame Street Live! Elmo Makes Music and Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure. Other favorite credits include The Wizard of Oz (Ensemble) at the Fireside Theatre, Les Misérables (Cosette), Nunsense (Sister Mary Leo), and her high school production of Crazy For You (Polly Baker). Shelby is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association. 

Outside of Redmond Academy, Shelby loves to read, make arts and crafts, and spend time with her husband and her cat, Addie. 
Shelby is looking forward to inspiring the next generation of theatre kids and is excited to be a part of the growing community in Redmond! 

Bethanie Willis
Choreographer/​Dance Teacher/Grant Manager/Birthday Party Lead
(she/her)

Bethanie is a graduate from Northwestern University where she earned a double major in Psychology and Neurobiology, as well as Bellevue College where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is currently a full-time nurse at Swedish Issaquah Hospital. Bethanie has taught and choreographed for many different performing arts organizations such as TONIK Tap in Chicago, The Redmond Academy of Theatre Arts (since our inception in 2011), Village Theatre’s Kidstage, SecondStory Repertory, Broadway Bound in Seattle, Redmond Middle School, and Evergreen Junior High. 

​​Some of her favorite shows she has choreographed at Redmond Academy include Anything Goes, Newsies, Chicago, Matilda, Oliver!, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and A Chorus Line. 

​Favorite recent professional credits include: Mary Poppins (Annie/Featured Tapper/Ensemble), The Little Mermaid (Atina), & The Wiz (Munchkin/Featured Tapper/Ensemble) at 5th Avenue Theatre, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Dorothy & Aunt Em u/s) at Seattle Children's Theatre, Crowns (Yolanda) at Taproot Theatre, Porgy and Bess (Dance Captain/Featured Dancer/Chorus) at Seattle Opera, & You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Lucy u/s) at Village Theatre. Favorite Village Theatre Mainstage credits: Dreamgirls, Aida, and Show Boat. 

Callison Hopkins
Acting Teacher/Front Desk Admin
​(she/her)

Callison Hopkins, a certified English & Drama teacher of 12 years and one of the PNW’s newest Southern transplants, has directed many plays, summer camps, and musicals with casts of all ages and has served as Artistic Director for a local theatre in the greater Memphis area.

Callison was awarded Best Director by the Northwest Mississippi Theatre Alliance for Steel Magnolias, The Game’s Afoot, Little Women the Musical, and Murder’s in the Heir as well as Best Special Effects for Matilda Jr.
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Although Callison only recently found a home in Seattle in May 2025, she looks forward to serving her new community through theatre education. 

Sierra Cortes
Education Director & Substitute Teacher
(she/her)​

​With over 20 years of experience in coaching, curriculum development, and leadership, Sierra brings deep expertise and heart to Redmond Academy of Theatre Arts. Her background spans nonprofits, youth programs, healthcare, and coaching where she built systems, trained teams, and fostered confident, high-performing staff and clients. 
A former Gym Director and contributor to other local non-profit performance arts and visual arts programs, she’s passionate about developmentally sound curriculum, effective training, and consistent operations that create exceptional experiences for students and families. 
As a Redmond local, a wife and mom of two, Sierra values flexibility, teamwork, and creating a space where kids grow in confidence and creativity. Whether refining systems or mentoring new teachers, she’s driven to help others thrive and believes the real magic happens both on stage and behind the scenes! 
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Ashley Burkholder
​Front Desk Admin/ Jr. Teacher
​(she/her)

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Ashley first joined Redmond Academy last year in the Academy’s performance of Mean Girls and has been in other productions such as Little Shop of Horrors and Hadestown. She has also participated in a couple dance classes throughout the year. 
Ashley is super excited to be teaching campers and working alongside teachers at the Academy!  

​Sam is so thrilled to be re-joining the Redmond Academy of Theatre Arts as the new technical theatre director. Sam is currently finishing his final year at the University of Washington and will be graduating with a degree in Linguistics, with plans to further pursue a career in healthcare. You may have seen Sam on stage at the Redmond Academy recently in the two Young Professional productions: A Chorus Line and Sweeney Todd. Some of Sam’s other work with the Academy include Tech and Stage management for Mean Girls Jr. and Spelling Bee.