THE BOARD
Lisa Sedares
President & Resident Music Director
Lisa Sedares is delighted to come on board as Conundrum’s President and Music Director. Lisa is a classically-trained pianist who began at an early age and eventually became involved in musical theater, choral directing, and composing. Some of the recent shows that she has been a part of are Putting It Together (music director), Beauty and the Beast (vocal director), Urinetown (pianist), Oklahoma! (pianist), and Into the Woods (pianist).
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Originally from Arizona, Lisa moved to Maryland for school and spent 9 years on the east coast building a career in aerospace engineering while pursuing a double master’s in piano performance and space systems engineering. She recently relocated to Los Angeles for a change of scenery, a new job at NASA, and more professional musical opportunities. On the side, Lisa is currently working on a new musical that is at the intersection of her two passions: Rocket Science and Musical Theater.
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JACKIE BRENNEMAN
Vice President
Jackie has been involved with theatre for most of her life as a performer, director, producer, and lyricist. Theatre has given Jackie confidence and killer memorization skills, has taken her across the globe, and most importantly, it has introduced her to life long friends. Jackie’s performing has taken her to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, New York University, and right here to Los Angeles. Jackie is passionate about bringing high-quality and innovative theater to Los Angeles.
Jackie moved to Los Angeles for law school. However, Jackie continues to perform throughout the Los Angeles area both on stage and screen. Some favorite roles include, Winifred (Once Upon a Mattress), Roxie Hart (Chicago), Charity Valentine (Sweet Charity), The Witch (Into the Woods), Marian Paroo (The Music Man), and Maria von Trapp (The Sound of Music). Jackie has been involved in all of Conundrum's productions and her most recent role with Conundrum was Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.
Jackie has a day job she loves as the General Counsel & Director of Industry Relations at the National Association of Theatre Owners and has two adorable kiddos. For more, visit jackiebrenneman.com.
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Bryan Snodgrass
Resident Creative Director
Bryan is from Colorado Springs, CO. He started acting when he was in Kindergarten, playing the Prince in a school production of Cinderella. The stage has been his passion ever since, and he is thrilled to be part of Conundrum.
Bryan received his BA in Theatre Directing from the University of Northern Colorado. He currently works as the School Age Director for the Burbank Community YMCA.
Bryan has been a part of numerous productions, both on and off stage. He recently portrayed Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music. Some other acting credits include You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown), Fuddy Meers (Kenny), and Grand Hotel. He has also directed A Company of Wayward Saints, Bringing It All Back Home, Love Letters, and The Sound Of Music.
When he has free time, Bryan likes to play the piano, read, and watch Disney animated movies.
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Matthew Claiborne Karic
Fundraising Chair
Arizona native and seasoned performed Matt studied Opera Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Under the instruction of Maestro Vladimir Chernov and direction of Peter Kazaras, he sang in countless productions, recitals, and masterclasses. Some of his favorites while at UCLA have been singing for Maestro James Conlon of the LAOpera and performing the role of Il Commendatore in Mozart's Don Giovanni. During his time at UCLA, Matt also was the vice president of BruinLIGHTS, a student organization that brought student-taught arts curriculum back to LAUSD schools whose budget cuts had left the curriculum artless.
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Matt is thrilled to be on the board of Conundrum Theatre Company, a nonprofit organization bringing theatre opportunities to working professionals in the valey. During the day, he can be found in the Hollywood Hills working in celebrity endorsements and global brand building.
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Kelly Nickels
Secretary
Kelly Nickels is a professionally trained actor and singer-songwriter from Grapevine, Texas with over 10+ years of vocal training (choral, jazz, folk, musical theatre). She works as a professional film editor as her day job, but her passion project is writing an original musical.
Kelly received her BA from the University of North Texas in Film and Photographic Arts. Her musical theater credits include Rose Fenny (Dogfight), Hermione (A Very Potter Musical), Olive’s Mom (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Patrice (13 The Musical), Kate (Legally Blonde the Musical), and Gingy (Shrek The Musical).
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Gabriel Chu
Board Member
Gabriel Chu is thrilled to be a part of Conundrum Theatre Company. After studying voice at Baylor University, he moved to LA and has worked behind the scenes in Film and TV for the past decade. He's excited to be back on stage and is grateful to his teachers, friends, and family for their support. Gabriel has also studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and is a classically trained pianist and violinist. He speaks Mandarin Chinese fluently and loves Coconut LaCroix.
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