Staff
KATHRYN GUENTHER
- BS Music Education - Lebanon Valley College '05
- BA Music (Piano) - Lebanon Valley College '05
- MSc Special Education - Saint Joseph's University '12
- MA Theatre - University of Surrey (UK) '22
Originally from Mt. Holly, NJ, Ms. Guenther graduated from Lebanon Valley College with B.S. in Music Education and B.A. in Music with Piano Performance Concentration. She studied music at Anglia Ruskin Polytechnic in Cambridge, England. Previous teachers include Mrs. Judith Walter and Dr. Dennis Sweigart. She completed her master's degree in 2012 in Special Education from Saint Joseph's University. Ms. Guenther is so unbelievably proud to be in her 17th year at Pennsauken and twelfth year directing shows at the high school. During the school day, she teaches Concert Choir, Musical Theatre, Acting I and II, Music Theory I and II, and Children’s Theatre.
Kathryn has worked as a soloist and accompanist, playing everything from Bach to Broadway. In 2004, she made her orchestral debut performing Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto Op. 102 No. 1. Ms. Guenther worked and performed in circus and musical theatre. She toured as an aerialist in Spherus with Greg Kennedy as well as independent shows with bands including The Bridge and Break Science with Adam Deitch.
Ms. Guenther has worked with numerous theatre companies as a dancer and performer including The Music Man, La Cage aux Folles, Legally Blonde, Sweeney Todd, Sweet Charity, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Aladdin (UK). This past fall she had the honor of directing American Idiot with David at her second theatre home, Music Mountain Theatre and is beyond thrilled to join the team of the All State Musical for 2023 We Will Rock You. She had the privilege to perform with the 2020 Broadway Series concert of Joseph...Dreamcoat at Lincoln Center.
Ms. Guenther is the owner of Musik Haus Studios in Riverton, NJ teaching piano and voice to students of all ages. She is currently pursuing an MA in Theatre at the University of Surrey in the UK - a personal goal since the age of 16 (they have cool graduation robes) - never forget that sometimes the dumbest ideas lead to the most amazing experiences.
DAVID NIKOLAS
David is a Philadelphia-based artist who made his off-Broadway debut in a 2018 revival of Gemini in the lead role of Fran at the venerable Theatre Row in Hell's Kitchen. On screen, David co-produced, wrote, and directed In His Pocket in 2021, which took home several laurels on the film festival circuit. He has also worked with billion-dollar director Zack Snyder on the Netflix feature Army Of The Dead and in supporting roles for independent features such as The Finders in 2016; you’ve also seen him on television in AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere, as a two-day champion on Jeopardy! in 2006, and in various local commercials.
David has also served as director for several stage productions, including The Sunken Living Room in 2018, The Last Five Years in 2020, and American Idiot (with Ms. Guenther!) in 2021. Educated at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, David is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and of Actors’ Equity, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Philadelphia Liaison Area committee. A life-long Jersey boy, David was raised in Clifton and now resides in Palmyra with his wife Jamie and their dogs Bruce and Maya.
JENNIFER GORDON - CHOREOGRAPHER
Jenn is thrilled to return to the PHS Music Theatre program for her 5th year. Over the past 20 years, she has been teaching traditional dance styles along the eastern United States and virtually to students worldwide. Mrs. Gordon places emphasis on proper technique, artistry, and maintaining the joy of dance. Within her professional company Allegory Dance Theatre, she founded and implemented the Hope Dances program that brings the vast benefits of dance to senior citizens living with dementia.
Jennifer Gordon is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Mrs. Gordon is also a Level 1 certified teacher through the Progressing Ballet Technique® created by Marie Walton Mahon. Jenn is beyond grateful to be a part of such a phenomenal production team and to have the privilege of work with such talented and hardworking students that continue to renew her faith in the future of Theater.
