FACULTY & STAFF
There will be regular updates to the faculty and staff. Please check back frequently.
dennis willhoit
Dennis Willhoit serves as the Executive Artistic Director for American Gothic Performing Arts. He is a active tenor soloist, having served as a principal tenor in the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. He was a featured soloist the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and 2015. Dr. Willhoit has taught at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Drake University and Coe College. In 2010, he was awarded UWSP’s Excellence in Teaching Award. He holds degrees from Simpson College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the University of Iowa, where he earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in vocal performance and pedagogy. His scholarly research has focused on the operatic works of Vivaldi. Dr. Willhoit was the founding conductor of the Greater Ottumwa Vocal Arts Project Children’s Chorus, which he conducted for 10 seasons. In addition to his duties with AGPA, Dr. Willhoit manages his family’s heritage farm, runs two small businesses with his husband and serves as an advocate for historic preservation.
susan Bender
Susan Bender is a versatile soprano and teacher, was a Metropolitan Opera National Council Winner in 1986, the same year she debuted with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in a concert of operatic arias. From 1985-1989, Ms. Bender was a member of the United States Navy Band Sea Chanter Chorus in Washington, D.C. and toured with their premiere wind ensemble as their soloist on three national tours and performed for international dignitaries.
As a teacher of voice, Professor Bender’s students have won many Maryland, Wisconsin and Mid-Atlantic NATS awards and have gone on to study and work at Indiana University, Northwestern (Chicago), University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, The Catholic University, the Washington Opera Chorus, The Kennedy Center, The Metropolitan Opera and on Broadway.
tony humrichouser
Tony Humrichouser began his involvement with The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre in 1986, playing Eugene Morris Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs. After a long career as a performer and director in Chicago and New York City, he returned in 2018 to serve as the Artistic Director. He most recently directed Civic productions of Dames at Sea, Elf The Musical, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Tempest, and Almost Maine. His history with the Civic also includes directing critically numerous productions including Hello Dolly!, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!, War Paint, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, as well as Love Letters starring Edie Falco.
His performance credits include Jinx/Sparky in the Joseph Jefferson Award-Winning Chicago company of Forever Plaid, John Adams in 1776, Gabe in Dinner with Friends, Herald in Marat/Sade, and Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at the Tony Award-winning Trinity Repertory Company. He most recently was seen as Bruce Bechdel in Fun Home and Leo Bloom in The Producers for Farmers Alley Theatre. Other credits include Gordon Schwinn in the Stage West Theatre Company's production of A New Brain as Malcolm McGregor in The Full Monty at The Des Moines Playhouse. Regional credits include Oscar in Sweet Charity, Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Harold Bride in Titanic, Applegate in Damn Yankees, Hornbeck in Inherit The Wind, Cornelius Hackle in Hello Dolly, Noah in The Rainmaker, Ben Gant in Look Homeward, Angel, Otto Kringelein in Grand Hotel and Charlie in The Foreigner.
Regional directing credits include Camelot, Man of La Mancha, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, My Fair Lady, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Into the Woods, Anything Goes, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Brigadoon, State Fair, Godspell, Pippin, Blood Brothers, You Can't Take it With You, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Merrily We Roll Along, The Boy Friend, and Quilters. Humrichouser's New York production credits include assisting Director Lonny Price on the New York Philharmonic's production of Company at Lincoln Center and directing The Other Steve and Edie starring Edie Falco and Stephen Wallem at The Laurie Beechman Theatre.
Humrichouser holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University and an M.F.A. in Acting from Rhode Island College. He is a graduate of the Trinity/Brown Consortium in Providence, RI, and a proud member of the Actors Equity Association.
STEPHEN WALLEM
Stephen Wallem is a SAG Award-nominated actor best known as Thor Lundgren on the Emmy-winning Showtime series “Nurse Jackie”. He also recurred as Winston on “The Resident” (Fox) and currently recurs as Rudy on “Law and Order: SVU” (NBC). Other TV credits include “Difficult People,” “Divorce,” “Horace and Pete” and Billy Crystal's new series "Before." Stephen made his feature film debut in the hit romantic comedy Marry Me starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. NYC stage credits include Pipe Dream (Encores!) Anna Nicole (New York City Opera/BAM), and teaming with Edie Falco for the original cabaret The Other Steve and Edie. Directing credits include Psycho Beach Party (Kalamazoo Civic) and Forever Plaid (New River Valley Regional Theatre). He has been a respondent for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and a teaching guest artist for Western Michigan University.
FeLIX pONCE TORREZ
Felix Ponce Torrez graduated in 2022 with his B.F.A. in Acting from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. He appeared as a guest artist at the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival in 2021 and 2022. Roles included Jack Kelly in Disney’s Newsies and Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza. He also appeared recently with The Denver Center in A Christmas Carol. He is currently making his Broadway debut in the 2023 Revival of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd starring Josh Grobin and Annaleigh Ashford.