Something new to Theatre Salina is our community blog! Local writers are welcome to submit samples of work about Theatre Salina and Center for Theatre Arts to be published on our website blog!
We continue this feature with local artist and Theatre Salina’s Curator of Exhibits, Meghan Hessman. She is talented artist and owner of Sunflower Follies.
By: Meghan Hessman, Volunteer Curator of Exhibits, Theatre Salina
December 29, 2025
Art is the language of humanity. Whether expressed through words, music, movement, or
different art mediums; it speaks a universal truth, and it isn’t just for artists. It belongs to
everyone – actors, musicians, athletes, and business professionals alike.
In conjunction with the production of 12 Angry Men, twelve local male artists are exploring
men’s mental health through personal struggles, success, and the importance of prioritizing
well-being. Local photographer, Tanner Colvin, began collaborating with our Theatre Salina
exhibit curator on this project back in August. We are incredibly grateful for his insights and
help to organize the local artists for this upcoming exhibit. We hope you’ll have the opportunity
to experience their artwork and stories from January 9th – 25th in the Theatre Salina lobby.
Artist Spotlight: Tanner Colvin
Local photographer and creative Tanner Colvin explains, “Photography exists in my life in many
forms. As a profession, a side pursuit, and most importantly, as a personal escape. The images
in this exhibition come from that quieter space, where photography becomes less about output
and more about presence. Immersed in nature, whether waiting patiently in a blind or driving a
dirt road in search of an open horizon, I find moments of stillness that are often hard to access
in a busy world. These images reflect the peace I seek and the mental clarity I regain through
time spent outdoors. In sharing these images, I hope to acknowledge the importance of slowing
down, creating space, and finding personal ways to care for mental health, especially for men
who may struggle to articulate it in words.”
Artist Spotlight: Mo Christo
Mo Christo is a working-class poet, educator, and night-shift survivor from Kansas. He splits his
time between running machines at a pizza plant, building and flying fpv drones, and teaching
English online to students across the world.
As for poetry, Mo started writing and reciting out of frustration with life – he spent a large
portion of his youth battling recidivism and while incarcerated would find solace in writing. In
2016 at Ad Astra Books and Coffee House’s “One Mic” open mic series he was able to share the
art he created. The community and energy within that core group of artists was fundamental in
establishing Mo’s identity as an artist and as a human being.
Since then he has belonged to Spoken word for over 15 years; organizing, hosting and
performing in a cavalcade of oratory events in places located in a range from Kansas to the
Yucatan.
His home away from home was Nashville TN, where poetry became a lifestyle,
and Morgan made a residency of sorts in cafes, city libraries, dive bars and tattoo shops with a
group dubbed Po’ Boys and Poets – Nashville. Here he was in an integral position working with
the poets, the community and other organizers to spread culture and art.
The group under his tutelage would go on to organize and perform in events like the Silence the
Violence March, National Black Poetry Day Fest and the African Street Festival; gaining
recognition and opportunities for the poets he worked with.
Mo would claim, “You don’t have to be the fire if you’re the spark that starts the flame.”
Currently you can find him celebrating his art on second Fridays @ 7 pm at Ad Astra Books and
Coffee House’s Open Mic.
Ig; Mochristo89
In conclusion to our 12 Creative Men – Theatre Salina Blog, we have found that the arts are
indeed not just a hobby or a frivolous escape; they are a tangible release, a coping mechanism,
a form of therapy, a source of focus, a feeling trapped in time, and a language for connection.
Through the arts, people achieve goals, grow, learn, gain insight, and improve. They create
space for failure in pursuit of success, for reinvention, and for trying again. The arts build
connections and open doors to opportunity, and sometimes, they even offer closure.
Something new to Theatre Salina is our community blog! Local writers are welcome to submit samples of work about Theatre Salina and Center for Theatre Arts to be published on our website blog!
We continue this feature with local artist and Theatre Salina’s Curator of Exhibits, Meghan Hessman. She is talented artist and owner of Sunflower Follies.
By: Meghan Hessman, Volunteer Curator of Exhibits, Theatre Salina
December 19, 2025
Artist Spotlight: Darren Morawitz
Local Artist and Director of Education at the Salina Art Center, Darren Morawitz explains, “The
creative practice is a core part of my mental state. I become emotionally and mentally out of
balance if I don’t flex my creative muscles on a regular basis. Certain pieces bring peace while
other pieces help me cope with difficult issues or situations. My personal therapy is putting on
music and diving into the creative process.”
Artist Spotlight: John P. Waterman
Epiphanies arrive in countless shapes and moments throughout a lifetime – books, films, and
fleeting experiences alike. One such revelation for local artist and photographer, John P.
Waterman, surfaced during adolescence while watching The Shawshank Redemption. The film’s
depiction of men conditioned by fear into compliance raised a haunting question: after decades
behind bars, what happens to a person when they’re released into a world that no longer runs
on that conditioning?
The character Brooks offered the clearest window into that question. Within prison walls, he
found purpose in caring for a crow, a small anchor that helped him survive the passage of time.
But when he stepped into freedom for the first time in decades both he, and the bird he once
raised, discovered that liberation comes with its own dangers, its own rules, its own
unexpected epiphanies. Watching Brooks confront this new reality opens the viewer’s eyes as
well: escape from one cage often leads directly into another.
Before making the decision that would end his story, Brooks left behind a blunt, heartbreaking
mark: “Brooks was here.” It was the literal inscription of a man who had never truly carved his
name into the world, a quiet plea to be remembered by anyone who might one day look up at
that beam. After writing it, he let go once more – this time into the unknown of the thereafter.
For John, as a teenager watching, he recalls this epiphany of being terrified that, “cages can be
escaped, yet there will be an endless chase for the word called freedom, from being ensnared,
that seems to never end.” A vivid image lodged itself in his young mind – an image that
remained for more than three decades. In it, a bird hangs itself from the perch where it once
dreamed of the open sky. It had escaped its first prison only to find itself in another, slightly
larger, but still confining, still keeping it from its purpose.
Years later, John learned to process life through creativity. Sometimes that meant poetry –
burning memories into paper so the lessons could settle and leave the hurt on the page, instead
of carrying them around. He shares, “Even later in life the paintbrush was used, each stroke
getting me closer to a personal truth, or numbing of anxiety as though it was a prayer, and this
too helped me let it go.”
This journey eventually led to the painting Brooks Was Here – a sixty-hour tour-de-force; an
emotional rollercoaster ride as John describes it. When it was finished, the image that had lived
in his mind for decades finally existed on canvas instead of in memory. John adds, “At the end,
this image stuck in my thoughts for so long was now put on canvas and I could let it go, only to
revisit it upon my own assertion, when I felt like seeing it or relearning from it. Just one more
cage I escaped.”
Art from 12 Creative Men will be displayed throughout the run of the mainstage production, 12
Angry Men, January 9th – 25th. Through this exhibit, Theatre Salina hopes to showcase how
art, in any form, helps us connect, heal, and understand one another. These 12 artists invite the
community to look beyond the canvas and into the shared human experience.
Something new to Theatre Salina is our community blog! Local writers are welcome to submit samples of work about Theatre Salina and Center for Theatre Arts to be published on our website blog!
We continue this feature with local artist and Theatre Salina’s Curator of Exhibits, Meghan Hessman. She is talented artist and owner of Sunflower Follies.
By: Meghan Hessman, Volunteer Curator of Exhibits, Theatre Salina
December 11, 2025
Art is the language of humanity. Whether expressed through words, music, dance, or different
art mediums; it speaks a universal truth, and it isn’t just for artists. It belongs to everyone –
actors, musicians, athletes, and business professionals alike. During the mainstage production
of 12 Angry Men, we worked with local photographer, Tanner Calvin, to help us invite 12 Local
Artists to exhibit in the main lobby of Theatre Salina. Two more of the twelve share their stories
with us here.
Artist Spotlight: Chaz Coberly
Artistic Director at Manhattan Arts Center, Chaz Coberly shares that shortly after his daughter was born in 2017, he began painting. He carved out a small workspace in the basement of their tiny rental house—a place to “get away” for a moment while remaining close enough for new parent duties. Chaz explains, “Before that, I hadn’t painted intentionally in recent memory. I’d always felt that, at a young age, children divide themselves into artists and non-artists. No one had ever told me that I wasn’t an artist, but I wasn’t as good as that kid, so I pursued other things.”
In 2017, he decided to challenge that assumption and see if he could paint. “I’m logically minded and good at following sequences and patterns, so I thought – maybe I can conjure something up,” Chaz reflects.
The resulting painting, A Tree at Sunrise, which he feels was neither groundbreaking nor a masterpiece, but it proved something essential: that he should keep exploring self-expression in whatever direction his creativity wandered. He also discovered that acrylic paint is forgiving, a revelation that helped him work through perfectionism and the fear of starting something that might fail.
Life shifted in 2022 when their family moved to New York. He even tried to sell his paints and easel, but there were no takers. When they returned to this neck of the woods in 2024, the paints were still waiting. That summer, he and his daughter, Alice, took on a 30-day painting challenge with one simple rule: one color per day, and both had to paint with the same color. Their resulting creations were entered into the Manhattan Arts Center’s annual fundraising auction, and he even used one as the album art for a music project he produced. “These paintings will never hang in a museum,” says Chaz, “but they represent something far more meaningful—the ongoing process of finding my voice and giving myself permission to create.”
Chaz also has also found a creative outlet through theatre and music. He first stepped into theatre around 2003, after his family saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Salina Community Theatre. “Naturally introverted, theatre had never been on my radar, and my family were not theatre people,” Chaz explains. Around that time, his mother began nudging him to volunteer to build his future college admissions résumé. Within a couple of weeks, he found himself helping JR with the summer stage production of The Hobbit.
Chaz recalls, “Being a male in theatre was certainly an advantage, and before long I was asked to join the Stage 2 production of Cinderella that same summer. I warbled out an off-key scale, the music director shrugged and said, ‘Good enough,’ and suddenly I was waltzing in the chorus, mostly on my partner’s toes. But I had caught the bug.”
His background as a drummer turned out to be unexpectedly useful for learning choreography, and by the following February he was a sword dancer in South High’s Brigadoon. “I wasn’t a natural singer, but I found comfort in the physical challenge of dance,” says Chaz. Over the next few years, both South and SCT leaned into dance-heavy productions—Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, and Cats—giving him room to grow.
By the time he reached college, he had enough fundamentals to enroll in a guys’ jazz class, and soon after was even recruited by Friends University’s ballet department. He declined, believing it wasn’t the most prudent path for a first-generation college student. Instead, he pursued a legal career while continuing to perform, mainly at SCT, which is now Theatre Salina. Since that first Joseph production, theatre has remained a steady thread in his life, often pulling him between heart and mind: the part of him longing to give himself fully to creation, and the part craving routine, security, and safety. “At the very least,” says Chaz, “I’ve learned to straddle both worlds.”
Artist Spotlight: Eric Montoy
Local artist and Co-Founder of Salina Kanvas Project, Eric Montoy, describes creativity as “a
mental purge that feels healthy.”
“It’s a wrestling match,” Eric says, “where self-reflection and immediacy collide. It pushes us to
think, process and communicate outward in a way that at times can feel very grounding and
cathartic. Yet at the very same time it allows us the space and freedom to not think at all and
just do.”
Artwork from 12 Creative Men will be displayed throughout the run of the mainstage
production, 12 Angry Men, January 9th – 25th. Through this exhibit, Theatre Salina hopes to
showcase how art, in any form, helps us connect, heal, and understand one another. These 12
artists invite the community to look beyond the canvas and into the shared human experience.
Something new to Theatre Salina is our community blog! Local writers are welcome to submit samples of work about Theatre Salina and Center for Theatre Arts to be published on our website blog!
We continue this feature with local artist and Theatre Salina’s Curator of Exhibits, Meghan Hessman. She is talented artist and owner of Sunflower Follies.
By: Meghan Hessman, Volunteer Curator of Exhibits, Theatre Salina
December 11, 2025
Art is the language of humanity. Whether expressed through words, music, movement, or
different art mediums; it speaks a universal truth, and it isn’t just for artists. It belongs to
everyone – actors, musicians, athletes, and business professionals alike.
But is art frivolous? Just a luxury or an escape? Or is it something much deeper? In Your Brain
on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, explore this very
question. “The arts can be used to fundamentally change your day-to-day life. They can help
address serious physical and mental health issues, with remarkable results. And they both help
you learn and flourish.”
“Art is our one true global language… It speaks to our need to reveal, heal, and transform. It
transcends our ordinary lives and lets us imagine what is possible.”
— Richard Kamler, artist and activist
Through art, we can step into another person’s experience. Much like viewing a painting
created by someone who is color blind and imagining how they see the world. Arts heals us and
helps us build community. It allows us to feel what others feel, and it helps us process our own
emotions. It becomes a tangible translation of the artist’s heart and mind. Ultimately, it isn’t
just about art, it’s about the feelings that you experience when it’s being created and shared.
This is exactly what Theatre Salina set out to explore in their upcoming exhibit, featuring twelve
local male artists.
The Inspiration:
The exhibit has been months in the making. Back in August, Theatre Salina’s exhibit curator
approached local photographer Tanner Colvin with an idea for their 65th season, “What if we
asked 12 local men to exhibit their art during the mainstage production 12 Angry Men? Could
we do it?”
“Easy,” Tanner replied. “I’ll start working on a list.”
Then came the real challenge:
“What if we asked for art in the vein of men’s mental health,” Tanner explores, “Personal
struggles, success, and how male artists prioritize their own mental well-being?”
Here’s what we heard.
Artist Spotlight: Travis Märäk
Travis Märäk, an abstract and surreal artist, has been painting for about six years. Much of his
work is inspired by music, its feeling, message, and emotion. For Travis, art is therapy, and
music remains one of his greatest inspirations.
After struggling with depression since childhood, Travis hit a low point while living in Montana.
One day, he thankfully found his way into an arts and crafts store, a spontaneous decision that
changed his life. “I still don’t know what lured me inside,” says Travis. “I think my brain was just
desperate to reach out to something, and it found art.” His early pieces were dark and heavy,
reflecting his inner world at the time. Later, while painting dark portraits, he realized that he
was painting his own emotions.
After moving to Kansas, his art evolved. His paintings transitioned from dark imagery to more
colorful abstract forms. He describes it as finding “a happy conclusion,” helping him understand
and move beyond difficult emotions.
“Even though I can move on from a dark piece,” Travis says, “the emotion still stays with the
painting. It traps that feeling in time.”
He’s also fascinated by how others interpret his work, which is proof, he believes, that every
piece has its place, no matter how dark.
For Travis painting is therapy in itself. Each piece begins with a song as inspiration. With
headphones on, he paints the spirit he interprets behind the music.”
Artist Spotlight: Brad Anderson
Local artist and Executive Director of Salina Arts and Humanities, Brad Anderson, shares with
us, “Finding my voice through art as a vulnerable and insecure teenager provided me with a
vehicle to wrestle with life internally through the act of making things, but also allowed me to
share my work and ideas with others. Over the years, I have come to enjoy the quiet and
reflective moments of exploring media while making mistakes, celebrating successes, and
learning every step of the way.”
Brad also explains, “I believe the arts, whether you are a creator or a consumer, give us a
glimpse into our humanity. They serve as a unique connector between people, helping us grow
in our understanding of one another and having empathy for the challenges we face.”
Artwork from 12 Creative Men will be displayed throughout the run of the mainstage
production, 12 Angry Men, January 9th – 25th. Through this exhibit, Theatre Salina hopes to
showcase how art, in any form, helps us connect, heal, and understand one another. These 12
artists invite the community to look beyond the canvas and into the shared human experience.
Something new to Theatre Salina is our community blog! Local writers are welcome to submit samples of work about Theatre Salina and Center for Theatre Arts to be published on our website blog!
We are opening this new community series with a blog from High School Senior, Addilyn Jagodzinske. She is an inspiring writer who has found a home at Theatre Salina and Center for Theatre Arts through out the years.
Astra, Center for Theater Arts’ annual contemporary show, challenged choreographers and dancers alike to create a line of interpretations of constellations into dances and characters. As a vision from a story long ago passes through a director, a choreographer, and then a dancer, Andrew Graber (Upper Right) marvels at the details that make the show. He says, “Every little thing has its own story. Someone looked at those [stars] and made a story about it, and it can be interpreted in so many ways.”
By Addilyn Jagodzinske
August, 16, 2025
Twinkling lights speckle a faintly lit theater. Seating on either side of a plain runway. Feelings begin to take hold due to the proximity. Fog wisps flourish the lights’ ambiance. The Black Box fills with family, friends, or anyone ready for a story. Black drapes ease along the tall wall, flowing mildly with the tinted breeze. A beautiful, intimate place. The stage is set.
Community is at the core of Center for Theater Art’s (CTA) annual contemporary dance show.
“A couple of years ago, we really took a big pivot and we saw more dancers from other studios and other community members that came in to be part of the project, which is really what we want out of this.” Maggie Spicer Brown, Education Director of CTA, says.
Teachers, students, and rookies from studios and dance teams all around Salina and beyond gather to perform pieces reflecting different ideas from a broader theme.
2025’s Astra featured 10 pieces retelling the stories of constellations. The show is known to invoke emotions in dancers and audiences. A hazy atmosphere and resounding music produce a safe environment for an emotional connection.
“I’m in my space. I’m comfortable,” says Grace Corman, first-year dancer. She discovered beauty by putting herself in the dance, claiming it’s not acting, it’s real. Corman tears up, looking around at her nodding cast mates.
“I carry a lot of pain, and I carry a lot of joy…when doing the show, just watching everybody…I feel like I have stars in my eyes,” she says.
Not only does this resonate with a new dancer, but seasoned ones as well. Dance teacher Elissa Bergmeier relates the feeling to therapy. Camille Graber, returning dancer, sympathizes alongside her castmate.
“And even if it’s not how I feel at the moment, I have felt that way before. It’s relieving to let that go,” Camille Graber says.
Claire Schmidt and Elizabeth-Ali Schade, senior choreographers, speak to the positive environment the show has fostered for dancers building their emotional performances. Everyone encourages committing to fully emoting in the space, Schmidt says. Schade highlights how the commitment from a range of performers nurtures a space for growth.
Audience members also form tears as the intimate setting draws them closer to an unfolding story.
Characters twinkle to life. Tragic, honest, touching and humane tales unfurl before audiences. A world where words are not necessary, the audience is coupled to passion. The intimate setting draws many to the show. Dancers, choreographers, and viewers adore the special connection it brings. Schmidt relates to viewers by noting they feel a part of it.
Will Howe, returning dancer, says, “I think my favorite part about the show is that it allows myself to be uncomfortable.” Howe speaks to the struggles he had acting as a villain in Hydra, especially when faced with family and friends. He appreciates the proximity of the audience and how it forces him to feed off their emotions as he feeds off theirs. The atmosphere is thick with rising sensations. Glances meaningful. Felt every single time.
Dancers ‘mmm’ along with his sentiment, pitching in their personal stories. Many highlight the intimate setting, providing access to raw connection. Unlike recitals on a traditional proscenium stage, the Black Box sets everyone next to each other. To feel every movement. Breath. Heartbeat.
“A stage where the audience is a pit away from you and they’re all on one side of you, and here you are like in the middle of their space and they’re in your space as well,” says Andrew Graber, a returning dancer. Sympathizing with Howe, he says, “…the whole performance a lot more intimate and emotional.”
Stories are explored in Center of Theater Arts’ annual contemporary show. 2025’s ‘Astra’, compelled dancer Camille Graber (Center) into thoughtful emotions due to the impact dance has through storytelling. She says, “It’s easier to show my emotions than if I were describing it because words aren’t as easy to use and you never know how to use your words, but when you’re dancing, you can use the words without using the words.”
Real-life experiences are highlighted through intimate settings. Claire Schmidt is a long-time dancer and choreographer of CTA’s annual contemporary show. Raw emotions radiate in the show, and Schmidt credits this to the intimate setting, comparing it to a live concert. Schmidt says, “It’s a difference between watching a celebrity perform on TV and then being in space with them at a concert. Seeing you in real life, all of a sudden, I’m going to cry.”
Photo Credit for Headshot and Production Images: Heartland Photography LLC
Theatre Salina will review any community members work about Center for Theatre Arts and Theatre Salina productions, classes, and experiences.
Email your work to Ali@salinatheatre.com for consideration.