POPs Staff

Julia has enjoyed co-creating with so many wonderful artists on creative projects during her professional career as a dancer and actress but her true passion has and will always be teaching children the craft she loves. She created Puttin’ On Productions, POPs, in 2007 and seven years later opened The Academy of Dramatic Arts, or TADA Stages. She has directed, choreographed, and/or produced over fifty youth productions. Julia is a proud mom of Jonah and Jett and grateful she has her husband Mark to share the joys of creating this sacred space for children to learn and grow.

Mark spent more than 20 years in executive management for multi-billion dollar organizations. After leaving his most recent position of Director of Sales at Oracle in 2015 , Mark returned to POPs to work full time for the company he helped found with his wife Julia. Mark has a passion for helping others create change and growth and continues to use his talents to help POPs have a greater impact on our community.

Susan has returned to be Business Manager for Puttin' on Productions. She was previously Business Manager from 2013 - 2017. Susan has a BA, JD and MBA from the University of Southern California. She spent her legal career at ARCO and then BP until she retired as Associate General Counsel – Worldwide Refining and Marketing in 2010. She has been a POPs family member since its first production of The Wiz in 2007, and her children participated in every show until they graduated high school. She believes POPs is valuable to the children who participate because they learn teamwork, leadership, collaboration and self-esteem.

Kimberly Weber is thrilled to be back at POPs as the Resident Stage Manager! She is a Chapman University alum of 2011 with a BA in Theatre Technology and has taught stage management there for the past four years. Her greatest passion is to help support the future performers and technicians in the industry. Working in the Los Angeles area as a professional stage manager for the past ten years, she has been able to work with the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Antaeus Theatre Company, Actors Co-Op Theatre Company, Getty Villa, Lobero Theatre and many more.

Choreographer and dance educator, Hazel holds a BA in dance from San Jose State University. Founder/Director of Kairos Dance Company (est. 2006), her work has been performed throughout CA, as well as Ogden, Denver, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Having directed/ choreographed over fifty youth and high school productions throughout the South Bay and Chicago, she has been with POPs since its start in '07. Regional choreography credits include: LA Critic's Choice, "A Chorus Line" (2016), "Musical Thrones: A Parody of Ice and Fire" (Nat'l Tour 2017), Ovation Award Best Musical Winner "Lizzie, the Musical" (2019), and LA Time's Critic's Choice/ Ovation Award Winner "Fun Home" (2020). Graphic and Web Design: Hazel initiated her training with Blazing Trails Media in 2007 and serves as a freelance designer in the South Bay.

Born and raised here in Manhattan Beach, Megan has travelled across Los Angeles performing in musicals as well as directing numerous shows including: The Little Mermaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, Aladdin, Moana, How to Eat Like A Child and many more. Megan learned her love of theatre through POPs when she was twelve in POPs' very first production, The Wiz. From then on POPs has always had her heart. After attending the BFA Musical Theatre program at Indiana University and earning her degree at Loyola Marymount University, she could not be more excited to be back home at POPs passing her love for musical theatre onto the next generation. Megan is extremely passionate about children and fostering that safe space where they can grow not only on stage but off. When she isn't immersed in the magic of theatre, Megan is a cosmetologist and loves using her creativity to change the lives and hair of others!

Erline is very happy to be part of the POPs family! She is a Los Angeles based actress and singer/songwriter who is a native of Chicago with Haitian roots. She started singing at the age of 5 in the school choir and her love for musicals lead her straight to a life on the stage! Erline received her BA in Theater performance from Columbia College Chicago. After graduating she continued to perform on stages in NYC, Indiana, Chicago and Florida as well as performing internationally in Paris, Japan and London. Some of her favorite roles include, Rafiki in “The Lion King", Ti Moune in “Once on this Island” and Chiffon in “Little Shop of Horrors”. Teaching children Musical Theater is another passion of Erline’s. She has been very privileged to have taught childrenaround the globe over the years. Currently when she’s not living her best life with the kids at POPs, she’s teaching dance to other amazing kids at several schools around the Los Angeles area. To her, theater helps children build character and deal with everyday emotions freely without judgement! The stage is an opportunity to live and play in an unknown world, making dreams and fantasies real...AND ITS FUN! As the great Willy Wonka said, “We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams!”

Camden grew up here in the South Bay, performing in numerous shows throughout her childhood. Camden starting dancing at the age of 2 and trained in all styles, she started competing when she was 9 and joined the South Dance Team at 14 years old. She then attended the University of Alabama and was a member of the dance program and Alabama Hip Hop Dance Crew. While Camden primarily trained in dance, she also performed in numerous plays including the role of Gabriella in High School Musical and Lefou in Beauty and the Beast. Camden is so grateful to be able to share her love of the arts with others!

Forresta doesn't remember a time in her life that wasn't musical. Born into a musical family with both parents being professional classical musicians, she began playing the violin at three years old. During her senior year of high school, Forresta auditioned, on a whim, for her school musical, Hairspray, and caught the theatre bug. Forresta began her musical theater training at NYU's CAP21 Program. Forresta then transferred to the American Musical and Dramatic Arts (AMDA) NYC campus and received a Conservatory Certificate in Musical Theatre. She later received her BFA in Performance Arts from AMDA's LA campus. Her favorite productions that she has done have been Miss Saigon, Spring Awakening, and LA Opera's La Boheme. Forresta loves instilling and seeing the joy, expression, fulfillment, and healing that music brings. To be able to pass the magic of music along is a dream come true!

Stephen, originating from Huntington Beach and a forthcoming graduate in Musical Theatre Vocal Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College, steps into the role of Musical Director for "Mean Girls" at Puttin' on Productions. With an educational background from the APA program and AMDA Los Angeles, and recognized by the Torrance Cultural Arts with an Excellence in Arts Award, his expertise has enhanced various productions. Stephen has most recently vocally directed Torrance Theatre Company's "Kinky Boots" "Addams Family" and "Beauty and the Beast." Now, he collaborates with the cast of "Mean Girls," guiding their singing to express the musical’s powerful themes of authenticity and true friendship.