John Steinbeck
Artistic Director
Kristin Baer-Werder (KW) earned her BFA from the Actor Training Conservatory at UC Santa Barbara and her MFA in Acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts. She is a proud member of AFTRA/SAG and AEA. KW worked in television and major motion pictures, but most enjoyed her work in regional theatres across the country. Favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It, Dorine in Tartuffe, and Miss Hyde in Dr. Jekyll and Miss Hyde. KW worked for six+ years with San Francisco Shakespeare Festival as the Props Designer and Backstage Manager and was proud to open the Firehouse Theatre. KW was on the steering committee and a founding member of CYT Tri-Valley, where she also taught classes, worked backstage and directed Junie B. Jones, Into the Woods, Jr, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. KW lives in Pleasanton with her husband and son (her daughter is an actress in Utah) and one unreasonably fat dog.
Managing Director
Talia Fallis has been performing her entire life. She trained in various styles of performance dance including musical theater, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, Scottish country dance, and Irish Ceili dance. But her one true passion lies in ballet. In recent years, she has been performing with various professional ballet companies in the greater Bay Area. She has been teaching ballet to children and adults of all ages for the past ten years, and currently co-owns and runs, with her sister, Vineyard Ballet Academy in Pleasanton. She also recently founded her own ballet performance group, Pleasanton's first and only professional ballet company, Ballet Roots Dance Company.
Chapter Coordinator
Sarah Yendrey is a native born Livermore girl. She is married to Joseph and has 4 kids ages 12-17. She was involved in drama and dance from a young age and loves all things CYT. She is personable and friendly and can’t wait to help serve the families of CYT Tri-Valley.
HYPE Advisor
Loving to sing and dance, Barbara, affectionately known as Rapper KD within CYT, participated in ballet, jazz, clogging and choirs growing up. She has sung at weddings, in church choirs, and on worship teams over the past 30 years. Currently, Rapper KD sings locally with Chorus Eclectic in the Tri-Valley area. Prior to raising and homeschooling her three kids, she was a Marriage and Family Therapist, working specifically with children and their families. One of her favorite parts of CYT is being the HYPE advisor to an extraordinary group of teen leaders.
