Julie Novak has been teaching and directing theater in a school and community setting for over 20 years. While teaching at the renowned Valley Christian Conservatory, in San Jose, California, she developed her own theater arts curriculum for students 6-8 grades and a curriculum for students 6-12 grade while teaching and directing at Summit Christian Academy in Austin, Texas. Julie has directed plays, musicals, one acts, musical reviews, competition scenes, concerts and benefit shows too numerous to count! She has been trained in a multitude of acting techniques, such as the Wheeler Recording Method, On Camera Acting, Improvisational Acting, various vocal genres and public speaking. Outside of her teaching career she has worked as an acting coach, speaker, ghostwriter, vocalist and done voice over studio work. Her greatest love is working with young people in the arts and helping them develop confidence and belief in their personal gift set. Julie began CYT Austin In January of 2015 after she felt called to take her passion to speak life and encouragement into young people through the arts, outside the walls of a school and into her community.

Leah Knight, began her classical studies at the age of three with violin, piano and voice lessons. Ms.Knight has performed as soloist in the Austin area and by invitation at the Moscow Conservatory of Music, Russia. Her most notable roles include “Virtu” from L’incoronazione di Poppea, “Tatiana” from Eugene Onegin, “Die Erste Dame” from Die Zauberflöte (Salzburg, Austria), “La Contessa” from Le nozze di Figaro, Nella in Johnny Schicchi , title role in Suor Angelica and “Martha” in A Secret Garden for which she won a Best Actress in a Supporting Role “Sammy” award. Leah completed her Bachelor’s under the University of Texas’ Martha Deatherage and her Master’s in Music under Rose Taylor with the role of “Tatiana” in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, in tandem with a disquisition on Tatiana’s literary origins, serving as her Master’s Thesis. Ms. Knight participated as an Apprentice Artist with Sarasota Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera for the 2006-2007 season. Leah most recently performed “Alice” in Falstaff with Spotlight on Opera and soprano soloist for Mozart’s REQUIEM with St. William Symphony. She maintains a busy teaching and performance schedule while Music/Vocal Director for CYT Austin and Georgetown Palace Theater Education. Any free time is spent learning new instruments, recording, and enjoying her two sons, and daughter. Leah looks forward to helping CYT Austin grow!!

Lauris Blackwell grew up singing and dancing! After high school she attended Austin College, and then went on to New York, where she was a scholarship winner to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She stayed in NYC for eleven years performing professionally on and off Broadway and on many National and European tours. Some of her favorite roles are the Narrator in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, Rose, in “Bye, Bye Birdie”, Amnesia, in “Nunsense”, Lily, in “Annie”, and Rhetta, in “Pump Boys and Dinettes”. She has performed at the White House and the Kennedy Center for both the Bush and Clinton Administration in conjunction with the Children’s Literacy Program. She performed in the Natchez Opera for ten years and was fortunate enough to be the soloist for then Governor George Bush’s Inauguration. Since moving home to Texas, she has performed and Choreographed with Waco Children’s Theater, Temple Civic Theatre, the Public Domain, and River City Pops and many others. She has choreographed for Buzz Productions, Akins High School, River City Pops, Austin Summer Musicals For Children, as well as served on the RCP and ASMC Boards. She teaches tap, ballet, jazz, and musical theatre to all ages. She is the dance instructor and Choreographer for Christian Youth Theatre. When not dancing about, she spends time with her husband, James, and their wonderful son Dustin. She is so grateful and blessed to be a part of all of her work “families”