SALISBURY THEATRE INFO LETTER

Dear Salisbury Families,

I hope that you are all enjoying your Summer! For those of you I’ve not yet had the pleasure to

meet, I’m Julia Urich; SHS Class of 2002, and one of your new Theatre Department team

members. I am stepping into this role jointly with two dear friends and colleagues, Will Erwin

and Melisa Klausner. Together with the Salisbury community, we are excited to share the

responsibility and opportunity to rebuild and grow our small-but-mighty Theatre Department.

Below, we have summarized our vision for the Theatre Department going forward, as well as

some changes and expectations for the upcoming school year. You’ll also find some information

about each of us, as well as a link to a survey. If your family has any interest in being a part of

the Fall Play and/or Spring Musical in any way, please take a moment to fill out the survey. It

will help us in setting expectations and creating a program that is beneficial to all involved.

Our vision:

• We believe theatre in schools helps students gain: Confidence, Public Speaking Skills, Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership, College Preparation, Social Connections/Friendships, Time Management Skills.

• We believe that theatre is the most collaborative form of art. Similar to any team sport, everyone has to work together across multiple disciplines, utilizing various skill sets, to create live theatre; and we can’t do that unless we – staff, students, and families – truly collaborate with open dialogue, open minds, and open hearts.

• We believe theatre gives students a voice and the opportunity to express themselves; to learn about themselves and the world. There will be life lessons in everything we do – that’s what theatre is, and we believe it is an important piece of a student actor’s experience.

Because we are a new team, our intention is to focus first on the craft of acting and the presentation of a play. We want to create an overall positive experience and teach tools that students can take into whatever career they choose in the future.

Some changes to the program:

Rehearsal Time: Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, theatre activities will return to evenings (instead of immediately after school). In addition to accommodating each of our professional careers outside of Salisbury, we hope this change will create the opportunity for more student athletes to participate in theatre.

Family participation: High school theatre programs across the Lehigh Valley rely heavily on the time, talent, and treasure of their communities. That was true of Salisbury for decades. As a student in this program, I remember (and can tell you the names of!) the parents who helped build the set and paint it, tailored costumes, sourced props, and more. We already have a small group of parents eager to lead the way this coming school year, and there are some questions in the survey regarding willingness and ways you might be able to help, as well. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to get involved!

Up First:

We will announce the Fall Play as soon as it is finalized and rights are acquired, but want to put

some dates on your radar in the meantime.

• Our team will host an informational meet-and-greet the evening of Thursday, Aug. 20th in the SHS Auditorium.
• Representatives will be at Freshman Orientation Monday, August 24th.
• Additionally, we will offer an audition workshop the evening of Thursday, Aug. 27th, for any student interested in the Theatre program. We will set expectations for auditions, walk students through the process, answer questions, and offer tips and advice for preparation. Our goal is to set students up for success.
• Auditions will be the evening of Tuesday, Sep. 1st. If we need to hold callbacks, they will be Wednesday, Sep. 2nd.

Will, Mel, and I are very excited to work with the Salisbury community to teach our students

the myriad values of theatre, create positive experiences and memories, and put together some

productions the whole community can enjoy. We hope you’ll join us!

Most sincerely,

Julia Urich, Co-Director

Salisbury Theatre Department

Important Dates (all events begin at 6:30pm):

Thur. 8/20 Theatre Dept. Informational Night / Meet & Greet

Thur. 8/27 Audition Workshop

Tues. 9/1 Fall Play Auditions

Wed. 9/2 Callbacks (if necessary)

The Fall Play will be presented the evenings of Thursday 11/12, Friday 11/13, and Saturday 11/14, with a matinee performance on SATURDAY 11/14.

(There will be two shows on Saturday, no show on Sunday.)

Julia (Lischner) Urich – SHS ‘02

After Salisbury, Julia attended Colgate University for two years, before transferring to

Muhlenberg College to focus on theatre, where she earned dual degrees in Theatre and Music.

In 2009, she co-founded a video production company with her husband, Rocky (SHS ’99). For 17 years, they have created videos for a broad range of industries – from documentary and film to small business, higher education, non-profits, healthcare, and Fortune 500 companies.

Between them, Rocky and Julia are the recipients of 24 Emmy® awards and many other

accolades. Julia credits her background and education in theatre for her successes in the film

and video industry. She has directed, music directed, coached, and performed in theatre in

various capacities for more than 25 years. She continues to teach and perform, and can

currently be seen around the region singing with The SwingTime Dolls. Julia and Rocky moved back to Salisbury in 2023 and have two children in the district.

Will Erwin

Will lives in South Whitehall Township in Allentown. He holds an MA in theatre from Villanova University and an M.Ed in education from DeSales University. He is currently in Moravian University's Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. Will teaches in Bethlehem and is an adjunct professor of theatre arts at Cedar Crest College. He’s acted, directed, educated, and designed in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley regions for over 20 years. He ran Salisbury’s theatre program from 2012-2021 and is very excited to be back at this wonderful school with this wonderful group of students, faculty/staff, and creative team.

Melisa Klausner

Melisa Klausner is a graduate of the New Actors Workshop Conservatory in New York City, founded by legendary artists Mike Nichols, George Morrison, and Paul Sills. She was fortunate to study directly under these visionary teachers, whose influence continues to shape her work today. The school’s unique dual-track curriculum, combining Stanislavski’s technique with Viola Spolin’s Theatre Games, forms the foundation of Melisa’s approach to actor training and teaching. She has taught for over ten years and is the owner of Coach Melisa Studio located at Juxtahub in Emmaus. Melisa has performed on Broadway, National Tour, Off-Broadway, and in regional theaters across the country. She is so excited to begin this journey with Julia and Will and the Salisbury community of theatre students.