KWU Students to Teach at Theatre Salina
Written by kwustudentmedia_2smms1 on September 9, 2025
Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) and Theatre Salina’s collaboration continues in the Center for Theatre Arts (CTA) this year. Theatre Salina’s CTA recently employed six KWU students as part time teachers for CTA classes. Of the seven, all have experience which brought them to join CTA’s teaching staff.
2025-2026 KWU CTA Teachers (left to right) Zander Flener, Makenzie Martinez, Tru Haesemeyer, Grace Corman, Kaiden Comeau, and Jacob Brown. Photo by Ben Corman.
Tru Haesemeyer
KWU Senior Tru Haesemeyer joined the CTA teaching staff as a dance teacher for the 2025-2026 season. One of the co-captains of the KWU dance team, her dedication to dance led her to Theatre Salina several years ago.
“I was brought to CTA through the contemporary show, which I really enjoyed participating in. I was then curious about helping with other events and shows, which has helped me become a teacher”
Theatre Salina’s annual Contemporary Dance show is one of the first events of the season in August. Choreographers and dancers come together to create stories and dances centered around one connected theme. In the recent dance show Astra, Haesemeyer both danced and choreographed for the event.
Tru Haesemeyer celebrates Dancing with the Salina Stars with her team. Photo by Tru Haesemeyer.
Haesemeyer stated, “Dancing in the contemporary show has allowed me to explore a side of dancing I normally get to do very much! I’m not super used to acting and dancing at the same time, so it has been fun to connect dance with stories.”
Most recently, she choreographed a team for the Dancing with the Salina Stars event at Theatre Salina. Her team consisted of members of the Salina Symphony which included KWU alumni Jacob Corman (‘25) and Aubreigh Heck (‘24).
“My experience choreographing so far has been great. I love getting to be involved in the different aspects of dance and theatre,”
Haesemeyer said. “It is so rewarding to be part of this community.”
Haesemeyer looks forward to meeting her new students and sharing her love of dance with them. She will be teaching “Ready, Set, Dance!,” “Ready, Set, Acro!,” PBT, Ballet III/IV, Ballet V/VI, Intermediate Ballet, Intermediate Contemporary, and Beginner Acro.
Kaiden Comeau: Returning Teacher
Kaiden Comeau, a KWU sophomore and second year CTA teacher returns to educate at CTA. An active member of KWU theatre and choir, Comeau grew up around the arts.
“I’ve lived in Salina my entire life and have been lucky enough to see many shows at Theatre Salina that whole time and have loved being a part of some in the past couple of years! I am also a music education major here at Wesleyan, so when I was asked to be a teacher for CTA, I immediately accepted the great opportunity,” Comeau commented.
Comeau recently appeared on stage in Theatre Salina and KWU’s production of Sweeney Todd as Toby, the young orphan boy Mrs. Lovett adopts. His background as a performer benefits himself and his students as he would share his experiences with them. Some of his students even came to see the show.
“I’ve said it before and this is only my second year as a CTA teacher, but one of my FAVORITE parts of teaching here is how much I learn from the students,” said Comeau, “In just last year teaching Drama for Dudes I learned so many things about music and teaching that I wouldn’t have been able to learn the same way anywhere else.”
Comeau will be teaching two classes for the season at CTA. He and fellow KWU student Jacob Brown will teach Drama 4 Dudes, and he will join newcomer Makenzie Martinez in teaching Musical Theatre Showcase I-III.
New Teachers
Joining CTA this year are four new KWU students. Makenzie ‘Kenzie’ Martinez, Zander Flener Mackenzie Essex, and Grace Corman. Martinez will be teaching Creative Drama, Musical Theatre K-I and Musical Theatre Showcase I-III. Flener and Corman will be joining CTA as substitutes for Musical Theatre and Dance classes. Three of the first-year members of CTA have participated in either CTA or Mainstage Theatre Salina productions.
CTA classes start Sept. 8 and enrollment stays open until November. Theatre Salina offers student discounts to KWU students looking to take classes with CTA. For more information on what CTA has to offer, click here.
