Dena Davis has worked professionally as a Children’s Theatre Director, Educator and Actress for over 25 years. She trained in theatre at the California Institute of the Arts (BFA), and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama (MFA). As an actress, she appeared in plays throughout the UK and Europe, including the London West End’s Apollo Theatre where she was part of the original cast of Ben Elton’s West End production of “Popcorn”, (Olivier Award winner: Best Comedy in 1998). She also appeared in various television productions, including “Grange Hill”, and the classic British series “Jeeves & Wooster” with Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie. Dena was the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the AFK School of Dance and Drama based in Wimbledon, England, is a qualified LAMDA exam coach (London Academy of Music & Drama), and was also Theatre Director at the Coventry Preparatory School in England. Through Arts Alive! Dena will have directed over 25 plays in the Barrington School District and is excited to see the organization beginning to spread to other communities. This year, she is directing the HMS Production of “MOANA, Jr”, the BMS Production of “MATILDA, Jr” and is developing the first Elementary  School Theatre Festival in our district with the kick off of “I Won’t Grow up”. This new development will involve 2nd and 3rd graders from Barrington Schools and the Hugh Cole school in Warren. By day, Dena is the office administrator at Residential Properties and runs a social media marketing company for local small businesses.

 “I am most proud to see the kids emerge into leaders, mentoring the younger children as they move up, becoming role models and young professionals. There is no limit to what they can achieve with confidence, commitment and integrity. My advice: acknowledge specifically what they are good at – they are not always aware; … and you can change a life.”

Elizabeth has taught and managed dance programs extensively in both the public and private sectors. She is a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and served as the State Affiliate for the Rhode Island Dance Alliance. In 2014, Elizabeth was honored as “Dance Teacher of the Year” by the Rhode Island Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

Elizabeth worked with Arts Alive as a teaching artist from 2011-2014. From 2014-2020, she was Director of a large dance studio in Weymouth, MA. Elizabeth has been Executive Director of Arts Alive! since 2019. In addition to her work with Arts Alive! Elizabeth is currently a dance teacher at a local dance studio and an adjudicator for various dance competitions. She brings with her a wealth of knowlege and experience in business management, event planning, and youth arts programming.

Originally from Bristol, RI, Elizabeth now resides in Dighton, MA with her husband, and two kids. Elizabeth is grateful to help keep the Arts Alive! in the East Bay and beyond!

Originally from New York, Kimberly brings with her a lifelong passion for theatre arts. She has partnered with Arts Alive for over five years on productions such as All the Worlds a Stage, The Aristocats KIDS, Suessical Jr., The Jungle Book KIDS, The Little Mermaid Jr., The Lion King Jr.,  Alice in Wonderland Jr., Mulan Jr., The Wizard of Oz, and Beauty & the Beast Jr.

In addition to teaching and directing children in theater, she is a registered yoga teacher and also teaches classes on racism and gender studies to middle schoolers at the Acera School.  She is thrilled to be entering her second season with Arts Alive, a wonderfully inclusive and dedicated organization for children!

As an actress, Dena has appeared in plays all over the UK and Europe, including the London West End’s Apollo Theatre where she was part of the original cast of Ben Elton’s West End production of Popcorn, (Olivier Award winner: Best Comedy in 1998). She also appeared in various television productions, including Grange Hill, and the classic British series Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Dena was the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the AFK School of Dance and Drama based in Wimbledon, England, is a qualified LAMDA exam coach (London Academy of Music and Drama), and was also Theatre Director at the Coventry Preparatory School in England. As of 2016, Dena has directed over 18 plays in the Barrington School District through Arts Alive!

Dena is also the founder and president of ACTion Performance and Leadership, which takes her skills from the theatre into the corporate world, where she coaches executives and teams in communication, presentations, team building and leadership. She also works with teens and college grads on interview preparation and presentation skills. Dena is an adjunct professor at both RWU and BCC. “I am most proud to see the kids emerge into leaders, mentoring the younger children as they move up, becoming role models and young professionals. There is no limit to what they can achieve with confidence, commitment and integrity. My advice: acknowledge specifically what they are good at – they are not always aware; … and you can change a life.”

Kimberly worked with many studios including Sony, Warner Bros., Disney, HBO and Universal. Some of her credits include Lethal Weapon 4, Conspiracy Theory, Payback, While You Were Sleeping, Phenomenon, The Bodyguard, Primal Fear, and Wayne’s World.

In recent years, she worked on Woody Allen’s Irrational Man and the Oscar–nominated films The Town and American Hustle. Most recently, Kimberly worked on the film, November Criminals as well as the horror film, The Purge. Kimberly is also a former tap dancing teacher!  In 2009, Kimberly joined forces with Dena Davis and co-directed The Wizard of Oz at Nayatt School, which eventually led to the founding of Arts Alive!. This partnership has blossomed over the productions of Willy Wonka, Kids, Peter Pan, Bugsy Malone, Jr., Aladdin, Broadway Rules, Pinocchio, High School Musical, Jr., The Aristocats, Kids, The Wizard of Oz, Into the Woods, Jr., Seussical, Jr., 101 Dalmatians, Little Mermaid and Shrek.  It has always been a dream for Kimberly to bring her love of theatre and design to her children’s schools —  to watch it expand through the community is extremely rewarding!

Elizabeth has taught and managed dance programs extensively in both the public and private sectors. She is a member of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and served as the State Affiliate for the Rhode Island Dance Alliance. In 2014, Elizabeth was honored as “Dance Teacher of the Year” by the Rhode Island Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

Elizabeth worked with Arts Alive as a teaching artist from 2011-2014. From 2014-2020, she was Director of a large dance studio in Weymouth, MA. Elizabeth has been Executive Director of Arts Alive! since 2019. In addition to her work with Arts Alive! Elizabeth is currently a dance teacher at a local dance studio and an adjudicator for various dance competitions. She brings with her a wealth of knowlege and experience in business management, event planning, and youth arts programming.

Originally from Bristol, RI, Elizabeth now resides in Dighton, MA with her husband, and two kids. Elizabeth is grateful to help keep the Arts Alive! in the East Bay and beyond!