Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff

Carl Lindberg
Program Chair
Email: celindberg@dmacc.edu

Carl began teaching and producing theatre at the Ankeny campus at the beginning of the Spring semester, 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Acting from CSU Stanislaus and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from Western Illinois University. He has worked professionally as an actor, director, designer, and technician for theatre companies across the country. Prior to moving to the Des Moines metro area he spent seven years in Chicago working on major regional stages (Looking glass, Remy Bumppo, etc), on camera (short films, national and regional commercials) and in the classroom (College of DuPage, Chicago Academy for the Arts). Carl is proud to serve as a board member for Pyramid Theatre Company, a respondent for the Iowa High School Musical Theatre Awards, and an All State critic for the Iowa High School Speech Association. For information about the Theatre Program, Carl can be reached at celindberg@dmacc.edu.

Rachel Trimble
Production Manager
Email: rltrimble@dmacc.edu
Website: www.rachel-leah.com

Rachel Trimble joined DMACC in the Spring of 2019 after graduating from Grand View University with a degree in Studio Arts, and a minor in Theatre Arts. Rachel has many previous design credits for Grand View productions and has also received a National Honorable Mention for her Scenic Design of Grand View's student-directed production of 'Night Mother at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. While working at DMACC Ankeny Theatre as the production manager, Rachel has also worked with a number of local Des Moines theatre companies, as well as being an independent fine artist.

Krister Strandskov
Resident Technical Director
Email: kostrandskov@dmacc.edu

Krister Strandskov joined DMACC during the Spring of 2019. Krister has worked with the Grand View University Theater Arts Department, Whippoorwill Theater, Stage West, Goldfinch Theater Company, and Iowa Stage Theater Company for the last six years in a variety of roles including acting, singing, Foley artist, lead carpenter, lighting assistant, sound assistant, and production photographer. Prior moving to Des Moines in 2013, Krister worked on and off with Temple City Unified School District in Temple City, CA, and their productions for 15 years.

JC Clementz
Adjunct Faculty
Website: www.jcclementz.com

JC is the Casting Director and an Artistic Producer at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Highlights include the Steppenwolf world premieres of Linda Vista (also Broadway and Los Angeles) and The Minutes (also Broadway) both by Tracy Letts, Downstate by Bruce Norris (also National Theatre, UK), and Antoinette Nwandu's Pass Over, which was filmed at Steppenwolf by Spike Lee. He previously was the Casting Director at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. JC holds an MFA in Directing from Western Illinois University and frequently directs productions across the country. He is a proud member of SDC and CSA.

Sarah Kate Bode
Adjunct Faculty
Email: scbode@dmacc.edu

Sarah Kate joined the DMACC community in the fall of 2021. Before returning to Iowa, she worked professionally as a stage manager and theatre artist in the Washington, DC area. She worked on a variety of productions including shows with Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, Constellation Theatre Company, Happenstance Theatre Company, Imagination Stage, Synetic Theatre, and many more. She has an AA in Theatre from Iowa Central Community College, BFA in Theatre from University of Iowa, and her MA in Art and Theatre Education from Catholic University of America.

Michael Tomlinson
Adjunct Faculty
Email: mtomlinson1@dmacc.edu

Originally from Kansas City, Michael recently transplanted to Des Moines after ten years on the East Coast. Growing up as a Musical Theater lover he began performing at a young age, becoming involved in many community theatre and school productions before moving on to study dance performance at the University of Missouri–Kansas City where he began his professional career. As a freelance dance artist in the KC Metro, Michael has danced with Wylliams Henry Contemporary Dance, Owen Cox Dance Group, Seamless Dance Theatre, Kansas City Ballet, and Tristian Griffin Dance Company. Upon graduating from UMKC in 2011 he went abroad to dance with MOVE: the company in Vancouver, BC under the direction of up-and-coming choreographer, Joshua Beamish. He then found his way to New York City where he danced with Jennifer Muller/The Works from 2012-2018. While on the East Coast, Michael also worked with Elite Casino Marketing, dancing in several Live showcases at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, as well as the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD. Most Recently, he was seen in Big League Production’s National Tours of An American in Paris (2020 & 2022) and South Pacific (2022). While his time in Des Moines has been short, he has had the pleasure of getting to choregraph Cinderella (2022), and Guys & Dolls (2022) for the Des Moines Community Playhouse and perform in Ballet Des Moines’ The Nutcracker (2022). He teaches Dance and Yoga for Des Moines DanzArts as well as Yoga at Power Life Yoga Barre and Fitness. Michael is excited to get to share his passion of Dance, specifically in the realm of Musical Theatre as it is what fueled him into his career as a freelance performer.

Brandon Brockshus
Adjunct Faculty
Email: bmbrockshus@dmacc.edu

Brandon Brockshus (ISU Performing Arts BA ’13; Kinesiology MS ’21) is a PhD student in Kinesiology at Iowa State University and a Recognized Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) Actor/Combatant. Mr. Brockshus has served as fight director for Iowa Stage Theater Company, The Des Moines Playhouse, Shot in the Dark Productions, Central College, Simpson College, Drake University, Morningside University, Iowa State University, and Iowa high schools. His research interests include methods of teaching stage combat and the effects of stage combat training and practice on the human brain. Here at DMACC -- Ankeny, he teaches DRA 127: Stage Combat in the summer. This class involves safe techniques for effective violent storytelling in one or more weapon disciplines culminating in midterm and final choreographed performances. He lives in Ames, Iowa with his wife, daughter, and son.

Brynn Sweere
Adjunct Faculty
Email: bsweere@dmacc.edu

Brynn will begin teaching at the Ankeny campus at the start of the Spring semester, of 2024. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory and a Master of Science in Event Management from Iowa State University. She has worked professionally as an actor, director, and teacher for theatre companies across the country. Prior to moving to Des Moines, she spent several years in New York City working on professional stages as an actor and audition coach. Brynn is the author of, Take It From A Recent Grad: How to Confidently Kick Ball Change Your Way Through the College Audition Process, the 2019 #1 New Release in One-Hour Self-Help Short Reads on Amazon. She has taught masterclasses across the country on tackling the audition process and helping young professionals use the art of improv to develop business skills. Brynn is proud to serve as the Greater Des Moines Heart Ball Development Director at the American Heart Association, striving for a world of longer, healthier lives.

Colin Hogan
English Faculty, Theatre Adjunct Faculty
Email: cphogan@dmacc.edu

Colin Hogan, Ph.D., is primarily a full-time faculty member in the Education, Communication, and the Humanities Pathway at DMACC’s Ankeny Campus. He studied English and theatre at Loyola University Chicago where he appeared in several musical productions, including Assassins (John Hinckley) and Sweeney Todd (Chorus). While he stepped away from performing to earn a doctorate in American literature, Colin continued to participate in theatre by serving as dramaturg for productions at Penn State University (Cabaret, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Men on Boats) and the University of Texas at Arlington (9 to 5). If he was forced to choose, Stephen Sondheim would win the title of his favorite musical theatre artist, but he looks forward to exploring the entire musical theatre canon with students in Drama 111.