Elizabeth Fernandez:
Producer, Director & Choreographer
Elizabeth Fernandez graduated with honors from the University of Northern Colorado where she received degrees in Dance Teaching/Movement Analysis and Dance Kinesiology. While at UNC, Elizabeth was a member of the University of Northern Colorado Dance Theatre and Colorado Dance Theatre. With these companies, she performed in many ballets and was ballet mistress for both these companies. While at UNC in 1996 and 1997; Elizabeth received the Department of Dance Award because of her involvement and contribution to the department.
After graduating, she moved back to Cody, Wyoming where she co-founded Rocky Mountain School of the Arts in 1997 and non-profit Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre in 1998 in Cody, Wyoming, with her mother Cynthia Kaelberer.
Under Elizabeth’s direction, RMSA and RMDT trains students of all ages in the art of dance and theatre, focusing on building dancers with a strong and diversified foundation, emphasizing technical training and performing. The cornerstone of RMSA is the significance placed on each dancer’s individuality, and how each person’s distinctive contributions build alliance with others, self-confidence, perspective, and discipline. RMSA dancers have gone on to train with the Joffrey School of Ballet, Houston Ballet School, Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and Rhapsody James.
Elizabeth is an experienced choreographer who has choreographed and produced several short works in ballet, contemporary, and musical theatre genres. For over twenty-two years she has produced RMDT’s annual Nutcracker Ballet, which has become a yearly holiday tradition for the area. In 2008, she choreographed the musical Once on This Island for The University of West Florida. In 2016, she brought her own original musical Wild West Spectacular to stage, attracting tourists from all over the world during its summer season in Cody, Wyoming. In 2019, she was one of four guest choreographers hired to set a piece for the University of West Florida Theatre Department's end of year UWF Dance Ensemble performance.
Throughout the years, Elizabeth has received dance training from such names as Jeffrey Rockland, Sandra Minton, Robert Barnett, Christina Monroe, Cherie Noble, Katherine Kramer, and David Taylor. Elizabeth attended The Russian American Foundation’s Bolshoi’s Ballet Teachers Certification program. In the summer of 2018, she graduated from their highest level, and received her teacher certification from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in New York.
In 2019, Elizabeth was featured as one of the Women in Wyoming: Portraits & Interviews of women who shape the West. This project was exhibited at Buffalo Bill’s Center for the West in Cody, Wyoming in 2019 & 2020. In September 2023, Women in Wyoming made its National Debut at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and has been on an exhibit tour around the country since then. In the fall of 2025 Women in Wyoming was published as a book entitled “Women Shaping the West”
Still performing, Elizabeth continues to take classes in many styles.
Casey Kearns:
Set Designer
Casey Kearns has proudly been a part of RMDT since 2003, serving as the Technical Director, Scenic Designer, and Properties Coordinator for RMDT’s Wild West Spectacular: The Musical! His design credits include well over 300 productions nationwide including musical theatre, Shakespeare, opera, ballet, modern drama, classical works, and new works. He has designed for stages as far south as Houston, TX. as far west as Monterey, CA. as far east as Davidson, NC. and as far north as CODY, WY! and many in-between. Casey is currently based in his hometown, Chadron, NE and working a freelance scenic designer nation- wide. Formerly he served as the Production Manager and Head of Undergraduate Design and Production at University of Houston (UH) School of Theatre and Dance. Prior to UH, Casey served as an Associate Professor of Scenic Design and Resident Scenic Designer at the University of Wyoming (UW), the University of Indianapolis, the University of Northern Colorado and the Ohio State University–Lima. In this free time, he enjoys laser cutting and engraving, painting, photography, cooking, travel, and spending time with his dog, Theodore. He credits his mother for his success. She imparted love, courage, determination, and resilience. www.caseykearns.com
Charles Houghton:
Lighting Designer
Charles has been with RockyMountain Dance Theatre since the beginning. He designed the lighting for our first Nutcracker performance in 1997, and continues to bring professional lighting to the show every year. He has been lighting RMSA/RMDT’s Spring Production and Masterpieces of Ballet for over 20 years, and now designs the lighting for our summer Wild West Spectacular the Musical.
Charles is currently a Lecturer at the South East Technological University in Carlow, Ireland,
teaching design for stage and screen. Prior to moving to Ireland, Charles was on the faculty of
the University of West Florida, teaching lighting and scenic design as well as a variety of tech-
nology courses. In addition to teaching, Charles designed the lighting for a variety of theatre
companies around the Florida panhandle and beyond. Recent designs include Lucia Di Lammer-
more, Die Fledermaus, and La Boheme, for Pensacola Opera, Carmen, and Tosca for Mobile
Opera, The Last Five Years for Emerald Coast Theatre Company, and Arsenic and Old Lace, Lin-
coln, The Addams Family Musical, Wizard of Oz, and Nunsense for RMDT’s The Cody Theatre Company.
Cynthia Kaelberer:
Musical Accompaniment & Director
Cynthia Kaelberer has taught piano privately for more than 45 years; the last 25 of which she has taught at Rocky Mountain School of the Arts. In 1996, she co-founded Rocky Mountain School of the Arts with her daughter, Elizabeth Fernandez. Over the years, she taught music at Wapiti School for three years and has been on the faculty of the Montana Music Institute since 2003. She sat on the Park County School District No. 6 Board for 4 years and was a member of the NCOC Board (which is affiliated with Northwest College and the community orchestra and chorus). Cynthia has been an active member of the Music Teachers National Association since 1977. She has served as the Competitions Chair for the Northwest Division of MTNA for 2 terms and has been an officer in every capacity at the state level (WMTA). To add to her reper- toire, Cynthia has been an organist at her church for over 40 years and in 2018 she became the accompanist for RMDT's Wild West Spectacular the Musical during their summer seasons and hasn’t miss a performance yet.
Cynthia was born and raised in Wyoming and Montana. In 2022 she became a published au-
thor of the 150 page book titled “Feeding the Nutcracker Crew”’ a collection of stories, pic-
tures, and recipes celebrating the 25 years of RMDT producing their annual Nutcracker Ballet.
Abigail MARS: Musical Accompaniment
Howdy, one and all! Abigail has been playing piano since she was four years old and is very excited to accompany Wild West Spectacular this summer. Just this spring she accompanied her first musical which was RMDT's Cody Theatre Company production of "Nunsense". Abigail has taken lessons at Rocky Mountain School of the Arts since moving to the area in 2022. This May she graduated from high school and will be taking a gap year continuing her studies and training in organ and piano and assisting teaching music and piano at RMSA. She will then go on to Concordia University in Nebraska for Church Music with a focus on piano. Thank you to all the Kaelberer's and everyone involved in the Wild West Spectacular!
Alex Nicholson:
Stage Manager
Since last summer, Alex has been looking forward to returning as stage manager for the Wild West Show. This will be his second year, and between all the props, sets and actors, Alex will have plenty to keep him on his feet. Alex studied journalism at the University of Wyoming, and is also a community theater actor having most recently performed in Fiddler on the Roof and the Wizard of Oz.
Erich Kaelberer:
Manager of The Cody Theatre & Lighting Technician
Erich was born and raised in Cody, WY. After graduating from high school he lived in many states across the country and recently moved back to the area. He greatly enjoys fishing and hunting here in the Wild's of Wyoming. Theatre and the performing arts has always been a part of his life, mostly behind the scenes and as an observer and supporter for family performers. This is his 3rd year working as a lighting technician with RMDT's Wild West Spectacular.
Jennifer Kaelberer
Marketing & Communications Director
Jennifer grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota so she is familiar with the "wild west". She is a mother of two young inspiring performers and married to a Cody native. You can find her front of house greeting and scanning tickets as well as behind the scenes answering phone calls and doing all things marketing related for the show. Throughout the year, she also works for the nonprofit production organization, Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre and the affiliated Rocky Mountain School of the Arts here in Cody, Wyoming.
PLAYWRIGHT
Elizabeth Fernandez, Amy Hollon, Cynthia Kaelberer,
Richard Morell, Andrew Rossi, Evan Wambeke
