Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA)

Welcome Alysandra Dutton to SPCPA's Creative Writing team!

Alysandra is a Twin Cities based novelist and the author of The Stolen Women, from Park Row HarperCollins. Her fiction has been published in or honored by The Sun Magazine, Electric Literature: Recommended Reading, the Bread Loaf Writer's Workshop, the Elizabeth George Foundation, and The British School at Rome. She received her MFA from the University of Arkansas, and has taught for many years with Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, The Loft Literary Center, and other arts orgs & schools, with a particular interest in fiction & publishing. She is working on a second novel of historical fiction, set in 1500s Venice.

Please join us in giving Alysandra a warm SPCPA welcome! 📚✍😀

🎨 SPCPA IS LOOKING FOR TWO MORE VISUAL ARTS TEACHING ARTISTS FOR FALL 2026! 🎨

The St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists is looking for dynamic working artists and educators to join our Visual Arts Department this fall.

We are specifically seeking teaching artists with experience in:

🔹 3D Design & Sculpture
🔹 Mixed Media & Experimental Art
🔹 Street Art | Public Art

We are looking for artists who are excited to bring their professional practice into the classroom and help high school artists build strong technical skills, experiment with materials, take creative risks, and develop their own artistic voices.

Schedule:
Instruction: 8:00–9:45 a.m.
On-campus prep: 9:45–10:15 a.m.
Part-time teaching artist positions

Professional artists with teaching experience are strongly encouraged to apply or reach out to learn more.

Know an incredible Twin Cities artist who should be teaching the next generation? Please share or tag them!

We'd like to welcome Braylon M Lane to our SPCPA community!

Braylon M. Lane is an award-winning director, teacher, producer, and performer with recent collaborations on and off stage that include Guthrie Theater, Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, The Phipps Center For The Arts, Children’s Performing Arts, Loud Mouth Productions, and BCS Summer Stock, to name a select few. Besides directing, he is currently the Education Director at Children’s Performing Arts and serves on the Board of Directors at MN Thespians (Minnesota’s branch of the National Educational Thespian Society), serves as a Spotlight Evaluator for Hennepin Theatre Trust, a Competition One-Act official judge, and was recently elected into office to serve on the National Federation of High School Associations representing the Theatre Arts & Speech educators and directors nationwide. Currently, Braylon is directing NEWSIES at Children’s Performing Arts for their Young Adult Professional Summer Stock production, where early career professionals get to learn about how theatre works at the Regional LORT-Level. You can more about Braylon at www.braylonlane.com

Welcome to SPCPA Braylon! 🎭😀📣🎬

We're excited to welcome Cati Varichak to the SPCPA community as our newest English teacher!

Cati earned their degree in Communication Arts and Literature Education from Hamline University in the spring of 2022. After growing up immersed in the worlds of theatre and dance, Cati discovered that teaching was the part they loved most. Combined with a lifelong love of literature, and probably reading a little too much Shakespeare, they realized that inspiring young creatives as an English teacher was their true calling.

Please join us in giving Cati a warm SPCPA welcome! 😀🎭📚

Welcome to SPCPA Erik Abramsen!

Erik is a Twin Cities-based actor who has been performing and teaching for the past nine years. He has appeared on stage in New York, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Locally, he has performed with TheatreX, Wayward Theatre Company, and Commutator Collective, among others. As an educator, Erik fosters a classroom built on collaboration, allowing students to take creative risks while building a strong ensemble. Erik holds a Master of Fine Arts in Classical Acting from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Carleton College. Erik was last seen on stage in Guillotine City at Open Eye Theatre earlier this summer.

Please join us in giving Erik a warm SPCPA welcome! 🎭📣🎭

We are excited to welcome Stuart Loughridge to our SPCPA community as a Visual Arts instructor!

Stuart Loughridge operates a studio near the Mississippi River in St. Paul. In the studio he creates etchings, serigraphs, watercolors, oil paintings and hand-made frames. Stuart has been a full-time artist since 2002, working across a variety of genre but focused primarily on landscapes. He studied drawing, painting, and framing under his father, and then studied drawing and painting at The Atelier School of Fine Art in Minneapolis. He has been teaching art since 2009, giving private lessons and workshops. At SPCPA Stuart will focus on the fundamentals of drawing, painting and composition. You can see Stuart's work at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit.

Welcome to the SPCPA team Stuart! 🎨🖌😀

We're excited to welcome Nadia Franzen to the SPCPA community as our new Academic and College Advisor!

Nadia earned her Master of Arts in Educational Psychology with a specialization in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, and an Applied Business Certificate, all from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. She is a licensed school counselor who is passionate about helping students achieve academic success, develop social and emotional skills, and prepare for life after high school.

In addition to her work in education, Nadia has been a professional performer in the Twin Cities for more than 15 years. She brings extensive experience in musical theatre, stage production, sound design, music directing, vocal directing, and choreography. At SPCPA, Nadia is excited to support students throughout their high school journey and help them confidently pursue their college and career goals.

Please join us in giving Nadia a warm SPCPA welcome! 😀🎓📚

We're currently seeking a part-time Health/Physical Education teacher and a part-time Spanish teacher. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest, résumé, and transcripts to [email protected]. Learn more and view the full job postings at spcpa.org.

SPCPA Alumni Spotlight: Alyx Blackwell Kinney (SPCPA ‘23; UMN '26), is the founder and artistic director of Uncharted Theatre Company, which is performing The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

Fellow SPCPA Alum, Nathan Cameron, plays the role of Reverend Parris.

Join them as they bring this timely classic to the stage.

📅 July 24-26
📍

🎟️Tickets at www.unchartedtheatre.org

📣 We're Hiring!

SPCPA is currently seeking an outstanding Math Teacher and is accepting applications for various artist positions for the upcoming school year.

As in past years, we accept applications annually for a variety of artistic disciplines to build a strong pool of talented teaching artists as opportunities arise.

If you're passionate about inspiring the next generation of artists and scholars, we'd love to hear from you!

More information can be found on our website, spcpa.org