Hailing from New York, Ms. Maples holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Education from Arizona State University and a M.A. in Theatre from San Diego State University. Throughout her studies, she had the opportunity to direct a variety of student work, one-act and full-length plays. Wendy has spent the last 6 years bringing original theatre to high schools and elementary schools throughout San Diego, forging theatrical collaborations within the community and across the country! In 2005 she was nominated for a BRICK Award, honoring pioneers in youth service. Since 2004, Wendy has volunteered with the Jenna Druck Foundation, serving as a mentor at their annual Young Women's Spirit of Leadership Conference. A member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, she has presented her work Nationally in Chicago, Washington D.C., Vancouver, Canada, and Atlanta, Georgia. She currently serves AATE as a California State Representative, highlighting exciting theatre in our schools throughout Southern California. In 2006, Ms. Maples founded Step UP Theatre, continuing her commitment to provide children with an early exposure to the performing arts. In 2009, Step UP Theatre became a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization, where she serves as the Co-Executive/Artistic Director. In addition to her duties with Step UP Theatre, Wendy works with the Visual and Performing Arts Department of the San Diego Unified School District, writing theatre curriculum, training classroom teachers, and teaching theatre to elementary school students all over San Diego. Most recently, she was one of thirty directors selected nationally to attend the 2009 Directors Lab West in Pasadena, California.

Jamie is a graduate of San Diego State University's Theatre Arts and English Literature Programs in which she worked extensively in collaborative and youth theatre. In addition to acting, writing and directing, Jamie has studied voice for 14 years and is an accomplished singer of classical, contemporary, and Carnatic styles of music. She is also a longtime student and performer of the classical Indian dance/drama form called Bharatanatayam. While at SDSU, she was recognized as an International Scholar and has been honored to collaborate on and perform works in India, Tijuana, South Africa, El Salvador, Italy, Germany, and France. A perpetual student, Jamie traveled to India in 2007 where she lived for 6 months to complete an intensive study in Carnatic music and Bharatanatayam. She has worked as a Teaching Artist for such prestigious institutions asThe Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, and Playwrights Project, teaching theatre and writing to youth from kindergarten through high school in schools across San Diego. Jamie strongly believes in a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to the arts, as is reflected in her diverse artistic endeavors. She is a performer for Sacra/Profana and the Bach Collegium, two professional choirs, and teaches classical and contemporary voice to students of all ages. Jamie also teaches, choreographs, and performs Bharatanatyam and "Bollywood" styles of dance, dabbles in puppetry, and acts in plays and staged readings whenever possible. She is currently a full-time Performer/Educator for Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Program, doing outreach theatre and peer counseling for teenagers in the Bay Area.