Ben Cleaveland
(Drama Teacher/Co-Program Director)
Ben has been teaching drama since 1999. Professional acting work includes leading roles at the American Conservatory Theater, Shakespeare Festival LA, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Word for Word, TheatreWorks, Bay Area Playwright’s Festival, Theatre First, and the Kern Shakespeare Festival. Ben is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and Actor’s Equity Association. While working in Los Angeles Ben appeared on HBO and all the major television networks. Awards include the Theatre Bay Area’s 2012 North Bay Theatre Teacher of the Year, the 2008 Milley Award for Contributions to the Performing Arts, the 2008 Redwoods’ Terwilliger Award for Excellence in Teaching, and a 2002 Marin County Golden Bell Award for Innovative Curriculum. Ben graduated with a BFA in Acting from Cal Arts. While at Cal Arts he was a recipient of the Wasserman and Ahmanson Scholarships. He is a fourth generation Mill Valley resident who attended Park School, MVMS, and Tam High Drama.
Peter Q. Parish
(Drama Teacher/Co-Program Director)
Peter is a Scenic and Lighting designer and Director and long-time teacher in the Tamalpais Union High School District. He is VERY excited to join forces with Ben Cleaveland to shepherd CTE to new heights in design, stagecraft, acting, and all things stage-magic!
Peter received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts with an emphasis in Maskmaking from Humboldt State University. After teaching art and drama throughout the district, in 2016, Peter packed up his family and moved to Ireland for a year while attaining his Masters degree in Stage Design and Lighting from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland at The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art.
Peter has been designing sets and lights around the Bay Area since 2000, working with Cinnabar Theater, Bay Area Children’s Theater, Sonoma State University, RIPE Theatre and several other small theater companies. His designs can be seen this year at College of Marin’s production of Peter and the Starcatcher (lighting design) as well as their production of The Late Wedding (set and video design) in the Spring 2024.
