![Jen Poiry Prough](https://i0.wp.com/whatzup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/original.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1)
Jen Poiry Prough
Whatzup Features Writer
Articles
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/00/original_low-36-0056084a.jpeg)
Jill Bixler
When it comes to musical theater families, Jillian Cook Bixler’s definitely qualifies. She has been performing since childhood, she married a fellow performer and now their children are well on […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/24/original_low-37-24d4597c.jpeg)
Teresa Bower
Imagination, family and the outdoors have always played a big part in Teresa Bower’s life. As a tomboy growing up in Fort Wayne, she, her brother and her friends spent […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/fd/original_low-35-fd6fe681.jpeg)
Billy Dawson
A surprising number of actors get their start in Fort Wayne theater and go on to work professionally in big cities – New York, Hollywood, Chicago. Billy Dawson has come […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/ae/original_low-34-aeea8721.jpeg)
Mara McFarland
At heart, Myra McFarland is a country girl who likes to go a little bit against the grain. “I was, and still am, an outgoing introvert,” she says. “I spent […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/51/original_low-33-516530a3.jpeg)
Jana Henly
A common theme among performers, even the most expressive ones, is a secret innate shyness. Such is the case for Jana Henly. “My shyness as a kid probably had something […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/0b/original_low-28-0b739fd9.jpeg)
Becky Niccum
Becky Niccum has spent a lifetime using her imagination and creating her own worlds. “I loved going back into the woods and pretend that I was living back in Daniel […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/92/original_low-27-9296f610.jpeg)
Stephanie Longbrake
Stephanie Longbrake learned from early childhood that all the world’s a stage. Even the living room fireplace. “I turned every floor I could find into a stage,” she says. “I […]
![](/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/5b352f97e2783.gif)
Mikki White
Mikki White may be known more for her singing than her acting, but she likes a challenge. Fort Wayne audiences have the opportunity to see her challenge herself in a […]
![](/wp-content/themes/yootheme/cache/e8/original_low-24-e8d0bc39.jpeg)
Albert Brownlee
Many performing artists draw from past experiences of pain and angst to shape their performances. Albert Brownlee, by contrast, had a happy childhood that was highlighted by family support, social […]