About ICT
The Irvington Conservatory Theater (ICT) is a conservatory-style theater program at Irvington High School, a public Visual And Performing Arts (VAPA) magnet high school located in Fremont, CA.
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ICT is part of the Center for Creative Arts (CCA), the arts magnet program offered by the Fremont Unified School District. Students with specific artistic talents and interests may apply to participate in CCA by transferring to Irvington from other high schools in the district. ICT also offers classes for college credit through the Ohlone College concurrent enrollment program.
Every school year, ICT mounts two major theatrical productions, including a fall play and spring musical, participates in competitions, and hosts a myriad of events and fundraisers.
We have an accomplished staff of teaching artists, and work to maintain the highest levels of professionalism and artistic achievement.
We encourage community involvement and support in the form of donations and volunteer opportunities. We are proud members, supporters, and alumni of both the Fremont and wider Bay Area theater community.
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Please "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to keep up to date on the latest ICT news!
Meet Our Staff
Matthew Ballin
IHS Theater Arts Teacher / ICT Director
Matt Ballin holds a BFA in Theater from UC Santa Barbara, an MFA from The Ohio State University, and spent a year abroad in the Tel Aviv University Overseas program. The 2024-2025 school year will be Matt's 24th year teaching Theater Arts in Fremont, and his 10th at Irvington High School after 14 years at Washington High School just down the road. He has acted and choreographed fights throughout the Bay Area, and is an Associate Artist with The Livermore Shakespeare Festival. Matt is a member of Fremont's Temple Beth Torah. His wife Pamela is a sometime actress / vocalist herself, and a full time elementary school speech and language pathologist. Matt lives in Livermore with Pam, their two children, Emmy and Moss, and their dogs.
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​Contact Mr. Ballin at mballin@fusdk12.net
Erin Reis
ICT Vocal Director
Erin Reis is a bay area vocalist, actress, director and private vocal instructor with 18+ years of performance experience in Musical Theatre, and over a decade of experience in teaching music. She holds her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and Music from San Francisco State University and runs a private vocal studio in the East Bay. Over the years Erin has performed in over 45 Musical Theatre productions/ staged concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area and has worked with a wide variety of Theatre companies, including DMT, SBMT, Coastal Rep, PCRT, Stage1, Tri-Valley Rep, The Victoria Theatre and GSTP. Erin enjoys directing and vocal directing for summer youth theatre camps/ and various High Schools in the East and South Bay, but loves calling ICT her home. Outside of the Arts, she is passionate about traveling, good food, rescuing dogs, and loves going on adventures with her two mutts Jiminy and Walter.
Liz Whitaker
ICT Costume Designer
Elizabeth Whitaker is a physical therapy assistant for a living, but has been building and coordinating costumes at Irvington High School since 2002. She is thrilled to still be working behind the scenes on every IHS show with some of her favorite people!
Ryan Willer
ICT Technical Supervisor & Sound Designer
Ryan Willer is a math and leadership teacher at Irvington High School. He has been teaching for fifteen years and his favorite class to teach is trigonometry. In 2012, he volunteered to help with ICT's fall play play "The Hobbit". Since then he has been helping design lighting and sound for nearly all ICT productions.
Stewart Lyle
Stagecraft, Scenic Designer, Technical Director, and Master Carpenter
Stewart Lyle has nearly 200 exhibition and 300 theatrical production, design, construction, management, direction, and performance credits from across the country, in Asia, and in Europe. This includes over 100 appearances as a performer/actor/singer in operas, musicals, and dramas, over 50 as a director, and over 70 as a Scenic Designer, plus he is an award nominee in all three areas. Working with the Students here in Fremont is a JOY! Love always to Donna, his foundation of love for 32 years.
Michele Hartmangruber
Production Manager
Michele began her theatrical career in 1973 in a new theatre named Valhalla. She started out as a musician in the Pit Orchestra, but she became ensconced in all of what the Theatre has to offer. Acting, Directing, Technician, Marketing, Lighting, Sound, and her favorite Stage Management in over 100 productions. Michele has worked professionally as a Stage Manager and House Manager for the Amador Theatre and Firehouse Arts Center. She also successfully ran the Ohlone College Theatre Festival for 10 years.
Martha Garcia
ICT Webmaster
Martha is the parent of an ICT CCA/PAC alumnus and has enjoyed giving back to the program as our volunteer Webmaster for the past 11 years! She's a recently retired Executive Assistant as well as a professional percussionist for several Bay Area music ensembles and theater companies including Fremont's StarStruck Theatre. When not volunteering or performing, Martha can often be found cheerfully searching for and correcting Mr. Ballin's many grammatical and spelling errors before posting information to the ICT website.