About Us
The Player’s Studio is a non-profit drama club and performing group based in North McAllen, Texas. We exist to serve the greater McAllen area with particular focus on youth and youth/community involvement through access to the performing arts and education.
Our Story
The Player's Studio began as a homeschool cooperative class. In the fall of 2016 the original organizer of the class moved away from the area and our current director, Karen Culbertson, agreed to take the club until a replacement could be found. However, by the end of the spring semester she had become fully invested and has been running the club ever since. That first semester in the spring of 2017 the club had nine students and performed a Showcase of four short skits. The Player’s Studio has now enrolled more than 200 students and has performed fourteen plus full length plays. We currently have three educational levels, a growing collaboration with RGV Down Syndrome Association, and a new Community Player's performing group. The Player’s Studio also offers Summer intensives and workshops and proudly collaborates with other local performing arts institutions in the McAllen area.
Our Mission
Without confidence in who they have been created to be, young people may find themselves lost and falling short. But when confidence is nurtured, children, teens, and young adults can become competent and cooperative members of their communities. Artistic performance is an effective means for awakening this kind of confidence in people of all ages and for all times of their lives. At The Player’s Studio it is our goal to use quality art and education to promote confidence for a lifetime.
Our Mission
Meet Our Team
Karen Culbertson
Founder and Director
Karen is the Founding Director of The Player's Studio. She took over the club in 2016 when it was a cooperative class for homeschoolers and has since been blessed to see it grow into a thriving educational and performing program. Outside of the studio setting, Karen has a variety of educational experiences across multiple age groups including 12 years homeschooling, 2 years as a preschool teacher, 6 years of Literature and Writing Cooperative classes, and 3 years as a personal tutor. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and United States History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a poet and playwright and has written several plays for The Player's Studio, including adaptations of William Shakespeare, Wonderland - an adaptation of Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Peter Pan: Saving Neverland - an adaptation of the works of J. M Barrie. Karen also has two original works: The Spelling Bee Buzz and Jack, the Giant Thief. She has directed more than 20 productions.
Manny Cianciotto
Players Assistant DirectoR/Stage Manager
Manny has been a performer for The Player’s Studio since the fall of 2020. Even before this, he was always involved in the theatre life; from writing plays for his family in the 3rd grade to leading roles in his senior year. Manny wishes to help all thespians have the same wonderful experiences he did and enjoy drama just as much. To help him complete this goal, he became a student leader for The Young Players and The Junior Players as well. Now that he has graduated, Manny will return as assistant director for TPS!
Ryan Culbertson
Set Design
Ryan Culbertson has been the backbone of The Player's Studio since day one. In support of his wife's vision Ryan has created set pieces for every show that has been produced by TPS. Some of his most impressive pieces include a foam fireplace with working lights, Aslan's Stone Table that could break apart and come back together, and a ten foot tall Beanstalk. With every production his knowledge grows and with it, the quality of TPS programming. Ryan is also responsible for most of the graphic design work used at The Player's Studio.
Elanor Culbertson
Costume Design
Elanor is a graduate of The Player's Studio where she acted for seven years. Her love of theatre began at an early age when she was cast in the Disney Jr musical 101 Dalmatians. Since then Ellie has participated in more than a dozen shows. She was the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the caterpillar in Wonderland, Emily in Our Town and Rosalind in As You Like It, just to name a few. Ellie has also been a student leader at TPS for several years. She is a graduate of South Texas College where she earned her Associate Degree in Graphic Design and plans to attend art school where she will study sequential art.
Maya Wylie
YPS Assistant Director/Stage Manager
Maya Wylie is a student at South Texas College where she is studying Theatre. She is also a singer. Maya has been singing since she was 11 years old and is currently a soprano in the STC Choir. She was also afforded the opportunity to act in two summer theatre productions at 13 years old. She began her volunteer time with TPS the summer of 2023 as Stage Manager for Hamlet Gone Wrong. Since then she has also starred in three community plays with TPS playing as multiple characters in The Alibis, as Barbara in Murder Most Fouled-Up, and as Maria in Twelfth Night. Maya looks forward to helping actors produce the best play they possibly can.
Malayna Aguillon
JPS Assistant Director/Stage Manager
Mayalayna first joined TPS for our production of Our Town in 2019 when she played the Widow Willard. Though cast to perform in Wonderland, Covid 19 hit and the productions delay meant Malayna did not perform. However, time would eventually bring her back to TPS and we are so grateful. Upon her return Malayna performed in Little Women as the understudy for Meg March and in various roles, and was a ghostly ancestor in the Community production of Murder Most Fouled-Up. In her senior performance she starred as Captain James Hook in Peter Pan: Saving Neverland. Malayna is a freshmen at UTRGV.
Corrie Tomai
Construction
Cora "Corrie" Tomai is a 16 year old junior at World scholars and has been doing theatre for five years, starting in the sixth grade. Since then, she's participated in three One Act Plays (actor in When She Had Wings by Susan Zeder, prop assistant and understudy in She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, and prop assistant in The Lost Boy by Ronald Gabriel Paolillo), acted in an online performance of 10 Ways to Survive the End of the World by Don Zolidis, and has participated in several class performances. In her most recent performance she starred as Gabe in The Lightening Thief. She is very excited to dive into technical, set, and prop work with The Player's Studio.
Tanner Mott
Social Media Manager
Tanner Mott is an avid theatre lover and Palm Award winning actor. This is Tanner’s first volunteer job with The Player’s Studio! Some of his previous shows include UTRGV’s Ride the Cyclone, Spotlight Theatre’s Shrek the Musical, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Legally Blonde. He also starred in the TPS summer production of Twelfth Night as Count Orsino. He is very excited to be continue working with The Player’s Studio in a volunteer capacity and hopes to act in future productions. Tanner is currently a student at UTRGV studying Theatre.
Our 2025-2026 Student Leaders
Melinda George
YPS Class Assistant
Melinda first joined The Player's Studio during a semester of Improv. After a time away she returned for a summer camp and stayed for classes and performances. She has starred as Martha Cratchitt in A Christmas Carol and Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan: Saving Neverland. As she enters her senior year she is excited to take on this leadership role and help young children find their passion for theatre.
Charles Lyons
Props Master
Charlie has been part of TPS since elementary school and he is excited to be entering the high school program and taking a position of leadership. Charlie has starred in The Christmas Witch, Alvin Fernald: Mayor for A Day, A Christmas Carol, and most recently as Dr. Watson in The Baker Street Irregulars. Charlie is excited to learn more about what it takes to run a show behind the scenes and to build with our set designer, Ryan Culbertson.
Faithful Lara
Technical Assistant
Faithful Lara is in her third year with The Player's Studio. Her roles include Mac in You Can't Take it With You and as swing in Little Women. This year she is excited for her second year in leadership in the area of technical theatre and to learn more about light and sound. Faithful is excited to be helpful in any way that she can.
The Player's Studio
The Player’s Studio is a non-profit drama club and performing group based in North McAllen, Texas. We exist to serve the greater McAllen area with particular focus on youth and youth/community involvement through access to the performing arts and education.
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