Leading Ladies

Teaching Artists

Our COCAbiz teaching artists have extraordinary careers as educators, facilitators, and artists. They are passionate about leveraging the arts to empower women to reach their full potential. Each of them brings their expertise from the stage, studio, and classroom into our unique and experiential leadership program.

Kathryn Bentley (she/her/hers) is the Founder and Curator of The Alaiyo Collective, which is dedicated to developing creative works and utilizing inclusive theatre practices to lift social consciousness. Kathryn has over 40 years of experience as an actor, director, and teaching artist. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater Directing and completed a 20-year career as a university professor. She has performance and directing credits with companies such as Cleveland Playhouse, Buffalo Studio Arena, The St. Louis Black Rep and St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. She is a St. Louis Regional Arts Commission (RAC) Community Arts Training Institute Fellow and a member of their advisory board. In 2014, she was one of the premiere recipients of the RAC Artist Fellowship and in 2020 she received the Outstanding Working Artist St. Louis Visionary Award. Kathryn is a Certified Diversity FaciliTrainer and Cultural Sensitivity Specialist. 

Gina Bon-Perez is a passionate and dedicated dance educator who has mentored and trained dancers for over thirty years. She earned a B.A. in Performing Arts from Lindenwood University. She lived in NYC for ten years and performed professionally in stock and regional theatre as well as several Broadway National and European productions. Professionally, she toured the country in productions of State Fair, My Fair Lady, Evita, and The King and I, and also the European tour of Grease. She’s performed in regional productions of Chicago (Velma Kelly), Nunsense II (Sister Leo), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Rosa Bud), A Chorus Line, and the world premiere of Prince and the Pauper. She’s been a faculty member and guest choreographer for many prestigious performing arts centers, high schools, and colleges in the East Coast and St. Louis regions. She’s also taught for several national dance conventions, including Dance Masters of America and Kids Artistic Revue. She’s been on faculty at COCA – Center of Creative Arts since 2008 where she has served in the dance department, summer camp programs, COCAedu, and COCAbiz.      

Sukanya Mani is an Indian born, St. Louis-based multidisciplinary artist. She seamlessly blends feminist values into actionable art using intentional choices, educational endeavors, and empowerment initiatives to create installations using cut paper, and found objects. Transforming the violent act of cutting into an act of creation is central to her artistic approach. Ultimately, through the delicate manipulation of space, Mani seeks to evoke empathy, spark conversations, and inspire action. A TEDx St. Louis 2021 Speaker, Mani’s works are featured in prominent private and public collections, and she has received numerous awards and grants for her work creating art in the community. 

Lee Anne Mathews is an award-winning actor, director, and facilitator/teaching artist, and has performed all over the world, from Toronto to Tokyo. She came to St. Louis in 2006 to perform in the highly successful Menopause the Musical at The Playhouse at Westport. She has since called the Midwest home, working for The Muny, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, New Jewish Theatre, Upstream Theatre, and many more. She has been a key member of the COCAbiz team since its beginnings, offering arts-based professional development training to groups from a variety of organizations including Commerce Bank, Ameren, Wells-Fargo Advisors, Rung for Women, and many others. Lee Anne works closely with speakers from TEDx St. Louis, guiding them through the process of prepare, practice, and perform. She currently serves as the Education and Artistic Director at the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, leading arts-education programs and productions at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. In her spare time, she runs a private coaching practice to help people with public speaking and leadership presence. www.presentyourself.me 

Alicia REVÉ Like is an actor, singer-songwriter, librettist and self-diagnosed unicorn based here in St. Louis. She has been involved with regional theatre as a performer and director with well established companies, such as the St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Metro Theater Company, the Muny, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. From the lovely Ms. Honey in COCA’s production of Matilda the Musical to her Theatre Circle Award winning performance of Miss Julie, Clarissa and John, Alicia has shown variety in her understanding and skill level within the art of theatre. In April of 2024, under the moniker of REVÉ, Like returned to her first artistic love of music and released her first musical project, entitled 12:12 to all major digital streaming platforms. The music was composed and produced by her and offers listeners a cozy journey through the warmth of an acoustic guitar and jazzy, soulful vocals. Alicia is currently working with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ New Works Collective as a librettist to a brand-new opera. This work, along with others of the collective, aims to uplift modern, diverse stories, making opera more inclusive, accessible and appreciated by an elective audience. Her piece, Black Coffee, will premiere February 2025 at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre. 

Mariel Reynolds grew up traveling in Carson & Barnes and Franzen Bros Circus and debuted as an aerialist in The Reynolds Family Circus at age 7. On her off-seasons, she trained classically on harp, violin, oboe, and voice. Her education includes studies at Ecole du Cirque Menival in Lyon, France, at San Francisco’s Circus Center, and an Honors triple major in Theatre, French, and International Studies from SLU. She has performed in Circus Flora, The Zoppe Family Circus, a Super Bowl commercial with the cast of Glee with Willie Nelson, and in Teatro ZinZanni. Currently in St. Louis, she works for COCA and Circus Flora and is a two-time RAC grant recipient.