Our people

Lynda Johnson

Co-Founder and Lead Artist

In 1999 Lynda and her  daughter, Sarah then 7, started Backyard Youth Theater. Along with a group of enthusiastic kids, she wrote and produced plays in her backyard for six years.. In 2006 she co-founded Marblehead Little Theater’s Children’s Theatre.  For twelve years Lynda wrote and directed  children's plays, led “Let Your Imagination Run Wild” Youth Creative Theatre Arts Workshops, and cultivated a generation of young people who experienced the power of theater.  In June 2021 Lynda resigned from full time job to put all her love, time and energy into Backyard Youth Theatre. 

From Lynda’s earliest experience as the creator of a Drop in Center for underserved youth at the Duluth, MN YWCA in the eighties, she has been guided by the belief that work with youth involves removing barriers to creativity rather than imposing barriers and preconceived formats and restrictive guidance. This belief encompasses a  disciplined but supportive environment where youth listen to themselves to create rather than imitating or adapting or elaborating on the interpretations of others.

BYT belongs to young people who use the  power of their imaginations to tell stories in backyards around the world. Through creativity, self expression, empathy and cultural exchange, we foster creative, fun, brave spaces for youth. 

Sarah Morrisette

Co-Founder and Lead Artist

Sarah is a theatre maker, performer, educator, community organizer, and arts administrator. As a facilitator of the methods of August Boal, she has led theatre workshops in Mozambique, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Chile and throughout the Northeastern USA. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of creative arts to dismantle barriers, foster positive self-identities, and to build equitable, sustainable communities. Sarah earned her BFA in Acting from Ithaca College and has performed with numerous Boston theatre companies including New Repertory Theatre, Newton Nomadic Theatre and Revels. Sarah was the Artistic & Engagement Manager at New Repertory Theatre and a Resident Theatre Teaching Artist at Hyde Square Task Force, a community development organization for youth in Jamaica Plain. In 2023 Sarah completed her Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Arts and Community Change at the University of Michigan. She is now the Lead Artist of Operations and Programming at Skywatchers, a multi-disciplinary, mixed-ability ensemble that brings artists into durational collaboration with residents of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. 

Megan Henderson

Lead Artist: Music Direction

Megan graduated from New England Conservatory with a degree in piano performance. She has been a collaborative pianist and a piano teacher in the Boston area since that time. She is a founding member of the Schola Cantorum, a 12 voice early music ensemble specializing in Renaissance and contemporary a capella choral music. As a singer, Megan has also appeared on many recordings with the Boston Camerata and Northern Harmony. Her love of choral singing was sparked during her time at the Conservatory and she developed a particular passion for shape note and world music as a co-leader at the Village Harmony Summer camps. Megan is also a composer of piano music and choral music and has served as the music director of Revels, Inc. Working with kids in creative ways has always been the most rewarding aspect of her musical life. She is thrilled to be part of the Backyard Youth Theater staff!

Andrew Hebert-Johnson

Lead Artist: Technical

Andrew lives in Boston, but has traveled the world as production crew for artists like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.  He has worked on several feature films and concerts over the past ten years.  His career started backstage in the 1998 Christmas Revels as crew at age 12.  He brings many talents to the BYT community.  From building beautiful sets, to setting up the summer tent to painting cakes in the middle of the night.

LaRayne Hebert

Lead Artist: Operations

LaRayne brings her experience and training to BYT starting with her own experience  as an eight year old who gathered friends and neighbors to create a play in her own backyard. Throughout her youth, she was drawn into roles in plays, choruses, choirs  and singing opportunities of all natures. As an eighth grade English teacher, she took on the role of director, immersing  her in casting, costuming, staging, creating props and all that theatre requires. She learned more along with her family as all of us had a role in the local Revels productions.  In the development of BYT,  she has the artistic role of “Jill of all trades” and is  loving all of them. Throughout, as an executive and regional director,  she engaged in the work of getting support for  theatre and community music by learning and succeeding at fundraising. Currently, she is drawn to local community choirs and choruses.

Noni Lewis

Lead Artist

Noni Lewis is a long time collaborator, teaching artist and friend of Backyard Youth Theatre. With a 25 year background in the performing arts, Noni brings a wealth of experience to the backyards of Massachusetts as a performer, a writer, a director and an advocate of as many silly dance moves as possible. Since arriving back in Wales in 2020 Noni has been busy working as a voice actor, producing Mummers' Plays for the local community, teaching with The Savoy Youth Theatre, working as Creative Learning Practitioner for Theatre Iolo, directing and is currently working on a co-production of her original play 'Grip of Life'. Noni could not be happier to be reunited in rehearsals with the legendary Lynda Johnson! noni@welshvoiceover.co.uk || http://www.welshvoiceover.co.uk/  

Lynne Dichter

Lead Artist

Lynne has been working with young children for over 30 years. She met Lynda almost as long ago when she began performing with the Revels in Cambridge, and for the past several years has invited Lynda into her classroom to work with her students on theater, listening, and cooperative activities.  Lynne has also been singing, dancing and performing in a variety of ways since she was a child. Recently retired, she is excited to have more time to bring these two worlds together with Backyard Youth Theatre!

Molly Grant

Lead Artist

Molly is in her first year of college.  She has worked with Lynda since she was 5 years old. She has appeared in many productions, including Seussical (The Cat in the Hat), Peter/Wendy (Lost Boy) which she performed with Marblehead High School as part of the Massachusetts Education Theater Drama Fest, Urinetown (Little Sally) and most recently The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park). Outside of theater, Molly enjoys horseback riding, singing, and hanging out with friends. She is very excited to be working with Lynda once again.

Sarah Endo

Lead Artist

Sarah Endo is a elementary special ed teaching assistant at Thompson School in Arlington. She loves working with kids, exploring nature, and building community. She worked on the original Magic School Bus TV show and the Magic School Bus Rides Again reboot. In her free time, she writes poems and picture book manuscripts. 

Imran Iftikhar

Guest Lead Artist

Imran is a theatre artist, writer, narrator, and educator who has been in the field theatre for the past eight years. He has worked on several projects in Pakistan and in the United States, and has been involved with Backyard Youth Theatre for three years now. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York. Imran has also been a middle school history teacher for the past fifteen years, loves working with children and is an avid tabla player. 

Matthew Winberg

Guest Lead Artist

Matt has performed professionally in all manner of staged plays, readings, films, corporate videos, radio plays, and even a few musicals over the past 17 years -- both in his hometown of Ithaca, NY and, locally, in several productions with the Newton Nomadic Theater Company. He also has a background in film and video production, with a primary focus on documentary and educational films. He adores working and performing with BYT! Where else does one get to play such zany roles as a laughter-sucking evil alien named Steve; an insect-peeping Sir David Attenborough; and Walter Finly, a shark who is the owner/operator of Great Barrier Reef Underwater Tours, and also moonlights as a justice of the peace should the mood to marry strike you?! You can’t make this stuff up! But the BYT gang did!