Janeth Shayo is a Tanzanian American who has performed in musicals and plays for over fifteen years and been an educator for youth theatre for the last 6 years. Her goals are centered around theatre education and innovation with both higher education and youth theatre in mind. Currently she is a Graduate student in the San Diego State University Masters of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Program and will be graduating this spring of 2026. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts/Musical Theatre and also Career and technical education from Cal State San Bernardino. Having studied dance at SALT studio in Riverside California she continues to be an active member in the Inland Valley Repertory Theatre. In 2024 she was chosen to present at the 2024 Musical Theatre Educators Alliance conference in New York where her research involving Tanzanian Musical Theatre won the presidential award at SDSU’s 2025 Research Symposium. Some of her favorite roles include Sandy in The SpongeBob Musical, Shelby Wilson in Baltimore, Luisa in the Fantasticks and Ronny in Hair. Her belief in theatre innovation, diversity, and inclusion is what gives her the bravery to pursue her passions in musical theatre with reckless abandon.