Ingrid feels blessed to be living in the Santa Clarita Valley. As a teacher for the Saugus Union School District, she has taught nearly 1,000 students, been honored as a California Teacher of the Year, and chosen to travel as an educational ambassador to Japan. She was named Outstanding Young Californian by the Jaycees. Teaching children to love learning is one of her many passions; working with her husband TimBen Boydston, the Executive and Artistic Director of the Canyon Theatre Guild, is another. At both the CTG and the Santa Clarita Regional Theatre, Ingrid enjoys directing and acting in theatrical productions, including dramas, comedies, and musicals. During the summer she combines her passions by teaching theatre to children at the CTG Summer Theatre Workshops. In 2017, Elite Magazine named her the Ultimate Female in the Performing Arts. Ingrid also loves worshiping at Real Life Church and spending time with family and friends
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
I love to go dancing with my husband! He is so much fun to swing dance with! I also love to play games with my daughter and my sisters. We’re big fans of Scrabble and Quiddler. We recently discovered Kingdominos! If you are a fan of strategy games that are easy to learn but tricky to master, this is the game for you!
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I’ve been happily married to TimBen Boydston for nearly 29 years. In addition to being a great husband and father, he runs the CTG and has served on the city council. He was instrumental in bringing the Canyon Theatre Guild to downtown Newhall and kicking off the Redevelopment Project. He is honest, hardworking, and always helping others. Our daughter Analyn is a college student. She has mad writing and editing skills! She volunteers at RLC. I’m incredibly proud of both of them.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Teaching and directing are not all that different. They both involve a lot of storytelling. Both require a great deal of preparation, that’s for sure! But if you do it well, your audience, whether they are kindergartners or a literal audience will leave feeling happy and fulfilled. And they will have learned something. I love that.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I have lived in Santa Clarita since 1988!
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
It’s been thrilling to have celebrities show up at my shows at the Canyon Theatre Guild. They have all been very gracious and kind. Garry Marshall came to see “Happy Days the Musical” and he took time to hang out with the cast as did Marion Ross. Shirley Jones and Marty Ingalls came to “Bye-Bye Birdie”, Fred Willard showed up at “Fox on the Fairway”. Hope and Lawrence Juber came to “Gilligan’s Island the Musical” several time and also came to the cast party! Having Lawrence Juber play guitar in my living room was incredible. I still can’t believe I went to dinner with Margaret O’Brien who came to see “Sound Of Music”. She actually gave me her ring!
Q: What advice would you give to people?
My advice is to count your blessings and choose joy. Make the most out of every day, even when it doesn’t seem possible. My mom only lived to be 56. She had blastoid Leukemia but she made every day count. I try to be as joyful and grateful as she was.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
El Chaparral! We used to go dancing after many rehearsals and every performance. I am not sure when we slept…
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
Community is a verb here in Santa Clarita. So many people spend so much time helping others. I love that!
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I adore picture books. I write them and hope one day to be a published author.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been to?
We drove across America- 9,000 miles in 30 days! Every place we went there was something breathtakingly beautiful!
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My dad inspires me to be better! I call him DadFatherLionheart. He genuinely cares about every person in the room. There are no strangers when he is around. To know him is to love him. Plus, he is always learning new things. He taught us to know what we believe in and live accordingly because actions speak louder than words.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Faith, Family & Fun
