Shannon K. Munley

Shannon may be a newcomer to Lancaster, but she is Pennsylvania girl at heart. Born and raised in Scranton, she spent many years in local dance studios, community theaters and vocal groups. She received her Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Scranton, and plans to pursue her Doctorate with the University of St. Augustine. She is a Certified KinesioTape Practitioner and a STOTT PILATES certified rehabilitation Pilates Instructor (mat and reformer).

Growing up in Scranton, she loved being close to New York City and Philadelphia. There were frequent day trips with her aunts to NYC for Broadway matinees and bus trips to Philadelphia, taking in the history of the city. Throughout college, she took any chance she had to sneak off to either city and audition for any show, company, or cruise ship! It was a perfect fit when a professor pointed her in the direction of performing arts physical therapy. While continuing to perform locally, she geared her studies toward treating performers and all those involved in stage productions. This lead her to an internship with Sean Gallagher at Performing Arts Physical Therapy in NYC – working on shows such as A Chorus Line, Mamma Mia!, American Idiot, and Legally Blonde.

After graduation, Shannon spent two years in a mentorship at Allied Rehabilitation Services in Scranton where she had the opportunity to work closely with PTs and PTAs working in orthopedics, stroke rehabilitation, and neurological physical therapy. She also took this time to expand her experience in dance medicine by working part-time for Performing Arts Physical Therapy by driving into the Big Apple on weekends to continue treating at Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters. She moved to New York in 2010 to audition and treat full-time. She was lucky enough to spend the next five years performing in NYC and on regional stages, while continuing to treat in the Theatre District and Financial District. She left NYC only to test the waters in Los Angeles in 2015, and while the temptations of beautiful Southern California are many, a fateful meeting with a mutual friend of Dawn’s brought an opportunity too perfect to resist.

Now, she finds herself tucked away in a gem in central Pennsylvania, with her favorite cities just a train or bus ride away. While she wouldn’t trade her time away for anything, Dorothy had it right all along: “There’s no place like home.”