The following artists are a sample of the highly qualified professional artists and educators who teach and direct for TADA! both in our own theater classes as well as in the New York City school system. TADA! hires artists with diverse artistic training, cultural backgrounds and teaching strengths. However they all share the TADA! teaching methodology and passion for making differences in young people's lives.
James Beaudry - Director/Choreographer holds an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Mills College and a BA in Directing and Theatre Performance from The College of Wooster. As a director/choreographer has staged over 25 professional productions and has taught acting and dance in San Francisco, New York, and Connecticut.
Michelle Berti-Lozza - Director/Choreographer Michelle holds an M.A. in Educational Theatre from New York University and a B.A. in Theatre/Acting from Pepperdine University. She has worked as a director, choreographer, musical director, and teacher for TADA!, Periwinckle National Theatre, USDAN, Coleytown Middle School, Malibu Ballet Studio by the Sea, Pepperdine University, and New York University. Her past productions include The Wizard of Oz, Anyone Can Whistle, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Alice in Wonderland, and Footloose. Michelle is also a professional performer having most recently performed on Broadway in Cathy Rigby's Tony nominated production of Peter Pan.
Laura Danette - Choreographer Laura received her B.F. A. in Dance Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ms. Danette has extensive dance, choreography, and teaching experience. Her choreography credits include the NY Life 150th Birthday Celebration at Madison Square Garden and Kool and the Gang's video "Victory". As a teacher she has worked at Coupe Theatre Studio, Albee School of Dance and Children's Professional Theatre.
Valerie diLorenzo - Director/Choreographer Valerie has been with TADA! for five years. She is also an affiliated teaching artist with Lincoln Center, The Helen Hayes Theatre, Inside Broadway, Readers Theatre Workshop, The Baltimore Arts Council, Hudson River Museum, SUNY Purchase and the Westchester Arts Council, among others. Valerie's musical theatre program was honored in April, 2001 by Karen Ziemba, a Tony-Award Winning Actress, and a group of theatrical producers, as an exemplary program illustrating the successful integration of the "theatrical" into the classroom. Valerie also maintains an active "on-stage life" including performances in theatre, concerts and recording. Valerie is a regular vocalist of the National Anthem for the New York Mets. Her debut CD, "Love is on the Next Train" is available everywhere and her latest CD, "thrush" will be released in 2003. www.valeriedilorenzo.com
Jennifer (Jen) Draganski - Director Jen received her B.A. in English from University of Michigan. She has taught theater in a wide variety of New York City venues, including New York Children's Theatre, the Computer School in Harlem, the YMCA and Lucy Moses. She directs the West Side Y Kid's Co (supported by the Annenberg Challenge) and the Drama and Literacy Project at the Manhattan School for Children
Jeff Edmond - Choreographer Jeff has taught dance for 20 years at such places as TADA!, the 92nd Street Y, Steps, and the USDAN Center for the Performing Arts. Jeff has choreographed for his own company and for the Little Orchestra Society at Avery Fischer Hall.
Nickie Foster - Choreographer Nicole Foster earned her Masters and Bachelors from the University of Oregon. Ms. Foster has extensive experience in stock and regional theatre as both a performer and a choreographerÐplaying such roles as Anita in West Side Story and choreographing shows such as The King and I and The Music Man. In addition, she served as the manager of the Creative Institute of Dance in Eugene, Oregon for 9 years.
Joanna Greer - Director/Choreographer, holds a BFA in Musical Theater Performance and Dance from Columbia College Chicago. As an arts administrator, director-choreographer and teaching artist she has had the pleasure of working with numerous organizations such as The American Ballroom Theater (featured in the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom), YANY, City Lights Youth Theatre, PASE, The Old Town School of Folk Music, and The Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Her current TADA! Choreography credits include: The History Mystery, Everything about a Day (Almost), Rabbit Sense, Sleepover, The Gift of Winter, They Chose Me! and Everything About Camp (Almost)for which she served as the Director-Choreographer. Joanna is also the Cofounder of NYC-based Kinetic Dance Theater, an artistic collective driven toward innovating dance theater, cabaret and musical theater performance www.kineticdancetheater.org.
Jewell Handy - Director Jewell is a teacher, performer and writer from Texas who has spent the past two years teaching elementary school students. She received her B.A. in Drama from the University of Texas at Austin and has performed in Austin and Houston in Little Shop of Horrors and Encounters- a children's show about racial relations in America. She has performed in Dance theatre performances with choreographers Grace Lee and Deborah Hay. She has choreographed and costumed Grease and directed as well as choreographed and costumed The Wiz.
Tammy Holder - Musical Director Tammy Holder has been a Music Director/Teaching Artist for over 15 years. Originally from NC where she taught choral music, Tammy now resides in NYC. She has worked as a teaching artist for organizations such as City Lights, Children's Theater Company, Way Off Broadway, Performing Arts for Children, Our Gang Players, French Woods and most extensively TADA! This year Tammy completed her 4th summer as creator and lead teacher for Showstoppers and Superstars-a summer music theater adventure camp. Tammy also works extensively as a guest teaching artist for the Wake County Public School system in NC-most recently music directing and conducting an all-county student production of Aida. Tammy also has composed two children's musicals which have been produced in NYC-Heroes for TADA! and Nueva Aventura-a bi-lingual children's musical commissioned for The Amistad Dual Language School. Music Directing credits include Theaterworks, Broadway Dinner Theater, Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theater, Surflight Theater, Cortland Repertory Theater, Bristol Valley Theater and the national tours of Gigi, Can Can, West Side Story and Bright Lights! Broadway! in Taiwan. Tammy also works in NYC as a vocal coach and audition accompanist.
Rachel Kaufman - Musical Director Rachel is a multi-instrumentalist who has music directed and/or played for well over 100 musicals and cabaret shows throughout the USA and Europe. Rachel has also played for numerous children's shows and classes at Stagedoor Manor, John Harms (NJ), HB Studio, CAP21, AMAS, Harlem School of the Arts, NYC Tech., Poly Prep, Bronx House, The Trevor Day School, various YMCA's, et al. Rachel can also be seen playing for auditions, at piano bars, in jazz combos, and for improv comedy groups. She holds a B.A. in Music (and Russian!) from the University of Chicago.
Sunny Kim - Musical Director is a Korean-born Singer/Pianist/Composer who has performed extensively in the United States as well as South Korea. Her teaching experience has ranged from teaching private voice and piano lessons to directing a high school choir to coaching jazz ensembles at Yonsei University as a guest coach. She holds a BM in Jazz Studies, Voice Performance from the University of Denver, and an MM in Jazz Studies, Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory. She received Concentration in Music-in-Education from the New England Conservatory. She loves working with children, playing with cats, and performing with her various bands in local NY clubs.
Alastair King - Musical Director Alastair King is a composer and teacher of musical theatre. He studied at the Italia Conti Stage School in London and worked extensively as a singer/dancer in London's west end and for BBC television. He has had two workshop productions of his musicals Christy and the Playboys and The Ultimate Man. He currently teaches private voice in New York City.
Amy Kohn - Musical Director Amy started working as a Musical Director with TADA! in Spring 2001. She is a composer, lyricist, pianist and vocalist who writes adventurous music for her septet (AMY KOHN BAND), which performs all over NYC. Her work as a Music-Director/Composer has taken her everywhere from Chicago's Piven Theater Workshop's Young People's Company to Central Park, where last summer she played accordion while conducting a gaggle of fairies singing her music in New York Classical Theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Amy holds a BA in Composition from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music and an MFA from the New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program.
Tiffany Kraus - Director/Choreographer Holding a BA degree in Elementary Education, Tiffany has had several years of teaching experience. Gaining national recognition for her work, she teaches various styles of dance and choreographs for a number of different schools in and out of the New York City area. Tiffany has worked with all age groups ranging from early childhood to adult. Directing and choreographing for TADA allows her to combine her certification with her talents. Professionally, she has performed musical theater across the country and was a soloist of the Dafmark Dance Company.
Robert Lamont - Musical Director NYC credits include Here's Love!, Reunion, A Civil War Musical (New York premiere and its cast recording), King Of Hearts and June Moon. He musically coordinated Weill Style, A Centenary Gala Benefit (BAM). He has worked with such performers as Paul Anka, Marc Anthony, Carol Burnett, Nanette Fabray, Wynonna Judd, Patti LaBelle and Jerry Orbach. Regional credits include the McCarter Theatre, Ford's Theatre and Portland Stage Company. With over 15 years experience as a music educator, he has been a musical director at New York's acclaimed TADA! children's theatre for five years. He also is an alumnus of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a member of the Dramatists Guild and the American Federation of Musicians.
Andrew Markus - Musical Director Andrew has music directed more than 20 musical theater programs with TADA! ranging from after-school classes, yearlong residencies and weeklong intensive workshops. He is known for bringing extraordinary energy to his classes with his dedication in sharing the music of classic Broadway shows, TADA! repertoire and his own compositions. Andrew is also a teaching artist for the West Side YMCA and a member of the BMI advanced musical theatre workshop.
Nadine Mozon - Director Nadine is an actress, poet and writer whose work has been published and produced for the stage. She has collaborated with a diverse community of musicians, directors, choreographers, dancers, singers, and American Sign Language artists. Among her credits as dramatist are her one-woman show that received an AUDELCO nomination in New York and a Drama-Logue Award in Los Angeles, and a recently commissioned ensemble theatre piece, ID Please. Other acting credits include regional theatre, television and film. In addition to reading engagements for her book of poetry, Kiss it Up to God, Nadine continues reaching diverse communities of young people and adults of all ages via her MozArt workshops in poetry and theatre.
Terri Muuss - Director is an actor, poet, teaching artist, director, and social worker. She is the writer and performer of the one-woman show, Anatomy of a Doll which has been performed at numerous theatres, conferences, high schools, and colleges throughout the country and Canada. The show received grants from NYFA and Poet’s and Writer’s for its initial performances and received The Daily News’ “Best Theatre-Pick.” She was the co-producer and host of a monthly poetry series for two years and has read her own poetry at various places throughout NYC. Terri teaches theraputic writing workshops at both Rutgers University Social Work Continuing Education Program and at many staff development workshop. She has acted, directed, choreographed, stage managed and sound designed numerous productions in NYC and throughout the country and has been teaching theatre to children and teens for over nine years. In that time, she has been in over 80 schools and worked with thousands of children. She has also taught at the Harlem School for the Arts, Children’s Theatre Company, Beginnings Workshop, Creative Arts, GirlSpace and is a private acting coach to adults. She is a certified self-defense instructor with the company Prepare and has received her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work.
Melle Powers - Director/Choreographer loves teaching at TADA. As a performer she has appeared Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons (most recently as an understudy in Miss Witherspoon, on television (Chappelle's Show and others) and in film. She holds an MFA from NYU.
Danielle Quisenberry - Director/Choreographer Danielle received her B.F.A. in acting from the University of Michigan. Her stage credits include the national tour of Alice in Wonderland, along with many off-Broadway and regional productions. In addition to her performance work, Danielle has held several positions as a children's dance instructor and has conducted children's theater workshops around the United States.
Athena Reich - Director/Musical Director Athena is a teaching artist, singer/songwriter and actress. She teaches musical theater, song writing, choral singing, mask-making and creative writing. Teaching credits include The Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center, DreamYard, Shadow Box Theater, Pelham Arts Center, Trent University, The Ontario Science Center and TADA!. She loves working with children with special needs. As a singer/songwriter, Athena performs regularly across the continent in cafes, festivals & bars with electric guitar & vocals. She has composed a one-act rock opera called Athena Under Attack which has been produced at The Producer's Club, LadyFest East and the 14th Street Y. She has numerous T.V., film and theatre credits. Athena holds a BFA in Music from Concordia University in Montreal. www.athenareich.com
Eric Rockwell - Musical Director Eric has enjoyed working with TADA! as a music director, writer, teacher, composer and director. Eric was TADA's librettist for Everything About School and The Prop Shop, and collaborated with Joanne Bogart on the book to Golly Gee Whiz. In addition, Eric also composed the score to The History Mystery and The Trials of Alice in Wonderland.. As an actor, his professional credits include the M.C. in Cabaret, Mark in Oil City Symphony, and Koko in The Mikado. A member of the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, Eric collaborated with Margaret Rose on a musical adaptation of A Little Princess, which was selected as part of the Dramatists Guild Development series as well as the New Tuners Festival in Chicago. With lyricist Joanne Bogart, he created The Musical of Musicals, which was presented at Manhattan Theatre Club and the York Theatre. Holding a B.A. in Vocal Music and a B.M. in Piano from California State University, Eric has his own teaching studio, with many students who are in the TADA! ensemble as well as others who have appeared on Broadway in The Lion King, Les Miserables, and Annie Get Your Gun.
Fiona Santos - Musical Director/Director Fiona attended Cornell University , where she studied music education and was a founder of Brand X Musical Theatre. She has musical directed with companies and up and down the Eastern Seaboard, including the Ithaca Opera, Broadway Training Center, Civic Theatres of Central Florida, and SAK Comedy Lab. Fiona has just finished a two year performance stint with the Walt Disney Company.
Frank Schiro - Musical Director Frank has served as musical director for a wide variety of companies, including Bronx Arts Ensemble, West Bank Café, Periwinkle National Theater, San Diego Civic Light Opera, American Theatre Wing and Union Square Theatre. Frank is a composer in the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
Vickie Schmitt - Director Vickie received her BFA from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She choreographed and directed kids for the Popcorn Players in Michigan. She has performed in shows from LA to Chicago to NYC and summer stock in between. She started directing and choreographing herself and her friends in grade school.
Robby Stamper - Musical Director Originally from Orlando Florida, Robby moved to NYC to study and compose for the Theater. At the early age of 5, he and his 3 three brothers became the Stamper Brothers Quartet and toured the Southeastern coast. After recording 4 successful albums with his brothers, he began a solo career. His compositions have been utilized by several recording artists as well as Walt Disney Entertainment. He has just completed composing music to be used as Tokyo Disneyland's 2006 Anniversary Theme. Robby is also a highly demanded pianist and singer in a few of NYC's most famous Night Spots.
Beth Tascione - Director Beth is a graduate of the College of New Jersey, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and has also studied at the Atlantic Theatre Company School. She is a founding member of the Hoffenrich Theatre Company and has performed professionally in various plays and musical in NYC and regionally. Beth has also worked as a teaching artist in the New York City public school system. She has taught with CES, Phyllis Rose Dance Company, and Theatre for a New Audience.
Cindy Thole - Director/Choreographer is a veteran of the Broadway stage and now works as a director/choreographer and teacher in the NYC area. A graduate of Butler University, she received a BA in Dance, and went on to study at the Houston Ballet and dance with the San Antonio Ballet before coming to NY. Broadway credits: A Christmas Carol, My Fair Lady, Nick and Nora, Me and My Girl, Meet Me in St Louis, Singin’ in the Rain, and 42nd Street. National Tours: 42nd Street, Oklahoma!, and Sugar Babies. Choreography credits: Theatreworks/USA, Story Salad Productions, TADA!, AMDA, Allenberry Playhouse, Mill Mountain Playhouse, Farleigh Dickenson University and Camp Broadway. Cynthia teaches ballet, jazz and musical theater in NYC for AMDA, Montclair State University, the 92nd Street Y, and Shuffles Tap. She is a certified teaching artist in the public schools. Cynthia can currently be seen performing in the movie version of The Producers.
Sari Wagner - Director Sari received her BA in Theatre and Philosophy from the University of Southern California and is currently working on an M.F.A. in Acting from the Actor's Studio Drama School. For seven years, Sari has taught theatre arts extensively throughout Los Angeles, where she created "The Young Actor's Group," a professional training program for young actors. While continuing to train and work as an actress, as well as teaching at TADA!, Sari currently teaches and directs throughout New York City.
Kim Wiley - Director Kim is a graduate of Hampshire College. She has 12 years of educational theater experience (Education at the Met's Creating Original Opera Program, 92nd Street Y, Berkshire Ensemble for Theater Arts, International Schools Theatre Association).