New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts Richard Omar

faculty

The principles of great performance don't change, but the realities of the business do—constantly. Our faculty are working professionals who bring current, real-world experience to every class they teach.

Richard Omar

President/artistic director

After completing his degree at Hofstra University, Richard Omar trained under famed acting teachers Uta Hagen and Bobby Lewis in NYC. Richard's New York theater credits include Dance with Me, Harker, The First Day, Never the Sinner, The Secret History, Richard III, which played at the New York International Fringe Festival. As a ballroom dancer, he appeared on film with Leslie Caron, Patrick Stewart and Jennifer Beals. His previous teaching experience also includes SUNY Purchase, Hofstra University, and the New Actors Workshop for Mike Nichols.

Jay R. Goldenberg

Director of Education

Jay Goldenberg is an actor, director and teacher, and has coached actors on the sets of feature films, including: Say Anything; miniseries: Elvis and Me; sitcoms: Moonlighting; and daytime dramas: General Hospital. His private client roster has included Salma Hayek, Cybill Shepherd, Alicia Silverstone, Estelle Getty, Michael Chiklis, Charles Kimbrough, Beth Howland, Ione Skye, Mary Wilson, Eric Close, Allyce Beasley, and Nicollette Sheridan, to name a few. Jay holds an MFA from New York University School of the Arts.

Becky London

Academic Affairs Liaison

Becky's television credits include Inside Amy Schumer, Blue Bloods, Law & Order, Third Watch and Quantum Leap. She has appeared in numerous films including Nasty Baby, El Camino, United 93, Changing Lanes, and A Very Serious Person. Becky's Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include Marlene, Ubu, Isn't It Romantic, Othello, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and Jewtopia. Becky directed Separating the Men from the Bulls in the Unofficial New York Yale Cabaret's award-winning first season. She earned her BA in English from Yale University, and her MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama.

Alan Rackham

Teaches: Introduction to Camera for Actors, Process for the Camera

Alan Rackham earned his BA in history from Columbia University and his MFA in directing at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked as an actor in both New York and Europe. His short films have won awards from film festivals all over the world.

Neal Lerner

Teaches: Scene Study for Film and Television I and II, Audition Technique I and II

Neal has appeared in Girls, Orange is the New Black, Law & Order, Seinfeld, The War at Home, Lipstick Jungle, Reba, Frasier, Ally McBeal, NewsRadio, Married with Children, Murphy Brown, Cheers, and All My Children. His film credits include Batman Returns, Boiler Room, Homewrecker, Please Give, The Visitor, and Demolition Man. Neal has also performed extensively Off-Broadway, including Stuff Happens and Serious Money at the Public Theater; Julius Caesar at the New York Shakespeare Festival; Fuddy Meers at MTC; and Hurrah at Last at the Roundabout Theatre Company. Neal holds an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama.

Sara Antkowiak

Teaches: Movement for Actors I and II - Dance

Sara's recent work includes Maren in Untranslatable Secrets at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. Prior to her acting career, Sara was an accomplished life-long classical dancer. She has been fortunate to work with Steven Schwartz as the aerial soloist in the Goodspeed tour of Pippin; and with Bartlett Sher dancing in The Tales of Hoffmann at The Metropolitan Opera and on PBS' Great Performances. She helped create the principal role Love for Mary Zimmerman's Armida, and danced in Laurent Pelly's Manon, and Robert LePage's Damnation of Faust, all at The Metropolitan Opera. Other dancing roles at Lincoln Center include Cinderella and Peter And The Wolf. Sara holds a BA in Theater and Dance from the University of New Hampshire.

Shirine Babb

Teaches: Actor's Lab

Shirine has been a working actress for more than 20 years.  As a native New Yorker, she began honing her skills at the Black Spectrum Theatre and CityKids. Her television credits include national commercials,Blue Bloods(CBS),Madam Secretary(CBS),I Love You… But I Lied (A&E), and a recurring role onIron Fist (Netflix). She has performed on both Broadway and Off- Broadway; most recent off-Broadway workTimon of Athens with TFANA (Theatre for a New Audience) andBedlam's Crucible and in the original Broadway cast ofHarry Potter and the Cursed Child. Shirine holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia, a MA from East 15 Acting Conservatory in the UK and a MFA from the Old Globe/ USD PTAP in San Diego.

Joe Barros

Teaches: Musical Theater Performance Project, Tap

Joe is an award-winning director and choreographer working on Broadway, regionally, internationally, and in film. In addition to developing original musicals around the world, Joe is the co-founder and Artistic Director of New York Theatre Barn, a Manhattan-based non-profit theatre company. Broadway: Gigi with Vanessa Hudgens and Victoria Clark (associate director). Off-Broadway: The Evolution of Mann, Cagney (associate director), Bastard Jones, A Taste of Things to Come (associate director), and Sam's Room. Joe won the 2020 Telly Award for Mommie Dearest:The Musical, The Drama League's First Stage Residency, 2017 Broadway World Regional Award for Best Choreography. He won the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society's 2018 Standout Moments for his direction of an immersive production of Alice in Wonderland that featured a cast of actors with disabilities (also co-writer). Joe is the A&R Director of Theatre Barn Records (an imprint of Broadway Records).

Rob Baumgartner, Jr.

Teaches: Music Theory

Rob's original musicals include: The Jungle, Adam Lives, Date of a Lifetime, Alone World, What the Moon Saw, Under Construction, The Hole, Radiant Ruby and Lullabies. Rob has served as an assistant to composers Galt MacDermot, Debra Barsha, and Rob Reale. He was lucky enough to work beside Mr. MacDermot on the 2008 Broadway revival of his musical Hair. Rob is musical director and orchestrator for the upcoming revival of Inner City. Rob is a graduate of the Musical Theater Writing MFA program at Tisch School of the Arts.

Lane Binkley

Teaches: Acting in Commercials and Voice-Over

Lane has been a working actress for 30 years, and has performed extensively on both coasts. She has studied with Lee Strasberg, Wynn Handman and Michael Howard. Her theatrical credits include working with director Alan Arkin and the late Ellis Rabb. Among her numerous guest appearances are City in Fear with Mickey Rourke and the original miniseries Roots. She performed for three years in a Los Angeles-based improvisation group and has done hundreds of TV and radio commercials. Lane received her Bachelor of Science in Literature from the Hunter College/CUNY.

Jim Bracchitta

Teaches: Actors Comedy Workshop

Some of Jim's most recent television appearances include the new HBO comedy Divorce, starring Sarah Jessica Parker; a stint as Bobby Cannavale's lawyer in the HBO drama Vinyl, as a shrink on Orange is the New Black, and in the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero. He's been in more than 1000 radio and TV commercials, and for many years was the voice of the Olive Garden restaurant. He is a co-founder of The Cape Cod Theatre Project, a non-profit theatre company that develops new American plays. He served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild. Jim  earned his BA in English Literature from New York University, and holds the designation of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist from the Wharton School.

Kevin Breznahan

Teaches: Scene Study for Film and Television I and II

Kevin Breznahan holds a BA in Communications from Rutgers University and trained extensively with renowned teachers Wynn Handman and Fred Kareman. Some notable acting credits include, Winter's Bone, Superbad, Alive, Magnolia, SLC Punk!, Adventureland, The Cobbler, along with Television's Billions, The Deuce, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Las Vegas, At Home With Amy Sedaris, and The Heart She Holler. Additionally, his vast theater credits include Broadway's The Young Man from Atlanta.

David Brouillard

Teaches: Conditioning and Strengthening, Musical Theater History

David served as the Artistic Director of the famed Zipper Factory Theater, creating a cultural Mecca in the heart of Manhattan. The Zipper offered legitimate Off-Broadway repertoire and served as a creative performance home to Broadway and downtown artists like Justin Vivian Bond, Tony Award winner Victoria Clark, burlesque sensations Murray Hill and Dirty Martini, composers Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael John LaChiusa, and many others. At The Zipper, he produced stars Margaret Cho, Bebe Neuwirth, Kathie Lee Gifford, Rosie O'Donnell, Megan Mullally, Joy Behar, Ute Lemper, Henry Rollins, and more. He also runs both the multi-million dollar non-profit Bowery Arts, and a burlesque supper club, Duane Park, where live music and performance are a part of every evening. David has BFA from Wright State University in Musical Theater.

Daniel Burke

Teaches: Theater Dance

Daniel is a Professional Competitive Ballroom Dancer with 9+ years teaching experience. He is certified by both Dance Vision International Dance Association and Arthur Murray INC. He has taught at Arthur Murray and Dance With Me Ballroom Dance schools and currently works as a private instructor and choreographer. Daniel is an executive trainer at Dance Teacher's Network and a member of the DTN syllabus development team. His teaching experience ranges from one-on-one private instruction to large group instruction, with students of all skill levels from novice to championship level competitors, including teacher training.

Laura Butler

Teaches: Vocal Dynamics

Laura Butler Rivera holds an MFA in Acting from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Drama from the University of Puerto Rico. She has taught Acting at Columbia University's MFA Acting program and has offered theater workshops of movement and Acting in Berlin, Japan, Romania, US, and Puerto Rico. In New York City she has worked with Robert Wilson, Andrei Serban, La MaMa, Mabou Mines, HERE Theater, INTAR theater, CABORCA theater, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Black Box Productions, and Ripe Time. She is an Artistic Director for One-Eighth Theater, and a co-founder of Cloud of Fools Theater.

Katya Campbell

Teaches: Meisner Technique I and II

Katya has taught Meisner technique and scene study at Rutgers University, Pace University, James Franco's Studio 4, and for the Oxbridge program at Barnard College. Broadway credits include the Pulitzer Prize winning Disgraced, Roundabout Theatre Company's The Big Knife with Bobby Cannavale and Manhattan Theatre Club's Mauritius. Katya played the title role in the Rattlestick Theatre/Colt Coeur co-production of Cal in Camo. Her independent film credits include Archaeology of a Woman, Crimson Mask, Small Outdoors, Crazy Glue, Girl on the Fridge and the television shows Guiding Light and Law & Order. She holds an MFA from Rutgers University, where she studied with William Esper.

Dawn Cantwell

Teaches: Private Voice, Research and Performance Projects, Musical Theater Program

Dawn has been honored as a finalist in the Music Center of Los Angeles Spotlight Awards in vocal performance, and was the recipient of the 2011 New York Music Theatre Festival's "Next Broadway Sensation Award." As an actress, she recently concluded a year and a half run as Nessarose in the hit Broadway musical, Wicked. She made her Broadway debut originating the role of Young Meg in Sting's Broadway musical The Last Ship. Dawn can be seen on screen opposite academy award winner Eli Wallach in The Train. She has played such venues as Radio City Music Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and The Kennedy Center.

Ka-Ling Cheung

Teaches: actors lab

Ka-Ling's acting credits include the Broadway tour of War Horse and the National Tour of The King and I.  Regional credits include: American Conservatory Theater, American Repertory Theater, The Rep at St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Long Wharf Theatre, San Jose Rep, Portland Center Stage, Pittsburgh Public, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Artists Repertory Theatre, Weston Stage, Berkshire Playwrights Lab and others.  She was in the world premier of Wild Swans at the Young Vic in London. TV credits include: Bull, Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Limitless, Elementary, and Crashing. She received her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater. She is the proud recipient of the 2018 Lloyd Richards Teaching Fellowship through the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.

Nick Cianfrogna

Teaches: voice & Speech, dialects

Nick is a New York-based actor and teaching artist specializing in speech, accents, and voice production.  He is a graduate of NYU with a BFA in Drama as well as the Kristin Linklater Voice Center where he became designated as a Linklater Teacher.  Nick has worked privately in coaching actors across many projects and parts of the country.  His most notable dialect work was with Emmy Winner Ann Dowd for her Boston accent in HBO'sThe Leftovers, and with Jimmy Biberi for his Israeli Accent inOcean's 8.  Nick is also a voiceover artist and the creator and host of Fantasy Food Show on YouTube.

Dan Cohen

Teaches: Movement for Actors II – Viewpoints

With over fifteen years' experience in Suzuki and Viewpoints movement, Dan has taught movement and physical performance at the University of Washington, California State University, Long Beach and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Dan performed with NYC's Cannon Company for several years, appearing in their innovative productions of MacBeth (HERE Arts Center), Three Sisters, and Puss (The Performing Garage). His directing work includes his own original adaptations of the Italo Calvino short stories Teresa and Making Do, and Juliet, an original deconstruction of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Dan is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Director's Lab West. He Cohen holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Washington.

Eileen Connolly

Teaches: Voice and Speech I and II

Eileen is the founder and Artistic Director of Wallis Knot Theatre, where she creates, designs and directs original multimedia productions, including Late to the Republique (NYCDA), Dance with Me, Harker (New York International Fringe Festival) and Seeing Andre Gide (New Actors Workshop). As an actress, she has worked Off-Broadway and at the Meadow Brook and Birmingham theatres in Detroit, the Royal George in Chicago and the Walnut Street Theatre and Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia. She recently created the movement and combat for Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Beowulf. Eileen holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota, and a BA in Theatre and Dance from DeSales University.

Joe DeGise

Teaches: improv and comedy

Joe has performed comedy and improv for over 25 years. He was a main stage player and director of New York City's longest-running comedy review, Chicago City Limits. He's been featured at both the Aspen and Toyota Comedy Festivals and has written for, directed, and starred in the sketch comedy groups Bitter Harmless People and Rent This Space. His film and television credits include Hacks (with Jim Gaffigan), Law & Order, Nickelodeon, and dozens of commercials. As a dramatic actor, he played the lead role of an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse in the acclaimed play, Lemon Meringue. Joe has performed in film and on stage for countless industrial clients including Intel, AT&T, Toyota, and American Express.

Samantha Gilmore

Teaches: Voice and Speech I and II

Ms. Gilmore is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher who trained at the Linklater Center for Voice and Language, Shakespeare & Company, the Alexander Technique Center for Performance & Development, the Feldenkrais Institute, HB Studio, in addition to more than 60 hours working in private sessions with Director of Teacher Training Andrea Haring, observing senior DLTs teach group classes, and completing two audition-only three-week intensive teacher training workshops with Kristin Linklater in Orkney, Scotland. In addition to teaching at NYCDA, she has served as an adjunct professor at The General Theological Seminary in New York, NY and a graduate instructor at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Samantha holds a B.A. in Music from Trinity College and an M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she is currently a PhD candidate whose research focuses on vulnerability as an essential dynamic for performance that may be fostered through embodied voice training in the classroom.

Maury Ginsberg

Teaches: Scene Study for Film and Television I and II, Actors Lab III

Maury's recent film credits include The Week Of with Adam Sandler and 5 Flights Up with Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton. Recent TV credits include: Manifest, Jessica Jones, Elementary, Blacklist, Madam Secretary, and HBO's Vinyl. Other film and television credits include: Rocket Science, According to Greta, Big Miracle, My One and Only, The Girl in the Park, Blue Bloods, House of Cards, Damages, The Good Wife, Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Unforgettable, Louie and Friends, among many others. As a professional actor of stage, film and television, he has had a 25-year working relationship with Olympia Dukakis and three seasons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Off-Broadway credits include Laugh it up Stare it Down at Cherry Lane Theatre. He is a graduate of Bard College and student of the late Sanford Meisner and Larry Moss.

Ian Gould

Teaches: Acting Comedy Styles

Ian is an actor and director specializing in Shakespeare and classical theater who has toured across the U.S. and Europe and appeared off-Broadway and at regional theaters nationwide. Off-Broadway credits include seasons with The Acting Company, Peccadillo Theater Company, and New York Classical Theatre, where he is an associate artist. Regional credits include appearances at the Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Baltimore Centerstage, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Luna Stage, and many seasons in rep with Great Lakes Theater and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. He received his MFA from the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy for Classical Acting and his BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

James LaRosa

Teaches: Private Voice, Musical Theater Program

James is an award-winning actor, singer, and voice-over artist. Recent credits include Leo Bloom in The Producers (American Stage), Giuseppe in La Dottoressa (Lincoln Center), and Stewpot in South Pacific (Triad Stage). TV credits include: Saturday Night Live, What Would You Do?, and Fugitive Chronicles. He has acted Off-Broadway, regionally, and has voiced characters for Rockstar Games and promos for MTV, Nickelodeon, and TRW. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch and LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts.

Jason Liebman

Teaches: Actors Lab III Audition Technique I and II

Jason has worked on new plays with The Atlantic Theatre Co., Ensemble Studio Theatre, the O'Neill, Women's Project, the Lark, New Dramatists and more. He spent the first few years of his career in NYC, appearing in productions of Hamlet (title role), The Second Part of Henry the Sixth, and As You Like It, among others. He works regularly in commercials and voice over, has appeared on TV in Shades of Blue, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Madam Secretary and in sketches on Letterman, Conan and Jimmy Kimmel. Films include Arranged, Motion Sickness and Tarab. Jason earned his Masters from NYU in Media, and did graduate work at Concordia University back home in Montreal.

Matt Lopez

Teaches: hip hop

Matt first started dancing at the age of 10, performing for a Filipino dance troupe in New Hampshire. Upon graduating from University of Central Florida, Matt landed a job as the mascot for the New England Patriots. In spring 2010, he was featured in the Go-Go Segment on Live with Regis and Kelly. Other notable performances include dancing for Sean Kingston and Wyclef Jean on PBS, and with Demi Lovato on ABC's Good Morning America. Matt has taught hip hop/funk master classes across the United States and abroad in the Philippines, Japan, Colombia, Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2015, he was selected as one of the Top 12 Dance Convention Teachers in the U.S. byDance Informa Magazine.

Amy Marcs

Teaches: Meisner Technique I and II, Acting in Commercials, Voice-Over

Amy has appeared at many regional theaters across the country. Most recently she was seen as Gorgeous Teitelbaum in The School House Theater's production of The Sisters Rosensweig. Other credits include featured roles in Geminin, Kingdom of Earth, The Star Spangled Girl and And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little. She has performed in the independent film The Waiting Game. Her voice can be heard on numerous national network television and radio commercials. She recently played the role of Peg the Pig in the animated feature film Impy's Island. Amy received a BA in Theater from Rider University and is a long time student of Fred Kareman.

Karl Maier

Teaches: Movement for Actors I and II - Dance

Karl Maier began his training at the age of 19 with Boston Ballet, the American Academy of Ballet (at Vassar College), and with the dance and aerial/circus arts programs at the University of New Hampshire. As a dancer and aerialist, Karl has had the privilege of working for and performing with many inspiring artists,  including Vanessa Williams, Mark Dendy, Micky Dolenz, and Robert Lepage. Select Credits: Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the national tour of Pippin (aerial captain), and eight years of dancing and flying with The Metropolitan Opera.  Karl can be seen on PBS's Great Performances at the Met, dancing and flying in many operas including John Adams' Grammy Award winning Dr. Atomic.  Karl is also a master technician on the rolling globe.

Donnie Mather

Teaches: Movement for Actors I: Suzuki, Movement for Actors II: Viewpoints

Donnie has performed in Macbeth, Nicholas & Alexandra, Seven Deadly Sins, Lilith (SITI Company); I, Claudius (Theatre Askew); Anthony & Cleopatra, Comedy of Errors, Merchant of Venice, and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey). Donnie created A Show of Force . He has taught at the NYU, Columbia University, Bard College, Fordham University, the New School, the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and more. He holds a BFA in Theatre with minor in Dance from Western Kentucky University.

Christopher McGovern

Teaches: Vocal Technique and Anatomy

Chris has accompanied Tony Award winners Heather Headley, Rupert Holmes, Cady Huffman and Steve Kazee. He was the Music Director and pianist for Dear World starring Tony and Emmy Award winner Tyne Daley, and the revival of Two By Two starring Jason Alexander and Tovah Feldshuh.  He is the pianist and arranger for Tony nominee Susan Egan–the original Belle in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Theatrical writing credits include music, lyrics and arrangements for the Award-winning Cagney!, the libretto and score for Lizzie Borden. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in voice, with concentration in composition.

Michael Mendez

Teaches: Song Performance and Performance Projects

Michael Mendez originated the role of Fatty Arbuckle in the Broadway Production of Chaplin, directed by Warren Carlyle, and is featured on the Original Broadway Cast Recording.  Off-Broadway: Fat Camp the Musical, and Hey, Look Me Over! at City Center Encores! featuring Joel Grey, Vanessa Williams, and Bebe Neuwirth.   Some Regional Credits Include: Man of La Mancha at Westport Country Playhouse, How The Grinch Stole Christmas at The Old Globe, Damn Yankees at Goodspeed Opera House, Peter and the Starcatcher at Weston Playhouse, Billy Elliot at North Carolina Theatre, The Full Monty at American Music Theater of San Jose, and Paquito's Christmas at the Kennedy Center.  Michael graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.F.A in Musical Theatre.

Midori Nakamura

Teaches: voice & speech

Midori is a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher. She has worked in film, TV, on Broadway, Off-Broadway, for Shakespeare in the Park, at the Kennedy Center, at the RSC, and in regional theater. Midori has worked with include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Keanu Reeves, Michael C. Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bill Irwin, Karen Allen, Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Anniston, Liev Schrieber, and Del Close. She co-directed, co-produced, and co-edited T'an Bakhtale, a documentary about the Russian Roma, which received awards from the American Association of Anthropology and the Royal Anthropological Institute. She recently assisted Karen Allen in her directorial debut, the short film A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud.

Ruth Nerken

Teaches: Actors Lab I and II

Ruth Nerken has guest starred on Law & Order, Kate & Allie, and Too Close for Comfort, and performed in regional theater, Off-Broadway, and in the national touring company of Grease. Ruth has also appeared in more than 200 television commercials, and been a guest speaker at events for AFTRA, SAG, and Yale University. Ruth earned a BA in theater from Yale University, before going on to train with William Esper and the American Conservatory Theatre.

Kyle C. Norris

Teaches Voice Technique and Private Voice. Serves as Music Director for Performance Projects

Kyle's Broadway credits include School of Rock, Rocky, Pippin, First Date. He was in first national tours of If/Then (w/Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, LaChanze, and James Snyder), Legally Blonde (w/Michael Rupert), West Side Story (w/Grant Gustin). He performed in Spamalot (w/John O'Hurley), Hairspray (w/ Harvey Fierstein), Avenue Q (w/ John Tartaglia), and Mamma Mia in Las Vegas. As a composer, Kyle's works for the stage have been produced around the country and featured on NPR. His show, The Oedipus Project, won Best Music at the SoundBites Festival in NYC.

Steve Perlmutter

Teaches: Meisner Technique I and II

Steve Perlmutter has performed at regional theaters throughout the country, including Philadelphia's famed Walnut Street Theater. He has also appeared in numerous radio and television commercials for brands including Volvo, Nestea, Jell-O, Norwest Bank, Bell South, and Staples. Steve teaches at Rutgers University and NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He holds a BS in speech from Northwestern University, and has studied extensively with renowned teachers Fred Kareman and Larry Moss.

Brett Radke

Teaches: voice &speech

Brett is a graduate of the Columbia University MFA Acting program where he was the recipient of the Bob Hope Fellowship. Select New York credits includeThe Comedy of Errors (Balthazar) at Classic Stage Company,A Dollzes House(The Minion) at the Signature Center, andEveryday Afroplay(Man) at The Bushwick Starr. Brett has performed internationally in Greece and Ukraine, and apprenticed with Jeff Daniels' acclaimed Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan. Brett is currently on the path to becoming a Designated Linklater Teacher, as well as a Certified Michael Chekhov Instructor.

Chris Roberson

Teaches: Web Video for Actors

Chris  has been teaching cinematography and editing at Tisch School of the Arts since 1999, and served as NYU's Executive Director of Post Production for over two years. As an editor, he has worked with Sting, Billy Eichner, Nick Kroll and Christian McBride. Currently he edits for the YouTube channel's The Things and produces content for Kung Fu Tea and the New York Historical Society. In 2006, Chris won a Telly Award for his editing work with Robert Small Entertainment, where he edited for Comedy Central, Nick at Nite and The Biography Channel. From 2012 through July 2014, Chris worked at YouTube, helping emerging partners devise channel strategy, increase production value, and develop their brand. He holds a BFA in Film and Television from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Peter Romano

Teaches: Actors Lab I and II

Peter is a Syrian-American Actor, Director and Teaching-Artist. He has taught acting workshops for Miami New Drama, the Atlantic Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, and Columbia University and CUNY Hunter College's Theatre Departments. Peter has directed productions of Antigone and Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, which toured the Miami-Dade area. As an Actor, Peter has toured Africa in Antigone in the World, and performed in the American premiere of Terror (Miami New Drama), both directed by Tony award-winner Gregory Mosher. Off-Broadway: Fucking A (Signature Theatre), First Down (Noor), Othello, Midsummer (CSC). Film/TV: New Amsterdam (NBC), The Blacklist (NBC), The Week Of with Adam Sandler (Netflix). Peter is the creator of the web series The New Neighborhood. He holds a BFA from NYU Tisch, and an MFA from Columbia University.

Ben Sander

Teaches: Film Genres and History, Web Video for Actors

Ben Sander is the creator of Brini Maxwell, a domestic guru character featured in her own eponymous television show on the Style network. In addition to developing the character, he also executive produced the show. Ben is a published author and has worked with NPR and made appearances on World News Now, The Conan O'Brien Show, Style, Soap Talk, Tyra Banks and the Oscar and Golden Globe pre-shows on E!, among others. A devotee of mid-century culture and film, he also works as an interior designer and film blogger. Ben holds a BFA in fashion design from FIT.

Judith Searcy

Teaches: Improvisation, Actors Comedy Workshop

Judith Searcy has written, directed, and performed sketch comedy and improv for more than two decades, including live and video projects for American Express, ESPN, Mercedes-Benz, British Airways, and many others. She was a principal member of Chicago City Limits, New York's longest-running comic revue, for 10 years; played the title role in the award-winning comedy short, Marge, and has been featured on PBS, CBS, the Today show, NPR, and Comedy Central. She holds a BA in speech/theater from Appalachian State University and an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina. She has continued her studies at NYU, Columbia University, and the University of London.

Tally Sessions

Teaches: Performance Projects and Song Performance

Tally can soon be seen as the Beast in Papermill Playhouse's Beauty and the Beast. He has performed on Broadway in Anastasia, War Paint, Falsettos, School of Rock, Big Fish, The House of Blue Leaves, and Cirque du Soleil Paramour. National Tour credits include South Pacific, Legally Blonde, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Off-Broadway credits include Giant (Public Theatre), Queen of the Mist (Transport Group), Yank! (York), Anyone Can Whistle (Encores!) and Godspell. Tally has performed at some of the biggest regional theaters in the country. He graduated from University of North Carolina with a BA in Theater.

Felicity Stiverson

Teaches: Tap, Ballet, Jazz

Felicity's work as a choreographer includes productions of West Side Story (Weston Playhouse, The Harbor Lights Theater Company), The Fantasticks (Weston Playhouse), Turandot (New Orleans Opera), The Barber of Seville (Opera San Antonio), The Flying Dutchman (Virginia Opera), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Geva Theatre), Tenderly (Weston Playhouse), Really Rosie (Weston Playhouse), and Nunsense (The Harbor Lights Theater Company).  Performing credits include the musical Hot Feet on Broadway, national and international tours of West Side Story, Grease, Steel Pier, Candide, and My Fair Lady, and numerous regional theater and opera productions. Felicity has danced on Boardwalk Empire (HBO), The Today Show (NBC), and 30 Rock (NBC).  Felicity graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English literature from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Robbie Tann

Teaches: Audition Technique I and II

Robbie has performed all over the country, including the Long Wharf Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Hangar Theatre and the Vermont Stage Company. In New York City he has performed at the Pearl Theatre Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, New Victory Theatre, New Ohio Theatre, New York Classical Theatre, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Theatre Askew and the American Globe. His TV work includes Preacher, Prodigal Son, When They See Us, The Blacklist, Orange is the New Black, Nurse Jackie, Limitless, Elementary, Chicago Justice, Person of Interest, Gotham, Unforgettable, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Robbie made his feature film debut opposite Jason Bateman in The Family Fang and appeared in the feature film Freeheld, opposite Julianne Moore and Ellen Page. He holds a BFA in Acting from LIU and studied at the Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Robert Thompson

Teaches: Actors Lab I and III

Rob is an award-winning actor based in NY and LA. His television credits include: House of Cards, The OA, God Friended Me, Madam Secretary, Little America, Bull, The Good Fight, Blacklist, Law and Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Chicago Med, Blindspot, Elementary, Odd Mom Out, Fringe, Hostages, as well as several pilots. Theater credits include shows on Broadway and Off, regional and international, including productions at Lincoln Center Theater, The Roundabout, Primary Stages, Center Stage, Theatre Row, Westport, The Alley, Hartford Stage, The Old Globe, Williamstown, Long Wharf, Chautauqua, and The English Theatre of Frankfurt. Rob is a proud graduate of The Juilliard School. He also trained at The National Theatre Institute and The Moscow Art Theatre.

Michael Tisdale

Teaches: Actors Lab I and II, Scene Study I and II

Michael is a Juilliard Drama Division alum with a quarter-century worth of professional acting credits on stage and screen. His award-winning short films have appeared in over forty festivals worldwide, including Sao Paulo, Cleveland International, and Sundance, and feature such notable performers as Bill Irwin, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mercedes Ruehl and Adam Driver. Michael has taught acting and script analysis at Fordham, UIOWA, and New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, and led master classes and workshops in acting and dramatic writing at Cleveland State, Rutgers, Emerson, NYU Tisch, and Yale (Timothy Dwight College.) He holds an MFA in Playwriting from the Iowa Playwrights' Workshop.

Bill Waldinger

Teaches: Ballet, Jazz and Master Classes in Luigi Technique

Bill's teaching experience includes The Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Center, The Manhattan Ballet School (Director of Jazz), the contemporary company Cora Dance (Director of Ballet), and Hamilton Dance (Director of Ballet). Certified by Luigi to teach the Luigi Jazz Technique, Bill was interviewed for the film Uprooted, which chronicles the history of Jazz Dance. Bill travels the country teaching both classical Ballet and Jazz, and has taught in Ireland, Switzerland and Russia. He developed beginner "Dance Classes For Singers" at The Singers' Forum. As a performer, Bill has appeared in musical theater, concert dance, commercials, music videos, television and industrials. He was a company member of The David Storey Dance Works. He was a featured dancer on the television show Soul Alive and appeared in videos for the Theater Dance Workshop.

Jeremy Webb

Teaches: Actor's Lab I & II, Script Analysis, Audition Seminar

Broadway: Burn This (revival), Actor's Fund: The Visit. Off Broadway credits include: The Glorious Ones at Lincoln Center Theatre (original cast recording), Tabletop (Drama Desk Award), Photograph 51 (Ensemble Studio Theatre), The Baltimore Waltz (Signature Theatre), Buyer & Cellar (2016 St. Louis Theatre Circle Award, Best Actor in a Comedy), The Apple Family Plays (Helen Hayes Nomination), Private Lives (Shakespeare Theatre Company). Film: Love Walked In. TV: Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: SVU, Guiding Light. As a director: I Carry Your Heart (Hope On Stage, rolling world premiere), Broadway Dreams (Kurt Weill Fest, Dessau, Germany), The Secret Garden (South Carolina Festival of Flowers). Jeremy is interviewed in the books THE BROADWAY SONG (Oxford University Press) & THE SCHOOL OF DOING. He is a graduate of the Drama School at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Caitlin Wilayto

Teaches: Ballet, Jazz and Tap

Caitlin is a singer, dancer and actress based in New York City. She has been seen in shows at Goodspeed Opera House, Riverside Theater, NSMT, Westchester Broadway Theater, and Coastal Carolina. You can catch her as "Julie" on season two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She holds a BFA in Musical Theater from the Hartt School.

Thom Woodley

Teaches: Web Video for Actors

In 2006, Thom launched of the first full-length sitcom made for the web, the semi-hipster comedy The Burg. Among his credits are the most recent James Bond 007 mobile game, the creation of the Episode Interactive storytelling platform, and the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World commercials. Currently Thom serves as Creative Director for Electus LLC, where he oversees development of native and branded shows and content for College Humor (the #1 comedy YouTube channel), Dorkly.com, and other projects for both web and television. Thom was a founding member of the International Academy of Web Television, was the first professor of Webseries at the School of Visual Arts. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts and a BA in Film from Penn State.

Abigail Zealey Bess

Teaches: Introduction to the Camera for Actors

Abigail Zealey Bess is an award-winning filmmaker and theater director who directed and produced her debut film, the award-winning baseball trilogy: Play Ball! (Fanfare for A Common Man, Random Acts of Intimacy, Caught in Time). In addition to garnering Best Film at seven U.S. festivals, she was awarded 1st Prize for Best Short Film by woman director at the LA Women In Film Competition. Recent Film Projects on the film festival circuit include the comedy webisode series, Here's what I Like and Now I'll tell you Why, the award-winning Mary and Louise, and Icarus Stops For Breakfast. She is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Studio Director/Playwrights Unit, SDC, NYWIFT and LPTW. Abigail is on the faculty for the Graduate Film Program at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts Richard Omar

Source: https://www.nycda.edu/faculty/

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