Meet the NYC Children’s Theater Team
From our supportive board, to our tireless staff, to our talented teaching artists, these are the people who make NYC Children’s Theater the premier children’s theater and educational program in New York.
Our Board
We would like to thank our Board of Directors for their wisdom, guidance and unwavering support.
Anika Larsen
Position - Board Member
Anika Larsen is an actor/singer who has performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on tour and regionally for over 20 years. read more
Ankur Datta
Position - Board Member
Ankur K. Datta is a member of the corporate development team at JP Morgan Chase & Co., where he helps spearhead strategic partnerships, investments, and acquisitions for the bank’s mortgage lending division. read more
Barbara Zinn Krieger
Position - Artistic Director
Barbara Zinn Krieger founded New York City Children’s Theater (formerly Making Books Sing) during her tenure as Executive Director of the Vineyard Theatre. read more
Erin Eisenberg
Position - Board Member
Erin Eisenberg is a civic entrepreneur, currently working as a program analyst for the NYC Department of Homeless Services. read more
Hope Helfenstein, CFP
Position - Board Member
As a Certified Financial Planner and Vice President of Investments at UBS Wealth Management, Hope Helfenstein manages over $125 million in client assets. read more
Javier Sanchez
Position - Board Member
Javier Sanchez has worked with youth at community-based organizations including Jacob Riis Settlement House, Project Reach Youth and LGBT Community Center. read more
Kashif Sweet
Position - Board Member
Kashif Sweet is a New York City Children's Theater Board Member. read more
M. Bridget Downes, M.D.
Position - Board Member
Bridget’s looks forward to participating in NYCCT's mission to promote social and emotional resiliency and a lifelong love of theater. read more
Marietta Ries Lavicka
Position - Board Member
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Marietta Ries Lavicka began her career at Morgan Stanley. She left to pursue a career in human rights. read more
Marilyn Yanowitch
Position - Board Vice-Chair
Marilyn Yanowitch has spent most of her career in advertising, first as a copywriter and then as Executive Creative Director for large NYC ad agencies. read more
Matthew Quint
Position - Board Member
Matthew Quint is the Director of Columbia Business School's Center on Global Brand Leadership, the leading global forum on branding issues. read more
Melanie Weinraub
Position - Board Chair
Currently a stay-at-home mom, Melanie Weinraub was the Associate General Manager of Lincoln Center Theater before leaving the workforce in 2007. read more
Melissa Hurd
Position - Board Member
Melissa Hurd has been a Director of Marketing in the Global Merchant Services team with American Express since 2012. read more
Michael Schmitt
Position - Board Member
Michael Schmitt is an architect who has known Barbara Krieger since 1985 when he worked with her on the design for the Vineyard Theater in Union Square. read more
Naney Pandit
Position - Board Member
Naney is a Managing Director in the Treasury Services group at JPMorgan Chase & Co. She is currently the head of products & platforms for commercial cards. read more
Tim Reid
Position - Board Member
Tim Reid has combined his passions for drama and teaching in the Education field for over 20 years by creating diverse curricula & designing theater courses read more
Warren Kudman
Position - Board Member
Warren Kudman is a global IT executive with over 20 years of experience in aligning enterprise-wide IT strategy and programs with business strategy. read more
Our Staff
Andrea Palma
Position - Education Associate
Andrea Palma is a New York City native, born and raised in Queens. read more
Andrew Frank
Position - Executive Director
Andrew Frank's background in theater includes work as a producer, writer and director. Most recently, he was Associate Producer for Lombardi on Broadway. read more
Aurie Ceylon
Position - Artistic Associate
Aurie Ceylon is a New York City-based actor, writer, teacher, and the creator of Monster Classroom! She is madly in love with the arts and is over the moon to dive in as an official member of the NYCCT team! read more
Barbara Zinn Krieger
Position - Artistic Director
Barbara Zinn Krieger founded New York City Children’s Theater (formerly Making Books Sing) during her tenure as Executive Director of the Vineyard Theatre. read more
Barry Hamilton
Position - General Manager
Barry Hamilton, who served as NYCCT’s Technical Coordinator for the award winning Band of Angels last spring, has a wealth of experience in theater production, having served several seasons as Production Manager for American Stage Theater in St. Petersburg, FL. read more
Caitlyn McCain
Position - Artistic Associate
Caitlyn McCain is a New York City based actor, singer and teaching artist. Originally from SoCal, Caitlyn moved to NYC to attend New York University's Tisch School of the arts, where she graduated with a BFA in Drama in 2019. read more
Erica Mann
Position - Grants Manager
Erica Mann is a Queens-based playwright and grant writer. Her plays have received numerous honors, including being a semifinalist for a Julliard Lila Acheson Wallace Fellowship. read more
Glenn Potter-Takata
Position - Production and Artistic Operations Manager
Glenn Potter-Takata joins the team at New York City Children’s Theater as Production and Artistic Operations Manager after earning his MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College. read more
Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell
Position - Development and Institutional Strategy
Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell is a leader, strategist, collaborator and consultant with 27 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector. read more
Kimberly Wilson Marshall
Position - Public Relations & Special Events Director
Kimberly Wilson Marshall started Wilson Marshall PR+Events, a New York City based boutique company performing public relations and special event services for diverse clients after several years of working with NYC Children's Theater. read more
Madeline Calandrillo
Position - Education Associate
Madeline Calandrillo is New York City-based applied theater practitioner, teaching artist, and theatre-maker drawn to creating accessible and diverse theatrical experiences for young audiences and their families. read more
Matt Ketai
Position - Marketing and Development Manager, Digital Content Producer
Matt Ketai is an actor and writer originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University and an MFA in Acting from Brown University. read more
Nicole Hogsett
Position - Marketing and Audience Development Director, Digital Content Producer
Nicole Hogsett is a nonprofit marketing professional with a passion for educating and engaging children through theater and visual arts. read more
Sammy Lopez
Position - Resident Director
Sammy Lopez is a Latinx artist dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices & stories through the arts. read more
Sara Morgulis
Position - Education Director
Sara Morgulis is an applied theatre artist and educator who is dedicated to engaging young people through accessible and inclusive theatre practices. read more
Yvonne Roen
Position - Government and Board Relationship Manager
Yvonne Roen is an actress, director, and songwriter living and working in tri-state area. She enjoys creating and performing classical as well as avant-garde works. read more
Current Apprentices and Fellows
Ural Grant
Position - 2021 Leadership Fellow
Ural Grant is an award-winning theater artist and educator with a special emphasis on theater for young audiences. He has toured across the tri-state area in numerous shows geared towards young audiences and is particularly passionate about community engagement and arts education. read more
Our Teaching Artists
Adam Boggs McDonald
Adam Boggs McDonald is an actor, singer and dancer based in NYC. Born and raised in Las Vegas, he attended the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. read more
Alexia Antoniou
Alexia Antoniou is a storyteller who is absolutely delighted that her work has lead her to NYCCT. read more
Becca Bernard
Becca Bernard is an Off-Broadway performance artist who blends physical comedy, music, and dance to communicate her ferociously optimistic perspective of the world. She specializes in both ensemble and solo devised theatre with companies such as Parallel Exit and Metropolis Ensemble, Animal Engine and The Celebration Barn Theatre. Her solo show The Fainting Room has toured to 5 different cities. read more
Bekah Elles
Bekah Elles is a teaching artist and performer from Seattle. Bekah has a BA in Musical Theatrefrom American University where she also danced with the American University Dance Companyfor two years. read more
Betina Hershey
Betina Hershey Russo is a native New Yorker born to a Broadway musician and a painter. read more
Brian Feinstein
Brian Feinstein began his career in entertainment at the USC School of Cinema & Televisionand completed his master’s degree at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. read more
Caitlyn McCain
Caitlyn McCain is a New York City based actor, singer and teaching artist. Originally from SoCal, Caitlyn moved to NYC to attend New York University's Tisch School of the arts, where she graduated with a BFA in Drama in 2019. read more
Carrie Ellman-Larsen
Carrie Ellman-Larsen is a born and raised New Yorker. She studied drama and psychology at NYU where she received her BFA in Drama. read more
Cheyenne Mesura
Cheyenne Mesura is a teaching artist and performer in NYC. She is excited to return to NYCCT as a teaching artist this year. She graduated college with a BA in theater and dance. read more
Diana Fox
Diana began her work with NYCCT as an education apprentice, and since then has loved working as a teaching artist & starring in 3 NYCCT Touring Productions! read more
Frankie Sunswept
Frankie Sunswept is a songwriter/performer/guitar teacher living in Ridgewood Queens. read more
Garry Novikoff
Garry Novikoff is a Bronx-born singer/songwriter whose talent spans many genres. He is a recipient of the ASCAP Joe Raposo Award for Children’s Music. read more
Jackie Wolff
Jackie Wolff has been a theater arts teacher and teaching artist for the past 15 years. She graduated from New York University's MA in Applied Theater and went on to be a full time arts integration specialist at several private schools in NYC, specializing in special needs, language learners and early childhood populations. read more
Julia Nickerson
Julia Nickerson has been working in education and theater for the past eight years and is ecstatic to be joining the New York City Children Theater’s team. read more
Julia Sharpe-Levine
Julia Sharpe-Levine is an artist, educator, writer, and activist living in Brooklyn. She has a Master's degree in Applied Theatre from CUNY's School of Professional Studies. read more
Kalle Macrides
Kalle Macrides is a Brooklyn-based playwright, performer, and educator as well as the Executive Director of Adhesive Theater Project. read more
Kasia Klimiuk
Kasia Klimiuk is a New York-based performance artist, teaching artist, director and arts administrator. read more
Kimberly Hale
Kimberly Hale grew up in Iowa where she studied Performing Arts & Musical Theatre at Iowa State University. She currently works in New York City as a Teaching Artist (specializing as a Director/Choreographer) and also works as an ASL-English Interpreter. read more
Kit Goldstein Grant
Kit Goldstein Grant is a New York City-based composer, lyricist, librettist and teaching artist. She is delighted to be teaching with NYCCT! read more
Lily Lipman
Lily Lipman loves working with NYCCT as a teaching artist and is thrilled to join them this year as both a teaching artist and Accessibility Coordinator. read more
Lynda DeFuria
Lynda DeFuria is a New Jersey born, Las Vegas raised singer, songwriter, actress and teaching artist currently living in New York City. read more
Madeline Calandrillo
Madeline Calandrillo is New York City-based applied theater practitioner, teaching artist, and theatre-maker drawn to creating accessible and diverse theatrical experiences for young audiences and their families. read more
Mandy Nicole Moore
Mandy is currently pursuing her Masters in Applied Theatre at CUNY. Mandy is super passionate about contemporary theatre, great story telling, comedy and theatre for social justice and has been seen performing them all regionally and locally in NYC theatre. read more
Marion Lopez
Marion Lopez is a native New York theater artist, director and educator. She has been performing and creating for over a decade. read more
Max Arnaud
Max Arnaud is an actor, writer, director and teacher. He studied at Tulane University (BA) and West Virginia University’s College of Creative Arts (MFA). read more
Meghan Grover
Meghan Grover Meghan Grover is so grateful to return for her 5th year with NYCCT. read more
Nicole Serra
Nicole Serra is a theatre artist and educator. As a teaching artist, she has worked with Creative Arts Team, Leap, CentreStage, and Theatre Arts Center, among others. read more
Peter Musante
Peter Musante is an interdisciplinary artist & educator who makes unique performance-based experiences that transform space & create community. read more
Psacoya Guinn
Psacoya Guinn is extremely excited to join NYCCT as a teaching artist, after working as an education apprentice during the 2016-2017 school year. read more
Rae Wilson
Rae Wilson is an actress & a dancer who is passionate about making the arts accessible to all populations and regardless of income or ability. read more
Remi Adewole
Remi is a versatile singer, actress and performer who delights in sharing her gifts with adults and children of all ages. She began her journey with NYCCT when she joined the cast of “FIVE” in 2018. read more
Sam Leichter
Sam Leichter has worked in theatre education for over seven years. Sam holds a MFA in Acting from Rutgers, where he has taught Basic Acting to undergrads. read more
Sindy Castro
Sindy Castro is an actress, educator, and theatre artist. She is currently an MA in Applied Theatre candidate at CUNY's Schools of Professional Studies. read more
Yvonne Roen
Yvonne Roen is an actress, director, and songwriter living and working in tri-state area. She enjoys creating and performing classical as well as avant-garde works. read more
Join Our Team
Check out the Job Openings and Residencies at New York City Children’s Theater and apply today!