Meet Our Teachers

asdasdasd

Arabelle Luke (she/her) aka AirLoom Beats, a Brooklyn based beatboxer and educator exploring the dynamics within her vocal art form. After personally observing the social-emotional and mental health benefits of practicing beatboxing, Arabelle facilitates professional developments, workshops, and classes in beatboxing, loop station song production, and hip hop culture with participants of all backgrounds across the tristate area. When Arabelle isn't teaching, she incorporates her melody-driven beatbox style into original music for plays, media content, beatbox battles and improvised performances as AirLoom Beats. Along with videos being featured in Elle and BET, and performing at iconic venues including La Mama Theatre and The Blue Note, Airloom has beatboxed with Freestyle Love Supreme and opened for Rakim at the Stanhope House. During the quarantine, AirLoom continued performing on virtual platforms as a “one-woman house band” for MAAAD Late!: The Improvised Late Night Show and PROPS!: The Hip Hop Gameshow. In 2022, Airloom completed her first international residency as a US Hip-Hop Ambassador for Next Level USA in Argentina. More recently, AirLoom scored the HOLA award-winning original musical Quarter Rican, unveiled her one-woman show Flow at the Pregones Bronx Theater, and participated in the first ever 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Battle Royale in Times Square NYC. Emphasizing community, AirLoom moves forward with the desire to build hip hop consciousness and positivity. Follow on Instagram @airloombeats.  

https://www.airloombeats.com/

Cammy Seefried (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based theatre maker and arts educator. A graduate of Emerson College’s Theatre Education program, he has worked with brilliant and creative students all over New York City. Proudest youth directing credits include Willy Wonka Jr, Matilda: The Musical, and Keeping Up With The Game Changers, an original piece devised by middle schoolers that imagined iconic historical figures on a Real Housewives style reality show. Cammy works with grown-ups too; he has trained in improv at Upright Citizens Brigade, New York Neo-Futurists, and Brooklyn Improv Training. He played Bea Arthur in his original play “Betty & Bea” at various venues around NYC.  You can often find him hosting bar trivia, building miniatures, or making his cat Trish dance to 90’s pop.

Christina Rose Ashby (she/her) is an Alaskan director and teaching artist living in Brooklyn. Christina specializes in new work creation, the reimagining of classics, and sparking the imagination of young and aspiring artists. A true multidisciplinarian, she has taught acting, improvisation, puppetry, and mask-making as well as directed captivating and imaginative theater in Alaska, West Virginia, Michigan, and throughout New York City. Christina has trained with improv teachers from iO and Second City in Chicago and was an active member of Scared Scriptless Improv, Alaska’s longest running improv troupe. While in Alaska, Christina co-founded PoGoGoGoCo, Alaska’s first live sketch comedy show. Select TFYA directing credits include “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” “Winnie the Pooh,” and “Dorothy Meets Alice,” with Alaska Theater of Youth, “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland” with mainstages,” and “Petunia’s Playhouse Live!” a brand new puppet musical at New Ohio in NYC. Christina's devised retelling of the Alice stories, Are You Alice: A New Wonderland Tale, had a successful two week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019 where it delighted audiences of all ages. Christina produces her own devised works, along with the works of others, through her theater company, Permafrost Theatre Collective. MFA in directing from the Actors Studio Drama School. Find Christina on Instagram @christinaroseashby or online www.christinaroseashby.com for more!

Daryl L. Stewart (he/him) is a 2026 United States Artist Fellowship nominee in Theatre and an award-winning actor, director, educator, and producer. He has directed and developed work with Vanguard Theater Company, Luna Stage, and New Jersey Performing Arts Center, with directing credits including Crowns, Step Show: The Musical,The Amen Corner, Hairspray, Into the Woods, Hear Him Roar, and The Underground Experience. A passionate educator, Stewart has taught across the country and collaborated with Disney Theatrical Group, The Johnny Mercer Foundation and countless colleges and universities. He is the co-founder of Vanguard Theater Company, the inaugural Director of Programs at Newark Arts, and a musical theatre history nerd. IG/Socials: @thedarylstewart  

http://darylstewartproductions.com/

David Andrew Laws (he/they) is a Brooklyn-based bard whose creative and educational work has been produced in the U.S., Bulgaria, Scotland, Australia, and beyond. Former Director of Education at The Vineyard Theatre and The Pearl Theatre. Founder of Durnmoose Entertainment and founding artistic director of Hamlet Isn’t Dead. Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern and playwright of Attack! of the Killer Man from the Sun!. Game designer (Pigou, Eight Days Dead), performer (Drunk Shakespeare off-Broadway), producer (F***ed Up Fairytales, A Night of Drama, the Kobold Show!), poet (Poems My Dad Wrote Before I Was Born and Ones I Wrote After He Died). 

https://davidandrewlaws.com/

Douglas Goodhart (he/him) is a writer, actor, comedian, and musician from New York City. His television credits include FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), The Time Traveler’s Wife (HBO), and North Palm Wrestling (MTV). Stage appearances include That Bachelorette Show (Off-Broadway) and My Very Own British Invasion (Paper Mill Playhouse). He is a founding member, writer, and producer of Uncle Function, an award-winning sketch comedy group that has performed nationally at esteemed venues such as the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Second Stage Theater, and The People's Improv Theater. https://douglasgoodhart.squarespace.com/

Ellen Grace Diehl (she/her) is an actor, teaching artist, and coach based in New York City. With a background rooted in two decades of classical ballet training, she has taught dance and theatre arts to all ages and abilities. After receiving an MFA in Acting from Case Western Reserve University and the Tony Award-winning Cleveland Play House, Ellen has worked as an actor and choreographer at a multitude of regional theatres around the country, including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, and Florida Studio Theatre. She loves sharing her love of performing with her students and brings a spark of passion, positivity, and play to each class she teaches. Additionally, Ellen is SAFD-certified and a member of Actor’s Equity Association. More at ellengracediehl.com.

Gabriel Diego Hernández (he/they) is an actor, playwright, educator, and poet who originally hails from Hoboken, New Jersey. He holds a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies and a master's degree in Education, both from Yale University. Recent acting credits include El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Two River Theater), ¡Guaracha! (Pregones), CasablancaBox (HERE Arts), La Canción (Repertorio Español), and Layer the Walls (Abrons Arts). His hip hop musical Quarter Rican had its world premiere at Mile Square Theatre in March 2023 before its Off-Broadway transfer to the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. That run was nominated for a Talía Award and four HOLA Awards, and Hernández took home the HOLA award for Outstanding Performance in Musical Theater and followed that up with a Borimix Award for being a notable figure in the Puerto Rican diaspora and for his contributions to the Latino arts community. Since then Quarter Rican has been published and toured nationally. Gabriel lives in Jersey City Heights with his wife and writing partner Rachel and their two young children.

Gabrielle Lavoie (she/her) is a performer, director, and teaching artist based in Brooklyn, NY! She has over five years of experience working with students of all ages at Derryfield Repertory Theatre, Gymboree Play & Music! As a performer, has had the pleasure to perform with Valleyfair Amusement Park, Hershey Park, Derryfield Repertory Theatre, and Plaza Theatrical Productions. BFA in Musical Theatre from Long Island University. gabriellelavoie.com

Ian Brodsky (he/him) is excited to be teaching at Mile Square Theatre. As an educator, he has taught classes and choreographed productions at multiple youth theaters, regional theaters, high schools, and shows in NYC. He has performed as an actor/singer/dancer in films, new media projects, Off-Broadway, and Regional Theaters, including the 24-Hour Play Series and The Burdens at MST. He believes in creating welcoming spaces for students and encouraging them to put their best foot forward so they can learn, grow, and gain confidence to do the best work they can. 

https://www.ianjbrodsky.com/

Jack Cline (they/he) is a music director, pianist, and improviser currently based in NYC, by way of Somerville, Massachusetts, and Los Angeles. Teaching includes Atlantic Acting School, Applause NYC, Tarrytown Music Hall, and the New London Barn; he has also accompanied at Tufts University, Boston University School of Theatre, and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Jack plays across genres and artistic disciplines, specializing in long-form jazz improvisations. He is a passionate teacher interested in the transformation of the self, so that the world might be transformed, in the tradition of activist Grace Lee Boggs. He believes in music as an avenue for collective liberation and is so psyched to join the Mile Square team.

Madeline de la Parra (she/her) is an actor and theatre educator based in NYC. She has taught creative drama, musical theater, monologue/scene study, and dance to children ranging from ages 4-16 both in and around New York City at a range of public schools and after-school conservatories. Madeline is a strong believer in providing an arts education for all, and believes that the performing arts fosters creative expression, verbal and motor skills, and builds confidence. Alongside teaching, Madeline has performed both regionally and Off-Broadway. She was most recently seen as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at The Actor’s Temple. https://www.madelinedelaparra.com/

Michele Danna (she/her) is the Education Director here at Mile Square Theatre. She is an award-winning director, actor, and educator. Born and raised in Jersey, Michele has been a proud Hoboken resident for over a decade. She is currently a director and an acting professor at County College of Morris, specializing in Shakespeare, and has been teaching and directing for nearly 20 years. Favorite past directorial credits include Romeo & Juliet, The Dingdong, and The Love of Three Oranges. As a performer, she recently finished a three-year run as Lady Macbeth in the Off-Broadway comedy Drunk Shakespeare and has been featured in several film and TV projects, including Fallout, Billions, and City on a Hill. She can also be seen in multiple national commercials and indie projects. Proudly, Michele is a former NJ Governor’s School of the Arts Acting Scholar. Off-stage, she plays soccer, practices yoga, and can often be found running along the waterfront. Please visit www.micheledanna.com for more!

Namibia Donadio-Mejia (she/her) is a visionary arts educator, theater creator, and cultural architect rooted in community-centered transformation. She brings over 15 years of experience designing and facilitating arts-integrated programs that nurture creative expression, collective leadership, and holistic development across NYC and Hoboken. Most recently, Namibia directed The Brightest Thing AKA The Squonk Play and co-led Mile Square Theatre’s first fully youth-written production. She also served as co-local process director for Recollections: A Hoboken Story, a community-devised performance with Inheritance Theater Project—a national organization using art to build bridges across communities. Her work spans founding youth-centered initiatives like InterACT and ARTis Love & Action, co-creating curriculum infused with play, belonging, and justice. Namibia holds a Master’s in Educational Theater from NYU, where she explored liberatory performance frameworks including Theater of the Oppressed.

 https://www.parismartino.com/

Robin Virginie (she/her) is a Curaçaoan-Dutch theatre artist and actor based in Brooklyn, New York. Performance credits include 45 Plays for America's First Ladies (The Neo-Futurists, New York Times Critic's Pick), The Burdens (Miles Square Theatre), Sister Act, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Into The Woods, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee (Redhouse Arts Center), Alexander and the ...Very Bad Day (US national tour), and Spring Awakening (Original Dutch Cast). Robin has been an ensemble member of the New York Neo-Futurists since 2018. She has written and performed over 100 original pieces for their award-winning, ongoing and ever-changing theatrical experiment, The Infinite Wrench. She also writes for their NY Times-acclaimed podcast, Hit Play. As a theatre artist, Robin’s work has been seen at the Kraine Theater, Caveat NYC, Flying V Theatre, and on board of Virgin Voyages. As a voice actor, she can be heard in various projects across the US and Europe for Nickelodeon, Disney, Netflix, and more. Most recent US credits include the animated series Polly Pocket and Hairdorables, and Pinna Audio’s The Furrytones. Robin also voices the character of Radio Jupiter on the award-winning podcast Welcome to Night Vale. She can also be heard on the Webby Award-winning cast recording of Wait Wait Don’t Kill Me. Robin teaches various classes and workshops in acting, playwriting, and devising. Through the Neo-Futurists, she has worked as a guest teaching artist at Grinnell College, Middlebury College, Wellesley College, Babson/Olin College, the School of the New York Times, et al. Robin is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Visit www.robinvirginie.info for more!

Rodrigo Ignacio Cruz (he/him): Hailing from Chicago, Rodrigo booked the 25th Anniversary National Tour of CATS straight out of college. He spent 13 months traveling all over the United States, Canada, and internationally to Chile and Brazil. Favorite credits include: Evita (Juan Perón, multiple times), The Sound of Music (Captain Von Trapp), Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote, The Padre), On Your Feet! (Antonio/Big Paquito), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (The Beast), Into the Woods (The Baker), and Chicago regional premiere of First Date: The Broadway Musical (Waiter/Man #3). Rodrigo also has sung back-up for Broadway legend Kristin Chenoweth at the famed Chicago Theatre. Regionally, he has been seen on the stages of North Carolina Theatre, Orlando Shakes, New York Musical Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and the Paramount Theatre. TV credits include Law & Order and A new series Ratu Ratu Queens for Netflix. Rodrigo can be seen in commercials for Blue Apron, Comcast, Bronx Zoo, and Freestyle Libre to name a few. Rodrigo has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University and continued his voice training at The Juilliard School’s extension division. Rodrigo is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association! Check out: www.RodrigoIgnacioCruz.com for more.

Tarik Rashaan Davis (he/him) has been acting, improvising, and writing for over 25 years. He strives to cross-pollinate performance styles and audiences in all his work. Tarik recently appeared on all episodes of the three seasons of The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock TV. His past experience includes Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and The Second City in Chicago as well as appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Undoing (HBO), Last Week with John Oliver, in commercials and other television and web series. In 2021, Tarik was a core cast member in the Tony Award winning Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway. He performed at The Brooklyn Museum in David Levine's Some of the People All of the Time, selected as the New York Times Best Art of 2018. Tarik was a member of The PIT’s longest running improv team, The Baldwins and performed with Baby Wants Candy at UCB Hells Kitchen. As a writer, Tarik makes films, web comics, sketches, and has published critical essays. Tarik’s latest short film, DOC: Race, Revolution, Relativity & The Confessions of a Time Traveling Terrorist (2023) is currently in the final stage of production and is premiering at ColdTowne Theater in August 2024. In the height of the Covid-19 shutdown, Tarik created a horror play, set on Zoom, linking labor rights, capitalism and A.I. The Tank presented this project, Host Invite, on Halloween in 2020. Tarik also teaches improv and theater to people of all ages. He has a journalism degree from Rutgers University and lives in Brooklyn, NY. 

https://tarikdavis.com/

Yael Chanukov (she/her) is thrilled to be joining the teaching faculty at MST! A working actor as well as a voice teacher and acting coach, Yael believes her dual careers as performer and educator deeply enrich one another, allowing her to bring both real-world experience and playfulness into the classroom. She has taught full-time at her private studio, Musical Theatre Coach, for the past five years while making her Off-Broadway and television debuts. Yael appeared in the critically acclaimed Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof directed by Joel Grey. and is best known for playing Chava in Season 5 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Other favorite credits include Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (Creede Repertory Theatre) and Natalie in Next to Normal. When she’s not teaching or performing, she’s probably chasing the perfect sunset—or the perfect piece of chocolate. 

https://www.yaeleden.com/