Allison Reed
Allison Reed (she/her) is a theatre actor, facilitator, creator, and mother who lives in Queens, NY. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Allison has called New York home for almost twenty years. Working as a theatre teaching artist provides the perfect opportunity to combine her passion for art with her commitment to making the world better, one interaction at a time.
Ana Maria Rubio
Ana holds a BA in Performing Arts from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a Master’s in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies. As a Spanish-speaking immigrant, she is passionate about exploring the ways people can communicate across languages barriers. Now, as a young mother, Ana reminded daily of the transformative power of art and education and is deeply committed to inspiring and supporting young people in their creative journeys.
Azriel Wallace
Brooklyn born with island roots from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Azriel Wallace fell in love with the arts at an early age. Her talents include dancing, singing, writing, and choreographing. Hailing from John Dewey High School’s Dance Ensemble, Azriel studied under the late Eleo Pomare. She has also worked with artists such as Shaggy, Jencarlos Canela, Bunji Garlin and was a featured dancer/model for G-Shock and BET’s Rip The Runway. She’s even had the opportunity to share the stage with Machel Montano, Kerwin Du Bois, as well as the Queen of Soca, Alison Hinds. Azriel is a teaching artist of 17 years and has attained a Bachelor of Arts in Dance in Education from SUNY Empire State University. Her aspirations are to further her studies as an educator in the field. Additionally, she is a certified group fitness instructor who has dedicated the last 12 years to spreading wellness and Soca dance culture to the masses. She is currently the artistic director of an Afro-Caribbean dance company titled The Bacchanalists and will continue pushing the genre forward. Azriel is mostly passionate about the youth and inspiring/cultivating the next generation of creatives.
Briget Villanueva
Briget is a Filipina Queens, NY-based painter and teaching artist. She received her BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in 2017. She creates heavily with graphite, acrylic, and watercolor paints. Being a visceral creator, the core of her work often seeks to portray moments that evoke nostalgia, identity, and our essence. Landscapes serve as a vehicle for her wanderlust, while portraiture is where her hand feels most at home.
As an educator, Briget has worked with the Children’s Museum of the Arts, ArtsConnection, Marquis Studios, various schools, and programs to provide a creative outlet for young artists of all backgrounds. Encouraging collaborative thinking and fostering a safe space for students to learn how to express themselves is essential. The experiences and skills developed would be nurtured to thrive beyond the arts, which is needed now more than ever. Their voice is the center of the narrative.
Brynne O’Rourke
Brynne O’Rourke (they/them) is a white, Transfemme director, multidisciplinary artist, teaching artist and poet dedicated to anti-oppressive practices and imaginings for a more just world. As a theatre practitioner, Brynne commits themself to stories that challenge and expand definitions of performance in ways that uplift the project of liberation. They are a member of the F.U.N. (FiercedUntamedNiñes) Collective, Pride Youth Theatre Alliance, Trans Asylum Seeker Support Network and Trans Writers Union. They co-founded and co-produced the first ever Gallatin Mental Health Arts Festival. In 2023, they are a recipient of a teaching artist mentorship through NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, an Artist Residency with Motive Brooklyn, and an Artist-Activist fellowship with EmergeNYC. They recently finished a micro-residency working on their project, Stitching Grief, with Loisaida Inc. Center. Their work as a director, playwright and performer has been showcased at Fiasco Theater Company, Dixon Place, WOW Cafe Theater, The Tank, The Brick, The Flea, The Kraine Theater, usagi gallery, Skidmore College, among others.
As a teaching artist, Brynne has worked with Brooklyn Arts Council, Arts For All, Franklin Furnace Fund, PRY SAFE, WSR Signature Theatre, Elmwood Day Camp, and IlluminArt. They also co-teach an MSW course on Applied Theatre and Social Work at Hunter’s Silberman School of Social Work. Brynne has produced and co-created many Applied Theatre projects. Brynne holds an MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies. www.brynneorourke.com IG: @ksbrennan1
Kalyani Singh
Kalyani is a Brooklyn-based, multidisciplinary artist and applied theatre scholar-practitioner earning her Masters at CUNY School of Professional Studies (’25). She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University in both Political Science and Theatre, as well as a Masters in Political Science. In addition to studying traditional acting, she engaged in more applied methods through Kashi Johnson’s Hip Hop Theatre course and went on to devise and produce a documentary theatre project called “Beyond Bars” during her year-long Masters. Her desire to work with youths emerged during her formative time interning with the ServiceWorks program in Newark, NJ, where she facilitated participants to share stories, interview each other, and freedom dream for their futures. As part of her Masters in Applied Theatre scholarship, she gained two years of robust teaching artist experience with the Creative Arts Team, serving K-12 populations for their theatre-in-education and playbuilding programs. Kalyani is also a professional musician, largely self-producing her original work and performing for over fifteen years. Her passion for building community in pursuit of radical liberation comes through in her past and current experiences as an artist, farmer, and facilitator/educator.
Lina Montoya
Born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, Lina is a Teaching Artist, Graphic Designer and Muralist based in New York City since 2010. Lina’s artistic practice is driven by her immigrant experience, her colorful work celebrates cultural diversity and multilingualism; it’s inspired by nature, music, literature and indigenous cultures from Latin America. More than 10 years of experience working as a creative, on visual and cultural projects, making public art for public agencies and a variety of industries in NYC and South America.
Marcela Artunduaga
Marcela is a Queens-based Theater Maker and Educator originally from Colombia. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Dramatic Arts from Universidad del Valle and a Master of Arts in Applied Theater from CUNY SPS. She has been involved in the theater field since 2010, first in Cali, her native town, and, recently, in New York City. Marcela is passionate about developing and implementing workshops with multilingual children and youth in pre-k, elementary, middle, and high school.
Her work is founded on the belief in community-based theater, where participants are the center of the encounters. She strongly aims for a creative process that allows space for critical thinking, imagination, movement, and aims for an ongoing reflection throughout the process.
Mélissa Smith
Mélissa has been teaching with Arts For All since the Fall of 2010. She has taught and facilitated workshops in improvisation, dance, creative writing and theatre techniques to a variety of ages. Mélissa earned her BA in Theatre with a minor in dance and creative writing in 2007 from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She is a multi-disciplinary Theater Maker and performer as well as an Author! Arts education was the saving grace of her grade school years, and she is passionately dedicated to giving similar opportunities to our future leaders and culture shapers.
Nami Kagami
Nami Kagami, originating from Japan, received comprehensive training in both Modern and Ballet, emphasizing creative expression. Upon her arrival in New York, she completed her BA in Dance from Hofstra University. Nami is a dedicated dance teaching artist with over two decades of experience in creative movement and modern dance.
Passionate about fostering creativity and expression, Nami cultivates a supportive environment where students of all ages and backgrounds can explore their artistic potential. With a commitment to lifelong learning and a love for storytelling through movement, Nami is thrilled to contribute to the vibrant community at Arts For All. In addition to her role as a teaching artist, Nami showcases her passion for dance as a performer at Rod Rodgers Dance Company. She actively contributes to both teaching and performance.
Nami has also served as a teaching artist with ArtsConnection, nurturing creativity among students at various schools and programs. She advocates for liberated learning environments and vibrant arts experiences within inclusive settings through the Teach with GIVE program (Growing Inclusivity for Vibrant Engagement).
Natalie del Villar
Natalie del Villar is a Queens, NY native, of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. She is a visual artist, who works primarily in traditional mediums such as painting, drawing, creating 3D artworks out of mixed media, and anything hands on.
Natalie creates intergenerational workshops and programs for youth and senior citizens, with a focus on helping them to discover and enjoy their talents, believe in their visions, and create their own worlds through the gift of art.
Nicole Hogsett
Nicole Hogsett (she/her) is a teaching artist, curriculum designer, and seasoned nonprofit marketing professional passionate about educating and engaging children through theater and visual arts. As a teaching artist, Nicole works with Arts For All and New York City Children’s Theater. Her work centers on social-emotional learning, emphasizing emotions and mental health for young people. Nicole co-devised and facilitated the six-session theatre in education piece, La Isla de ¡Yo No Se!/The Island of I Don’t Know!, implemented in a bilingual Pre-K classroom from January–March 2023. She also co-devised and facilitated The Difference Detectives, implemented in kindergarten and 1st-grade classrooms in May 2022.
As the former Director of Marketing and Audience Engagement at New York City Children’s Theater, a position she held for ten years, Nicole oversaw all marketing channels, social media campaigns, front-of-house and box office, and more. Nicole created resource guides, visual stories, pre- and post-show and class activities, and worksheets for over twenty productions and classes. She launched sensory-friendly performances with NYCCT’s Education Director and ASL-interpreted performances. She co-created Creative Clubhouse, NYCCT’s virtual programming, providing families with activities, read-alouds, and more. Nicole is the co-producer of Start the Conversation, a combination of videos, workshops, activities, and resource guides that provide grown-ups with the language and tools necessary to start and continue nuanced conversations around big topics with their children.
Nicole holds an M.A. in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and Media Studies with a Minor in Business and a concentration in Journalism from St. John’s University.
Rathi Varma
Rathi, born and raised in Mumbai, India, started dancing at the age of 15 alongside pursuing her Diploma in Visual Arts and working as an Illustrator. In 2018, she moved to New York to pursue her career in Dance professionally at Peridance Centre. Her work Table for Two, Imperfect, Dear Bread and What Will be, Will be was presented at Spoke The Hub, Flushing Town Hall, BAAD, Arts on Site, and Balance Arts Centre. Apart from being a company member with Time Lapse Dance, Matthew Westerby Company and Treehouse Shakers, Rathi is excited to join the Arts For All team as a teaching artist. Website: https://www.rathivarma.com
Sam Funk
Samantha (Sam) Funk (she/her) is a student of Applied Theatre at CUNY SPS. In addition to her master’s degree studies, Sam is a seasoned artist-educator. Her first teaching artist work began in Nicaragua and Argentina, wherein she partnered with two different organizations to create devised work relevant to each social context that was then shared with the local communities in open-invitation workshops. Following Sam’s experience in Nicaragua and Argentina, she brought her budding theatre pedagogy to teaching preschool and kindergarten full-time. Now, Sam is a dedicated teaching artist working in schools across New York City. Sam also holds a BA in Theatre Performance.
Stephanie Mandra-Martinez
Stephanie Mandra-Martinez (she/her) is a teaching artist, stage manager, and director from Long Island, New York. She holds a BFA in Stage Management from Hofstra University and an M.S.Ed in Educational Theatre from The City College of New York. Stephanie is the resident director of the Oceanside #9E Drama Club as well as a teaching artist at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Behind the Book, and the Hofstra University Continuing Education Program. Stephanie is particularly passionate about providing culturally responsive and trauma-informed theatrical education to New York students and schools. This is her third year as a teaching artist with Arts For All, and she’s so excited to dive into another incredible school year!
Vidho Lorville
Vidho is a professional visual artist who has been involved in Art-in-Education as a consultant and teaching artist for twelve years. In 2001, Lorville settled in New Orleans, Louisiana where he started teaching visual art as an extra-curricular activity for the New Orleans Public school board and pursued his career as an artist. His first two solo art shows: “Behind the Mask”, 2001 and “Allegory of Colors”, 2002 were subject of many reviews from the most known art critics in the city of New Orleans.
In 2002, Lorville was awarded a place at the Skowhegan Art School of Painting and Sculpture where he worked with a network of artists working in other visual art forms such as installation, video and performance. Lorville would not start exploring those mediums until the spring 2007 when he made an interactive video performance and found object installation around the issue of immigration during his residency at “Le Chateau de la Napoule” in south of France. The conceptual intent that he wrote about the piece was published as an article in NY Arts Magazine summer issue of 2008.
Vidho Lorville is currently living in New York where he continues his artistic career as a painter while experimenting with different types of visual art forms. Since relocating to the Big Apple, Lorville’s artwork and community involvement received the attention of numerous publications and media including the New York Times, Village Voice, NY1 News, and American Style Magazine.
He has been awarded many fellowship grants from institutions such as The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation (2011), the Wheeler Foundation (2007), the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation (2006); the Joan Mitchell Foundation (2006) and the Andy Warhol Foundation through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Artist in Residency Program (2005).
The article he wrote for the Washington Post editorial on January 17th, 2010 about the earthquake that destroyed the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 12th, 2010 is still a subject of reference in debates and discussions about the reconstruction process.
Lorville also teaches his art classes in French language upon request.
Virtual Classroom Teaching Artists
Ciara Ruddock, MFA
Ciara is a Brooklyn based visual and social practice artist originally from the Bay Area, California. Ciara has attended fine arts graduate programs at The Marchutz School of Art, and Columbia University. She is primarily interested in the connection between social emotional awareness and its influence upon the physical act of creation. Much of her work focuses on the gestural dynamic of expressing an intense memory of emotion or environment through a distinct use of color and form. Ciara is deeply involved in the Arts Education and Mental Health community. She has previously worked as a teaching artist with Arts for All and Marquis Studios, focusing on Social Emotional Education in the arts. She has also developed original arts programming for students on the Autism Spectrum with ANOVA Education, The Children’s Museum of the Arts, and The Center for Italian Modern Art. Ciara has participated in educational exhibitions and workshops throughout NYC, including The MoMa’s ‘Become a Butterfly’ project, The Bronx Family Court Mural, and was a Social Practice Resident with Project Art. She has recently concluded the second iteration of her public art project, “Feelin’ Good”, an accessible form of curriculum for public school students. “Feelin’ Good” teaches emotional awareness and understanding through the arts.
Darian Dauchan
Darian Dauchan is an award-winning actor, writer, poet, and musician who has appeared on both Broadway (Twentieth Century starring Alec Baldwin and Anne Heche) and Off Broadway theater (Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Cherry Orchard starring Wendell Pierce). TV and Film credits include Law and Order, Nickelodeon’s Bet the House as Darian the “SoundFX” Guy, and the Lionsgate feature film Things Never Said. Darian is most known for The Brobot Johnson Project, an Afrofuturism, Sci Fi Hip Hop transmedia piece which won for Outstanding Comedy Series at the LA Web Festival and BEST soundtrack at the Escape Velocity Festival sponsored by the Museum of Science Fiction. The show The Brobot Johnson Experience is a critically acclaimed Ben Brantley New York Times Critics’ Pick. In addition to Arts for All, Darian’s also an educator for Urban Word NYC, Senior Advisor for The Climate Museum, and Teaching Artist for the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Get Lit Words Ignite in Los Angeles. More recently Darian was nominated for a Drama League award for Darian’s piece Brobot PSA in the AFO Solo Short series, a contributing voice-over actor for the short doc Lynching Postcards directed by Christine Turner, produced by Fireflight Films and MTV Studios which won the Image Award for Outstanding Short Form Special, and is a New Music USA grantee. Darian’s also the narrator for the recently released audiobook Master Class on Being Human published by Beacon Press. Darian’s music Doin’ it Live and Ohm can be found on all streaming platforms. www.dariandauchan.com www.brobotjohnson.com
Joseph Webb
Mr. Webb too is hard to categorize, but there is no doubt he’s a natural star: a fabulous tap dancer who also raps, sings and offers thoughtful, quirky reflections on life through spoken-word performance with music.” ~ New York Times by Roslyn Sulcas
Joseph Monroe Webb is an international award- winning dancer, choreographer, actor, director, educator and poet who has showcased his talents in a number of performances throughout the years, including the Tony Award winning Broadway production, Bring in ‘Da Noise Bring in ‘Da Funk. Following his Broadway debut, Webb secured acting roles on television and the silver screen, including Martin Scorsese’s film Bringing Out The Dead, Black Nativity starring Angela Basset and Forest Whitaker, Red Bull Music Academy’s short films, and most recently as a principal in Kellogg’s The Veg Effect. He has also performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee. Joseph was nominated for Helen Hayes Best Supporting Actor and Best Ensemble for his performance in Tony Award winning Broadway musical Jelly’s Last Jam at the Signature Theater. Just recently Joseph was nominated for another Helen Hayes award as part of the Broadway show The Scottsboro Boys for best cast in a musical production at the Signature Theater.
Joseph has appeared as a feature and/or starring act in the cast of the Thank You Gregory, Tap Stars (Hamburg, Germany), Cotton Club Parade with Wynton Marsalis, and more. Joseph received rave reviews for his first major work at University Settlement, with the NY Times citing Joseph and his ability to blend various genres of art into one show as, “too hard to categorize, but there is no doubt he is a natural star.” In March 2016, Joseph returned to University Settlement (NYC) to debut the premiere of his latest work, Dancing Buddhas: The Three Jewels, to a sold-out audience. As artist-in-residence to American Tap Dance Foundation, Dancing Buddhas followed up with the debut of MONK, a vibrant and funky tribute to Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Coltrane, as to roaring reviews at the Duke on 14th Street in New York City. Joseph also directed and debuted Lotus at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the grand re- opening of the Terrace Theater to critical acclaim. When he is not onstage, Joseph choreographs and teaches for various dance organizations, including a recent residency at Hinton Battle’s Hinton Battle Dance Academy in Japan and the Professional Division of The Ailey School. He is also a graduate student at CUNY/Graduate Center where he’s currently studying applied theater. Recently, Joseph premiered excerpts of his latest work, Messages from Umi, co-created with Barédu Ahmed, at Harlem Stage 20th Anniversary E-Moves Series and has just been awarded funding for further development of this project by Harlem Stage, who has received support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.
Kimberly Schafer
Kimberly Schafer is an Award Winning Director, Choreographer and Educator. She received her Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University and her Masters in Theatre Education from Catholic University. Recently, she was selected to be a member of the International Dance Council CID. Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor of Dance for the musical theatre programs at Marymount Manhattan and CAP21 in New York City. In 2019, She was so honored to work and collaborate with the brilliant Tony Award Winner Andre de Shields on Sophisticated Ladies at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She was the Dance Assistant for Tommy Tune and Chita Rivera for their US tour Chita and Tune: Just in Time. Also, she assisted Tommy Tune and Randy Skinner on the production of Lady be Good at City Center Encores. She was the Associate Choreographer/Dance Captain for Broadway Backwards at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and has been an associate choreographer for Broadway Bares 24-26. She is the creative director for Masq, a benefit show for The LGBTQIA Center in NY. She also spends time as a Director for Celebrity Cruise Lines based in Miami. Some of her regional choreography credits include ON THE TOWN, CRAZY FOR YOU, and many more. She teaches at Broadway Dance Center, Radio City Music Hall, and various studios around the United States. Featured performing credits include the National Tour of 42nd Street and a commercial for Skineez Skinwear featured on a Times Square Billboard.
Leah Young
Leah is an Atlanta born singer/actor. She currently trains with the AMAW New York acting studio. When not performing, she is supporting others with bicultural and bilingual immersion. Leah is so honored to be a lifelong storyteller, holding reverence and compassion for the human experience.
MaryAnne Piccolo
MaryAnne is a New York City based multi-disciplinary artist and teaching artist. She holds an M.S. in Educational Theatre from The City College of New York. She is a recipient of the prestigious Bertram Epstein Award for excellence in educational research at CCNY. She is a New York State certified theatre teacher (K-12) and teaching artist for the New York City Department of Education. She has over fifteen years of experience as lead arts educator with the NYC DOE and non-profit arts organizations.
MaryAnne serves as adjunct faculty in the Theatre Arts Department at Marymount Manhattan College. She is the founder and curriculum designer for “Pop / Rock Performance.” She was recognized in 2020 for her virtual classroom work by C-TIE with an honorable mention for the Innovation Teaching Award at MMC. MaryAnne is a proud longtime member of the Actor’s Equity Association (AEA). For more info and latest project info please visit: https://linktr.ee/MaryAnnePiccolo
Ronald Chironna
Ronald, a native of Staten Island, NY, developed a love for the visual arts very early in his life. His high school had a progressive view of the arts with an expansive set of art classes to experience. Ron graduated from Pratt Institute summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communications Design / Illustration. He’s worked as a freelance illustrator for clients from all areas of popular media since 1975.
After intensive arts education training, he’s been working as a teaching artist since 2008, recently on the rosters of Arts For All and several other non-profit organizations. He has residency experience with students of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, and abilities and focuses on enjoyable visual arts projects with his students in a safe and creative environment in order to allow each student the opportunity to tell their own unique story in their own distinct way.
ADDITIONAL TEACHING ARTIST BIOS COMING SOON.