Faculty

Joy Zinoman (Director of Curriculum) is the founder of The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and The Studio Theatre where she recently retired as Founding Artistic Director. She has been teaching and directing for over 38 years in the U.S. and abroad and is the creator of the Conservatory’s core curriculum. During the past 33 years at The Studio Theatre, she has directed 70 productions and has garnered over 225 Helen Hayes Awards nominations for the theatre. She attended Northwestern University, Radcliffe College and American University.  

Meade Andrews has served on the faculty of the Acting Conservatory for over 18 years. A certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and former director of the dance program at American University, she has also taught in the graduate acting program at Florida Atlantic University. Meade choreographed, performed, and directed in the theatre program as well as served as movement consultant on many productions at The Studio Theatre. Meade currently teaches as a guest artist in the theatre program at Rider University in Princeton, NJ.

Carol Arthur has performed locally at the Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Studio 2ndStage, The Source Theatre, Longacre Lea Productions, Adventure Theatre and Tsunami Theatre. She plays steel pan as a member of the DC area Little Red & The Renegades. Carol received her training from Oberlin College and The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.

Diana Bradley has been an AmSat certified Alexander Technique teacher since 1979. She has been teaching in the DC area for over 25 years and has taught at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Arena Stage and The University of Maryland. Diana teaches around the United States and internationally. She is on the faculty at The Barstow Alexander Technique Institute, and on the faculty of The Alexander Technique Teacher Training program at CBAS. She also has a10-year background in modern dance and holds a 3rd degree black belt in Aikido.

Kate Davis was one of the Conservatory's first students 36 years ago. She has since established herself as a professional actress, director and educator. Kate has performed locally at The Studio Theatre, Arena Stage and The Shakespeare Theatre Company. In Memphis, TN, she was an Associate Director with Playhouse on the Square and founded the Playhouse Theatre School. She received additional theatre training at Catholic University and with Uta Hagen at H.B. Studios in New York. 

Kate Debelack has been seen in many productions at The Studio Theatre and The Studio 2ndStage.  She has worked with a number of DC companies including The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Forum Theatre, Solas Nua, Taffety Punk, Longacre Lea, MetroStage, and was a company member with Cherry Red Productions. Regional credits include The New York International Fringe Festival and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. Kate trained at Western Washington University, the Cabaret Conference at Yale and The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.

Denise Diggs has taught voice for over 25 years at the Baltimore School for the Arts. In addition, she has taught at Towson University, Duke Ellington School of the Arts and privately for media professionals. She brings over 35 years of professional acting experience in both stage and film to her work. She has appeared at Arena Stage, The Studio Theatre, Center Stage, Olney Theatre Company, LaJolla Theatre in San Diego, Round House Theatre, Theatre of the First Amendment and Everyman Theatre.

Catherine Eliot is a Laban Certified Movement Analyst and has a Masters in Kinesiology/Motor Development. She has lectured at Columbia Teachers College and at The University of Maryland. Catherine has worked as a Movement Therapist and has taught dance in the Washington DC area since 1991.

George Fulginiti-Shakar works professionally as a music director, conductor, and vocal coach and was chosen for the TCG Artists Bulletin for Music Directors, Composers and Arrangers in Washington, DC. He is a Helen Hayes Award winner for Music Direction and has worked at Arena Stage, The Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Signature Theatre and Round House Theatre. George leads Master Classes at American University, Catholic University and The University of Maryland. He is a founding member of the Alliance for New-Music Theatre and is President of the Board of the Cabaret Network.

Julie Garner has performed locally with The Studio Theatre, Forum Theatre, Rorschach Theatre, Imagination Stage, Molotov Theatre, Lean and Hungry Theatre, and has also performed with five Improv troupes in the DC area. She has also traveled with Cirque Voila!, the KimTom International Clown Festival, and has many film and commercial credits. Julie has been teaching Improvisation and Theatre Arts for over eleven years. She is a graduate of The University of Maryland with a degree in Theatre and English Education, and has trained at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.

Charlotte Graham holds a MA in Voice Studies from The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She is trained in the coaching methods of Cicely Berry, Kristin Linklater, Arthur Lessac and Catherine Fitzmaurice. She has taught BA Acting classes at CSSD and is Training Director for Simply Speaking Ltd, a voice coaching firm in London. Charlotte is also a television producer whose programs have aired on the three major networks, PBS, HBO and Discovery. She received additional voice and drama training at H.B. Studios in New York and master classes with Patsy Rodenburg. Charlotte has a specialty in accent reduction and Standard American English and various British accents.

Robb Hunter is a certified teacher of Stage Combat for the Society of American Fight Directors. As a professional fight director he has choreographed movement for many local theatres including The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Center Stage, Washington National Opera, Olney Theatre Company, The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Rep Stage and Ford’s Theatre as well as several shows for The Studio Theatre. Robb holds an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from the Virginia Commonwealth University and teaches movement for Catholic University, McDaniel College and American University where he is Artist in Residence.

Sandra Kammann is a director, choreographer, performing artist, anthropologist and ritualist concerned with issues of human expression and vision. Creating multi-art performance projects since 1978, she is Artistic Director of the dance/theatre troupe Sisters of One Eye (founded 1986). She is Founding Director of Fertile Ground, a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the arts as ritual, and their impact on individual and communal consciousness. Sandra holds an MA in Cultural Anthropology: Performance of Myth and Ritual from The George Washington University.

Nancy Paris has been associated with the Acting Conservatory since its founding 36 years ago. A graduate of Smith College, she received additional training at Georgetown University and George Washington University. A veteran DC actress, she has appeared at Arena Stage, Georgetown Shakespeare Theatre, Source Theatre, The Actors Theatre of Washington and numerous productions on all four stages at The Studio Theatre. Nancy is a two-time nominee for the Helen Hayes Award.

Madeleine Burke Pitt, a Helen Hayes award nominee, has performed not only at The Studio Theatre and The Studio 2ndStage but also at many other DC theatres, including The Folger Shakespeare Theatre, The Keegan Theatre and Solas Nua. Madeleine teaches and directs youth theatre at Imagination Stage and has also taught numerous workshops at area universities. She was in the MFA program at Catholic University and also trained at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.  

Elizabeth Richards has performed locally at The Studio Theatre, The Studio 2ndStage, Catalyst Theatre Company, Theatre J and Washington Shakespeare Company.  She is a graduate of The University of Maryland, with a degree in Theatre and has trained at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.

 
Serge Seiden is The Studio Theatre's Associate Producing Artistic Director. Since 1990, he has held various positions at The Studio Theatre including Director of Production, Literary Manager, Casting Director, and Stage Manager. He regularly directs for both The Studio Theatre and The Studio 2ndStage and has received numerous Helen Hayes Award nominations for both directing and performing, including a 2008 nomination for Outstanding Director of a Resident Play. Serge received his training at Swarthmore College and The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.

Colette Yglesias Silver has taught dance at The Dance Exchange, the University of Maryland, George Washington University and The Street 70 Theatre Apprentice training program. From 1980-1987 she was the Artistic Director of Dance Arts/Moving Arts. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School and The Academy of the Washington Ballet. She began teaching Movement at The Studio Theatre in 1981.

Lauren Uberman has performed locally with The Studio Theatre, The Studio 2ndStage, The Kennedy Center, Ambassador International Theatre, Venus Theatre, The Discovery Channel, Fox 45 Baltimore, and Sirens Media.   In addition to studying theatre, dance, film, and puppetry at James Madison University, she has trained at The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.  She worked as a resident performer as well as taught several courses in puppetry at Blue Sky Puppet Theatre and Silly Socks Puppet Theatre. Lauren has also taught at the InterAct Theatre Company. She currently works as an Adjunct Professor at American University, teaches Yoga and Pilates throughout the DC area, and is a founding member of Pinky Swear Productions.

Matthew Vaky was a member of The Guthrie Theatre Acting Company, a teacher in their education department, and has worked as an actor, director, and writer for numerous theatres including The Mixed Blood Theatre, The Illusion Theatre, SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development, and The Playwrights Center.  He also wrote and starred in several one-person shows at The Minnesota Fringe Festival, the Bryant Lake Bowl, The Walker Church and the Center for Independent Artists.   Matthew is on the staff at GALA Hispanic Theatre, Capital City Charter School, and also teaches at Arena Stage and Imagination Stage. Matthew holds a BFA and an MFA in directing from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Roma Rogers is the Director of Education. Since 1997, she has held various positions at The Studio Theatre and has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Studio Theatre, Washington Shakespeare Theatre, The Studio 2ndStage, and The Actors Theatre of Washington. She also has television and film credits and has worked as a print model. Roma received her training from Penn State University and from The Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory.