Education: B.F.A., Shandong College of Arts, China (Acting); M.F.A., University of Arizona (Costume Design)

Teaching and Artistic Interests: During her 20+ years teaching here, Professor Zhao designed costumes or supervised student costume designers for more than 60 productions. She also designed for Geva Theatre Center, Rochester City Ballet, and other local theatres. Before coming to the US, she taught acting and makeup at Shandong College of Arts and starred in movies, TV movies, and hosted many TV programs.

Video: Behind-the-scenes look at costume design.

Education: B.A., Mount Holyoke College Lessac Voice Intensive; M.F.A, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Directing)

Teaching and Artistic Interests: The energy between actors on stage and between the audience and the stage as manifested on the body and the voice. Her favorite stage work is physical theatre, a good example of which is the original devised work entitled Grimm.

Education: B.A., Acadia University (English Literature, Theater Concentration); M.A., University of Maine (Theater); Ph.D., Louisiana Sate University (Theater)

Teaching and Artistic Interests: Solo performance, performance art, community theater, semiotics, and dramaturgy.

Dr. Ames is a member of Actors Equity and the Screen Actor's Guild with ten years experience as an actor in New York, having appeared in off-off and off-Broadway work, as well as in commercials and on TV shows. He has appeared in several readings at Geva Theater Center and directs both at Nazareth and throughout the Northeast.

Education: B.S., Nazareth College (Music Education); Graduate study, Eastman School of Music, SUNY Geneseo, Carnegie Hall Studios, NYC

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Education: B.A., Columbia College, Chicago.

In addition to teaching, Barnhill is an experienced Broadway actress, a director, a choreographer, and the founder of Movement & Characters — a school dedicated to providing high-quality performing arts classes for all ages, levels, and financial backgrounds. She was nominated for a 2017 New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Choreography.

Offstage, she uses her art as therapy for people in need and has received many awards for her outreach and community service. In 2016, she cofounded Create a Space Now, an interactive social platform that uses performing arts and multimedia to further discussion around #blacklivesmatter, recent events, and race relations in America.

Her website: hettiebarnhill.com

Education: B.M. in music education, Eastman School of Music; M.M. in music education, Eastman School of Music

Teaching interests: vocal jazz, vocal technique, choral rehearsal techniques, sight singing, improvisation, musical theatre, and assessments in the music classroom.

Nominated for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award for the past four years, she was selected as a quarter-finalist each year, and a semi-finalist in 2016. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has recognized her contributions to music education with the “Outstanding Music Educator Award.” Abrahamian was a vocal music teacher at Penfield High School from 1981-2016, which included being vocal music director of the musical productions.

Many of her former students are performing professionally in jazz, opera, and contemporary pop music. Many have performed in shows on Broadway and in Broadway touring companies.

Education: SMSU & Webster Conservatory (B.F.A. Acting); The Actor's Space (NYC)

Teaching Experience: NYU Tisch/CAP21, SUNY Cortland; Wells College; Professional Performing Arts High School - NYC; Renaissance School - Queens; STEPS - NYC; City Center - NYC, Camp Broadway (BRAVO Channel - National)

Performing Experience: Guys and Dolls - Nicely (first European Tour), When The Lights Go On Again - Billy Allen (Triad - NYC), HMS Pinafore - Ralph (Cherry Lane - NYC); Daugherty & Field Off -Broadway (Double Image - NYC / OBIE nom)

Selected Roles: Moon Over Buffalo - George; Side by Side By Sondheim - Man; Almost Maine - Phil; The Fantasticks - Mortimer; Evita - Magaldi; Damn Yankees - Del; Man of La Mancha - Anselmo; Anything Goes - Moonface.

Bill is an Actor/Writer/Director/Producer. He was a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Algonquin, Town Hall - Broadway by the Year and Lyrics & Lyricists Series. He is the recipient of 4 MAC Awards and 3 Backstage Mag Bistro Awards. His first solo album "Look To The Rainbow" won the Manhattan Nightlife Award for best album.

Website: www.billdaugherty.com

Education: B.S. Alfred University in business administration/marketing, with dance/communications); M.F.A., The College at Brockport

Teaching and Artistic Interests: In addition to her responsibilities as dance program director at Nazareth, Roffe actively performs, choreographs, and guest teaches. She has performed nationally and internationally with Garth Fagan Dance, Bill Evans Dance Company, Assemblage Dance, and in her own work. She was a collaborating director, performer, and choreographer with Rochester's critically acclaimed FuturPointe Dance company from 2009 to 2015. Roffe continues to be engaged in research, writing, creating, and publishing her work about dance. Winner of NYSDEA 2018 Outstanding Post-Secondary Dance Educator Award.

Her website: heather-roffe.squarespace.com

Education: B.A., Columbia College, Chicago.

In addition to teaching, Barnhill is an experienced Broadway actress, a director, a choreographer, and the founder of Movement & Characters — a school dedicated to providing high-quality performing arts classes for all ages, levels, and financial backgrounds. She was nominated for a 2017 New York Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Choreography.

Offstage, she uses her art as therapy for people in need and has received many awards for her outreach and community service. In 2016, she cofounded Create a Space Now, an interactive social platform that uses performing arts and multimedia to further discussion around #blacklivesmatter, recent events, and race relations in America.

Her website: hettiebarnhill.com

Education: M.F.A. Dance, The College at Brockport; NYS Teaching Certifications in Dance K-12, Grades 1-6, & Special Education

Experience/Research: Choreographer, educator, and dance artist whose teaching experience includes The Aquinas Institute, The College at Brockport, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Colgate University, and The American School in Switzerland (TASIS). In addition to pursuing choreographic opportunities with her dance company, Allison Bohman Dance, she is also an administrative assistant for New York State Dance Education Association. Her choreographic interests involve the collaboration of live music with movement. Much of her written research centers on themes in dance education and community outreach with the arts.

Education: B.S. Business Administration, SUNY at Buffalo; M.A. Dance Therapy/Counseling Psychology, Antioch University

Teaching and Artistic Interests: Paige has over 20 years of experience teaching and performing in modern, jazz, and ballet companies nationally and internationally. Her choreography has been seen at The Bardavon Opera House, The Ulster County Performing Arts Center, The Brooklyn Lyceum, LaTea Theater, The New Rose Theatre, and Merce Cunningham Studios. She has earned two Orange County Arts grants for her work and has been a guest artist at many schools and universities. Paige is a licensed creative arts therapist. She teaches modern dance, jazz dance, and introduction to dance therapy. Her primary goal as an educator is to be a support system for all theatre and dance students as they grow and develop in their craft.

Education: B.F.A., Shandong College of Arts, China (Acting); M.F.A., University of Arizona (Costume Design)

Teaching and Artistic Interests: During her 20+ years teaching here, Professor Zhao designed costumes or supervised student costume designers for more than 60 productions. She also designed for Geva Theatre Center, Rochester City Ballet, and other local theatres. Before coming to the US, she taught acting and makeup at Shandong College of Arts and starred in movies, TV movies, and hosted many TV programs.

Video: Behind-the-scenes look at costume design.

Education: B.S., Minnesota State University, Mankato and Simpson College; M.F.A. (scenic design), Minnesota State University

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Education:
B.A., State University of New York at New Paltz; M.F.A., University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Experience:
Emily Stork’s designs have been featured worldwide, including festivals in Italy, France, Scotland, and Israel and in the U.S. at places as diverse as PS 122, Dance Theatre Workshop, the Cherry Lane Theatre, the Public Theater, La Mama, St. Ann’s Warehouse, the Walker Arts Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, On the Boards, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in Troy, Lincoln Center and on the side of a building in Rochester. In 2003, she was the resident lighting designer for the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy where she worked with Maestro Gian Carlo Menotti on Wagner’s Lohengrin. Some favorite collaborations have been with Split Britches on Peggy Shaw’s To My Chagrin, Pig Iron Theatre Company’s James Joyce is Dead and So is Paris, Nora Jones’ Album Release Party for Little Broken Hearts at the Box in NYC. Emily was the Lighting Director at The Juilliard School for 12 years, where she designed countless shows and special events including the Leading Ladies Gala starring Audra McDonald and Barbara Cook and the Tempest Benefit reading with Sir Derek Jacoby.
Locally, Emily is the festival lighting designer for the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival where her designs have included the aerialist dance group, Bandaloop, the Cirque du Fringe in the Magic Crystal Spiegeltent and the outdoor informal installation at the Spiegel Garden. Her designs at Geva Theatre Center have included the world premieres of Mat Smart’s Tinker to Evers to Chance, Greg Kotis’ All Your Questions Answered, as well as several other productions.
Emily has been honored to teach and design at highly respected institutions, including New York University, The Juilliard School, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Syracuse University, Ohio Northern and CalArts, among others.
 
Examples of her work can be found at:  www.emilystorkdesign.com.