Education Staff
This is Jay Gilman's (Academy Director) third year with the Young Actors Academy. In addition to his work at Spotlighters, Jay has taught, acted, directed, and designed for numerous area theatres including Centerstage, their Young Playwrights Festival program, Single Carrot Theatre, The Baltimore Theatre Project, Teatro101, Baltimore Playwrights Festival, Glass Mind Theatre, and more. Jay's main interests lie in new works and physical acting methods.
Marianne Angelella (Curriculum Coordinator, After-school Young Actors Academy, Vocal Technique) has been creating story theatre with children in Baltimore for over fifteen years. Ms. Angelella has taught for The Young Actors Academy at Spotlighters Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Fells Point Corner Theatre, Performance Workshop Theatre, and Pumpkin Theatre. She has directed nearly 20 productions in Maryland schools as an Artist-in-Residence for the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival. Angelella is the lower school drama teacher at The Baltimore Lab School. In addition to her teaching, Marianne is an actress performing in theatres in the Baltimore/Washington area. She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Lynne Streeter Childress (Summer Middle School Director, Theatre History & Styles) has spent 17 years in the theatre as a performer and educator. She has recently performed at Arena Stage, Adventure Theatre, and at the Kennedy Center, in the World Premiere and first national tour of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day". Lynne has recently worked at the Folger Shakespeare Library as Elementary Program Coordinator and as a teaching artist, at the Drama Learning Center, and served for 6 years as the Creative Arts Team Leader for Children's Ministries at Bridgeway Community Church in Columbia, MD.
Kym Craig (Summer Lower School Director) has enjoyed working with children of all ages through education and the arts. Her passion for both has allowed her to teach for over a decade in the public school system. She has also performed professionally for several regional theatres. As a tour actor for Missoula Children’s Theater, Kym directed children in grades K-12in full-length productions, and taught classroom teachers strategies for integrating academic concepts and the arts. Kym continues to direct children’s theatre.
Billy Finn (Summer High School Theatre History & Styles, Audition Techniques) has appeared at venues including Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, The Kennedy Center and others. He served as teaching artist, camp director and acting coach for many companies and training programs, including the Play Group Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company and the Young Shakespeare Camp at the Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Billy is a member of Actor's Equity Association.
Summer Young Actors Academy staff also include:
The Jokesters, Make-up design Michael Curry, Acting for Television and Film Elena Day, Physical Acting Fundamentals
Jaqueline Lesh, Movement for Actors Renata Melillo, Puppetry Ron Burr & Heiko Spieker, Improv Comedy
Randy Dalmas, Stage combat CJ Crowe, Improvisational Acting Michael Tan, Musical Theatre
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spotlighters Theatre: Exceptional - Diverse - Creative - Bold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
