CYNTHIA MERYL (Acting, Musical Theatre,Voice) is the Artistic Director and Master Teacher for NJYT's School for the Performing Arts. A professional theatre arts educator for nearly forty years, she works with all age groups, elementary through college students, teaching acting and musical theatre classes, providing private training/coaching in voice, as well as free audition workshops to high schools throughout New Jersey.
She is also Stage Director of NJYT's professional productions at NJPAC and other professional theatres in NJ. Her stage direction credits include over 36 major musicals and plays, twelve of which were produced at NJPAC alone such as last summer's critically acclaimed Sweeney Todd; 1776; Midnight Madness (the new musical with Book and Lyrics by Cynthia Meryl, Music by Jack Bender); Carousel which Peter Filichia of the Star Ledger called the “Best Surprise of 2007;” and Ragtime, The Musical which Mr. Filichia lauded as “Best Musical Revival,” with Cynthia Meryl as “Best Director of a Musical” in New Jersey for 2006. Ms. Meryl has also directed and adapted for the stage a radio version of A Christmas Carol; and all of NJYT's Cabaret Recitals. Her performance credits as a professional actress include the original award-winning Broadway musical Nine with Raul Julia, My Fair Lady opposite Noel Harrison, Nellie in South Pacific opposite Giorgio Tozzi, Charlotte in Beyond Therapy opposite Pat Paulson, and the list goes on.

CORINNE MUCHA (Ballet, Jazz): Trained in ballet at The Princeton School of Ballet & American Repertory Ballet, Ms. Mucha made her debut in Children of the Drum by Elaine Kudo. ARB credits include Silkscreens by Graham Lustig, Nightingale in the Nutcracker, Concerto Borocco by George Balanchine, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet, by Septime Weber. Ms. Mucha's guest artist credits include Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Mina in Dracula, Pas de Trios and Little Swans in Swan Lake. She has worked with choreographers such as Septime Weber, Alan Hineline, Adam Miller, Kate Thomas,Graham Lustig and Stuart Loungeway.

JEAN ANNE LAICO (Open Ballet): Classically trained at the school of the Garden State Ballet under the direction of choreographer and director Jody Jaron, Ms. Laico has worked with performing artists and companies including Gehring Dancetheatre, has performed in productions of Evita and The Nutcracker at NJPAC in collaboration with American Repertory Ballet, and most recently was in the Woodminster Ampitheatre's production of Brigadoon in Oakland, California. Jean Anne is a recent graduate of DeSales University with a B.S. in Marketing, along with 4 years of extensive modern dance training. She performed in DeSales University's Dance Ensemble productions for three years, and within that time span also studied ballet at Dolly Haltzman Dance Academy under Trinette Singleton and Jennifer Haltzman, performing with their pre-professional company Repertory Dance Theater in the ballet productions of Cinderella and The Nutcracker. In addition to being a Ballet teacher, Jean Anne is also a Pilates mat instructor certified through LindaFit(c) Pilates.

ALBERTA HANDELMAN (Acting Instructor) has taught acting in private and public schools in NYC and NJ for more than 25 years. While a professional actress and director, as well as Founder and past Artistic Director of the award-winning Blooming Grove Theater Ensemble, her greatest pleasure continues to be training young actors. She holds NJ Teaching Certificates in Speech Arts and Dramatics and in English. She earned an M.A. from Columbia University, a B.A. from Barnard College, and received theater training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Northwestern University. She studied dance at the Lippel School and currently studies voice with Dr. Stephen Oosting. Credit highlights as an actress include the roles of Mrs. Cage in Mrs. Cage, Edna in Prisoner of Second Avenue, and Golde in Fiddler on the Roof. Her professional directorial credits include Romeo and Juliet, A Man for All Seasons, and the premiere of the operetta Rappaccini's Daughter.

KIMBERLY STRAFFORD (Acting): Kimberly Strafford has been teaching, acting, and directing for more than ten years. She has had drama teaching-artist residencies in classrooms throughout NYC public schools and a youth Shakespeare intensive. Strafford was Education/Outreach Officer for The Abbey Theatre-Dublin IRE, Artist-in-Residence for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Curriculum Director for the Rebel Shakespeare Company, and facilitator for The Young Actors Workshop in Syracuse NY—a theatre group for young adults with Downs Syndrome. She currently serves as the Outreach Director for Kef Productions in NYC and is producing Lyric Is Waiting at the Irish Rep. Theatre. Kimberly earned her MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College and a BFA in Acting from Syracuse University. She has also trained extensively with Tina Packer at Shakespeare and Company. Acting Credits: Love's Labours Lost (Hudson Shakespeare Co), US tour of Walk Two Moons (Theatreworks USA), US tour of The Yellow Dress (Deana's Fund), Cloak and Dagger (The Rough and Tumble Theatre Co), and A Wrinkle In Time (Syracuse Stage).

EVAN EDWARDS (Tap), a BFA graduate of Niagara University in upstate New York, has studied, performed and taught theatre arts all over the US and Europe. His performance credits alone number over 60 and include the premiere cast of Miss Saigon (in Germany), My One and Only with director Ken Leigh Rogers and choreographer Eileen Grace, Anything Goes with musical director David Loud, the North American premiere of I and Albert for Charles Strouse, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with choreographer Anthony Van Laast (in Essen,Germany); A Standing Ovation with Linda Eder,and Evita with choreographer/director Sam Viverito to name a few. As a director/ choreographer, Evan has worked on such projects as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Studio Arena, Sleeping Beauty at the Falmouth Playhouse, MA, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown in North Tonawanda, NY, and Mama as She Became but Not as She Was at The Clet Theatre, Lewiston, NY. Most recently, he was chief Designer for House of Nunzio at the Manhattan Theatre Source. Mr. Edwards' teachers and mentors include such dance masters as Beverly Fletcher, Broadway choreographer Randy Skinner,Germaine Salsberg, Crystal Chapman, Jeffrey Ferguson (Alvin Ailey), Raymond Chai (National Ballet of Portugal) Reiji Yabe (Nihon University, Tokyo). His teaching philosophy is to provide a supportive and positive environment that enables students in Tap to not only concentrate on technique, but to also focus on style, personality, and musicality — the dynamics of Tap sound. For learning to adapt style, energy and body language to suit the music, is what's most important.
“It's not only about the steps. It's also about how you present them.”

JAMES CAMPODONICO (Musical Director/Accompanist) Mr. Campodonico has taught vocal music for thirty-three years in the New Jersey public school system and has acted as musical director to over one hundred musical productions. An accomplished composer, his musical Between The Lines premiered at Luna Stage in Montclair and received the New Jersey Tony Award for “Best Musical Score Of The Year” from drama critic Peter Filichia of the Star Ledger. His musical Murder On Broadway also had a successful presentation at the York Theater in NYC last year.Mr.Campodonico's notable engagements include collaborations with the Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theater, Luna Stage,Westbury Music Fair, Two River Theater in Red Bank, The Gateway Playhouse, and teaching musical theater classes at the Whole Theater in Montclair,NJ under the artistic direction of Olympia Dukakis.