MARIE ALTENORMarie R. Altenor is a Bloomfield, CT native who after years in the legal field, has now found her passion in the world of theater and introducing young children to that world. Marie is also a teaching artist with The Hartford Stage and has performed on stage, television and film. Recent credits include Hole in the Wall Theater’s BARBEQUE (Barbara), Sweet2theSoul Productions AMINA (Amina), Head Trick Theatre’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (Titania), Wildflower Women’s Ensemble/Apocalyptic Shakespeare’s MACBETH (Lady Macbeth), and Dionysus Theatre Company’s DETROIT '67 (Bunny). Marie has studied with The Complete Actor’s Studio in Avon, CT and The Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT. With a focus on Broadcast Journalism and Creative Writing, Marie graduated with a B.A. in Communications from Fordham University (Lincoln Center Campus) and also holds certification from University of Hartford, in paralegal studies.
JULIE BORSOTTIJulie is so excited to be joining the Teaching Artist Staff at Playhouse Theatre Academy! She will be graduating this spring from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Theatre Studies and Communication. She has been acting, dancing and singing for many years and loves working with kids, especially within theatre. She has a passion for Performance and Choreography and enjoys teaching others from her experiences. She has worked on various productions at Connecticut Repertory Theatre as well as just recently choreographed her first Middle School production at Gideon Welles School in Glastonbury, CT. As the former President and current Choreographer of Notes Over Storrs, a co-ed A cappella group at UConn she is a part of, Julie has choreographed two professional performance ICCA sets over her time in the group. She has also worked several summers at the Glastonbury Music and Arts Camp as a Dance and Theatre instructor to children and loves to inspire them to continue to love and pursue the arts!
CHRISTINA DECARLOOriginally from the Atlanta area Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from Georgia College. For the past 6 years Christina has worked at Florida Repertory Theatre as the Assistant Education Director in which she has directed, choreographed, and taught a multitude of musical theatre classes for all ages. Selected directing credits include The SpongeBob Musical, Matilda, School of Rock (Florida Premiere), Madagascar Jr (Florida Premiere), and Legally Blonde Jr (Junior Theatre Festival Cut-awarded Outstanding Production). Since moving to Connecticut this past June Christina has choreographed for Hartford Stage Education’s summer program, worked as a teaching artist for Playhouse on the Park, and currently is the Arts Education Collaboration Coordinator at Goodspeed Musicals.
PETER DENEGREWhile finishing his MA in English Education at NYU, Peter DeNegre studied with various playwrights honing his writing skills. What he learned from this experience he brings to his classroom. His teaching philosophy is based in experiential learning, so his students learn various skills of playwriting through a workshop model. For the past two decades, he has taught creative writing courses at the college level in NYC and CT. Three of his plays have been featured in varying community theater showcases across CT.
LIZ FASSANELLALiv Fassanella is a playwright and dramaturg based in Connecticut. Her plays explore diverse experiences of womanhood through horror, comedy, and drama. Her dramaturgy credits include: Playhouse on Park; THE AGITATORS, FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE, MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY. Foul Contending Rebels; EURYDICE. Her passions center around the development of new plays and how to incorporate philanthropy, inclusivity and accessibility into theatre. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Bennington College in 2021.
JOSH KARAMJosh Karam is an Actor/Musician/Director with a BFA in Music Theater from The Hartt School. Theater Credits include: Soapy DAYS OF 98 SHOW, Cleon PERICLES, and Josh was part of Playhouse on Park’s SAY THINGS FUNNY. Josh also has an enormous love for Improv and has a Certification in Interactive and Immersive Theater Performance. Currently Josh is Assistant Directing the Robin Hood Faire in Harwinton, CT. Josh has found so much creative expression in fantasy and improv through the Renaissance Faire circuit. As children we always imagine ourselves as Knights fighting dragons, or Superhero’s saving the day. Our Improv ability is only limited by the bounds of our imaginations!
TORI MOONEY“Miss T$” is excited to be back teaching for Playhouse Theatre Academy (2016-2019). She has also been joyfully teaching with Hartford Stage since 2013. And Hartford Children’s Theater prior to that! Her teaching heart belongs to the 5-9 year olds, which is perfect because the students usually won’t be taller than her! Miss T$ also works as the Front of House Manager at Playhouse on Park and has been performing on the Essex Steam Train’s “North Pole Express” as Pixie Poinsettia since 2014. She lives in Vernon with her boyfriend of almost 9 years, Nik, and their 2 dogs, Blue + Birdie. Miss T$ can never have too much sunshine or red velvet cupcakes!
NICK PALAZZONick Palazzo is excited to be joining Playhouse Theatre Academy. He is a Teaching Artist for Hartford Stage and has performed nationally on both stage and screen. National Tour: FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY (Male Swing); Television: BLUE BLOODS; Off-Broadway: PINKALICIOUS (Mr. Pinkerton); Regional Theatre: Playhouse on Park: IN THE HEIGHTS (Sonny), PETER AND THE STARCATCHER (Ted); Goodspeed Musicals Festival of New Artists: LINCOLN IN LOVE (Stephen Douglas); Ocean City Theatre Company: CINDERELLA (Prince Christopher); Cortland Repertory Theatre: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Perchik) B.F.A in Music Theatre from The Hartt School.
ANNA RICCIUTIAnna Ricciuti is a director, teaching artist, and technician who prioritizes new, innovative, and socially driven work and strives to create meaningful theatrical experiences for students of all ages. As a Connecticut native, she is absolutely thrilled to be joining the team at Playhouse on Park. Anna holds a BA in theatre from Muhlenberg College and her theatrical skills are diverse and varied. Some favorite recent credits include: THE REPAIR MAN (director, Muhlenberg College, 2018), ALICE IN CONCERT (production stage manager, Desultory Theatre Club, 2019), SOME GOOD TUNES (technical director, Simsbury Summer Theatre, 2020), and PIPPIN (director, Simsbury High School, 2022).
HEIDI JEAN WEINRICHPlease add the following for teaching artist: Heidi Jean Weinrich: Heidi Jean Weinrich has been working in theatre for decades as an actor at Playhouse on Park and many other theatres in CT, Seattle, and New York. She also has directing experience and has taught Language Arts on the secondary and college levels. As a Teaching Artist she has worked with New Britain Youth Theatre, Hartford Performs, and other organizations, and this past summer she was the Drama Instructor at Auerfarm Summer Camp in Bloomfield.
JILL ZARCONEJill Zarcone hails from Tolland, CT and besides being a teaching artist, she is also the Education Coordinator for Playhouse Theatre Academy! She brings almost seventeen years of experience in performance, scene studies, auditioning techniques, Shakespeare, comedy, puppetry, playwriting and directing to Playhouse and loves working with students of all ages. She is a BFA Performance graduate of Eastern CT State University and has MFA accreditation from the University of North Carolina with a focus on Theatre for Youth. She has worked with previous theatres such as Hartford Children's, Flock Theatre, Newington Children's, Little Theatre of Manchester, Windham Theatre Guild and the Greensboro City Arts Drama Center and also had the amazing experience of interning with puppeteers from Jim Henson's Co for two summers! When time permits she loves to read, bake, write, and go on adventures with her husband, son and her dog, fittingly named Adventure.
moved to West Hartford from Seattle where she was an ensemble member at Unexpected Productions, Seattle's first and most reputable improv theater company. She performed weekly in Seattle Theatresports™ and long-form shows such as HAROLD, SPOKEN, BLANK SLATE, FAKESPEARE, THE MELANIE GAME, CAMPFIRE, A(N) IMPROVISED CHRISTMAS CAROL, BLACK-EYED BLONDE, IMPRESSIONISTIC HORROR, and improvised versions of movie genres. She was also the Assistant Artistic Director and only female member of Sisters of Sal, a long-form improvisational comedy troupe that won Seattle Cage Match and performed with Ryan Stiles. She has studied improv at Unexpected Productions, Magnet Theater, and UCB Theatre. Her instructors have included Randy Dixon, Matt Smith, Jill Farris, Armando Diaz, Christian Capozzoli, Keith Johnstone and Mick Napier. Locally, she has been seen in VANITIES, ISN'T IT ROMANTIC, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and LEND ME A TENOR as well as other scripted and improv productions in theaters around the state.
TEACHES: Adult Improv classes