PTW’s Expert Faculty will Help Your Child Soar
Each of our teachers brings to PTW their professional expertise and a deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of performers. From Broadway and SAG-AFTRA veterans to industry experts, the PTW team is equipped to provide unparalleled guidance and mentorship to every artist, at every level of development. PTW’s growing success as the tristate area’s leading performing arts school has much to do with its top notch faculty—hand-picked by Executive Artistic Director Dean Kravitz, a veteran artist & educator with a keen eye for talent, empathy & a bold presence in an encouraging learning environment. He selects elite professionals with high-level training who love teaching and sharing their expertise, experience, and love for the theatre with others. They are gifted, award-winning artists who are currently active in their respective fields.
The PTW Difference
PTW faculty are skilled in “teaching the whole performer.” In addition to their extensive resumes in award-winning stage & screen work, faculty members draw from a wealth of research-based teaching methods to engage aspiring artists of every ability and every level of development. These methods include but are not limited to Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset which focuses on hard work, skill-building, and personal breakthroughs; differentiated instruction which ensures each student receives the attention, encouragement & learning opportunities they need to thrive as an individual; and Bloom’s Taxonomy, which helps students organize their learning objectives in a clear and useful way, empowering benchmark successes throughout the semester.
Dean Kravitz
PTW Executive Artistic Director & Music Director
Teaching Areas: Song Interpretation; Musical Theatre Performance; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep; Private Lessons
Dean began his studies at age 5 on the violin, adding piano at 7. After debuting at Carnegie Hall at age 11, he received the Van Cliburn Award for piano performance at age 13. Dean studied violin, piano, composition, and scoring at the Eastman School of Music where he won the Duke Ellington Award for Outstanding Arranging and Composition. He also received the highest score in the BMI Musical Theatre Songwriting competition in 1986.
Dean graduated with honors from Yale University in 1987 where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Composition. While there, Dean composed, orchestrated, and musical directed Experiments—a full-length musical performed live at commencement—and studied orchestration with Juilliard faculty alumnus Jacob Druckman and composition with Nine composer Maury Yeston. Dean has also studied jazz improvisation with legendary alto saxophonist Phil Woods. He has studied vocal pedagogy and voice therapy at Westminster Choir College and choral conducting at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Dean is a New Jersey Certified Teacher, having received his Masters in Teaching in 2008, and recently served as Choral Director for the School District of the Chathams.
Through his production companies Dean Kravitz Music (DKM) and Elasticmusic, Dean has composed, orchestrated, and performed for over 150 National and Regional TV/Radio commercials from major advertising agencies in New York, Boston, Dallas, and California for products such as Pepsi, Toys R Us, McDonalds, Reebok, Motorola, Lady Footlocker, Hefty, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Clairol. Dean has composed, orchestrated, and arranged music for several cartoons on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. programming, plus music that premiered the TV Land network. His music still plays across the airwaves and in digital spaces.
Howard Kravitz
1930-2009
PTW Founder
Howard received his Bachelor of Science at The Juilliard School and his Master of Arts from Columbia University. He was certified in the state of New Jersey in both Supervision and Administration, and served New Jersey Public Schools as a devoted teacher and Director of Music for 35 years. In 1992, Howard left the public school system to serve PTW full time, ensuring the school’s rapid and continued expansion in both enrollment size and course offerings. Howard’s compositions and arrangements have been performed worldwide by such notable leaders as Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Quincy Jones, and Phil Woods. He wrote arrangements for WABC-TV, The ARLENE FRANCIS Show, and other iconic programming. PTW upholds Howard’s commitment to the performing arts and carries on his legacy of spotlighting what’s unique and beautiful in every performer.
Brian Loeffler
Musical Theatre Department Chair
Teaching Areas: Show Director & Choreographer; Song Interpretation; Acting; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Brian’s long list of credits includes Broadway’s Grease starring Rosie O’Donnell, plus national & international tours, including Bye Bye Birdie starring Tommy Tune and Ann Reinking; West Side Story (Riff); and Oklahoma! (Will Parker – 50th Anniversary Production). He has served as director and choreographer for myriad regional productions, including Jerry Springer: The Opera; Urinetown: The Musical (Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award and After Dark Award for Choreography); Pirates of Penzance; Grease; Disney’s Aladdin; A Chorus Line; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; Anything Goes; Damn Yankees; The Wizard of Oz; You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Wit and Wisdom of Will’s Women: A Shakespeare Celebration, which he conceived and co-created; and Big River at the Mercury Theater in Chicago, Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Carousel Dinner Theatre in Ohio, Seaside Shakespeare Festival in Nantucket, and Milford Theatre in Pennsylvania.
Brian has more than 15 years of teaching experience. Former students include Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire, Bully, Dawson’s Creek, Murder by Numbers, Funny Games) and Emmy-nominated actor Patrick Wilson. He is a member of both The Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and recently performed in The Taming of the Shrew at the New York Fringe Festival. Brian is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and resides in New York City.
Sherry Lorraine Harrington
Jr. Jr. Department Chair
Teaching Areas: Acting; Dance; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Sherry is an actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and educator. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, and began dancing at age 4. She studied dance for 14 years at Anna Marie’s Academy of Dance, learning Tap, Ballet, Jazz, and Modern. She was a member of the Elysian Dance Company, performing at various venues in the Philadelphia area. When Sherry performed in her first musical for her high school’s production of Funny Girl, she was bitten by the acting bug and went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She then moved to New York for a decade, performing in local and regional theaters and short films, and continuing her studies in acting and dance. She began teaching dance and musical theatre at a children’s enrichment center, where she found her niche! After relocating to Central Jersey, Sherry joined the faculty of a local dance studio, teaching Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Musical Theatre to students from ages 3 to adult. She also cofounded and served as the head of the Acting Department for the inaugural year of the studio’s Musical Theatre program. Sherry continues to share her passion for the performing arts with her students, and is thrilled to be a part of the PTW family!
Carlie Craig
Comedy Crew Instructor
Teaching Areas: Voice; Acting; On Camera; Song Interpretation; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
After nearly a decade in Hollywood actively working as an actor and producer, Carlie recently relocated to New York to continue developing musical projects across television & theatre and to elevate her teaching career, all under her creative banner Queen Cornelius Entertainment. An accomplished musical comedy writer, performer and multi-hyphenate artist, Carlie is most known as a cast member on the 15th season of MADtv, where she performed spot-on impressions of vocal powerhouses Ariana Grande and Kristin Chenoweth, plus a plethora of original characters. Additional television credits include Will & Grace, First Impressions with Dana Carvey, and Kevin Hart’s LOL Network series The Donors. Carlie couldn’t be prouder to be spearheading the PTW Comedy Crew and sharing the gift of improv and character creation with her talented students!
Rosena Hill Jackson
Teaching Areas: Voice; Song Interpretation; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
On Broadway, Rosena has performed with Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, Baby Face, k.d. lang, Vanessa Williams, and Gladys Knight and Fantasia in After Midnight. Other Broadway credits include Come Fly Away (Featured Vocalist); The Color Purple (Church Lady) starring Fantasia; Monty Python’s Spamalot (Lady of the Lake) starring Tim Curry & David Hyde Pierce; Imaginary Friends (Mrs. Stillman); Oklahoma! (Ellen) 2002 revival starring Patrick Wilson; Riverdance on Broadway (Soloist); Marie Christine (Ophelia) starring Audra McDonald; and Ragtime (Sarah’s Friends). For the inaugural Nation Tour of Ragtime, Rosena portrayed Sarah. Off-Broadway credits include Cotton Club Parade at New York City Center with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; Lost in the Stars at New York City Center; Tin Pan Alley Rag at the Roundabout; and IN Gathering. Regional highlights include Man of La Mancha (Aldonza); Baby (Pam); Dreamgirls (Michelle); Cinderella; Chess; Gypsy; Kiss Me Kate; La Cage aux Folles; Ain’t Misbehavin’; Carmen; and La Boheme. Rosena has performed internationally for three seasons with Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers & Band, touring Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Portugal, Hungary, and The Netherlands as a featured soloist.
As a concert soloist, Rosena, has performed at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops; Teatro di Massimo Symphony Orchestra, Teatro di Lirico Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Florida Sunshine Pops, Long Island Philharmonic, Sarasota Symphony, Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic’s recording of Carousel “Live at Lincoln Center” appearing on PBS.
A native of Sarasota, Florida, Rosena’s debut CD If You Believe combines jazz, gospel, and show tunes in honor of her late father. Rosena and her husband, Grammy Award-winning trombonist Jason Jackson, run Jack & Hill Music. They perform original compositions and arrangements of jazz tunes and selections from The American Songbook.
Meghan LaFlam
Teaching Areas: Voice; Acting; Song Interpretation; Piano; Guitar; Songwriting; Professional, College & School Show Audition PreP
Meghan is a thoroughbred thespian and musical theatre vocal master. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory, where she studied classical voice, with an emphasis in Linklater Technique. Meghan studied Shakespeare and classical acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Her professional credits include Sweeney Todd (Joanna), City of Angels (Mallory) with Lyric Stage Company, Henry V (Katherine) at Colonial Theater, Spring Awakening (Thea) with Gloucester Stage Company, and My Fair Lady at Bay Street Theater.
Sara Gallo
Teaching Areas: Voice; Dance; Acting; Song Interpretation; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Sara is a Philadelphia native and a graduate of The Boston Conservatory where she majored in Musical Theatre with an emphasis on Dance. Sara trained under Nadia Pavlenko & Max Ponomarenko at Elite Dance Academy in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and began her training with an emphasis in ballet. Sara has gone on to perform at the country’s top regional theatres, including the MUNY, Theatre Under the Stars, North Shore Music Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Fulton Theatre, Tuacahn Amphitheatre & more. Sara was thrilled to be a part of the regional premieres of Mamma Mia! as Ali (MUNY), Matilda as Mrs. Wormwood (Tuacahn), and Cinderella as Gabrielle (Tuacahn). Sara made her Broadway and National Tour debut in 2022 with 1776 The Musical and appears on the Hallmark Channel‘s A Holiday Spectacular as Sophia the Italian Rockette. She also founded “The Broadway Masterclass Series” – a program in collaboration with her alma mater high school in Montgomery County – where they bring Broadway to middle school and high school students, to educate and inspire the next generation, sharing the many career possibilities within the arts. Sara strives to bring out the best in every student in an individualized, positive, and welcoming learning environment.
Taylor Elise Gautier
Teaching Areas: Acting; On Camera; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Taylor has been involved in theater for as long as she can remember. She always knew that working in the arts was her biggest passion. At 15, she started training professionally at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, and went on to earn her Associate’s Degree in Theater from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 2022, she graduated from Lehman College with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater, as well as a 4.0 GPA. Taylor has starred in multiple short films and been cast as a recurring character in the new Amazon Prime series Narcissists of New York City. Teaching has also been a passion of Taylor’s. She has taught acting classes for multiple different organizations, including day programs for adults with developmental disabilities, as well as after school programs for kids. She has also directed a full-length play, and directed university-level students for Acting 101 classes. Taylor is very happy to be working with PTW and hopes to inspire her students, instilling in them the love that she shares for the craft of acting.
David Guggino
Teaching Areas: Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Ballet
A Joffrey Ballet alum, Jersey boy David began his dance training at age 5; by 12, he was performing professionally with The Rainbow Company in Philadelphia. David trained with Rennie Harris, Pure Movement, The Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadanco, and at the Joffery Ballet at The New School where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.
David’s choreography credits include Off Broadway’s What Guys Do! (Choreographer, Director, Producer); West Side Story; The Rocky Horror Show; New Dance Group’s Sid in the City (Creator, Choreographer, Producer); A Beautiful Sadness produced by The Muse Theater. His commissioned works include We Were Always Coming Back at Symphony Space; Conversations; The Life; Sid in the City (excepts); What Guys Do! (excerpts); and Cosmic and Opposing Forces. Recently, David created a new event called Slam!Bam!Dance! which premiered at acclaimed Brooklyn venue The Knitting Factory.
His theatre highlights include Ward 9 (Bobby Fisher), West Side Story, Damn Yankees, and Grease. Company credits include National & International Tours with Momix, Joffrey Ensemble, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, and the Chase Brock Experience, through which he was able to combine his interest in concert dance and theater. David is a member of Actors Equity Association and lives in New York City.
Neil Ginsberg
Teaching Areas: Show Director; Song Interpretation
Neil Ginsberg’s first experience in musical theater was playing piano for a production of Annie where the dog playing Sandy ran off the stage into the audience! Since then, he’s played piano and music directed a ton of shows including the Off Broadway and National Tour productions of Forever Plaid and Nunsense. He has made music at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Pantomonium, the New London Barn Playhouse, HERE Arts Center, and the Henry Street Settlement, among other theaters and venues. He has taught at The Juilliard School, Opera America, Brooklyn Friends School, and Avenues, and currently teaches at Kent Place School. He composes choral music performed by children and adults all over the world. One of his favorite gigs was improvising music as a silent movie accompanist at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles. He lives in Maplewood with his theater and music-loving family consisting of daughter Tabitha and wife Michelle Tattenbaum.
Elizabeth Southard
Teaching Areas: Voice; Song Interpretation; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Elizabeth has worked extensively in musical theatre, on Broadway, and in National Tours. Beth starred on Broadway as Christine in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, a role she also performed in the Vancouver production and for the National Tour. She was chosen by Harold Prince to star as Magnolia in his latest revival of Showboat in its First National Tour. She also appeared Off Broadway in Jack Eric Williams’ Swamp Gas and Shallow Feelings as Sherlyn. Other tours include: Christine in the Yeston/Kopit Phantom, and The Sound of Music with Marie Osmond. Regional highlights include Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Claudia in Nine, and Sukey Tawdry in Three Penny Opera.
Elizabeth has appeared as a guest soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony with Marvin Hamlisch, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Anchorage Symphony, and the Flagstaff Symphony. She also toured throughout Germany and performed at the Opera Comique in Paris. Elizabeth received her degree in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College School of Music. She received a scholarship to study at the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and went on to receive first place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing competition. Beth is joyously married to actor Gary Mauer and plays Mommy to Nicholas and Eden. She is a proud member of Actors Equity Association (AEA).
Ava DeMary
Teaching Areas: Song Interpretation; Acting; Dance; Audition Technique; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Ava is a New York area actor, singer, and dancer who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film, Television, Voiceovers, and Commercials at Pace University. She made her Broadway debut at age 8 in the Tony Award-winning musical Billy Elliot and went on to appear in the Broadway revival of Evita and with the original Broadway company of Matilda. Ava currently appears as Teen Davie Adams in the HBO Max series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin; the forthcoming feature Sweethearts, written and directed by Jordan Weiss; and the independent feature Fresh Kills, written and directed by Jennifer Esposito.
Stephanie Kurtzuba
Teaching Areas: Song Interpretation; Acting; On Camera; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
A versatile actor and producer, Stephanie has had the privilege of being directed by such acclaimed filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, Stephen Daldry, Sir Richard Eyre, and Phylicia Rashad. Alongside these legendary directors, she has graced the screen with iconic talents including Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Pacino, and Hugh Jackman. Her artistic journey spans film, television, and live theatre. She has appeared on the silver screen in The Wolf of Wall Street; Annie (2014); and The Irishman. She has delivered memorable performances in recurring roles on popular TV series, including The Good Wife and Blue Bloods. And she has graced many a Broadway and Off Broadway stage, including as part of the original casts of Mary Poppins and Billy Elliot.
Dr. Darian Clonts
Teaching Areas: Voice; Song Interpretation; Professional, College & School Show Audition Prep
Darian is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA) at Pebblebrook High School as a vocal major. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he studied voice under Dr. Uzee Brown, Jr. Darian served as a member, soloist (tenor), and accompanist for the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club, under the direction of Dr. David Morrow. He received his Master of Music degree and Doctor of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied voice with Dr. Brian Horne. While attending Indiana University, he earned a minor in Musicology and a certificate in Vocology.
Darian has an extensive and wide-ranging performing career, from opera to gospel. He has performed with several prestigious opera companies, including Cincinnati Opera, The Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, The Princeton Festival, The Atlanta Opera, and the Indiana University Opera Theater. Some of his operatic roles include Benvolio (Roméo et Juliette), The Witch (Hansel and Gretel), Mingo (Porgy and Bess), Hérrison (L’Étoile), Goro (Madama Butterfly), and El Remendado (Carmen).
Darian is member of the Music & Worship Arts staff at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in East Orange, and serves on the Board of Directors for the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He also holds memberships with the National Association of Negro Musicians, the African American Art Song Alliance, the Collegiate Music Society, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. In 2022, Darian was selected to participate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing intern program. He currently serves on the voice faculty at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and at William Paterson University. In addition to his faculty positions, Darian maintains a private voice studio of students from various age groups. He has taught as an associate instructor at Indiana University in the department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. His musical research focuses on opera and African American music, and he has lectured on his research at schools and institutions across the United States.
Pro Track Industry Professionals
David Vaccari
Casting Director
Formerly with Telsey and Company, David is an independent casting director, focusing on commercials, film, and television. His film projects include Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson; The Intern, starring Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway; Focus, starring Will Smith; and The Kitchen, starring Melissa McCarthy. He has also contributed to the casting of Friends With Kids, Howl, and Jonah Hex, and collaborated with Gus Van Sant on Restless; Paranoid Park; and Finding Forrester, starring Sean Connery. Other projects include Rachel Getting Married; Then She Found Me; Across the Universe; Ira and Abby; Keane; Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power; The Bone Collector, starring Denzel Washington; and Pieces of April, which earned an Oscar nomination for Patricia Clarkson.
David also has cast numerous TV pilots, notably NBC’s This Is Us, as well as I’m Dying Up Here; Penny Dreadful; Nightcap; Murphy Brown; A Gifted Man; House of Cards; NOS4A2; and Time After Time, reuniting with childhood friend Marcos Siega.
David boasts a portfolio of over 1,500 commercials, collaborating with esteemed directors such as Martin Scorsese, Barry Levinson, Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Christopher Guest, and many more. His expertise extends to casting for musical theater productions, including groundbreaking shows like the original Broadway production of Rent; The Capeman; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me; and Hairspray. David has collaborated with luminaries like David Mamet, Eric Bogosian, Woody Allen, Estelle Parsons, and Al Pacino.
He has taught at Brown University / Trinity Rep, Stonestreet Studios (a drama conservatory of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts), and at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. A member of the Casting Society of America, David is a three-time nominee for their Artios award for excellence in casting.
