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Faculty / staff
Berkeley Rep School of Theatre faculty and staff are highly trained professional theatre artists who work regularly in their respective areas of expertise.
staff
Rachel Fink
has led Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s educational programming for the past 11 years. A strong advocate of arts leadership development and cultural policy, Rachel was chosen to be the first U.S. delegate for the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International Programme and selected for the inaugural class of the American Express/Aspen Institute Fellowship for Emerging Nonprofit Leaders (2010). She has served on the boards of Theatre Bay Area and Tehiyah Day School, and chaired Theatre Bay Area’s Theatre Services Committee and Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Committee. She has spoken on conference panels for Theatre Communications Group and Theatre Bay Area and has served on grant review panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group. She has worked at Yale Repertory Theatre, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Long Wharf Theatre and the Cleveland Play House. Rachel has taught at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Case Western Reserve University and the Cain Park School of the Arts. She received her MFA in theater management from the Yale School of Drama.
MaryBeth Cavanaugh
is the associate director of Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. REGIONAL (Choreographer): California Shakespeare Theater for fifteen seasons, where she is an associate artist; Oregon Shakespeare Festival, for five seasons as choreographer and actor; Berkeley Repertory Theatre; The New Victory Theater; Yale Repertory Theatre; Cincinnati Playhouse; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; La Mama E.T.C.; Aurora Theatre Company; Shakespeare Santa Cruz; Lincoln Center Director’s Lab; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; TheatreWorks; Shakespeare at Stinson; Mills College Rep; Summerfest Dance. DIRECTING: Twelfth Night, North Bay Shakespeare Company; Measure for Measure and The Red Wheelbarrow, Shakespeare at Stinson; Peter and the Wolf, Napa Valley Repertory Theatre. Ms. Cavanaugh currently teaches in the MFA program in the Department of Theatre and Dance at U.C. Davis and has taught in the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance studies at U.C. Berkeley, California Shakespeare Theater and at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. She received her MFA in Dance Composition from Mills College.
Dave Maier, Jan & Howard Oringer Outreach Coordinator
Ben Hanna, Community Programs Manager
Emika Abe, School Administrator
Katie Riemann, Registrar
Hannah Lennett, Education Fellow
Shari McDonald, Education Fellow
faculty
Erica Blue
has a BA in dance/theatre and child development from Sarah Lawrence College. She has taught and performed around the U.S. from La MaMa in New York to the Cleveland Performance Art Festival and won Best of the Fringe in San Francisco and Seattle. Now a mother of two boys, she has redoubled her enthusiasm for teaching young people how to explore their imaginations.
Jon Burnett
has performed in such diverse locations as Hungary, Slovakia and Seattle, as well as locally for Porchlight Theatre Company in Ross, La Luna in San Francisco and Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma. Jon received an MFA in Performance from University of Tennessee’s International Actor Training Academy, where he trained with world-class theatre artists from Argentina, Bulgaria, England, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Russia. He has taught theatre to students ranging from kindergarten to undergraduate college, and found inspiration, profound laughter and empathy at every level. Jon is currently an associate artist for Porchlight Theatre Company.
Rebecca Castelli
holds a BA in voice and theatre, and an MFA in acting. She also dialect coaches for various Bay Area theatres, including Shotgun Players, Theatre Rhinoceros, Town Hall Theatre, Mendocino Theatre Company and Ross Valley Players.
Steven Epp
is an actor, writer, director and was co-artistic director at Theatre de la Jeune Lune, winner of the 2005 Tony award for Best Regional Theatre, from 1983–2008. In his 25 years with Jeune Lune, Steven collaborated in the creation and performance of over 50 productions. Acting credits include title roles in Tartuffe, Crusoe, Hamlet, Gulliver, Figaro and The Miser; and other major roles. Steven has appeared regionally at The Guthrie Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, The La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Trinity Repertory Theatre, The Spoleto Festival, American Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Alley Theatre, Intiman and The New Victory Theatre, off-Broadway. Steven holds a degree in theatre and history from Gustavus Adolphus College. He was a 1999 Fox Fellow and a 2009 McKnight Playwrights Center Theatre Artist Fellow.
Robert Ernst
attended The Writer’s Workshop graduate program at the University of Iowa and went on to become an artist-in-residence there. He has taught creative writing at Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre and A.C.T. He is the co-founder of The Iowa Theatre Lab, The Blake St. Hawkeyes and currently, the band Smooth Toad. Robert has written and developed 10 solo pieces, four pocket operas, three plays, three short stories and two books of poems. He has been nominated for and received awards from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Drama-Logue and Bay Guardian.
Deborah Eubanks
majored in theatre arts at Harold Pinter Studios in England. She has performed with BBC’s Hugh Stoddard and designed and implemented workshops with Stephen Hawking’s company at Covent Garden Arts Center (Cambridge). She has written and directed for London’s Age Exchange, created and produced two teen operettas and has been teaching and directing in the Bay Area for 16 years. Deborah has taught at A.C.T., San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and USF.
Nancy Gold
is the author of Finding Your Funny Bone! The Actor’s Guide to Physical Comedy and Characters. She has taught at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, A.C.T. Young Conservatory, UCLA, Foothill College and throughout the Bay Area in public and private schools. She studied with Jacques LeCoq and Ctibor Turba.
Gary Graves
is a company co-director of Central Works Theater Ensemble in Berkeley. Now in its twelfth season, Central Works is dedicated to the development of new works for the theatre. He has written and directed numerous productions with Central Works, at U.C. Berkeley, Hardback Theater and American Theater Arts in Los Angeles. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University and a PhD in directing from U.C. Berkeley.
Marvin Greene
is a professional actor and has performed with major regional theatres such as A.C.T., Aurora Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre and San Jose Rep. Marvin has been an instructor at A.C.T. since 1994 and also teaches at UC Berkeley and at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
Mundi Gove
is a costume and wig artist with 10 years of professional wig and costume experience on Broadway shows, including Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Amadeus. She creates one-of-a-kind theatrical art dolls. Most recently, Mundi created and directed Color Theatre, a children’s improvisational dance performance workshop. Mundi also taught Project Funway design classes for youth, directed and produced for Yes Theater in Marin. She loves inspiring children to use their creativity and to express themselves through art, design and performance.
Ben Hanna
is an actor, director and artist educator who believes that arts education fuels creative thinkers, produces problem solvers and emboldens leaders. He studied theatre and youth development at the University of Minnesota and has performed and instructed at The Children’s Theatre Company, SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development and Penumbra Theatre Company. Ben is new to the Bay Area and now works at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre as the community programs manager.
Ben Johnson
has worked as a professional performer and teacher since 1997. Recently, he was cast as Bill Irwin’s understudy in the title role of Scapin at A.C.T. He has also appeared as a featured clown in Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria, as Merrick in The Elephant Man and as a company member of BATS Improv. Ben holds an MA in teaching from Brown University and has taught for the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, BATS Improv, Cal Shakes, Pixar University, TheatreWorks, Mills College, Berkeley Playhouse, UCSD, URI, Wheaton College, the ArtsLiteracy Project at Brown University and at public and private schools in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and California.
Ken Kelleher
is artistic director of Pacific Repertory Theatre and resident director at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. He has been a director in the Bay Area for the past 25 years, having worked at San Jose Rep, San Jose Stage Company, TheatreWorks, Sacramento Theatre Company and Cal Shakes.
Devon LaBelle
received her BA in theatre and creative writing from The University of Puget Sound. In the Bay Area, she designs properties for TheatreFIRST and has worked with Bay Area Children’s Theatre on the school tour of Strega Nona. She has held internships at Berkeley Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville. While in Kentucky she worked with Walden Theatre Conservatory as a director and playwriting teacher.
Julian López-Morillas
is well known in the Bay Area as a professional actor and director specializing in Shakespeare. He holds the rare distinction of having appeared in professional productions of all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays, and has directed some 20 of them. He had a long association with California Shakespeare Theater and served as its Associate Artistic Director for several years. Julian has taught Shakespeare as literature at Mills College and classical acting technique at UC Berkeley, San Jose State, Foothill College, Solano College and Dominican College.
Dave Maier
has composed fights for Berkeley Rep, A.C.T., Shotgun Players, Cal Shakes, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, La Jolla Playhouse, the Cutting Ball Theatre, SF Playhouse, Impact Theatre and Berkeley Opera. He is a full instructor of theatrical combat with Dueling Arts International and outreach coordinator at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.
Marilet Martinez
is a San Francisco native, actor, teaching artist, massage therapist, certified stage combatant, puppeteer, dancer and supporter of the arts. She has originated roles for Crowded Fire, Impact Theatre and Teatro Vision. She has also performed with Cal Shakes, Cutting Ball Theatre, Brava Theater, Woman’s Will, African American Shakespeare Company, Shadowlight Productions, Custom Made Theatre Company and SF Playwrights Foundation. She is currently working on an original ensemble piece with Cutting Ball called Tonlawald.
Patricia Miller
brings a diversity of experience to theatre directing, teaching and acting. Her work has been seen all over the U.K., including Edinburgh premieres, Europe and California. She has an MFA in directing from UC Davis. U.S. directing credits include The Magic Theatre, UC Riverside, UC Davis, Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and Teatro Zinzanni. U.K. directing credits include Mountview Theatre School, National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, New Playwrights Festival, Riverside Studios and the Edinburgh Festival. Patricia’s teaching credits include UC Riverside, UC Davis, Berkeley City College, San Francisco City College, California Shakespeare Festival, Aurora Theatre Education and the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. She holds an MFA in directing from UC Davis.
Alex Moggridge
is an actor/playwright based in the Bay Area. He has acted with such companies as A.C.T., Berkeley Rep and San Jose Repertory Theatre, among others. His play The Squirrel appeared in New York’s prestigious Summer Play Festival and has received workshops at Boise Contemporary Theatre and New York’s Rude Mechanicals Theater Company. Alex is a member of PlayGround’s writing pool, and his 10-minute play Pishpurt was produced in the Emerging Playwright’s Festival. Alex holds an MFA in acting from A.C.T.
Michael Navarra
works as a SAG/AEA actor in both theatre and film. He has played leading roles with TheatreWorks, B Street Theatre, Traveling Jewish Theatre, Word for Word, Pacific Repertory Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Central Works, Pacific Alliance Stage Company and the San Francisco and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals. Michael earned an MFA from the University of Washington and has taught at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre and Napa Valley College.
Madeleine Oldham
is Berkeley Rep’s resident dramaturg and literary manager. She also supervises the Theatre’s commissioning program. She has served as literary manager and associate dramaturg at Baltimore’s CenterStage. Before moving to Baltimore, Madeleine was based in Seattle, working as the literary manager at Seattle Children’s Theatre, as well as assistant and interim literary manager at Intiman Theatre. She acted as treasurer of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas for two years, and as its US-based vice president international for another two.
Christopher Peak
holds a BFA in acting from the professional conservatory at Cornish College of the Arts and an MFA in theatre from UC Davis. He has worked extensively in regional theatres, comedy clubs, burlesque houses, fringe festivals, film, television and has worked with Bertolt Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble, The English Company, Trevis and Co., Seattle Rep Theatre, Intiman Theatre and Sacramento Theatre Company and most recently in the English production of Peter Pan 360° in San Francisco. His work as part of the updated editing of Arden’s publishing of Romeo and Juliet is discussed in the Cambridge publication of Worthen’s book, Shakespeare and the Force of Modern Performance.
Lisa Anne Porter
is a designated Linklater voice instructor and is currently teaching at UC Davis. She has also taught at A.C.T., Cal Shakes, Shakespeare & Company, Syracuse University and Naropa University. She has performed with numerous repertory companies and Shakespeare festivals including A.C.T., SF Shakes, Cal Shakes and Shakespeare Santa Cruz.
Amy Potozkin
is in her 20th season with Berkeley Rep, where she serves as artistic associate and casting director. She has cast for the Aurora Theatre Company, ACT/Seattle, San Jose Rep, Marin Theatre Company, A Traveling Jewish Theatre and The Conversation, produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Her film casting credits include Conceiving Ada, starring Tilda Swinton, and the Josh Kornbluth film Haiku Tunnel.
Diane Rachel
has been performing and teaching at BATS Improv since 1989. She created a specialty long-form program with a focus on intimate acting and stage combat, which has attracted an international following. She has led workshops in Melbourne, Paris, Amsterdam and Helsinki and has taught at A.C.T. and Stanford. Diane is a founding member of San Francisco improv group True Fiction Magazine.
Elyse Shafarman
has an MA in physiological psychology and is an AmSAT Certified Alexander Technique Teacher. Elyse teaches the Alexander Technique to actors in training at A.C.T.’s MFA program and has a private practice in San Francisco and Berkeley. Her background includes a 10-year career as a modern dancer and training in a wide array of movement disciplines including Gyrotonics, Svaroopa Yoga, Body-Mind Centering and Feldenkrais. She has taught Alexander Technique at schools and worksites throughout the Bay Area, including A.C.T.’s Summer Training Congress, Elephant Pharmacy, The French American International High School, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and San Francisco State University.
Rebecca Stockley
is co-founder of BATS Improv in San Francisco. She has been teaching and performing improv since the mid ‘80s and has created improvisation training for numerous theatre training programs. Rebecca attended the University of Washington Professional Actor Training Program, and her company brings improvisation to business training, working with companies as diverse as Nordstrom, Apple Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios.
James Wagner
has studied and taught paratheatrical techniques of various kinds for the past four years. He is also a classically trained MFA graduate from A.C.T. He works professionally as an actor in LA and the Bay Area in theatre, film and television. His current interest is in how to bring depth, power and poetry to every piece of material he engages.
school of theatre
major sponsors
The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation / The Mosse Foundation for Education and the Arts / The Woodlawn Foundation
