FOUNDERS

Julio Agustin (Hons), 2017, is a director/choreographer who has performed in the Broadway companies of Fosse, Steel Pier, Never Gonna Dance, Bells Are Ringing, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Chicago. His book, The Professional Actor's Handbook: From Casting Call to Curtain Call, was released by Rowman & Littlefield in 2017. Award nominations: Audelco Award, Best Director (Sweet Charity @ New Haarlem Arts Theatre, NYC); Syracuse Area Live Theatre, Best Choreographer (In the Heights @ Hangar Theatre); the Shelfer Eminent Scholar Chair from the Florida State University. Julio holds a Bachelor of Music, Florida State; MFA in Directing, Penn State; and is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Music Theatre at Elon University. Member: SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA, ATHE www.julioagustin.com

Zac Bradford (Hons), 2015, is an Australian singing teacher. He holds an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from New York University, where he was mentored by Dr. Brian Gill, and a MMusSt (Voice Pedagogy), GDipMus, and BMus (Jazz Voice) from QLD Conservatorium of Music (Australia). He worked as Adjunct Faculty at NYU Steinhardt, and as a Voice Teacher Associate at New York Vocal Coaching. Zac now heads NY Vocal Coaching AUSTRALIA, the first international branch of NYVC, and teaches in the Jazz Department at Griffith University, Queensland Conservatorium. On stage, he has worked professionally as a gig singer, performing in a wide variety of styles. He is passionate about seeking a holistic, integrative, evidence-based approach to voice training, where detailed scientific information is mindfully linked with practical application. Zac has been published in the Fusion Journal (2019), and his research with Dr. Joan Melton and Jessica Lee is in the Journal of Voice (2020, 2021).  http://australia.newyorkvocalcoaching.com/

I Putu Budiawan (Hons), 2014, is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre (Acting) at Victoria College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia. Formerly Head of Voice and Speech at Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore, he is a Certified Integrative Studies Practitioner, an Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework®, an UNESCO Designated Master Teacher of Maskwork, the first African American Ceremonial Mask Dancer of Bali, and a member of the Asian Pacific Bureau. He teaches Mask Work, Fitzmaurice Voicework®, Michael Chekhov, Clown, Viewpoints, and Grotowski Technique. He coached Michelle Williams for her Academy Award nominated performance in Ang Lee's movie Brokeback Mountain. He is a PhD candidate at Goldsmiths University of London and will complete the degree at University of Melbourne.

Kristen Calgaro (Hons), 2020, is a New York-based actor, director and educator. A proud member of AEA and an Artistic Associate with NY Classical Theatre, her recent NYC acting credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (NYCT) and Mourning Becomes Electra (Target Margin Theater, NYT Critics’ Pick). Kristen has directed for New York Theater Festival, Amios’ SHOTZ! series, and RULE OF at The TANK. She has a background in dance, yoga, and meditation, and is passionate about healing the nervous system to make space for more authentic communication. Kristen believes that mindfulness of the body and breath empowers us to use our voices more truthfully, both as artists and as human beings. She is an academic tutor with Compass Education Group and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia with a BA in Religious Studies and Spanish. www.kristencalgaro.com

Sammi Grant (Hons) 2015, she/her/hers, is a Chicago-based dialect/vocal coach and voice/speech teacher. Chicago theatres she has worked with include: Goodman Theatre, Timeline Theatre, Drury Lane, Porchlight Music Theatre, Gift Theatre, Windy City Playhouse, First Folio Theatre, Rivendell Theatre, and many more. Film/TV credits
include: Rescued by Ruby (Netflix); Patriot (Amazon Prime); The Exorcist (Fox). Sammi teaches voice/speech in The Theatre School at DePaul University, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Access Acting Academy. She holds an MFA, with Distinction, in Voice Studies from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London. Sammi is a proud member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), where she served on the Junior Board and 2021 Conference Planning Team, and is currently a member of the EDIA+ Committee and the Educore Leadership Team.  www.sammigrant.com

Crystal Hanson (Hons) 2021, is located in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. She runs a private voice studio and has been teaching private and group classes for 25 years. She also teaches musical theatre classes for the Foote Theatre School, Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. Crystal toured throughout Western Canada in musicals and worked on the original production of The Caravan, which was written and produced in Prague, Czech Republic. She toured with the Alberta Opera for four seasons and played a major role in creating/directing its Artist in Residency Program. Crystal is currently completing a Masters in Voice Pedagogy from the University of Wales and has recently launched a new voice work and coaching service, Voice Body Works. She is a member of local Edmonton show bands The Scoundrels and Dash Rip Rock and is thrilled to have completed her One Voice Certification!

James Harrison (Hons), 2014 is an Australian theatre maker, writer, and in-demand performance coach based in Tasmania. He teaches voice at Launceston College, is a teacher/director for the Launceston Youth Theatre Ensemble, and coaches on the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts' (WAAPA) summer programs. He is a proud graduate of The University of Tasmania's School of Visual and Performing Arts and a certified practitioner in Integrative Studies (Hons), One Voice Centre, New York. James also has his own recognized approach to actor training that has been taught both interstate and overseas. His ongoing practice suggests that many of the exigencies of performance could be addressed by implementing key elements of Kendo, a Japanese martial art, and he has devised a series of exercises that explore those concepts. Pivotal to the approach is the idea that increasing demands on vocalization in training prepares the performer for easier vocalization in performance.  https://youtu.be/wKq2uR4RLs8

Dr. Robert Lewis (Hons), 2017, is a Lecturer in Acting for Stage and Screen at the School of Communication and Creative Industries, Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia. From 2004 - 2016, he lectured in the Theatre Program at Tasmanian College of the Arts, University of Tasmania (UTAS). He is a graduate of UTAS (BPA and PhD), Monash University (BA Hons), RMIT (Education), and NIDA (Grad. Dip. Dramatic Art - Voice Studies). His PhD focused on intercultural performance training aesthetics and integrative practices. He is a director, theatre maker, and voice/movement teacher who is passionate about integrating voice with various movement and physical theatre practices. He has trained in the Suzuki Method and in Butoh, has published theatre performances and training films through Contemporary Arts Media (Artfilms), and has written articles on the subject of voice/movement integration. He is Director of the Voice Theatre Lab and its associated company, Persona Collective.

Maggie Pitts (Hons), 2016, is an actor, writer, director and choreographer. Over the past two decades, Maggie has worked professionally around the United States and United Kingdom performing in musicals, revues, solo vocal concerts, and dance performances. She holds a Masters with Distinction in Musical Theatre from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has served on the theatre faculties of Wagner College and Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Most recently, Maggie conceived and created Let it Be, a musical featuring the music and lyrics of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The show was originally performed at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, with Maggie as Director and Choreographer, and is available to license through Broadway Licensing. Maggie is currently living in the Boston area with her wonderful husband and two beautiful boys.

Tyler McKenzie (Hons), 2020, is an actor and singer from Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was born with a love of storytelling and made his stage debut at age 9 in a production of A Christmas Carol. He also loved acting for the camera and collaborated with fellow creatives in the production of short films. Tyler pursued a theatre degree at DeSales University, where he worked with M. Night Shyamalan as a stand-in on the film Glass. That experience inspired him to explore the film industry in California. Currently, he studies singing with Mary Saunders-Barton, (US), and acting with Mel Churcher (UK). Credits range from music theatre to national cable TV. Tyler has a special love for Disney, and worked for The Walt Disney Company as a character in the Star Wars-themed land Galaxy’s Edge. When he is not acting, he develops creative projects, inspiring people to dream, and cultivating the power of imagination through storytelling. www.thetylermckenzie.com

Amanda Wansa Morgan, 2014, is an Atlanta-based music director, composer, director, and actor serving as Coordinator of Musical Theatre and Associate Professor at Kennesaw State University.. At KSU, she has directed Ragtime, Heathers, A Man of No Importance, and music directed Bring It On, and Thumbelina (world premiere). She was previously on faculty at The University of Mississippi, and has worked on a wide range of productions with theatre companies across the US. Amanda has an MFA in Acting from The University of Central Florida and degrees in Music and Theatre from Florida State University. She holds a Certificate of Figure Proficiency, Estill Voice Systems, was Secretary to the Executive Committee, Musical Theatre Educators Alliance (MTNA), and is author of “Women in CCM” (Contemporary Commercial Music) in the NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing)-sponsored, Rowan & Littlefield book, So You Want to Sing Music by Women.  www.amandawansamorgan.com

Erica Northcott, 2014, Canadian soprano, is an active performer in choral, early music, oratorio, operetta, musical theatre, contemporary theatre and commercial music. She has worked in North and South America, Europe and Japan, and is a member of EnChor and the Phoenix Chamber Choir. Erica is Head of Voice for the Music Department at Douglas College, Westminster, and is certified in Somatic Voicework™ the LoVetri Method. A graduate of the University of British Columbia, she is a member of NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) and ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), adjudicates at festivals throughout western Canada, teaches privately, and leads a variety of workshops for singers.

Sara Paar, 2014, soprano, is an enthusiastic performer of contemporary classical music, opera, vocal dance, and music theatre. Hailed as “astonishing,” Dr. Paar is a favorite with composers and has performed both traditional and new works with ensembles in the US, including Ensemble 365, One World Symphony, and The Choral Society of the Hamptons. Recent performances and recordings include works by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Marga Richter, Roscoe Mitchell, and Clarice Assad. Originally from Wisconsin, Sara completed her doctorate in music at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her dissertation, inspired by work with Joan Melton, investigates the neurology of speaking and singing and the impact that knowledge has on the technique of Sprechstimme and other speech-song techniques. www.sarapaar.com

Nick Salamone (Hons), 2020, is the author of twelve multi-award winning full-length plays. He has acted in almost eighty productions in NYC Off and Off Off Broadway, in Los Angeles and the UK, and is the recipient of the Playwrights’ Arena Award for Outstanding Contribution to the LA Theatre Community. He has been nominated for Britain’s Stage Award as Best Actor at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival, as well as for the LA Weekly Award, four times for the BSW Garland Award, and won the NYC Summerfest Best Actor Award. Nick is an Associate Artist with Playwrights’ Arena and an Artistic Associate with New York Classical Theatre, where he has performed in 16 productions. He graduated summa cum laude, phi beta kappa, from Tufts University with dual degrees in Drama and English, studied for seven years at HB Studios, and has been taught by Joan Melton, Patsy Rodenburg, Alfred Molina, Geraldine Page and Steven Strimpell.

Noémi Sárog (Hons) 2021, is a Los Angeles-based Hungarian actress, singer and dancer. She studied classical music (piano and singing) and acting in Hungary, then transferred to Atlantic Acting School Full-time Conservatory, from where she graduated in 2018. Since then, she has studied voice with Francine Zerfas and Joan Melton, and singing with Zac Bradford. Noémi originated the role of Alma in the world premiere musical Captain Filthy Fred at La Mama Summer Program (Pilvax Productions). You can hear her as the Songstress, an opera singer, in Enoptromancy, or When We Meet As One, a film by Michael Seebold. She recently produced Algorithm, an audio drama podcast with her theatre company: Floor Five Theatre, and is currently working on a new audio book: Things that Go Bump in the Night. Noémi is very grateful to be part of the One Voice Practitioner community. Her mantra is: Share the love, share the knowledge. www.noemisarog.com

Elizabeth Smith (Hons), 2017, is a Theatre Arts educator formerly in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she taught acting and musical theatre courses at Parkland High School and served on the Pennsylvania State International Thespian Board. She has worked on over seventy-five high school and community productions, serving as director, choreographer, and costumer, and is passionate about integrating voice and movement in the classroom. She is a Certified Margolis Teacher, as well as One Voice Practitioner. In 2021, Elizabeth moved to Sarasota, Florida, where she is excited to pursue new endeavors in the classroom and on the stage.

Jennifer Spencer (Hons), 2014, is an Edmonton-based Actor, Director, Playwright, and Voice/Text Coach. A multiple Sterling nominee, she is the adaptor and director of the wildly successful Maggie-Now Cycle of Plays. Jennifer is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and the Theatre Arts Program of MacEwan University. Her article, “Performance Arts Training in the Era of #metoo”, won Forum Article of the Year, Voice And Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), 2019. Jennifer is sessional faculty in the Theatre Arts Program, MacEwan University, where in 2019, she was nominated for a Distinguished Teaching Award. In addition, she teaches at the Foote Theatre School, Citadel Theatre, and St. Alberts Children’s Theatre School, and maintains a small private studio. Her latest play, Enchanted Antlers, received a 2019 Edmonton Community Foundation grant, and in 2020, she brought an online version of the play to Alberta schools and senior centres: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJTF1vj19wQ

Caitlyn Stirling, 2017, is an Australian Certified Practicing Speech Pathologist, Theatre Practitioner, and Voice Teacher. She is a graduate of the University of Canberra, attaining her Masters in Speech Pathology in 2021. Caitlyn is also a graduate of The Tasmanian College of the Arts, UTAS, with a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts (Honours) in Theatre. In her work as a Speech Pathologist, Caitlyn has developed a keen interest in research, specialising in neurogenic communication, voice disorders, head and neck treatment, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Dysphagia, and Neurodiversity Affirming Practice. With Caitlyn’s love for voice, performance, and research, she has devoted her spare time to exploring heavy metal screaming as it relates to a range of theatre genres, and works with performance artists to prevent and treat voice disorders. Finally, Caitlyn still manages to work both on and off the stage as an actor, teacher, stage manager, and director with theatre companies in Tasmania.

Petra Valman (Hons), 2020, is an opera singer, speech and language therapist, voice teacher, entertainer and project manager in Sweden. She is a freelance creative coloratura soprano who integrates singing, acting and movements in her opera projects on stage. She also manages her own artistic projects and has sung opera roles including Violetta, Poppea and Gretchen. Petra has written two librettos herself—about motherhood and about loneliness—in operas for children. She also sings other genres, like jazz, musical theatre and ballads. In the field of teaching, Petra gives courses on breathing techniques, singing technique, articulation, and voice and movement for both adults and children. She is an experienced speech and language therapist, treating children with acquired brain injuries and with developmental language disorders. www.petravalman.se

Janet Van Wess, 2017, teaches four comprehensive levels of acting and theatre arts in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. A native New Yorker, prior to beginning her teaching career Janet worked professionally in several genres of theatre performance in New York, Chicago and Portland. She is excited to continue her education in voice, acting and movement as she prepares to leave the realm of public education and return to private and professional endeavors.

Jack Wallace (Hons), 2015, is an experienced dialect coach from England, based in Los Angeles. With over 10 Million combined views on his videos for Buzzfeed and a private coaching practice, Jack specializes in coaching professional actors with all accents for their roles, on set coaching and working with idiolects. Known for his warmth and precision, Jack has become an in-demand coach for a broad range of projects from films and television to theatre and commercials. An expert advisor for news outlets such as CNN, Entertainment Tonight!, Buzzfeed, IGN and Insider Jack is the go-to specialist for accent questions within the film industry. Formally trained, with a Master’s in Professional Voice Practice from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Jack draws from a strong technical knowledge of the voice to distill the key features of an accent to prepare actors for any role. www.accentcoachjack.com

Colton Weiss (Hons) 2021, is an actor, teacher, scholar, and dialect coach based in Columbus, Ohio. He has worked on and off stage in productions ranging from musical theater and classic opera to outdoor Shakespeare. Favorite credits include: Columbus Children’s Theatre (Newsies - Dir. Joe Deer), Opera Columbus (Verdi’s Rigoletto with the Columbus Symphony), Actors’ Theatre of Columbus (Robin Hood, Sense and Sensibility, et. al), Tecumseh Drama (The Winter’s Tale), and A.R.T.@Oberon (Violet the Musical - Dir. Sammi Cannold). Colton’s research and creative interests include dialect coaching for musical theater and mental health advocacy for the performing arts (Mental Health First Aid and Theatrical Intimacy Education). He currently works at Ohio State University as an Academic Advisor/Lecturer and offers private coaching and training through his business, CW Coaching. He is a proud graduate of Ohio State and A.R.T./Harvard University and member of MTEA, ATHE, and VASTA. coltonweiss.com.