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FACULTY
Faculty - Musical Theater Department
Lori Conley, Acting, received her BFA from Syracuse University and has studied both in New York City and London. Throughout her career she has been an actor, director and playwright. She has performed on stage and appeared in television, film and industrials. She recently performed the role of Emily Whitman in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies for the River Rep Company at the Ivoryton Playhouse. For over three years her voice could be heard in the tri-weekly fitness report on WNCN radio in NYC. Lori has written and directed plays for the Norfeldt Classical Magnet School and the New England Academy of Theatre. Lori has also worked as actor and director for the Short & NEAT Play Festival in New Haven, CT.
Julia Kiley, Musical Theater Rep. History of Musical Theater, spent some two decades in NYC where she trained at the Circle in the Square Theater and later obtained a MA in Theater at Hunter College. In New York, she was a company member of Stephen Sondheim’s original production of “Assassins” and her career has included work in regional theaters around the country. She currently serves as an actor/ director/producer with the Ivoryton Playhouse. Other local work has been with the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury.
Heidi Kirchofer, Musical Theater Somatics, a mover, performance artist, percussionist and teacherhas traveled internationally as part of the circus-based duo Matica. Heidi has studied various forms of dance, movement and yoga including Taoist and elementally based yoga practices. She also practices/studies Capoeira, cultural dances, unicycling, manipulation of various props and stilt-walking. She draws wisdom of the moving body from these many ancient practices as well her own somatic experiments. She is the Artistic Director of the fire troupe Sonic Fire.
Carolyn Kirsch, Guest Faculty, has appeared in 15 Broadway musicals over a 21 year period of performing in New York City. During that time she worked extensively both for Director/Choreographer Michael Bennet and Bob Fosse. For Mr. Fosse she appeared in both the first national and Broadway productions of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Sweet Charity,” and the first national company of “Chicago,” in which she replaced Chita Rivera. For Mr. Bennet, Carolyn appeared in the Broadway companies of “Promises, Promises,” “Coco,” “Company,” and “A Chorus Line.” Carolyn is the Musical Theater Department Chair for Center for Creative Youth at Wesleyan and has served on the faculty of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Hartford Children’s Theatre.
Marshall (Rusty) Raynor,Voice and Diction, Movement For Actors, Vocal Coaching, is a graduate of Boston University's General College and School of Public Relations, with a major in Theater and Speech; he studied ballet at the Boston Conservatory under Jan Veen; he has completed musical studies in theory, voice, and opera at Boston's New England Conservatory under Ernst Possony, Boris Goldovsky, and Sarah Caldwell. Some of his most notable singing teachers have been Mario del Monaco, Max Lorenz, Claude Heater, Adam Petroski, Chloe Owen. He has had acting training under Lee Strassberg at Actor's Studio in New York, as well as clown, body movement and improvisation training with Rita Scaturati, Franz Bogner, Martin Bauman in Germany, pantomime and mime training with Walter Bartussek, in Vienna, Austria. Marshall Raynor sang dramatic tenor leading parts on famous stages like Covent Garden Royal Opera House, opera, musical theaters and televised events in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, throughout Germany, in Marseille, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Israel, and here, in Boston and San Francisco. He has had a long acting and directing career in Europe, both in German-language productions, as well as in American theaters or motion pictures. In the past two decades, he has devoted some of his artistic efforts to teaching aspiring or confirmed singers and performers, both in private and in educational establishments, such as the Munich University's Academy of Music and Theater, the American Institute of Musical Studies, in workshops sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera in Tel Aviv, Israel, and in New York. For many years, Marshall paralleled his singing and acting career with that of Rusty-the-Clown, his chosen name for the professional, improvisation clown.
Phil Rittner, Vocal Coaching, has directed music for The Deckhouse Cabaret, Southwest Harbor, ME, Centennial Theater Festival production of The Big Bang, Hartford Children’s Theatre, Warner Theater in Torrington, CT- production of Damn Yankees, Seven Angels Theater, Waterbury, CT, Polka Dot Playhouse, Bridgeport, CT, and others. Phil was Musical Director and co-creator of the Musical Theater Department at the Center for Creative Youth, Wesleyan University. He has accompanied numerous musical productions, was Organist and Choir Master for St. Michael’s Episcopalian Church and Accompanist and Vocal Coach for the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
Emily Sternfeld-Dunn, Voice and Diction, vocal coaching, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in music with an emphasis in piano performance from California State University, Hayward where she graduated magna cum laude. She also has a Master of Arts degree in music with emphases in piano and vocal performance from Washington State University, Pullman. Ms. Sternfeld-Dunn is currently working on a Graduate Professional Diploma at the Hartt School in Connecticut in vocal performance. She has joined the faculty of The Hartford Conservatory in Spring of 2007 and is currently teaching vocal and diction for actors in the Musical Theater Department.
Debra Walsh, Guest Faculty, brings over 25 years of professional work as an actor, producer and theatre arts educator to her students. Some of this experience includes: core faculty in the Theater Department at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, co-producer at Capital Classics Theater and the Central Connecticut Shakespeare Summer Theater Festival. She is in the Acting Repertory Company as well as its Education Director.
Lori Conley, Acting, received her BFA from Syracuse University and has studied both in New York City and London. Throughout her career she has been an actor, director and playwright. She has performed on stage and appeared in television, film and industrials. She recently performed the role of Emily Whitman in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies for the River Rep Company at the Ivoryton Playhouse. For over three years her voice could be heard in the tri-weekly fitness report on WNCN radio in NYC. Lori has written and directed plays for the Norfeldt Classical Magnet School and the New England Academy of Theatre. Lori has also worked as actor and director for the Short & NEAT Play Festival in New Haven, CT.
Julia Kiley, Musical Theater Rep. History of Musical Theater, spent some two decades in NYC where she trained at the Circle in the Square Theater and later obtained a MA in Theater at Hunter College. In New York, she was a company member of Stephen Sondheim’s original production of “Assassins” and her career has included work in regional theaters around the country. She currently serves as an actor/ director/producer with the Ivoryton Playhouse. Other local work has been with the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury.
Heidi Kirchofer, Musical Theater Somatics, a mover, performance artist, percussionist and teacherhas traveled internationally as part of the circus-based duo Matica. Heidi has studied various forms of dance, movement and yoga including Taoist and elementally based yoga practices. She also practices/studies Capoeira, cultural dances, unicycling, manipulation of various props and stilt-walking. She draws wisdom of the moving body from these many ancient practices as well her own somatic experiments. She is the Artistic Director of the fire troupe Sonic Fire.
Carolyn Kirsch, Guest Faculty, has appeared in 15 Broadway musicals over a 21 year period of performing in New York City. During that time she worked extensively both for Director/Choreographer Michael Bennet and Bob Fosse. For Mr. Fosse she appeared in both the first national and Broadway productions of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Sweet Charity,” and the first national company of “Chicago,” in which she replaced Chita Rivera. For Mr. Bennet, Carolyn appeared in the Broadway companies of “Promises, Promises,” “Coco,” “Company,” and “A Chorus Line.” Carolyn is the Musical Theater Department Chair for Center for Creative Youth at Wesleyan and has served on the faculty of the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Hartford Children’s Theatre.
Marshall (Rusty) Raynor,Voice and Diction, Movement For Actors, Vocal Coaching, is a graduate of Boston University's General College and School of Public Relations, with a major in Theater and Speech; he studied ballet at the Boston Conservatory under Jan Veen; he has completed musical studies in theory, voice, and opera at Boston's New England Conservatory under Ernst Possony, Boris Goldovsky, and Sarah Caldwell. Some of his most notable singing teachers have been Mario del Monaco, Max Lorenz, Claude Heater, Adam Petroski, Chloe Owen. He has had acting training under Lee Strassberg at Actor's Studio in New York, as well as clown, body movement and improvisation training with Rita Scaturati, Franz Bogner, Martin Bauman in Germany, pantomime and mime training with Walter Bartussek, in Vienna, Austria. Marshall Raynor sang dramatic tenor leading parts on famous stages like Covent Garden Royal Opera House, opera, musical theaters and televised events in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, throughout Germany, in Marseille, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Israel, and here, in Boston and San Francisco. He has had a long acting and directing career in Europe, both in German-language productions, as well as in American theaters or motion pictures. In the past two decades, he has devoted some of his artistic efforts to teaching aspiring or confirmed singers and performers, both in private and in educational establishments, such as the Munich University's Academy of Music and Theater, the American Institute of Musical Studies, in workshops sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera in Tel Aviv, Israel, and in New York. For many years, Marshall paralleled his singing and acting career with that of Rusty-the-Clown, his chosen name for the professional, improvisation clown.
Phil Rittner, Vocal Coaching, has directed music for The Deckhouse Cabaret, Southwest Harbor, ME, Centennial Theater Festival production of The Big Bang, Hartford Children’s Theatre, Warner Theater in Torrington, CT- production of Damn Yankees, Seven Angels Theater, Waterbury, CT, Polka Dot Playhouse, Bridgeport, CT, and others. Phil was Musical Director and co-creator of the Musical Theater Department at the Center for Creative Youth, Wesleyan University. He has accompanied numerous musical productions, was Organist and Choir Master for St. Michael’s Episcopalian Church and Accompanist and Vocal Coach for the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.
Emily Sternfeld-Dunn, Voice and Diction, vocal coaching, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in music with an emphasis in piano performance from California State University, Hayward where she graduated magna cum laude. She also has a Master of Arts degree in music with emphases in piano and vocal performance from Washington State University, Pullman. Ms. Sternfeld-Dunn is currently working on a Graduate Professional Diploma at the Hartt School in Connecticut in vocal performance. She has joined the faculty of The Hartford Conservatory in Spring of 2007 and is currently teaching vocal and diction for actors in the Musical Theater Department.
Debra Walsh, Guest Faculty, brings over 25 years of professional work as an actor, producer and theatre arts educator to her students. Some of this experience includes: core faculty in the Theater Department at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, co-producer at Capital Classics Theater and the Central Connecticut Shakespeare Summer Theater Festival. She is in the Acting Repertory Company as well as its Education Director.
