THERESE WALDEN-MURPHY
Director of Education
Director of Uptown Studio for the Performing Arts, which she founded in 2009, Therese is a professional actress who has performed in New York City, Los Angeles as well as regional theaters across the country. She holds an MFA in Classical Theatre from the Old Globe Theater Professional Actor Training Program and has been seen and heard in Commercials, Voice-overs, TV, Soap Operas, Industrials, Film, and on Stage. Therese joined the closing cast of the 1997 Broadway Company of Annie as Martin Charnin’s assistant director and continued on with the National Tour. Therese received a Best Actress Dramalogue Award for her work as Grace in Annie and was nominated for a Best Actress Robby Award for her work as Fiona in Brigadoon, both while working in Los Angeles. In addition to performing Therese has taught Musical Theatre, Shakespeare, Acting and Speech for over 30 years at many theaters and performing arts schools across the country. Therese is a proud member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA.
Therese@uptownwestchester.org
MAGGIE O’CONNOR
Teacher
Maggie is a Philadelphia-based theatre artist/educator and recent graduate from Rowan University where she received an MST in Theatre Education (2021) and BA in Theatre (2020). While Maggie has been performing since she was a little girl, her passion is in the classroom. She has worked with students from age 4 into adulthood, and has taught theatre and improv at The Garden State Discovery Museum (Cherry Hill, NJ), Cooper Medical School (Camden, NJ), Community Music School (Trappe, PA), Levoy Theatre (Millville, NJ), Southern NJ Performing Arts Academy (Sewell, NJ) and of course, Uptown!
Maggie uses theatre as a way to help her students become more confident, empathetic, and well-rounded human beings.
KENNEDY BERNARD
Education Coordinator &
Stage Manager
Kennedy Bernard has been involved in the performing arts since the first grade when she first fell in love with the art of performing. She began by taking acting classes and being part of the cast for shows. She then began stage managing at 16 and teaching classes at 20. She has been with the resident theater school, Uptown Studio, since 2012 and has loved every second of it.
Kennedy is thrilled to be part of the team bringing the arts to West Chester and to grow with Uptown!
Kennedy@uptownwestchester.org
SCOTT ANTHONY
Musical Director
Scott Anthony began piano lessons at age 4 and toured the country with the American Boy choir as a youngster, and has continued his passion for music ever since. Scott was the music director at Media Theatre for the 2013-2014 season, and continues playing keyboard and music directing local theatre. He teaches and conducts shows for the theater program at Malvern Preparatory school, and serves as Music Director at Cresheim Valley Church in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia.
SUSAN BARBELLA
Susan Barbella is a career singing coach, music director, and performer. She has given private vocal instruction to students 8 years through adults at N.J. Schools of Music, Zaph’s in Philadelphia, as well as in her home. She’s been a part of the vibrant UPTOWN community for the past year and a half. Susan taught general classroom music for 7 years, most recently at Cardinal Foley Elementary. And for 14 years, and counting, is a vocal coach and music director at Camp Curtain Call, a summer theatre camp for ages 4-14. Her music directing credits with the St. Genesius Theatre Society include Jr. Broadway shows such as Lion King, Dear Edwina, Mary Poppins, and James and the Giant Peach. Susan began performing with wedding and party bands at 18, and went on to front jazz trios as well as big bands such as the City Rhythm Orchestra. Susan holds a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Vocal performance from Temple University.
KAYLA BOWE
Hailing from Swedesboro, New Jersey, Kayla is an actor, director, designer, and educator. As a recent graduate from Rowan University where she received an MST in Theatre Education (2023) and BA in Theatre Arts (2022). Having worked with students ages 4 to adulthood, Kayla always aims to foster curiosity and creativity for those in the rehearsal space and empower her students through language and literature in the theatre classroom. Teaching and learning are lifetime sports!
NICK CASTILLO
Nicholas Castillo saw his first theatrical production in 2nd grade and has been enthralled with the theater ever since. Between all the years of auditioning and volunteering in the arts, he decided that being in the theater is a cornerstone of his life. After graduating from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Theatre, he has been in shows on and off, up and down the east coast, but is happy to call Uptown Performing Arts his home. Nick is excited for his time at Uptown and cannot wait to help others enjoy the arts as much as he does.
Nick@uptownwestchester.org
MICHELLE EUGENE
Michelle Eugene: Actor, singer, performance coach, voice therapist and teacher; MFA in Classical Acting at the Shakespeare Theatre’s Academy for Classical Acting at GWU; member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA; Adjunct Instructor at Westminster Choir College; Acting Coach and Teacher for the Willson Vocal Academy; Certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework; Licensed Speech Language Pathologist. Michelle has performed onstage appearing with companies at the Wilma, Mauckingbird, Gas & Electric Arts, Cape May Stage, and Peterborough Players, among others, and was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role for her work at the Metropolitan Playhouse. Favorite roles include Brooke in Other Desert Cities, Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Goneril in King Lear, Anna in The Baltimore Waltz, and Velma in Hairspray. She has performed with Tony Award winner James Whitmore and Tony Nominee Forrest McClendon. Michelle’s on-camera work includes the award-winning documentary, Letters from Baghdad and the television series Law & Order: SVU. She has a Vocal Performance degree from the Catholic University of America and a Speech & Hearing Sciences degree from Indiana University Bloomington, but continues to consider herself a lifelong student and feels privileged to be able to share her love of craft and artistry with her own
students.
HEIDI FLIEGELMAN
Sandra Landers-Turner started her teaching and coaching career in 1994 with Rodney Robb at The Actors Center of Philadelphia. She met Rodney and Edie Robb just after graduating from The University of The Arts with a BFA in theatre performance in 1987. During her junior and senior years, Sandra worked closely with speech teacher Allison Green as an assistant speech teacher for the incoming freshmen, teaching standard English pronunciation as well as Shakespeare interpretation. Sandra has traveled all over the United States and Canada with several professional children’s theatre groups, however; after meeting Mr. Robb Sandra fell in love with film and television acting. She has appeared in many films, including, One Fine Day, School Ties, In and Out, and The Lovely Bones. Her Television appearances include Law and Order SVU (ABC), FBI (CBS), The Politician (Netflix), Hightown (Starz) and The Plot Against America (HBO) as Sandra Landers. Sandra has continued her acting career, but her life changed in 2006 when her child Morgan Turner started a career of their own in the film Invincible as Susan Vermeil at the tender age of 5. In 2011 Sandra worked closely with director Todd Haynes coaching Morgan for their role of young Veda on the set of the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. Morgan has continued their acting career landing roles in TV and film, most recently as Young Martha in JUMANJI. Sandra also coached a young Catherine Chan on the set of the Jason Statham movie Safe. Sandra continues to coach Morgan and other young professionals for auditions in film and television working for Mike Lemon Casting in Philadelphia, PA, Uptown Center for the Performing arts in West Chester, PA as well as Station Three Management in New York City. Her students have booked jobs in TV and film including Blue Bloods, New Amsterdam, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Mare of Easttown, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the soon to be aired HBO miniseries Full Circle.
ASHLEY GREENFIELD
Ashley Greenfield began acting at age 10. Success meant keeping an A average in school, remaining honest and good‐natured, and booking to support her travels to NYC for auditions, callbacks, and classes. Almost immediately, she signed a contract with the Ford Modeling Agency and began booking national commercials. She quickly moved into the world of film and theater when she booked her first co-starring role, Simone, in the MGM film “Some Girls.”
By age 15, Ashley was living in NYC and pursuing acting full time. During her 30+ year career as a SAG/AFTRA actress, she filmed over 100 commercials, industrials, music videos, and films. She screen‐tested for TV episodics and soap operas, worked with notable directors, and never stopped taking classes to further her understanding of the craft and the mechanics of fully breaking down a script to understand the soul of the story and characters. Ashley’s passion for theater led her to take a hiatus from the film industry in her 20’s to spend two years at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. She studied classical literature and performed in many productions. Returning to film, Ashley continued to hone her craft with a number of talented teachers.
As a teacher, Ashley’s goal is to help young actors own their core qualities, listen to others, empathize, and express themselves honestly and confidently.
LAUREN HENRY
Lauren Henry is no stranger to the stage. From being typecast as an old lady in many a high school drama production, to playing sax in a 10-piece funk band, Lauren and the stage are old friends. Lauren is a founding member of Better Than Bacon Improv, Suburban Philadelphia’s favorite improvisational comedy troupe since 2011. Better Than Bacon plays regularly at Uptown!, as well as clubs in Kennett Square, New Castle DE, and other venues throughout the area.
When Lauren’s not making people laugh on stage, she’s making people laugh at her day job with a local pharmaceutical company. Lauren is married to her very tall, very smart husband, Matthew, and has two furry children. Lauren resides in Westtown Township.
RICK IRWIN
Rick Irwin was born and raised outside of Philadelphia and attended the Syracuse University School of Drama, whose alumni include Aaron Sorkin, Vanessa Williams, Taye Diggs, Vera Farmiga and Tom Everett Scott.
After training and working in New York City, Rick relocated to Los Angeles where he studied with Margie Haber, Lesly Kahn, Stan Kirsch and John Homa. Rick worked alongside a number of respected directors, writers, producers and actors while with acclaimed casting directors Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera.
On the big screen, Tommy Lee Jones cast Rick in the frontier period drama The Homesman, starring Mr. Jones, Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank, which premiered at Cannes. Rick has appeared alongside Orlando Bloom in The Good Doctor, Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari in 30 Minutes or Less and James Gandolfini on Mr. Gandolfini’s last completed film, Enough Said, also starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. He played the lead in the firstever virtual reality feature film, Career Opportunities in Organized Crime, which debuted at South by Southwest. Rick’s recent credits include The Upside starring Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman, Law and Order: SVU and the award-winning short film, The Death of Marie. Next up, Rick plays the main character in the feature film The Luring, due for release this summer. The Luring is a psychological thriller about a man with dissociative amnesia.
Rick is married to actor Deborah Lynn Meier.
CATHERINE OGDEN
Catherine’s 20 year career in professional musical theater has included regional, touring and Broadway productions. Some highlights include: National tour as Maria (Sound of Music); Regional –Julie (Carousel), Eileen (Wonderful Town), Nancy (Oliver), Mother (Ragtime), Shelby (The Spitfire Grill) & Diana (Next to Normal). She performed on Broadway in Street Corner Symphony, a review of 60s & 70s soul and pop music. She has trained in ballet, contemporary and jazz dance, most recently with Broadway Dance and Steps in New York City. Catherine has discovered a passion for teaching students in theater and dance and is grateful for the opportunity to do so at WC Studio. She has also directed and taught at SALT Performing Arts and Montgomery School. She has loved working with the fun and very talented cast members of Alice and Curtains.
SANDRA TURNER
Sandra Landers-Turner started her teaching and coaching career in 1994 with Rodney Robb at The Actors Center of Philadelphia. She met Rodney and Edie Robb just after graduating from The University of The Arts with a BFA in theatre performance in 1987. During her junior and senior years, Sandra worked closely with speech teacher Allison Green as an assistant speech teacher for the incoming freshmen, teaching standard English pronunciation as well as Shakespeare interpretation. Sandra has traveled all over the United States and Canada with several professional children’s theatre groups, however; after meeting Mr. Robb Sandra fell in love with film and television acting. She has appeared in many films, including, One Fine Day, School Ties, In and Out, and The Lovely Bones. Her Television appearances include Law and Order SVU (ABC), FBI (CBS), The Politician (Netflix), Hightown (Starz) and The Plot Against America (HBO) as Sandra Landers. Sandra has continued her acting career, but her life changed in 2006 when her child Morgan Turner started a career of their own in the film Invincible as Susan Vermeil at the tender age of 5. In 2011 Sandra worked closely with director Todd Haynes coaching Morgan for their role of young Veda on the set of the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. Morgan has continued their acting career landing roles in TV and film, most recently as Young Martha in JUMANJI. Sandra also coached a young Catherine Chan on the set of the Jason Statham movie Safe. Sandra continues to coach Morgan and other young professionals for auditions in film and television working for Mike Lemon Casting in Philadelphia, PA, Uptown Center for the Performing arts in West Chester, PA as well as Station Three Management in New York City. Her students have booked jobs in TV and film including Blue Bloods, New Amsterdam, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Mare of Easttown, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the soon to be aired HBO miniseries Full Circle.