MANDIE CUTRIS BANKS
Director of Education
Mandie Curtis Banks brings 28 years of experience in the performing arts and more than 13 years in artistic and educational nonprofit administration. Her career spans performing, teaching, directing, choreographing, and arts leadership, giving her a broad perspective on both the creative and administrative sides of the field. A highlight of her performing career was appearing in the national touring production of Grease, featuring Frankie Avalon, Chubby Checker, and Fabian.
Mandie has held a variety of leadership and educational roles, including Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department at The Episcopal Academy, where she taught theater, directed and choreographed productions, and established the school’s dance program. Her additional teaching, directing, and choreographing experience includes Strath Haven High School, Upper Darby Summer Stage, Young People’s Theater Workshop, and the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, where she also served as Executive Director and Engagement Manager. Additional nonprofit administration experience includes programming and event coordination roles with ADVIS (Advancing Independent Schools) and the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College. Mandie also brings extensive experience as a yoga and wellness educator, with certifications in Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Children’s Mindfulness & Yoga, Trauma-Informed Yoga, and Postnatal Yoga.
Mandie holds a BA in Theater from West Chester University, an Elementary Education Teaching Certification from Moravian University, and has completed coursework in Arts Administration at Drexel University.
CAITLYN COLGAN
Studio Program Director
Caitlyn Colgan is a 2017 graduate of York College of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Speech Communications and Musical Theater. Since graduating, Caitlyn has built a strong career in social media and marketing, joining Uptown in October 2024. She started as the Digital Marketing Coordinator before jumping into the Box Office and Communications Manager position last year. Caitlyn began working with Uptown Studio in the Spring of 2025 as the director for Frozen JR and immediately loved Uptown Studio. In addition to her work at Uptown, she collaborates with several high schools in their theater programs. Caitlyn directs the fall play at Phoenixville High School and choreographs the spring musical at Spring-Ford High School. In 2017, Caitlyn choreographed the award-winning world premiere of Dorian Gray: The Musical for the New York Musical Festival.
Caitlyn@uptownwestchester.org
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.
LAURA ZAHN
Voice Instructor
A versatile performer with experience in opera, musical theater and commercial music, Laura Zahn currently sings across the country and internationally. As a working opera singer, she performs multiple roles a year. In 2023, Ms. Zahn made her international debut singing highlights from Carmen in Hong Kong and in 2019 she made her Carnegie Hall debut singing Amneris (Aida) and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly). She has sung with the Boston Lyric Opera, LA Opera, Opera Delaware and will be returning to Carmen with New West Symphony in Los Angeles this Spring. An accomplished competition singer, Laura finaled in Opera Mississippi’s 2021 John Alexander National Vocal competition and semi-finaled in the 2020 NYIOP/Premiere Opera Foundation Competition and the 2016 Mildred Miller International Voice Competition.
Prior to pursuing her operatic career, Laura was a vocalist and violinist in the Philadelphia band, Mechanical Minds. The band produced a self-titled ep, toured the east coast twice and performed at SXSW in 2013. This led Ms. Zahn into studio work in Philadelphia and Los Angeles where she recorded for Akon, Ronnie Spector, The Symphony, Mega Ran, Soul Veggies and more.
Ms. Zahn holds degrees in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. When teaching, Laura draws from the classical bel canto technique she trained in and applies those tenets to the genre of music her students are interested in pursuing. Her students have successfully auditioned for District and Regional chorus, principal roles in musical theater productions and internationally touring choirs. She is very excited to begin working with the students at Uptown Studio and help them achieve their goals, whatever they may be!
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.
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
Heidi Fliegelman is a West Chester-based English Language Arts teacher by day, and a theatre artist by night/weekend/whenever she can! As a classroom teacher, she is passionate about centering arts integration, equity, and inclusion. Heidi spoke at TEDxUniversityofDelaware 2021, recently published in Voices from the Middle, and looks forward to presenting at the 2023 annual convention for The National Council of Teachers of English. Beyond the traditional classroom, Heidi is proud to have been a part of the Uptown Studio education team since 2020, where she has since taught various improv and acting classes. Working with multiple local schools, as well as Uptown!, her directing and stage management credits include: Matilda Jr. (SM), The Little Mermaid Jr. (SM), Seussical The Musical Jr. (AD), You Can’t Take It With You (director x2), TV Through The Times (director), Schoolhouse Rock Live Jr. (SM), Around The World in 8 Plays (director), Murder On The Orient Express (director), and Arsenic & Old Lace (director). Having the opportunity to foster spaces of creativity, curiosity, and empathy is her favorite part about pursuing arts education.
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.
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.