Meet the Staff

Artistic Director

Michael is a thirty-year theater educator and a lifelong theater maker. He earned a BA in Theater Arts and Philosophy from Boston College and an MFA in Playwriting from Boston University under the direction of Kate Snodgrass, Melinda Lopez and Ronan Noone. His short plays have been recognized and produced throughout the United States and on four continents. This is his 19th year as Artistic Director of the Summer School for the Performing Arts.

Associate Artistic Director

Mack is a Brooklyn-based director and proud SSPA alum. They earned their BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University, and have worked as an associate director on and off Broadway. They were the Roundabout Directing Fellow from 2022-23, and currently lead the Roundabout Directors Group for emerging directors in NYC. This is their 19th year with the Summer School for the Performing Arts.

Associate Artistic Director

Maggie is a teaching artist in the Massachusetts area. She earned her BFA in Acting at the University of Connecticut and is currently pursuing her MFA in Theatre Education & Applied Theatre at Emerson College. She has worked in Westford Public Schools, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District and Framingham Public Schools as an educator and director. This is her 15th summer at SSPA.

Administrative Director

Ariella is an aspiring educator, who has always had a love for theater. She graduated from Westford Academy in 2019, and earned a BA in History and Political Science at UMass Lowell in December 2022. She spent four months as a long-term sub teaching 7th grade Social Studies, and is currently working towards completing a Masters Degree in Education (M.Ed), with hopes of teaching middle school or high school level history.

Director of Choreography and Workshop Supervisor

Ariana is a freelance choreographer and educator. She received her BA in Arts Management and minored in Dance at Dean College. Ariana is classically trained in a variety of dance genres, and is passionate about making dance accessible for all students. During the school year, she choreographs for both Stony Brook Theatre Arts and Westford Academy Theatre Arts. Ariana has been the resident choreographer for SSPA since 2018.

Musical Theater Director

Andrea began her teaching career fifteen years ago in the NYC Schools and has been the theatre director and teacher at Stony Brook School since 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance/Musical Theatre and a MA in Educational Theatre and English Education, both from New York University. Prior to becoming a teacher, Andrea worked professionally as an actor for 12 years, performing in New York City and around the country in regional productions and National Tours. She has had the pleasure of performing alongside some of the biggest names on Broadway today, including Jonathan Groff, Joe Iconis, Bryan Perri, and Matt Hinkley. This is her 7th year working at the Summer School of the Performing Arts.

Music Director

Kat is a freelance music director in the greater Boston area and is the resident music director for Westford Academy Theater Arts. They earned a BM in Music Education and Vocal Performance from The Hartt School and were an Artist as Citizen Conference Fellow at The Juilliard School. Kat is a proud member of Maestra, and this is their 14th year at Summer School for the Performing Arts.

Costume Designer

While Laurie spends her days as the Financial and Principal Administrative Assistant at Stony Brook School, she loves working behind the scenes and seeing her vision come to life on stage. During her twelve-year tenure as the Costume Designer for Westford Academy Theater Arts, she has earned accolades for her design work and recognition from both the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild and Theatre at the Mount’s, TAMY Awards. She fondly remembers volunteering for her first show, the spectacular 2004 Les Miserables, and is thrilled to be back for her twelfth year as the SSPA Costume Designer.