AMDA FACULTY

A versatile performer, Cate honed her craft in many Off-Broadway and regional theatres, including the Mint Theatre Company, Jose Quintero Theatre, Kings County Shakespeare and the Westbeth Theatre Center. Cate is also a talented improv artist, having performed with Theatresports, Gotham City Improv and Carolines, and was an original member of The Heartless Floozies. Additionally, Cate has directed over 200 short films and has appeared in several movies including Happy Hour, Going the Distance, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Everyday People.

With more than 20 years of experience coordinating sword and stunt sequences, Charles is one of the industry’s foremost authorities on the art of combat. During the course of his impressive film and theatre career, he’s worked as the military technical advisor on HBO’s award-winning miniseries The Pacific, conceptualized complex military formations for Oliver Stone’s Alexander, and choreographed fight scenes featuring Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: Extinction.

An accomplished actress, mezzo-soprano, writer and improviser, Gail wrote and performed in her one-woman show That Gail, has appeared on television in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and is a founding member of two all-female sketch-comedy troupes: Womedy and The Heartless Floozies. Gail has also performed with the ForPlay Improvised Theatre in performances of Off-The-Cuff, The Pollyannas and The Sunday Night Improv Jam, in addition to writing, producing and performing in Judy’s House, a comedy/variety show at New York’s Abingdon Theatre.

Marina is the Associate Chair of the Dance Department at AMDA LA, as well as a working dancer, actor, vocalist and choreographer. She’s appeared in feature films and on television in shows such as CSI Miami, Desperate Housewives, Southland and ER, and has worked as a dance coach and choreographer for MTV, Run-DMC, Moby and others. An accomplished vocalist, Marina also recorded two albums, reaching the European Top 40. Marina was classically trained at the Cornish College of the Arts, Joffrey Ballet School and the Royal Academy of Dance.

As a director, choreographer and performer, Casey has accumulated a substantial list of credits spanning Broadway productions, regional theatre and international tours. From playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz at Madison Square Garden, to performing in European tours of A Chorus Line and My Fair Lady, to directing productions of Aida, Les Miserables and Evita, Casey has done it all. Some of his favorite roles include Edna in Hairspray, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, Rum Tum Tugger in Cats and both Roger and Carmen in The Producers.

Recipient of the 2002 St. Clair Bayfield Award for Outstanding Shakespearean Performance, Ray brings a wealth of experience as an actor, director and instructor. His many Broadway credits include Arcadia,  Hedda Gabler, A Man for All Seasons, Boeing-Boeing, The Real Thing and Inherit the Wind, and recurring television roles include As the World Turns, All My Children and The Guiding Light. Additionally, Ray boasts over 40 lead or featured roles in regional and off-Broadway productions, and directing experience includes Way of the World, The Comedy of Errors and As You Like It.

Dan is an accomplished performer, having amassed an impressive list of credits on stage and screen. His television work includes hit series such as HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ed and The Prosecutors, and has appeared in the films Seabiscuit, Duplicity, Daylight and Blood and Wine. Additionally, his numerous theatre credits include the Drama Desk Award-winning The Dining Room, In The Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Romersholm, The Cherry Orchard, Richard III, The Scarlet Letter and the Obie Award-winning Sin: A Cardinal Deposed.

In her esteemed career, Terésa has been a celebrated director, writer, actor and production designer for film and stage. Her original play Vinegar Hill was commissioned by Live Arts Theatre and reviewed by the Pulitzer Prize board in 2001. Terésa’s many off-Broadway and regional credits include Woman to Woman, The Vagina Monologues, Macbeth and For Colored Girls. She was nominated in the Best Director category for an NAACP Theatre Award for her work on Flyin’ West.

An accomplished dancer, Ramon has performed in and choreographed numerous Broadway shows, including Cats, The Most Happy Fella, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Carmelina, Merlin and Song and Dance starring Bernadette Peters. He’s also appeared Off-Broadway in the musical Funny Feet, and has performed in the national tour of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. His list of choreography credits include numerous shows at the Media Theater in Pennsylvania and at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater.

A veteran of the Broadway stage, Cynthia is an active director and choreographer with credits including TheatreworksUSA, Encores! City Center, Montclair Operetta Club, Two Beans Productions and Camp Broadway. Her Broadway experience encompasses working with theatre legends such as Susan Stroman, Agnes DeMille, Twyla Tharp and Arthur Lawrence, including performances in A Christmas Carol, My Fair Lady, Nick & Nora, Meet Me in St. Louis, Singin’ in the Rain and 42nd Street. Cynthia has also appeared in the movie version of The Producers.