About Us

 Leya Adler holds an M.A. in Educational Theatre from NYU with a directing emphasis and an undergraduate degree in Theatre from Florida State University. In 2010, Leya co-created and produced an original Educational Theatre company, Phonics Fantasy Theatre, where she wrote and directed an educational musical and instructional film which received the “National Parenting Center Seal of Approval” as well as a favorable review in the School Library Journal. Leya was a teaching artist/actor for Living Voices, Inc.- Theatre Works on tour from 2007-2010 where she performed various one-woman historical plays and facilitated a learning/talk back session. Leya received the 2004 Elie Wiesel Award for Arts and Culture for producing and directing. Leya has directed numerous theatre arts productions. Credits include; I Never Saw Another Butterfly at the Provincetown Playhouse, The Would Be Gentlemen, Flowers for Algernon, The Pot Boiler, A Shayna Maidel, The Dining Room, Story Theatre, Romeo and Juliet, Luv N’ Light, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Annie, Frozen, Miss Nelson Is Missing, Miss Electricity as well multiple Musical Theatre Revues, Showcases and Original Works. (Off Broadway) Last Jew in Europe (Off-Off Broad.) History of Weather, The Homecoming Act II, Miss You the Most. Teaching credits include developing theatre curriculum and teaching for the 92Y and being a member of the full-time theatre faculty at BAK Middle School for the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. Currently, Leya runs an after school Theatre Arts program, Stage Explorers with multiple young performers in Bergen County, NJ where she teaches acting and directs productions. In 2019 Leya Adler Co-Founded the Educational Theatre intensive Journey To Broadway alongside Donna Vivino.

Beth Selter has been working in professional and regional theater for over 30 years. She graduated with a B.A. as a Theater Arts major from Queens College after performing in Israel while a student at Hebrew University, received a post-graduate degree from the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts and interned at the Williamstown Theater Festival. 

Beth has been directing Youth Theater in New York/New Jersey schools since 1996 and served as Drama Director for the NJY CAMPS at Camp Nesher for 17 years.

Additionally, Beth writes and performs her own one-woman Cabaret shows in and around NYC accompanied by the famed Mr. Alex Rybeck.  These most personal shows tend to explore the challenges of her dual passions for the Performing Arts and her dedication to living a traditional, Torah inspired life.

Beth has also performed with Black Box Studios’ Professional Ensemble group in Teaneck, NJ and the JCC Palisades Players. Additionally, she coaches voice, theater and public speaking from her home studio in Wesley Hills, NY.  

 Nathan Kruman has been the Musical Director of Envision Theatre since its inception, and has a rich background in music, stage and film. Nathan has performed as an actor, singer, dancer, pianist, choreographer, and music director in high school, with the University of Pennsylvania’s Mask & Wig and Penn Players ensembles, and more recently with Black Box Studios and Envision Theater. He’s directed, created and staged multiple shows and events at schools and colleges in Philadelphia, Boston, and Bergen County. His on-stage credits include, “Kazablan”, “Cabaret”, Circle Mirror Transformation”, “Working” and his one foray into Shakespeare, “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Among his other credits are "Aladdin", “To Live Another Summer, To Pass Another Winter”, “Annie”, “Milk and Honey”, “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, and numerous original theatre workshops. His favorite Shakespeare play is “King Lear” and favorite character, the Fool. 

Sara Giacomini holds a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She has been working in Arts Education since 2015, when she started with George Street Playhouse’s Educational Programming. Sara has worked as a Teaching Artist at Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, Thinkertales Virtual Classrooms, Black Box Performing Arts Center, and George Street Playhouse. She has experiencing working with students of all ages and experience levels. Her past classes have been focused on acting, singing, dancing, drama, arts & crafts, ensemble building, creativity, and theater exploration. Her teaching style relies heavily on improvisation, collaboration, and using creativity to think out of the box. Sara also has experience in guiding students in creating their own devised work using source material, tableaux, improv, and writing exercises. She believes the best work comes from working together and bouncing ideas off of each other. She approaches all of her classes, with a joyous, open, and creative mind. Sara looks forward to joining Envision Theater and exploring and creating with these young artists.   

  Sarah Feinmark has been working on and off the stage for many years. She graduated with a degree in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine from Johns Hopkins University, a minor in theatre arts, an Arts Certificate, and a minor in vocal performance from Peabody Conservatory.  After college, she received a certificate from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting,  While actively auditioning, she got the opportunity to teach at several theaters and small schools before getting the chance to work with the Missoula Children's Theatre, the company with which she has spent the past several years, travelling the country and even getting the chance to go overseas.  Sarah is currently a member of the Equity Membership Candidacy program, and she looks forward to spending this summer working at the Fireside Theatre in Wisconsin. 

  Mackenzie Newbury is a professional actress, director, choreographer and dance teacher based in Philadelphia! Born and raised in Central PA, she headed to her first big city and earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Musical Theatre at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She worked frequently in professional theatre before transitioning to New York City and eventually landing in Philadelphia. She teaches tap, jazz, and musical theatre dance at many studios and for competition teams and directs and choreographs at various schools and theatres, with experience working with students from age three through adulthood. Due to working frequently as a performer herself, she is able to guide students in auditions and in a pre-professional path, while also excelling at giving younger students material which challenges them just enough in rehearsals and boosts their confidence and skill level so that they appear confident onstage and visually appealing to an audience. She feels blessed to have so many opportunities in the world of Performing Arts! 

 Stuart Nager lives creatively. A Shakespeare Fellow from Columbia University, Stuart is a certified (or certifiable) Theater Teacher, holds a MA in Educational Theater (NYU) and an MA in Oral Traditions (The Graduate Institute). He created The Brothers Grinn, an interactive, improvisational storytelling theater troupe, that ran for twelve years, performing over 1,100 shows. Stuart leads workshops, classes, professional development, and creative development programs. He has led sessions in Improvisation, Storytelling, and Creative Writing across the United States and In London.  

Ryan is a proud graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts BFA Drama program and the Pig Iron School for Devised Performance MFA program. He grew up in North Carolina but has spent the past 10 years in New York City and Philadelphia. He is an actor, devisor, musician, and teaching artist. All of his work is inspired and led by his passion for clowning, humor, and creative spaces created through play. He has performed around the country on stages in theaters, schools, prisons, shelters, and streets around the world.

Julia VanderVeen is an actor, comedian, and educator who has traveled much of the world performing. She has performed from Alaska to the Mediterranean and many places in between!  Most recently, pre-pandemic, she played Cassius in Julius Caesar on an Italian tour. Julia apprenticed with Master Clown teacher Christopher Bayes at Yale, Juilliard, and at his studio in Brooklyn, The Pandemonium Studio. With Chris, she learned the art of “le jeu” or “play," which is something she brings to all of her work and her teaching. In 2019, Julia co wrote, produced and starred in her one woman show, My Grandmother’s
Eyepatch, that she performed at The Tank NYC, and which was received with a rave review at the Hartford Fringe Festival in Hartford, Connecticut. She’s certain she would have gotten more reviews, if not rave, if only there had been more reviewers.

  Rebecca Coopersmith sang from her youth, to the annoyance of her siblings.  Her grandfather supported her endeavors and helped to provide music lessons for her. He and her mother, both theater lovers themselves, were the first to introduce her to The Phantom of the Opera and started her on the journey of theater. Instantly enamored by the stage, she began performing in school and camp productions (often directed by Rebecca Lopkin) and was eager to play every role. She adores building and sharing her characters, regardless of the size of the role, and performing on stage. She dreams of performing on Broadway and in Lincoln Center and is excited about sharing her love for theater with others. Rebecca is currently pursuing a degree in Music Performance and Education with a concentration in voice at the Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College. When she’s not thinking about the theater, she enjoys reading, listening to movie scores, and practicing with her two other instruments, cello and piano. 

 Nicole Borbone is a NJ/NYC based actor, producer and theatre artist and recent 2020 performance graduate of Fordham University’s BA Theatre program. Currently, she is pursing her love for arts education at NYU’s Educational Theatre MA program. In the summer of 2018, Nicole trained at Academia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Tuscany in commedia dell’Arte and cirque performance, developing her love for physical comedy and clowning. Apart from acting, during her undergraduate years at Fordham: she studied abroad and interned in London, England at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, assisting the Marketing Director and the Associate Producer; she directed, produced and adapted The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) for her school’s Fall 2019 Studio Season; and she lead produced Fordham’s 2019 Performance Showcase.