About Us

 Nick D'Ambrosia is a local actor, director, theatre educator, improvisor, and cheeseburger connoisseur who has been performing for nearly 15 years. He has appeared on stage at the Count Basie Theatre as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in "Young Frankenstein", at the Algonquin Arts Theatre as Leo Bloom in "The Producers", at the Spring Lake Theatre as LeFou in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", and in countless other roles around the tri-state area. He served as captain of the Fooligans improv troupe for two years at Ramapo College and has been teaching theatre for over a decade.

 James is a professional actor and educator. He has served as a faculty member and as a department chair at various colleges. James received his MFA in Classical Theater/Acting at the University of Delaware Professional Theater Training Program (PTTP), where he received a number of scholarships and fellowships. James worked as a professional actor in professional, regional, and off-Broadway theaters. James has also served as a member of the Society of the American Fight Directors, and as a resident fight choreographer for colleges and theaters. James produced a children’s production for Broadway producer Stewart Lane, and has worked as an actor for world renowned director Tadashi Suzuki. He is a director at Usdan Camp for the Performing Arts, teaches many workshops in stage combat, acting, and movement, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA). 

Elisabetta Bracer is a recent graduate from Montclair State University, with dual bachelor degrees in Theatre Studies and English Literature. She's spent most of her early theatrical career performing, but has since moved to teaching, writing and dramaturgy. Elisabetta held the position of Dramaturg in Residence for the new Meraki Entertainment and has been a dramaturg for Don’t Tell Amy Productions. She was asked to return to Montclair State as an alumni guest artist for the fall production of Dance Nation as “Connie” and get her acting skills back into good use! She will also be starting teaching artist positions with Porch Light Studios within the next few months. Elisabetta made her NYC debut with the New York Theatre Summerfest in May with her original one-act play An Empty Museum, and is currently in the dramaturgical cohort Storyteller Studio with NJ Play Labs. 

Ali (Al) Pour Issa is an award-winning storyteller and administrator who has expertise in various professions such as film and theater directing, producing, scriptwriting, literary and script development management, and dramaturgy. He has worked as an artist, administrator, and educator in several countries in North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East. In addition to his artistic and administrative work, he has taught at numerous institutions including Pace University, New York Film Academy, Ringling College of Arts and Design, Florida Atlantic University, Yale University, and the University of Washington. He graduated from the School of Drama at Yale University with an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism in 2011, and holds an M.A. in Dramatic Literature and a B.A. in Scenic Design. https://www.alpourissa.net

 Nathan Kruman has been the musical director of Envision Theater 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. 

Karly Meehan is a Chicago native who grew up performing throughout the Chicagoland area and the midwest. She obtained her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2021. While attending UNLV, she had the wonderful privilege of performing lead roles in two works from the Erick Hawkins repertoire, "New Moon" and "Early Floating". Since graduating, Karly has been invited back to UNLV as a guest choreographer in two shows for the performing arts department. Additionally, two of the works in her repertoire, "Butterflies" and "SONDER" have been featured in the Inaside Dance Chicago choreography competition and the Inspired Dance Australia Film Festival. Karly's work is based on studying the human experience and making emotions tangible through her art. In January 2022, she developed her own dance program for the Elite Academy of Gymnastics, managing classes, teaching, and scheduling. Karly is currently based in Philadelphia. She attends Temple University where she is an MFA candidate studying Choreography. 

Diana Gonzalez-Morett is a creative producer, writer, actress, teaching artist, and caregiver. Diana finds creative strength in her fluidity as a multi-hyphenate and is passionate about supporting creative visions. Diana believes in the power theater has to empower young voices, cultivate more empathy, encourage creative thinking, and bring more JOY to the world. Diana teaches at Bergen Performing Arts Center and is excited to now join the Envision Theater team to bring theater to more of New Jersey! 

Diana received her MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, where she received awards for her innovation and work within the program. She received her BFA in Theater Arts & Acting from Marymount Manhattan College.

In 2020, Diana co-founded Good Mother Films, an award-winning creative company that produces personal stories told with emotional depth, bold artistry and with consideration for social impact. She is also an integral part of the team of Lotus Arts Management, one of the country's premier dance agencies, handling artist and client relations and supporting the president administratively.

Diana is currently based in New Jersey where she is a full-time caregiver for her mother living with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It would be unfair to not acknowledge that she does everything with the help of her loyal chihuahua, Lupita.

 Victoria Oltarsh has been a professional drama teacher and director for 30 years. She is a Rockland Council of the Arts individual artist recipient and a published lyricist on Atlantic Records with her song, “Lucky Charm.” Her adaptations of classical fairy tales have been performed for school assemblies with the River Light Theater, a touring company of adults. She has previously been employed by Arts in Ed organizations: The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Making Books Sing, Northern Westchester Center for the Arts, Pulse Performing Arts School and Opera New Jersey. She is most recently employed as a Master Teaching Artist at LeAp in NYC, where she teaches story theater, improv and LeAp Onstage, a signature playwriting program, and in-school creative writing classroom literacy residencies. Her teaching experience includes creative movement and mime for actors, original playwriting, lyric writing, and rapid-fire think on your feet comedy style improv.  

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.

Tamar Garnick (Polatoff) is originally from Rochester, NY and now lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. She studied at Cinematique acting school in New Jersey and has been in 4 independent films. She teaches acting to kids, teens, and adults and is so excited to be a part of the Envision Theater team! 

Bio coming soon!

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

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. 

Driven by a passion to create, Shay studies Fine Art and English with a minor in Art History at Rutgers. They implement narrative and symbolism in their work, enjoy visual wordplay, anthropomorphize inanimate objects and landscapes, and are fascinated by universal experience and juxtapositions of natural and artificial elements. In high school, they participated in Envision Shakespeare, starring as Brutus in Julius Caesar and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, and directing a rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. When they are not listening to metal, playing guitar, making cosplays or working out, they can be found sword fighting in the Chabad House of Central NJ. You can find their work here.

Bio coming soon!