Education

John is an actor and singer based in St. Petersburg, FL. He received his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of West Florida and recently completed a year-long apprenticeship with American Stage Theatre Company. Selected favorite credits include: Che (EVITA), Husband/CPA (See What I Wanna See), Piragua Guy (In the Heights), Prince Escalus (Romeo & Juliet), Man 2 (Songs for a New World), Agwe (Once on this Island). He’s also appeared in several world premieres, including EL WIZ (Paul Castaneda & Juan Cantu), The Impossible Escape of Don Misterioso (Hal Borden), and Pecking Order (Robin Rice). American Stage credits include ‘Shakespeare Lite: Romeo & Juliet’, ‘For the Love of Shakespeare’, ‘Five Times Around’ (an original devised piece), and most recently, UNCAGED. He is very much looking forward to being silly and learning a whole lot this summer!

Patrick is an actor, teaching artist and creative from Richmond, VA. He is an alumnus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, where he received his B.A. in Drama and has studied with the British American Drama Academy. Patrick’s love for theater is rooted in improvisation, comedy, spoken word and story telling. Recent acting credits include: Clarence the Angel in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (American Stage), Miles/Shawn/Rashaad in GLORIA (Mad Cow Theatre), Joseph Asagai in RAISIN IN THE SUN (American Stage), and The White Rabbit in ALICE WITH A TWIST (Florida Studio Theatre). Outside of the theatre, Patrick is the Director of Multimedia with Today’s Church Tampa Bay and also a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the Actor’s Equity Association. www.patrickajackson.com

Matt is an actor and teaching artist originally from Howard County, Maryland.  Matt’s performance history includes: Ensemble in MAMMA MIA!, Jonah Haber in BAD JEWS, Claudio in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, Sketch/Ensemble in HAIRSPRAY, Laurence/Agent Sharp in TARTUFFE, Eeyore/Kanga in WINNIE THE POOH, Red in AMERICA: A MOSAIC (American Stage), Bill/ Lucentio in KISS ME, KATE (Annapolis Shakespeare), Swing/Ensemble in KISS ME KATE! (St. Pete Opera), Soldier in STROVINSKY’s SOLDIER’S TALE (St. Pete Opera), Jack handsome in SUNSHINE CITY: THE MUSICAL (St. Pete Arts), Oberon in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Finalist for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship- Region 2), Judge Turpin in SWEENEY TODD, and Sir Toby Belch in TWELFTH NIGHT.  Matt has a deep love and dedication to Arts Education and has taught theatre to students ranging from Elementary to High School, performed in multiple children’s theatre shows, and actively continues to be an arts advocate and believer in the good arts education can do in one’s life. Training: BFA in Acting from Towson University and the American Stage Acting/Apprentice Program.

Nicholas was most recently seen in American Stage’s Digital School Tour production, FAIRYTALES REIMAGINED credits include STUPID F**KING BIRD, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, THE ICEMAN COMETH (Tampa Repertory Theatre) The FANTASTIKS (freefall theatre) A FEW GOOD MED (Stageworks Theatre) SILENCE: THE MUSICAL, TWELFTH NIGHT(Jobsite Theater) POPCORN FALLS (Walnut Street Theatre) COLOMBINUS (Innovocative Theatre) amongst others. Education: Point Park University and University of South Florida. He’s happy to be returning to American Stage again to create this unique theatrical experience for children and families.

Donovan is thrilled to be working with American Stage’s Summer Camp! He loves working with kids – being that he’s 7 years old at heart! He is also a former American Stage Acting and Production Apprentice. An educator as well as actor, he was in American Stage’s 2019 School Tour of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. He has also worked with Westcoast Black Theater Troupe’s education programs: JAZZLINKS and STAGE OF DISCOVERY. He’s beyond excited to let out his inner kid!

Andresia is a classically trained theatre actress and nationally recognized spoken word artist. She is a 2018-2020, recipient of the National Performance Network’s Creation and Development Fund co-commissioned by Art2Action and ASU Gammage and supported by the Hillsborough Arts Council Artist Development Grant. In 2018 Andresia became an ASU Gammage Artist in Residence for the development of her first one woman show Five Black Women. From 2016-2019 she was on national tour as the lead character in Speed Killed My Cousin with the Carpetbag Theatre Inc. Knoxville, TN. Moseley’s performance in Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 where she played 27 characters and was named “best performance of 2020” by Broadway World. She also received an honorable mention in The Wall Street Journal (2021) for her performance as Ms. Muller in Jobsite Theatre’s Doubt: A Parable. Her performance as Kendra in Stagework’s production of American Son was declared: “A true masterclass performance by an Actress on top of her game…” by Broadway World (2021). In 2020 Moseley was a nominee for “Best Actress in the Bay” by Creative Loafing Tampa. Moseley was also named “stand out actress” for her role as the Lady in Blue in Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Creative Loafing (2015).

Jeremy is a pianist, deep sea welder and leader of acclaimed megasuperband The Florida Bjorkestra. He is the Improv Music Director and instructor at American Stage Improv, and a performer with the house team Definitely Not Murderers. Recently he’s been Jobsite Theater’s resident music director in productions of LIZZIE: A Killer Rock Musical, The Threepenny Opera, and Jobsite’s #1 selling show Hedwig And The Angry Inch. He’s composed original music for Jobsite’s productions of The Tempest, Edgar And Emily and Othello. Currently he’s resident pianist at Straz Center for the Performing Arts and can be found during Broadway series opening nights on the piano in the lobby of Morsani Hall. If you’re looking. He makes records, too, but jeez this bio is getting long already and we can talk about that later.

William is an award winning actor, director, music director, dancer, and singer. He began music directing at age 15 and attended Berklee College of Music. While working with a big band orchestra, William fell in love with ballroom dancing and traveled the world for years as a professional dancer. He has worked in every aspect of theatre for over 40 years. His most rewarding projects include developing a wheelchair ballroom dance program and performing for area elderly memory care homes.

Alexa holds a B.A. in Performing Arts from the University of Tampa where she performed in many shows, including Moon Over Buffalo, Temptation, and Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. After this, she spent a few years in Chicago where she continued to learn and perform theatrically and on screen in television shows such as Empire and The Exorcist. She has been working with a number of theaters in the Tampa Bay Area since moving back to Florida, including American Stage. You may have seen her in the recent virtual school tour Fairytales Reimagined: Stories for a New World or in the virtual reading of The Polar Bear Society. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to pass on everything she has learned and contribute to her community through the arts.

Courtney is thrilled to return to American Stage. Courtney holds a BA from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with concentrations in theater, music, and arts management.  While in college, she spent summers as an acting apprentice at three renowned New England theaters, Berkshire Theatre Group, Commonwealth Shakespeare, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Before joining American Stage, she acted as an Artist-in-Residence at Berkshire Theatre Group, teaching playwriting and acting skills to local students. In her time with American Stage, some of her favorite roles included an Usherette in The Producers, Piglet in Winnie the Pooh, and Lydia Wickham in Miss. Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. Courtney sends her thanks to family and friends for their love and support.

K is a stage and screen actor based in the Southeast. They have appeared in numerous national commercials, industrial projects, short films, and feature films over the last two years. K has acted with regional theatres across the country - locally, that includes American Stage, freeFall, Jobsite, TampaRep, and Think Tank. In addition to acting, they are a singer/songwriter who recently had the opportunity to compose the score for a short film they appeared in. They studied acting in the BFA program at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. K is a Lao-American non-binary individual and very proud of the representation they bring to the industry.

Ryan is a singer, songwriter, actor and music director. She is a Berklee College of Music alum where she studied Contemporary Writing/Production and Vocal Performance. During her time at Berklee she discovered a love for composing, arranging, and music directing. She was heavily involved in the growing Musical Theater Performance and Writing Initiative. After college, Ryan spent time performing in various cities in Ohio before moving to Chicago where she attended classes at The Second City and began teaching private voice and piano. Since moving to St. Petersburg she has music directed theater camps for American Stage and South Tampa Center for the Arts.

Dylan is a graduate of Auburn University with a BFA in Theatre Performance and Dance Minor. Originally from Montgomery, Alabama, Dylan moved to St. Petersburg to complete a year-long apprenticeship with American Stage where he developed a love for teaching theatre. He made his professional debut as the titular character in American Stage’s 2018 school tour production of WINNIE THE POOH, followed by the Nurse in BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, and a member of the ensemble of MAMMA MIA. After a wonderful experience with the American Stage summer camp program, he jumped at the opportunity to work as a teacher again. Dylan is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Matt grew up in New Jersey and received a B.S. in Theater with a writing concentration from Skidmore College. He then moved to Los Angeles where he and his writing team created and sold several projects including a musical children’s show for the Jim Henson Company and a movie musical based on Rufio from the movie “Hook”. Matt has acted in all manner of commercials including Target, Staples, and Nintendo, and trained in improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre where he was eventually invited to join the team “Quick and Funny Musicals”.  Matt lives in St. Petersburg, FL where he teaches filmmaking at the Academy of Entertainment Arts Magnet in Hollins High School.

Cameron is a John Hopkins Middle School teacher and a graduate from Auburn University, and truly has a passion for working with children. During her time at Auburn she taught acting classes to a number of different age groups, this is where her love for teaching began. Now she teaches the Beginning Theatre class that is a part of JHOP’s magnet program as well as Acting 1 and Peer Counseling. Through her time as a teacher she has been honored with being the director of several youth programs filled with immensely talented students. Her goal is to reach children at a young age and help them develop their passions and dreams through the art of theatre. She has been privileged enough to be able to witness what theatre can do in a child’s life; how it can shape and empower them. She is motivated to provide that to as many students as possible, and can not wait to explore the power of theatre with American Stage.

Professor Emerita Dedee Aleccia received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Rosary Hill College and her two Masters’ degrees (in English and Art History) from SUNY Binghamton. For her Master’s degree in Art History, Dedee conducted on-site research on the Thomas Becket window cycle at Canterbury Cathedral in England. Dedee has held professorships at Broome Community College and Montgomery College and has served as adjunct professor at SUNY Binghamton, the University of Baltimore, and Eckerd College. Among the many literature subjects she has taught are world literature, British literature, the Bible as Literature, 19th century literature, modern drama, and Shakespeare. In art history she has taught such subjects as world art, Greco-Roman art, medieval art, Renaissance art, and 19th century art. She has served as director of Montgomery College’s Honors Program and has taught several honors courses. Awarded the opportunity to serve as a Smithsonian Fellow, she researched images of labor in 19th century art.

Kayla is a multihyphenate artist and educator from Coral Springs, FL. A product of theatrical education programming as a child, Kayla credits her resilience and success to the educators that paved the way. As a teaching artist, she values the importance of creativity and exploration as a means to develop, engage and discover potential. She is a graduate of The Florida State University and a proud member of Actors Equity Association and a current MA/MFA Candidate in Theatre Education & Applied Theatre at Emerson College. www.kaylatomas.com.

Alexandria is an actress and teaching artist from St. Petersburg, Florida. Her training includes a B.A. in English and Theatre Arts from Rollins College (class of 2016) and the American Stage Acting/Production Apprenticeship Program (2016-2017 season). Some of Alexandria’s past credits include: Hero in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (St. Petersburg Shakespeare Festival) Rebel in COLUMBINUS (Innovocative Theatre), Martha Loomis Pentecost in JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE, Pink in AMERICA: A MOSAIC (American Stage), THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, REEFER MADNESS, LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER, and ANNA IN THE TROPICS (Rollins College). Recently, Alexandria accepted a full ride to Northwestern University’s MFA Acting Program, in which she will be a member of its inaugural class led by Tony Award Winning Director, Anna D. Shapiro. She will begin the Master’s program in the fall of 2019. Alexandria is an Equity Membership Candidate. More at: www.facebook.com/missalexdiva18

Sarah is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a BFA in Theatre Performance. She also spent seven years with the groundbreaking Flint Youth Theatre (FYT) under Executive Artistic Director, William P. Ward. Sarah served as an Apprentice Artist, performing in youth-centric shows and assisting in theatre classes for various age groups. FYT original production credits include SPIRE, STRANDS: THE LEGACY OF 9/11, MY SOUL TO TAKE, VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS, and ALL HALLOWS EVE. After graduation, Sarah moved to New York City where she worked as an actress, performing in such productions as WHATEVER AND DELICATELY, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, CASINA, CALAMITY JANE BATTLES THE HORRIBLE HOOP SNAKES, and SIMILARITIES. Since moving to Tampa Bay in 2013, she has been working as a teaching artist at American Stage and around the Tampa Bay area. Recent acting credits include WHAT’S YOUR STATUS? (Jobsite Theatre), THE ICEMAN COMETH (Tampa Rep), LEND ME A TENOR (Hat Trick Theatre Prod.), THE COMPLETE STAR WARS SAGA (ABRIDGED) (Cloudy With A Chance Prod.), A PIECE OF MY HEART (Powerstories Theatre) and CYMBELINE (St. Petersburg Shakespeare Festival).

Taylor is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Creative Writing. Originally from Kentucky, Taylor developed a love for the performing arts at a young age, taking classes at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and writing in all of her school play bios that she was going to be an actress one day. Things shifted slightly in college, as she found a love for educating young artists as well as a love for stage management. During undergrad, she spent a summer teaching Drama to kids aged kindergarten to middle school, worked spot op and crew at TheatreZone in Naples, FL, and was involved with lighting and stage management at FGCU. After serving as the Production Management Intern at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Taylor accepted an apprenticeship with American Stage, serving as the ASM for all six MainStage shows in the 2017/2018 season. Today, Taylor is thrilled to be back with American Stage as a Teaching Artist and Production Assistant! In her free time, she enjoys writing and singing along to show tunes. She is a freelance stage manager in the St. Pete area and a proud SMA member.

Ally is a theatre artist from Tampa, Florida. She has worked professionally as an actor, teaching artist, and stage manager with theaters in Florida and across the country. Favorite performance credits include THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (Spanish Lyric Theatre), THE CHILDREN’S HOUR (Tampa Rep), LES MISÉRABLES (The Ritz), SISTER ACT, and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (Eight O’ Clock Theatre). At American Stage, Ally was the Education & Outreach Apprentice during the 2016/2017 season, and has worked for several years on the annual school tour: Actor/Tour Manager for GEORGE’S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE and RIKKI TIKKI TAVI, and Costume Designer for WINNIE THE POOH. BA in Theatre from Samford, Certificate in New Play Performance from Hollins, MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence (2021).allythomas.info

Molly is Saint Petersburg based writer, actor, and director. She has been a teaching artist for eight years and loved every moment of it. Molly believes that theater is a way to truly learn empathy in a way no other art or science can. She has worked as an actor locally for Ghost Light, Stageworks, American Stage, Saint Petersburg Shakespeare Festival, and many indie productions in the Bay Area.

Kaylie is an actor, voice actor, and costumer originally from Lakeland, FL. She is a recent graduate of Auburn University’s BFA Performance program, and even more recently finished her acting and production apprenticeship at American stage. Some of her recent credits include Esme in THE GAP AND THE GLUE, Ensemble in MAMMA MIA (American Stage), Antigone in Anouilh’s ANTIGONE, Nell Gwyn in PLAYHOUSE CREATURES (Auburn University Theater), and Veranda Murphy in CROSSING THE BAY. Kaylie has felt fortunate to have worked as a teaching artist and counselor in multiple summer camps and theater programs, from Alabama and Florida all the way up the coast to Maine. As an artist and teacher, Kaylie hopes that the work be taken seriously, but never the self.