Prana Summer Acting Staff

Summer Staff 2011!

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Meet our experienced staff! (more bios coming) We can't wait to see you!

Adult Staff

Camp Director Roberta Weiner is a long-time children's theatre director and acting and yoga teacher. Directing credits include A Little Princess, Cinderella, Shirley Valentine, The Vertical Hour, A Murder is Announced, Harvey, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Topsy Turvy, Pollyanna, The Front Page, School Dazed, The Crucible, Arsenic & Old Lace, Inherit the Wind, The Secret Garden, Ramona Quimby, Little Women, The Chocolate War, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Pirates of Penzance, A Christmas Carol, Broadway Kids Presents Comedy Tonight!, Anastasia Krupnik, Goldilocks Speaks!, Jujubi & the Curse of Wing, Rumpelstiltskin Retold, Jack & Jill & the Beanstalk, The Shadow Box, Twelve Angry Men, Musicals: Pas de Deux, Anne of Green Gables, and Deathtrap. Roberta is a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher. She directs the Prana Center in Holliston and is co-founder of Prana Productions, with Nick Morana. Roberta and Nick are the co-authors of four plays for children, and Roberta is the author of several books on education and public policy. She has been seen on stage as Hollywood Costume Designer Edith Dread (Edith Head) and a jazz dancer in Hooray for Hollywood (ESL Theatre) and is featured in the independent film Faux Pas.

Sharon Broadley-Martin (right, with students) is an Assistant Professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production department at Berklee College of Music. She teaches vocal writing and arranging through the regular school year and directs the Jazz Vocal Ensemble in the summer. She is an All-State choir director and BMI writer with numerous choir compositions published for high school performance groups around the country. Sharon has recorded six CDs on Nippon/Columbia Records, performed at numerous jazz festivals from the Montreal Jazz Fest to George Wein’s Newport Jazz Fest/Japan, and continues to use her voice for TV, radio and web-based ads, jingles, and movies. You can hear her voice recorded as a choir in the movie Borat, as an Oompa-Loompa on Wonka.com, a Christmas Reveler in the soap opera, Passions, and a singing chicken in the style of the Andrews Sisters, in a movie to be released this upcoming year. Sharon considers this recent work to be much more fun than that of her international performing days, and almost as much fun as working with the budding singers in the Prana Productions! This is Sharon's fourth summer with Prana; she also worked with many of the singers in Prana's The Pirates of Penzance.

Joanne Hines is a well-known Holliston piano teacher who has taught hundreds of students over the past 16 years. She has been the accompanist for numerous Prana shows, including Disney's Cinderella Kids, Topsy-Turvy, School Dazed, Little Women, The Pirates of Penzance, A Christmas Carol and Comedy Tonight as well as our camp shows. Joanne also was the accompanist for Fame (Orpheum theatre) and for Musical Theatre classes at the Prana Center. She has studied piano in the preparatory division, New England Conservatory and jazz with internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Rani Katsenelenbogen. Joanne also plays the piano for private parties and is the accompanist for the Holliston Senior Center's "Hollis-Tones."

Student Staff

Jamie Altman returns for her second year as a counselor, but has been at Prana for 7 summers! This fall she will be entering her Junior year at Algonquin Regional High School. She was assistant director and choreographer for Prana's School Dazed workshop and assistant director for Life is a Cabaret at Prana. She has performed in community theater in and around Holliston since the age of 6. At Prana; A Christmas Carol, Pirates of Penzance, Little Women, the Crucible, Tinkerbell on Trial and Ramona Quimby. At Algonquin Regional High School; Guys and Dolls and Where’s Charley? At Trottier Middle School The Music Man, The Mouse that Roared, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Once on This Island. At Stage Door Manor; Annie, Me and My Girl and Working. Other community theater experience includes ; Snow White, the Wizard of Oz, Wonderland and Rent

Heidi Anderson has been a part of Prana summer camp for nine years, and has been on staff for three years. Heidi just graduated from Tri-County in Franklin and will be attending University of New Haven with a major in Forensic Science in the fall. Through co-op and placement programs at school, she has been a Kindergarten and Pre-school Assistant teacher. After seven years of dancing, she recently finished dance classes, where she performed her last dance recital. Heidi appeared in Prana shows when she was younger, including Comedy Tonight and Little Women.

Alessandro Arena-DeRosa writes: this is my 10th joyful year at Prana (my 3rd as summer staff). I am an astute freshman, at the lovely Holliston High School, and am going into my sophomore year. Although this is my first year of counseling, I've indeed gained much experience, both serving as an assistant to the managerial Philip Bassett, and CIT-ing for the youngest of the children; which is as demanding as it is rewarding. Aside from going to Prana Camp since the gentle age of 5, I've also participated in numerous Prana productions (far too many to count) usually as a supporting or lead role; in addition I did in fact have two leads in the High School plays as a Freshman, although I attribute this almost entirely to the expert guidance of Roberta. I am very much looking forward to another wonderful, and exciting year counseling at this utmost prestigious camp, and hope to see you all there

Philip Bassett is in his 8th year as a Prana counselor and 9th at the camp. He was assistant camp director two years ago before deciding he would rather be a counselor! A senior at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, he is planning to continue his studies and become a high school history teacher. Philip is co-directing this summer's 12 Angry Men, and did the same last summer. He was also Student Director of Ramona Quimby (2008, Prana). He has appeared on stage in The Front Page, A Murder is Announced, A Christmas Carol and Goldilocks Speaks! (Prana) and Aesop's Oh So Slightly Updated Fables (ESL Theatre) and has worked on tech crew for many Prana shows, including The Pirates of Penzance, Comedy Tonight and Charlotte's Web.

Erin Clancy has been a camper since the first year of Prana and is returning as a counselor for the second time! She will be a sophomore at Holliston High School in the fall. Erin loves kids and gets to experience them often while working at Fiske’s General Store. She has been in numerous Prana plays including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as the young sister, Gretchen, and The Front Page playing Walter Burns. After being a CIT last year, and loving it, Erin looks forward to being a junior counselor at camp this year!

Joseph Duda returns for his 9th year at Prana camp and his 5th year on staff. In the fall Joseph will be heading to Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester. Joseph has appeared in over 20 Prana Productions since his debut in 2002. This past December Joseph student directed A Christmas Carol for Prana. He was most recently seen on the Prana stage as Dennis Dutton in The Vertical Hour this past January. Some of his favorite Prana roles include: John Proctor in The Crucible, Patrick Simmons in A Murder is Announced and Mr. Dussell in The Diary of Anne Frank. Joseph also appeared in 4 HHS productions. Joseph is looking forward to another great summer at Prana!

Maddie Hammond writes: I started going to Prana summer camp when I was five and have been a happy camper at Prana since it started 9 years ago! This will be my first year on staff. I’ll be a freshman in high school this fall. I’ve been babysitting for 3 years. Including the summer, I have been in about 12 Prana plays and have done several other productions with different acting groups but, of course, Prana is my favorite!

Beth Hobbs is returning for her eighth year at camp, third as a counselor. She has been performing with Prana and other places since second grade, a few shows being Comedy Tonight, Arsenic and Old Lace, School Dazed, and A Murder is Announced. She has helped out behind the scenes for many shows, and helped with a few acting classes at the Prana Center. She will be a senior at Holliston High School in the fall.

Meg Lacey returns for her 5^th year at Prana Camp and 3^rd time on staff. She will be a senior at Holliston High School in the fall. She has helped out with the workshop in The Little Princess and was the chorus director in last year's Cinderella and in the fall, she’ll be reclaiming this title in the Prana production of Annie, Jr.. Meg has been in 23 plays, 11 of them being in Prana. She’s been a back stage manager, actress, choral instructor, and lighting/backstage crewmember.

Sara Lucchini has been part of the Prana camp family for seven years, and on staff for five. She is going to be entering her Sophomore year at Juniata College in Pennsylvania this fall. Sara acted with Prana for many successful years, culminating with the 2010 performance of Nicholas Nickleby. In her first year at college she had the joy of performing in three plays, including an original musical created by the students. Sara is looking forward to another Prana-filled summer, and can't wait for it to begin!

Chloe Mitchell is returning to Prana for her ninth summer this July. She was a camper for five years, and this is her fourth year as a counselor. She will be a junior at Holliston High School this fall. Chloe was in the Adams Middle School play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and she work crew for Prana’s School Dazed. Chloe babysits regularly and is very artistic. Chloe works year around at Flawless Skin Care in Holliston and plays soccer and lacrosse for HHS. She is very excited to be working with the kids again this summer.

Jinny Pollinger has been involved with Prana Productions for 9 years, as an actor as well as a part of the staff. This is her 9th summer at Prana and 2nd summer on the staff as a choreographer. This is her first year to double as a councilor. She will be a senior at Holliston High School this coming year. Excluding July and August camps, she has performed in 16 Prana shows and choreographed 3. She has also helped out with costumes, makeup, and backstage assistance for 5 shows. She considers Prana a second home. Aside from Prana, she has taken 13 years of dance class at Annemarie's Dance Centre where she was also an assistant dance teacher this year. She is also very active in the High School;'s theatre program and most recently appeared as Anne Frank in Holliston High School's production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Rachel Pollinger (choreographer) This is her 9th summer with Prana, and 3rd on staff. She will be a freshman at Bowdoin College in the fall. She has also choreographed for Prana's Cinderella Kids (October 2010), Topsy-Turvy! (November 2009), and School Dazed! (February 2009). Rachel first appeared on stage with Prana at age 9 in Stuart Little and has been involved ever since. She has appeared in 18 shows with Prana, most recently The Vertical Hour (January 2011). She has also appeared in numerous Holliston High School Productions, most recently as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music (November 2010). She looks forward to staying heavily involved with theater in college and can't wait for the summer!

Josh Santoro is in his 6th year of Prana camp and this will be his 2nd year as a staff member. He was a camper for 4 years and just last year made the jump to staff. He will be entering his senior year at Holliston High School where he plays Frisbee, Football and other recreational games. He was in both plays in middle school (Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka) and continues to go out and see the shows put on by the High School each year. He has worked at Outpost farm for one year and is very excited about returning to Prana this summer!

Stephanie Toronto returns for her 9th summer at Prana, and 3rd year on staff. She will be a junior at Holliston High School in the fall. Besides working at Prana, Stephanie has helped out at her church's Bible camp and babysits. Since first grade, Stephanie has participated in numerous Prana plays, including The Pirates of Penzance (2006), Little Women (2007), Arsenic and Old Lace (2008), Tinkerbell on Trial (2009) and Nicholas Nickleby (2010). She has also taken many high school acting classes. She is extremely excited for this summer, and hope campers are ready to have a blast!

Jess Valli is excited to join the Prana staff after 8 years as a camper (starting at age 6)! This fall, she will be a freshman at Holliston High School. She has acted in many Prana plays, such as Topsy Turvy, School Dazed, The Crucible, A Christmas Carol, and Charlotte’s Web.

Nick Varrell is on the camp staff for his 4th year this summer. He will be attending Roanoke College in the fall studying criminal justice with a minor in Spanish. Nick has been involved in several plays at the Prana Center. Getting his start in the Pirates of Penzance he has also been in The Diary of Anne Frank, The Chocolate War, Twelve Angry Men, and Reviving Ophelia. He has worked on the tech crew for Little Women, The Crucible, and Nicholas Nickleby. He was also in the cast of The Sound of Music at the high school this past fall.