Theater Faculty

Administration

Patrice Bailey has served as the Dean of the Theater Division at New World School of the Arts for 10 years.  She holds a MFA in Directing from Florida State University and a M.A. in Oral Interpretation of Literature and Speech Communication from Indiana State University.  Prior to becoming Dean, Ms. Bailey served on the faculty at NWSA for eight years teaching Acting, Scene Study, Voice & Diction, Directing.  Ms. Bailey has directed over 50 productions including two seasons with City Theater.  Some of her directing credits include Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Company; Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel:  Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal with scenic design by Alexander Okun.  Her direction of New World Rep’s production of Faith Healer won a Carbonell Award for Best Production of a Play.  Ms. Bailey has worked as a theater consultant for NETWORK, and for the summer Musical Theater Program at The Music Hall Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia.  She has been a speaker for the National Arts Learning Network in London and has conducted acting workshops at the Florida Theater Conference.  In 2011, Ms. Bailey received the George Abbot Award from the South Florida Carbonell Committee for Outstanding Achievements in the Arts.

Jeff Hess is an Associate Professor Senior at New World School of the Arts. He has been music director/pianist at Actor’s Playhouse, Mosaic Theater, Hollywood Playhouse, Atlantis Playhouse, Broward Stage Door, Meadow Brooke Theater in Detroit, Beef-n-Boards Dinner Theater and the Indiana Repertory Theater and Cabaret in Indianapolis. Mr. Hess has also been music director for Jean Ann Ryan Productions and Danny Goggin, creator of the Nunsense musicals. He was also pianist for the National Choral Festival at Carnegie Hall and worked as music director, pianist and vocalist for Kings Productions in Cincinnati, which included a USO Tour sponsored by the Department of Defense. The past three summers, Mr. Hess has been music director for Miami’s City Theatre Summer Shorts Play Festival, including Lisa Loeb’s children’s musical, Camp Campawana. This summer, he will music direct a new children’s musical for City Theatre called A Brand New Kid written by Katie Couric. Mr. Hess received his B.M. and M. M. from Butler University. He is a member of the Music Theater Educator’s Alliance and is listed in Who’s Who of American Teachers.

Jennifer Rodriguez-De Castroverde is a professional vocal and acting coach. A Registered Rodenburg Teacher (RRT), Jennifer is the only RRT fluent in both English and Spanish. She currently works out of Michael Howard Studios in NYC, where she taught in the Patsy Rodenburg Master Teacher Certification program. She is also currently certifying with Louis Colaianni in his technique of Phonetic Pillows. Jennifer has trained actors across the United States, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Italy. She provides vocal, acting, and speech training, as well as accent reduction.

Jennifer’s work has taken her around the country, giving workshops at universities and professional theater companies. A former Assistant Professor of Voice and Acting at Florida International University, Jennifer directed multiple shows and vocal coached all mainstage productions. Additionally, she taught: acting, voice, speech, movement, and modern dramatic literature analysis, as well as presented a workshop at VASTA in New York City.

Jennifer is a SAG and Equity actress who has worked in film, television, and theater. On stage, Jennifer has worked at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, Actor's Playhouse in Miami, Florida, and with critically-acclaimed companies A Noise Within and Circus Theatricals in Los Angeles. She has worked as a Principal in several national commercials for companies such as Target and Home Depot. On film, she can be seen in Warner Bros' Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2.

Jennifer holds an MFA in Acting from the University of California San Diego, where she studied and worked with critically-acclaimed directors, including Les Waters, Andrei Belgrader, Brian Kulick, and Mark Wing-Davey.

Samantha Miller received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Central Florida and her Master of Fine Arts in Technical Production for the Theatre from the School of Theatre at Florida State University. She recently has been the Director of Production for Miami Music Festival, a summer training institute for classical musicians. Miller previously served as Lecturer of Technical Production and Faculty, Technical Director for the University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theater, Technical Director for Ohio Light Opera, CPS Production at SUNY Potsdam, Nova Southeastern University's Department of Performing and Visual Arts and the Bristol Riverside Theater in Bristol, PA. She has been an active member of USITT since 2010.

Sam Transleau is a freelance designer, scenic painter and teaching artist. Recent projects include Men on Boats at Main Street Playhouse in Miami Lakes, FL. and Asylum Song with the Adjusted Realists at HERE Arts Center in New York, NY. Sam received an MFA in Scene Design and Scenic Art from the University of Idaho and a BFA in Scene Design from Florida International University. She has additional training in scenic art from Cobalt Studio, in White Lake, NY, in both painting and foam carving. She has also worked in South Florida as a freelance scenic, lighting, and costume designer. For several years she worked as an associate/assistant designer to Jesse Dreikosen. Theaters she has worked for include: Contemporary American Theater Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Adjusted Realist, Texas Shakespeare Festival, The 6th Street Playhouse, Cinnabar Theater, Orchestra Miami, The University of Iowa, University of Idaho, Florida International University, Lewis-Clark State College, and Palm Beach State College.

James Samuel Randolph is an Associate Professor in the Theater Division at New World School of The Arts. As an actor he has appeared in over 100 plays, commercials, television shows and feature films. James is a member of Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He has performed in many Professional theatres in the region. He won a Carbonell Award in the dual roles of Belize and Mr. Lies in Angels in America at New Theatre. He appeared in a film short entitled Night and Day written by NWSA alum Tarell McCraney which was shown at Cannes's Film Festival’s Short Film Corner showcase in 2010. James played Martin Dysart in EQUUS at New Theatre and was named Best Supporting Actor of the Year by the New Times. He has appeared in various productions of the works of William Shakespeare, including Marcus Brutus in Julius Caesar, Feste in Twelfth Night and the title roles in Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. He was last seen in Tarell McCraney's CHOIR BOY at Gablestage. He has directed over 100 plays and musicals. He appeared a short film in the title role of Freddie of Wynwood, which premiered at The Miami International Film Festival. Some of his directorial credits include I have before me a Remarkable Document by a Young Lady from Rwanda at New Theatre, Noises Off at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts and several seasons directing for City Theatre’s Summer Shorts. He has directed a wide variety of plays and musicals at New World, including the musical Into The Woods, Titanic The Musical, The Beaux Stratagem, Macbeth, The Country Wife, Spring Awakening, Jekyll and Hyde The Musical and The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby. He has taught at The University of Miami, The University of Florida, and Barry University. James has trained professional actors as a consultant for the Theatre League of South Florida. James has attended seminars and conferences in theatre including the International Conference on Arts and Humanities annually held in Hawaii, and he also attended an intensive on Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Adjunct Faculty
Acting, Dialects, Shakespeare, Speech
305-237-3541
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EDDIE R. BROWN (NWSA 1998) attended New World School of the Arts and graduated in 1998 as a Young Arts Awardee in Theater. Eddie continued his studies at The Theater School - DePaul University. After graduating in 2002, Eddie was seen in Bombitty of Errors and Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and the Kiwi Black (Victory Gardens). In 2003, Eddie was invited to the Sundance Theater Lab where he had the honor of workshopping Passing Strange by STEW and After the War by Philip Kotanda. In 2006, Eddie was accepted into the Yale School of Drama where he earned his MFA in 2009. While at Yale, Eddie’s most notable performances were Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, George Walker in Dancing in the Dark, Shua/Ooshoosi/The Law/Terrell in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Marcus, and Uriah in Man is Man. In 2013, he was invited again to the Sundance Theater Lab to workshop Colman Domingo’s Wild With Happy, and Mrisho Mpoto’s Africa Kills Her Sun. His theater credits include The Brother Size (Seattle Repertory Theater), The Total Bent (The Public Theater), Bloodazzler (Harlem Stage), and FLY (Cincinnati Playhouse and St. Louis Repertory Theater). On television he has appeared on Rescue Me, NYC 22, and Ironside; film credits include Home:___ and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete.

Matthew Buffalo is a passionate theatre performer and educator. He has spent over 15 years performing across the country; from the national tours of Fosse and Spirit of the Dance, to dancing with the New York Baroque Dance Company, as well as roles at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Some of his favorite roles include: The Drowsy Chaperone (Man in Chair), Driving Miss Daisy (Boolie), Forever Plaid (Smudge), Lend Me a Tenor (Max), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Jim), Fiddler on the Roof (Rabbi), An Ideal Husband (Lord Goring), Seussical (Cat), Twelfth Night (Sir Andrew Aguecheek). In addition to his love of performing, Matthew equally enjoys sharing his experience through directing, choreographing and teaching theatre. He holds an M.F.A. (Acting) from Indiana University, a B.A. (Marketing) from Ouachita Baptist University, and is a Certified Movement Analyst in Laban Movement Analysis. Matthew is a proud member of AEA.

Angelina Esposito received her MFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa. She is a costume & makeup designer in the South Florida area. Some of her recent costume design work include: After and Sunday in the Park with George (Zoetic Stage); Real Women Have Curves, Clybourne Park, and La Pasion Segun Antigonia Perez (Main Street Players), the last of which she received a Premios Teatro Award for Best Costume Design.

Terry Hardcastle is a teaching artist residing in South Florida. Winner of three Carbonell Awards and one Curtain Award, he has received numerous media citations for his work on stage including Best Supporting Actor in a Musical twice by Miami New Times. A long time member of Actors Equity Association, he has performed at Actors’ Playhouse, Gablestage, Maltz-Jupiter Theatre, Caldwell Theatre, Florida Stage, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Cumberland Playhouse, and Westbeth Theatre Center. As a Professor of Theatre, Mr. Hardcastle has taught Acting, Effective Speech, and Career Management at Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Sioux Falls. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Earlham College and an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he received a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and served as Speech Coordinator. As a writer, he penned the chapter on Lee Strasberg in A Field Guide to Actor Training, published by Applause Books.

Felicia Kurtz is a graduate of the University of Michigan holding BM degrees in Voice Performance and Music Education. Her performance experience ranges from opera to musical theater, including both cabaret and jazz venues. She has performed leading roles in over twenty opera and musical productions both in the United States and abroad. Ms. Kurtz has appeared in the Las Palmas Opera Festival under the direction of Tito Capobianco and Theo Alcantara. In addition to her many international performances, she has also appeared nationally with Gustav Meier, Ralph Herbert and others. She was also the understudy for Cleo Laine, performing in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins. Ms. Kurtz is a much sought after clinician, educator, director and adjudicator and is a college consultant holding master classes and audition workshops as well as recitals across the country. Ms. Kurtz is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and has maintained a private voice studio since 1980. She has been a member of the adjunct faculty at New World School of the Arts since 2000 teaching private voice and music theory. Ms. Kurtz is also a facilitator at the University of Miami Frost School of Music Young Musician’s Camp holding master classes in vocal technique and audition technique as well as director of musical theater workshop.

Ms. Ryman-Mettinger was born in Sydney, Australia of a Scandinavian family. After studies at the Conservatorium of Music, she joined the Elizabethan Trust Opera, the forerunner to the Australian Opera Company. After four years at the opera and Williamson’s Music Theatre Company, she moved to London, England. She continued studying and performing in England, Austria, Germany, Switzerland before returning to Australia to sing a the Royal Performance opening of the Sydney Opera House, performing the role of the “Queen of the Night” in The Magic Flute. She returned to Europe and Scandinavia to continue her opera and concert performances, which took her to Israel, Italy, Finland, among other places. She was head of the Vocal and Opera department at Nordic Music Conservatorium in Stockholm for 10 years before she was recruited by John De Lancy, then dean of music at the New World School of the Arts in 1988, where she has taught voice in both the Music Division and the Music Theater program in the Theater Division. She was also vocal coach, music director, and conductor for various performances. Ms. Ryman held this position for 11 years and has now returned as an adjunct voice teacher. Ms. Ryman-Mettinger still visits Sweden each year to sing and teach master classes.

Toranika Washington, Floridian, is a CMA, Certified Movement Analyst through the Laban Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, New York, and a RSME, Registered Somatic Movement Educator. She holds a MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University, and a MA in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University. Her dance training began with Michael Williams and Susan Quinn, former members of Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She is a recipient of the Broward County Dance Teacher of the Year Award, and the SURDNA Arts Teacher Fellowship Award that allowed her to attend Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she collaborated with other professionals from all over the globe. She is a member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, National Dance Education Organization, and the Florida Dance Education Organization. She started a private practice, and she is working towards developing a methodology in Somatic Flow Techniques. Most recently, she began a national tour with her workshop, Moving with Purpose.