teaching artists

Our professional Teaching Artists are just that—artists who teach. We look for educators and actors who love to work with children, hold college or conservatory degrees in Theatre or Education and have experience in the classroom. NCTC offers ongoing teacher development workshops to make sure our Teaching Artists have the skills they need to bring out the very best in their students.

We focus on the process of theatre training rather than the product. And although we work hard to create a cohesive performance piece by the end of class, the journey and skills learned on the way are really what matters most. Our concentration is on the “whole kid” and helping them develop life skills that guide them in and out of the theatre world. Ensemble-based work is at the heart of our training at NCTC.

Interested in joining our teaching team?

Please submit a cover letter stating your teaching philosophy and a resume reflecting experience working with youth and/or a professional theatre resume & headshot to Stephanie Temple, Conservatory Director, at stephanie@nctcsf.org.

Stephanie Temple (Conservatory Director)

Stephanie Temple, a Central California native, has been at NCTC since 2002, working as an teacher, director and Children’s Playwright-in-Residence. Ms. Temple specializes in curriculum development and creating devised works, and she enjoys mentoring both students and teaching artists. With a Master's in Drama from SFSU and a B.A. from the University of Southern California’s School of Theatre, Ms. Temple is also an actor, puppeteer (most recently seen as Kate Monster in NCTC’s Avenue Q,) and a director/choreographer. Over the past twenty years, she has taught acting, improvisation, dance and musical theatre at NCTC, SFSU, CSU Stanislaus, Merced College, PCPA Theatrefest and currently runs the drama program at Live Oak School in Potrero Hill. As director of the Family Matinee program, Ms. Temple has adapted and developed original plays such as Goldi Locks and the Three Aliens, Sock Puppet Jamboree, Bollywood Sleeping Beauty, The Odyssey, and Rock ‘n Roll Cinderella.

Kathleen Lee (Conservatory Programs Manager)

Kathleen Lee (also known as “Caffeine” to some of her students) hails from sunny Santa Monica, California. Kathleen holds a bachelor degree in drama and education from San Francisco State University. A techie turned teacher Kathleen has experience in stage management, technical theatre, producing, acting, creative writing, and directing. She’s lead workshops in New York City, Miami Florida, Mexico City, Stockholm Sweden and most recently Havana Cuba. Through her work teaching around the world, Kathleen has uncovered a love of travel and teaching and believes being a global citizen promotes a greater appreciation of similarities and differences cross-culturally. Kathleen holds a 200-hour certification as a yoga instructor and specializes in prenatal and kids yoga. Get ready to stretch your imagination!

Stephen McFarland (Conservatory Programs Advisor)

Stephen McFarland grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania and did his first show at the age of 5. Theater has been a part of his life ever since. Upon graduating with a BA in Theater from Marywood University Stephen toured the United States with Missoula Children's Theater and American Family Theater before moving to NYC. While in NYC Stephen worked as an actor, director, choreographer, dance teacher and yoga instructor. He was also fortunate enough to work at the Lincoln Center Theater where he got to work on Broadway shows such as The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific and War Horse. Since moving to San Francisco in 2012 he has primarily worked as an actor, florist and yoga instructor. He could not be more thrilled to join the team of extremely talented artists at NCTC.

Kenji Higashihama (Music Director)

Kenji Higashihama is a Music Director and Vocal Coach. Throughout his career, he has had the privilege of working with a number of soloists, groups, and shows across the country including assistant music directing a national tour of The Music Man. Some of his vocal students have gone on to perform in regional and touring productions such as Mamma Mia and PJ Masks Live. Here in the Bay Area, Kenji has been seen working with companies such as Transcendence Theatre Company, Piedmont Children’s Choirs, Town Hall Theatre, Berkeley Playhouse, Broadway By the Bay, and right here at New Conservatory Theatre Center!

April Deutschle (Youth Musical Theatre, After-School Drama)

April Deutschle holds a BFA in Acting from the Academy of Art University. She has a passion for physical comedy and clown. Having written and performed in her own one-woman show she has a zest for creating and devising interactive work. Having been in NCTC's world premiere of Everything That's Beautiful she is excited to be back and share her knowledge and experiences with the community.

Marielle Duke (Teen Acting Ensemble)

Marielle has directed with Boomerang Theatre Company, Flux Theatre Ensemble, Manhattan Theater Source, World Theater Day, and Metropolitan Playhouse, among others. She is the Artistic Director of Adaptive Arts Theater Company, a non-profit theater company whose mission is to make theater more accessible to individuals with Invisible Disabilities. With Adaptive, she’s directed a devised adaptation of Goethe's Faust, Mensch’s All Hail Hurricane Gordo, Brecht’s Good Woman of Setzuan, Barrie’s Alice Sit by the Fire, and multiple workshops for their “Autism Initiative” program. As an educator, she has spent close to a decade working with artists from 1 to 80 years old. She has spoken across the country on ways to create accessible theater performance for populations with disabilities. BA in Theater (Directing) and Creative Writing from Drew University and Masters in Educational Theatre from City College. She recently relocated to San Fransisco to pursue her Masters in Drama Therapy at CIIS. She is thrilled to be joining the New Conservatory Theatre Center team this year!

Jenny Rosen (Resident Artist)

A company member at BATS Improv since 2003 Jenny served as Dean of the BATS School of Improv for four years. She regularly performs long and short form improvisational theater at Fort Mason Center. As a teacher and coach, Jenny has worked with students from ages 2 to 102. She has taught for StageWrite, Live Oak, Haight Ashbury Cooperative Nursery School and dozens of other schools up and down the Bay Area. She enjoys using theater games to inspire collaboration, positivity, and creativity in and out of the classroom. A specialty is the incorporation of classroom curricula into theater training! Jenny has performed in Aspen, Improv Olympic (LA), The MET theater (NYC), The Moth and at the SF Fringe Festival. She has created original musicals for 64 4th graders at the Cathedral School for Boys, and can make up full length musicals on the spot. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Jenny Rosen lives in Potrero Hill with her husband and two children, Henry and Magnolia.

Lauren Kivowitz (Resident Artist)

Lauren Kivowitz is a performer, a teaching artist, and an inclusive arts consultant with a strong background in theatre, improv, and music. She has a Master’s degree in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies and has facilitated classes for folks of all ages and abilities, using combinations of music, role-play, improv, story-telling, and play-building. Lauren is a passionate advocate for increasing accessible and inclusive creative arts practices, and is excited to contribute to the growth of this field in the Bay Area!

Sophie Iribarren (Summer Youth Ensemble)

Sophie Iribarren is an NCTC alum who now teaches acting to the next generation of students. As a student, Ms. Iribarren participated in Teen Summerstock, High School Performance Ensemble, Musical Theatre and performed in several Family Matinee productions including, The Wizard of Oz, Anansi, the Clever Spider and the title role in Rock ‘n Roll Cinderella. She is currently a 7th grade Special Education teacher with a BA from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s in Education from SFSU.

Mikah Johnson (Summer Youth Ensemble, After-School Drama)

Mikah Johnson (billed as Mikah Kavita) is a teaching artist and actor. She received her BFA in Acting for the Screen and Stage from Azusa Pacific University. Apart from acting, Mikah is passionate about stoking the creative flame in others so they might be empowered to boldly create and live.

Alex Akin (After-School Drama)

Alex Akin, born and raised in San Francisco, graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of Michigan. She recently moved back to the Bay Area, having spent the last 5 years performing across New York City in various festivals and shows. Some of her favorite credits include Fancy Nancy (Vital Theatre Co.) and Merrily We Roll Along (Astoria Performing Arts Center). She is very excited to be a part of the NCTC's Teaching Artist team! Having been in many youth arts programs herself, she knows how wonderful and inspiring it can be and she's so thrilled to contribute and go through this creative process with her students.

Marie Cartier: (After-School Drama)

Marie Cartier is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised, living and working in San Francisco. A trained actor, her work in theater also spans everything from light and sound operation to props design and education. She recently completed an artist in residency with the San Francisco Mime Troupe and created the original show, Yesterday is Tomorrow in collaboration with her sister and performance partner, Genie. Marie also goes on biking adventures to add to her Plein Air SF painting series, celebrating the natural beauty of San Francisco and Northern California. She holds BA's in Theater and Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley. (Check out the wide variety of her work at mariecartier.weebly.com)

Julie Dimas-Lockfeld: (After-school drama)

Julie happily joins NCTC as an after-school teaching artist. She was a founding member of the Phoenix Arts Association Theatre where she directed Orpheus Descending, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and A Streetcar Named Desire and performed in numerous roles. More recent directing credits include original works with Opera Unlimited, Piano Fight and at Shelton Theatre: Abundance, The Rainmaker, Savage In Limbo, The Woolgatherers, California Suite and a second acclaimed production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Over the years, Julie has taught acting classes at The Academy of Art University, Mark Monroe Studios and Shelton Studios. Julie can't wait to share her enthusiasm for theatre with the next generation of artists!

Jordan María Don (After-School Drama)

Jordan María Don is a charismatic actor, performer, director and teaching artist based in the Bay Area. She has worked both on and off stage with San Francisco Playhouse, TheatreFIRST, Berkeley Playhouse, American Conservatory Theatre, Crowded Fire Theater and New Conservatory Theatre Center. Her acting credits include Persephone in Polaroid Stories, Manazar in Chavez Ravine and dynamic ensemble roles in socially conscious pieces such as PARTICIPANTS and Crack, Rumble, Fly: The Bayview Stories Project. Jordan holds a B.A. in Sociology and Theatre from UC Berkeley and trained with American Conservatory Theatre in their Summer Training Congress. She was in the inaugural cohort of womxn of color artists in the Las Hociconas Theatre Residency Lab under the mentorship of Sarita Ocón. She is a proud Chicana originally from East Los Angeles where her heart remains with her parents, brothers, and Kali.

Sophie Nelson: (After-School Drama)

Sophie Nelson grew up in Southern California but is happy to call the Bay her home! She just recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Theatre and Performance Studies and a minor in Education and is excited to put her learning into practice. An actor as well as a teaching artist, she has been lucky to assist some incredible teaching artists in the Bay Area, including at the California Shakespeare Theater and Berkeley Playhouse. Having studied commedia dell’arte at the Accademia dell’Arte in Italy, Sophie hopes to bring to the classroom the same spirit of silliness, fun, and creativity that she garnered there! More than anything, she hopes to continuously work toward creating classrooms that engage students’ own knowledge and lived experiences. She would like to act as a facilitator in the classroom, helping to guide students toward their own unique understandings of dramatic expression! She is so happy to be joining this incredible and passionate group of artists and absolutely cannot wait to see what her students will create together!

Anna Oglesby-Smith (After-School Drama)

Anna is thrilled to be accepting her first teaching position with NCTC. Anna has been acting since she was eight years old, and is excited to share her experience in a classroom. Anna has worked with special needs children throughout the Oakland public school district. She has also been a part-time child care provider for the past ten years. Anna is currently studying theater and psychology at Diablo Valley Community College, she one day hopes to become a drama therapist.

Alicia Piemme Nelson (After-School Drama)

Alicia Piemme Nelson - is an award-winning SF/Bay Area-based actor, clown, and teaching artist. Originally a ballet dancer, she eventually turned to musical theatre and finally discovered that her heart lies in physical comedy. She is a graduate of Boston University where she acquired a BFA in Acting. She has also trained in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy at Accademia dell'Arte where she studied commedia dell'arte, and in Papingo, Greece as an apprentice with One Year Lease Theater Company with whom she studied Greek tragic theatre Alicia is passionate about all things that spark the imagination. She is an avid believer in playing pretend, making a fool of yourself, diving in head-first, and increased diversity in theatre. She hopes to make theatre accessible to its youngest audiences and, in doing so, inspire creativity in the generations to come.

Francisco Rodriguez (After-School Drama)

Francisco Rodriguez is a theatre-maker, primarily as an actor and educator. He has worked with a number of theatre companies and schools within the bay area. Francisco is the founder of Teatro Sublingual; developed while living in Guadalajara, Mexico. His work focuses on spreading and uniting the diverse and rich art of Mexico and Latin America. FranciscoTeatro.com. As a teaching artist at NCTC Francisco is excited to serve communities in need of arts education.

Natalie Tommasino (After-School Drama)

Natalie Tommasino is a theatre and cinema major at San Francisco State University, emphasizing in stage management and directing. Her assistant stage managing credits include Hair, The Laramie Project, and Epoch at San Francisco State. Natalie has a passion for technical theatre but hopes to explore more of her performance aspects throughout the year. Natalie is so excited to share her love of theatre with the youth of San Francisco!

Kaylamay Suarez (After-School Drama)

Kaylamay is a Bay Area native. Artist/activist and alumni of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) professional acting training conservatory located on the Central Coast. She is a full-time actor and teaching artist with Red Ladder Theatre Company and artist in residency with Awesome Theatre. Kaylamay has a passion for theater and performing and believes in the power of storytelling through voice, movement, and everything in between. On this journey, Kaylamay hopes to continue inspiring and cultivating young artists while equally learning and being inspired by her students and fellow time travelers.

Lorenz Angelo Gonzales (After-School Drama)

Lorenz Angelo Gonzales is a Filipino-American actor-musician, theatre-maker, and photographer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to joining NCTC as a teaching artist, Lorenz was the Marketing & Digital Communications Fellow at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where he produced digital content and outreached to diverse communities. He is currently a full-time working artist and has worked all over the bay with companies such as TheatreWorks, PianoFight, Bindlestiff Studio, Playwrights Foundation, Shotgun Players & Ubuntu Theatre Project. Lorenz received his BA in Theatre & Performance Studies and Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley and has trained with American Conservatory Theatre & Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He is thrilled to work with NCTC where we can share his love for all things theatre and performance, and empower young artists to share their own stories.

"NCTC is like a second home for all students and everyone feels welcome when they walk in the door"

– Jacob T.
"I’m always excited to come to NCTC and my confidence has grown immensely throughout the time I’ve worked here."

– McKenzie I.
"NCTC is my favorite place on earth. The people here are amazing and very supportive."

– Cliodhna W.
"Over the past 5 years I have built a community of people I really care for at NCTC. NCTC has given me so many opportunities to challenge myself and be creative."

– Una L.
"NCTC is a place where I can be confident and take risks. The community is so nice and welcoming. It is like a second home to me."

– Sydney D.
"Every time I come to NCTC, I feel like I’m at home and I can let my theatre spirit run free!"

– Anabel R.

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