WORKSHOPS & CAMPS

Charlotte Von-Adler is entering her sixth year of teaching and directing children’s musical theatre. She toured with Missoula Children’s Theatre and Bright Star Touring Theater, which took her across 47 states to direct over 45 musicals and perform in seven interactive two-man plays for audiences of all ages. This season, she has hosted numerous workshops at TOY and regularly met with private students of drama and music. Charlotte’s recent onstage credits include Fregley/Ensemble (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical) and The Musician (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane). When she’s not teaching, Charlotte is likely to be found ecstatically dancing or enjoying a sweet treat!

Shelby McNulty-DeCaro is a Stage Manager, performer, and enthusiastic email-sender. Shelby graduated from Niagara University with a BFA in Theatrical Performance, with a minor in ASL and Deaf Culture. Shelby has worked as an assistant teaching artist for various TOY workshops, and cannot wait to make some more magic!

Production credits include Book of Will (Stage Manager, RLTP), Burn This, (Stage Manager, RLTP), Our Lady of 121st Street (Stage Manager, RLTP), The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence (Stage Manager, RLTP), Murder Ballad (Wardrobe Head, RLTP), Junie B Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (Wardrobe Head, TOY), etc. Performance credits include Fregley Understudy (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Theatre of Youth), Avery/Elaine (Concrete Christmas, American Repertory Theatre), Diana Barry Understudy (Anne of Green Gables, Theatre of Youth), Fanny Cranberry (On the Verge, Niagara University), and more!

Carly Meaney is thrilled to be joining Theatre of Youth this summer! She holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance from Niagara University (2018) and has spent her career blending her passion for the arts and education. From 2018-2020, she toured across the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe as a Tour Actor Director with the Missoula Children’s Theatre. Discovering a deep passion for education, she returned to Buffalo in 2020, pursuing her M.S.Ed. grades 1-6 with a Birth-grade 2 extension at SUNY Buffalo State University, which she completed in 2022. Her journey in education took her to Pittsburgh from 2022-2024, teaching Kindergarten during the school year and leading workshops and camps at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Arts Education program during the Summers. This work focused on theater performance, production, and STEAM. Now, as an English as a New Language (ENL) teacher K-4 at the Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, she continues to foster creativity, confidence, and a love of learning in young students. She is constantly inspired by the incredible talents of children and is excited to bring her passion for teaching and performance to TOY this summer!

Stefanie Warnick is an actor, director, and fight director. She holds a BFA in Acting and a minor in Stage Management from Oklahoma City University. Stefanie is a certified Advanced Actor Combatant through the Academy of Fight Directors of Canada. She is also the artistic director for The Brazen-Faced Varlets, Buffalo’s feminist theatre company, for which she directed their Artie nominated production of The Convent. Favorite recent fight direction credits include: Our Lady of 121st Street (Road Less Traveled Productions), Monsters of the American Cinema (Buffalo United Artists), Scenes from a Marriage (Torn Space Theatre), Hamlet, Titus XX, Desdemona: a play about a handkerchief (Brazen-Faced Varlets), and The Play that goes Wrong (Amherst Central High School). Favorite local acting credits include: Mediocre Heterosexual Sex (Artie Nominated, BUA), The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare in Delaware Park), Hamlet and Anton in Show Business (Brazen-Faced Varlets), Foxfinder (New Phoenix Theatre), and She Kills Monsters (Subversive Theatre).

Sue McCormack teaches high school English at Cheektowaga Central, where she also serves as Musical Director and advisor to the Performing Arts Club. She began working as a teaching artist with Theatre of Youth in 2018 and is passionate about helping young people discover their voices through both literature and performance. Sue holds an MFA in Acting from The New School for Drama. This summer, she will appear on stage with Shakespeare in Delaware Park’s touring production of Fools and Foes.

Alexandria Watts is thrilled to be teaching a very fun second summer at TOY! She is a born and bred Buffalonian, award-nominated storyteller, and engaged educator that is passionate about inspiring the community leaders of tomorrow. She currently teaches Theatre at Nichols Middle School. Favorite regional credits include: The Wanderers (Sophie), Merrily We Roll Along (Mary Flynn), The Prom (Alyssa Greene), and Little Women… Now (Jo March). While not onstage, you may recognize her in your favorite hardware store’s commercials.

Alex Montesano is so excited to combine her love for science and theater this summer at TOY. She is a NYS certified Physics and Earth Science teacher, as well as the Drama Club advisor at Amherst Central High School. She also choreographs the musicals at Kenmore West and Cheektowaga High School. In what she has of free time, Alex also performs locally, most recently seen with MusicalFare Theatre, Aurora Players, and the Lancaster Opera House. She can’t wait to see what we come up with on stage, inspired by science!

Katelyn Gard is a WNY-based actor, singer, and voiceover artist. When she’s not having a blast teaching at TOY, she works as director for Encore Experience’s Musical Theatre Summer Camp. Previous teaching experience includes serving as a voice and dance instructor at Mel’s School of Music and Theater. Katelyn is also an advanced stage combatant certified with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). Her career in education further extends to the voiceover world, where she acts as a private voiceover coach in addition to starring in the hit children’s educational podcasts M.A.T.H. (Mysteries About True Histories) and Who Smarted? from the Emmy-nominated producers of Netflix’s Brainchild. 
Recent local acting credits include Patty/Claire Swing (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Theatre of Youth), Jerusha (Daddy Long Legs, Dramatic Dynamics), and Norma (Carrie: The Musical, Bellissima Productions). When not teaching or performing, you may find her baking, thrifting, or daydreaming about her next travel adventure.

Chris Kelly has worked as an actor, director and educator for the last 30 years. He has directed at T.OY. extensively including work on shows such as Robin Hood, The Jungle Book, The Shakespeare Stealer (Buffalo Spree award -Best Production Of A Contemporary Show)The Outsiders and most recently The Hobbit. Chris has also worked extensively at MusicalFare, directing such productions as Peter and the Starcatcher, Oliver!, Hair, West Side Story, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Something Rotten! He has appeared numerous times with Irish Classical Theater company, where he currently is a director in residence. Performances include The Importance of Being Earnest, All My Sons, Sea Marks, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Shining City and Dancing at Lughnasa. ICTC’s directing credits include A Little Night Music, Sense & Sensibility and this past fall, Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. He has also worked with The Kavinoky,The New Phoenix Theater,Second Generation and recently directed Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare in Delaware Park. He holds two Buffalo Spree Best of Buffalo awards for his direction of The Drowsy Chaperone and for acting in ICTC’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Chris has the good fortune of winning Artie awards for directing, acting and writing. He has worked part time as the Drama teacher at Global Concepts Charter High School, and taught workshops classes at TOY, for the past 10 years.

Christy Francis is a multidisciplinary teaching artist offering paintings, art prints, and photography. Her work is in a number of private collections within (and beyond) Western New York. In 2016, she founded her first art business, Avery & Harlow, now Howling Woman Studio.

Her clients are individual and commercial, including Meet & Eat Charcuterie, Magic Bear Beer Cellar, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, Trocaire College, Canisius University, and TEAM VIA (New York City Real Estate Advisors). 

Christy is​ a former instructor (specializing in business and marketing) for the Arts Management Program at University at Buffalo, and a marketing consultant.

Mckenzie Gilmore is a Theatre teaching assistant with experience supporting classroom instruction and rehearsals. She is passionate about helping students build confidence, creativity, and collaboration through Theatre and performance. She gained experience at SUNY Fredonia, focusing on costuming and stage makeup. Her knowledge of performance has been gained through various Buffalo Organizations. She is very excited to be working with TOY and cannot wait to share in the amazing experience that is Theatre.

Jetaun Louie is a 2x Artie Nominated classically trained singer with her Performance Arts degree from Hampton University. She’s performed with The BPO & The BPO chorus, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, 105 Voices of History at The Kennedy Center & has performed in many musicals. Favorite roles include: Shug Avery from THE COLOR PURPLE, Amelia McQueen from AIN’T MISBEHAVIN, Leading Player from PIPPIN, Joanne in RENT and Grandpa in Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas right here at T.O.Y.

Isabella Bindemann is so excited for her second summer with the Theatre of Youth, where she previously interned in Social Media Marketing and Education in 2025. A current high school senior, Isabella plans to pursue a BFA in Musical Theater and can’t wait to get started!

Apart from her time behind the scenes with TOY, Isabella has performed onstage with the Lancaster Opera House and Rocking Horse Productions, in addition to high school shows with Lancaster HS and St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute. When she’s not performing or teaching, Isabella can usually be found enjoying a good book or baking her world-famous banana bread. She can’t wait to experience the magic of theater alongside all these young performers here at TOY!

Matt Rittler is thrilled to be a part of TOY’s education program this summer! Matt is a local Buffalo performer and holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from University at Buffalo. You may have seen him recently in Newsies as Crutchie, or in Lucky Stiff as Harry Witherspoon. Matt has also been the resident choreographer for Rising Stars Summer Theatre Camp since 2024 and has choreographed Into the Woods Jr., The Addams Family, and The Little Mermaid Jr.

Melanie Stang (Miss Mel) is a Buffalo-based performer, director, and music educator with over 20 years of professional experience. She is the founder of MEL’s School of Music & Theatre, where she produced more than 30 productions and trained hundreds of young performers across Western New York. A singer and guitarist who has performed in NYC and regionally, Melanie brings high energy, strong vocal coaching, and a passion for building confident young artists to her work with Theatre of Youth’s Summer Musical Theatre Camp.