SMARTS STAFF (2011)
Sherye Weisz –
Executive/Artistic Director: Sherye has been involved in
the arts and education for over thirty-five years. Growing up in
Providence, RI, Sherye took classes at Rhode Island School of Design,
was a company member of the nationally known Looking Glass Theatre
Company, played flute in state-wide groups and continued her creative
pursuits at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York; Emerson
College, Boston; and University of Calgary, Alberta. Sherye has been
executive/artistic director of SMARTS since 1988. She was on the faculty
of Lesley University, Cambridge, MA in the Creative Arts in Learning
graduate program for 15 years and was president & artistic director of
The UnCommon Theatre Company, a local regional children’s theatre, for
18 years. Sherye is also an educational consultant, providing regional
school districts with long and short-term in-service programs that
address strategies to enhance student learning through integrated arts
curriculum and assessment design. She served on the Fine Arts Advisory
Council to the Commissioner of Education for 6 years and was a member of
the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education for many years. Sherye’s
greatest joys come from her husband Jim of 37 years, her 3 children and
her 2 grandchildren.
Jennifer Van – Office Manager:
Jennifer is a graphic designer who joined SMARTS in September 2004 as
our creative administrative assistant who tracks enrollment and
supplies, designs promotional material and keeps the wheels of progress
moving.
Donna Bellerose – Bookkeeper:
Donna has been retired for six years after working in the treasurer’s
office at the Attleboro City Hall for ten years. Before that, Donna
worked in the banking industry for over twenty years. She joined the
SMARTS administrative team in September 2004. Donna has been married to
Wayne for thirty-five years, is an avid gardener and golfer and loves to
spend time with her five grandchildren.
Jennifer Nolan – Before & After Care:
Jen is a recent graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She studied
theatre education and is now actively pursuing a career doing just that.
She started attending SMARTS when she was 10 and returned for three
years after that. The theatre inspired her and it helped her overcome a
lot of her shyness. She now hopes to give that gift back to students so
that they can grow and flourish with the wonders of theatre.
Creative Writing
Pete Tarsi – Creative Writing:
Pete holds a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing and Physics from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master's Degree in Education
from the University of Massachusetts. He is in his fifteenth year
teaching physics at Attleboro High School, where he is also the
after-school Drama Coach. During his time there, he has world premiered
four of his own original plays. His one-act play "Tracks" has been
published by the Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois--one
of the three largest play catalogs in the country--and since coming out
in print in September 2008 has been produced by over fifty high schools
and community theatre groups in the United States and Canada. He has
also penned numerous short stories, poems, and novellas. Pete has three
beautiful daughters, all participating in the 2011 SMARTS Summer
Institute.
Samantha Firestone – Creative Writing
Assistant: Sammy has enjoyed SMARTS since she was in 6th
grade and is now ready to dive into teaching at SMARTS. She is going
into her senior year of high school and wants to continue taking all
honor classes. She is very excited to continue being involved with the
performing arts. Sammy was cast as Monroe in a children’s play called
The Fabulous Fable Factory. It was one of her favorite acting
experiences. Also, in her last year of the SMARTS senior drama program
she wrote the play called Hope, which was performed for the parents. Now
she is editing and fixing up the play in hopes it will get published. In
that it’s her first time no longer being a student at SMARTS, Sammy is
very excited to put her ideas into the program.
Dance
Jill Goodwin – Dance: Jill
grew up in the dance world with her mom, Jean Wenzel, who was the very
first SMARTS Summer dance teacher and a vital part of the senior program
for 14 years. Jill studied dance while majoring in Education at Dean
College. Jill says SMARTS was her favorite part of growing up having
attended as a student for 7 summers. As a young dancer, Jill's formal
dance training led her to earn several Gold metals at dance competitions
around the region. She was fortunate to study with some of the area's
best, including Nailah Bellinger, Joan Pallidino, and Jill Silverman.
Jill also took master classes from tap dance greats like Gregory Hines
and Savion Glover. Jill's teaching experience covers both dance and
gymnastics. She is also a certified fitness professional. Jill currently
teaches at Express Dance and Acrobatics in Milford. Jill is also the mom
of two busy children who look forward to attending the SMARTS program
again this summer. She is very excited to return to SMARTS and cannot
wait to share her creativity and love for the performing arts!
Caitlyn Shepard - Dance Assistant:
Caitlyn graduated from Attleboro high school and is now a junior at Dean
College as a dance major. Caitlyn has been dancing for 19 years and
participated for two years in the SMARTS junior program. Caitlyn is
looking forward to returning to SMARTS as the dance assistant for the
second time to share her love of dance.
Madeline Phillips – Dance Assistant:
Madeline is 19 years old. She is a freshman at Marymount Manhattan
College where she majors in acting and may soon minor in creative
writing. Madeline has been dancing for eight years and has taken classes
in ballet, lyrical, jazz, and modern dance. She also attends the
occasional contra dance and cannot wait to give swing dancing a try.
Madeline is excited to join the SMARTS team and share her love for the
arts with others.
Drama
Janet Lynn O’Hare –
Drama: Janet is an actor, director, playwright and
teacher. She earned her Master’s Degree in Theatre Education at Emerson
College, Boston and in 2002 received a B.A. in Theatre-Fine Arts from
St. Michael’s College, Vermont with a concentration in Musical Theatre
and Directing. She spent four years professionally touring as an
Actor/Director with the Missoula Children’s Theatre and is director of
her own production company, “One Strong Voice”. Janet received an acting
nomination for Best Female Lead by Motif Magazine and is a member of the
Dramatist’s Guild. She was a teaching artist with the Huntington Theatre
Company and has taught musical theatre with the Arlington Children’s
Theatre and directed at the Boston Arts Academy and Boston College High
School.
Jennifer Nolan –Drama Intern:
Jen is a recent graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She studied
theatre education and is now actively pursuing a career doing just that.
She started attending SMARTS when she was 10 and returned for three
years after that. The theatre inspired her and it helped her overcome a
lot of her shyness. She now hopes to give that gift back to students so
that they can grow and flourish with the wonders of theatre.
Dorian Oberstein - Drama Assistant:
Dorian is a rising senior at Westwood High School and plans to pursue
theater, english, and education in college. She has been involved in the
performing arts since she was five and has appeared in community theater
productions since she was eight. Most recently, she played Rachel in “To
Gillian on Her 37th Birthday,” with Curtain Call Theater. Dorian has
worked as an assistant teacher for Wheelock Family Theater and Watertown
Children’s Theater and is thrilled to work at SMARTS this summer.
Percussion
Rick Morin – Percussion:
Rick Morin is the creator and director of The Rhythm Room, an
all-original, ten member band currently touring on the east coast (www.rhythmroomlive.com).
The Rhythm Room has released two CD’s; The Rhythm Room and Circle of
Souls. They are working on their third CD due to release in 2011. Rick
has also developed The Rhythm Room Enrichment program. – go to
www.rhythmroomlive.com/rrenrichment for details. Rick has been
featured on Fox 25 on two occasions to demonstrate his enrichment
program. Rick is also a freelance drummer/percussionist for original
artists, general business bands, dance companies and theater companies.
He has performed with Betty Buckley and Shirley Jones with Heart To
Heart Production based out of Taunton, MA. He recently performed with
Broadway/movie actor Michael Leon Wooley (Little Shop of Horrors, Dream
Girls, Princess and the Frog) at the Opera House in Boothbay Harbor, ME.
His teaching experience includes teacher/owner of The Rhythm Room studio
in North Attleboro, MA, percussion director for the SMARTS Summer
Institute, Attleboro, MA and facilitator of percussion-based enrichment
programs for grades K-12. He received the 2006 Kathleen McKiel Memorial
Award from the North Attleboro Cultural Council for his contribution to
the Arts. He conducts drum therapy workshops for Hasbro Children's
Hospital Arts Program and Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Attleboro. Rick
also created a TV show for local cable, The Rhythm Room. He is an
endorsed percussionist by LP, Sabian, REMO and Vic Firth. He is a member
of the original band Spiney Norman and the house drummer for Paris
Cabaret in Stoughton, MA.
Seth Antonitis – Percussion:
Seth has been assisting and teaching percussion at the SMARTS Summer
Institute for 10 years. He began drumming 13 years ago, mastering
several percussion instruments in the process. He is a longstanding
member of the Rhythm Room under bandleader Rick Morin and is a freelance
musician and private lesson teacher. Seth’s method of teaching centers
on passing down knowledge in a fun, interesting, and energetic fashion.
Seth earned his BA in Philosophy from The University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth.
Alan Clavette – Percussion:
Alan grew up on the SMARTS Cabaret stage. Later years in school found
Alan performing on the Attleboro Community Theatre (ACT) and North
Attleborough Theater stage, acting or playing his trombone. Alan is a
graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Music
Education and is currently teaching general music at Studley Elementary
School in Attleboro. He is a trombone player, and also plays percussion
for a local percussion group called "The Rhythm Room".
Vocal/Musical Theatre
Maria Clavin – Vocal/Musical Theatre:
Maria earned her BS in Music Education at Rhode Island College and a
Master of Education degree from Lesley University’s Creative Arts in
Learning program. She has taught music at Hyman Fine Elementary in
Attleboro for nine years, instilling a love of creative drama, movement
and music in the young children. Maria’s students have explored creative
drama and movement as well as ethnic dance from several cultures
including Native America, Asia, Mexico, and Africa. Under her direction
the chorus at Hyman Fine has been expanded to a musical theater program
which is very popular with both students and parents alike. She is
thrilled to return to SMARTS for her second year.
Alice Kerber - Vocal/Musical Theatre
Assistant: Alice loves talking about herself in the
third person. She is a fourteen year old sophomore at Sharon High
School. Alice first started to sing at the sprightly age of two and has
been doing so ever since. She first began doing theatre in third grade,
and her recent plays include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Sharon High
School), Sweeney Todd; The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Sharon High
School), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Sharon Middle
School). This is her first year working as a SMARTS assistant, and Alice
is very excited to share her passion of musical theatre with others.
Adam Kantor – Vocal/Musical Theater
Assistant: Adam is an incoming Junior at Sharon High
School. He loves all aspects of music and theater and has been involved
in over 20 shows including Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof, and The
Crucible. Adam actively partakes in theater and music both in and out of
school and has taken electives such as Advanced Acting, Theater
Production, and Tenor-Bass Choir. He is extremely excited for his first
experience at SMARTS and can't wait to work with kids on musical
theater.
Visual Arts
Tracy Korneffel - Visual Arts:
Tracy teaches visual arts at Brennan Middle School in Attleboro. She has
also taught visual arts at Willett Elementary School in Attleboro, and
painting and sculpture classes at the Attleboro Arts Museum. She has a
degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, and is
completing her Master’s Degree in Art Education from Bridgewater State
University. Tracy will be returning to SMARTS for her FIFTH year because
she loves exploring themes with the creative kids that attend this
program.
Grace Guillotte – Visual Arts Assistant:
Grace Guillotte is a sophomore at Montserrat College of Art, and studies
Art Education as well as Illustration. She has been involved with SMARTS
for over 7 years, and loves it. Grace has remained deeply involved with
the arts since childhood and hopes to be able to inspire and create
during her fourth year as the elementary visual arts assistant. She
looks forward to seeing both new and old faces this year and can't wait
to get the summer started.
Stephanie Piccirilli – Visual Arts
Assistant: Stephanie Piccirilli is 20 years young. She
has been attending SMARTS since the third grade - she is now a sophomore
in college. She is currently an illustration major at The Art Institute
of Boston and hopes to illustrate children's books for a living. She is
also considering a degree in art education. This is her first year
working as an assistant at SMARTS and she can't wait to share and pass
on her love of art with others.
Drama/Film/Video
David Bettencourt – Drama/Film/Video:
David Bettencourt is a Rhode Island-born filmmaker and educator. His
first feature documentary, You Must Be This Tall: The Story of Rocky
Point Park, was one of the surprise hits of 2007 and earned a five-star
review in the Providence Journal. In 2009, David followed up with the
medical documentary, On the Lake: Life and Love in a Distant Place,
which is currently playing on PBS stations across the country. His
latest film, It's a Bash!, is a look at the history of the Providence
live music scene and one of its longest running bands, Neutral Nation.
David teaches film and video production at area universities, including
the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and Salve Regina
University.
Amanda Mann – Drama/Film/Video:
Amanda recently graduated from Rhode Island College with her Bachelor's
Degree. She has been involved in theater for over seven years and has
been involved in many productions both behind the scenes and on the
stage. Some of her favorite roles include Shikikanaq in The Ice Wolf at
Cranston High School West and Peggy in Godspell at Mill River Dinner
Theater. Amanda has been part of two productions that won Rhode Island
State Drama Festival and moved on to New England Drama Festival. Amanda
also has experience with production work as well. She has been a stage
manager, sound technician, and an award winning props coordinator.
Currently, she works at Trinity Repertory Company as a lead ticket sales
representative. This is her second year with SMARTS and she is very
excited to be back and to continue to work with such talented young
people.
Music Boot Camp
George Dussault - Instrumental:
George is a full-time record producer, audio engineer,
multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and music educator. As a
producer/engineer, he has been nominated for several Grammies and worked
with countless artists (such as Baylock, Fairhaven, Joe Parillo, Kris
Hansen, Mark Cutler, The Bohemian Quartet...), many of whom have gone on
to tour the world and perform at prestigious venues and events such as
Carnegie Hall and the Warped Tour. As a composer, his music has been
used on commercial radio, NPR Radio, various television shows, and
received excellent reviews in several magazines and newspapers.
Recently, the Attleboro Sun called him a "sonic wizard," and the
Providence Phoenix called him a "major talent." As a performer, his
instrumental and vocal talents have been featured on hundreds of
successful projects including The Rhythm Room, Spiney Norman, The Left
Hand Band and the Grammy nominated Dino Club. As an educator, he has
been teaching instrumental music to fifty-plus students per week for ten
years. His musical interests are in music of all kinds, multimedia and
artist development.
