ABOUT

 

Our students learn and perform full-scale productions on a Professional Off-Broadway stage!



Imagine Works Youth Theatre believes in every student's innate abilities and talents! Through our affordable, individualized training, students learn at their own level, being challenged and inspired to become creative, confident and empathetic performers.

 

What makes Imagine Works Youth Theatre unique?

• We partner with the professional Off-Broadway Players Theatre so that our students have the opportunity to perform on a professional stage!

• IWYT productions get the full pro experience- costumes, hair, makeup, sets, lighting and sound.

• Students perform for agents, managers and casting directors.

• Our instructors are experienced and highly trained with professional performing credits across the country.

• Students also gain valuable life skills, such as public speaking, confidence, empathy, and collaboration.

• We also strongly believe in cultivating young performers that others in the industry want to work with.

• IWYT teaches our students how to be professional, courteous and kind performers who realize the value in positivity and empathy for others.

 

IWYT offers a variety of different classes for ages 9-16. All sessions end with a showcase or main-stage production. We have produced over 22 main stage plays and musicals since we began in 2013. Some of our recent past shows include "Something Rotten", "Matilda",  "Puffs", "Newsies", "Urinetown," "Twelfth Night",  "Mary Poppins," "The Addams Family," "Pride & Prejudice," and more! During the pandemic, we brought FOUR full shows to the screen! These performances showcase each student and their growth in the program.

 

Alumni of our programs have gone on to star in Broadway's "Matilda", as well as sign with top agencies, book commercials, films, pilots, web-series, and lead roles in their school shows! Our students have also been accepted to respected arts universities such as NYU's Steinhardt and Tisch School of the Arts, Boston Conservatory, Emerson College, Marymount Manhattan College, and Muhlenberg College. You can also see alumni at NYC performing arts high schools, such as Laguardia, PPAS (middle & high school), Frank Sinatra, and Talented Unlimited High School!

 

INSTRUCTORS

 

Jill Moody (Artistic Director, Director) founded Imagine Works to offer a low cost theatre arts program so all kids could pursue their passion for performing! Since the age of five, Jill has been training in musical theatre, and has performed in many professional productions in Philadelphia and New York City. Jill appeared in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of "Wherther" and John Rutter's "Mass of the Children" at Carnegie Hall. She graduated from the distinguished Peddie School, where she was a member of the award-winning A Cappella group "The Peddie Singers". In college Jill studied theatre and film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Stonestreet Studios, and Marymount Manhattan College. Since graduating, she has worked with Don Buchwald & Associates Talent Agency as an assistant agent and has taught at various other NYC theatre schools. Jill received her Masters degree in Childhood Education and is a NY state certified teacher. She has been teaching theatre for the past 12 years in NYC.

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Pierce "Bobby" Cassedy (Choreographer, Dance Instructor) is thrilled to bring his professional experience to Imagine Works for a second year! As a Director/Choreographer, Off-Broadway credits include: And Then There Were None, Somewhere I Can Scream, Brilliance, A Christmas Carol (2019, 2020, 2021), Sleepy Hollow (2020, 2021), Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Alice in Wonderland. Select performance credits include: The Book of Mormon (Elder McKinley, 2 nat’l tour), Something Rotten (1st Nat’l tour), NERDS (Broadway) and Kinky Boots (Broadway). Thanks to Jill for having me!

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Kiera Matthews (Music Director, Vocal Instructor) is a New York-based theatre artist and educator. She recently graduated with her MM in Vocal Performance: Musical Theatre Performance and a Post-Master’s Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. At NYU, she also served as an Adjunct Professor of Voice. Prior to moving to New York, she earned her BM in Music Education at Saint Norbert College. She worked at several theatre academies as a lead teacher and music director. She also spent two years as the head of a middle-school choral program. Kiera loves working with developing voices and helping young artists find and discover their voice. She runs her own vocal studio with students of all ages and abilities and is currently auditioning for new productions as a working actor. While she’s trained in both classical and musical theatre styles, contemporary musical theatre feels like home. Some of her past favorite roles include: Fastrada (Pippin); Morticia (Addams Family); Casey (First Date); Marcy (Dogfight); and Paulette (Legally Blonde). She’s so excited to be joining the Imagine Works team this summer and can’t wait to get started!

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Gia Antonucci (Choreographer, Dance Instructor) is so excited to be working on "Seussical KIDS" as choreographer this summer! She has been dancing since she was three and started working as a performer when she was eight! Gia was in Imagine Works' first production of "Seussical" as Mayzie and cannot wait to be behind the scenes for this time around! Get your dancing shoes ready!

 

 

 

Emily O'Leary (Music Director, Vocal Instructor) is a singer, teacher and performer from Cape Breton, NS, Canada. Her musical and performance experience is extensive, dating back to her first musical theatre productions at the age of 11 and 12. She has worked as a singer locally for her entire life, performing all varieties of music including musical theatre, pop, rock, etc. Standout performance roles include Wednesday Addams (The Addams Family, 2018) and Olive Ostrovsky (The 25th Annual... Spelling Bee, 2019). Emily moved to New York City in August of 2021 to receive her Master of Music in Vocal Performance: Musical Theatre from New York University (Steinhardt). She also completed her Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy. While studying at NYU, Emily served as an Adjunct Instructor of Voice for 1.5 years, teaching undergraduates at all NYU schools, including Tisch School of the Arts. Prior to this, Emily received her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Mount Allison University (Sackville, NB, Canada) in 2021, obtaining the J.E.A Crake Performance Award in Drama upon graduation. Emily continues to teach privately in the field of voice. When not teaching, you can catch her auditioning, performing in musicals, or spending time with her cat.

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Lauren Barchi (Music Director, Vocal Instructor) is a music director, voice teacher, and opera singer from Long Island, New York. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Vocal Performance from Rutgers University, where she had previously received her Artist Diploma in Opera. She has been fortunate to perform many of her dream roles: Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro), Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), Lady Billows (Albert Herring), Monica (The Medium), and 1st Lady (The Magic Flute). She received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Ithaca College and her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from New York University. While at NYU, she received an advanced certificate in Vocal Pedagogy and taught voice lessons as an adjunct professor. Lauren is the assistant director and vocal teacher at Professional Youth Theatre and is on the adjunct voice faculty at Long Island University in the musical theater department.