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 intensively trained in musical theatre, and has performed in many professional productions in Philadelphia and New York City. Jill has worked with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, the Walnut Street Theater, and The Players Theatre. 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 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 13 years in NYC.

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Kiera Matthews (Music Director, Vocal Instructor) is a New York-based theatre artist and educator. She holds two degrees in Music Education (BM) from St. Norbert College and an MM in Vocal Performance: Musical Theatre Performance with a Post-Master’s Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU. Some teaching credits include: Adjunct Voice Instructor (NYU), Teaching Artist (Sunset Playhouse, First Stage), and Director of Choirs (Badger Middle School). Kiera loves working with developing voices and helping young artists find and discover their voice. She runs her own vocal studio and is currently auditioning for new productions as a working actor. In the fall, she’ll be making her NYC directing/producing debut at 54 Below with 54 Sings Off-Broadway Musicals. Some of her past favorite roles include: Mad Hatter (Off Bway, Alice in Wonderland); Fastrada (NYU, Pippin); Morticia (SNC, Addams Family); Casey (Lake Country Playhouse, First Date) and more. She’s so excited to be returning to Imagine Works for another summer!

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Gia Antonucci (Choreographer, Dance Instructor) is so excited to be working on "Willy Wonka 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!

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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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Audra Bryant (Choreographer, Dance Instructor) is a NYC based Director, Choreographer, and Educator.  Originally from Kansas, Audra trained in classical ballet, classical voice, and jazz dance prior to pursuing a bachelor of fine arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Oklahoma. Director/Choreography credits include Cabaret, Into the Woods, Matilda, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Black Rock Theatre), SpongeBob SquarePants, Finding Nemo Jr. (Music Theatre of Wichita).  Choreographer/Associate Choreographer credits are Annie, The Little Mermaid (Westport Country Playhouse); Mary Poppins (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma).  She has also directed, choreographed, movement coached, and assistant directed on projects for Maid & Prince Productions and on music videos for artists such as Bruce Sudano, Lenii, Nick Deutsch, Rachel King, Jerusha, and Michael Perrie Jr. She continues to collaborate with artists in NYC, and to take on various projects for stage and screen as choreographer and director.  Please visit www.audra-bryant.com for more information.