Faculty Directory

Alexis Alleyne-Caputo

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Alexis Alleyne-Caputo is an interdisciplinary artist presenting work of her master project Afro Dairies™. Afro Diaries is a collection of work by, for, and about women of color, offering a window into the landscape of miscarriages women endure. The work reflects and refracts the critical issues of identity, cultural differences, and human rights, and draws from myriad issues and concerns that create conflict and inequality in society. She is a graduate of Goddard College (MFA), New York University (MA & BS/MA), and is a certified Arts in Medicine practitioner. A university professor and lecturer, Alleyne-Caputo is faculty at the New York Film Academy, where she teaches movement and has taught at the University of Miami (2014- 2017) New World School of the Arts at Miami-Dade College (2010-2015), as guest artist at Harlem School of the Arts and served as art consultant at Florida Memorial University.

Patrice DeGraff Arenas

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Patrice DeGraff Arenas hails from Miami, Florida where her love of theater was encouraged by her mom, a former drama teacher and administrator in MDCPS. She received a BFA from Florida State and MFA in Performance from The University of Pittsburgh. She is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA and UTD. Theater highlights include Skeleton Crew, at Gablestage directed Edson Jean, Gidion’s Knot, Tempest and The Rant at New Theater, directed by Ricky J. Martinez, In Darfur at Mosiac, directed by Richard Jay Simon, Working at San Diego Rep, directed by Sam Woodhouse and Hair at the Wadsworth CA, directed by Arthur Seidelman. Film roles include,The Jackson’s an American Dream (ABC) and Exit. Directing achievements include I Know What I Am and I’m Not What You Call Me, a staged reading at the Adrienne Arsht Center. When not performing, she can be found teaching Voice and Speech and Advanced Acting Technique at New York Film Academy South Beach as well as the Department Chair, Fine Arts at American High (MDCPS). Performing is a dance that affords many partners, contributing different styles that enhance the choreography of life’s joys and sorrows. I am grateful to my loving tribe which includes family, friends, students’ former and present.

Robert Aronowitz

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Robert Aronowitz is a New York City based SAG-AFTRA Stunt Performer, Fight/Intimacy Coordinator, Actor, and Certified Combat Instructor. Robert is the Co-Founder of Neutral Chaos a company that offers choreographic solutions, private combat instruction, and masterclass training opportunities in the greater New York City area. Robert is also the founding coordinator of a 3-day stage and screen stunt workshop, “The Tourist Trap” held annually in Orlando, Florida.

Blanche Baker

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Blanche Baker is an actress of stage, screen and television. After attending Wellesley College, Blanche made her television debut in the miniseries Holocaust, for which she won an Emmy Award. Her feature films include Sixteen Candles, The Handmaid’s Tale with Robert Duvall, Raw Deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Kevin Bacon HBO film Taking Chance. She was part of the Yale Repertory Theatre and Anna Sokolow’s dance troupe. Her theatre roles include Steel Magnolias and Edward Albee’s Lolita with Donald Sutherland. Blanche is Senior Faculty at the New York Film Academy where she teaches in both the Acting and Musical Theatre Departments. She wrote and directed the award-winning short films Streetwrite and Make America Safe.

Iain Batchelor

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Iain is a professional actor with over 12 years of experience across various sectors of the performing arts, both in his native United Kingdom and the United States. A graduate of the world-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), his theatre work has seen him appear on world-renowned stages such as the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company and his on-camera work have seen him feature in Oscar and Emmy-nominated TV and Film projects, such as Wolf Hall and Allied.

Iain’s coaching work while in the US has seen him help students attain places at esteemed colleges across the country, and he is delighted to now be working with the students at NYFA!

Matthew Bellows Acting for Film Instructor

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Matthew Bellows is a classically trained actor with an MFA from the prestigious Old Globe. With over 50 current tv and film credits to his name, Matthew’s credits range from the professional stage in Anna Christie, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure (and more) to Television in The Mandalorian, recurring roles on New Amsterdam and Snowfall, and major roles on FBI International, United States of Al, Brooklyn 99, as well as big studio features, The Gray Man, Captain Marvel and Hereditary to name a few.

Michael Bershad Acting for Film Instructor

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BA, Criminology, University of MD. Trained with Stella Adler, Michael Shurtleff, David LeGrant. Series regular, 2 seasons, “Capitol”. Theatrical Agent with Stephan Gray Artists. Casting: Glenn Larson Prods, White Eagle Prods (Sylvester Stallone). Cable Ace Awards Judge, 5 years. Produced 3 films, including the feature, “Dispatch” (Netflix, Amazon), which he also wrote and starred in.

Lauren Ann Brickman

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As an actor Lauren has appeared on screen in such projects as FBI: most wanted, Bull, Gloria Bell, Alterlatino, Stuffed with Lisa Lampanelli, and much more including being a former house performer at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade & a company member of The Story Pirates. As an educator Lauren has worked at Adelphi University, Montclair State, CUNY City Tech, CUNY Queensborough, and the University of Iowa where she earned her MFA in acting. Lauren is also a published writer for periodicals such as Glamour magazine & freelance director. She is also the 1/2 of the comedy duo we Stan together.

Lizzy Brooks

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Born and raised in Los Angeles, Lizzy is an Actor, Singer and Screenwriter. BA: Columbia University- Art History. MFA: Brown/Trinity Repertory (Acting, Directing and Playwriting). Select credits include Broadway: Macbeth (u/s Lady Macbeth, Banquo); Regional Theater: As You Like It (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Julius Caesar (The Hanover Theater) and Shoebox: A Roadside Picnic (ASF). Film and TV: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry (Hulu/Amazon Prime), New Amsterdam (NBC) and Hostages (NBC)

Todd Bruno

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Todd Bruno is an award-winning actor and producer, and a native of South Florida. He is a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York and has a Theater degree from Vanderbilt University. Best known for Stratagem (2017), Palace (2018) and Proximity (2013), he is a veteran of more than 40 film productions and 50+ stage productions. Todd is on faculty at New York Film Academy, and his latest film Corona Camp is set to release this year.

Christopher Cass Acting for Film Instructor

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BA in Theatre, University of Georgia. NY and LA credits include “Rounding Third,” “Jerusalem,” “Gaining Ground,” “RFK” (Off-Broadway), “Sleepwalk,” “Born in the RSA,” “Much Ado” (Central Park), “Henry V” (Off-Broadway) and “Macbeth.” Television credits include: “ER,” “Like Family,” “Tucker,” “Fired Up,” “Cedric the Entertainer,” “Night Court,” and many more.

Samrat Chakrabarti

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Samrat Chakrabarti is a prolific, international artist. He holds a MFA in Acting from the A.R.T/ Moscow Art Theatre School Program at Harvard University. He has appeared/recurred on countless American TV shows and films including Homeland (Showtime), The Sinner (USA), 30 Rock (NBC), Mr. Robot (USA), The Sopranos (HBO MAX), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, (NETFLIX), Sneaky Pete (AMAZON), Damages (FX), Blue Bloods (CBS) and Little Voice (APPLE TV+).

Samrat also works consistently in film, both in Hollywood and International projects, ranging from Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me” to Gurinder Chadha’s “Viceroy’s House” to Sarah Colangelo’s “The Kindergarten Teacher” to Deepa Mehta’s film adaption of Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children”.

In addition to being an award-winning actor, Samrat is also an acclaimed musician and director.

José Alberto Venutolo Chirinos

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José Venutolo is a freelance Filmmaker based in New York City since 2010, he works as a Director, Producer, Editor, DIT, Videographer, and Educator. Born and raised in Venezuela he found his way to New York in 2008 and pursued studies in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy from 2008 to 2010, he’s fluent in Spanish and English, and conversational Italian. Teaches Directing and Editing at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) and is currently the Director of the NYFA Teen Summer Camps at the New York City campus; he has worked as an educator in video production and editing for The Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) as well. In his 13 years career his has work on a range of video productions from Narrative to commercial, including Short and Feature Films, Advertisement, Institutional videos, PSAs, Documentaries, and Music Videos, frequently wearing many hats on a production.

Anna Maria Cianciulli Acting for Film Instructor

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Anna Maria’s work as an actor, director, writer, and producer has received nominations, awards, and recognition at many film festivals throughout the world, including Cannes.

Sanford Meisner personally assigned her the exclusive rights to bring out his seminal book, On Acting, in an Italian language edition (La recitazione – Dino Audino Editor 2007).

Anna recently played the co-star role of Juliana Chiari in the CBS series East New York, opposite Richard Kind, ended the filming of Maladaptive Daydreaming, and is currently filming My Mother is an Astronaut (2023).

She can be seen playing Gertrude on all major platforms in Hamlet/Horatio, a feature that has won 14 best film awards at festivals in the US and abroad. She also played a principal role in the Lifetime feature film Stealing Chanel.

Her solo-created short 33 Breaths was shot during the pandemic and was a finalist in the 2020 Single-Take Challenge.

Anna has produced, co-written, and coached the actors on the set of Life After Her, a multi-award-winning film shot in New York selected by the Short Corner of the Cannes Film Festival. Her film Stay has received a Special Mention from the Ouchy Film Awards Winter 2016.

As a theater director, actor, and producer she has worked with Kevin Bacon, the late Tony and Golden Globe-winner Brian Dennehy, the Academy Award winner Roberto Benigni, and the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated Tony Danza.

Her work has been seen at: The Kitchen for a BAM event, Vanderbilt Hall of Grand Central Station, Joyce Soho, St. Peter’s Church, the American Museum of Natural History, and The Players Club.

Anna co-produced Tribeca in Rome – a cultural partnership between the Tribeca Film Festival and the Rome Film Festival, including the Steps and Stars Award received by Robert De Niro.

As an Acting Coach, she consulted with Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, Alessandra Mastronardi, Kick Kennedy, and Santigold, among others. She was the on-set Acting Coach of Yelo, a short film directed by Adrien Boublil (Cannes 2013).

Anna is also an Adjunct Professor at the Columbia University Film MFA Program and at the Feirstein School of Cinema MFA Program.

J. Claude Deering Acting for Film Instructor

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BFA from Stella Adler Studios at NYU’s Tisch School. Theatre credits include two seasons at The Williamstown Theatre Festival. A member of Lincoln Center’s LCT Directors LAB. Film and TV credits include “Side Effects” (dir. Steven Soderbergh), “The Ugly Truth,” “Room 104” (HBO), “NCIS,” “Entourage,” “12 Deadly Days” (YouTube Red), and “Inside the Box” (ABC/Shondaland). Digital producer/writer/director for Funny or Die, CollegeHumor, MSN, Fullscreen, and Chiat/Day.

Maria Del Bagno Acting for Film Instructor

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Graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, apprenticed under renowned master choreographer, Jaime Rogers, and the “Father of Jazz Dance,” Luigi. Over 25 years of experience as a dance instructor. Named one of L.A.’s top choreographers by L.A. Jazz Dance Foundation.