Faculty Directory

Riley Steiner

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Riley joined NYFA in 2014 and teaches all levels of Technique and Scene Study, specializing in Acting Styles and Shakespeare.

Her stage work includes Ophelia in Sir Anthony Hopkins’ production of Hamlet on the HB Studio stage in New York. Riley worked as a voice actor alongside Tom Hanks in Toy Story, and can be heard screaming “I GOT HIS SWEATBAND!” in Disney’s Hercules. She is also remembered as the fatally doomed Page Bowen on General Hospital.

As a playwright, two of her plays have been included in the Plays in Progress Series at the award winning Utah Shakespearean festival. Her first play, Tumcumcari has enjoyed three productions in Los Angeles. She directed the play in 2014 at the Whitemore Theatre in North Hollywood.

She has directed a handfull of Shakespeare plays at NYFA and participates as a guest director in The Road Theatre Company’s Summer Playwrights festival.

She studied acting with Uta Hagen for over ten years and now teaches her methodology. In 2010, Riley went back to school to complete her education. In 2014, she graduated cum laude with a BA in Theatre and an MFA in Shakespeare and Renaissance Studies , both at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, VA.

 

Tyler Stillwill

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Tyler is a teacher and an interdisciplinary artist from Los Angeles who performs (in an actory, singery and musiciany way), composes, writes, clowns, directs, paints, illustrates, sculpts and makes music. They’ve had plays and musicals produced in small theaters in Detroit, Austin, Chicago, Seattle and Off Off Off Broadway. A one time Children’s Theatre Artistic Director, International Marketing Executive, College Professor and Tattoo Artist. Featured in the web series “Staying Together” (https://vimeo.com/317707828), they’ve ridden their bicycle up and down mountains all over the world, but only ever mistaken for a criminal in Japan. But that’s a story for another time.

Peter Allen Stone

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Peter Allen Stone is an actor, writer, director, and teacher. He is the former Chair of Acting for Film at the New York Film Academy in New York City, and he is currently Head of Acting at the University of Kentucky. His students have appeared on Broadway,Off-Broadway, in Hollywood and Bollywood films, and on many popular television shows. In New York City, he assisted with auditions for feature films and television at
Mackey Sandrich Casting.

As an actor, he has performed in film/television and at some of America’s prominent theaters such as The American Conservatory Theater, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival of New American Plays, Portland Stage, and many theaters in New York City. He has played leading roles in Shakespeare and premiered works by
playwrights Sarah Ruhl and Rebecca Gilman. He is the co-author of the Off-Broadway play, Unnatural Acts Harvard’s Secret Court of 1920. The play was nominated for a Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Play), GLAAD
Media Award, Outstanding New York Theatre: Broadway and Off-Broadway, and an Off-Broadway Alliance Award (Best New Play.) His short film, Va Bene Cosi (Italy), has appeared in many film festivals and won Best International Comedy at the South Dakota Film Festival. His other films include Hypoesthesia, Together, and Hehku (Glow). Together and Hehku were shot on location in Helsinki, Finland and were supported by an
Erasmus grant. Hehku screened as part of an exhbit at the Hakasalmen Huvila museum in Helsinki from Jan. – Feb. 2023. In addition, he co-wrote My White Friend with Lanre Olabisi, and it was recognized by the Page Awards, Launch Pad, and WeScreenplay TV Contest.

Mr. Stone is the author of the popular acting book, Acting for the Camera: Back to One (Routledge/Focal Press Taylor Francis Group), and The Natural Elements, a chapter in the book Building Embodiment Integrating Acting, Voice, and Movement to Illimunate Poetic Text (Routledge/Focal Press Taylor Francis Group). His new book, Acting for the Camera: A Teacher’s Guide will be published (Routledge/Focal Press – Taylor & Francis
Group) in 2025. He has taught his approach to acting for the camera in the United States, Italy, Germany, Finland, South Korea, and India. He continues to act, write, direct, and teach acting for the camera workshops all over the world. He received his MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA.

Melissa Sullivan

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Melissa Sullivan received her B. F. A. in Theater at Cal Arts and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio. Sullivan has worked extensively in film, television and theater as an actor and producer. Film credits include, Finding Red Cloud, Sweet Underground, S.F.W. and Poker Face. TV credits include, Shameless, Hawthorne, Dragnet and E.R.

Sullivan’s theater credits include, Stella in Streetcar Named Desire, winning her the LA Ticket Holders Best Supporting Actress Award, Veronica in The Interview, in which the LA Times called her a “mesmerizing performer”, The Girl in Mr. Paradise, Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Mary Jane in The Dead, Miss Julie in Miss Julie, Karin in The Bitter Tears of Petra Van Kant, Marta in Waiting for the Parade, Katrin in Mother Courage and Her Children, and many more.

Sullivan was production designer and producer of the feature, Roommate Wanted, which played at Salem Horror Film Festival, Bahamas International Film Festival and Shriekfest, with distribution by Indican Pictures. She produced and starred in the web series, The Millionaires on Amazon Prime. Sullivan is a singer-songwriter with a debut album, Late Last Night, Apple Music/Spotify. She performs regularly at the renown, The Hotel Café’.

Cle Thompson

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BA in English, Beloit College. Extensive acting experience in off-Broadway productions, national tours, and feature films including A 2nd Before Hell Freezes Over, VS, Funny Valentines and Beyond the Blue. She has worked with legendary film composer/arranger Elmer Bernstein, sung in clubs from New York to Los Angeles.

Matthew Toronto

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MATTHEW TORONTO – After a two-year stint on Netflix, Matt’s coming-of-age feature, FACE 2 FACE, which he wrote and directed, continues to inspire audiences on Paramount +, Epix and several other platforms. Besides an array of award-winning features, shorts, pilots and web series, Matt recently directed two features to be released by Artist View Entertainment in 2023 and is scheduled to direct two more this year. Matt earned his MFA in directing from Penn State University where he later joined the faculty and taught acting, directing and musical theatre for eight years. On stage, Matt directed the world premiere of the widely renowned musical ORDINARY DAYS as well as a long list of plays and musicals in New York City, Los Angeles and across the country. He began his professional career as an actor, performing in national tours, Off-Broadway and in celebrated regional theatres. He also spent five seasons in the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR dancing alongside the Rockettes! A father of three, Matt loves to tell stories that reveal humanity in unexpected ways.

Charley Tucker

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As a teaching artist, Mr. Tucker has worked at New York University (co-teacher with Phylicia Rashad), American Globe Theatre (Shakespeare First Folio Technique), University of Texas/ Austin, Muhlenberg College, Penn State University and New York Film Academy where he is currently teaching Scene Study and the Meisner Technique.
HEDDA GABBLER (American Globe), UNCLE TOM’S CABIN (The Drama Dept.- Workshop Co.), MISALLIANCE (Pennsylvania Center Stage), DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS (American Stage), SIX DEGREES OF SEPERATION (Florida Studio Theatre), and AMERICAN BUFFALO (Asolo Conservatory Theatre- guest artist). Film and T.V.: CURDLED (Miramax), AMY SCHUMMER SHOW (Comedy Central), TENNESSEE (Lee Daniels Entertainment), and several television and radio commercials. Currently Mr. Tucker has 2 films in production.

Sam Underwood

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Born in England, seasoned in the USA. Began in musical theatre with dreams of being the next Gene Kelly, moved on to dramatic stage works such as ‘Equus’ opposite Alec Baldwin, eventually found himself on television playing various psychopaths and serial killers.

José Venutolo Camp Director

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José Alberto Venutolo Chirinos is a Venezuelan 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.

From 2010 to present he walked the path of freelance filmmaking as a Director, Producer, and Editor. Has worked in TV, advertisement, PSA, and independent productions and art installations, while walking a path at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) that evolved from TA, to instructor, to Youth Programs Director. He is currently the Director of the Teens’ Summer
Camps at NYFA’s New York City campus.

José has a passion for teaching and wishes to never be fully removed from the classroom, he loves incorporating his own perceptions and experiences to his teaching, and also that of an immigrant professional finding a foothold in the US media production and education businesses. He keeps connected to his freelance work which in his 15 years’ career has taken him to an eclectic range of work, from video production for both narrative and commercial products, including short and feature films, advertisement, institutional videos, PSAs, documentaries, and music videos, frequently wearing many hats on a production.

Victor Verhaeghe

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Victor Verhaeghe is a writer, actor, producer and director. He has written and directed multiple award winning short films, including: COP-DOC, The  Doctor Cares, The Parker, Saving Kevin and Caleb Vs. Trialagor. Victor has written, produced and acted in many theatrical projects, most  recently: The Book of Shame, at the Emerging Artists Theater, a solo show  written and performed by Victor Verhaeghe; and a musical Doorman, The  Musical, at The NY Theater Festival. 

As an actor, Victor recently worked as a recurring actor in Daredevil: Born  Again. Recent films: Notice to Quit, with Michael Zegen, No Hard Feelings,  with Jennifer Lawrence, Bad Education with Hugh Jackman; Bridge of  Spies, with Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, directed by Steven Speilberg.  On TV: Recurring roles on the TV shows Raising Kanan – Power Book III; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, For Life, HBO’s The Night Of, Three seasons  on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and many Guest Starring appearances on Law  & Order, Law & Order SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Paul Warner

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Paul Warner is an award-winning director and educator, whose more than 50 productions span film, theater, and opera. He most recently directed the feature film, HAMLET/HORATIO, which premiered on Amazon in June 2021, and subsequently enjoyed limited theatrical release in 2022. HAMLET/HORATIO has been the recipient of 15 international festival awards. Prior to HAMLET/HORATIO, Warner directed a new musical, RIVER OF STONE by Drama Desk nominee Peter Melnick with book by Ty Defoe which premiered at the Jaffa Festival as well as Wendy Whelan of the New York City Ballet in the premiere of WOMEN: THE WAR WITHIN, a dance-opera by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun and Obie-winning writer Matthew Maguire, which premiered at The Baryshnikov Arts Center. Film credits include the feature FALL TIME (Lionsgate) starring Mickey Rourke (nominated for The Grand Jury Prize in competition at Sundance), IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (Sundance premiere), the disco movie musical, KAYA: TASTE OF PARADISE (lyrics and music by Anna K. Jacobs (Teeth) and book by Jerome Parker as well as David Michalek’s PORTRAITS IN DRAMATIC TIME, with Alan Rickman, William H. Macy, and Holly Hunter (Lincoln Center Festival premiere), for which he directed the actors and served as Executive Creative Consultant. Warner is a graduate of Harvard and The American Film Institute and the recipient of numerous honors including The Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation for sustained achievement in directing. He has served on the faculties of: NYU, SVA, and SUNY Purchase, amongst others. Currently, he is a senior instructor of Directing, Acting, and Producing at The New York Film Academy. Paulwarnerofficial.com

Tina Zaremba

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Tina Zaremba is a professional voice over actor. Based in New York City, she brings fifteen plus years of experience and has lent her voice to hundreds of commercials, promos, and corporate videos that include clients such as: BNY Mellon, Tide Plus Bleach, Airwick, Pantene, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the United Way. In addition to working as a voice-over talent, Tina works with artists 1:1 as well as in workshops helping them create a blue print to developing a career in entertainment/new media as a soloprenuer. She also teaches voice overs at New York Film Academy in NYC.

Tina studied theater at Western Michigan as well as The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute where she was a recipient of the
Sidney Kingsley scholarship. When Tina isn’t providing her voice to various voice over work, you can find her venturing around Harlem with her husband; son and French Bulldog Jojo.

To learn more about Tina go to www.tinazaremba.com