Our unique programming would not be possible without our talented ensemble of teaching artists and administrative staff, all of whom bring a wealth of experience in performing arts and community service.
REHEARSAL FOR LIFE STAFF
IJ is a dance artist and educator born, raised and now based in Boston. She graduated from James Madison University with a B.A. in Dance and Journalism and has dedicated her life to training and performing intensively in multiple dance genres, for multiple local and international dance masters. In her own choreographic work, IJ is interested in intersecting and exploring the Asian-American narrative. She is committed to bringing quality dance instruction to low-income and minority youth populations within Boston. She also works as freelance graphic designer and visual artist, with a specific focus on creating marketing materials for other dance artists in the community.
Michael was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He has studied theatre for over a decade at Boston Arts Academy, Bunker Hill Community College and, Suffolk University. He has performed as Lyle Britten In “Blues for Mr. Charlie” by James Bladwin, Lenny in “Marisol” by Jose Rivera, most recently King Mungkot in “The King & I”. He also completed Company One’s Professional Development for Actors course several times. He teaches theatre at Charles River Creative Arts Program in the summers, also assistant directs newton theatre troupe. Michael is currently a preschool teacher at the Shattuck Child Daycare Center. Michael is also an inaugural member of the Dunami’s summer series program.
Cooper joins the Urban Improv community with a background in music production, performance, arranging and composition. He is super excited to get involved in the re-writing, editing, recording, and performing of the music of Urban Improv. Cooper studied music production and composition at the Cambridge School of Weston, Hampshire College, and the Berklee School of Music. When Cooper isn’t working at Urban Improv he can be found music directing in JP and Dover, composing and recording music in his home studio for various freelance projects, and performing around New England.
Lillian is a Cape Verdean American actress born and raised in Massachusetts. She has been performing in and working on various productions, since graduating from Bridgewater State University with her BA in Communication Studies and Theater Arts. Lillian has toured the country bringing theater to areas that are often forgotten, utilizing theater to learn about social issues like empathy, peace, consent and bystander intervention. She plans to spread this kind of theater all over the world and to empower the youth and marginalized people everywhere. A teaching artist position with Rehearsal for Life is a sign that she is certainly on to something! When Lilli isn’t dabbling in the various roles of theater, she is likely spending time with her huge family or getting happily lost in a new city.
Michael (Mike) Healey grew up in Needham, MA and went on to study writing and audio journalism at Hampshire College in Amherst MA. He is currently completing his graduate degree in school and group therapy at Lesley University in Cambridge. Michael is also a 200 hr certified Yoga teacher and loves playing basketball and cheering for the Celtics. He plays guitar and piano and has co-written 6 musicals with Sally Cambell for Newton Freelance Troupe. His all time favorite musical is West Side Story and he loves teaching for troupe!
Madeline Hurley (she/her) has been with Rehearsal for Life since 2017 and in that time has worked for every Freelance Players Troupe! She currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Jamaica Plain Troupe and as a Co-Director of the Brookline Troupe. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Madeline is also an alum of Freelance Players. In the summers, Madeline has worked as a Theatrical Director at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in New York and at Creative Arts at Park. Madeline studied Theatre Education at Emerson College, and is passionate about the way that arts education can help students learn to trust their impulses and feel comfortable taking risks. Madeline thinks the best part of Rehearsal for Life is the communities we build here.
Elle Jansen grew up in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico and brings her passion for education and the arts to her work at Rehearsal for Life. Elle started her professional career as a performer, and has worked as a professional dancer and choreographer since the age of 17. In 2017, Elle graduated from the University of San Francisco (USF) with a BA in Performing Arts & Social Justice and International Studies. After graduating she was hired as an instructor at USF for collaborative artistic courses bringing together USF students and incarcerated peoples in the San Francisco County jails. In that role she also had the opportunity to support formerly incarcerated people in furthering their education and artistic endeavors as returning citizens. While teaching at the university she continued to teach theater, dance and musical theater within San Francisco public schools and early childhood education centers. She has developed a variety of classroom curricula from an early childhood arts-integrated program for Building Kidz Worldwide to college level syllabi. Elle is thrilled to be a member of the Rehearsal for Life family!
New Orleans born and Pennsylvania raised, Jackson Jirard is now a Bostonian artist and educator. He received his BA in Psychology from Stanford University, his M.Ed. in Human Development & Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has been researching power, responsibility, and emotional well-being in artistic spaces for many years. He’s danced professionally with Ballet Austin in Texas, Sacramento Ballet in California, and Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre. He’s also choreographed for New Repertory Theatre and Columbia Pictures, and performed for several other local companies. Having grown up in Massachusetts, Jackson continues to excitedly re-familiarize himself with the New England scene. He is so grateful to Rehearsal for Life for bringing him on this team in pursuit of a wonderful, revolutionary vision for social-emotional learning.
Robert’s career began in education, as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools, and then shifted to programs in the out of school time field as an AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellow with Citizen Schools in Malden, and then as the Director of the Red Oak After School & Summer Programs at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Chinatown with the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. Robert later shifted his focus to nonprofit capacity building and volunteer engagement with leadership roles at Building Impact and Common Impact, where he was inspired to enroll in the Social Impact program at Boston University Questrom School of Business and obtained his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership and Organizational Transformation in 2018. Most recently, Robert served as Executive Director at the Fenway Community Center where he collaborated with Fenway residents and local organizations to build community. While at FCC, Robert helped to launch Fenway Cares, a coalition of six local organizations that distributes free bags of produce to community members facing food insecurity, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of work, Robert has served on several nonprofit boards of directors—most recently as Co-Chair of the Boston Music Project—and currently sits on the Housing & Development Committee of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council. Robert is thrilled to join Rehearsal For Life at an exciting time for the organization in a role that will allow him to leverage his experience in youth development and nonprofit leadership to support social emotional learning of RFL youth as well as the organization’s talented and dedicated staff.
Lisa oversees the database and administrative functions for Rehearsal for Life. Lisa has a BA in Theatre from Saint Leo University and received her MFA in Creative Writing & Literature from Emerson College. A singer and percussionist, she performs with several Boston-based bands. Lisa is passionate about theatre and its ability to transform and save lives, and is honored to be a part of Rehearsal for Life.
Merle is a founding member of Urban Improv, with the company since 1992. An Independent Reviewers of New England award winner, she’s played roles at theaters in New England and abroad. Credits include TV shows like HBO’s “Six Feet Under”, films and local commercials. The Governor’s office, the Mayor of Boston, and the Red Sox have requested Merle to sing at events. Merle trained at Boston University and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts.
Kristen oversees philanthropy, marketing, and administration for Rehearsal for Life. She has worked in museums, public parks, education, and nonprofit foundations in Boston and NYC. Kristen studied Art History at UMass Amherst and received her MBA from Endicott College. A daily dose of art continues to be a connective thread in both her professional and personal life. Kristen believes the arts are an important tool, and can serve as a lens to interpret current events.
Faith Soloway (they/them) is a writer, director, composer, and performer. Faith was the music director for Urban Improv for over 20 years (1994 through 2016), and now they have hopped the fence from a member of the RFL board to the role of Interim Artistic Director for Urban Improv. They wrote for all four seasons of Amazon’s groundbreaking television show “Transparent” and composed all the songs for “Transparent: Musicale Finale.” With roots in the musical comedy world, Faith was the musical director at Second City in Chicago from 1985-1990. During that time, she was also a founding member of The Annoyance Theater.
Holly has been performing her entire life. She was a “Freelance kid”, performing in countless shows with the Freelance Players over the years. After receiving her BA from Drew University in Theater and Dance, she headed back to her roots in Boston and with Rehearsal for Life. Combining her passions for performance, education and social justice, working with Urban Improv is a dream come true. For over a decade, Holly has taught and performed in various places throughout the Boston area, including being a founding member and Education Director of Improvincetown, Provincetown’s premiere improv comedy company. Holly also teaches in the Comedic and Performing Arts Department’s at Emerson College, where she received her MA in Theater Education in 2017. In 2019, she returned to her studies at Emerson, receiving her MFA in Applied Theater. She was awarded the “Performing Arts MFA Graduate Award” for her qualitative research and thesis which centered around Urban Improv’s Youth Unscripted and its benefits on students’ Social Emotional Learning.
Kelsey, who was born and raised in Oregon, has been happily calling Boston her home for the past few years. She is a recent graduate from Emerson College, with an MA in Theatre Education and an MFA in Applied Theatre and Performance. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Oregon. Kelsey has worked as an actor, a writer, an event coordinator and an educator and she is thrilled to now be working at Rehearsal for Life, delving deeper into her passion for theatre and its potential to change the world.
Mary has been a director, teaching artist and creative collaborator in the Boston area for many years. She joined the organization in 2003 as assistant director with Freelance Players and teaching artist with Urban Improv and has been directing Freelance Players troupes since 2011. She is endlessly motivated by the collaborative, inclusive and expressive work she sees in the young artists as well as her colleagues. Originally from Maine, Mary graduated from Indiana University with a B.A in Theater and Drama and studied movement, voice and acting at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
Jamie has worked for this organization for over 15 years. Prior to joining Urban Improv, Jamie worked for several radio stations in Boston and Seattle. She also worked as a stage manager and house manager for many years. Originally from South Dakota, she earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from Seattle University and her M.A. in Media Arts from Emerson College. Jamie is gratified to be working for an organization that values artistic expression and social justice.
REHEARSAL FOR LIFE FOUNDERS
Narcissa is the Program Manager and a music director for Freelance Players. She joined the organization in 1982 and served as its Managing Director from the late 1980’s until 2019. An accomplished composer and arranger, she has won two Massachusetts Arts Lottery grants for composition. Narcissa is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she was awarded the Lamb Prize for composition, and the Barrett Fellowship for the study of musical theater. She has composed over 25 musicals for young people.
As Founding Director, Kippy serves as artistic adviser to all programs of Urban Improv and oversees the Freelance Players. Kippy has taught and directed at the Charles Playhouse and the Next Movie Theatre and held artist residencies in schools throughout the metropolitan Boston area. Kippy is also the founding director of Creative Arts at Park, a multi-arts summer program for young people ages 8-15.