Board
of 
Directors
Alice Bishop, Chair
Anita Bruckmeir, Vice-Chair
Claire Regan, Secretary/Treasurer
​Linda Brill, Trustee
Edna Greenwich, Trustee
Alex Lutz, Trustee
Jeannine Otis, Trustee
​Michael Pinto, Trustee
​Gina Russo, Trustee
Rossana Salaris, Trustee
Susan Sappin, Trustee
Elisa Sciortino, Trustee, Governance Committee Chair
Kenneth Silber, Trustee, Past President
Shari Stein-Ballow, Trustee

Staff

Arlene E. Sorkin, MSW, President/CEO, Producer
Arlene, a Staten Island resident, has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Temple University and a Masters degree in Social Work from Bryn Mawr School of Social Work and Social Research.  Her expertise and experience include eating disorders, perinatal and newborn health, domestic violence, LGBT topics, and dementia to name a few. While practicing clinical social work, she spent her spare time participating with community theater organizations both on stage (dancing and singing) and behind the scenes.  In June 2000, Arlene became affiliated with the Minneapolis-based Illusion Theater when she produced their play, From the Beginning I Did Not Speak in Secret for the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition in addition to five annual benefits for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS with casts of Broadway touring companies. In 2002, she co-founded IlluminArt Productions (which became a 501(c)(3) in 2006) in Michigan with Patty Ceresnie.  From February 2005 through May 2009, Arlene was the director of JCC Maccabi ArtsFest at the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, located in Manhattan, creating and producing week-long arts festivals for teens each summer in various cities which offered workshops and performance in many different art disciplines including acting, musical theater, dance, digital media, visual arts, and vocal music to name a few.  This gave her the opportunity to recruit and work with a variety of talented artists-in-residence.  In June, 2009, Arlene established IlluminArt Productions in Staten Island, New York as a way to combine her love for theater and social work.   
Ariel Marcus, BA, Artistic Director, Teaching Artist 
Ariel has been a member of IlluminArt's Touring Company since its inception in 2013. In addition, she has been a teaching artist for our Project Spotlight and Write-A-Play and was Touring Company Stage Manager for our 2017-18 season. Ariel has a BA in Theater and Graphic Design from Oswego State University of New York and has worked with the William Esper Studio Manhattan. She has appeared in Peace Up, What Goes Around, Sometimes I Just Want Ice Cream,  Truth in Excess, Prescription for Addiction, Table Service, and A Nation of Immigrants for IlluminArt. Outside IlluminArt Ariel has been fortunate to work on a multitude of levels in theatre including; Director of Lysistrata  (Staten Island Shakespearean Theater), Teaching Artist and Performer with 'Speak About It' (ME), Puck Midsummer Night's Dream (Millbrook Playhouse, PA), and Norwegian Cruise Line contracted with Nickelodeon. She is the color-guard instructor for the Monsignor Farrell Marching Band, and enjoys tossing flags in her spare time. 

www.arimarc.com 
Sarah Law, MA, BFA, Director of Education, Teaching Artist
Sarah is a performer and theater educator from Brooklyn, New York. She holds a Masters in Applied Theater from CUNY School of Professional Studies. She also holds a BFA in Acting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. During the 2017-18 school year, Sarah taught IlluminArt's Write-A-Play program at PS 10, PS 16, PS 39, PS 57, and PS 59. For the past 10 years, she has been a part of many theatrical endeavors as an actor, writer, improviser, singer, director and educator in New York. Her passion lies in collaborating with young people and seniors and devising original work. Sarah has worked in school residency programs; after school programs; residential treatment centers; Universities; and with organizations such as the CAT Youth Theater, Queens Theater, Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, Manhattan Youth Services, Manhattan Youth Services, Edith and Carl Marks JCH, West Side YMCA, CBE Kids, JDT Lab, Green Chimneys Farm, Neighborhood Improvement Association and The University of Rwanda. Some recent work she has directed with young people include, “The Enchanted Forest,” “The Lion and The Mouse,” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” She hopes to expand education through theater to a plethora of communities and empower young people and humans through imagination and expression.
Keith Gregory Taylor, Program Manger, Teaching Artist 
Keith is very busy as Stage Manager for IlluminArt's Touring Company, booking performances and taking care of other administrative tasks as well as teaching. Keith feels the social impact messages of IlluminArt are very personal for him. As a youth he was involved in every school and community theater production he could be but as a teen he was bullied and took to being home-schooled. Keith found solace through stage, film and song and is proud to be able to help spread the message of kindness and acceptance through the performing arts as an adult. Keith teaches IlluminArt's Write-A-Play program and arts enrichment. He has appeared in What Goes Around, Peace Up, Sometimes I Just Want Ice Cream, Truth in Excess, Prescription for Addiction, Table Service and A Nation of Immigrants. Keith was recently the Stage Manager and Assistant Director for Lysistrata at the Staten Island Shakespearean Theater, where he also stage managed King Lear, and Our Town.  In addition to teaching for IlluminArt he is currently the Touring Company Stage Manager.
Randy Barrett Topper, BFA, MSW, Artistic Director Emeritus
Randy has a BFA in Theater from Wayne State University in his native Detroit and a Masters in Social Work from the College of Staten Island. He is currently the Clinical Coordinator at Project Hospitality's Shine Center for HIV Services. Randy served as Artistic Director for IlluminArt Productions from March 2010-June 2018.  In that capacity, he oversaw IlluminArt's Touring Company and directed all of IlluminArt’s plays as well as the annual Empowering Voices Musical Revue Benefit, which he will continue to do.  Randy was responsible for training and developing IlluminArt’s teaching staff. He created IlluminArt's Write-A-Play and ACTive Adults programs, and taught in IlluminArt school residency programs.  Additionally, he developed and facilitated a class in Musical Theater Appreciation for senior adults as well as an adapted curriculum for adults with dementia.  Randy authored the plays Sometimes I Just Want Ice Cream, Truth in Excess, Prescription for Addiction, Table Service and A Nation of Immigrants, all performed by IlluminArt's Touring Company. As an actor, Randy has toured nationally with children’s theater companies such as Theatreworks USA, National Theatre for Children, and Dandelion Productions.  He also spent a season as a teaching artist at the Florida Studio Theatre. Favorite directorial credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Isn’t it Romantic.   In addition, Randy has over 20 years of experience in the summer camp field having worked as an administrator at the JCC Day Camp of Metro Detroit, The JCC of Greater Monmouth County, Surprise Lake Camp and most recently, The JCC of Staten Island.  
Patty Ceresnie, Producing Artistic Director Emeritus, co-founder IlluminArt 
Productions
Patty Ceresine, with Arlene Sorkin in 2002 and provides ongoing consultation. Trained at the Pasadena Playhouse, Patty has lifelong experience as a singer, dancer, and actor. Her long career in entertainment includes musical  theater, night club singing, leading her own band, television commercials, industrial films and 19 years as rehearsal director for the Festival Dancers, a resident dance company at the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan  Detroit (where she met Arlene Sorkin).  Working for the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition (MJAC), Patty assistant produced benefits for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS with the national Broadway touring companies of Saturday Night Fever and South Pacific in 1999 and 2000. She played a lead role in MJAC’s production of Illusion Theater’s From the Beginning I Did Not Speak in Secret. Patty directed IlluminArt’s 2003-2005 run of For Our Daughters and directed Project TRUST (Teaching and Reaching Using Students and Theater) in Michigan from 2003-2013. Student actors from four different high schools have presented bullying and violence prevention plays to over 20,000 middle and elementary school students under Patty’s direction. She currently enjoys spending her free time with her 2 beautiful grandchildren.

Teaching Artists and Touring Company

Nataki Alexander-Hewling, Teaching Artist
Nataki has worked as a Photo Professional for over 15 years as a Photo Researcher, Editor, and Photographer. She has worked for top publishing houses including Scholastic Inc., and TIME Inc. While at TIME for Kids magazine, Nataki has photographed notables such as Newbery Medal winner Kwame Alexander, Author Chelsea Clinton, Pharrell Williams and many more. Her work can be found inside the print and web editions of TIME for Kids magazine as well as other publications. Nataki is also a writer who has published children’s book reviews as well as poetry for Dialogue newsletter and currently blogs for Mommypoppins.com, where she keeps New York City parents in the know about the fun and educational family-friendly activities that happen on Staten Island. 
Gideon Bautista, Teaching Artist
Gideon is a Queens-born, New England bred teaching-artist. After receiving his BA in Theatre Education from Emerson College, he studied at the Linklater Center, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, and at the Michael Chekhov Actors Studios in Boston and New York. He would go on to found improvisation troupes in both cities--Comedycazi and Not Quite NASA, respectively--which both create retroscripted stories. In the classroom, Gideon draws on his heritage as a Filipino-American and on his skills in Shakespeare, directing, improvisation, and playwriting in order to empower student voices and to help them make discoveries about their experiences, their imagination, and the world around them. He currently resides in Brooklyn
Laura Casertano, Touring Company Actor
Laura is excited to take part in IlluminArt’s touring company! Laura holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Hunter College. During her time at Hunter, she performed with the Hunter Opera Theater, the Jazz Vocal Workshop, and was a member and soloist of the choral ensembles. In the past, she has performed at venues throughout New York City including Carnegie Hall and The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Recently, she has performed with theater groups throughout Staten Island. Her previous credits include: Sundog Theatre's Baby as Lizzie, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as Olive, and Seaview Playwright Theatre’s A Little Night Music as Anne. She also spends time creating her own music of the singer-songwriter style. ​
Ronald Chironna, Teaching Artist
Ronald, a native of Staten Island, New York, developed a love for the visual arts very early in his life. He’s a Pratt Institute summa cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He’s worked as a freelance illustrator for clients from all areas of popular media for many years. After intensive arts education training with various teaching artist organizations, he’s been satisfying his desire to work with students by operating as a teaching artist since 2007. He has residency experience with students of all ages and abilities, and focuses on employing enjoyable visual arts projects and exercises with his students in a safe and creative environment. His goal is to help each student tell their own unique story and create art in their own distinct way.


Drew Drake, Teaching Artist
Drew is a recent MFA Acting Graduate of University of Tennessee(Spring '16) who was last  seen in Folger Shakespeare Theatre production of "The Winters Tale",  River and Rail Theatre's production "The Unsual Tale of Mary And Joseph's Baby", Drama Garden's production of "Brother, Mine" as well as SkyTechOne's Independent Feature Film "The Adventures of Cheap Chad". Clarence Brown Theatres' credits include Titus Andronicus and South Pacific. He is also a Spoken Word and National Slam Poet and teaching artist whose work has been showcased in competitions high schools, colleges and universities all over the country, and currently working on a new collection of poetry entitled A Black Man's Cacophony set to be published this Spring. 

www.thedrewdrake.com
Shane Drucker, Touring Company Actor
Shane is an actor and musician who graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School in 2017. During his 4 years he was actIve in the school’s choir as well as playing many roles in Wagner’s Dramatic Arts program such as Emmet Forrest in Legally Blonde: The Musical, Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, and Che in Evita. Shane is thrilled about the opportunity to perform with IlluminArt and hopes to teach important lessons through IlluminArt’s plays. Currently, he is majoring in Music Education at The College of Staten Island. During the 2017-18 season he appeared in What Goes Around, Peace Up, Sometimes I Just Want Ice Cream, Truth in Excess, Prescription for Addiction, ​Table Service, and A Nation of Immigrants.
Daniela Favaloro, Touring Company Actor
Daniela graduated the College of Staten Island in 2015 and received her BS in Dramatic Arts with a minor in American Sign Language. In her four years as an undergraduate student, Daniela worked closely with Jennifer Straniere, the Production Manager at CSI. She served as a dedicated member of the stage crew for multiple productions including: A Streetcar Named Desire, Arms and the Man, Eurydice and The Idiot Box. As a direct result, she was given the opportunity to work as a stagehand, assistant lighting designer as well as board operator in various productions at the college. In spring 2016, Professor Sean Edgecomb invited Daniela back as an alumna to serve as assistant director for the premiere of The Mirror: An Evening of Symbolist Plays by Women. After training with Kristi Funk Dana, Daniela became particularly interested in voice and diction training as a catalyst to give young people voice and agency towards self-confidence and social change. This work was extended during her final year at the college in which she created, directed and performed If Tomorrow…, Daniela’s one woman show that was influenced by personal experience with the effects of bullying, and suicide. Daniela recently stage managed Seaview Playwright’s Race, and worked on Hamlet as the light board operator. She currently takes multiple acting classes at LaGuardia Acting Studio, and Voice lessons at Victory Music. Daniela is thrilled to start her first journey as a touring company actor with IlluminArt Productions, and is looking forward to more to come!
Justin Giachetti, Touring Company Actor, Teaching Artist
Justin is a Theater Performance graduate from Rider University. Always believing that theater was meant to educate and inspire change as well as entertain, Justin is excited to join the IlluminArt family. Justin is also the co-creator and Artistic Director of Breaking Through The Box, a non profit theater company in Mercer County, NJ. As a non profit organization, they strive to serve as a forum for new work and new views on old work. Justin has also been a leader as Student General Manager of Rider University’s award winning radio station, 107.7 The Bronc. Now pursuing a Master of the Arts in Education, Justin hopes to ignite the same fire in the next generation of artists. Justin is also a director and playwright. Previous creative credits include Little Trifles (Student Film), Inferno: A New Work About Sin (World Premiere in NJ), Do Us Part: A One Night Murder Mystery (Rider University), and Inferno: A New Work About Sin (New York Premiere at the Flea Theater), Faith in Shackles (World Premiere in West Orange, NJ), Titus Andronicus (Mercer County Park in Robbinsville, NJ), and Faith in Shackles (NJ Fringe 2017), and most recently at The Hunchback in Hemlock Theater's Production.
Kasia Klimiuk, Teaching Artist
Kasia is a New York based performance artist and applied theatre practitioner. She received her Masters of Art in Applied Theatre from the CUNY School of Professional Studies. Kasia has been performing in various mediums for over 20 years, as an actor, dancer, and singer. Over the last eight years she has been working as a director and producer with her own theatre company, Our Fabulous Variety Show (OFVS), which she co-founded wth Anita Boyer in October 2010. The company has produced over 20 theatrical productions throughout the eastern end of Long Island since its inception, with both Kasia’s choreography and direction. She has also co-written five original plays with OFVS. The theatre company has been awarded as the Best Theatre Group on the South Fork of Long Island by Dans Papers from 2013 to 2017 and continues to create original theatre and provide educational programming to youth each year. She also works at Gordon Brothers as an inventory appraiser; with New York City Children’s Theater as an actor-educator and teaching artist; as a teaching artist with Manhattan Youth Services; and as a theatre educator with Imaginarium Theater Collective, an educational theater company she co-founded in late 2017 with Sarah Law.
Ingrid Marie (Alvarez) Harbour, Teaching Artist
Ingrid is a professional artist with over 17 years experience making, showing and selling her artwork. Classically trained in drawing and painting, she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts at the University of Washington in her hometown Seattle. Ingrid is primarily a painter, using watercolor, acrylics and oils, and has a deep passion for plein air painting in the great outdoors. Based in New York City, Ingrid creates visual art and digital content from her Staten Island studio. She started teaching and face painting children in Brooklyn and Manhattan in 2009, and currently serves as a Teaching Artist at the Staten Island Museum and the Art Lab, both located at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. Employing a interdisciplinary approach to the arts, Ingrid believes that all students can benefit from arts-integrated learning of any subject. Ingrid also works in technology producing video, graphics and written content for IEEE.tv, the science-based online television network of the IEEE organization, featuring world-class engineers and leaders from academia, industry and government. Learn more about Ingrid at: ingridalvarez.comingridalvarez.com/ and artbyingrid.com.
Louis Navarette, Touring Company Actor
Louis is a recent graduate of Susan E. Wagner high school and now studies at the College of Staten Island. In his high school career he participated in both theater and music. Louis’ first big role was his senior year of high school, when he played the lead role of Edna Turnblad in the Susan E. Wagner 2018 spring musical production of “Hairspray”. Outside of school and work, Louis plays the drums for his, and sometimes other rock bands.
Cara Onofrietti, Touring Company Actor
Cara is currently an upper senior in Brooklyn College, majoring in Psychology. Before Brooklyn College, she earned her Associates Degree in Film & Television, at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Here she learned a lot about different theatre and vocal techniques for on or off camera. Before college, Cara performed most of her musicals at Xaverian High School. She was in 13 The Musical, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Fame,and The Spelling Bee. In her last year of high school and landed the main role of Ariel in Footloose at Curtis High School. Cara is also a singer/songwriter, and enjoys writing her own lyrics. While this is first her first year performing in IlluminArt Productions, she is super excited to begin a new chapter, with amazing new people, who share a common love for singing and acting. 
Brennan O’Rourke, Teaching Artist
Brennan is a queer, trans-femme theatre practitioner, poet, freelance costume designer, arts educator and stage manager. While at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, they investigated theatre and its relationship to communities’ histories, identities and memories in efforts to create and imagine justice. In addition to working with Illuminart Productions, Brennan works as a program manager and teaching artist for Arts For All and as a Sexual Health Educator and Performance Facilitator with PRY SAFE. Brennan was a performing arts producer for the Gallatin Arts Festival in April 2018 and co-created/directed the Gallatin Mental Health Arts Festival in November 2017. Their play, your own kind of normal, about the trauma of mental health, queerness and family premiered at the Gallatin Arts Festival in April 2018, and was recently produced as a staged workshop at Dixon Place in October. Brennan’s short play, it’s a blur, premiered at Manhattan Repertory Theatre in October 2018. Brennan is pursuing an MA in Applied Theatre at CUNY SPS.
Liz Piccoli, Teaching Artist
Liz (SDC Director/Choreographer/Performer/AEA) --  Past performance highlights include: performing as a ballet dancer with Romeo et Juliette and the First Emperor with Placido Domingo at the New York City Metropolitan Opera, back-up dancer for P!NK, Club La Bomba with Sofia Vergara and West Side Story at the Lyric in DC.  As she has expanded into Directing/Choreography, some credits include: SDC Observer for Lysistrata Jones which transferred to Broadway with Dan Knechtges, Director/Choreographer for Billy Elliot at the Axelrod Theater (Outstanding Choreography Perry Award Nomination 2017,) Director/Choreographer for Cinderella and Footloose at the Okoboji Summer Theater and Director/Choreographer for Spandex the Musical about the 80's fitness craze, which had an Off-Broadway and regional developmental run in Minneapolis. (www.spandexmusical.com)  She has also helped develop a dance program for Ohana Arts in Oahu, HI and was the Assistant Choreographer for the TVLand Awards with Liza Minnelli.  Last summer she choreographed the Little Prince in Milan, Italy with over 40 children with Solocanto. She has loved to teach dance since she was 17, growing up in her mother's dance studio in NJ and is very happy to be a part of Illuminart!!! to www.lizpiccoli.com, www.facebook.com/lizpdance, Elizabeth R Piccoli (@epdanzer) • Instagram photos and videos
Macarena Ramos , Teaching Artist
Macarena is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and recently moved to New York City to pursue an artistic career. She is a recent graduate from Marymount Manhattan College were she earned a BFA in Acting degree with a double concentration in Directing. She currently works as an actor, director and teaching artist in Manhattan. Recently, she directed Willy Wonka Kids in Saratoga Children’s Theater and was an intern in Director’s Lab Chicago. Macarena firmly believes in arts for the change, and although theater is a great entertainment venue, it should go beyond entertainment, it should educate. This is her first year working with Illuminart Productions and she could not be more excited for this new chapter in her life as a teaching artist.
Nicole Serra, Teaching Artist
Nicole is a theatre artist and educator. Throughout her past 14 years in NYC, Nicole has served as an actor, director, playwright, producer, and stage manager. As a teaching artist, she has worked with Creative Arts Team, Leap, Two River Theatre, and Park Avenue Youth Theatre, among others. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and English Literature from University of Miami and a MA in Applied Theatre through CUNY’s School of Professional Studies. ​
William Simancas, Touring Company Actor
William is a second year college student at the College of Staten Island studying education and theater. He attended Susan E. Wagner High School and participated in all of the musicals and plays. Some of his favorite roles include: Nikos Argitacos in Legally Blonde, Rusty Charlie in Guys and Dolls, and Paul in Company. He wishes to someday be an actor to inspire. 
​Kristi Sorkin, T.C Actor, Teaching Artist, Choreographer
Kristi is a member of IlluminArt’s Touring Company and has entertained audiences at IlluminArt’s annual Empowering Voices events. She has a BFA in Theatre from Wayne State University in Detroit.  Kristi studied dance since age 3 (ballet, tap, jazz, hop hop) and now enjoys dancing with her own amazing little girls as well as teaching arts enrichment classses.  She worked professionally at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota and participated in the LBS workshop in Manhattan with choreographer John Paolillo. Kristi has also studied acting for daytime drama and sitcoms at the School For Film and Television in Manhattan and appeared in The Bully, a short film co-produced by IlluminArt. Favorite stage roles include: Lenny in Crimes of the Heart, Duckling in Our Country's Good and Maggie Antribus in The Skin of Our Teeth. As an actress she loves to bring honesty, inspiration and a whole bunch of funny to her characters. She has taught Write-A-Play, and currently teaches Hip Hop and choreographs dances for IlluminArt's Write-A-Play school residencies. She has appeared in IlluminArt's Sometimes I Just Want Ice Cream, What Goes Around, Peace Up, Truth in Excess, Prescription for Addiction, Table Service and A Nation of Immigrants. Kristi works as a freelance hair stylist and makeup artist as well. Visit KristiSorkin.com to see the many faces of Kristi.
Tyler Spedale, Touring Company Actor
Tyler is a graduate from Susan E. Wagner, and has performed with IlluminArt in "Oh What A Night" (scenes about prom safety) written by Susan E. Wagner’s Playwriting Class seniors, and as a singer in IlluminArt's annual benefit concert; Empowering Voices. Working with IlluminArt Tyler saw how students, and even adults, were positively affected by the message of the plays and wanted to be apart of the impact.She had been bullied when younger and feels that if she had seen IlluminArt’s plays that she would have felt less loss and more confident and hopes to spread the message of “acceptance” through her own performances. Tyler has acted in many Susan E. Wagner productions, some of her favorites include: Gypsy and Hairspray which were directed by Diane Zerega.