Winter Break-a-Leg Teachers

• Miranda Bianchi

  Miranda Bianchi is an actor, director, and teaching artist. She has collaborated with the Redhouse Arts Center, Auburn Public Theatre, and CSMA, focusing on Shakespeare, freeing the natural voice, and devising within an ensemble. Most recently, they directed Ithaca Shakespeare Company’s The Tempest. Miranda received her BA in theatre from SUNY Oswego and has studied at the Moscow Art Theatre and Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA.

• Claire Gratto

  Claire Gratto is a theatrical performer, teacher, playwright, and director from Rochester, New York. Claire graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Studies and a minor in Vocal Music from Ithaca College in 2023. Since then, Claire has served as a teaching artist at the Hangar as well as directed the previous two summer’s Next Gen Musical: Frozen Jr. & The Addams Family Young@Part. Additional theatrical work includes music direction for Willy Wonka Jr. with Trumansburg Middle School, the Geva Theatre Center’s Summer Academy, Ithaca Shakespeare, The Ti-Ahwaga Community Players in Owego, New York and Blackfriars Theatre in Rochester, New York.

Alphabetical By Last Name

• Holly Adams

  Holly Adams has been a Teaching Artist at Sinatra School, Greater Hartford Academy of Arts, and the Hangar Theatre since 1995. She is SAG/AFTRA, a grad of Dell’Arte School, and holds a Master’s in Theatre, Education, and Social Change. She performs for stage, film, and audiobooks with Audible. You may see some of her work here and on her website.

• Jan Nigro

  Jan Nigro is the co-founder and a songwriter for the nationally acclaimed young people chorus Vitamin L. He is also founder and director of The Mostly Motown Chorus. He has written music for National Geographic and Disney and is a guitar instructor on the faculty of the Community School of Music and Art.  

• Sarah Plotkin

  Sarah Plotkin is a director, educator and community-engaged artist who specializes in new play development and devising. She has been teaching with Project 4 since 2023 and also directed two KIDDSTUFF productions at the Hangar: The Velveteen Rabbit and Pete the Cat. In addition to her work with the Hangar, Sarah teaches playwriting at Tompkins Cortland Community College and directs professional and educational productions across Upstate New York. She holds an MA in Theatre Education and Applied Theatre from Emerson College and is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. More at: http://www.sarahplotkin.com/

• Camilla Schade

  Camilla Schade was a teaching artist with the Hangar from 2003 until her passing in May, 2019. She was a gifted actor, director, teacher and playwright who touched the lives of many children, teachers, parents and her theatre family profoundly.

• John Simon

  John Simon, songwriting musician with Project 4, has been working in schools since the mid-70s. Along with his reading buddy Cal Walker, John is currently presenting early literacy programs for The Children’s Reading Connection. He also fronts the good-time party band Radio London, and can be heard most weekends on WVBR (Cornell’s student-run radio station, 93.5 FM, or streaming at wvbr.com). More info at: http://www.johnsimonmusic.com/   

• Marie Sirakos

  Marie Sirakos has been a teaching artist for The Hangar Theatre for many seasons. Some performance credits include work at NYC Fringe, Kitchen Theatre, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Unseam’d Shakespeare Company, House of Ithaqua, Theatre Incognita, and Shearwater Productions. Her plays have been presented at The Kitchen Theatre, Music’s Recreation and at The Kimmel Center (Philadelphia, PA.). She holds a BA in theatre and literature from the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, she is the proprietor of Grace Auction & Estate Gallery in Ithaca, NY.