A graduate of PPAS’s four-year Musical Theatre program, is proficient in the acting techniques of Uta Hagen, Stanislavsky, and Tectonic Theater Project’s Moment work. M.J. studied at NYC’s top improv comedy companies and with Jordan Peele of “Key and Peele” and “Get Out” fame. In addition to founding and co-directing Unity Stage’s Teen and Tween programs, M.J. loves nurturing the talents of younger kids as a Unity Stage teaching artist. M.J. is Co-Founder and President of boutique creative agency, Ticking Clock Productions.
KiDané Kelati is an accomplished actor and comedian from Hollywood, Florida. He received his BFA Acting degree from AMDA College & Conservatory of the Performing Arts. KiDané has performed at major comedy clubs in LA and is a company member at Will Geer’s famed Theatricum Botanicum.
Brandon Logan co-starred to acclaim as The Doctor in the 1st and 2nd National Tours of The Book of Mormon. Brandon has shared his talents with young people as an artistic director and teaching artist with Applause NY, Hello Broadway, and the Broadway Collective. Brandon is strongly dedicated to artistic programming that is inclusive, engaging, and that reflects all members of today’s society.
Claire Moorer is an arts educator, administrator and actor from Carmel, California now based in Brooklyn! Claire has a degree in Theatre Performance from Northeastern University and was mostly recently seen onstage as Belle in Beauty and the Beast at Pacific Repertory Theatre and Jo March in Little Women the Musical at The Western Stage. She looks forward to creating original plays in this new virtual space with the young performers of Unity Stage.
Gilberto Saenz graduated from Yale University in 2019 with a B.A in Theater Studies. Gilberto is a Lin Manuel Miranda Family Fellow, and a proud alumnus of the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (Theatermakers 2018). The pandemic interrupted Gilberto’s season-long experience as an Emerging Professional Resident for the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Gilberto is committed to inclusion and diversity in the theater.
Courtney Cook (Coco) Naftz is a teaching artist and acting coach living in New York City. She is a proud member of Actors Equity and has spent the last decade working in Regional Theatre, Off-Broadway, Film, and Television. Courtney is passionate about helping young artists fine-tune their acting skills through monologue work.
Samantha Sayah is an actor, singer, dancer, musician, and teaching artist based in New York City. She was recently seen playing Girl in Once at the Geva Theatre Center. Other theatre credits include The Summer Theatre of New Canaan, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Astoria Performing Arts Center, The Players Theatre, and Disney Cruise Line, Tokyo, Disney Resort, and the National Tour of Junie B. Jones. She received her BFA in Musical Theatre from Montclair State University.
Danny Weiner, in addition to his proven talents as a performer and stage director with Unity Stage and other groups, is a visual artist who has exhibited his paintings at venues in Manhattan, and is a branding event artist for Jo Malone, Aerin, and others. His artwork will be prominently featured in Unity Stage’s upcoming virtual multi-media Tween production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which he also co-directed.