Our Staff | riverside

Marietta Phinney Founding Director Marietta Phinney is the Founding Director of Riverside Theatre Works. During her youth she studied classical piano with Mary Walter of the New England Conservatory. Ms. Phinney was the Musical Director of St. Anne Parish in Readville from 1959 through 1981. She was also a private piano instructor, as well as a church pianist and choir director who produced a series of variety shows as part of parish activities. Mrs. Phinney began Riverside Media Workshops in 1		Toni Ruscio Executive Director / Producing Artistic Director Toni has performed in, directed, produced and/or choreographed many shows around Boston and the South Shore. She holds a Master’s degree in Theatre & Community/Theatre Education from Emerson College, a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Boston University and has studied acting with instructors from the Moscow Art Theatre. She has taught acting/drama and speech communication to students grade school level through college and ran
Samantha Bestvina Programs Coordinator Samantha Bestvina is a native Chicagoan who moved out to Boston to pursue her dream of working for a theatre. She graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in performance. Samantha began performing at a young age and notes Metamorphosis and Company as two favorite shows on which she has worked. This past summer she also worked for Radio Disney's Road Crew where she traveled all over New England bringing joy to children through song and dance. With a lov	Jim Gross Set Designer / Technical Director / Website & Graphic Designer Jim is an illustrator, painter, graphic designer, and caricature artist working in the Boston area. The MassArt graduate is employed full-time as a graphic designer creating logos and promotional content for a small business south of the city. His freelance work includes creating show posters for RTW and other local theaters, as well as designing, building and painting theatrical sets, plus website, logo, and print design	Luraine Armandt Theatre Instructor Lurie is currently working towards a Masters in Theatre Education at Emerson College. She is the former RTW Programs Coordinator and an alumna of the Walnut Street Theatre Apprenticeship Program. She has directed, performed and taught at various schools and theaters in the area, including teaching RTW’s Creative Dramatics class and directing two April vacation shows (Aladdiin, Jr and Peter Pan, Jr).
Brendan Buckley Voice and Beginner Piano Instructor Tenor Brendan P. Buckley is a skilled and sought-after performer. Notable roles include George Gibbs in Our Town with Monadnock Music and Howard Boucher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Mr. Buckley is also a passionate educator, with experience teaching adults and children. Former students have continued studies at Penn State, Northeastern University, UMass-Lowell, Florida Southern College, and CAP21. Brendan received a Master’s degree in Vo	Alisa Cassola Voice Instructor / Musical Theatre Instructor Soprano Alisa Cassola has established herself as an impressive performer of Opera and Oratorio. Ms. Cassola can be seen singing concerts in the local area of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut and is a regular on the stage with Boston Lyric Opera singing in their professional chorus. Ms. Cassola has sung several concerts with Providence Opera as well as shows in the professional chorus of Boston Lyric Opera. Ms. Cassola also	Alejandro Castellano Music Instructor (Guitar, Electric Bass, Oud, Nay, Drums, Piano) Alejandro Castellano is a diverse guitarist that has been teaching for over 15 years. He has studied Classical Guitar performance, Jazz, Music Education, Music Theory, And Arabic Music at Berklee College of Music, The Aaron Copland School of Music, and Nassau Community College. As a teacher, he is caring, patient, and dedicated. He works with his students to develop the physical and technical aspect of guita
Gwendolyn Coburn Voice and Acting Instructor Gwen specializes in crossover performance, teaching both classical and musical theater voice lessons. Her pedagogical training includes work with the Mass General Hospital Voice Center on physiology, anatomy, vocal health and laryngeal massage. In addition to pedagogical studies specific to singing, she has studied voice and speech and incorporates aspects of Fitzmaurice, Linklater and Chekov into her teaching. Her thesis in crossover included extens	Luisiana Cruz Musical Theatre Instructor Luisiana is excited to be a member of the Riverside Theatre Works' community! She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Musical Theatre and Communication. Luisiana has been fortunate enough to work on a variety of shows, from preforming to directing. Some of her favorite productions thus far have been: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Vibrata), All Shook Up (Loraine), touring with Lit	Laura Graczyk Musical Theatre Instructor Laura Graczyk is excited to return to Riverside Theatre Works from NY to teach our Musical Theatre Master Class. Laura hails from Stoneham, MA and is a recent graduate of the Boston Conservatory. Laura’s “BoCo” credits include Violet & One Touch of Venus. Laura also performed with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall for their Gershwin Spectacular. In her spare time, Laura often choreographs/directs for Stoneham Theatre’s young company: Footloose, Pirates of
Mike Kilduff Sound Designer/Sound Engineer Mike holds a BFA in Theatre Technology and Design from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Though his main focus at UArts was sound design, he also studied puppetry. After college Mike returned home to Boston to pursue a career in theatre technology and design. One of his greatest loves is for music, the people who create it and the equipment and technology used to share it.	Trey Lundquist Drums Instructor Trey is a drummer/percussionist from South Carolina. He recently finished at the Berklee College of Music, studying drumset performance. He has been teaching for close to 6 years. Teaching credits include percussion captionhead/instructor for the marching bands of Pickens High, Easley High, Woodmont High, North Augusta High, Trifecta Indoor, and Boiling Springs High (1st place, South Carolina State Competition), drumset/percussion teacher at the Fine Arts Center	Stephen Markarian Musical Theatre Instructor Quincy native and recent Boston Conservatory graduate, Stephen Markarian, returns to Riverside Theatre Works from NY to teach our Musical Theatre Master Class. Stephen has been an active member of the Riverside Theatre Works community since the ripe old age of nine. Stephen starred in several main-stage shows at Boston Conservatory and was a member of their elite performance troupe Conservatory Cabaret. When not performing Stephen has helped direct s
Marie McCarville Voice Instructor / Theatre Instructor Marie McCarville, is a vibrant educator and local performer who loves to engage people of all ages and experiences. The core focus of her teaching is connection through communication and awareness. With playful supportive energy, Marie challenges children, teenagers, and curious adults to participate, question and debate the art of performance through workshops, guest lectures, outreach programs, and private lessons. She has worked with Bos	Dan Moore Voice Instructor / Musical Theatre Instructor Dan is the director/founder of RTW’s French’s Chorus. He has been involved at Riverside since 1993 and has been teaching music at Framingham High School for the past thirteen years. He received his Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio; Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois; Music Education Certification from Northeastern Illinois University; and ha	Julianne O'Connor Musical Theatre Instructor Julianne recently received her Masters in Theatre at Castleton University in Vermont. Although her concentrations were Acting and Directing during undergraduate and graduate studies, Julianne also took on choreographer roles for the university's productions of Chicago and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In the last three years, she has acted with the Quannapowitt and Milton Players, choreographed at Ursuline Academy High School in Dedham as well as directed
John O'Neil Piano and Voice Instructor John is a diverse music director, performer, arranger and educator. .John is a recipient of numerous artist grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for his work in the field of cabaret and John’s musical arrangements have been sung by the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus in concert halls across the country, including Boston’s own Symphony Hall. John performs regularly in the greater Boston area and is a busy educator operating his own vocal studio, mountin	Liz Sculley Piano Instructor / Musical Theatre Instructor Liz is a RTW alumna - she spent her summers as a preteen in Broadway Boot Camp, where she first fell for musical theater and performing. She studied Piano Performance and Composition at Bennington College in Vermont, where she was the recipient of a Student Endowment for the Arts Grant, as well as the John Hendricks Composition Award. Since graduation, Liz has been the Staff Accompanist at Boston Latin School, Children's Choir Pianist	Lauren Stockless Stage Manager Lauren Stockless is so excited to join the Riverside Theatre Works' community! She is a recent graduate of Colby College with a Bachelors degree in English Literature and Theater and Dance. Lauren has been involved in many aspects of theater production, from performing to directing, and is thrilled to be stage managing at RTW! Some favorite productions include: Art (Director), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oberon/Theseus), A Servant of Two Masters (Assistant Director