Administrative Staff

Maurice Galpern - Founder
Lindsay Schwietz - Producer
Mandy MacLean- Administrator

Board of Directors

Brenda Dushko - CHAIR
Wojtek Baraniak
David Galpern

Current Artistic Staff

Heather Braaten - Director HAIR
Stephanie Ramphos - Choreographer HAIR
Adam White - Musical Director HAIR

Nicole Miller - Costume Designer HAIR
Scott Penner - Set, Props Designer HAIR
Trason Fernandes - Makeup designer HAIR

Past Artistic Staff

Neil Silcox - Director RENT
Emily Andrews - Director Seussical the Musical
Tara Litvack - Musical Director RENT

Jeremy Hutton - Director, Former Artistic Director
Kieren MacMillan - Composer/Music Director
Ashleigh Powell - Choreographer/Dance Teacher

Andrew Moyes - GLEE teacher
Jennifer Walls - GLEE teacher

Neil Silcox
Director for RENT
Teacher for The Soloist

Neil Silcox has been working in youth theatre for almost 12 years. He has an Honours B.A. in Drama from the University of Toronto as well as a Diploma in Acting from Sheridan College. He also has a Bachelors of Education (specializing in Drama) from the University of Western Ontario. Neil first discovered theatre at London's Original Kids Theatre -North America's largest youth theatre company- when he appeared in a 1997 production of Jerome McDonough's Juvie. This started a long relationship with Original Kids where he would serve as actor, stage manager, technical designer, assistant director and director, as well as a brief stint as assistant artistic director. Neil also served for three years as director of the Original Kids Summer Theatre Camp. He has worked on more than a hundred productions with many hundreds of young actors. Neil currently works as an actor and director as well as an acting coach for highschool and university level actors.

Emily Andrews
Director for Seussical the Musical
Teacher for Junior Musical Theatre Stars

Emily Andrews is a trained actor, singer dancer. She studied in London England at LAMDA on their three-year acting course.

Some of selected theatre credits include; Toronto Noir (Summerworks Festival), Les Coquettes Cabaret (Charity Dawn- Dancer/Solo Choreographer), Romeo and Juliet (Nurse) Canopy Theatre, Hamlette (Rosengrantz) Studio BLR, Floozy the Musical (Co-Director/Choreographer), Inspiration Stump (Choreographer), Macbeth (Witch/Ensemble) CTP, Creon (Tiresias/Ensemble) Stone Circle Project/Theatreworks, A Quiet Place (Choreographer), First Heist Club (Adelaide)Toronto Fringe Festival, Romeo and Juliet Studio at Blr (Nurse), Antigone a reading with DVXT/Stone Circle Project (Messenger/Guard), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Choreographer) Toronto Youth Theatre, Twelfth Night Alchemy Theatre Toronto (Orsino), The Rat King Rock Opera NOWIndie Fest (Choreographer), Pinned-Up The Exploits of Bettie Hamilton Fringe (Roz/Doctor/Bunny), Edinburgh Fringe First Winner The Jammer (Co-Choreographer/Lindy), The Threepenny Opera MacOwen Theatre UK (Movement Director/Mrs.Peachum), West Side Story Markham Theatre(Co-Choreographer/Anybodys), Netherlands Tour of Daemons based on Frankenstein (Dance Captain/Justine) The Fix MacOwen Theatre UK(Dance Captain/Leslie Pynchon).

Some of her Film and Television credits are; The National Tree (Stephanie), Colin (Cannes Film Festival Selection), The Devil’s Tail (Zoe), Cycle of Fear (Erica), Hairspray (Dancer/Auditioner) Pride and Prejudice Focus Films (Dancer), Wind At My Back CBC (Laura Bridgeman), Wexford TVO(Jade), Hopeless Romantic The Short Musical (Lead), Beyond the Call HBO(Young Pam), Zombie Lords SkyTV UK (Principal).

Heather Braaten
Director for HAIR

Heather is thrilled to Directing HAIR for The Toronto Youth Theatre this summer! Heather has been directing here in Toronto and abroad for the past 15 years and has directed more than a dozen International “A House” touring productions Some favorite credits include Flowers (Director) for ACT at The Rose Theatre, Brampton, You in the Shadows (director/writer) for The Ontario Council for International Cooperation, 365 plays in 365 days (director) for Theatre Best Before, Step Up (director/writer) for Stagekids, Toronto, Clifford the Big Red Dog Live (director/writer) International Tour - for Turnstile Entertainment, Life Of The Party (director) for Centre For The Arts, Fearless (director) for Stagekids, Toronto. Heather is the Co–Founder and Artistic Director of Redwatch Theatre. Redwatch Theatre’s productions of The Devil You Don’t Know (director) and Those Who Wait (writer) have been met with critical acclaim. Heather also adapted Those Who Wait for the screen, and was awarded the prize of “Best Director - Short Film” in Toronto’s “On the Fly Film Festival”, as well as being an official selection for “The New York International Film Festival”. Upcoming projects include The Singular life of Albert Knobs (director) for Redwatch Theatre, as well as travelling to Bogota, Columbia to work with Aluna Theatre on their production of Nohayquiensepa.

Tara Litvack
Musical Director for RENT

Tara Litvack began her piano studies at the McGill Conservatory and is currently in her final year at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music. She was on the musical theatre staff, as musical theatre accompanist, at the National Music Camp of Canada in 2007, and since then has been music directing with various theatre groups in the Toronto theatre community. Her most recent credits include Gypsy (Victoria College Drama Society), Urinetown (UC Follies), West Side Story (Vocal Director, St. Michael's College Drama), and High Fidelity - Canadian Premiere - (Musical Assistant, Hart House Theatre). In addition to TYT's Rent, she is currently music directing Hair (Victoria College Drama Society) set to open in March 2010. Tara is absolutely thrilled to be joining Toronto Youth Theatre.

Nicole Miller
Costume Designer for HAIR

Nicole is thrilled to be back for her seventh show with the Toronto Youth Theatre. A graduate from the Fashion Design Program at the International Academy of Design, Nicole inherited a love for fashion and vintage at a young age. Perusing her mother’s old photo albums often as a kid, she admired the nostalgic images of 1960’s glamorous, home sewn garments. Through this she acquired an appreciation for a well dressed woman, as well as styles, fabrics and craftsmanship of past decades. It was this fascination with fashion history that eventually brought her into the wonderful world of costumes.

Past credits include: Little Shop of Horrors, Annie Jr., Wizard of Oz, Into the Woods, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, ToboR the RoboT, RENT


Trason Fernandes
Makeup Designer for The Rocky Horror Show, ToboR the RoboT
Teacher for Special Effects Makeup

Starting off in TYT as a Makeup Artist assisting the Key Artist; Angela McQueen on Urinetown, Cabaret, City of Angels and Lucky Stiff. He then proceeded into Keying A Midsummer's Night Dream, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Musical Called Robin Hood, Fairytale Ending, Little Shop of Horrors and C-Keying Annie Jr. alongside Hilary Potter, Into the Woods, Co-Keying ToboR the RoboT and The Rocky Horror Show with Aya Hikone.

Additional Credits:
Assistant Prosthetic Artist on the John Travolta production of the feature film Hairspray. Asistant Prop Builder on the Jim Caviezel film Outlander. He is currently the Key Makeup Artisy for the Miss Canada Universe Pageant for the past three years and is a Teacher's Assistant at Complexions International School of Makeup and Special Effects.

Jeremy Hutton
Director for The Rocky Horror Show
Director and Writer for ToboR the RoboT

Jeremy Hutton is a Toronto based actor, director and composer and has been the Co-Artistic Director of the Toronto Youth Theatre since its inception. With the Toronto Youth Theatre Jeremy has directed Richard O'brian's The Rocky Horror Show, Jesus Christ Superstar, Urinetown, The Musical, A Midsummer Night's Dream, City of Angels and the new musical A Musical Called Robin Hood.

Other Directing Credits: Romeo and Juliet, and Othello (Hart House Theatre), Robin Hood (Shakespeare by the Sea) Anthony and Cleopatra (Canopy Theatre Co.) and The Merchant of Venice (Trinity College).

Jeremy's original compositions have recently been heard in Hamlet, Othello and Romeo and Juliet(Hart House Theatre), Robin Hood and Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare by the Sea), Twelfth Night (Classical Theatre Project) and A Night Out With Ives (Talking Camel). Jeremy has a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Toronto.

Kieren MacMillan
Music Director Tobor the Robot
Composer for Tobor the Robot

Music Director: Cabaret (2006), City of Angels (2007), A Musical Called Robin Hood (2007), Lucky Stiff (2008), ToboR the Robot (2009)

Co-creator: A Musical Called Robin Hood, Fairy Tale Ending, ToboR the Robot

Kieren has been Music Director for more than a dozen productions throughout Ontario — he recently helmed "West Side Story" (Randolph Young Company), and is now preparing for this summer's tour of "Musical of Musicals! (The Musical)" (Gypsy Theatre/Bluewater Playhouse). In addition to the shows he and Jeremy write for TYT, Kieren is in demand as a composer of concert works: his current commission will receive its world premiere in Quebec this summer, with a CBC radio broadcast planned for later this year and a studio recording next spring.

Ashleigh Powell
Choreographer - The Rocky Horror Show
Dance Teacher - Summer program

Ashleigh is the Choreographer and Dance instructor for our summer program. Ashleigh is an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer. She began her training in Ottawa, working with the Kanata Ballet School and in the Canterbury High School Dance Program.
Ashleigh is currently a student in the Teacher's Training program at Canada’s National Ballet School, where she works as an assistant and substitute teacher for the Full-Time and Junior Associates programs. A member of the Royal Academy of Dancing and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Ashleigh has trained in the R.A.D., Cecchetti and Vaganova syllabus. This summer she will be choreographing the Hart House Theatre production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Andrew Moyes
Actor for The Rocky Horror Show
Teacher for GLEE

Andrew Moyes graduated from the prestigious Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts, and traveled straight to Dubai to play prince Charming in Cinderella. On his return to Australia he joined the national cast of South Pacific and then went on to work with the highly successful corporate act The Three Waiters throughout Australia and Asia. Since arriving in Canada he has caught attention in the lead roles of Frank 'n' Furter (The Rocky Horror Show), and The Lecturer (Reefer Madness - Canadian Premiere) both with Hart House Theatre. He has also been a popular guest at Statlers Cabaret Lounge in Toronto performing his one man shows 'Ordinary Miracles' and 'Love For Sale'. Andrew has also worked on the TV show Superheroes of Seduction and been the face of several TV and Print campaigns including BCAA (Canada) and Brands (Dubai). Last year Andrew joined the company of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as a featured signer in their production of Cabaret, and also took a lead role in a workshop directed and written by Stratford's leading man, Bruce Dow. Andrew has delighted TYT audiences as the Emcee in Cabaret and again this year when re-visited the role of Frank 'n' Furter. Andrew is thrilled to be a part of the new Glee club, and cannot wait to make Monday nights at the LOT exciting and not to be missed! See you there :)

Jennifer Walls
Actor for Into the Woods
Teacher for GLEE

Jennifer is a graduate of Sheridan College's music Theatre Program where she graduated as a triple threat with honours. Since graduating, Jennifer has enjoyed such roles as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (Fallen Rock Productions), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Fallen Rock Productions) and Mary Lane in Reefer Madness the Musical (Canadian Premiere, Hart House Theatre) as well as the role of The Witch in Toronto Youth Theatre's production of Into the Woods last season. Jennifer has also toured across North America as Hannah Montana and Kelly Clarkson with Continental Entertainment's The Stars of Pop. Last year Jennifer had the honour of meeting and performing for Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Palladium Theatre in London as a finalist in the CBC's "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" Also for the CBC Jennifer shared the screen with Louis Pitre in Celine The Story of Celine Dion. Over the past year Jennifer has produced a number of Cabarets at Statler's Piano Lounge, including "Lizza Live!" A Tribute to Liza Minelli for which she received rave reviews. Currently, Jennifer speaks in high schools across North America with "A Whole New Perspective" a motivational presentation focused on overcoming your fears and living out dreams. In addition to performing, Jennifer is also an educator, teaching Music Theatre with Banbury Dance and Toronto Youth Theatre Junior Music Theatre class.