High School Musical Theater Intensive

Jessie Holder Tourtellotte is a working actor, teaching artist, and theatre/film maker with a long history of audition coaching for college and graduate admissions as well as for school and professional work. She has served on the faculty of the Identity School of Acting and the Artists’ initiative, worked for summer programs like the University of the Arts Pre-College Program and the Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory, and has served on numerous panels for collegiate and training program admissions and as a guest judge. She holds a BFA from the University of the Arts’ Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts and has worked as an actor across the country, with the bulk of her work in NYC and Los Angeles. She recently appeared opposite Lauren Lapkus in the forthcoming film Another Happy Day, due to release October 1 via Gravitas Ventures, received awards for her world premiere performance in the world premiere of the play Wounded at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, has served as a producer and performing company member of the Riot of the Tipsy Bacchanals, and since relocating has served as a guest artist for numerous local productions including working as the resident Intimacy Choreographer for NOVA Nightsky, guest directing West Springfield Spartan Theatre’s Peter and the Starcatcher this past spring, and working with Lake Braddock Theatre’s recent Romeo and Juliet (Movement Director, Intimacy Choreographer, Text Coach- Cappies NCA Best Play Winner), and Something Rotten (Music Director, Choreographer), as well as returning to teaching for AFYP this summer. Her coaching students have recent admissions to CCM, UNCSA, Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, Rutgers, Troy, Indiana, Shenandoah, UC Fullerton and Irvine, USC, and more.

Ahmad is an Egyptian-American actor, dancer, choreographer, and singer. He was born in Washington DC, grew up in northern Virginia, and graduated from George Mason University with a BA in Theatre and a minor in Dance. He is a resident actor, teaches after school classes, and is the musical theatre director and choreographer at summer camp and for all showcase programs with AFYP. Ahmad is also an adjunct faculty member of the School of Theater at George Mason University. He regularly performs as a guest artist for Silk Road Dance Company in DC, with whom he has performed in Doha, Qatar at the Asia Cup Games in January 2011 and New Orleans, LA in October 2015.

Ahmad has danced and choreographed for the DC Metro area based modern dance company, Mayzsoul, Inc. and acted as Artistic Director for two of their concerts, Fresh and Le Monde Secret. He is a Helen Hayes-nominated choreographer for his work in Pippin with Monumental Theatre Company. Most Recently in NYC he has performed with Mayzsoul, Inc. in Sticky, and as part of the NYC10 Dance Week initiative. He has also taught at the Academy of Russian Ballet since 2007, and has performed with their resident ballet company since 2012.

In 2012, Ahmad received a Masters of Fine Arts in acting from the acclaimed Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. Most recently, Ahmad has appeared in Aida with Constellation Theatre Company and in Prince William Little Theatre’s productions of Annie, Tommy, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and in Fauquier Community Theatre’s 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

ahmadmaaty.com

Jacqueline Salvador is a New York City based actor, singer and creator. She made her Off-Broadway debut with Atlantic Theater in their production of “James and the Giant Peach” as Spider. She had the joy of traveling to Saranac Lake, NY, where she played the lead role of Tania in Karen Zacarias’ play “Native Gardens” with Pendragon Theater. Now she is a resident actor with What May Come Immersive with their original works at the Harry Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, PA. Learn more at www.jacquelinesalvador.com

Kaity holds a B.A. in Theater and an M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University.  Kaity has been a part of the Acting for Young People team since 2008, working as a teaching artist in after school, summer camp, and showcase programs, as well as stage managing for AFYP’s Musical and Advanced Showcase programs. As of 2022, Kaity has moved out of the classroom to fully focus on the day-to-day operations of the organization as the Manager of Outreach and Theater Programs for the Academy. 

Kaity has an extensive background in the arts and education. In addition to her theatrical interests, she enjoys sketching, watercolor, and is an avid reader. Kaity has taught children ranging from early childhood through high school levels since 2008. In her time as a student at GMU, she participated in many stage productions as an actor, stage manager, and technician. Kaity served on the board for GMU’s producing group, the Mason Players, for three years, and co-founded GMU’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honor fraternity. She received the Chris Parsons Achievement Award for her work with the theater department in 2010. Kaity has also worked professionally as a stage manager in the DC Metro Area. Kaity is the mother to twin girls. Kaity is passionate about the transformative experiences provided by arts education for people of all ages.

A graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Speech Communications, Mary has been working professionally as an actor in the metropolitan Washington-area, Los Angeles, and New York since 1985. She has worked at Washington area theaters including Theater of the First Amendment, Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, and Source Theatre. Television, radio and film credits include ABC’s All My Children, Barry Levinson’s Avalon, Diesel Films’ Dracula’s Mother, the MGM/Lionsgate thriller Hit and Run, and several spots for NPR’s Morning Edition.

Mary founded AFYP in 1997, and has seen the company grow from being its only teacher with a sporadic program schedule in rented spaces to where it is today: a year-round program with a full staff, working in conjunction with Potomac Arts Academy, for which she is Associate Director.

She is a longtime member of Mason’s School of Theater faculty in the areas of Performance and Theater Education. She was named a 2013 “Teacher of Distinction” and was a 2014 TEDxGeorgeMasonU speaker (“Magic Moments: the Transformative Power of  Theater“). She previously taught at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her professional memberships include The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actor’s Equity Association, and the Educational Theatre Association.

Mary’s directing credits include An Experiment with an Air Pump and Shakespeare in Hollywood (George Mason University); Still Beating Hearts and A Godless Man (Theater of the First Amendment First Light Festival); Happy Holidays, Charlie Brown, 101 Dalmatians, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play; Willy Wonka, Jr.; Peter Pan, Jr.; A Seussified Christmas Carol; Alice in Wonderland, Jr. (AFYP).