Musical Theater Scenework Intensive

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

Jackie is an actor in New York City, originally from Stafford, Virginia. She made her Off-Broadway debut with Atlantic Theatre in their production of James and the Giant Peach, where she played “Spider.” She is currently expected to provide the voice of “Dorothy Hess” in the upcoming fictional podcast The 8th Light. She has played an assortment of musical theater characters; “Bonnie” in Anything Goes, “Carla” in In The Heights and “The Stepmother” in Cinderella: The New Musical in Virginia. She is a graduate of George Mason University’s School of Music.

Jackie has worked with AFYP since 2017, as the Music Director of our showcases as well as a Teaching Artist for our Musical Theater classes in our AFYP @ Home, showcase, and summer camp programs.

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).