High School Musical Theater Intensive

Jessie Holder Tourtellotte is a working actor, writer, and producer and a prolific coach and teaching artist. Locally, she works extensively with AFYP/George Mason Community Arts, is a sought after clinician with multiple FCPS theatre and music programs, and many local theatre companies. Jessie holds a BFA from the University of the Arts’ Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts and has also trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse, Actor’s Movement Studio, and more. She is currently the intimacy choreographer and movement specialist in residence at NOVA Nightsky Theatre.

As a college and graduate study audition coach, she boasts a high matriculation rate annually including acceptances to every major conservatory program as well as to strong professional training programs across the country, in addition to sending students every year to pre college programs and summer intensives at competitive schools.

She is a winner of the Los Angeles International Screenwriting Competition and a past semifinalist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship, a graduate of the New York Women in Film and Television From Script to Pre Production Lab. She served as the acting coach on the last two consecutive Cappies NCA Best Play Winning productions, has served on the acting faculty at the Identity School of Acting both in Los Angeles and Internationally, and is a faculty member with The Artist’s Initiative.

Her adaptation of Euripides’ The Trojan Women has won awards from its world premiere and is now under contract for licensing by multiple producing organizations for the coming year.

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.

Mary is Executive Director of Mason Community Arts Academy (MCAA) and served as MCAA’s Associate Director for 10 years. 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. 

Mary founded Acting for Young People (AFYP) in 1997 and serves as Artistic Director. She has watched the company grow from being its only teacher with a sporadic program schedule in rented spaces to where it is today: an award-winning, year-round program with a full staff, working in conjunction with MCAA. 

A graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Speech Communications, Mary has worked professionally as an actor on stage, screen and radio in the Metropolitan Washington area, Los Angeles, and New York. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association. 

Mary has directed several of AFYP’s student showcase productions, the Mason Players’ productions of An Experiment With an Air Pump and Shakespeare in Hollywood, and several staged readings. She is also a casting consultant and co-producer of independent films.