Meet our teachers
Directing, Sketch Writing, Comedy Improv
Joseph Riedel
Joseph is a CAA alumn and Writer, Director, and Performer who returned to New York after spending six years in Chicago. During his time in the midwest, Joseph performed on improv teams at the IO Theatre and worked as a writer, director, and producer on a number of Transmedia productions for web, television, commercials, as well as live theatrical events. A lover of television critical analysis, Joseph has also dedicated a lot of time working with publications such as the online scholarly resource "The Watercooler Journal" where he wrote journalistic articles on television studies. The creation of his autobiographical web series “A Good Sense of Tumor” was featured on NPR’s Studio 360 with Kurt Anderson. Joseph has an MA from Temple University in Theatre Education,.
Directing, Choreography, Voice
Natalie Arneson
Natalie graduated from the Guildford School of Acting in England with a BA in Musical Theatre. While overseas, she played Princess Jasmine opposite Britt Eklund and Issy van Randwick in the pantomime Aladdin, toured in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Candide. She has worked extensively in her native Houston at the Alley Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Arneson Productions, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Main Street Theater, among others. She performed her original show “Mama Drama” at The Metropolitan Room, The Duplex, and Don’t Tell Mama, subsequently winning the 2016 Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets Award for “Best Female Debut.” Natalie has extensive experience in several teaching disciplines, including ballet, tap, jazz, singing, acting, and stage combat. Her career as an actress has expanded into that of director and choreographer of many children’s musical theater performances.
Crafts, Paper Mache
Darcey Stewart McDonough
Darcey has been involved with creative arts since childhood. She has also worked as a Pre-K teacher for over twenty-five years, many of them spent at Childrenspace in Croton where she delighted many, many children with untold creative projects and her mastery in teaching. She has recently begun an adventure that involves paper mache creations. She calls them "Quirky Beings." Darcey believes that anything you can think of, you can create — almost. The only limit is your imagination, which she has in spades.
Writing
Meredith Phillips
Meredith has published books for kids about extinct animals, bank heists, and daredevils. She has taught at Gotham Writers Workshop, worked for Scholastic, and developed lots of reading and writing curriculum. She is a parent to a 6th and a 3rd grader, and is always ready to read—or write—a good story!
Japanese language, Origami
Kazuko Omori
Kazuko has been teaching Japanese art & culture to children for more than twelve years. Her BOCES program, “Discover Japan through Art,” is taught in many Westchester and Rockland schools. It offers unique hands-on activities which stimulate children’s interests in another country and exposes them to a new and exciting culture. She also teaches private language lessons and an adult education course
Cartooning Together
Eric Glickman
​Eric Glickman is a cartoonist and educator who has lived in Croton-on-Hudson for 28 years, where he and his wife, Melissa, raised three children. In 2023, after spending 36 years in advertising creating award-winning and iconic campaigns for brands such as Campbell's Chunky Soup and Goldfish Crackers, Eric earned an MA in Art, Education and Community Practice from NYU while graduating with honors. His debut graphic novel, "Camp Pock-a-Wocknee and the DYN-O-MITE Summer of '77" (Black Panel Press) was included in the Kirkus Reviews “Best Books of 2023" issue, where they praised it for the "adolescent romance and mischief that animate an endearing, gleefully raunchy coming-of-age tale.”
Creative Arts with Ms. G.
Gabrielle Del Pozzo
Gabrielle Del Pozzo Finkel, an Artist originally from Park Slope, Brooklyn now residing, creating and leading Art classes in afterschool & town and community programs in Putnam Valley.
A lifelong dedication, crazy love of color and a calming practice of drawing and painting her unique abstracts has brought her to a passion for teaching young children to love art!
Gabrielle Del Pozzo Finkel has published a Teen&Adult coloring book through ABV Publishing for Amazon
ttled ; Time for Me Time; Color Me Out of Chaos!
Yoga for Strong Bones
Susannah Johnston
Susannah Johnston, 500 hour CYT, taught locally for many years at NYSC, Premier Athletic Club and Yoga Sol before moving to Canada in 2018 and starting her popular YouTube channel Forever Yoga with Susannah. Passionate about safely addressing the needs of women with low bone density she is the founder of the, 32K member, private Facebook group The Strong Bones Challenge a support group for women with osteoporosis. In addition to her extensive yoga training, she is certified by BoneFitTM Osteoporosis CA. She's so happy to be back and sharing yoga "live" in her hometown of COH!
Drawing and Murals
Dillon O'Keefe
Dillon is an award-winning mural artist, alum of CAA and Croton-Harmon schools, and graduate of FIT with a BFA in animation. Many of Dillon's murals can be found in the Village of Croton on Hudson. His newest mural was commissioned by Barclays Center. He won a National award from Essentia Water to design a billboard mural which was displayed in NYC. Essentia featured him in this video. Watch a video of Dillon creating a mural for Pampered Pet in Croton on Hudson. Dillon collaborated with PVC students to make their creative ideas and visions a reality with a mural created in the school.
Resident Stage Combat Coordinator
Nicolas Coccaro
Nic is a CAA alumn, stuntman, combat choreographer, actor, SAG-AFTRA member, certified with the Society of American Fight Directors, and has studied at the British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat. He has fight directed numerous comedic and dramatic works here and abroad for professional and community theatres, colleges, and high schools. Nicolas has worked with both children and adult actors. as a director and stunt coordinator. He is happy to educate young actors on how to act out violence on stage in a safe and clear manner.
Apply Today
Have an idea for a class that you've always wanted to teach? Give us a call, we'd love to discuss your class!
(914) 862-0988