Meet our Team

Our professional team of highly qualified instructors does everything to make sure that every show is an enjoyable experience. The team here at MT Ed strive to give our students the highest quality, educational, and most fun experience possible. MT Ed staff is background checked and cleared for education in NYS, and carry varying levels of First Aid, CPR, AED, and MAT training to ensure a safe environment for your children.

Tina Crandall

Founder and Artistic Director

Tina Crandall has BA in Theatre and Dance and a Masters in K-8 education. Her passion is making theatre education accessible to all children. She has directed and choreographed for many area theatres and schools, including the sold out runs of American Idiot, 21 Chump Street, Carrie, the Musical, and Heathers: School Edition at the Rochester Fringe Festival. Other recent credits include the area premiers of The Lightning Thief, Descendants, Puffs, Rainbow Fish, Elf, Matilda, TRW's Alice in Wonderland, and A Christmas Story. Tina is an adjudicator for RBTL's Stars of Tomorrow, a program dedicated to supporting the process of growth and learning and acknowledging excellence in area high school theatre. In her free time she occasionally appears on stage, most recently in productions of Something Rotten, bare: a pop opera, Pippin, Disaster and Big Fish.

Amanda Hartmann

Choreographer/Dance Instructor

Amanda Hartmann is a Graduate student at University at Buffalo where she is studying school librarianship. This is Amanda’s 7th year choreographing and directing productions, and has worked on over 50 shows in a directorial staff fashion. Amanda has trained in various styles of dance since the age of 7 and continues to add new styles to her repertoire. Currently she the dance class instructor for the classes at MT Ed and offers many opportunities for private lessons. She is also a choreographer for Hilton High School’s Drama Club and Musical program. Amanda loves working with students of all ages and loves to use dance as a way to foster creativity and confidence in her students as they grow into wonderful dancers.

Katie Garver

Stage Manager/Director

Katie graduated from SUNY Brockport with a Children’s Theatre Degree, and could not be more excited to have found an amazing community to put it to use. She started helping Tina with Summer Camp shows in 2018, and has been working with MT Ed since. She enjoys Stage Managing the youth and teen shows, and directing the school break camps. When not working with MT Ed, she enjoys doing shows with Rochester’s Gilbert & Sullivan group The Off Monroe Players (OMP).

Heather Lonardo

Music Director

Heather has a B.M. in Music Education and is currently enrolled in a Masters program at Nazareth College for Music Therapy. Previous credits include Elf, Jr., Alice in Wonderland, Jr., Heathers High School Edition, Singing in the Rain, Jr., Into the Woods, Jr., and the recent sold out run of Carrie, the Musical with RAPA, Godspell, Jr. at Seton Catholic School, and Legally Blonde, Jr. with Webster Summer Theatre. Heather loves helping in all aspects of theater, but especially enjoys helping the kids find their voice and their own talent.

Emily Beseau

Vocal Director/Choreographer

Emily Beseau is a graduate of Ithaca College with a B.M. in vocal performance. She has studied ballet, jazz, and tap since she was 4 years old at N.Y.A.D. Emily enjoys performing in shows throughout the Rochester area. Favorite roles include Alice in Addams Family (Lyric Theatre), Mrs. Sowerberry in Oliver (RAPA), and Doris in Damn Yankees (RAPA). She has enjoyed choreographing RAPA’s summer stock shows for 2 consecutive years, as well as teaching lessons and theatre classes. She had the joy of choreographing NAC's production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in the winter of 2018.

Austen Parent

Director

Austen Parent (they/she) is currently in The New School’s Dramatic Arts BFA program with a focus in directing. Austen has had the privilege to work at MT Ed and has appreciated every opportunity given to them. Some directing credits of theirs include The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, and Through the Looking Glass. Assistant Director credits include Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea. Dramaturg credits include These Shining Lives and Our Town. Stage Manager credits include Schamelia Blume, and Assistant Stage Manager credits include Lysistrata.

Eli DelGaizo

Stage Manager

Eli DelGaizo is a student at Shear Ego. He has been performing in shows at MT Ed since 2021 and working as staff since summer 2023. He has been in many shows such as The Lightning Thief (Percy), Once (Guy), Pippin (Charles), and Monty Python's Spamalot (King Arthur). He also has stage managing credits such as The Big Bad Musical, Matilda Jr and Frozen KIDS/Aladdin KIDS. Eli loves all things theatre and is thrilled to make it such a big part of his life and to give others the same experience!

David Curry

Music Director

David Curry, past credits include Legally Blonde, Matilda and A Christmas Story with MT Ed, Rent:School Edition with Studio Z, Carrie: High School Edition and 13! The Musical with RAPA.

Jennifer Cummings

Photographer/Videographer

Jennifer Cummings has been shooting weddings, family photos, horse shows, senior photos and theatre productions for many years. Her brilliant work can be found on her site, jennifercummingsphotgraphy.com.

Meet the Team: Meet the Team