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. She also works as a freelance scenic designer. 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. Tina is also an instructor with RocDramaKids, a program that focuses on creativity, self-confidence and public speaking skills through dramatic play. 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

Amanda is currently enrolled at SUNY Brockport, where she is in her Senior year as an English Major. She started choregraphing for musicals and plays in her Junior year of High School, when she choreographed her school’s production of Cinderella. From there she went on to choreograph her Senior production of Peter Pan, and has been working on musicals and plays ever since! She has trained in various styles of dance beginning at the age of 7, including: Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Contemporary, Modern, Lyrical, and Hip Hop. Amanda has created and taught choreography for over 25 shows, and some of her favorites that she has worked on at MT Ed include, Frozen Jr, Moana Jr, The Lightning Thief, Shrek, Descendants, Lion King Jr and Something Rotten. Amanda takes pride in her students’ growth in theatre and dance, and she loves watching their skills translate into their everyday life as they become well rounded performers and individuals. When she is not at production rehearsals, Amanda teaches dance classes at MT Ed, and is the Co-Director and Choreographer of MT Ed's newly formed Parade Corps. She has also discovered a hidden talent for cutting music, which she utilizes for all her dance classes and choreography. Amanda also works at Hilton High School as their Choreographer, and has worked on recent productions such as The Little Mermaid, Legally Blonde Jr, Mamma Mia, Peter Pan and Cinderella. In addition to choreography, Amanda has also directed and co-directed productions including Mary Poppins Jr, Billy Shakespeare’s Traveling Freak Show and Enchanted Bookshop Christmas Edition.

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.

Katie Garver

Stage Manager

Katie studied Theater at SUNY Brockport, and Graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children. She joined MTEd’s cast of A Christmas Carol in 2019, and has Stage Managed shows with the youth & teens since. When not working with MT Ed, Katie works as Assistant Stage Manager at JCC Center Stage throughout their seasons, and performs with Rochester’s Gilbert & Sullivan group, Off Monroe Players (OMP).

Emily Beseau

Vocal Director

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.

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.

Angie Toscano

Production Manager

Angie joins the MT Ed team with many years of entertainment management under her belt. She is the Vice President of Special Events for Nik Entertainment. Angie also help out by lending her artisitic skills making props for our productions.

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.

Sam Nelson

Director/Dramaturg/Stage Manager

Sam originally joined MT Ed in December of 2020 as a Dramaturg for the theatre's original production of Gay Ol' Christmas. Since then he was assistant director and stage manager for season productions before directing MT Ed's 2021 community production of Our Town. After that Sam has worked on many additional projects including Something Rotten (Assistant Director), Improv Hour (And A Half) Classes (Co- Instructor), and 13, The Musical (Stage Manager). Sam is also a local actor in Rochester, performing in shows at Neighborhood Acting Company and Monroe Community College. His most recent stage credits include Flower City Interactive Roc Garden (Al Sigl), When He Comes Home (Cameron), Something Rotten (Nostradamus), and Spring Awakening (Hanschen Rilow). He is thrilled to be part of such an astonishing team!

Meet the Team: Meet the Team