Teaching Staff Profiles

Terry Brennan is a professional actor who worked for Mum Puppet Theatre, Enchantment Theatre Company, Simpatico Theatre Project, and the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival among others. Terry has toured the country several times as an actor and has been teaching Shakespeare to kids for over 6 years.

Marcia Jones - This 2010 season, Marcia's paintings were exhibited in Lancaster, PA at the Pennsylvania College of Art and in Philadelphia, at the Annenberg Conference Center for Medical Education as part of a symposium mounted by the Arts&Spirituality Center, entitled "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" Marcia also mounted an outdoor exhibition of her student's work at Ned Wolf Park in Mt Airy. Marcia has taught and exhibited in and around Philadelphia for 25 years. She earned her MFA at Tyler's Rome Campus, and continued her affiliation with Tyler as faculty in Foundation Courses for 11 years. She resides in Mt Airy with her husband and paints in her home studio.

Melissa Kapish has always loved creating. She attended Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Art. In Florence, Italy, Melissa studied High Renaissance Art, classic drawing and oil painting. At Arcadia University Melissa studied Art Education and is a certified Art Teacher in Pennsylvania. Melissa loves working with children and states: "Art is inherently necessary for the developing minds of children. I am overwhelmed by the power that art has had in enriching my life and I strive to empower others. The visual arts allow students to respond to their life experiences through creative expression."

Cornelia Keitzman BA in Fine Arts from Bryn Mawr College, math and art teacher for many years in many locations. Cornelia is a second generation potter, West Mt. Airy local, monther of many boys and teacher and studio manager at Allens Lane Art Center.

Carol Konopinski - MS in Textile Design, Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA; BS in Design, University of Cincinnati – DAAP, Cincinnati, OH. Carol has worked as a designer for both the interior and fashion industries, and is currently working as a freelance textile designer from her home studio in Philadelphia. Her specialties include printed textile design, fashion design, and experimental printing and mixed media design for textiles, paper, collage, and assemblage.

Peggy Leiby is a director and founding member of FiddleKicks, a percussive performance group based in Philadelphia since 1996. She has taught Appalachian clogging in the Philadelphia region since 1998. www.fiddlekicks.com

Kim Williams has been teaching drama and creative arts for the past 20 years in Philadelphia Area after school programs. For fifteen years she was the drama specialist at Allen s Lane Art Center Summer Day Camp, where she wrote, directed and produced the Camp’s final productions involving 120-165 students. She is the choreographer at LaSalle College High School, the director/choreographer at Archbishop Ryan High School Musical Theatre and has directed and choreographed grade school and high school productions throughout the Philadelphia Area for many years. She started the Allens Lane Dance Program in 2002 which continues to flourish today. Kim has lived and toured professionally throughout the world, but returned to her native Mount Airy to raise her family where she believes peace on earth actually exists.

Rivkah Walton holds an MFA in Crafts from Tyler School of Art, and is a Mt. Airy sculptor working in clay portraiture and assemblage (see studio-rw.com). Her life-long interest in psychology and spirituality led her to establish the Institute for Contemporary Midrash (biblical interpretation), where she directed the training programs in the arts.

Timothy Yue has been tap dancing since 1987.  He has studied tap with LaVaughn Robinson and Tabla (Indian classical drumming) with K. Prashant.  He is a dancer and choreographer for Tap Team Two and Company, and has performed “Hoofing in America” at schools in seven states.