About Centauri Arts Instructors & Staff

Craig Hartley – Director
Craig Hartley has a degree in Business, and more than twenty years’ experience in Business and Arts Management, including as the Business Director for Centauri Summer Arts Camp and Centauri Arts. He has directed and led numerous international tours for Centauri Arts.

Julie Hartley – Director & Writing / Theatre Instructor
Julie is a writer, teacher, storyteller and theatre director. She has a degree in English and Theatre Studies and an M.A. in English Literature – both from Warwick University in the UK. In 2016 she completed an M.F.A. in Creative Writing through the University of British Columbia. Julie taught English & Drama at Leicester Grammar School in England, and at Havergal College here in Toronto, before joining the University of Waterloo, where she taught acting courses and directed two mainstage productions. Julie’s poetry and short stories have appeared in literary magazines in Canada and England. Her plays have toured across England and Ireland, and have been staged by schools, youth theatres and colleges throughout Ontario. Julie served as the Artistic Director of Centauri Summer Arts Camp for 25 years, training staff, directing productions, designing arts programs and leading the community. These days, Julie teaches Creative Writing and Theatre courses for the Centauri Arts Academy and in schools across Ontario. She is also the director and lead teacher for the new Centauri English Enrichment Program. Julie continues to write, in addition to her work with Centauri Arts. Her novel for middle grade readers – The Finding Place – was published by Red Deer Press in September 2015, and her guide to teaching Shakespeare was published by Theatrefolk in 2018. Her latest book is a poetry collection – Deboning a Dragon – and was released by Mansfield Press in 2019. Visit Juliehartley.ca to see more

Aaron Alviano – Art Instructor
Aaron has a B.A. Hons. in Studio Art from the University of Guelph and resides in Toronto, where for the past 17 years he has continued his studies and combined a career as an artist with his love of teaching. Aaron displays his work in galleries throughout Toronto and online. He has a wealth of teaching knowledge in the fine arts, and has taught courses in Digital Art, traditional Fine Art, Design, Cartoon Skills, Animation and Photography at Centauri Arts over the past 21 years. In addition to teaching through the Centauri Arts Academy and for other arts organizations, Aaron offers  SHSM ‘Arts and Culture’ training programs for high schools, focusing on Graphic Design, Digital Art, Photography and Cartoon Creation. Aaron creates art for an independent video game company, works as a freelance graphic designer, and is the administrator for the Centauri Arts Academy. He is thrilled to be a part of our expanded arts faculty at the academy this fall, sharing his knowledge with students in virtual and in-studio classes.

Jane Aster RoeJane Aster Roe – Dance and Drama Instructor
Jane is an award winning choreographer, dancer, multimedia writer, and storyteller. She is passionate about storytelling as a form of radical empathy and strongly believes in the power of art, dance and media as a vehicle for societal change. Jane’s personal experiences with autism have taught her the importance of approaching every child as an individual with a unique brain, and unique talents. She is a choreographer and performer with Vintage Taps, and Sisu Dance Projects, and she uses contemporary and acrobatic dance to explore healing through trauma with the non-profit company, Let The Elephants Dance. Jane is also an experienced dance teacher, working with ages 2-adult, and she is trained to work with kids with neurodiversity. When she’s not dancing up a storm, she works as a freelance writer for odcast companies, and in TV and Film with Blahzay Creative and Aster Roe Productions.

zebulanZebulun Barnow – Music Teacher
Zebulun’s instruments include guitar, bass, drums, percussion and voice. His career began in Chicago, where he played many legendary venues. He toured with various bands, performing in a myriad of styles, and this work culminated with an audition for Blue Man Group, Chicago. For a decade, Zebulun played Chapman Stick and electric zither in literally thousands of Blue Man Group shows. He continued with other music projects at the same time, playing in a Tom Waits cover band and teaching at the School of Rock, where he became Assistant Music Director, overseeing student performances of Freedom Rock, U2, AC/DC, and many others. Zebulun emigrated to Canada with his wife – cellist Amber Walton-Amar – in 2015, and has been active in the Toronto music scene ever since. Zebulun teaches fun activities such as boomwhackers and ukelele in our schools program, and offers SHSM ‘Arts and Culture’ training programs.

DevinDevin Bell – Acting Instructor
Devin is a Toronto- and New York-based Actor currently completing his final year of study at the Tom Todoroff Conservatory for Acting in New York. Recently, Devin starred in Hardbodies (playing the lead antagonist!). He taught acting workshops for the Toronto Children’s Chorus and Mabin Private School and spent a year working with the media company The Plaid Zebra as an editor and as a Film and Media instructor for their intern training program. As an acting student at the Centauri Arts Academy, Devin took advanced performance exams through Trinity College, earning Distinctions – and an Exhibition Award for the highest final mark in North America. Subsequently, Devin spent 2 years as an Assistant Instructor for Film and Acting programs at the Centauri Arts Academy, and worked at Centauri Summer Arts Camp in the Film and Acting departments. He has taught workshops for Centauri Arts in mask, movement, acting technique, improv, and film analysis. Devin now works with Centauri Arts as an occasional teacher and we are thrilled to have him back with us!

Miriam Brookman –  Art Instructor
Miriam is a Toronto based fine artist, graphic designer, and arts educator. She graduated from Concordia University with a BFA in Studio Arts, and went on to receive a Post Graduate Diploma in Interdisciplinary Design Strategy from the Institute without Boundaries at George Brown College, as well as completing summer intensive studies in Graphic Design at Parsons the New School for Design. Miriam has worked in arts education for 15 years, and engages with a variety of media in her work including painting, drawing, fibres and material structures, sculpture, digital print, and graphic design. She draws inspiration from a multitude of sources, with a focus on memory, nature, the urban landscape and the figure as landscape, exploring both figurative and abstract motifs. Miriam has lived and worked in Toronto, Montreal, Israel, Italy, New York, Ireland, and Australia. Centauri Arts is thrilled to have Miriam work with us as an instructor in our schools program. She also offers Fine Art SHSM training programs with us, working for Boards across Ontario.

Briana

Briana Brown – Writing Instructor
Briana is an award winning playwright and screenwriter based in Toronto. She’s a graduate of UBC’s Creative Writing program (MFA), the Thousand Island Playhouse’s Playwright’s Unit, the Stratford Festival’s Playwrights Retreat, and a previous Playwright in Residence with Driftwood Theatre. Her first full length play, The Concessions (Touchstone/Firehall/Playwrights Theatre Centre), premiered in June 2014 and earned a Jessie nomination for Outstanding Original Play, among others. Her comic one-acts, Cassandra and Almost, Again have had fringe and festival productions across Canada, and are both available in anthologies from Signature Editions. Briana was shortlisted for the Stage West Pechet Family Comedy Award and is currently developing a one-hour serialized TV fantasy called Harbinger. She teaches Creative Writing at the Centauri Arts Academy, and is a part of the teaching faculty for the Centauri English Enrichment program.

Abby Buchmeyer – Screenwriting Instructor
Abby is a New York-based filmmaker and screenwriter who graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Film and Screenwriting with high honors. She has earned the prestigious Hopwood Award for her feature-length script, an honor shared by playwright Arthur Miller and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan. Abby has worked for shows on Showtime, Netflix, and AppleTV+, and recently was a member of the Writers’ Room for a new drama for HBO. Abby taught Screenwriting at Centauri Summer Arts Camp for four summers, and she now teaches classes in Screenwriting and Writing for the Stage and Screen for both adults and teenagers, through the Centauri Arts Academy. Abby is one of our SHSM Instructors, offering training programs in Writing for TV & Film, and in Sketch Comedy, for high schools across Ontario.

Glenn Clifton – Writing Instructor
Glenn Clifton is a Toronto-based writer of fiction, drama, and screenplays. His work for the stage has appeared in the US and Canada, most recently at the Toronto Fringe Festival. A member of the Centauri Academy since nearly the beginning, he is one of the editors of Under the Poet Tree: A Centauri Anthology.  Glenn is a Professor in Sheridan College’s Creative Writing & Publishing Program, where he teaches creative writing and literature. He holds an MA in Playwriting from Boston University and a PhD in English from the University of Toronto. He is excited to be back with the arts academy this year!

Erick FournierErick Fournier – Stage Combat Instructor
Based in Toronto, Erick is a bilingual (English/French) actor and performance combat artist and a graduate of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College joint Theatre and Drama Studies program. He is a Certified Fight Instructor with Fight Directors Canada and has taught at educational institutions of all levels, including George Brown College where he currently teaches on faculty at the Theatre School. Erick also teaches drop-ins and certification classes at Rapier Wit, an independent stage combat studio in Toronto. Erick has fight directed numerous productions around Toronto, is a professional stunt performer, and has experience teaching martial arts as well, having been practicing martial arts himself since the age of 7. Selected credits include: AS FIGHT DIRECTOR- Ghost: The Musical (Starvox Entertainment) Hamlet (Unit 102/Freshmint Productions), Mauritius (The Village Players), Robin des Bois (ÉSC Saint-Frère-André); AS STUNT PERFORMER- Jawbreaker (Vital Action Prod.), Killjoys (as a Special Skills Extra), Super Spies (series concept trailer) 11 Blocks (Concrete The Movie Prod.); AS PERFORMER- Zik (Seasons 1 and 2 – TFO), Le Fa Le Do (Théâtre Français de Toronto, *Prix Rideau nomination), The Princess Knight and Sleepy Hollow* (Solar Stage, *Dora Award nomination).

Marina Gomes – Acting Instructor
Born in Toronto, Marina Gomes is a storyteller who aspires to create work that is innovative, thought provoking and entertaining! A graduate of the University of Windsor BFA-Acting program, Marina has trained with members of the SITI Company, at Stratford, and most recently at the Festival Players Academy. She also had the privilege of being one of Nightwood’s Young Innovators in 2019. Marina works as an Artist Educator with Centauri Arts, Young People’s Theatre, Soulpepper and independently throughout the GTA. Marina has performed original work throughout Canada. Selected acting credits include: Lexi in “Lexi and the Flying B’s (Toronto Fringe), Nora in “If the Shoe Fits” (Alumnae Theatre) and Tara in “Eraser” (Eraser Theatre), which was nominated for Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Production, and Outstanding Ensemble in the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

Evan Hoffman – Film Instructor
Evan HoffmanEvan is a York University graduate with a BFA in Film Production who has been working in the Canadian film industry for many years. Working as both a music and film instructor, Evan has accumulated over 8 years of teaching experience. During his time at York, he directed fiction, documentary, and experimental films. Having specialized in sound, he works as a location sound recordist and post-sound department head. Some of his credits have been featured in the Tel Aviv International Film Festival, Olympus Film Festival in Los Angeles, and are available to stream on Amazon Prime. Having done work in feature films, television, and commercial work he has accumulated a wide variety of experience. Everything from recording and mixing the live performances of several Juno-winning artists to working on the set of an advertisement campaign for Kia Canada. At Centauri, Evan teaches the Film production program and web-series program. As a teacher, he strongly believes in the importance of engaging with his student’s interests and ideas as a way to help them develop their artistic identity.

Alan Kinsella – Acting Instructor
Alan KinsellaAlan trained in performance at Liberties College Dublin and has a Masters from IADT (Institute of Art, Design & Technology). He is passionate about teaching and has over 20 years of experience. He was a principal lecturer and tutor at the Bull Alley Theatre Training Company which was part of the Liberties College Dublin for over a decade. Alan began his career as an actor and his debut was at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Theatre. His directorial debut was with Muted Cupid Theatre Company at Andrew’s Lane Theatre, Dublin.  He went on to direct over one hundred productions in Ireland. In 2013 Alan moved to Canada and his Toronto debut was The Woman in Black at The Lower Ossington Theatre. Toronto credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, Joseph, The Little Mermaid, Legally Blonde, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anne of Green Gables and Newsies at Lower Ossington Theatre, Al Green Theatre and The Randolph Theatre. His production of Mary Poppins won the Broadway World award for Best Musical in 2015. Alan has written family shows that have toured China, Jamaica, Qatar, Singapore, Oman and Sharjah.  He  frequently directs with Toronto Youth Theatre and teaches and gives workshops in schools and companies throughout the GTA.

Mackenzie Langdon – Musical Theatre Instructor
Mackenzie is a singer, actor, and composer from Ottawa, Ontario. A graduate of the Canadian College of Performing Arts, Mackenzie has been working with children for over 5 years. Since moving to Toronto Mackenzie has worked professionally in children’s theatre productions, including performing with TYT Theatre in “Pinkalicious” and touring GTA schools with “Little Red Theatre” in Thumbelina. Mackenzie is also a composer, recently debuting her original musical “UNSUNG: The Accidental Villains of History” at the 2023 Ottawa Fringe Festival.

In her singing career, Mackenzie has explored a range of vocal music styles including classical, jazz, barbershop, and musical theatre. She also works as a vocal coach, training students to have a strong vocal foundation while still having fun. Having previously taught theatre and musical theatre with Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young People and ACTE, she is thrilled to continue that rewarding work with Centauri Arts.

Veronica Lincoln – Dance Instructor
Veronica completed her B.F.A at Ryerson University in their Performance Dance program. While performing professionally, she also worked as a news writer at Canada’s leading Dance Magazine, The Dance Current and in marketing and sales for Mirvish. Veronica has completed extensive dance examinations through the Cecchetti Society of Canada, the Royal Academy of Dance, and the Canadian Dance Teachers Association, and most recently certified through Acrobatic Arts and Alixa Flexibility. She has competed in all dance disciplines and studied both acting and singing with some of Canada’s best instructors. Some favourite professional performance credits include “Gameshow the Musical” (Best of Fringe), “When Love is Not Enough” (The Hallmark Channel), “Taekwondo” (Walk Off the Earth), Women in Dance, Dance Ontario Weekend, The Junction Comedy Festival and many events with her What’s On TAP! Company friends. Veronica is Artistic Director of Canadian Dance Company’s Burlington location, and teaches custom pandemic friendly workshops through her company “Veronica’s Place”. She has worked with Centauri Arts for almost a decade, at our overnight summer camp, and now as a teacher in our schools program, and as an instructor for our SHSM Arts and Culture training programs.

Sanskruti Marathe – Equity & Diversity Workshops
Sanskruti is a graduate of York University’s Acting conservatory and currently works professionally as a theatre creator, dancer and choreographer. Sanskruti believes strongly in the power of the arts to heal and harmonize the world, so wellness has always played a key role in her life, and in her daily routines. As a staff member at Centauri Summer Camp, Sanskruti ran workshops in journaling, Yoga and vision board creation, as well as dance electives that focussed on body appreciation and joyful living. She has taught movement therapy at the Art of Living Foundation, and wellbeing workshops for LCI Movement. Sanskruti teaches Wellness, Acting and Dance at Centauri Arts and in our schools programs, and is co-creator of our Equity & Diversity Training Program, offered as a part of SHSM programs across Ontario.

Erica May – Acting Instructor
Erica May-Wood is a graduate of Claude Watson School for the Arts and LAMDA, a prestigious drama school in London, England. She is a professional performer, director, teacher, producer and writer. Erica runs her own theatre company in Toronto, and as an RCM-certified Artist Educator she works in schools, professional theatres and community settings. Selected acting credits include: The Importance of Being Earnest (Gryphon Theatre), Godspell (The Stage Co.), Beauty and the Beast (Playbill Theatre), Guilty Secrets (Magnus Theatre), Brighton Beach Memoirs (Variety) and Dine Her (RealSpace Theatre). Erica has also written and performed for the Toronto Fringe Festival. Her career with Centauri begin in 2018, when she taught two intensive acting program at camp for the first time. These days, Erica is our lead Acting Instructor, teaching at the Centauri Arts Academy and as part of our schools program. Erica also leads SHSM ‘Arts and Culture’ training programs in Acting for TV & Film, Audition Skills and other acting-related subjects in schools across Ontario.

Cullen McFater – Film Instructor
Cullen McFater is an award-winning Canadian director, cinematographer and actor, and the founder of Postromo Pictures. In 2021, at 22 years old, he wrote and directed his debut feature film: Daylight Again. His second feature film, Human Nature, was shot through the years of 2022 and 2023 in 17 countries around the world.

Cullen has a long history with Centauri, first attending Centauri Arts Camp as a film camper in 2010. In 2017, Cullen joined the staff team as a counsellor and taught the Arts Academy film program from 2017-2022, and has also taught a variety of Specialist High Skills Major workshops at schools across the GTA. Cullen is currently teaching  film at the Centauri Arts Academy, and for our after-school program, in schools.

Giulia Pittiglio – Acting Instructor
Giulia is a theater artist from Toronto, Ontario. She has taken on various roles as an actor, director, physical theater artist and youth theater educator since graduating from York University’s Acting Conservatory in the spring of 2020. Some performance credits include playing the black sheep in Les Moutons (Corpus Dance Projects, 2022), Anna in Yellow Tangerines (Angelica Libkind, 2021), and Lord Robert Cecil in Elizabeth Rex (Theater at York, 2020). Her directing credits include Just Pervs (Toronto Fringe 2021) and The Secret Garden (Youth Theater Canada, 2021). Giulia wishes to create theater that emphasizes movement and the body as the ultimate tool for expression. She finds it incredibly rewarding and joyful to work with young people and she is looking forward to continuing her journey as an educator and theater instructor for youth.

Laren SaundersLauren Saunders – Theatre & Clown Instructor
Lauren holds her Master’s degree in Professional Acting from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and her B.Ed from Queen’s University. Recently returned from the UK, Lauren works onstage, onscreen, and in the recording studio. Her shows have taken her to theatres all across the North and Southwest of England. She is the voice of Dolby Digital’s Beat Your Best campaign, and records audiobooks for Bolinda Audio and Amazon Audible. Her latest audiobook, Robin Wasserman’s ‘Girls on Fire’ is now available internationally. When she’s not performing, Lauren is a drama and French teacher. This is her 15th year with Centauri. Visit Laurens website.

Helen  Tran – Writing Instructor
Helen is a poet and novelist who has had poetry, flash fiction and short fiction published in literary magazines and anthologies throughout Canada. Her work has appeared in The Antigonish Review, Augur Magazine, Carousel Magazine, and Ricepaper Magazine’s Currents anthology, among others. For her Creative Writing MFA thesis project at UBC, she wrote a steampunk novel under the guidance of award-winning authors Joseph Boyden and Annabel Lyon. Helen has been a program director and creative writing instructor with Centauri Arts Camp and the Centauri Arts Academy for over seven years and enjoys teaching fantasy/sci-fi and world-building. She lives in the Niagara Region with her two children and one spoiled housecat. Her “grownup” jobs include being a professor, journalist, and freelance photographer.

Vikki VanSickle

photo by Connie Tsang

Vikki VanSickle – Writing Instructor
Vikki is an award-winning writer, arts educator and children’s literature advocate. Frequently referred to as “Canada’s Judy Blume,” she is the author of  a number of acclaimed books for kids and teens, including the picture books IF I HAD A GRYPHON, TEDDY BEAR OF THE YEAR and ANONYMOUSE; the middle grade novels WORDS THAT START WITH B, LOVE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD, DAYS THAT END IN Y, and SUMMER DAYS, STARRY NIGHTS; and the 2018 Red Maple Award winning YA novel THE WINNOWING. You can see her on CTV Your Morning, where she curates and presents a regular segment on children’s books. Vikki has also worked as a dramaturg (LETTERS FROM THE GREAT WAR, Soulpepper 2018 and National Centre for the Arts 2021) and is a playwright and lyricist (IKE AND PEARL: A NEW CANADIAN MUSICAL, 2008 Toronto Fringe Festival). In addition to writing, Vikki has spent 12 years in publishing and has taught creative writing, publicity and marketing at workshops, festivals, conferences and camps across North America. Vikki has an honours degree in drama from Queen’s University and a MA in children’s literature from the University of British Columbia. Originally from Woodstock, Ontario, she now lives in Toronto surrounded by books and tolerated by her cat.

Tracy Wai de Boer – Writing InstructorTracy de Boer
Tracy Wai de Boer is a passionate writer, instructor, and PhD candidate whose first poetry collection, maybe, basically was released in 2020 by Anstruther Press. Tracy has received funding from the Ontario Arts Council toward a second poetry collection currently in progress. She has published poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in a variety of outlets including Canthius, ricepaper, G U E S T, Plenitutde, Catapult, Hypatia, and others. She also has published work in anthologies, Front Lines: Voices from the Toronto Writers Collective and Impact: Women Writing After Concussion. Tracy is passionate about the expressive power of writing and has facilitated workshops across the GTA. She teaches creative writing virtually and in-person at the Centauri Arts Academy.

Bonnie Warburton – Podcasting Instructor, Equity & Diversity Workshops
Bonnie is a graduate of Quest University Canada where she received an interdisciplinary education, incorporating her many arts passions (written, visual and audio). Her undergraduate thesis took the form of a comedic podcast, and was nominated for academic distinction. Since graduating, Bonnie has worked with local government, researching and creating podcasting guidelines for their communications department. She also creates educational podcasts and teaches fiction and nonfiction podcasting techniques to teenagers across Canada. Fun, engagement, and expression is at the heart of her projects and teaching. Bonnie runs workshops and SHSM ‘Arts and Culture’ training programs for Centauri Arts, focussing on Podcasting, and she has also co-developed an Equity & Diversity workshop which is offered virtually and in-person to school boards across Ontario. Bonnie has been a leader and instructor with Centauri Arts for the past six years..

Arrow WilliamsArrow Williams – Writing Instructor, Make up Instructor
Arrow Williams is a professional editor, writer, and makeup artist, and resides in Toronto, Ontario. Currently working with Grey House Publishing Canada, they studied English Literature at Concordia University and have completed the Publishing and Makeup for Stage and Screen programs from Toronto Metropolitan University. They are an active member of Editors Canada, and specialize in poetry and short fiction. When not working with stories and authors, Arrow is on set using makeup to transform actors into zombies, monsters, and the occasional blushing bride. They joined the Centauri team in 2015 as a counsellor, running creative writing workshops centred around pushing young writers out of their comfort zones and using techniques stolen from the literary canon to encourage creativity and give them more tools at their disposal. Arrow’s special effects makeup courses equipped campers with the makeup skills to scare their parents and friends with realistic gashes, wounds, and monster horns.