Harley Yanoff (Founder/Producer/Acting Coach) is currently a New York-based Actor. He is a graduate of Brandeis University (cum laude) with a B.A. in Theater Arts Performance (High Honors). Film Credits: He can be seen alongside Oscar Winner Casey Affleck as Smitty in Disney's "The Finest Hours".  His Off-Broadway theater credits include the world premiere of "Final Days," "Perfectly Complicated," and "The Glass Menagerie." He made his professional theater debut in A Little Night Music with the Lyric Stage Company of Boston. At Brandeis University he was seen as Jack in Into The Woods, Bob in Balm In Gilead, Chance in The Water Children, and Edges, a new song cycle. Regional theater credits include Jeff in Kimberly Akimbo, Troy Bolton in High School Musical, Hugo Peabody in Bye Bye Birdie, The Artful Dodger in Oliver, and Harvey Cheyne, for which he received an EMACT award for Best Actor in a lead role in the New England premiere of Captains Courageous. His film work includes supporting roles in The Town (starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, and Jon Hamm), 21, My Best Friend's Girl (Starring Kate Hudson and Dane Cook), Don McKay (Starring Thomas Hayden Church, Elizabeth Shue, and Melissa Leo). His television credits include a role on the Fox TV hit show Fringe as well as featured work on CBS's The Good Wife and WB's Gossip Girl.  His commercial work includes Subway, McDonald's, American Express, and Titleist. He is a proud member of The Actors Equity Association (AEA), and SAG-AFTRA, The Screen Actors Guild and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artist. 
In addition to Spotlight, he's the founder of Broadway From Home, a global virtual theater workshop.

Cassie M. Seinuk is a playwright, AEA Stage Manager, visual artist and educator in Boston, MA. Her play From the Deep has won multiple awards including The Pestalozzi New Play Prize, the Latinidad Playwrights Award at the Kennedy Center, and was a recipient of the Boston University Jewish Culture Endowment, and it appeared on the 2015 Kilroys Honorable Mention List. The production of From the Deep received IRNE Award Nominations, and nearly sold out at 2016 FringeNYC Festival. Eyes Shut. Door Open. or “ESDO” was a recipient of the Bob Jolly Charitable Fund Grant. "ESDO" won the 2016 OnStage Critics Award for Outstanding New Work. Short play Occupy Hallmark won the 2015 National Ten Minute Play Award at the Kennedy Center. Her newest play, Dream House, was developed at New Repertory Theatre as part of Next Voices Fellows, and has earned her a Mass. Cultural Council Fellowship.  Seinuk’s short plays have been produced nationwide. She is a member of Boston Public Works, The Dramatist Guild, and AEA, and a 2017 Mass. Cultural Council Fellow Finalist. As a stage manager Seinuk has worked with Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Central Square Theatre (The Nora and URT), Bridge Rep of Boston, SpeakEasy, and The Berkshire Theatre Group.  Cassie has experience working with all ages, including running youth services at Temple Reyim, and directing the Hebrew-infused musicals at Camp Yavneh and Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston. Cassie lives in the MetroWest area with her husband and two young children.

Ted Whalen (Music Direction) Ted is currently the Director of Upper School Choruses at Milton Academy. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island and the New England Conservatory of Music. Recent productions for which Ted had served as Music Director and Conductor are Spamalot, Avenue Q, Pippen, Dido and Aeneas, Hansel und Gretel, Iolanthe, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Milton Academy, Dana Hall School, the Rhode Island Gilbert and Sullivan Society, the Boston Aria Guild and the Wellesley Choral Society where he is Music Director. As a vocal performer, Ted has appeared as a soloist with such groups as the Boston Lyric Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Lake George Opera, Boston Academy of Music, Alea III, Monadnock Music, Boston Baroque, Chorus proMusica, the Connecticut Pops Orchestra, and the Rhode Island Gilbert & Sullivan Society. In addition to his work as conductor and performer, Ted is a composer whose works were most recently featured in a concert by the Wellesley Choral Society.

Lauren is originally from Needham, MA, and is a rising senior at NYU studying Musical Theatre Vocal Performance, and Business of Entertainment. Last summer, she helped to direct Mean Girls Jr. and Frozen Jr. and was also the Camp Manager. This summer, she will be directing the Black Box Sessions and will be taking on the role of Associate Producer for the entire summer. Lauren performs regularly in NYC and most recently played Annas in West 4th Stage Company's all-female/non-binary cast of Jesus Christ Superstar. This past February she made her producing debut at the Green Room 42 with her show "My College Audition Song". She's excited to be back in MA for the summer and can't wait to get started!

Megan Onello is a performer and vocalist originally from North Andover, MA. Now based in NYC, she is a rising senior at NYU, studying Vocal Performance - Musical Theatre. She is so excited to be working at Spotlight as the Musical Director for The Black Box Sessions! She performs in and around NYC, her most recent cabarets being “Human: A New Musical” at 54 Below, “MTN and the Plunk” at The Green Room 42, and “The Music Of Steven Universe” at The Green Room 42. Her most recent performance credits include Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and How Did You Know Her?: An (Un)Original Song (Re)Cycle. She can’t wait to head back to Massachusetts this July!

Bridget is a rising senior attending the Boston Conservatory studying Musical Theatre. Bridget grew up doing theatre and dance in the Boston area. Her past credits include Shrek (BSU’s Family Performing Arts Center), Peter Pan (The Norwood Theatre), and A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Boston Conservatory). Her choreography credits include Frozen Jr and Mean Girls Jr. Bridget is thrilled to be returning to the Spotlight Team this summer!

Keira, originally from Westwood, MA, and a rising sophomore at the Manhattan School of Music, is excited for her first year with Spotlight Summer Theatre Workshop! Previously, she helped direct, choreograph, write, and sound design for a show at a Boston conservatory called 1,2,3 Eyes on Me. She has also assisted with direction and choreography for summer theater programs at LINX and Wheelock Family Theatre school vacation camps. Keira Performs yearly throughout Massachusetts and most recently was in Head Over Heels as Pamela, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. She has also just finished two semesters with the Berklee Chord Achoried: A Choir Chamber Group.

Melinda Kalanzis (she/they) is a Boston-based actor, director, teaching artist, and theatremaker. Recent credits include Anne in The Lost Queen Returns with TC2, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Boston Theatre Company, Deadword Theatre Company's Trinkets, and History Alive's Fall/Winter 2023 season: Miss King in Tis' the Season, Magistrate Hathorne, Louder, and Pickering in Cry Innocent, and Girl/Mermaid in No Ghosts at the Old Town Hall. Melinda also assistant directed and played Leah in a staged reading of Butch Ado with Actor's Shakespeare Project. She is one of the co-directors and producers at What If? Queer Creator Collaborative. Previous What If? credits include Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), co-directing O, Possum!, Gwen/co-directing Magic Girl!... And her Demons, and Jack/assistant directing The Importance of Being Earnest.  After many wonderful years at Spotlight as a participant, she's thrilled to be rejoining the creative team!

Lauren Manna is a rising senior at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she is earning her BFA in Musical Theatre. Lauren is originally from Minnesota but is so excited to be spending her summer in Boston, with Spotlight. Most recently, she has appeared in Moonbox’s “Legally Blonde”, and assistant directed “Next to Normal” at BOCO. She is so excited to work with Spotlight this summer!

Bio Coming!

Jonah (Technical Director) is a Boston born, New York City based Moving Light Programmer working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theater, TV, and Cruise Ships. Recent work includes, True West & King Lear on Broadway, Cambodian Rock Band, Octet & Miss You like Hell Off-Broadway, The Band’s Visit 1st National Tour, What the Constitution Means to Me at The Kennedy Center, The Sound of Music at Asolo Rep, Thoughts of a Colored Man at Syracuse Stage & Baltimore Centerstage. Some of Jonah’s favorite projects include an interactive dance show for the first ship of the new Virgin Voyages cruise line, Summer Shakespeare in the Park in New York City and the 25 Years of Disney On Broadway Anniversary Concert.

Alex Salsberg (Animator) is a professional animator and illustrator with a passion for teaching. He founded The Artist’s Lab at Spotlight after spending over ten years teaching art and filmmaking in a variety of settings. His goal is to introduce students to modern, fun ways to create and to give them plenty of time and freedom to do it. After years of offering short workshops at Spotlight, he's very excited to bring a full summer program to the amazing Spotlight campers. When not teaching kids, Alex is busy producing and directing animated videos for web and TV, including work for Nickelodeon, MTV and DreamWorksTV. He is also an adjunct animation instructor at Mount Ida College and provides drawing instruction for autistic teens and adults at The Vinfen Family Support Center.