Our dedicated faculty and staff offer our students the knowledge and skills to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

Faculty and Staff

Below is a list of faculty and staff members at the School of the Arts. Click on the drop-down menu for more information.

Dean of the School of the Arts

Patsy Collins Bandes

Patsy Collins Bandes comes to Dean after 18 years with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She first joined the Conservatory as the production stage manager in 2004, joined the theatre and dance faculty in 2006, and served as chair of the Conservatory's Theater Division from 2018 to 2022. As an arts administrator and academic leader with a diverse background in the management of theatre production, Collins Bandes has directed, produced and stage-managed productions for a number of companies, including the Boston Conservatory, North Shore Music Theatre, National Theatre Conservatory, Lizard Head Theatre Company, Intermezzo Chamber Opera, Prometheus Dance, Boston Children’s Chorus and Denver Center Theatre Company, which received a 1998 Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theatre during her tenure. She holds a B.A. in theatre with an emphasis in directing from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Liberal Arts with a concentration in dramatic arts from Harvard University Extension School. She is a director, educator, arts leader and advocate with a strong focus on the inclusive and diverse practices of arts and social change. Patsy’s area of research is in theatrical superstition and mythology as well as the connection between performance, ritual, and sacred space. Her teaching expertise includes stage management and arts leadership, directing, script analysis, song and scene interpretation, and improvisation.

Program Coordinator of Theatre, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Costume Designer-in-Residence

Daniel B. Kozar serves as Assistant Professor, Program Director of Theatre for the School of Arts, and Costume-Designer-in Residence for the college. Daniel has been involved in the capacities of either designer, director, producer or performer in over 180 theatre, film or television productions in the New England area, since 2001. This would include over 75 on the Dean College campus. He has served KCACTF, Region I, in the capacity of Co-Chair, and Vice Chair, for the area Design, Technology and Management. 

Program Coordinator of Arts and Entertainment Management, Assistant Professor

David joined the Dean College faculty in January 2019 as Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Arts and Entertainment Management.  He also serves as the Front of House Manager overseeing the Box Office and Ushers for the theatre and dance productions at Dean. Prior to Dean College, David has worked and taught in the field of performing arts and theatre management for many years including Assistant Professor of Sports, Arts and Entertainment Management at Point Park University; Executive Director – Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center; Assistant Professor/Head-MFA Theatre Management at Florida State University; President/CEO – Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Performing Arts Center; Executive Director – The Mahaffey Theatre Foundation; Theatre Manager and Director of Programming – Peery’s Egyptian Theatre; Co-Director – Office of Cultural Affairs at Weber State University, and others.  He holds a BA in Theatre from Hope College and an MFA in Theatre Management/Arts Administration from University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  David has served as a grant panelist for South Arts, State of Florida, State of Kentucky, State of Vermont, MidAtlantic Arts Foundation, PennPAT, State of Utah, and others.  He is a member of the Board of Directors for NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents) and serves on the Education Committee for IAVM (International Association of Venue Managers).  Prior to his work as a theatre manager, presenter/programmer and educator David was an AEA Stage Manager for 13 years.  David’s best productions include his three children – Charlie (26), Thomas/Fable (22), and Sarah (19).

BA, Hope College, MFA, University of Alabama

Assistant Professor and Part-Time Faculty in Theatre

Ali Angelone (Director/Choreographer) is an Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre for the Dean College School of the Arts. She holds an M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in Musical Theatre/Movement Pedagogy. In addition to teaching, she has directed/choreographed at various theaters throughout the country. Some of her favorites include Arena Stage, Pioneer Theatre Company, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Frostfire Theatre, Walnut Hill School for the Arts and Stagedoor Manor. Over the last six years, Ali has also had the pleasure of studying with the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York City and most recently with Intimacy Director’s International.

Instructor of Voice

Timothy Ayres-Kerr MM is a singer, composer and voice teacher based in Quincy MA. He has a BM in Vocal performance and an MM in vocal pedagogy from New England Conservatory of Music. As an active operatic tenor, he has sung with Longwood Opera, Wholetone Opera, Colby University Symphony Orchestra, Lowell House Opera, Opera 51, and the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble. His work as a Gilbert & Sullivan specialist has been recognized by the Boston Musical Intelligencer who noted that: "He sang with purity and conviction, enunciating perfectly, and acting without a touch of guile.” Tim’s one act opera, A Game of Werewolf, was awarded a place in Once Ounce Opera’s ‘Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera’ showcase in 2017 and has enjoyed yearly revivals by his own mobile opera troupe, The Parlour Opera Players. Tim’s commitment to giving effective performances with clear and communicative diction has led to continued work in opera, recitals, and musical theater. As an educator, Tim draws on the best aspects of the old Italian school of singing—informed by the latest scientific developments in vocal pedagogy. Distilling this vast pool of information, he stresses the need for simplicity, and focuses on the powerful role that fun can play in the voice studio. For performance excerpts and more info visit: www.timsingsthings.com

Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance, Technical Director

Jim Beauregard (Director/Fight Choreographer) is Associate Professor and Technical Director for The School of Arts and The School of Dance at Dean College, Franklin, MA.  Jim has served on the Executive Board for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and has also served as the Artistic Director for The Medieval Manor Theatre in Boston, Ma. Jim is entering his 23rd year at Dean College where he continues to create as a Director and choreographer, both on the boards and behind the scenes for Dean College and theatres throughout the region.

Adjunct Instructor

David C. Burr received their master's from the University of Washington in 2018. They taught at The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth from 2020 to 2022.  
In their diverse studio practice, David explores existential concepts of identity, autonomy, and mental well being. Utilizing a wide range of media, David places a lens onto their own experience as an agender person living with anxiety and ADHD. David has exhibited nationally, most notably the LBIF: Works on Paper exhibition in 2020. They are currently writing their first novel where a troop of young adults faces the political aftermath of an ecological disaster throwing the country into a pharma-agricultural civil war. 

Adjunct Instructor

Meredith Charles is a teacher, performer, and arts advocate with over 25 years of experience. She has worked in front of and behind the scenes for local theatre and movie companies, and as an assistant at a talent agency in NYC. She is also a performer and founding member of the popular Off Brand Improv Comedy Troupe, based in Central MA. Meredith is the owner and creative director of a local drama enrichment business, Drama Out of the Box, which provides Professional Development and Teambuilding Workshops for staff at a wide range of organizations, from Libraries and Schools to the Corporate Sector, as well as theatre-based workshops for all ages and abilities. She holds a bachelor's degree in Theatre with a minor in Russian from Hofstra University, and a master's degree in Theatre Education from Emerson College, as well as Dual MA licensure in Elementary Education and Performing Arts Pre-K-12. Meredith is thrilled to be a part of the Dean College community.

Adjunct Instructor

Amy Del Santo, Soprano, received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Classical Voice from Rhode Island College and a Master of Music Degree from San Francisco State University. Amy performed in both the San Francisco Bay Area and New England, specializing in Mozart and Puccini Opera, French Art Song and Musical Theatre. As a highly sought after vocal coach in the Southern New England area, Amy’s students have performed in National Broadway tours and off Broadway productions as well as professional Theatre and Opera companies throughout the U.S. Amy is an active member of the National Association of Singers. (NATS) Her students have achieved 1st place awards in district and regional Student Auditions. Amy is approaching twenty years on the Dean College Voice Faculty.

Adjunct Instructor in Theatre

Aubrey Elson has an extensive background as a professional working actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Her credits include two national tours, performances at Madison Square Garden and on the Wendy Williams Show, and over 25 regional plays and musicals. She received her BA in Theatre from USC (minor in International Relations) and her MFA from Florida Atlantic University. Aubrey is also a prolific audiobook narrator, with several titles selling Audible and iTunes.

In addition to performing, Aubrey loves sharing her craft with the next generation of theatre performers. She has taught Acting, Speech, and Voice at the collegiate level, as well as masterclasses in musical theatre dance, acting, and voice across the country. As a dancer, member of IADMS, and Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Instructor, Aubrey weaves her own background in anatomy, somatic/proprioceptive awareness, and mindfulness/self-care into her voice and speech classes. She also introduces students to a variety of descriptive techniques, including Knight-Thompson Speechwork, Linklater, FitzMaurice, Rodenburg, and Alexander. Outside of performing and teaching, Aubrey is a test prep tutor for younger students, and a proud dog mother. Aubrey is also a member of Actors Equity Association.

Assistant Professor of Theatre

Andrew Gallant holds an M.F.A in Acting from DePaul University, a postgraduate diploma from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a BA in Theatre from UW-Madison and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity. For the last 15 years, Andrew has worked professionally in Chicago as an actor, playwright, director, and artistic director. His plays I Wish to Apologize to the People of Illinois and At the Center both received 3-star reviews (out of 4) from the Chicago Tribune and his short play Mackerel Sky is currently being adapted into a short film with festival submissions pending. 

Before joining Dean, Andrew was an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University’s Theatre School as well as its Digital Cinema Program and was an adjunct professor of theatre and the director of theatre at Triton College. He is the founder of Green Shirt Studio, an acting school in Chicago specializing the Meisner approach to actor training. His students have appeared in Stranger Things, Moonlight, Molly’s Game, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, 9-1-1: Lone Star, The Chi, Easy, Empire, Fargo, The Book of Mormon (Broadway), and many other projects all over the world.

Adjunct Instructor in Theatre

Richard Gamble holds a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Texas Tech University where his major areas of study were arts administration and performing arts production.  He retired from Florida Atlantic University where he served as the technical director, lighting designer and department chair.  In addition, he represented the university as an officer and member of several state and regional professional organizations dedicated to advancing the arts and theatre education.  He has taught college-level courses in arts management, history, design, and technology and as a member of the United Scenic Artists he has designed and directed over 300 productions in a variety of academic and professional settings.  He is currently working as a consultant and is very pleased to be a part of Dean College.

Adjunct Instructor in Theatre

Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric from Rhode Island College. She has worked in the arts for some time, with the most recent being Trinity Repertory Company in Providence. In addition to teaching, Caitlin is a published journalist and creative writer and owns her own consulting business working with historians and arts organizations on their digital marketing. Caitlin is an avid traveler with 41 states and five countries under her belt and spends her time engrossed in words, media, and her pug, Winston. She defines herself as an Oxford comma enthusiast and is currently located in Providence, Rhode Island.  

Adjunct Instructor in Voice

Eva Conley Kendrick is a Teaching Artist, Vocalist and Composer. Students of hers have performed on Broadway (Les Miserables, Tuck Everlasting, Matilda), and on National Broadway tours (Annie, The Sound of Music, White Christmas, Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Story). She currently has a student playing Young Cosette on the 2023 National Broadway tour of Les Miserables. Other student achievements include 1st and 2nd place at the National NATS Student Auditions in the Musical Theatre Division as well as many other regional and local voice competitions. Her students have participated in the Jimmy Awards, the American Songbook Academy, and regional theatre, including Papermill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera, Ogunquit Playhouse, Wheelock Family Theatre, Umbrella Stage Company, North Shore Music Theatre and much more. As a composer, she has written musicals and operas, and her choral works have been performed in dozens of states across the country. In addition to teaching at Dean College, Prof. Kendrick runs the Eva Kendrick Voice Studio and is Director of Music at First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Medfield. 

Assistant to the Dean

Tracy Lane is the Assistant to the Dean for the Palladino School of Dance and the School of the Arts. 

She received her BA in Theatre Education from Emerson College where she also trained in musical theatre, dance and voice. Tracy has been a teacher of English, musical theater, acting and dance as well as a performer, director, choreographer, costumer and producer.

Adjunct Instructor of Dance - Modern and Dance Studies

Lindsay Caddle LaPointe is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, videographer and video editor.  She received her bachelor of arts degree in Dance/Performance from Roger Williams University and her master's degree in dance and technology from The Ohio State University’s department of dance. Currently, she is a dance company member in Public Displays of Motion with Peter DiMuro.

Adjunct Instructor

Max Mondi is a writer and teacher based in Boston. His plays include MAYBE TOMORROW (Winner of Overall Excellence in a Play at FringeNYC 2015), HOUSE OF KAREN, and PERSONHOOD.  He has developed work with Orchard Project, HERE, The Tank (NYC), SoHo Playhouse, and Abingdon Theatre.  Max holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Columbia University and a B.A. in Theatre History/Criticism from the University of Vermont.  

Adjunct Professor of Theatre

Rachel Rose Roberts (she/her) received her M.F.A. in scenic design from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and her B.F.A. in theatre design from Salem State University. Since then, she has designed scenery for numerous productions throughout New England at theatres including Greater Boston Stage Co., Firehouse Center for the Arts, The Barnstormers Theatre, and Ogunquit Playhouse. Rachel also greatly enjoys working with her colleagues and students at Dean College where she teaches Theatre Design and the Theatre Production Lab; allowing her to work with students in the design, construction, and painting of scenery. Recent Dean College design credits include Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play and All Shook Up. Website: rachelrosescenicdesign.com.

Adjunct Instructor

Bahareh Safarani, is an interdisciplinary artist whose creative practice exists at the intersection of visual art, new media, and performance.
Formally trained in painting at the University of Tehran (BFA, 2013), Bahareh Safarani started
working together with her sister Farzaneh after their undergraduate studies. Later they moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and secured their graduate degree in studio art at Northeastern University (MFA, 2016), during which they began to incorporate video projections into their work.


Her signature "video-paintings"-video overlays of choreographed movement projected onto figurative oil-on-canvas paintings- and new works that reflects the fluidity of her approach has been shown nationally and internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the US (e.g., Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Florida) and abroad (e.g., Paris, London, and Beijing, Istanbul, Dubai). Her collaborative exhibitions have received extensive promotion and press coverage, including features by NPR, The Boston Globe, and WCVB Channel 5, among many others. Moreover, nine of her major art pieces have been recently collected by prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Morris Museum in New Jersey, Akron Museum of Arts in Ohio, Tank Shanghai Museum in China, and Accor Academy in Paris.

Applied Music Coordinator, Adjunct Instructor in Dance

Mike Sartini is an adjunct instructor and percussion accompanist for tap and modern classes for School of Dance. He teaches percussion lessons and is the program coordinator for the Applied Music program. He also serves as the music contractor for musicals in the School of the Arts.

Adjunct Instructor and Voice Faculty

Amy Del Santo, Soprano with a BM from RIC and MM from SFSU in Classical Voice and Pedagogy, is a highly sought after vocal coach in the Southern New England Area. Amy has coached the roles of Elle Woods/Legally Blonde, Nina/In the Heights, Tracy/Hairspray, Mary Poppins and many more. Some of Amy's former students are performing on and off-Broadway and in National touring companies. Amy has been a member of Dean College's voice faculty for over a decade and performs as a recitalist of both classical and musical theater repertoire. 

Success and Career Advisor

Courtney Shimer is the Success and Career Advisor for the School of the Arts. Courtney holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies from James Madison University. After spending the last decade working in the field of arts education and non-profit management, Courtney has gained a wide-range of experience in operations management, strategic planning, staff recruitment and training, program development, budget oversight, and event planning. 

Assistant Professor of Dance Studies

Stephen Ursprung is an Assistant Professor of Dance Studies at Dean College. Outside his work as an educator, Ursprung is a skilled arts administrator and serves on the staff of the American Dance Legacy Initiative (ADLI) and is a member of the Artistic Advisory Board at Green Street Studios in Cambridge, MA. He holds an M.F.A. in dance from Smith College and a B.A. in economics and Italian studies from Brown University.