Next FREE Workshop: January 2026
Creative Corner
Studies have shown that the arts improve our mental and emotional health, our critical and creative thinking, test scores, academic performance (math, reading, and science), and consequently our lives. At MPE, we offer programming in the arts as a way to enhance educational activities and to help people of all ages have more fulfilling lives.
Our team at MPE includes stellar creative professionals with backgrounds in education. Whether you’ve always wanted to write a memoir or to introduce your younger child or teenager to creative writing, acting, dance, visual arts, or piano, we are here for you. Our services are available remotely in both private and small group settings, as well as in person whenever it is deemed safe to do so.
Editing is writing.
Writing is defined as “the activity or skill of marking words on paper and composing coherent text.”
Editing can be defined as the activity or skill of selecting clips and arranging them into a coherent sequence.
Editing is writing.
I will teach you the what, why, when, where, and how of editing: What’s an edit, Why do you edit, When do you edit, Where do you edit, and How do you edit. Understanding the answers to these questions will give you the necessary foundation to select clips and arrange them into a coherent sequence.
Daryl Lathon is an accomplished actor, having worked professionally for over 20 years. But mastering the craft of acting was not enough. He took on the challenge of filmmaking. Self-taught, Daryl has developed into an accomplished filmmaker, receiving accolades for his work on a number of short films including President of the Fan Club, Anniversary Dinner, The Seven Men of Hanukkah, and Believin’.
To work with Daryl, click here.
Shirine has been a working actress for more than 20 years. As a native New Yorker, she began honing her skills at the Black Spectrum Theatre and CityKids. She also studied with Terry Schreiber and Maggie Flanigan. Her television credits include national commercials, Blue Bloods (CBS), Madam Secretary (CBS), I Love You… But I Lied (A&E), and a recurring role on Iron Fist (Netflix). She has performed on both Broadway and Off- Broadway; most recent off-Broadway work Timon of Athens with TFANA (Theatre for a New Audience) and Bedlam’s Crucible and in the original Broadway cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Regionally, she has appeared at Long Wharf, Shakespeare Theatre Co., Folger, Hartford Stage, American Shakespeare Center, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis and The Old Globe. Shirine holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia, a MA from East 15 Acting Conservatory in the UK and a MFA from the Old Globe/ USD PTAP in San Diego.
To work with Shirine, click here.
Jesse provides private and small group acting coaching for ages 10 through adult. This includes both theatre and film, with a particular emphasis on audition technique and on-camera audition training. Jesse offers both monologue training and scene study for mastery of dialogue. He also provides voiceover coaching for anyone looking to develop their VO skills.
Spanning 30+ years, Jesse’s TV and film credits as an actor include: The Ellen Burstyn Show (series regular); The Thorns (series regular); The Secret, Hallmark Television Special (co-starring w/Kirk Douglas, Youth in Film Awards nomination for Best Child Actor in a Television Movie); Are You Afraid of the Dark?; Law & Order; and Leaving Circadia, among others. Jesse has also appeared in 100+ national network TV commercials (Clio Award Winner: Best Child Actor in a TV Commercial), radio spots, and video games (Bully, Grand Theft Auto, etc.). Theatre credits range from Hamlet to Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood to Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, and also include various new works.
Though an actor first, Jesse began producing and later directing with the co-founding of Intimation Productions in 2007. As Creative Director, Jesse produces and directs a diverse range of projects, including short and feature-length narrative fiction films, episodic content, music videos, commercials, industrials, and documentaries. Past films (Deadbeat, Leaving Circadia, Family On Board, 16 Mins) have won Best Picture, Best Director, and Audience Choice awards at a multitude of film festivals, including being selected for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 2016 Oscars. In the last year, Jesse completed principal photography on a 13-episode web series entitled Mandated (which he directed, co-produced, and acted in), directed and co-produced Perfect, co-starred in and co-produced the short film e.ro.sion, noun (Best Supporting Actor Nominee), and acted in five additional shorts, a web series, and a feature film. He currently has a full slate of projects (shorts, episodic, and features) in development.
In addition to acting, directing, and producing, Jesse is also a senior programmer for the Lighthouse International Film Festival which takes place annually on Long Beach Island, NJ. He is also a screener for SXSW, a judge for the NJ Thespian Festival, a freelance script doctor, a professional photographer and videographer, and a regular international traveler and volunteer trip leader. Jesse holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology in the fields of Materials Engineering, Entrepreneurial Management, and Marketing. He attributes his time in the Mask & Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania as his inspiration for jumping back into the entertainment industry after college.
Check out Jesse’s film & TV credits at IMDb.me/Jesse-R-Tendler.
To work with Jesse, click here.
Sharon is thrilled to share her passion for writing and her compassion as a teacher with young people and adults. Her areas of expertise include playwriting, screenwriting, creative nonfiction / memoir coaching, short fiction, persuasive writing, and more.
Maybe you – or your young adult children – are interested in delving into the world of playwriting through readings/discussions and writing exercises as you explore your own 10-minute play. Or maybe you have a memoir or short stories that you’ve been itching to write but need some guidance, feedback, and motivation. Maybe you’re homeschooling your kids and want them screenwriting or writing fiction rather than watching TV. Or maybe you’d like your young person to learn about structure, vocabulary, and grammar in a nontraditional way.
As a former award-winning English, creative writing, and theatre teacher, and as a professional writer who has worked with hundreds of people, Sharon is here for you and your families, whether you are looking for editing, proofreading, or motivation to get from inception to a finished written product.
Sharon wrote her first full-length play at the age of seventeen, had it workshopped and produced by a regional theatre at eighteen and has been writing ever since. Her plays have been produced in India, England, Germany, Hungary, Singapore, Australia, The Netherlands and across the U.S. She is published in many anthologies, including Laugh Lines:Short Comic Plays, The Bedford Introduction to Literature, The Best 10-Minute Plays of 2010, 2014, 2016 and The Best New Ten-Minute Plays of 2019. Her short plays “Mistaken Identity” and “Siriously” are both published in college textbooks and taught widely across the country. She is often a guest professor at colleges and universities. Her widely produced short play “In the MeanTime” is a part of “The Scene Study Emergency Pack” being used by professors in the U.S. (and translated into Italian as well).
Sharon’s award-winning short films that she wrote and co-executive produced have appeared in festivals across the U.S. and streamed through platforms such as DirecTV and The Spiritual Cinema Circle. Sharon was on the writing staff for BKPI, Brooklyn Private Investigators, a web series from creator Hye Yun Park (and produced by Super Deluxe); it screened to sold out crowds from coast to coast.
Sharon attended Longwood University, known as one of the best teacher’s colleges in the south. There, she earned a BA English, a minor in theatre, and a secondary education certificate. In Washington DC, she studied playwriting at the Kennedy Center’s Playwriting Intensive Program. She earned an MA from NYU, where she took classes in filmmaking, screenwriting, TV writing and arts/public policy. Sharon is a member of the Stillwater Writer’s Group and proud to be in the Dramatists Guild. You can learn more about her creative life on her website. www.sharonecooper.com
To work with Sharon, click here.
Adela earned her BA in French Culture and Civilization and Minor in Biology from the State University at Albany. She has a Masters Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from Hunter College and an MFA in Writing from Saint Francis College. Adela is an accomplished poet published on the Brooklyn Poet’s Bridge and Tupelo Press’s 30/30 Poetry Project.
Adela Sinclair is a passionate teacher who believes in educating the minds and hearts of her students. For twenty years, Adela has tutored students of all ages, from elementary to college and beyond, in subjects ranging from French, Romanian, and English as a Second Language to Chemistry, Biology, and Earth Science. In addition to academic subjects, she also has expertise in improving general study skills, organizational and planning strategies, college mapping, and the admissions process.
A tenet of her teaching philosophy is that education is not linear and sometimes mistakes can be an invaluable part of learning. It is through the process of recursive inquiry — observation, exploration, analysis, and evaluation — that meaningful learning takes place. She is thrilled to bring this philosophy to her teaching as a poetry teacher as well.
To work with Adela, click here.
Shannon McBride is an artist and arts educator based in New York City. She currently teaches art in a public elementary school for intellectually gifted students in Manhattan, and exhibits her own art locally, nationally, and internationally. Shannon has taught art in schools, universities, non-profit organizations, community centers, private institutions, and even in a remote mountain-top village in Southeast Africa. She has previously taught sculpture at The College of Staten Island, and at many NYC public schools through the non-profit organization Studio in a School. Some other special projects include artist lectures and curating group exhibitions.
Shannon’s lifelong commitment to art has made her a passionate arts educator. She teaches students of all ages, and holds a NY State Education Certification to educate students ranging from early childhood through adult. Regardless of age, her classroom style is student-centered, with an emphasis on development of skills through material exploration and construction of meaning and knowledge. Shannon has been granted Artist Residencies through Governors Island Art Fair in New York City, and Lacawac Sanctuary in Lake Ariel, PA. Past exhibitions include the Portal Art Fair (New York, NY), Tent Gallery (Edinburgh, Scotland), Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (Queens, NY), Trestle Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Governors Island Art Fair (New York, NY), and La Bodega Gallery (Baltimore, MD), among others.
Shannon can provide one-on-one or small group art lessons (remotely via Zoom, Skype, or your app of choice) for all ages, elementary through adult.
To work with Shannon, click here.
Carrie Lee offers professional and pre-professional ballet training at all levels and for all ages.
Carrie Lee Riggins performed for the first time with New York City Ballet at the age of 9, cast as the lead, Marie, in The Nutcracker, only one year after beginning her ballet training at The School of American Ballet. After several years on stage doing children’s roles with the company, Peter Martins (director NYCB) invited her to apprentice at 16. Shortly after, she was asked to join the corps on a Pacific Rim tour that included Seoul, Taipei, and Australia (Melbourne Festival). Carrie Lee danced professionally with NYCB for ten years, performing many solos and principal parts as well as originating roles for such choreographers as Christopher Wheeldon, Eliot Feld, Garth Fagan, Kevin O’Day, Peter Martins, Christopher D’Amboise, Twyla Tharp, and Peter Boal. One of her favorite experiences was working with the legendary Jerome Robbins on “2 & 3 Part Inventions." Including previously mentioned locations, she has performed in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Athens, Parma, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, London, and St. Petersburg (White Nights Festival). Damian Woetzel and Paloma Herrera invited Carrie Lee to be part of a gig in South America as well with a few select dancers from ABT and NYCB. Her TV and film appearances include George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Center Stage, House M.D. (Episode: Under My Skin), Black Swan, Bringing Back Balanchine, Paris by Night 100, Dancing with the Stars, Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America (Season 4), UNIQLO’s Spring campaign (2009), and Our Idiot Brother. She has appeared in Redbook, New York Magazine, Vogue, The New York Times, Victoria, New York Post, and also the Steidel art by Mark Laita, “Created Equal” (ballerina/boxer). Carrie Lee is a featured face of ROOT OF SKIN, which reinvests a portion of its proceeds into stem cell research focused on finding a cure for cancer. She was most recently a faculty member at the Colburn Academy in Los Angeles teaching for Jenifer Ringer and James Fayette, formerly with NYCB.
To work with Carrie Lee, click here.
Tara Mullins has been a dance educator since she was a teenager and is so excited to share her love of dance with the Maximum Potential Education community. Her areas of expertise include dance composition/choreography, especially solo work and site specific work; dance improvisation; dance fitness/overall conditioning; creative movement; and the creative process overall. Perhaps you need a physical education class or creative experience for your homeschooled children, or your teen is interested in choreographing a dance but doesn't know where to start. Are you a high school student preparing for university dance auditions and need an extra set of eyes on your solo, or an actor who is interested in movement techniques to help with auditions? Tara is here to guide you on an array of dance experiences that fit your specific needs.
Tara Mullins is the director of the NC State Dance Program. At NC State, Tara is the director and a choreographer for the modern dance focused State Dance Company, and choreographs for the Panoramic Dance Project. She currently teaches Dance Composition and Independent Study in Dance, and facilitates the Master Class Series, which includes a diverse range of dance styles taught by guest artists that is free and open to the NC State community. As part of her body of work, Tara conducts interdisciplinary projects with other departments and the community, including the STEAM initiative, Dancing Chemical Reactions, based on SN1 and SN2, which was performed for the 2017 ACCelerate Festival at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. Other recent works have included Operation Breadbasket, reflecting the civil rights movement of the same name, and Against the Railing, a series of immigration stories told and danced by the community. Tara also recently choreographed Cabaret for NC State’s University Theatre. She is a recipient of the 2018 NC State Outstanding Teaching Award and recently traveled to Chiavari, Italy to teach master classes as part of a dance exchange. Tara has a BA in dance from JMU and an MFA from Arizona State University.
To work with Tara, click here.
Multifaceted musician Melissa Tong is quickly gaining a reputation for her finesse and versatility, performing everywhere from Boston Symphony Hall with Savion Glover to Lincoln Center to one of the last remaining juke joints in Mississippi. Recent performances have taken Ms. Tong throughout the U.S. and Canada with Five for Fighting, with Riley Etheridge, Jr. opening for the late Leon Russell, on the airwaves with pop singer Sara Bareilles, and on Broadway as a company member of “Ain’t Too Proud: the Life and Times of the Temptations.” She has performed with numerous artists including Rihanna, Young the Giant, The Lone Bellow, and Mark O’Connor. Her latest collaboration with Riley Etheridge, Jr., "Secrets, Hope, and Waiting," is available now.
Ms. Tong is a dedicated teacher, maintaining a full private teaching studio and is certified in both the O'Connor and Suzuki Methods. Melissa has a strong belief in fostering a love of music and community in her educational philosophy and recently founded "StringJams!" (a series of jam sessions in NYC for students and beginning improvisers) and "String It On!" (a series of workshops in NYC designed to broaden the musical horizons of young string players). She hopes to see you at an upcoming event geared toward budding musicians!
To work with Melissa, click here.
Nick T. Moore specializes in developing individually curated lessons based on a student’s interests and needs. He offers lessons that are generally given weekly for either 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes in length depending on a student’s level and interest. He is also willing to work with students who are interested in bi-weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly lessons on a student by student basis. Remote lessons are given on Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or TeamViewer software, and offer overhead, front, and side camera angles of the keyboard depending on the lesson type.
Nick is a New York City based professional composer, pianist, sound designer, and music technologist who has been a piano and music instructor for more than twenty years. He offers instruction in piano, composition, music theory, and music technology (i.e. music synthesis, Logic, Qlab, etc.). He welcomes students of all ages and levels of experience from the young or older beginner to those with more professional aspirations.
To work with Nick, click here.
Louis Sacco has over 30 years of experience teaching vocal technique in Los Angeles, CA, St. Paul, MN, and Manhattan, NY. Current and former students include: Hope Endrenyi (Hamilton, Broadway), Lamont Brown (Mean Girls, Broadway), Caroline Innerbichler (Frozen, Tour), Fred Berman (The Lion King, Broadway), and Drew Gasparini (singer and composer for the upcoming Broadway musical The Karate Kid and TV hit Smash!). Louis has served as an adjunct professor for the California State University System. Other credits include Associate Director and Vocal Coach for the world premiere of Cartas a Papa Noel (Letters to Santa Claus) in Bogota, Colombia! His most recent credit is as both a performer (Marley/Cratchit) and as the vocal coach for the staged reading of Dolly Parton’s Smokey Mountain Christmas at the Ordway in St Paul, MN. Additionally, Louis played the role of Jack Crawford/Papa Starling in the off-Broadway hit Silence! The Musical, and has most recently been seen with his duet pal Drew Gasparini at Don’t Tell Mama’s and 54 Below singing standards and the music of Drew Gasparini; their EP, Louis and Drew, may be found on Spotify and iTunes!
Louis is also a composer and lyricist. His Night Before Christmas premiered in Los Angeles, and Crazy, Just Like Me (co-book writer) won NYMF’s 2011 Best of Fest.
To work with Louis, click here.
