FACULTY
Angela Peri, C.S.A.
Casting Director
she/her/hers
With 40+ years of casting experience in the Boston area, Angela Peri, C.S.A. is the founder and co-owner of Boston Casting, Inc. Known as the hardest working woman in show business, Angela is a member of the Casting Society of America and an original member of the Massachusetts Production Coalition. Angela founded Boston Casting in 1991, Rhode Island Casting in 2018, and the acting school in 1996 alongside co-owner, Lisa Lobel. Angela has cast thousands of national, regional, and local productions from feature films and television series to commercials, web videos, and reality television.
Her most recent projects include the three-time Oscar winner, CODA, the AMC series KEVIN CAN F*** HIMSELF and the Whitney Houston Biopic I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY. Other recent film and TV credits include: Academy Award nominated film KNIVES OUT starring Daniel Craig, DEFENDING JACOB starring Chris Evans, SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL starring Mark Wahlberg, PROUD MARY starring Taraji P. Henson, I FEEL PRETTY starring Amy Schumer, EQUALIZER 1 & 2 starring Denzel Washington, CITY ON A HILL starring Kevin Bacon, STRONGER with Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Wahlberg’s PATRIOTS DAY, David O. Russell’s Academy Award® nominated films JOY and AMERICAN HUSTLE, TED & TED 2, THE FIGHTER & THE PROPOSAL.
Angela is the winner of two Artios Awards for Best Casting for CODA (2022) and KNIVES OUT (2020), and has five Artios Award nominations for JOY, TED, AMERICAN HUSTLE, THE FIGHTER & THE PROPOSAL.
Rachel Bailit
Acting Instructor
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Rachel Bailit is an actress and currently a faculty member at The Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in Los Angeles. She brought Method Acting to Boston in 2017 and has been teaching for us ever since. Rachel was trained and mentored by David Lee Strasberg and many prestigious students of Lee Strasberg. She teaches around the world and was recently a guest speaker and teacher at The Shanghai Theater Academy International Forum on Actor Training and Education.
Rachel most recently starred in three new films, STAY SANE, THE SHADE, and DIARY OF A SPY, which premieres in 2022. Her acting credits include Paramount’s FESTIVAL IN CANNES directed by Henry Jaglom. Ron Howard’s THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS. Rachel has appeared in many television shows including THE CONAN O'BRIEN SHOW, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, JON BENJAMIN HAS A VAN, TIM AND ERIC'S AWESOME SHOW, NYPD BLUE, THE VAMPS NEXT DOOR, and the role of “Marissa” in GENERAL HOSPITAL.
Learn more about Rachel at rachelbailitteaching.com
Lorna J. Brunelle
Acting Instructor
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A graduate of The Boston Conservatory, Lorna joined the team at Boston Casting Inc. in 1999 helping hundreds of actors to level up. Her clients have been seen on The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon, Showtime, HBO, Hulu, ABC, NBC, CBS, America’s Got Talent, American Idol, and The X Factor.
Lorna consults leaders (professors, doctors, politicians, CEO’s, corporate professionals) preparing for press, radio interviews, and speaking events including Tedx. She owns The Burtwood School of Performing Arts, The Alley Theatre, and The Patio - a cultural hub for live entertainment. She is the author of the bestselling books The Buoy Projects, Dirty Bombshell, and Cooking on North. A day is named in her honor in Boston. She has won awards for her advocacy work (breast and thyroid cancer) and recovery /outreach for those facing addiction. She resides in the historic Ebenezer Soule Home with her husband Roger.
Mikayla Cramer
Casting Associate
she/her/hers
Mikayla attended The Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she studied Musical Theatre and went on to graduate from Penn State with a Degree in Acting. She interned with the Cannes Film Festival in France then joined Boston Casting in 2018.
She has recently worked as the principal casting associate on Season 2 of Kevin Can F*** Himself and The Parenting. She has been the extras casting director on films such as I CARE A LOT, THE TENDER BAR, GODMOTHERED, and SPIRITED. Mikayla has worked on many commercials as well with clients such as DUNKIN DONUTS and LL BEAN.
Along with casting, Mikayla loves teaching and working with kid actors. As a fellow actor herself, she loves working in the studio aiding the next generation of actors.
When not on the clock, you can find Mikayla scrolling aimlessly through TikTok (yes, she does think it is a great creative outlet), drinking a spicy marg (cas amigos, of course), or going to live theatre performances.
Ava Gaudet
Acting Instructor
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Ava Gaudet is a professional singer, film, television, and Broadway actress who played “Maureen” in the hit Broadway Production of RENT, and had a memorable recurring role on ABC’s UGLY BETTY. Other TV guest appearances include N.C.I.S, PRIVATE PRACTICE, FRANKLIN & BASH, MIKE & MOLLY, THE EXES, THE SOCIETY, and Showtime’s CITY ON A HILL. Notable films include EVIL ANGEL (opposite Pulp Fiction/Mission Impossible star Ving Rhames), BACHELORS (with Fred Willard, Anna Hutchinson) AGENT TOBY BARKS, I CARE A LOT, LOVE, WEDDINGS & OTHER DISASTERS, JOHNNY & CLYDE, JUNCTION, and a leading role in the upcoming feature film, BLUNT.
Ava is adjunct faculty at the Dean College School of the Arts, and has taught acting and entertainment industry workshops for high school and college level students including CCRI, Regis College, the Brown-Trinity Conservatory at Brown University, and YASI . She hosts a entertainment industry YouTube channel called #TipsofTheTrade. Ava is a graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Professional Music, and holds a Masters of Education in Theater Pedagogy.
Melissa Morris, C.S.A.
Casting Associate
she/her/hers
Melissa grew up on Long Island and moved to Massachusetts after graduating from Fitchburg State University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, focusing on Film/Video & Theater. Her casting career began the summer of 2016 with an internship at Boston Casting where she realized the casting industry was where she wanted to work.
Melissa returned as Office Manager and Commercial Casting Assistant in 2017 and has since cast for films and television series, earning her a C.S.A. Associate title. Some of her notable credits include DEFENDING JACOB, CODA, DEXTER: NEW BLOOD, and JULIA. She is also a winner of an Artios Award for Best Casting Studio or Independent — Drama for her work as a casting associate on CODA.
If you’re looking for Melissa, you can find her at a local distillery with her dog or grooving to house and techno at a music festival.
Fran Weinberg
Acting Instructor
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Fran Weinberg is an accomplished teacher, acting coach, award-winning director and workshop leader. She has been a member of Boston Casting’s faculty teaching the popular Scene Study and Mastering The Monologue classes for almost two decades. Fran is one of the Boston area’s best-known private acting and audition coaches. Her clients are graduates of the country’s top training programs and can be seen on-and off-Broadway, in films, television, and on stages throughout the world. Fran has been a member of the performing arts faculty at Emerson College, where she received her Masters Degree in Theatre. She is the director of the Teen Advanced Performance Intensive at Wheelock Family Theatre@ Boston University. Fran offers a variety of professional workshops for actors including “The Actors Workout.”
Fran’s critically acclaimed productions have been seen on many area stages. She has received several of the IRNE’s Best Director and Best Ensemble Awards for her work.
Eric Lutes
Acting Instructor
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Eric Lutes (born August 19, 1962) is an American actor, known for his roles as Del Cassidy on Caroline in the City, Jerry Stanton in Switching Goals, and Jake Carlson on So Little Time (which starred both Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen). His career started with several commercial spots. He then moved to New York City and appeared in many off-Broadway productions before finally making the move to Los Angeles, where he landed a role on Caroline in the City. He also played the KACL station manager Tom Duran in the second season of Frasier and has appeared in numerous TV movies.
Stephanie Phillips
Acting Instructor
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Stephanie has been teaching acting and dance, and directing regional theatre for the past twenty years. She began her career in California’s Central Coast and in 2004, returned to Boston where she currently teaches courses in Theatre, Dance and Video Production at Newburyport High School. In addition to her work in public education, Stephanie teaches on-camera acting classes at Boston Casting and directs/choreographs for several regional theaters. Some favorite productions include RENT School Edition, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream, Spring Awakening and Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses.
Stephanie has prepared countless young adults for professional and collegiate auditions, and is well versed in the prescreen process. In recent years her students have been admitted to Emerson, NYU, Boston University, Boston Conservatory, AMDA, Stevens Point, College Conservatory of Music- University of Cincinnati, Chapman University, Marymount Manhattan College, Ithaca College (Jordan Dunn-Pilz, RENT 20th Anniversary National Tour), and DePaul University (Joe Keery of STRANGER THINGS).
After completing her BA in Theatre with a concentration in Performance she went on to study with The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon- Avon, England under the tutelage of actors/instructors Alexandra Gilbreath and David Tennant of DOCTOR WHO.
Stephanie also holds a Masters in Education in Arts Integration and a Massachusetts Professional Teaching License in Theatre (All Levels, K-12.). In 2012 she was awarded the Edward G. Molin Award for Teaching Excellence.
Brittany Shapiro
School Director
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Brittany has been teaching acting classes to kids, teens and young adults for more than 15 years in Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Given her experience in casting, her expertise lies in audition technique and some of her students can be seen on Disney Channel, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, NBC, ABC, Discovery Channel, as well as local/national commercials, print ads and even on Broadway!
Brittany relocated to Boston in 2012 after spending time in Los Angeles, casting both feature films and television. She began as a casting assistant for casting director Joseph Middleton and worked closely with casting directors Brandi Brice and Dana Gergely on Disney Channel’s hit television series A.N.T. FARM, as well as other Disney & Disney XD projects. Since joining Boston Casting in 2012, Brittany routinely runs commercial casting sessions and most recently worked on projects for Bank Newport, Titleist, Rhode Island Tourism campaign & Yale New Haven Hospital.
Brittany has a Bachelors Degree in Drama from Syracuse University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, she holds a Massachusetts Provisional Teaching License in Theater (all levels K-12) and currently serves as the Director of the School of Screen Acting at Boston Casting.
Aaron Andrade
Acting Instructor
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Aaron Andrade is a bi-lingual, Cape Verdean-American actor from Providence, RI. He studied at Rhode Island College, receiving degrees in Political Science and Theatre Performance, and a MFA in Performance in Society: using performance to promote social change. He teaches and directs theatrical productions (Boston Casting, Rhode Island College, Franklin School for the Performing arts, Dean College) He is also a voice over artist, having sent his voice all over the country for commercials, animation, and more. Aaron has also worked in television (DEXTER, DEFENDING JACOB) and film (BEING DEAD, HIGHER METHODS), and in national and local commercials.
Ann Baker
Acting Instructor
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Ann has been in the business for 45 years, working with American Residuals and Talent, a casting and paymaster company. In 1980, she went out on her own as Ann Baker Casting. Working in film, television, and theatrical communities, Ann is a seasoned casting director. From 1982 to 1990, she served as the New England casting liaison for ABC-NY, and was the casting director for the ABC-TV series SPENSER: FOR HIRE, the feature film MR. NORTH produced by John Huston, the Emmy Award winning PBS series CONCEALED ENEMIES, a CBS movie of the week FIRST AFFAIR, and THE GATHERING PART II for NBC. For 11 years she ran her own full-service organization, Ann Baker Casting Company. She is a recognized leader in the development of the industrial film market and has worked with producers from Digital, General Electric, Raytheon, and the AMA. When not casting, Ann specializes in coaching beginner and advanced on-camera commercial technique.
Chris Ciulla
Voiceover Instructor
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Born and raised in Everett and educated at Boston College, Chris began his acting journey here in Boston in 1997. After performing for 2 years with critically-acclaimed Sketch Comedy Group PERFECT MONSTER, he moved to Los Angeles where he resided for 15 years, pursuing Film, TV (Gotham, Castle), Commercial and Voice work. Since 2005, Chris has worked in multiple genres of voice, including Audiobooks, Commercial, Animation, Interactive, TV and Film Narration, Promos, E-Learning and ADR. He has over 50 interactive gaming credits and has voiced characters for popular video game titles Fallout and Mafia, can be heard hosting The Ultimate History Quiz for The History Channel on Alexa-enabled devices, and is a frequent voice of national commercial campaigns.
Now an award-winning audiobook narrator and director with just under 500 titles to his name, Chris has been reviewed by AudioFile Magazine over 30 times, received six Earphones Awards, an Audie Award win and four nominations, a SOVAS win and a nomination, and an Odyssey Award.
He recently launched Leonardo Audio, a New England-based audiobook imprint focused on local authors and stories.
Check our their recent audiobook releases at LeonardoAudio.com.
Naheem Garcia
Acting Instructor
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Alexis Rene Garcia, professionally known as Naheem, has been an actor and theatre educator for over twenty years. He grew up in Boston, arriving here from Cuba. He is proudly bilingual (English and Spanish) and known for his deep, mellifluous voice. Naheem has worked with The Huntington Theatre Company, Boston Youth Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Company One, Kennedy Library (Moakley Public Speaking Program), and New African Theatre Company. He is an adjudicator for Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild and he represented the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation for NeighborWorks American and Community Leadership Institute (2017).
A member of SAG-AFTRA, some of Naheem's credits include THE HOLDOVERS, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY, FREE GUY, SPIRITED, EQUALIZER 2, DADDY'S HOME 2, JOY, BLACK MASS, THE PROPOSAL, THE HEAT, LIFT, AMC's KEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF, Showtime’s SMILF, and voiceover & commercials for Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and Visa. He received the El Planeta Powermeter 100 (2014), Sojourner Truth Award (2007), and completed the Aesthetic Education Immersion program with the Lincoln Center Summer Forum at Julliard (2017). Naheem's mission is to represent and encourage audiences and youth through his work.
Mike Koutrobis
Acting Instructor
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Mike Koutrobis has been entertaining audiences as a stand-up comedian for over twenty years. He has performed on all types of stages across the country, including but not limited to the Borgata in Atlantic City, Dangerfields & Gotham in NYC, Foxwoods & Mohegan, to name a few, and has also entertained US troops overseas. Mike has had some notable roles in movies and television such as Bleed For This, Back Bay & Dead Reckoning, and appearances in several others. He has also done commercial work appearing in ads for the Connecticut state lottery, Burger King & Dell computers.
In addition to performing, Mike has also worked behind the camera for close to fifteen years. He has worked in the crew for major motion pictures such as Slender Man, Proud Mary, and Ghost Light. He also spent eight years on the Steve Katsos show, writing and producing close to 150 episodes of the award-winning cable access series.
Jennifer Salvucci
Acting Instructor
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Jen is a member of SAG-AFTRA and holds a BFA in Theatre Performance (Emphasis in Acting for the Camera) from Chapman University. Jen is also an accomplished actor, with film projects screening all over the world, as well as extensive television, industrial and theatre credits. Notable recent work includes the "Brighter Boston" Super Bowl campaign from Sam Adams; Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare’s HaPi Dance, and MAX’s “Julia.”
Jen has been an actor and children’s acting coach in both Los Angeles and the greater Boston area for over twenty years. Jen does the business of acting seminars at various colleges in New England and has also worked at well-known theaters in the area, such as Watertown Children's Theater, Arlington Children's Theatre and Harwich Junior Theater on Cape Cod. Jen is also the Middle School Drama Teacher at Cambridge Friends School and continues private coaching in the greater New England area, specializing in audition preparation, on-camera technique, and the business of acting. Her clients have worked on numerous national and regional commercials, films, and television.
Whatever your needs, Jen can help you navigate your way in the ever-changing climate of on-screen acting!
William Xifaras
Acting Instructor
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William Xifaras has been acting in film & television for over 15 years. Born and raised in New Bedford, later moving to Boston. He graduated from Northeastern University. Some of the films and TV shows he’s been in include: DEFENDING JACOB, TED 2, THE EQUALIZER, SOUND OF METAL, CASTLE ROCK, WHEELMAN, THE HEAT, and LOVE, WEDDINGS, AND OTHER DISASATERS. Recently he just worked a recurring role on an upcoming pilot.
He’s been instructing acting students for the last 6 years with his class The Natural Actor. This class specializes in bringing your authentic self to the role through exercises and working out scenes.
Bill has worked as a principal actor opposite Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Harvey Keitel, Seth Macfarlane, Frank Grillo, Riz Ahmed, Jaedyn Martell, Betty Gabriel, Cherry Jones, Scott Glenn, and Annie Murphy.
Some of his scenes can be viewed on his acting demo: http://www.imdb.me/billyx
Joe Smith
Acting Instructor
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Joe Smith has been working as a professional actor for over 30 years (not constantly - this includes eating and sleeping). He grew up in Worcester, where his parents founded the Worcester Foothills Theatre when he was 2, and ran it for the next 25 years. In his 20s he acted there as well as on stages throughout MA (including the long-running Shear Madness), and in commercials, voice-overs, indie films, corporate videos, and most other kinds of work where actors are needed. For the last 20 years he has done the same in Los Angeles, as well as taught (mostly commercial acting and VO) to students from teens to seniors, both live and virtually. He has voiced characters on several Fox dramas (a talking cat in Midnight, Texas and all the various android cops in Almost Human), and for 9 years was the spokesperson for Cheez-Its (the guy with the lab coat and clipboard playing straight-man to a wise-cracking wheel of cheese).
He has been teaching Commercial Acting with Boston Casting for several years, bringing his experience, insightful and supportive approach, and humor to these popular virtual classes. He currently lives in Palm Springs, CA with his wife Amy, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and a large grapefruit tree. Feel free to discover more about Joe at www.JoeSmith.com.
Ariana George
School Assistant/Acting Instructor
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Born-and-raised in Los Angeles, Ariana works as a professional voice-actor and casting assistant/school assistant for Boston Casting. She attended Emerson College where she graduated in 2021 with her BFA in Musical Theatre with a Concentration in Voice-Acting.
Represented by Coast to Coast Talent for voiceover, Ariana has had the privilege of working with clients such as Netflix, Barbie, 2K Games, and more!
When she’s not on the clock, you might spot her frolicking in the streets of Disneyland, behind the mic in her home studio or at a studio in LA, or cuddling up with her cat while catching up on her favorite animated TV series.