Faculty Bios
Goldner Conservatory faculty members are professionally trained in their area of discipline, They are “professionals teaching the profession,” as actors, directors, dancers and designers. Our artists undergo an interview process, as well as background checks, including criminal, sex offender and work history, conducted in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other legal requirements.
Kim Cozort Kay
(Director of Education) A multi-award-winning actress, (Metrolina Theatre Best Actress, Curtain Up and 3 Carbonell awards,) Kim is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and Screen Actors’ Guild. Kim has bachelor and master degrees in music education with a concentration in vocal performance. She has shared the boards with Broadway veterans Charles Nelson Reilly, Hal Holbrook, Rachel Bay Jones, Alison Fraser and Richard Kind. As Education Director at the award-winning Blowing Rock Stage Company, Kim produced productions of High School Musical, High School Musical 2 and the tours of Sleepwalk and Bang, Bang, You're Dead. Credits also include music direction: Bak Middle School of the Arts, Kravis' Disney in Schools Program as well as directing STAGE AWAKENINGS at the Kravis Center. Kim resides in Jupiter with her husband, actor/director/teacher Kenneth Kay. Together, they formed their own production company (Kay-Squared Productions) in anticipation of the world premiere of Kim’s one-woman show, Silver Shadows; Dark Side of the Mountain, which garnered her the 2022 North Carolina Society of Historians Award of Excellence for a Theatre Performance.
Briley Crisafi
Briley Crisafi is a lifelong performer who is passionate about the arts’ capability to positively impact culture. Crisafi has been trained in classical ballet, contemporary, and various forms of competitive dance; and has a richbackground in voice and musical theatre. In recent years, she has enjoyed writing and directing full-length stage plays for students through local organizations. She is very excited to now be working with the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in order to share her joy and knowledge with the upcoming generation of performing artists.
Isabel De La Cruz
Isabel De La Cruz is a Puerto Rican actress born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. At a very young age, she expressed interest in the arts. Isabel discovered her passion for acting at the age of 11 when she joined her school's theater club. However, she also loved math and science and, since an acting career was not feasible at the time, she decided to pursue a career in Science and obtained a Bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois. After college, Isabel decided to move to Florida, where she enrolled in the Meisner Master Program at Truthful Acting Studios and fell in love with acting all over again. Shortly after, Isabel discovered that teaching was her calling. So, she has been teaching Math, Science, and Spanish while pursuing her acting career. She has also created her YouTube channel, Isabel Explains, where she teaches Math, Science and Personal Finance concepts to teens. As an actress, Isabel has worked on multiple films and TV shows, including MacGyver, Insatiable, Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, Murder Calls, and many others. She also became part of the theater community in Atlanta and performed in multiple community theaters. Isabel moved to Jupiter, FL in 2022 now works as a substitute teacher in Palm Beach County and Jupiter Christian School. She’s excited to bring together her passion for both acting and teaching to the Maltz Theater this summer!
Kayla Grammerstorf
Kayla Grammerstorf is a dance performer, choreographer, and educator originally from the Philadelphia region. She is a recent graduate of Muhlenberg College where she pursued degrees in Dance Performance and Accounting. Kayla has been trained in Classical and Contemporary Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Pointe, Tap, and Hip-Hop. She was involved in a tap company based in Philadelphia called Footwerx and had the opportunity to perform at the Wilma Theater, Arts Bank Theater, and Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. At Muhlenberg College, Kayla had the chance to work with artists Heidi Cruz-Austin, Karen Dearborn, Natalie Gotter, Randall Anthony Smith, guest artist Melanie George, and several student choreographers. Kayla has choreographed five musicals for the Phoenixville Area Middle School and multiple dance pieces for studios in the Philadelphia area. As a choreographer and educator, she strives to create an environment for dancers to grow and find their voice in her movement. Kayla is very excited to be joining the Maltz Jupiter Theatre faculty as they prepare for these upcoming projects.
Torie D’Alessandro
Torie D’Alessandro (she/her) is a performer and choreographer in Florida. Performance credits: Dancer for Virgin Voyages (UntitledDanceShowPartyThing), Nat’l tour of Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! (Oscar the Grouch and puppeteer), performer at The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum (Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof), performer at Connecticut Repertory Theatre (Ali in Mamma Mia and Kit Kat girl in Cabaret) and more. Choreography credits: The Henegar Center (The Addams Family, The Little Mermaid, Avenue Q (Puppet master), The Full Monty, Zombie Prom, Fame jr ) Cocoa Village Playhouse (9 to 5: The Musical, Hot Pink! The band: Elton John), Triple Arts: Moving Story (“Slap that Bass”) and more. She has worked with many people including Charlotte and Christopher D’amboise, Terrence Mann, Mary Ann Lamb, Ani Taj, Sam Pinkleton and more. She received a full ride talent scholarship to Florida School of the Arts and received her A.S. Degree in Musical Theatre. She also received the Outstanding graduate for Performing Arts Award.
KENNETH KAY
Kenneth Kay (AEA/SAG-AFTRA/MFA) is a multiple award-winning Actor and Director with over 40 years of Professional Theatre & Film Experience. In addition to his numerous theatre and film credits, Mr. Kay previously served as the Artistic Director for the Burt Reynolds’ Institute for Theatre Training and the acclaimed Blowing Rock Stage Company in North Carolina. As a teacher, he currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Drama for Palm Beach Atlantic University and as a Resident Teaching Artist with the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s Professional Training Program. Plus, for the last nine years, Mr. Kay has conducted a variety of preparatory workshops and seminars for the Florida Professional Theatre Association’s annual audition
RACHAEL LAGASSE
Rachael Lagasse is floored with excitement and appreciation to be a part of teaching young minds the art of creativity. She is a New World School of the Arts Alumni, there she earned her BFA and Conservatory degree in Theatre. Her love for acting has been with her for many, many years, but she has had a new found love of working with children in just the last year. She discovered this during her time of being a teacher assistant at Center For Creative Education where she works alongside children daily in helping them to better understand how to connect the arts to their learning.
Desiree Maira
Desiree Maira has quickly become one of the most sought-after instructors in South Florida since returning to Palm Beach County in 2022. Ms. Maira completed teacher training and certification under Justin Stoney of New York Vocal Coaching, holds a Master of Music in Performance degree from The Boston Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University. Most recently, she appeared as Francesca (u/s) with Media Theatre’s production of The Bridges of Madison County, was a featured soloist in the DuPont Clifford Jazz Festival, enjoyed collaborating with renowned pianist Doug Montgomery and the Santa Fe Chorale in Santa Fe, NM. Other musical stage credits include Alma Hix in The Music Man, Lucy in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Joanne in Godspell and Florinda in Into the Woods. She held voice faculty positions at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, University of New Mexico, Rider University and University of the Arts. A certified mental health technician through the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists, she attended Southwestern College and New Earth Institute as a Masters in Counseling candidate, and now specializes in trauma and renewal as a certified grief counselor. She runs a private voice studio, The Song-Heart Connection, and worksclosely with the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches Baxter Scholarship recipients. Desiree also enjoys teaching singers on Broadway, in national tours, voice majors inhigh school and college, and any singer wishing to improve their relationship to their voice.
MARY STUCCHI
Mary Stucchi graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2007, where she studied theatre and communication. Since then, her dedication to education, performance, and photography has led her down multiple entrepreneurial paths. Stucchi owns a portrait photography business, and has worked extensively in performance and production roles for companies such as The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival, MOD27 Improvisation, and StoryMakers. Mary’s most treasured teaching experience involved homeschooling 4 girls in Kilimanjaro, East Africa for one year. She has led many workshops for arts camps and global education programs locally and internationally. Most Saturdays, you can find Mary at the Kravis Center, where she manages De George Academy, a scholarship-based performing arts school for economically disadvantaged students. Mary is thankful for every student she meets, because they inspire her to keep learning with them.
Randall Swinton
Randall Swinton is an Actor and Stage Manager here in South Florida. He is happy to be back with Maltz Jupiter Theatre as an instructor in the Goldner COnservatory. Some of his favorite credits as an Assistant Stage Manager are G7:2070 (WJLH Productions), Disenchanted! (MNM Theatre), Oliver! (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Sweet Charity (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Jersey Boys (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Drowsy Chaperone (Wick Theatre), The Amparo Experience (Broadway Factor) and A Christmas Story (Slow Burn Theatre). He is grateful to his friends and family for all of their love and support.
Kristen Vencel
Kristen is a performer, choreographer, and filmmaker who serves as Artistic Director of Demetrius Klein Dance Company. She earned her BA in dance at Palm Beach Atlantic University and has enjoyed cross-cultural studies in dance internationally in Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Panama. She has appeared in productions across South Florida, USA with the Palm Beach Symphony, the Downtown Development Authority of West Palm Beach, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Natural Movers Foundation, Christ Fellowship Church, Future Commerce, and more. In addition to dancing, with experience in many styles of dance including modern, jazz, ballet, hip hop, salsa, and musical theater, Kristen provides support and strategic feedback to students studying dance in local college and studio settings. Dance is part of her expression, her worship, and the depths of who she was made to be. You can connect with her on social media @iamkristenvencel