Founding Director
Marietta Phinney is the Founding Director of Riverside Theatre Works. During her youth she studied classical piano with Mary Walter of the New England Conservatory. Ms. Phinney was the Musical Director of St. Anne Parish in Readville from 1959 through 1981. She was also a private piano instructor, as well as a church pianist and choir director who produced a series of variety shows as part of parish activities. Mrs. Phinney began Riverside Media Workshops in 1983. Starting with 15 students learning music and drama, Ms. Phinney expanded to French’s Opera House in Cleary Square and opened Riverside Theatre Works School of Performing Arts at The Historic French’s Opera House in 1988.
Artistic Director
Scot joins Riverside Theatre Works in May 2024 as Artistic Director, leading our top-notch creative and educational teams and overseeing our administration and growth. Previously, Scot was Director of Development and Public Relations at The Gateway, a professional equity theater in Bellport, New York, where he was a key member of the producing team overseeing the entire operation.
A 20-year member of the Actors Equity Association, Scot has appeared in national Broadway tours, including Grease and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and has been an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, director, and producer in numerous regional theater productions. He has worked with such performers as Isabella Rosselini, LaChanze, Keith Lockhart, Ralph Macchio, Frankie Avalon, and several champions of Dancing With The Stars.
Scot received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater from Shenandoah University and earned a certificate in Shakespeare from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. A graduate of Boston Latin School and a native of Jamaica Plain, he was a student at Riverside Theatre Works as a child and teenager, and is thrilled to be back working with Ms. Phinney and the dedicated, talented RTW team.
Director of Operations & Director of “RTW ON STAGE DANCE STUDIO”
For over 30 years, Kerry-Anne Maalouf has been enhancing the lives of students, youth aged to adult, through her passion for performing arts. Kerry-Anne is the director and dance instructor/ choreographer for On Stage Dance Studio, located at Riverside Theater Works. She specializes in many styles of dance such as: Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Musical Theater and more.
Kerry-Anne started her journey in performing arts early on at Miss Daurice’s School of Dance and The Gold Studio. She then went off to pursue degrees in Dance and Business at Colby Sawyer College. She has also studied professionally with Diane Walker, Charlie Holbrook, Anthony Morigerato and more. In addition to teaching dance, Kerry-Anne has been involved in Riverside Theater Works’ most memorable productions – as both cast member and choreographer. She has even performed with the likes of Patti LaBelle, James Taylor and Brian McKnight.
Kerry-Anne’s students have competed her choreography both regionally and nationally – earning overall high scores and special awards including recognition for her choreography. Her students have even gone on to work professionally as performers on Broadway, NBA dancers, NFL cheerleaders, studio owners, choreographers and more.
Kerry-Anne continues to teach at dance studios in the Greater Boston area. She is also the choreographer for Riverside Theater Works’ newest performance group, The Mia Bellas. Kerry-Anne is excited to be back home at RTW — passing on her love for dance and theater to the next generation of artists!
Marketing Coordinator/ Web Manager & Consultant
Michael has been involved at RTW for over 25 years, and has worn many hats. Starting as a piano student, Michael has been a performer in multiple RTW performance troupes, designed lighting and sound for countless shows and took over the role of Interim Executive Director for a time. Continuing the training RTW gave him, Michael received a BFA in Musical Theatre from The Hartt School of Music and has performed regionally all over the country. He currently resides in NYC and handles all web, tech and marketing related tasks for RTW, as well as serving as a creative consultant for various RTW projects. Thank you to Marietta for all she’s given, and her unwavering dedication.
Voice and Theatre Instructor
Sara is a passionate music educator and classical soprano based in Boston, Massachusetts. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in Applied Voice from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory of Music. From 2021 to 2025, Sara taught private voice and acting classes for students of all ages! She incorporates fundamental aspects of vocal training and pedagogy while also providing her students with the tools to build their own characters through performance, practice and storytelling. Her studio is a place where students can take risks with their music making and find new artistic ways of self expression.
Sara is a director as well as a teacher, and her coaching and teaching are grounded in a foundational understanding of productions for stage and screen. From 2017 through 2022 while living in Texas, she directed or assistant directed several productions including Zanetto, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Oliver! One of her favorite directing gigs was a contemporary production of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love for Operativo in Houston. Throughout the staging process, which took on superhero undertones, she worked with artists on developing authentic characters and performing from a confident and technically trained foundation. Sara’s goal in coaching and teaching is to assist each performer in finding their unique style and voice.
Throughout her career, she has performed in a variety of opera and musical theater productions. She sang the role of Linfea in La Calisto, Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro, Miss Alden in Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight and Geraldine in A Hand of Bridge which won a National Opera Association first place award. In 2021, she performed the role of First Lady in The Magic Flute at Opera in the Ozarks. Along with her operatic roles, Sara performed the role of Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, Cinderella in Into the Woods, and Gertie Cummings in Oklahoma! Sara was a member of the Fabrefaction Theater Company in Atlanta, her hometown, where she performed in a production of Oliver! and was a long-time member of Atlanta Young Singers Chorus where she performed solos including Ave Maria and competed in vocal competitions throughout Europe. Sara also sang in the Lisa Kelly Voice of Ireland concerts for three years with members from the Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder.
Voice Instructor
Kai Clifton (He/They) is a Multi-Hyphenated artist from Boston, MA. With Their first passion being music, they have been a part of groups such as the Boston City Singers, Voices of Hope (opening up for Grammy award winner Kirk Franklin), and the Grammy Award winning Spirituals Ensemble through the Boston Arts Academy. Kai has also trained in Classical/Opera and Jazz/Contemporary studies in Italy through the Assisi Performing Arts program on a Full Scholarship and at The New England Conservatory on Scholarship. At the age of 10 finding theie love for the Theatrical arts they have been a part of productions at theatre companies all around Boston and surrounding areas from Speakeasy Stage Company to Wheelock Family Theatre to North Shore Music Theatre. Some of his favorites being playing Usher in the Regional Premiere of A Strange Loop at Speakeasy and playing Sofia in The Color Purple at The Umbrella Stage Company, which earned them an Elliot Norton Award Nomination for Best Featured Performer in a Musical. Other favorite productions include (Chicago at Arts Center of Coastal Carolina) and (Sister Act at Seacoast Rep, The Wizard of Oz at Rochester Opera House and A Christmas Carol at Rochester Opera House, for which he earned a Broadway World New Hampshire Award Nomination for each individual show) Kai has always had a love of writing, They made their Professional writing and directing Debut in the spring of 2022, as the world premiere of their queer play, titled: QUEENS, was fully produced at the award winning theatre company Moonbox Productions. It was commissioned through the Boston New Works Festival and Kai received a Broadway World Boston Award for Best New Play or Musical.
Resident Sound Director
Samuel Nicolas joined Riverside Theatre Works in 2024 as the Resident Sound Director, bringing a creative and collaborative spirit shaped by years of experience in both studio audio engineering and live performance engineering. Sam excels at crafting sonic environments that connect performers with audiences in meaningful ways.
He has worked large-scale events in sports arenas and convention centers but has since shifted his focus to collaborating with local artists and venues to create impactful, community-centered productions. Sam has mixed for regional theater productions at Reagle Theatre, engineered recording sessions and studio mixes as Studio Manager at The Record Co., and supported Boston’s diverse music scene across genres.
Continually honing his craft, Sam is excited to bring his technical expertise and deep love for music and storytelling to the Riverside community.
Private Piano Instructor
Milton native Sean Hurley made his first piano-playing debut in the dining room of the Wollaston Golf Club at the age of 14. While at Milton High School, Sean studied piano performance, theory, and conducting at The New England Conservatory of Music and, during college, played the piano-bar circuit at Faneuil Hall Marketplace at Lilly’s Piano Bar and several other establishments in Boston and throughout New England. He later had the great fortune to be a cocktail pianist aboard a few luxury cruise ships, including the Cunard Sea Goddess, The Jean Mermoz, and The Ocean Princess. His repertoire includes classical, broadway, standards, and pop music, all with a distinctive style. Sean has taught piano and voice for over 15 years and is the Organist at St. Anne’s Church in Readville. Sean is thrilled to be a member of the Riverside Theatre Works community.
Theatre Instructor
Em Bergman (they/she) is a dancer, teacher, and passionate theater maker and they’re so excited to be spending their first summer with Riverside’s Summer Theatre Program. They most recently were seen as Celeste/Elaine in Sunday in the Park with George (Norton Singers)and a Kit Kat Girl in Cabaret (Cohassett Drama Club). When they’re not here this summer, you’ll find them stage managing a new work for the Providence Fringe Festival and as Joy in Cinderella at Cohasset Drama Club. I can’t wait to make Descendants magic with you all this summer!
Theatre Instructor
Jill is incredibly excited to be choreographing her first summer show with Riverside Theatre Works! Her select credits include Legally Blonde (Firehouse Center for the Arts), Something Rotten (Theatre III), and Pippin (Arlington Friends of the Drama). A graduate from Emerson College (Business, 2021), Jill works for Boston Children;s Chorus during the day before rushing off to a rehearsal. She wants to thank the team for their creativity, the cast for their incredible talent, HCE for having faith in her to complete this project, and her family and friends for their unconditional support.
Theatre Instructor
Mike Scafati teaches Theater and Film & Broadcast Media at The Meadowbrook School of Weston. He created and developed these programs over his two-decades of teaching with a mission of making student learning in the arts accessible, meaningful, collaborative, and fun. Mike is the producer and director for Meadowbrook’s Theater program, which provides opportunities for middle school students to explore the aspects of theater production that interest them, on stage as actors or behind the scenes as makers and crew. Mike has produced well known “Junior” shows including The Lion King, Shrek, Frozen, High School Musical (1 & 2), and The Addams Family, and has adapted for the stage productions including Star Wars, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, Toy Story, The Muppets, Bluey, and Trolls. His Meadowbrook Film & Broadcast Media is a nationally recognized and awarded middle school program that challenges kids to produce short films and live broadcasts – The Meadowbrook Minute. Prior to teaching, Mike spent nearly a decade in public relations & communications. He holds a BA in marketing from Providence College and an MA in teaching from Regis College. Mike has presented at national and regional education conferences including NAIS, CASE, Eduscape, and MassCUE. Films produced by Mike have earned recognitions including “Best Film” and “Best Director” for the Boston 48 Hour Film Project, Excellence Awards by CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education), and a Media Award from ACM (The Alliance for Community Media). Mike lives in Norwood, Massachusetts and is married with two adult children.
Theatre Instructor
Native Mississippian, Bailee Green (they/them), recently obtained a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music in the studio of Erica Washburn. They are also an avid teaching assistant with the Boston Children’s Chorus where they teach music as a form of social justice. Bailee received their Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi where they studied under Dr. Gregory Fuller and Dr. Jonathan Kilgore. During their time there, Bailee fostered a love for the Estonian choral tradition and choral conducting, all while striving to amplify the voices of under-represented groups in the music education field through their thesis, “Transgender and Nonbinary Attitudes Toward the Choral Music Education Experience.” Their other musical experiences that they’ve directed and/or performed in include show choir, opera, and musical theatre performances. Now as a conductor, they hope to increase awareness and appreciation of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and women composers by programming their music. Bailee is especially excited to be assisting the Riverside Theatre Works with their summer musicals!
Dance Instructor
Charlene has been dancing since the age of 2. She trained at Dance Explosion in Dedham, MA and was a member of their competitive team from 7 to 18 years old. Charlene began teaching at the age of 14, and that spurred her passion to stay in the dance world as much as possible. As a teacher at Dance Explosion, and during her tenure in Dance Theatre Group at BU, Charlene entered the world of choreography, specifically choreographing jazz, contemporary, and tap. In addition to dance, she also did musical theatre in high school, performing in Once On This Island as Ti Moune, It’s A Wonderful Life as Violet, and Footloose as Rusty. She attended Boston University, where she received her BA in Psychology, with a minor in dance in 2015, and then her Masters in Social Work in 2018. Charlene then joined Rainbow Tribe, now Mosaic Dance Company, in 2015 and has been in love with the company ever since. Charlene is currently the Artistic Director of Embrace, Mosaic’s jazz and contemporary company, and a member of Linx, their female hip hop company. Charlene is also a dance instructor at On Stage Dance Company, located at RTW, teaching competitive jazz, contemporary and musical theater. In her first year as choreographer with her students, Charlene’s students have placed in the top 10 overall for their dances and won special awards for choreography, engagement, and precision. Charlene is so excited to be a member of the RTW world!
Founding Director:
Marietta Phinney
President:
Lynda-Lee Sheridan
Treasurer:
Gerry Brien
Secretary:
Clarisse Beauvais
Silvia Gonzalez-Powers
Pat Tierney
Sarah Fortino
Lucille DiGravio
Mara Voukydis
Joanna Weiss
Jeff Mitchell
Sylvia Malloy
James Mahoney
Maria Farrell
Scott Batey
Joe Okafor
