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Meet the Theater Crew
Nate-Program Director
Nate River is a performer and theatre teacher born and raised in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate NY. His love for performing started when he was in High School when he auditioned for Midlakes Theatre Experience’s Spring musical “Curtains”. Ever since this production, he has continued to expand his love and knowledge of performance. He has an associates degree in Theatre from Finger Lakes Community College and his BFA in Musical Theatre from Nazareth College. Throughout his education and career, he has been in numerous musicals, plays, and local commercials. He even spent a summer in Brooklyn, NY where he trained with Broadway professionals to put together a showcase.
Nate is so excited to be continuing another year with PCC Youth Theatre as the Program Director. When not teaching, you can find him performing in Rochester or teaching group fitness classes. He wants to thank the parents, performers, and staff here at the PCC for their continued support and hard work!
Sydney-Director/Assistant
Sydney began working with the PCC Youth Theatre in 2018 and has over 10 years of theatre & directing experience. Sydney has participated in many plays and musicals such as Little Shop of Horrors, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Games Afoot and more! While Sydney has directed and assisted with productions, she also costumes all the shows and sometimes stage-manages! Sydney has been the lead director behind such productions as the annual Cabaret and Summer 2026’s play, “This Murder was Staged”!
Sydney has an associates degree in Humanities, a Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education. She is looking forward to getting her Masters degree in School Guidance Counseling. She has worked with school-aged children in some capacity for 10+ years. Sydney is currently working as an Activities Assistant at a local senior living community. In the summers you can find Sydney helping out at camps for individuals with developmental disabilities. When not volunteering, working or at rehearsal, Sydney can be found exploring new cities, making memories with her loved ones or cuddling her cats, Lady and Duchess.
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Sam-Production Assistant
Sam joined the team during Seussical as a set painter, but it didn’t take long for her to paint herself into a few more roles! Her theatre journey began with Midlakes Theatre Experience’s production of Mary Poppins in the spring of 2015, where she played a chimney sweep and took on various ensemble roles. After reconnecting with director Nate, Sam found her way back to the stage and behind the scenes, becoming a valued member of this amazing theatre family. Before trading in her Navy uniform for paintbrushes and theatre adventures, Sam proudly served four years in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman. She now works for the Veterans Health Administration as a dental lab technician. One of her favorite parts of the program is watching cast members grow into their characters, build confidence, and discover a little more of themselves along the way.
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When she’s not at rehearsals, tech, or the VA, Sam can usually be found hunting for treasures at local antique shops, cheering on her friends’ children at their school events, or exploring the local areas with her dog, Murphy.
Alex-Technical Director
Alex has loved Theatre ever since he worked backstage helping with lights and sound during his high school career. He began lending his expertise to PCC Youth Theatre in 2024 during SpongeBob the Musical production. Alex holds an Associate's degree in Audio Visual Technology from MCC. He also has a Bachelor’s degree in Adolescent Social Studies Education and Special Education from Brockport.
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When he is not at rehearsal or building our sets, you can find him teaching at Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES at the Midlakes Education Center. He also spends his summers working at Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp as a Program Staff. He runs the athletics program and archery course. Alex enjoys spending time with his friends and family, including his nephews. In his limited free, Alex loves to be creative and make things, including 3D prints, woodworking projects and more! He also loves snuggling with his two cats, Lady and Duchess.
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Heather-Choreographer
Heather has been a dedicated dance educator since 1997, teaching students throughout Virginia, Tennessee, and New York. Her extensive training includes study with New York Ballet Academy, Hampton Ballet, and Virginia Ballet. Heather has a fine arts degree with a minor in dance from Thomas Nelson College. Throughout her career, Heather has taught ballet, jazz, lyrical and ballroom dance.
Heather has pursued graduate studies focused on youth mental health. Heather is passionate about adapting dance instruction to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. With three decades of teaching experience, Heather is passionate about creating a positive, inclusive, and supportive learning environment for every student.
Cobey-Choreographer
Cobey began his life in dance in the town of Wolcott at East Avenue Dance Company at the age of 12, gradually working his way into more and more styles of dance to broaden his horizons, eventually training in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop and Tap.
After high school graduation, he eventually pursued dance throughout his two years of college in Onondaga community college, and began to help teach and continue his passion, eventually landing a main teaching position back in his hometown where he taught for a year. He relocated to Phelps where he continued to share his passion with the younger generation of students, teaching Hip-Hop, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary and Lyrical, as well as many other classes!
Marie-Instructor
​Marie is a third grade teacher at Midlakes Elementary School and the current director of the award winning Midlakes Theatre Experience. She is also an active member of Phelps-Clifton Springs Community Theatre having participated in a number of productions with this troupe and can actually be found on the stage this summer with them in their production of Titanic:The Musical. She is passionate about working with young people in the arts and loves sharing the joy of theatre with others. In her free time, you can find her reading and taking walks with her dog, Maizie.