Teresa Capachione
Founding Director, Capachione School of Performing Arts
BFA Boston Conservatory with additional studies from Brown University, Manhattan School of Music
Prior to the opening of the Capachione School of Performing Arts, Ms. Capachione enjoyed a professional performance career, sharing the stage with some of the industry's most respected artists.
As director of CSPA, she has produced hundreds of student based performances and continues to be active in the classroom. Her students enjoy fruitful careers as actors, playwrights, producers and directors in both film and theatre.
Under her direction, the Capachione School has been recognized as an outstanding institution of theatrical education by The Yamaha Corporation and Boston Parent Magazine.
The studio continues to be awarded top honors at theatre competitions on both the regional and national levels.
Tara McSweeney Morrison
Theatre Director
Tara is thrilled to be heading into her 26th season, with the Capachione School. She holds a BA in theatre/dance education from Bridgewater State University. As the theatre director at CSPA, Tara has directed and choreographed over 50 full length musicals, as well as 25 year end revues. Her musical theatre teams have won numerous titles at both the regional and national competition level. Tara’s students at The Capachione School have gone on to some of the most prestigious collegiate theatre programs including: University of the Arts, NYU, The Boston Conservatory, and Marymount Manhattan. She has directed and choreographed for many local theatres including: Massasoit Community College, Hingham Civic Music, Cohassett Dramatic Club, and Abington high School.
Eli Bigelow
Music Director
Eli has been teaching at the Capachione school for over a decade as music director and a voice and piano instructor. He hold a BA in Theatre Education from Bridgewater State University and has music directed around the south shore for the past 14 years. His piano training came from his great Aunt Anna Fiore who taught him technique and theory from the age of 10 to 17. He has worked as a music director, director, conductor, accompanist and pit musician with such groups such as The Family Performing Arts Center (Bridgewater), Priscilla Beach Theatre (Plymouth), MMAS Blackbox Theatre (Mansfield), CIC Theatre (Boston) along with many University and High school theatre programs. Eli’s students in voice and musical theatre have won multiple first place awards from various competitions the Capachione school has competed in for the whole of his tenure. Eli’s former students have gone on to attend prestigious theatre programs such as: Emerson, Marymount Manhattan, Western Connecticut State University, University of the Arts and The Hart School. As a music director and voice instructor clear, honest storytelling, musicianship and healthy technique is his continued focus and goal for all of his students.
Kristen Arsenault - Dance
Kristen's Broadway and New York credits include:
National tour of CATS/Rumpleteaser/Dance Captain
Chicago/Roxie Hart, 42nd Street/Anne Reilly
Regional Theatre, Film and Television credits include:
The Brotherhood, Chorus Line, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Annie Get Your Gun and Sweet Charity.
With more than 20 years of training and performance experience, Kristen’s career credits are extensive.
We are excited for all that she has to offer our students.
Stay tuned for the fall schedule and a list of classes Kristen will be offering. (which will include TUMBLING for the little ones!)
Jillee St Martin - Dance
Jillee St.Martin is a current student at Bridgewater State University where she studies Dance and Childhood Studies. Hailing from Newburyport, Massachusetts, St.Martin has had the opportunity to train locally with Urbanity Dance as both a Trainee and an Apprentice, as well as with Pantos Project Dance and at Dean College. She has also trained globally with Tecniche di Danza Moderna in Italy as a scholarship recipient. St.Martin has had the honor of dancing for the NFL Kick-Off at Gillette Stadium, and has worked with Ellenore Scott, Ebony Williams, Jackie Nowicki, Dusty Button, Christine Dakin, Marcus Shulkind, and many others. Her choreography has been showcased at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as at Dean College. She currently teaches students, ranging from two to eighteen years old, at the Capachione School of Performing Arts. St.Martin hopes to continue to educate and inspire both in the classroom and in the studio.
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Cheralyn Jean- Voice/ Dance
Cheralyn is pleased to be teaching at the Capachione School, where she spent 15 years training in theatre , dance and voice. She is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory, with an emphasis in Repertoire and Acting. Professional Credits include Ogunquit Playhouse: Annie, Beauty And The Beast. Skyline Theatre: My Fair Lady, Reagle Music Theatre: Crazy For You, Theatre By The Sea: Spamalot, Mary Poppins, Frog and Toad, Grease.
Cheralyn continues to study dance and voice with industry professionals to keep her skills sharp and current. Her lessons will focus on healthy technique, natural sound, story telling, and versatility.
Stefani Wood- Voice
Stefani is a graduate of The Boston Conservatory with a B.F.A in Musical Theater with an emphasis in Directing and Repertoire. Since graduating in 2013, Stefani has been performing, coaching voice and repertoire and teaching musical theater classes.
Her goal is to educate her students on the mechanics of vocal technique as well as provide them with the skills to enhance their song’s performance by coaching them on acting/interpretation and decade/genre specifications in both musical theater repertoire and popular music. She also loves bringing stories to life by directing and music directing plays and musicals!
Kelli Canniff- Theatre/ Acting
Kelli returns for her second season at the Capachione School! With over 30 years of performance experience, and a B.S in Elementary Education, Kelli will share her expertise in the classroom teaching Acting and Musical Theatre.
In addition to teaching for 12 years in K-2, Kelli has made her mark performing locally at Company Theatre, Massasoit Community Theatre, Riverside Theatre Works, Curtain Call Theatre, with some favorite performances including Les Miserables, West Side Story, Almost Maine, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Crucible, The Who’s Tommy, A Christmas Carol, Brighten Beach Memoirs.
Kelli has trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, studying Acting, Dance, and Voice, and at CP Casting, studying on-camera acting.
Laurie Peckham Lacy - Theatre/ Dance
Laurie returns for her second season at the Capachione School! Laurie has been dancing and performing since the age of 4, continuing her training through her collegiate studies.
Laurie has extensive teaching experience, including teaching Dance and Drama classes in Australia and Venezuela, choreographing Pajama Game, Annie Get Your Gun, Godspell, Grease, Anything Goes, Mary Poppins, Sweet Charity, and The Wizard of Oz. She's also taught music, dance and drama at various private and public schools throughout Massachusetts, ranging from 1st to 12th grades, creating and directing after school programs and producing shows, such as The Tempest, Midsummer Night's Dream, 2 original plays, Christmas Carol, and Cinderella. Laurie is a Massachusetts certified elementary and high school teacher.
Some of her favorite productions as a performer include, A Chorus Line, Grease, Anything Goes, Cats, The Crucible, Rumors, Inspector Hound, and Actor’s Nightmare.
Julie (Parcels) Chisholm- Musical Theatre/ Voice
Julie studied at The Capachione School of Performing Arts for 10 years in musical theatre and in voice with Miss Teresa and was also directed by Miss Tara during her time here. She was part of the first group who went to Access Broadway and also was awarded the Voice Scholarship at CSPA. Julie has studied musical theatre and singing her whole life and has performed with CSPA, Cardinal Spellman High School, Massasoit Community College, The Burt Wood School of Performing Arts, and Emerson College.
After graduating from Capachione's, Julie went on to Emerson College in the BFA Musical Theatre program, switching to BA Theatre Education with a dance minor. Since then, she has taught voice and musical theatre locally, including at The Horrigan School of Music in Brockton, 11 years at The Burt Wood School of Performing Arts in Middleborough, and entering her 2nd year at Capachione's. She has also worked as a Drama teacher at Bridgewater State University's Arts for Youth program and has directed musicals at Freetown-Lakeville Middle School. Julie is also a cantor and choir member at St. John's down the street in East Bridgewater for over 10 years now. Julie lives in Weymouth with her husband and her chocolate lab, and if she ever has free time, she is usually singing to musicals or reading.