Faculty & Staff
Owners & Directors
Zoe Czerenda and Elizabeth Frabizzio
Founders
Elizabeth Parkinson and Scott Wise
Drama Director
Robin Frome
Fineline Collective Director
Tiffany Billings
Office Manager
Mary Mercer
Resident Photographer
Trish Haldin
Zoe Czerenda
Owner and Director
Ballet, Tap, Jazz
Zoe Czerenda has loved to dance for as long as she can remember and has always been her preferred form of expression. Theatre has provided her with an outlet, a community, and a support system. She completed the majority of her training at Fineline Theatre Arts until graduating in 2015. She was a member of their pre professional repertory dance company, Artists In Motion (AIM). In addition to her dance studies, Zoe trained in acting and vocal performance. At age 15, Zoe started assistant teaching classes at Fineline and showed interest in early childhood education during high school. Witnessing her mother being an artist and teacher, and knowing her grandmother taught, she felt inspired and driven to continue that tradition of being an educator.
After graduating in 2015, Zoe continued her education at Eastern Connecticut State University, graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and minors in Communications and Theatre. Being involved in the Theater Department required participating in shows but also included taking classes across other areas of theater including history, costuming, makeup, set design and building, lighting design, directing, and stage managing. The show that Zoe feels impacted her the most was her senior year when they put on a production of Cabaret. She had the opportunity to play Sally Bowles and explore her abilities as a performer. Zoe was a member of Modern Movement, a club led by the head of the dance department, Alycia Bright-Holland. She was on the club’s executive committee, becoming President her junior year, which required her to help plan events and showcases the club would be participating in or hosting, collaborating with other departments and clubs, running and organizing rehearsals, and performing in showcases/events.
Zoe believes that everyone can and should learn to move their bodies, free of judgment. Dance is meant for all to participate in and enjoy. Zoe wishes to create space for her students to feel comfortable and confident in themselves. She welcomes all her students to try something new, put themselves out there, and support each other as we grow and learn.
Email: Zoe@finelinetheatrearts.com
Scott Wise
Acro, Tap
Scott Wise has been Broadway’s leading song & dance man throughout the last three decades. He is a Tony award winner (Broadway’s highest performance honor) for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. Additionally, he was nominated for the Tony Award for his performances in State Fair and Fosse. He is also the proud recipient of the 1997 Connecticut’s Best Actor in a Musical Award for Lucky in the Rain at East Haddam’s Goodspeed Opera House. You can also see Mr. Wise in the hit movie musical Chicago. A veteran performer of thirteen Broadway shows, Mr. Wise has also choreographed and directed Off Broadway and regionally. He worked side-by-side with Twyla Tharp as assistant director for the award-winning hit musical, Movin’ Out. Certified by the Dance Educators of America, Scott has taught nationwide as well as in New York’s Broadway Dance Center and Step’s on Broadway. Scott is currently on the creative team of the new Bruce Hornsby musical SCKBSTRD. With his background so rooted in performing on Broadway he hopes to share his knowledge, guide aspiring performers, and share the joy he has found throughout his career to students of all levels.
Kerry Gallagher
Ballet, Modern
Kerry Gallagher started her dance career at the School of Performing Arts under Arlene Begelman and Barbara Braverman when it was first opened on Bank Street in New Milford. She then studied at the School of American Ballet in NYC under such teachers as Alexandra Danilova, Elise Reiman, Richard Rapp, Kay Mazzo, Helene Dudin, Antonia Tumkovsky, Muriel Stuart, Andrei Kramarevsky. While at SAB she had the honor of performing with the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. She spent summers training at the New York State Summer School of the Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY under teachers Olga Kostritzky, Bojan Spassoff, Stephanie Wolf, Peter Martins, Stephanie Saland, Heather Watts and other members of the New York City Ballet. Her professional career began when she became a member of Annamaura Silverblatt and Co. from 1989-1991 where she performed works by the Martha Graham trained Ms. Silverblatt. She joined Fusionworks Repertory Dance Company under artistic director/founder Deb Meunier from 1991 to 2001performing works by choreographers Art Bridgman and Myrna Packard, David Dorfman, Pooh Kaye, Creach and Koester, David Parsons, Sita Fredrick, Deidre Morris, Laura Bennett, Deb Meunier. While with Fusionworks, Kerry began her teaching career teaching ballet at the Fusionworks School and also teaching modern dance residencies in public elementary schools throughout Rhode Island. She danced with Classics Dance Theatre Ballet Company under Artistic Director Catherine Barribal from 2001-2010 performing works by Catherine Barribal, Janet White, Justin Sherwood, and her own choreography. She dance with Adam Battlelstein of Pilobolus from 2003-2008 performing his work in school systems throughout the country. Kerry danced with MacArthur Dance Project from 2007-2010 under artistic director Browen MacArthur touring throughout New England. Kerry began her involvement with the American Dance Legacy Initiative(ADLI) in 2001 while dancing the Parsons Repertory Etude with Fusionworks. In 2005 she was asked to join Dancing Legacy – the performing company of ADLI. With ADLI and Dancing Legacy, Kerry has performed, taught and coached the Repertory Etudes of David Parsons, Robert Battle, Danny Grossman, Donald McKayle & Anna Sokolow all over the country including many public schools & private dance schools, Brown University & the New York State Summer School of the Arts. She is honored to be currently working with ADLI on developing the Limon Etude in conjunction with Carla Maxwell Artistic Director of the Limon Company. In addition to teaching ballet and modern dance, Kerry has taught dance to children with special needs in Brooklyn, NY. She is a Co Director of Artists in Motion, a 501c3 student pre professional dance company in residence at Fineline Theatre Arts and is currently developing a program with fellow Co Directors Elizabeth Parkinson & Arlene Begelman to bring dance to children with special needs in New Milford. Kerry is a certified teacher of the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Program in Primary Level through Level 5.
Colleen O’Connor
Ballet
Bio Coming…
Elizabeth Frabizzio
Owner and Director
Ballet
Elizabeth Frabizzio began her early training at the School of Performing Arts in New Milford, Connecticut under the direction of Arlene Begelman and Robert Maiorano. She later continued her studies at Fineline Theatre Arts in New Milford and worked exclusively with Broadway veterans Elizabeth Parkinson, Scott Wise and Mary Ann Lamb. She spent summers dancing at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
Professionally, Elizabeth has danced as an ensemble member in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall and for the renowned modern dance company, Momix. She can be seen in Darren Aronofsky’s, The Black Swan, and on the cover of the 2009 ‘Green Issue’ of the New York Times Magazine. As a freelance artist, Elizabeth has assisted Broadway veteran Mary Ann Lamb on projects throughout the tri-state area and has worked with Adam Battlestein’s Catapult Entertainment, which appeared on season eight of America’s Got Talent. In 2015, Elizabeth was named one of Connecticut’s top ’40 under 40’ by Connecticut Magazine for her dance and teaching achievements.
As a teacher, Elizabeth has taught for the past 15 years at Fineline Theatre Arts in New Milford and at studios in the greater Fairfield, Westchester and Rockland counties. She is certified to teach beginner/intermediate mat pilates through Power Pilates, NYC. Elizabeth is excited to share her enthusiasm and knowledge to the next generation of dancers.
Tiffany Billings
Ballet, Jazz
Tiffany Billings is a professional dancer and Radio City Rockette since 2011. Most recently, Tiffany has been teaching and judging for West Coast Dance Explosion, a national touring dance convention and competition. She has also served as the assistant dance captain for The Rockettes during the 2019-2020 Christmas Spectacular season. Tiffany has appeared on the Tony Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Today Show, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, The Chew, The Wendy Williams Show and she has also been featured in Vogue Magazine. Tiffany has extensive background in ballet, jazz, and precision dance and she loves to teach and share her passion of dance with her students all over the country and beyond.
Robin Frome
Acting
Robin has been teaching and directing theater since 1992. He holds a BFA in acting from The University of Connecticut and an MA in Dramatic Literature Concentration from Wesleyan University. He has taught and directed for schools in CT in Districts #14 and #15 and Waterbury, K-12. He has directed over 200 productions from Musical Theater to Shakespeare to Children’s classics–these include Halo nominated Jekyll and Hyde, and the Scarlet Pimpernel. Other Musicals include Bye Bye Birdie, The Boyfriend, Godspell, Guys and Dolls, Singing in the Rain, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Schoolhouse Rock, Oliver! Pepys Show, and Kismet. He has a zoom friendly private acting tutoring program called Audition Techniques and operates a Facebook page entitled ‘The Bard Room’ which involves zoom classes in Shakespearean acting and dramaturgy for all ages. He has served as Artistic Director for The Main Street Theater in Woodbury from 1992 to 2005 and President/Artistic Director of The Sherman Playhouse in Sherman, CT from 2012 to 2020. During the Pandemic he founded and co-hosted a Covid Performing Artist Support Group on Zoom entitled Keep the Ghost Light On which can be accessed on YouTube under the Sherman Playhouse. Mr. Frome has produced several productions to date at FineLine including A Christmas Carol, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Stirring the Crucible, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland and three plays he wrote as well, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Nutcracker and the Mouse Queen and Red Riding in the Hood. Most recently, Mr. Frome has accepted the role as Shepaug Valley’s Middle School production director.
Ethan Jacques
Beg/Int Contemporary
Ethan Jacques is a up-and-coming contemporary choreographer and dancer. In 2014, Ethan graduated from extensive training at Fineline Theater Arts and started his study of contemporary dance in New York City at Peridance Capezio Center (Ballet & Contemporary Dance Certificate Program). While studying, Ethan performed work by acclaimed choreographers like Sidra Bell (Sidra Bell Dance New York), Igal Perry (Peridance Contemporary Dance Company), The Oniin Company, Caterina Rago (CR Dance Company LLC), Ronald K. Brown (Evidence), Megumi Eda, and Charlotta Öfverholm (Je de la Vie). After graduating in 2016, Jacques pursued choreography, under the company name JACQUES MOVEMENT LABORATORY. Debuting his first work “What’s A Regular Life?” (Salvatore Capezio Theater 2016), and then continuing: “Within This Room” (Salvatore Capezio Theater 2017), “March of The Sleeping” (Fertile Grounds/Green Space 2017), “Fear Sequence, Detrimental Price” (Salvatore Capezio Theater 2017), “Remember, Forget” (Ballet Arts 2018), “Narcissus In Noir” (Cherry Lane Theater 2020), and “Sexy When I’m Sad” (Cherry Lane Theater 2020). During these years he also performed as a company member for The Next Stage Project, (Jana Hicks & Marjike Eliasberg) as well as PQ Dance (Patrick Quinn), in Several theaters including: Dixon Place, Salvatore Capezio Theater, New York City Ballet Arts, Mark Morris Dance Center, and The Cherry Lane Theater. Jacques continues to create and choreograph, along with celebrating his love for art and dance by teaching at Fineline Theater Arts.
Trish Haldin
Resident Photographer
Trish Haldin was a freelance photojournalist for The New Milford Spectrum/Danbury News Times/Hearst Media for the better part of 15 years. When moving from upstate New York to New Milford, CT in 2001, it was a great way to get to know her community. After covering a story for a Fineline Spring Recital, Trish investigated registering her daughter for acting lessons. That fall in 2011, she photographed the acting performance of “What Lies Beneath” which began a highly successful professional relationship with our school. Because her daughter needed headshots for her auditions, Trish began offering that service officially in 2012 from our tap studio and still offers that service on site several times throughout the year. Trish continues to be production photographer for The Sherman Playhouse and has been hired out for New Milford High School, Theatreworks New Milford and PAC at 32 Below productions. For the past 8 years she has been staff photographer for FineLine’s annual Nutcracker and has just recently been taken on as photographer for Danbury Music Center’s annual production of their Nutcracker. Trish is excited to be photographer in residence at FineLine; which helps to extend their consistent growth in excellence in dance, theater and musical performance training.