Gabriel Diego Hernández (Education Director)

Gabriel Diego Hernández is a teacher, actor, playwright, poet, and hip hop artist who originally hails from Hoboken, New Jersey, where he attended Stevens Cooperative School and The Hudson School before graduating from Friends Seminary in Manhattan. He holds a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies, both from Yale University. After teaching social studies in the New Haven public school system, he returned to the New York area, mentoring with organizations like Prep for Prep and the Possibility Project, coordinating the scholarship program at Private Prep, and serving as musical director at the summer stock theater camp Extravaganza! for over a decade.

As an arts educator, he has done everything from providing live piano accompaniment for children’s choirs to teaching storytelling workshops to directing all-school plays. As a performer, he is a proud ensemble member at Pregones Theater in the Bronx. Recent acting credits include El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Two River Theater), CasablancaBox (HERE Arts Center), 72 miles to go… (The Alley Theatre), La Canción (Repertorio Español) and It’s a Wonderful Life (Mile Square Theatre). Quarter Rican, his full-length hip hop musical about identity and parenting, had its world premiere at Mile Square Theatre in March 2023 after five years of development at Pregones and multiple readings and workshops at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Newark Symphony Hall, and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, and subsequent tours in Chicago (Urban Theater Company) and LA (Los Angeles Theatre Center). The show has been nominated for a Talía Award and four HOLA Awards, and Hernández took home the HOLA award for Outstanding Performance in Musical Theater. Gabriel lives in Jersey City Heights with his wife and writing partner Rachel and their two young children. Their next play @BlackAtWalden is currently in development.

Sarah Weber Gallo (Dance Director)

Dance Director Sarah Weber Gallo is currently dancing in her 25th Season with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, where she has been featured in productions helmed by an array of world-renowned choreographers and directors including Christopher Wheeldon, Benjamin Millepied, Michael Mayer, Julie Taymor, Mary Zimmerman, Graciela Danielle, André Serban, Robert LePage, Doug Varone, Mark Dendy, and Sean Curran. She is on faculty at Montclair State University, NJCU, and the Joffrey Ballet School. She is a former Radio City Rockette and holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and a B.A. in Psychology from Goucher College. Sarah is Artistic Director of SWG/dancetheatre, and her theatrical and concert dance choreography has been presented nationally and internationally. She is resident choreographer for Mile Square Theatre, where she has created dances and movement design for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Goodnight Moon, The Garden of Riki Tiki Tavi, Vanya, Sonya, Masha, and Spike, and Bunnicula, and presented the evening-length dance/theatre productions Much Ado About Cucumbers & Cigars, The Magic Hour, and Funhead. Sarah is motivated by a desire to guide students to think like artists, invite students to gain agency over their technical and artistic development, and build leadership skills and community through dance training. Awards and honors include the New Works Award from UWM, the Award for Excellence in Arts Education from the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the People’s Choice Award from the New York Indie Film Festival, and the Finalist Award from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Sarah Fagan (Dance Teacher)

Sarah is a New York City based dancer, singer, actress, dance teacher, and choreographer. She grew up in Arlington, TX while finding her love of dance at Dance Workshop. She went on to attend Oklahoma City University’s Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management, receiving a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance Performance.

Sarah has appeared in many regional theatre productions, her favorites including Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, Will Rogers Follies, Crazy For You, Anything Goes, Singin’ In the Rain, The Producers, Legally Blonde, and Fiddler on the Roof. She performed in the national tour of 42nd Street. This year will be her fourth year singing and tapping in the holidays playing Rhoda with the national tour of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Sarah is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association!

When she’s not performing, Sarah is a dance teacher and choreographer specializing in beginning to advanced tap and theatre dance, as well as ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She has enjoyed being on the faculty of Broadway Connections and Stage Door Connections to teach masterclasses across the country. She has taught at many studios teaching master classes, summer dance intensives, and choreographing award winning competition pieces. Sarah enjoys teaching all ages and developing a love of dance and storytelling in all her students.

Annette Hammond (Acting Teacher)

Annette is a Brooklyn based actor and teaching artist. She has been teaching with MST since 2017 and has helped to develop the program’s early childhood offerings. She believes that theatre can be used as a powerful tool to support core skills young people are learning at home and in school while empowering them to find their creative voice and loves to be a part of that process. She has extensive experience working in early childhood settings and enjoys teaching all ages. She received her BFA in Acting from the University of Miami and currently works professionally in theatre and film regionally and in NYC.

Nicole Rae Jones (Dance Teacher)

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Nicole Jones has a diverse dance background in ballet, jazz, modern, and Broadway styles. She first experienced dance with the Sacred Heart Junior Tamburitzans and transitioned into formal ballet training with companies including Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and American Ballet Theater. Nicole holds two Bachelor of Arts in both Dance and in History from Point Park University.

Nicole instructs all ages in ballet, modern, jazz, and Broadway styles. Since 2006, Nicole specializes in teaching Pre-K and Beginning Ballet. She has taught for numerous dance schools and programs, including the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Peridance Capezio Center, and American Dance Training Camps. While Nicole has taught in the NYC Tri-State area for three years, she proudly calls MST home.

Professional dance credits include working with Vertigo Dance Company’s international program (Jerusalem), Reed Dance (Pittsburgh), and performing the works of Noa Wertheim, Ohad Naharin, Martha Graham, Christopher Huggins, Gerald Arpino, Douglas Bentz, and Patrick Franz.  Nicole has also worked with artists Stefan Ferry, Vova Zak, Nadar Rosano, Asher Lev, Cheryl Mann, and Reggie Wilson among others. Professional theater credits include SWING!(Norwegian Cruise Line – West Coast Feature), Legally Blonde the Musical(2019 Nat’l Tour – Chutney/Dance Captain). Currently she dances, choreographs, and teaches for Awakening Movement (NYC), and DanceAction (NYC).

Arielle Legere (Acting Teacher)

Arielle Legere is an actor, singer, stage manager, and teaching artist. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2014, and has been regularly working as a teaching artist since then. Arielle teaches classes and works in various other roles for Mile Square Theatre. Recent theatre credits include Dr Faustus, All’s Well That Ends Well & Macbeth (Hudson Shakespeare Co), The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi (MST), and a recurring role in The Devouring at the Paradise Club, Times Square EDITION. She has also stage managed A Merry Little Christmas Carol and 5 Times in One Night at MST.

Danielle Schultz (Dance Teacher)

Danielle Schulz grew up in Southern California training at Ballet Pacifica Academy. After spending summers at San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre, she went on to graduate from NYU – Tisch with a B.F.A in Dance and minor in Art History. Danielle has been a dancer with the Metropolitan Opera since 2014 and has been in iconic productions such as Aida, Don Giovanni, Parsifal, and more. She’s thrilled to be a part of the faculty at MST and a member of SWG Dance Theatre in Hoboken!

Catherine Walker (Musical Theatre Teacher)

Broadway veteran Catherine Walker has performed at MST’s Broadway Night and most recently starred in the Tony Award winning Best Musical, A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER. Catherine made her New York debut in the original Broadway cast of Disney’s musical, MARY POPPINS and was Broadway’s second Mary.

Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow (Dance Teacher)

Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow is a professional dancer and teacher in New York City. She received her B.A in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College. She is a former company member with Ballet Hispanico of New York and toured internationally with “Angelina Ballerina, The Musical.” This is Elizabeth’s seventh  season dancing with The Metropolitan Opera. Productions at the Metropolitan Opera include Blue Beard’s Castle, Die Zauberflöte, Parsifal, La Traviata, Manon, Aida, The Magic Flute and Tannhäuser. The last five of which have been transmitted live in HD to over 70 countries across the globe. Elizabeth is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artist Union.