Mary Tiballi Hoffman, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, has been an arts administrator for 15 years, specializing in fundraising, event management, board relations, and patron engagement. Previously, she served as the Institutional Giving Manager at Geva Theatre Center, where she managed a portfolio of over $800,000 in foundation, government and corporate contributions each year. Prior to her time at Geva, she worked as a Grant Writer for The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre and as the Academy Ball Coordinator for The Academy of Music and The Philadelphia Orchestra Association. Ms. Hoffman’s passion for arts fundraising is deeply rooted in her experiences as an artist. Ms. Hoffman has performed extensively with Rochester Children’s Theatre, JCC CenterStage and Blackfriars Theatre. Blackfriars audiences will recognize her from Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical (Roberta), Sunday in the Park with George (Dot/Marie), The Little Dog Laughed (Ellen), It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Mary Bailey), and, most recently, 2021’s Silent Sky (Margaret). She spent four years as a performance coach with The Center for Musical Arts in East Rochester, preparing students of all ages for both school and professional auditions. Ms. Hoffman is the former Board Vice President of TheatreROCS and currently serves on the Board of The Friends of Irondequoit Public Library. She is a proud graduate of Nazareth College, where she received her BA in Theatre Arts.

Brynn Tyszka, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, has worked professionally in the theatre industry for over 20 years. Prior to her new role at Blackfriars, Ms. Tyszka has served as the Social Media Manager (as well as teaching artist, director, and performer) for OFC Creations Theatre Center in Brighton and as Director of Education for Actors' Theatre of Indiana, where she also performed as an ATI cast member (A Comedy of Tenors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and a reading of Lindsay Adams' new play, Rattler). Ms. Tyszka served as Acting Department Chair for the Rochester Association for the Performing Arts (RAPA), where she developed and taught several acting classes, including Fundamentals, Scene Study, Characterization, The Art of Comedy, Script Analysis, and Movement for the Stage. Additionally, she taught acting and coached musical theater privately as the founder of BKT Studio for Actors. She has also directed and choreographed several shows for high schools, colleges, community theaters, and semi-professional theaters throughout the Rochester area. A former member of Actors' Equity Association and a proud alum of the Nazareth College Theatre Arts program, Ms. Tyszka has performed nationally on tour with NETworks and ArtsPower productions as well as regionally with Geva Theatre Center, Actors' Theater of Indiana, DEEP Arts, JCC CenterStage, Pittsford Musicals and Playhouse on the Park in Connecticut. Ms. Tyszka's history with Blackfriars began in 2006, when she played Susan in tick, tick ... BOOM! under the direction of Haldoupis. Since then, she has worked and performed several times with Blackfriars, including on Heathers the Musical (Heather Chandler), Beehive (choreographer), and Boeing Boeing (Gretchen), as well as performing in multiple Season Soirées. Most recently, she partnered with Hoskins and Hoffman to conceive, produce, and direct Blackfriars's 2020 digital holiday show, Home for the Holidays. Ms. Tyszka is the first female-identifying Artistic Director in Blackfriars’s 73-year history.

Catherine J. Gregory, SOCIAL MEDIA ASSOCIATE, is a soon-to-be graduate of Nazareth College. She is a musical theatre major with a minor in communications and media. Catherine has worked with the marketing and admissions teams at Nazareth since 2020 and is so grateful for the experiences prior to starting her professional career. Catherine’s dream job is to combine her two loves of theatre and social media and she is thrilled to be able to have her dreams come true here at Blackfriars. Catherine is originally from Jersey City, New Jersey where she started her theatre career at the age of 10, as a fairy in Into the Woods Jr. Catherine has since grown into roles such as: Judy Turner in A Chorus Line, understudied the roles of Chelle and Bunny in Detroit ‘67, and assistant directed Nazareth College’s Into the Woods under the direction of Hunter Foster. https://www.catherinejgregory.com

Mandi Lynn Griffith, RESIDENT TEACHING ARTIST, is a Rochester native with a BFA in Dance. After earning her degree she worked in NYC at The Ensemble Studio Theatre where she interned, studied, and performed improvisational theatre. Soon she went on to own and direct New York Academy of Dance, here in Rochester. She has been involved in the local theatre community as a choreographer, performer, and director for a wide range of organizations, including Blackfriars Theatre where she currently serves on the board of directors. You may have also seen her work at Webster Theatre Guild, Greece Performing Arts Society, Last Fool Productions (co-founder), Monroe Community College, Out Of Pocket Productions, Rochester Musical Theatre Academy and Roberts Wesleyan. In 2022 she originated the choreography for the world premiere of RISE: A New Musical at JCC Summer Stage. Griffith is also a adjunct dance instructor for the Nazareth College Theatre Department, as well as a teaching artist for Rochester Broadway Theatre League.

David Munnell, RESIDENT TEACHING ARTIST: Local audiences may be familiar with David from some of his performances at Blackfriars and JCC Centerstage, including productions of SWEAT!, Glengarry Glen Ross, Death of a Salesman, Proof, and August: Osage County.  David has been a professional actor, director and acting teacher for over 40 years having directed and acted in off-Broadway, Regional and Summer Stock theatre.  He has taught acting at several exceptional BFA conservatory programs, including SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, NYU’s CAP21 undergraduate acting studio, and the University of Minneapolis/Guthrie Theatre BFA Program in Acting.  Some of his former students, and colleagues have gone on to win Oscars, Tonys and Emmys.  David has also taught acting for teens, most recently through RIT’s Camp Tiger summer program.  Though retired from university teaching, continues to stay active in the local theatre community. 

Alexa Scott-Flaherty, RESIDENT TEACHING ARTIST, is a director, actor, producer, and teacher. Most recently she has directed Calendar Girls at Blackfriars, and Men on Boats at RIT as a collaboration between Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing actors. Previously she has directed The Undeniable Sound of Right Now and Twelfth Night at Blackfriars. She has also directed two plays written by local playwrights - Fielder’s Choice by Dave Andreatta and Between Silences by S.J. Henschel. A proud member of Labyrinth Theatre Company in New York City, she works locally at Blackfriars, Geva Theatre Center, and The JCC Centerstage. She has worked as an actor in New York City at many theaters, including The Public Theatre, SoHo Rep, and PS 122; with the Royal Shakespeare Company of London; and The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. Alexa is a Visiting Lecturer in the School of Performing Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology; serves on the Rochester Fringe Festival’s Board of Directors; and is an ensemble member of Impact Interactive LLC, a unique theater-based training company in Rochester. 

Ryan Underbakke, TEACHING ARTIST, has spent the last several years as an international artist, creator, performer, director, and instructor working professionally in Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis and London.  He’s studied at the University of Minnesota and Stella Adler Conservatory and received his MFA from the London International School of Performing Arts.  He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology creating work and developing his immersive theater pedagogy.

Rachel Solomon, TEACHING ARTIST, is an educator, director, and performer based in Rochester, NY. She received her Bachelor's degree in Music Theatre from Nazareth College. Rachel went on to receive her Master of Arts in Theatre Education from Emerson College, and has directed, taught, and performed in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, including teaching at Actors' Shakespeare Project (Boston), Boston Latin School, SUNY Geneseo, and Nazareth College. She has trained with Maureen Shea and Melissa Healy (Linklater Voice technique), with The Ume Group and Cass Tunick (physical theatre), and with Theatre of the Oppressed and Theatrical Intimacy Education. She is very excited to be teaching at Blackfriars Theatre! 

Jaden Kindle (he/they), TEACHING ARTIST, is so happy to be dancing and teaching here at Blackfriars Theatre! Originally from Oklahoma City, Jaden is currently a senior studying musical theatre at Nazareth University. Jaden has performed at theatres such as Geva Theatre, Music Theatre Wichita, Crown Arts Collaborative, and will appear in Nazareth University’s Crazy For You in April 2024. When they’re not onstage, Jaden can be found following his other passions: teaching and choreographing, with a background in teaching all styles of dance, including jazz, musical theatre, tap, and hip-hop. You can keep up with Jaden here: www.jadenkindle.com, and @jadenkindle.