Vagabond Acting Troupe | About Us | Artistic Staff and Board Members

Artistic Staff and Board Members

AILEEN MCCULLOCH (Executive Artistic Director/Workshop Leader/Core Ensemble) - inthelime@aol.com- M.A. Theatre Villanova University - BA (Theatre) Mary Washington College - co-founded the Vagabond Acting Troupe in 1993 as an educational training company. Past VAT original core development works (over 15 to date) include: ORIGINAL SINS, IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK (The Philadelphia City Hall project), THREE WORLDS INTERTWINED (The UPENN Museum of Archeology and Anthropology project - recipient Ted and Stevie Wolf award for New Approaches to Theatre, Barrymore Awards, 2003), COMMEDIA FOR KIDS, R-R-R SAVE THE WORLD (The Huntingdon County Recycle Project), PMS! A PERIOD MUSICAL, and most recently SUPER DUPER and the Barrymore nominated TRIAL OF AKHENATEN collaboration with the University of Pennsylavnia's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. She has written and directed ALL of our youth ensemble productions, including THUMBELINA, A CHARM SCHOOL WITCH and THE WIZARD OF OZ. She has directed over 35 productions in the last ten years, both here and elsewhere, with highlights including: A VAGABOND CHRISTMAS CAROL (Barrymore nominated outstanding ensemble, 2000), and critically acclaimed productions of SLAPPED and LIFE IS A DREAM, both of which she adapted with the help of original language translators. She has appeared in over 100 productions in the past 20 years, favorite Vagabond roles include Blossom in Walt Vail's NEIGHBORS, Marvel and Slime in SUPER DUPER, Roberta in DANNY IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA, Rosalind in AS YOU LIKE IT, Frankie in FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIRE DE LUNE and the many roles of A VAGABOND CHRISTMAS CAROL. Aileen was Director of Theatrical productions for Pennsylvania Performing Arts Academy for three years, where she directed 12 productions, and a teacher there for 7 years. She has worked for such other Philadelphia area companies as Brat Productions, The Eternal Spiral Project, Azuka Theatre Collective, The Brick Playhouse (including BEST OF IT winner THE LACTATING WOMEN'S MOVEMENT), Villanova University Theatre (Irene Ryan nominee), Eureka Theatre, Centre Theater and more. In addition, she has been a workshop leader for the Philadelphia Young Playwrights festival for many years, and her audition tips have been used to educate Theatre Alliance auditioners for many years as well (www.theatrealliance.org). This season Aileen is a voter for the TAGP Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre and has been a nominator and judge in seasons past. She created three new works during Vagabond creative residencies with the Winterthur Museum in Delaware: WRITING THREADS (a theatre interactive project with the museum's costume in film exhibit), TALES OF THE FIREFLY KING and BE NICE TO MOTHER NATURE, a new children's work. Her play about the last three moments of Shakespeare's life, ON A WOODEN GLOBE made it's world premiere at the Kenan Center in New York. She is currently working on an original translation/adaptation of Maeterlink's THE BLUEBIRD and Machiavelli's THE MANDRAKE (or THE MAN ROOT), and an original play about the infamous Borgia family entitled BEING BORGIA. This season she heads up two more works with the youth ensemble, and has assisted the core in their challenge play for the 2008 Fringe Festival, A PRIEST WALKS INTO A BAR.

CHRISTIAN LISAK (Associate Artistic Director/Workshop Leader/Core Ensemble) - (MFA Acting, UNC-Greensboro) is an actor, director and teacher of movement, acting, improvisation, mask and Commedia. He is a resident director at Vagabond Acting Troupe, as well as a member of the core ensemble. This season Christian brought the first stage of his new one man work, THAT'S WHY THEY DON'T CALL IT PICNIC to the stage during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Last season Christian development directed BY GRIMM, creating our critically acclaimed first show of that season. In past he has performed in such shows as SLAPPED!, ORIGINAL SINS, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM with Vagabond. As an actor, he has worked with numerous theatres in Philadelphia and in handfuls of independent films and commercials. Christian has also produced several shows with his own company, Gravy Theatre Co., most notably the 2000 summer touring show Parking Lots and Madness that played "shakedown street" up the East Coast and across the Midwest and Canada. Christian has directed shows for Gravy Theatre, The Brick Playhouse and Arcadia University. Most recently Christian was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Arcadia University. His favorite role is as Dad to Elly and husband to Becca.

ELLEN JOFFRED (Board of Directors/Resident Vocal Coach/Core Ensemble) is thrilled to be both a core development member with Vagabond Acting Troupe as well as a board member. She received her BA in French and Theater with an emphasis in acting and directing at Dickinson College, where she also graduated Phi Beta Kappa and received the Gould Drama Memorial Award. While studying abroad she interned at Theater Sorano in Toulouse France, and during her time at Dickinson she interned for two summers as a dramaturg at Pendragon Theater in upstate NY. Upon graduating, Ellen was asked to return to Pendragon for the '07 summer season as a company member. Ellen joined the troupe as an intern assistant director as well as an intern in dramaturgy for "Rag and Bone", she later acted in the Vagabond One Act Festival and as a core development member of A PRIEST WALKS INTO A BAR. She joins the troupe this season as vocal coach for the Vagabond Youth Ensemble's production of A WIZARD OF OZ sharing with them her many years of vocal training with both Holly Altenderfer and Professor Lynn Helding and Dr. Christopher Arnerson. Most recently Ellen was Musical Director for Montgomery County Cultural Center's BUGSY MALONE JUNIOR. Elle is also Administrative Associate at The Academy of Vocal Arts to thoroughly round out a very art filled life.

KATIE KUHL (President, Board of Directors/Core Ensmble) - BA Theatre Arts and Afro-American Studies, University of Pennsylvania - Katie joined Vagabond in June 2006 as the PR and Acting Intern, and became a Core Ensemble Member that December for the remainder of the season. In that year, Katie stage managed THE WEDDING CONSULTANT, wrote and performed "Mr. Maryland" for the FIRST ANNUAL SOLO WORKS FESTIVAL, directed THE FAIRY QUEEN, understudied Juliet in ROMEO AND JULIET, was the Stage Manager/Assistant Director/Understudy for THE TRIAL OF AKHENATEN, and originated the role of Butterfly in WHY BUTTERFLIES HAVE WINGS. Following that season, Katie stepped down from the Ensemble and joined the Board of Directors to continue supporting VAT as she switched careers and moved to Brooklyn. She is now the Parent Coordinator and Theater Teacher at Bard High School Early College II in Queens, and volunteers with Regeneración Childcare NYC.

CLAIRE GOLDEN DRAKE (Secretary, Board of Directors/Core Ensemble) has been working with the Vagabond Acting Troupe since it's second producing season, when she was part of the developmental team for COMMEDIA FOR KIDS, one of the troupe's most popular touring children's works. Claire has since appeared in SLAPPED, AS YOU LIKE IT, TALES OF THE FAIRY QUEEN (numerous casts), PAUL BUNYAN'S AMERICAN TALL TALES, ALICE A WONDERLAND ADVENTURE, and many others. Most recently she appeared last season in the Third Annual One Act Play Festival. Claire serves on our board of directors as Secretary as she takes a short sabbatical from the stage to care for her three small children.

JAN MICHENER (BOARD OF DIRECTORS) is an actress and a theatre teacher. She has a BA degree in theatre from SUNY New Paltz and a Masters of Education degree from Widener University. She was the recipient of Widener University's Outstanding Student Teacher Award in 2001 for her unit called "Don't Laugh at Me" which incorporated theatre to stop bullying in middle schools.

She is a teaching artist with Philadelphia Theatre Company where she designs and facilitates workshops for PTC's PASSPORT Residency program for High Schools, plus leads Community Audience Partnership workshops and is the lead teaching artist for YAEP's Arts for Learning project (www.yaep.org). In addition, Jan has been a teaching artist with Philadelphia Young Playwrights since 2005 where she designs and facilitates hands-on, interactive theatre and playwriting workshops for students of all ages.

She also runs a Living History and Storytelling Project with the Kennett Square Senior Center. Through the use of improvisational theatre, creative movement, and storytelling the seniors explore the joy of transforming life stories into artistic presentations that celebrate human connections and community.

LEONARD KELLY (Workshop Leader) - MFA Theatre University of Texas at Austin, BA Theatre West Chester University — joined the company in 1998 as part of the development ensemble for ORIGINAL SINS. Since then he has appeared in the Barrymore nominated production of A VAGABOND CHRISTMAS CAROL, SOMEONE WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME, TALES OF THE FAIRY QUEEN and the Barrymore Award winning project, THREE WORLDS INTERTWINED. He has directed AS YOU LIKE IT and most recently co-directed DESINENCE, a night of Samuel Beckett short works and LET'S SIT UPON THE GROUND AND TELL SAD STORIES OF THE DEATH OF KINGS. Last season he co-directed the Barrymore Nominated THE ART OF WAR. Away from the VAT, Leonard is a full-time professor in West Chester University’s theatre program and works regularly with Philadelphia Shakespeare Fest.

CHARLIE DELMARCELLE (Workshop Leader) — M.A. Villanova University — has performed extensively throughout the Philadelphia region, and is a regular touring artist with the Fulton Opera Company. Recent roles with VAT have included MacBeth and Scrooge (A VAGABOND CHRISTMAS CAROL), the Third Man (BALTIMORE WALTZ) and in COMMEDIA FOR KIDS and AMERICAN FRONTIER TALES, as well as in a one man show, MIKE FINK'S RIVERBOAT TALES. In addition Charlie is an avid musician and composer and his work as such can be heard in THE SNOW QUEEN and on the sound track of Vagabond’s AS YOU LIKE IT. He has created several works for development at the VAT, and directed such productions as A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1997) and DECONSTRUCTING JULIE (1999), and most recently directedA MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, THE CRUCIBLE and R-R-R SAVE THE WORLD, while simultaneously co-directing our workshop production of RICHARD II, entitled LET'S SIT UPON THE GROUND AND TELL SAD STORIES OF THE DEATH OF KINGS. He also co-directed and performed in our award-winning production of DESINENCE, a night of Samuel Beckett short works. He co-directed our year-long ART OF WAR projectI and stared off this season directing SUPER DUPER for the Spark Festival. Independently, Charlie is also an educational roster artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.