Julian Arroyo (he, him, his)

Bio to come!

Michael Casey (he, him, his)

Michael, born and raised in Boston, has studied theater for over a decade at Boston Arts Academy, Bunker Hill Community College and Suffolk University. He teaches theater at the Charles River Creative Arts Program in the summers and assistant directs the Newton Freelance Players Troupe. Theater and Education are Michael’s biggest passions in life, and Rehearsal for Life has been a dream job, helping him realize his goals of teaching life skills through the power of theater. Michael is also currently a preschool teacher at the Shattuck Child Daycare Center. In his free time, Michael enjoys writing poetry and is a huge fan of pro wrestling.

Alissa Darsa (she, her, hers)

Alissa, a native of the Boston area, grew up in Freelance Players. She studied theater at Ithaca College before receiving her master’s degree from New York University. She previously taught in the summer program at Creative Arts at Park and assistant directed in both the Brookline and JP troupes before taking over as director of the Brookline Troupe. Alissa also works in film curation and development at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and podcasts about pop culture.

Cooper Evello (he, him, his)

Cooper studied music production and composition at the Cambridge School of Weston, Hampshire College, and the Berklee School of Music, and joined Rehearsal for Life with a background in music production, performance, arranging and composition. His work with Rehearsal for Life, allows him the opportunity to create music that helps make Boston youth’s time in school a little better and helps them process their feelings and struggles. Outside of work, Cooper can be found composing and recording music in his home studio, and performing around New England in his bands (ADDIE, Bog Berries, Hush Club, and Naomi Westwater).

David Girardin (he, him, his)

David is a Boston based performer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and teaching artist. David studied music composition and theory at Brandeis University (BA 2021, MA 2022) and works across a broad spectrum of musical genres and idioms. David has a passion for musical theater which he is excited to share with the next generation of great up and coming performers through the Rehearsal for Life community! Outside of musical theater David enjoys cooking, hiking, and a good book or film.

Madeline Segall Hurley, (she, her, hers)

Madeline Segall Hurley has been with Rehearsal for Life since 2017, and in that time has worked for every Freelance Players troupe! She currently serves as the Troupe Director for both the Bellforge and Needham Troupes. Born and raised in the Boston area, Madeline is also a proud alum of Freelance Players! 

Madeline holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education from Emerson College, and she is passionate about the way arts education can help students trust their impulses and get comfortable taking risks. She believes that process and product feed each other, and that for children to grow as artists and performers, they must also grow as people.

In the summers, Madeline works as a Theatrical Director at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in New York, where she has been since 2016. During the few summers she spent away from French Woods, Madeline has served as the Junior Intern Program Director at the New London Barn Playhouse – a pre-professional and educational program for teenage actors and technicians – and as theatre staff at Creative Arts at Park.

While living on the West Coast from 2023 to 2025, Madeline explored her passions for theatre and education from new angles. She experienced a different kind of nontraditional classroom while working as a school garden teacher, teaching outdoors in public schools across Los Angeles with the nonprofit EnrichLA; she also had the opportunity to work with adult actors, including directing Seminar at The McCadden Theater in Hollywood.

Madeline is thrilled to be back with Freelance Players and Rehearsal for Life!! Madeline has both experienced and witnessed the impact of a Freelance education, and she believes the best part of Rehearsal for Life is the communities we build here. Welcome!

Ian Lao (they, them theirs)

Ian is a Filipino-American pianist, composer, producer and teaching artist currently based in Boston, MA. As a collaborator, Ian is dedicated to nurturing and uplifting the creativity of their fellow artists and storytellers, prioritizing those from Filipino, BIPOC and Queer communities. In addition to serving as a music director and teaching artist for Rehearsal For Life, Ian can often be found creating music in their home studio and riding their bike throughout the Greater Boston area!

Merle Perkins

Merle is a founding member of Urban Improv, with the company since 1992. An Independent Reviewers of New England award winner, she’s played roles at theaters in New England and abroad. Credits include TV shows like HBO’s “Six Feet Under”, films and local commercials. The Governor’s office, the Mayor of Boston, and the Red Sox have requested Merle to sing at events. Merle trained at Boston University and Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts. She loves being able to share her passion for music and theater with everyone who participates in our classes and workshops, and, outside of work, is an avid Boston sports fan.

Grace Lenore Rogers, (she, her, they, them)

Grace Lenore Rogers is a Virgo, theatre artist, actor, and educator currently based in Boston, MA. She holds a BFA in Theatre Education and Performance from Emerson College, and has worked as a teaching artist with Barrington Stage, Wheelock Family Theatre, Brookline High School, and Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. Favorite acting credits include Romeo & Juliet (Romeo) and POTUS (Stephanie). When not in the theater or classroom, you can find Grace writing, freelancing as a graphic designer, or on the hunt for the perfect iced latte. gracelenore.com

Faith Soloway (they, them, theirs)

Faith is a writer, director, composer, and performer, and has been a Rehearsal for Life employee for almost 30 years– first, as the music director for Urban Improv 1994 through 2016, and, now, as the Interim Artistic Director. They wrote for all four seasons of Amazon’s groundbreaking television show “Transparent,” composed all the songs for “Transparent: Musicale Finale,” and is now seeing a lifelong dream come true in their original musical “A Transparent Musical” coming to life at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. With roots in the musical comedy world, Faith was the musical director at Second City in Chicago from 1985-1990. During that time, they were also a founding member of The Annoyance Theater. Faith’s favorite part of working for Rehearsal for Life is connecting with the students, watching their joy and curiosities, and watching their development.

Joie Steele, (she, her, hers)

Joie is a recent graduate of Viterbo University, where she earned her BFA in Musical Theatre with a minor in Dance. Originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, she is thrilled to be joining Rehearsal for Life for her first year! Joie is passionate about bringing stories to life through movement and fostering creative spaces that prioritize the artist as a person first.

Mary Torpey (she, her, hers)

Mary has been a director, teaching artist and creative collaborator in the Boston area for many years. She joined Rehearsal for Life in 2003 as assistant director with Freelance Players and teaching artist with Urban Improv and has been directing Freelance Players troupes since 2011. She is endlessly motivated by the collaborative, inclusive and expressive work she sees in the young artists and her colleagues. Originally from Maine, Mary graduated from Indiana University with a B.A in Theater and Drama and studied movement, voice and acting at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Jamie Ullrich (she, her, hers)

Jamie became Executive Director of Rehearsal for Life in June 2025, after nearly 20 years with the organization. She started with the Urban Improv program in 2006 and has worked in various roles throughout her tenure, giving her a deep understanding of RFL’s mission and impact.

Jamie brings a diverse professional background to her leadership role, with a BA in Communication Studies from Seattle University, an MA in Media Arts from Emerson College, and experience as a stage manager and radio professional in both Boston and Seattle. She is a graduate of The Institute for Nonprofit Practice Core Certificate Program and currently serves on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Arts Education Advisory Council.

After nearly two decades, what still draws Jamie to this work? She believes programs like RFL are more vital than ever, and she still gets goosebumps watching students discover what they’re capable of through the arts.

When she’s not at RFL, Jamie enjoys hiking with her dog June Bug.

Narcissa Campion (she, her, hers)

Before officially retiring in 2021, Narcissa was the Program Manager and a music director for Freelance Players. She joined the organization in 1982 and served as its Managing Director from the late 1980’s until 2019. An accomplished composer and arranger, she has won two Massachusetts Arts Lottery grants for composition. Narcissa is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she was awarded the Lamb Prize for composition, and the Barrett Fellowship for the study of musical theater. She has composed over 25 musicals for young people.

Kippy Dewey (she, her, hers)

Before officially retiring in 2021, Kippy served as Founding Director and artistic adviser to all Rehearsal for Life programs and oversaw the Freelance Players. Kippy has taught and directed at the Charles Playhouse and the Next Movie Theatre and held artist residencies in schools throughout the metropolitan Boston area. Kippy is also the founding director of Creative Arts at Park, a multi-arts summer program for young people ages 8-15.